FIUV Conference on Sunday: Mass in SS Trinita

On Sunday 15th delegates of the FIUV conference attended Mass at the church of the personal parish given to the Fraternity of St Peter, SS Trinita dei Pellegrini, as recently as May 2008. This is a beautiful church in central Rome, which has clearly suffered from some neglect over the years but is now home to a thriving community again.

The Fraternity priests celebrated a Solemn Mass with a polyphonic choir; with the FIUV delegates the church was nearly full. The celebrant was Fr Joseph Kramer FSSP, the parish priest; the deacon was Fr Brendan Gerrard FSSP.

In addition to the three sacred ministers, there were three priests in choir.

Interestingly, the servers, and members of a sodality robed in red who sat in the nave, kissed a small icon after the Kiss of Peace. They also used a houseling cloth at communion. These customs, which remind me of medieval English customs, in fact survive in a number of places on the Continent.

The vibrancy of the community was very evident. As soon as Solemn Mass was over a priest came out to celebrate a Low Mass at one of the side chapels, a group of the faithful going to assist - clearly for some particular reason. A group of nuns attended the Mass, and the confessional near where I was sitting was in great demand. After Mass was over the Italian families with their small children chatted in the piazza outside the church.

It is wonderful to see the restoration of tradition at every level in Rome, from the Monsignori's early morning private Masses in the crypt of St Peter's to the local families attending the FSSP church.

Una Voce conference in Rome

I am now back from Rome, where I attended the biannual meeting of the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce, FIUV, the supra-national federation of groups like the Latin Mass Society, of which the LMS is a member.

The 'business' part of the meeting took place on the afternoon of Saturday 13th, and for the first time FIUV was able to organise a Mass for delegates that morning in St Peter's Basilica. It was scheduled for the chapel of St Joseph, but for various reasons we ended up having it in the Chapel of the Presentation of Our Lady, under whose altar lies the mortal remains of St Pius X - it is often called the 'chapel of St Pius X'. Although there are fewer seats in this chapel (which we overflowed), the symbolism was very pleasing.

The celebrant was Monsignor Collino, Maestro of the Julian Choir at St Peter's, who successfully resisted an attempt to replace Latin Vespers in St Peter's with the vernacular.

Near the tomb of St Pius X is the monument to the Stuarts; King Henry IX, the younger brother of Bonnie Prince Charlie, being a Cardinal. It always gives me a jolt to see the Royal Coat of Arms in St Peter's; I associate it so much with Anglican churches and the pomp of the Anglican state. It is good to be reminded of Britain's Catholic identity.

After lunch, we had our business meeting, at which the President of FIUV, Leo Darroch (an LMS member and honourary Vice President) was unanimously re-elected for another two-year term of office.

I was myself co-opted onto FIUV's Counsel at the new Counsel's meeting later in the afternoon. This is FIUV's equivalent of a governing committee, which looks after things between meetings. The Counsel's discussions take place mainly by email, since its members are naturally from all over the world.

One of the most heartening things announced at the meeting was that, since the previous meeting two years ago FIUV has accepted requests for membership by no fewer than six new associations: from Chile, Peru, Mexico, Columbia, Malta and Ireland. Each country can have up to three FIUV affiliates, but most of these associations represent countries which have never had associations before. It is particularly interesting to see the Spanish-speaking world coming to the table, and a great deal of work from FIUV's Spanish members has gone into this. FIUV now has members from 31 different countries, including India, Russia, and Nigeria.

A important part of the meeting is the opportunity to meet other delegates. I was particularly pleased to have made such disparate contacts as with delegates from New Zealand, Mexico and Spain, America, Ireland, the Netherlands and Poland.

Fr John Berg, Superior General of the FSSP, in Reading

It was a great honour to assist at Mass offered yesterday, Remembrance Sunday, by Fr John Berg, and to hear him address the faithful after Mass and answer their questions about the Reading apostolate and the Fraternity of St Peter's work around the world.

Fr Berg spoke of his recent audience with the Holy Father. Of all the many bishops around the world, Fr Berg said the bishop with the best - indeed, a complete - understanding of and sympathy with the Fraternity, its mission and its self-understanding, is the Holy Father himself.

In the last few days Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP has taken possession of a house close to St William of York, where the FSSP's English apostolate is based. This house has been purchased outright thanks to the generosity of the faithful; it is the first house purchased by the Fraternity in the UK (they own a house in Edinburgh which was given to them by bequest). Work will soon begin on the necessary redecorations, and thereafter an extension is planned. This is a big step, and shows the committment of both the Fraternity and the Reading faithful to making the apostolate permanent and a success.

Fr Berg answered questions and then chatted with the faithful informally an the church hall.

More photos can be seen here.

Traditional Confirmations at Spanish Place

Bishop Stack examines the confirmands in the Lady Chapel.

Bishop Stack, an auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Westminster, today confirmed thirty two candidates in the glorious church of St James, Spanish Place.

The service was extremely well attended. Bishop Stack was assisted by Fr Tim Finnigan, of the 'Hermeneutic of Continuity', and Fr Andrew Southwell. Fr Jason Jones, custodian of the National Shrine of Wales, which I visited just a few weeks ago, was accompanying two candidates from Menevia, one of whom was at the St Catherine's Trust Summer School.

It was a truly joyful occasion. After the confirmations, Bishop Stack led Pontifical Benediction. After that the candidates and their sponsors went down to the basement for refreshments, and I was able to thank Bishop Stack for his help.

The Latin Mass Society has been organising these confirmation services for some years now; their development was an important milestone in that it makes the point that the Traditional Mass is not just for the old, but also for the young and children, and that those 'attached to the former liturgical traditions' have a right to all the sacraments according to the 1962 books, not just Mass. The Archdiocese of Westminster has been hosting these services, and providing the bishops, which serve the whole of England and Wales.

Bishop Stack also did the confirmations last year; other auxiliary bishops who have done them include Bishop Alan Hopes and Bishop Bernard Longley, now the Archbishop of Birmingham.

Thanks are due to Bishop Stack, Fr Southwell and Fr Finnigan, and to everyone at Spanish Place. St James's is a superb church, and it is good to see how well looked after it is. Everything is clean and in good repair; all of the very plentiful brassware was glowing. Here is the sanctuary.

There are more photographs here.

Recent Masses

All Saints fell less Sunday, and on Monday we had All Souls at the Oratory, accompanied by a particularly large group from the Schola Abelis. Fr Dominic Jacob was the celebrant, in a rather fine black chasuble, Fr Joseph Welch preached, and Fr Anton Webb join the singers. The church doesn't look very full, but there were more than sixty people assisting at Mass. See more photos here.

On Friday evening we had as usual a First Friday Mass at SS Gregory & Augustine; since there was no feast of the day we had a Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart. Fr Saward preached a very edifying sermon on the Sacred Heart and the priesthood, which can be seen in this video. It deserves a wider audience.

Videos of some of the Chants can be seen at the Schola's blog.

More photos of the Sacred Heart Mass can be seen here.

Twitter

I'm not completely convinced this is a good idea, but I've been persuaded to give it a go.

So here goes: 'Follow me on Twitter!'

FSSP Newsletter: new edition available

It can be downloaded here; see here for details of hard-copy subscriptions.

Fr de Malleray has important news to report in the current edition: thanks to generous support from many benefactors, including the Latin Mass Society, the Fraternity has been able to purchase a house in Reading, between 5 and 10 minutes walk from the Church of St William of York, Upper Redlands Road, where they say Mass each day (Mass, usually Sung, on Sundays, is at 11am).

Much work needs to be done on the house, including an extension, and the Fraternity are still appealing for funds. See the 'Dowry' newsletter for full details.

More on the Anglican Ordinariate

There has been a great deal of discussion about the Holy Father's offer to (former) Anglicans and I have already drawn the obvious parallels with the offer he is likely to make to Traditionalists, should the present talks (which started on Monday) with the SSPX prove successful (and quite likely, even if they do not).

Many Catholics find the situation of 'High' Anglicans baffling, and this has found its way into a lot of online discussion. They would do well to read the extensive autobiographical literature on conversion, by former Anglican clergy: J.H. Newman's 'Apologia', and his novel 'Loss and Gain'; R.H. Benson's 'Confessions of a Convert'; Ronald Knox's 'Spiritual Aeneid', Hugh Ross Williamson's 'The Walled Garden'. (Ross Williamson was a founder of the Latin Mass Society.) Part of my own interest in these books stems from my grandfather, Edward Rich (a friend of Ross Williamson), being one of the wave of converts in the 1950s (he wrote it up in 'Seeking the City').

One of the things which characterises these books is the sheer difficulty of the move to Rome. The intellectual and emotional effort required by these intelligent and sincere men was immense. The books start with childhood because, in retrospect, that is when the process started, and it took years and years of soul searching, reading, talking, thinking and praying. Newman remarks in the Apologia that he could not have come over earlier without risking regret: as it was, he was ready and he never regretted his conversion.

How was it that Newman's great intellect was occupied, and pretty continuously occupied, by related questions for so many years, when the answer to his problem seems so obvious? And let me mention, to Anglican readers, as a matter of sociological fact, that the Anglican Communion does not impress Catholics: it seems to have not a leg to stand on, historically or theologically.

The answer is that, whatever its defects, Anglicanism had been the spiritual home of these people, and leaving home is difficult. That is not just an emotional truth; it effects the intellect as well. Intellectually, one has to start from where one is: the education one gets, the premises one accepts, one's intellectual preferences, formed by all sorts of influences. These men were not marginal Anglicans; more than one of them was a convert to Anglicanism, and they all played an important part in Anglican debates over many years. They were Anglicans to the core, but eventually they demonstrated the important fact that wherever you start you can reach the truth if you pursue it with enough vigour and courage for long enough.

There is a fascinating insight in Mgr Benson's book, in which he says that when he looked back at Anglicanism after conversion he couldn't see what had kept him there. It was, he said, like the man in the fairy tale who was entertained in the magnificent fairy palace, and when he left he looked back at it and all he could see was the bare hillside.

Things look completely different when you look at them with different assumptions. And this is not just a philosophical fact, it involves the theological truth encapsulated by St Anselm: Credo ut intelligam: I believe that I may understand. In a way which it is - for obvious reasons - hard to express, it is necessary to believe certain things before one can really understand them. One can understand enough, of course, to make the statement of faith, but not all of the implications, not all of the reality of the thing, will be visible until the proposition becomes part of one's living faith.

Another puzzling factor is the matter of the 'trigger' moment, when some particular issue seems to trigger conversions. Many Anglicans were ridiculed for converting 'because of' women priests. My grandfather, for that matter, converted in the context of the union with the Church of South India; Newman in the context of the Jerusalem Bishopric: these are pretty obscure events you may think. But clearly what happened in each case is that a particular event or issue made things finally clear. In fact what most, perhaps all, of the trigger issues did was to make it clear that Anglicanism was not part of the Universal Church, and could not be finessed into it either. This is a lesson which it seems must be learnt afresh by each generation: perhaps you have to struggle with an issue like that, and lose, to appreciate fully that most Anglicans have no interest in conforming to Catholic and Apostolic positions.

Catholics must be patient with the Anglicans; we must pray for them and extend them whatever help we can. If their path can be eased by unusual arrangements and concessions, where these are compatible with the Faith and the good of the Church they should - as the Holy Father teaches us - be made. English Catholicism is unusual, I think in fact unique, in the Europe after Trent for being constantly refreshed by large numbers of important conversions. This is as much part of Catholic life and culture here as is the more 'tribal' Catholicism of Lancashire and the Irish community, or that of the Recusant English gentry and their chapels. Personally, I value each kind of Catholicism, as representing different ways to triumph over the attempt to impose an alien creed on this country in the 16th Century. The Older Sons should not begrudge the fatted calf being made ready for the Prodigal.

Photos: Newman, Knox, Benson, Pope Benedict.

Call for assistance from Una Voce group in Cuba

I've had this message from Una Voce International. Please spread the word; I know many people, especially in America, have a special interest in Cuba and may wish to help the faithful establish the Traditional Mass there.

In the context of the appalling persecution Catholics have suffered in Cuba since the revolution, and which is not over yet, this is really a sign of hope.

If you can do anything for the Cuban traditionalists please email asociacion@unavocesevilla.info

I am writing to you in order to communicate a call for help from Cuba. A group of faithful of that hispanic country are organizing themselves to celebrate the Mass and probably to create Una Voce Cuba in the near future.

The problem that they have is that they don't own any ornaments, Missals, liturgical objects, surplices, cassocks for the acolytes. They need
help, and due to their special situation (economic and political environment, dominated for decades by atheist materialism) they haven't got many possibilities to get the appropriate things, nor even to do the right steps to get public help.

If any of you could get ornaments (chasubles, maniples, etc.), even used, to send them, please contact us, they will be very grateful. They also need money to support their apostolate, and of course, prayers for their cause.

Oxford Pilgrimage 2009

For the fifth year, the LMS Oxford Pilgrimage in honour of the Catholic martyrs of Oxford took place. For the first time the celebrant was a Dominican, Fr Simon Gaine, the Prior of Blackfriars, where the Mass took place. The deacon and subdeacon, Fr Richard Conrad and Br Lawrence Lew, and the servers, were all also Dominicans, which is very pleasing. The ceremonies were performed extremely well, in what is a superb sanctuary for Solemn Mass.

The Mass was accompanied by the Schola Abelis, which included me. In another first, some of our members sang a polyphonic Ordinary. In recognition of the nature of the celebration, we thought William Byrd would be appropriate. There will soon be videos of the Mass, including the singing, on the Schola's blog.

The procession to the site of the martydoms of 1589, which is now marked by a plaque (blessed on the same occasion last year by an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese, William Kenny), was led by Fr Simon Leworthy FSSP, who also led Benediction after that.

Despite heavy rain in the morning and during lunch, Mass was attended by more than 60 people and the procession by more than 40. It did not, in fact, rain on the procession, a fact I attribute to a very kind Providence!

It was a busy day in Oxford. In the above picture we are passing a thinly attended anti-vivisection demonstration; matriculation ceremonies were also taking place, and we passed crowds of students wearing academic dress. In Broad Street we also passed a bizarre figure made of wood and straw (below, on the left); I imagine it is supposed either to represent Guy Fawkes or something to do with Halloween - it is hard to know which.

Into this maelstrom of different activities we gave an impressive witness to the Faith, singing the Great Litany, the Te Deum, and Faith of Our Fathers, among other things, and praying the Rosary, as we passed down the route followed by the martyrs, where our gallows was positioned, and then returned to Blackfriars.

More photos here.