PLEASE NOTE

Due to reasons beyond anybody's control, including my own temporary infirmity there will be no Saturday Masses at Batley either this Saturday or next month.

I am feeling a little stronger now and hope to resume more regular posting in a day or two.

Thanks again for cards and prayers received.

Back in the land of the living

I have just returned from Mass at St. Joseph's, Castleford, which was a sung Mass. I had been looking forward to this like I look forward to my summer holidays! I was not disappointed. To witness the action of the Mass unfolding again before my eyes was as exciting as it was moving. I felt ten years younger by the end of Mass as I laid my fears, anxieties, sorrows and joys at the feet of the Lord and thanked Him from the depth of my nothingness for my deliverence and strength in the face of the recent crosses I had been given to carry.

Hair raising days

Following my last posting I went to a hotel in central Harrogate on Wednesday morning for an examiners' moderation meeting where upon arrival I promptly collapsed in the underground carpark with the most excruciating abdominal pain. After an operation to remove various bits and pieces, including the remainder of my appendix and eight nights in Harrogate hospital I was released this afternoon.
I should like to thank Fr. Wiley for administering Extreme Unction and for bringing the Blessed Sacrament to me and to the many other good people who have prayed for me and had Masses offered.
Mass will be offered for your intentions.
Glad to be home, I am still very weak and now have to work on building up my strength and confidence.

Prayer please

Please say a little prayer for me as I have been suffering with a terrible stomach cramp since Thursday and I am now beginning to feel frustrated and more worryingly thoroughly dejected and dare I say tearful.

Splendid occasion

Mass at St. Peter's, Bradford, yesterday was a splendid occasion. The Missa cantata was followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and the Litany of Loreto. To say that there were nearly a dozen children present, one could have heard a pin drop from the Vidi aquam to the final hymn.

Fr. Parfitt has asked me to remind readers that there will be a Missa cantata at Bewerley Grange chapel, Pateley Bridge on Tuesday 31st. May at 11.30p.m. for the Queenship of of our Blessed Lady.
If you are in the vicinity or are free that day, please do all you can to join us.

Weekend Masses

Saturday Vigil, St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax. 6.00p.m.
Sunday - Missa Cantata, St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford. 3.00p.m.
Sunday, St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford. 3.00p.m.

3 years of blogging

This week sees the third year of this blog's existence. I just reread my original post back on May 6th. 2008. At that time there were 18 monthly Masses advertised as regular. Today there are at least 50 regular Masses per month and this blog now receives over a thousand visits per month.
Progress?

May - month of our Blessed Lady

At Broughton Hall this morning we had it all ; Missa cantata, beautifully sung by the schola, a sermon which mentioned Faith (the Epistle and Gospel), the Divine Mercy, the Beatification of Blessed John Paul II and the month of May and Paschaltide.

The triumphant hymns of the glory and joy of the Resurrection gave way at the end to the joyful strains of Regina Caeli followed by Caswell's This is the Image of the Queen.

I mention this now as the month traditionally set aside in honour of our Blessed Lady will conclude with Missa cantata at Bewerley Grange chapel, Pateley Bridge on Tuesday 31st. May at 11.30a.m. The Feast being the Queenship of Mary.

After Mass we had a refreshing glass of champagne to celebrate the beatification of Pope JP2 at our Polish friends' before going over to Castleford for the 3.00p.m. Mass where I got an easter egg. My first in absolute ages.

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us!

Blessed John Henry Newman, pray for us!

Our Lady, Queen of heaven, pray for us!

Walk for LIFE

The wonderful people at Leeds People for Life are holding a pro-life walk next Sunday in York, following a path we followed in our recent pilgrimage. The Mass advertised below is in the Ordinary Form. Mass in the EF will be at 6.30p.m. at English Martyrs. "...a great prayer for Life is urgently needed..." is a quote from the newly beatified Blessed John Paul II's Evangelium Vitae in which he coined the term "the culture of death". Seven million abortions is a lot of innocent blood. Of all the many people I know, those who at some point have deliberately ended their pregnancies, have lost something so profound that they have never been the same again and regardless of their creed or colour, background or status they have been deeply affected by it if not traumatised.

My own pro-life prayers invariably include any woman who wants to keep her baby but is under pressure to get rid of it and for those suffering from the after effects of an abortion and that we as a nation will open our eyes to what our society permits....and possibly more sinisterly forbids under the dubious term 'human rights'.

Of all the Bishops' mottos I have seen, my favourite one was that of Bishop John Crowley the former Bishop of Middlesbrough. It was "Choose Life", from St. John's Gospel.

Leeds People For Life
An Apostolate of prayer and reparation for the growth of a ‘Civilization of love’,
“...a great prayer for Life is urgently needed..” Evangelium Vitae.

YORK
SUNDAY MAY 8TH 2011

100 CROSSES FOR LIFE WALK

With Our Lady of Guadalupe and the English Martyrs, praying to end the ‘culture of death’ and reclaiming England as ‘Mary’s Dowry’ (over 7 million babies have been killed in 43 years of abortion in England, Scotland and Wales.)

Assemble at West door precinct of York Minster 1.15p.m. for 1.30p.m.,
(Eucharistic Adoration 12-15a.m. to 1-15p.m. in St Wilfrid’s)

Procession and prayers at Margaret Clitherow Plaque, Ousebridge, veneration of her relic at the Bar Convent, prayers at the Knavesmire, Holy Mass at English Martyrs’ Church, Dalton Terrace.YO24 4DA
Total distance approx.2 miles.

Both St Wilfrid’s, Petersgate (near the Minster) and English Martyrs are open for prayer all day.
Coach from Leeds
St Mary’s, Horsforth, 10.00a.m. Leeds Playhouse 10-15a.m.

St Augustine’s, Harehills 10.25 a.m., and St Theresa’s, Crossgates 10.35a.m. Cost £8.


Further details Pat. 0113 2582745. Mob 07747698553
Email patriciamarysammon@btinternet.com

Totus tuus

Blessed John Paul II. Pray for us!

Juventutem Retreat at Douai Abbey in September Announced - Bookings Being Taken - Limited Places

I have been requested to announce the following - which I am happy to do. Pity I'm too old to attend even with my youthful good looks!

During the weekend of the 9-11 September 2011, Young Catholic Adults (YCA), the national affiliate organisation for England and Wales of the international Juventutem movement, will be running a retreat at Douai Abbey near Reading in Berkshire. It will be led by Juventutem Ecclesiastical Assistant Fr de Malleray . The weekend will be full-board.

* YCA will have half of the retreat centre to itself
* There will be a Marian Procession, Rosaries, Sung Mass, Low Mass, Confession and socials
* Fr. de Malleray FSSP head of Juventutem will preach the retreat, Masses will be in the Extraordinary Form

Prices range from £5 to £51 per person per night . There are 3 options:

THE MAIN GUEST HOUSE

Friday, 9 September, registration from 4pm, to Sunday, 11 September (full board)* or Arrive Saturday morning till Sunday or day only

£51 full-board PER PERSON PER NIGHT
£25 for students/low waged/unwaged (or whatever you can afford) PER PERSON PER NIGHT

THE COTTAGES

£35 PER PERSON PER NIGHT (full board).
Self catering £25 per person per night (reductions for students:- or whatever you can afford).

SELF CATERING CAMPING

£5 PER PERSON PER NIGHT (or whatever you can afford - please bring your own tent and food ).

If you would like lunch on Sunday, 11 September, then it will be an extra £7 each.

HOW TO BOOK - limited places so please reserve your place early!

To reserve your place FOR THE WEEKEND (no deposit needed if you are coming for the day on Saturday), please contact the Guestmaster direct and send a £20 deposit (NON RETURNABLE) to:

Brother Christopher Greener OSB,
Douai Abbey,
Upper Woolhampton,
Reading,
Berks RG7 5TQ

(please make any cheques payable to 'Douai Abbey'). Please also mention how long you wish to stay and any special dietary requirements.

For general enquiries about the weekend, or any queries about the accommodation/location/lifts required, please ring Damian Barker on 07908 105787 or 01452 539503.

Back to normal

I went to Notre Dame chapel this afternoon to tidy everything up and retrieve the vestments and paraphernalia which we had left there on Saturday. The Chaplain Fr. Kravos had already done everything leaving our things neatly packed to take away and made me feel quite guilty. Today the water blessed there on Saturday was used for a Baptism.

One of the many positive outcomes of our Triduum was that I was able to organise another Traditional Mass at Wakefield's ancient chantry chapel, where Fr. Smith sang a Mass of Requiem to mark the Battle of Wakefield back in December. This time Fr. Hall will sing Mass for the Feast of the Assumption at 7.30p.m. on Monday 15th. August.

Missa in albis, Quasimodo, Low Sunday

Saturday

Vigils

Mass at Notre Dame Chapel again on Saturday at 4.00p.m.

Mass at St. Mary's, Gibbet Street Halifax again on Saturday at 6.00p.m.

Sunday;

Missa Cantata, Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, near Skipton at 11.30a.m.

Low Mass, St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford at 3.00p.m.

I now have to prepare and deliver two revision sessions for my year 9 GCSE classes and year 11 high flyers this week.

Time for a pint

Our sung Mass at Castleford this afternoon was sung beautifully by Mike Murphy, John Burton and a woman student from Leeds University.

Our celebrant, Fr. Wiley and servers were all in great mood and Canon Durcan was even more cheerful than usual, possibly because he is front page news in the latest edition of the Catholic Post.

After a large family dinner a few of us went to the pub (almost unheard of in this house) and had a few pints of excellent beers from all over Europe.

Happy Easter!

Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia

Jesus Christ the Lord is Risen! Alleluia

Happy Easter and may I wish you and yours true peace and joy at this glorious time.

Our Sacred Triduum at Notre Dame chapel is now over.

Tonight was a spectacular denouement to the divine tragedy we witnessed yesterday and on Holy Thursday.

For utterly practical reasons the liturgy began just after 7.30p.m. Instead of the fire being on a stand or in a brazier it was lit in the road before the chapel door and was so hot that the five pieces of charcoal put on the edge were already crumbling ash by the time it came to put them into the empty thurible. Hence the thurible being filled with coals and red hot kindling wood. Given this and the stunning boldness of the Paschal Candle and the very dark chapel illuminated initially by only the flame of that candle made for a dramatic and striking entry from the fading light of the evening and into the darkness of the chapel to light. The Light.

Lumen Christi!

Deo gratias!

The end of the third reading of the Vigil refers to protection from the rain and again protected we were because not a drop fell on us.

Thanks to our energetic and devoted celebrant, Fr. Hall, our choir, Messrs Forbester and Burton, our servers, Messrs O'Dowd (who carried out his role as MC at Mass for the first time), Janko and the Walker brothers who between them have acted in a variety of roles ranging from thurifers to book boys.

Please remember that there will be a Missa cantata on Easter Sunday at 3.00p.m. at St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford.

Consummatum est. Et inclinato capite tradidit spiritum

Once again we recalled the disgraceful horrors of the Passion and death of our Blessed Lord at the Sacred Liturgy according to St. John the Evangelist this afternoon on what was a gloriously sunny day, enabling us to hold our very dignified service in natural light, fittingly subdued in the sanctuary by the blue of the stunning windows. The contrast between the altar of repose last night and its appearance today was stark and dramatic.

There were many new faces today and I hope that even more people will join us for the Vigil tomorrow where the death and shocking events we recalled today will become instantly less painful as we celebrate creation, new life and the Resurrection of Christ, which takes us out of eternal darkness and illuminates us with His light, giving us the chance to win eternal happiness with Him. If this were guaranteed He would not have spent years in His public ministry teaching us the Way to to the Father and issuing stark warnings at times about the consequences of our actions. Consummatum est.

Vigil at 7.30p.m. Notre Dame Chapel, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds. which I look forward to writing about tomorrow with some pictures.

Easter Sunday; St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford. Missa Cantata.

Good Friday

About thirty five people came to the Mass of the Lord's Supper this evening and I hope that for the Good Friday Liturgy there will be even more people present. Fr. Kravos was present in choro this evening and two singers and five servers managed to make the celebration a dignified occasion. Fr. Hall, the celebrant, preached a very well constructed and thought provoking sermon.

Good Friday Liturgy at 3.00p.m. Notre Dame chapel, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds. As tomorrow the weather promises to be good it will be an opportunity to look at the incredibly impressive windows by Harry Clarke which depict the Litany of Loreto (pictured in the sidebar of this blogsite).

Holy Thursday... faciamus musicam

It is now Holy Thursday and as such sees the start of the Sacred Triduum this evening at Notre Dame Chapel, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds at 7.30p.m. There is plenty of free parking around the chapel, but please do not park at the very top of the Avenue as 24 hour access is required.

This evening I was delighted to have received an invitation from friends to attend the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral in Leeds, where Bishop Roche blessed the holy oils and preached a sermon which touched the heart even though it was directed at the Priests and Deacons of his Diocese. He recalled a recent conversation in Rome with the Bishop of Kazakhstan who as a young boy had witnessed the execution in the street of the Priest who had just given him his First Communion (and one presumes Confession) as well as confirming him and his siblings before giving the Holy Viaticum to his dying grandmother. This lad and future Bishop realised his vocation at that moment. Years later he learned that this dead Priest had also witnessed the martyrdom of a Priest in his formative years for similar "crimes".

Martyrdom and Priesthood are linked.

As we approach Easter Sunday and the glory of the Resurrection of the Lord we have to undergo witnessing the ignominy to which Christ was subjected, by the words of the sacred texts and the divine tragedy of the liturgical action. The two words out of the entire Film "The Passion of the Christ" which I shall always remember above anything else were those spoken by the Roman henchman before scourging Christ. He gleefully said, "Faciamus musicam".

Christ is the Priest and Victim, the oblation - indeed the sinless lamb who died for the sinful sheep a Martyr for us and for our salvation. Unique and mind bending.

At the Cathedral I was able to meet a lot of friends and acquaintances, before and after the Mass, some who said they were looking forward to attending our Triduum.

Please do join us tomorrow and or on Good Friday and Easter Saturday if you are visiting, a regular or simply inquisitive.

Ad multos annos!

Happy Birthday, Holy Father!

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro.

R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius. [Ps 40:3]

This weekend and HOLY WEEK Times

Hebdomada Sancta

Sun 17 PALM SUNDAY (SECOND SUNDAY of PASSIONTIDE) I Cl R & V
No Gl. Cr Pr of the Holy Cross. Procession (R) Mass (V).
Omit Asperges. Blessing of Palms and Procession before principal Mass.
No Preparatory Prayers. Passion according to S Matthew 26, 36-75;
27, 1-60. No Last Gospel. At other Masses No Judica No Gloria Patri at
the Introit & Lavabo. Last Gospel from the Blessing of Palms. If a Priest
says more than one Mass, the Gospel of S Matthew 27, 45-52 may
replace the Passion.

Vigil Saturday 16th. April. Low Mass, St. Mary's, Gibbet Street, Halifax. 6.00p.m.

Low Mass Sunday 17th. April, St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford. 3.00pm.

Low Mass Sunday 17th. April, St. Augustine's, Harehills Road, Leeds. 5.00p.m.

Holy Monday - Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton. 9.30a.m.

Spy Wednesday- Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton. 9.30a.m.

HOLY THURSDAY - MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER

Thursday 21st. April

Notre Dame Chapel, Leeds University R.C. Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds. 7.30p.m.

GOOD FRIDAY

Friday 22nd. April.

Notre Dame Chapel, Leeds University R.C. Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds. 3.00p.m.

EASTER SATURDAY

(Vigil) Saturday 23rd. April

Notre Dame Chapel, Leeds University R.C. Chaplaincy, St. Mark's Avenue, Leeds. 7.30p.m.

EASTER SUNDAY

Sunday 24th. April

Missa Cantata, St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford. 3.00p.m.

Many thanks to Fr. P. Kravos (who will join us in choro on Holy Thursday) for giving such prominence to the Triduum on the Leeds University RC Chaplaincy website. http://www.uilcc.org/?p=1954. The 15 visitors from that website to this blogsite caught my eye when I checked my stats this evening. I hope they join us. Thanks again to Mike Forbester and his team the Triduum will be sung. And thanks to Mike Murphy and his team, who will sing at Castleford on Easter Sunday

I shall continue to regularly update this week's events as way of a reminder in this holiest time of the year.

Masses tomorrow. Passiontide is upon us

PASSIONTIDE Tempus Quadragesimale: Passionis
All crucifixes and sacred images are veiled in violet.

Sun 10 PASSION SUNDAY (FIRST SUNDAY in PASSIONTIDE) I Cl V
No Gl Cr Pr of the Holy Cross
No Judica No Gloria Patri at the Introit & Lavabo

Sung Mass at St. Peter's, Leeds Road, Laisterdyke, Bradford. 3.00p.m.

Low Mass at St. Joseph's, Pontefract Road, Castleford. 3.00p.m.