Palm Sunday in Reading

Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, we had a splendid ceremony of the blessing of the palms at an outside altar, followed by a procession around the Church, and Solemn Mass. Fr Armand de Malleray and Fr Simon Leworthy, the two priests of the Fraternity of St Peter based permanently in Reading, were joined by their confrere Fr Damon Sypher, who was subdeacon at Mass (Fr Leworthy was deacon and Fr de Malleray celebrant.)

There are more photographs on my Flickr set. I was singing in the choir on this occasion, as I will be also over the Triduum.

Solemn Mass was even very recently a real rarity in this country. For years the only time I witnessed it myself was in the annual Mass at Portsmouth Cathedral. It is wonderful to see it coming back into routine use. We have of course had Solemn Mass for the Oxford Pilgrimage for several years now; the Newman Society termly Mass was a traditional Solemn Mass some time ago, and there will be a Solemn Mass on Sunday 12th July in SS Gregory and Augustine at 10.30am, which will be accompanied by a visiting choir from Poland, the Cantores Pueri Polences.