News from Silverstream Priory

I was delighted to meet Fr Mark Kirby, Prior of Silverstream Priory, for the first time at the LMS Pilgriamge to Wrexham, where he very kindly celebrated a High Mass for us. I am very happy to pass on this news about his community. I know one of the monks mentioned here, Br Elijah, because he has been on two of the LMS Latin Courses; Dom Benedict, who is now solemnly professed, I met in Wrexham.

Dom Finnian and Dom Elijah (left and right)

On Thursday, 6 August, feast of the Transfiguration, Dom Benedict Maria Andersen (a native of Denver, Colorado) prounced his final vows as a Benedictine monk of Silverstream Priory and received the monastic consecration. Father Benedict, 34 years old, holds degrees from the Lateran University, Rome, and from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary, New York; he is a skilled typesetter and designer of liturgical books.

Autumn Mass of Ages available

I'm being a bit slow with blogging at the moment, but the new edition of Mass of Ages, the first to be edited by Dylan Parry, is now available in your friendly local church (if not, ask your friendly local priest to stock it: it is FREE), and from the LMS Office.

Members have their copies delivered to their homes, so join here.

The Benedictine vocation in the UK: light at the end of the tunnel?

Prior Mark Kirby of Silversteam, Ireland: not EBC, but a Benedictine taking the path of Tradition

Not all Benedictines in the UK are members of the English Benedictine Congregation (EBC), and that Congregation has houses outside the UK, but the non-EBC houses in England are not immune to the difficulties of the EBC ones, so the specially convened, and unique, recent meeting of the EBC gives us a good indication of the state of the Benedictine vocation in this country.

The Tablet called the meeting 'crisis talks'. 'Crisis' of course is an over-used word; properly, it suggests something dramatic which could end in more than one way: the crisis of a battle, or a crisis of health. What has been going on with the Benedictines for the last thirty or forty years is something not very dramatic, which is on the other hand pointing very firmly in the direction of one outcome. That outcome is the disappearance of the Benedictine vocation from this country.

1P5 on female lectors: a response

The subdeacon chants the Epistle at the LMS
Pilgrimage to Wrexham.

I'm delighted that the issue of the roles of the sexes in the liturgy is getting more discussion. Just now the blog 1Peter5 has addressed the issue of female lectors (plus reply to criticisms). While agreeing with the conclusion - female lectors are liturgically inappropriate - I want to disagree with the argument for that conclusion, made by the contributor 'Benedict Constable' (a nom de plume).

St Philomena in New Brighton

They are getting ready for the Feast of St Philomena, 11th August, in the church - SS Peter & Paul and St Philomena - looked after by the Institute of Christ the King in New Brighton.

Ora pro nobis!

On the unequal battle between St Philomena and Mgr Basil Loftus, and a photo of an earlier version of her shrine in the church, see here.

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Summer School 2015

No one wants a boring recitation of what we did in the Summer School, so here are some nice pictures instead.



We said lots of prayers, had lots of very splendid liturgies, learnt lots about the Faith, and had lots of fun. That pretty well sums it up.

Pilgrimage to St Richard Gwyn at Wrexham Cathedral

Apologies for the break in blogging, I have been too busy, and too far away from internet access, to keep up. I have been at the St Catherine's Trust Summer School, which I will blog about next; first, however, an LMS event we took the school students to join.

It was on Saturday that we attended the Latin Mass Society's Pilgrimage to Wrexham in Wales, which has the shrine and relics of our co-patron, St Richard Gwyn. (Our other heavenly patron is St Margaret Clitherow.)