LMS Chairman

Another First Holy Communion

2010-07-28T14:28:00.003+01:00

I attended another First Holy Communion on Sunday - that of my own oldest daughter.

Unfortunatly my camera is playing up! But it was a great occasion.

I am currently preparing for the Summer School 2010 at Ardingly College; the week after that is the LMS Priest Training Conference, which is now FULLY BOOKED! So to say this is a busy time would be an understatement!

Tyburn Convent

2010-07-24T21:05:00.003+01:00

With a moment of leisure in London today, I visited the Tyburn Convent. The convent is near the site of the Tyburn Tree, the public gallows where more than 100 Catholic martyrs were executed.

I arrived in the public part of their chapel (grilled off from the nuns' part) while they were singing the Office (in English). At it's conclusion the nuns processed out, but one came to kneel on a prie-dieu in front of the Blessed Sacrament: they maintain perpetual exposition. A most moving witness to the Presence of Our Lord.

Alas the altar and it's surroundings have clearly been 're-ordered' at a moment of particularly dismal taste. The altar is so arranged with the steps as to make Mass ad orientem as difficult as possible.

It is hard to imagine this situation surviving another twenty years!
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FHC at St Anthony of Padua

2010-07-22T17:59:00.005+01:00

Fr Aldo Tapparo, Parish Priest of St Anthony of Padua in Headington, gave First Holy Communion today in his freshly redecorated church (with a new Sanctuary lamp too).

Regular readers may recall earlier photos of Masses there, with some rather - well - unfashionable pastel colours. For example, here is a Mass celebrated by Fr Daniel Seward last winter. (Note the Sanctuary lamp next to the Tabernacle.)

It was a beautiful occasion, illustrating the 'ordinary' Catholic life of Catholics attached to the 'extraordinary' form of the Roman Rite. It is not all solemn liturgies in great or historic churches - not that there is anything wrong with those. It is simply that life also includes low Masses on weekday mornings and family occasions which are important to a small circle of people.

May Dominic's love of the Blessed Sacrament always burn brightly!

Lucy Shaw Cakes provided a suitably decorated cake which was consumed after Mass.

More photos here.

Lanherne sisters want to buy another convent

2010-07-19T17:27:00.005+01:00

This is a very exciting proposal - if the necessary benefactors could be found. Please pass this news on!

Photos of Lanherne below and more here. The nuns have restored the chapel.

--------------------------

Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, Lanherne Cornwall

DARLINGTON CARMEL (one of the very early Carmels to be established in England [1830]) is up for sale. The very few remaining sisters are soon to move out. At Lanherne we have known about this for several months and we have been to visit the establishment. Wonderful for our needs! The Sisters are not going to leave Lanherne, in fact another house is needed as a new foundation. The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate have a goodly number of vocations; especially sisters who at the moment belong to the “active” branch who have a vocation to the contemplative life. So another contemplative house is needed. There is a major problem. Yes, you’ve got it! The FSI have no money and the Carmelites at Darlington require one and half million pounds. If you know Darlington and the Carmel then you will be surprised that it’s going for only £1,500,000. It’s large and fine, in good order and a Grade 2 listed building.

So we are looking for a benefactor. Franciscans cannot own property and therefore a possible benefactor would continue to own the Carmel and would let the FSI use it – or a trust could be set up. It is possible that with a serious bit of thinking other activities may be considered - retreats etc. ALL is possible. May I remind you that the FSI use ONLY the 1962 liturgical books. A centre for traditional Catholics in the north of England would be a great help to many people.

Please pray that a benefactor or a group of benefactors may be found.

Please contact me and let me know your thoughts.

Father Joseph M Taylor
Lanherne Convent
St Mawgan
Newquay
Cornwall
TR8 4ER

Church-going heretics

2010-07-17T11:27:00.003+01:00

William Oddie has written an interesting article in the Catholic Herald about the 'Soho Masses': Masses which take place regularly in a church in London which are specifically intended for 'homosexual Catholics', and are run by 'The Soho Masses Pastoral Council'. Dr Oddie contends, as have many people over the years which these Masses have been going, that the ethos of these Masses (for want of a better word) is at variance with the teaching of the Church.

Many people posting comments on his article have said that the interior state of the Mass-goers is no-one's business to judge. It reminds me, nevertheless, of the following passage in the 1984 Indult permitting the Traditional Mass. This is the first of the five conditions of these permissions:

That it be made publically clear beyond all ambiguity that such priests and their respective faithful in no way share the positions of those who call in question the legitimacy and doctrinal exactitude of the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

This is remarkable in three ways: the ludicrous impractability of the demand (individual members of the faithful are to be grilled on their views?); the reversal of the normal burden of proof (Trads are to be assumed to be guilty until proven innocent); and the suggestion - admittedly this is not totally clear - that the views which would exclude the faithful from participation at the Traditional Mass include private opinions on matters not directly related to dogmas of the Faith. One could argue, I suppose, that to deny the legitimacy of the 1970 Missal, taken in a legal sense, would be to deny the dogma of Papal authority; but what dogma is at stake in questioning the doctrinal exactitude of the Missal? (It would be most charitable, I suppose, to understand the 'and' in the clause strictly: only those who question both matters are in trouble.)

This clause is, perhaps, the apogee of the unfortunate attitude of the 1970s and 1980s which said that the only thing really unacceptable in the Catholic Church is a reasoned preference for the Traditional Mass. Cardinal Ratzinger, as he then was, articulated and criticised this attitude in his famous speech to the Bishops of Chile in 1988. He said

That which previously was considered most holy -- the form in which the liturgy was handed down -- suddenly appears as the most forbidden of all things, the one thing that can safely be prohibited. It is intolerable to criticize decisions which have been taken since the council; on the other hand, if men make question of ancient rules, or even of the great truths of the faith -- for instance, the corporal virginity of Mary, the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the immortality of the soul, etc. -- nobody complains or only does so with the greatest moderation.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and then the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, have done a lot to put this topsey-turvy world the right way up. The Catechism reminds us that even after the Council there are dogmas which must be held by every Catholic. The motu proprio reminds us that official policies adopted with regard to the Traditional Mass after the Council are just that - policies, not dogmas - and while they were sincerely intended for the good of the Church, some were wrong-headed, and needed to be reversed. The Holy Father laments mistakes made in good faith over the centuries:

Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the centuries have rent the Body of Christ, one continually has the impression that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church’s leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to enable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew.

So in what category do the 'Soho Masses' come? Those objecting to attempts to make judgements about the interior states of the faithful are right. It is public acts which we need to consider, and these in relation to dogma, and the good of the faithful. On this matter, one may ask whether the public support of the Soho Masses Pastoral Council for Civil Partnerships is a good qualification for them to be in charge of the pastoral care of a cat, let alone of Catholics. And one may observe that the effect of the apparent concession to positions at odds with the Church's teaching is to create a community in which this kind of attitude is fostered (from the comments on the Herald article):

It is not the teaching of the "Church" that we should refrain from sexual activity outside of marriage, but the doctrine of the Vatican.

If this is the rationale of these Mass-goers, then someone needs to go to Soho and give them some sound teaching. And fast.

Special Masses in Reading with the FSSP

2010-07-16T17:26:00.003+01:00

Email just received!

In St William of York Upper Redlands Road, Reading.

· Sunday 18^th July 2010, 11am, St William of York: Solemn High Mass on the occasion of the 22^nd Anniversary of Foundation of the FSSP

· Saturday 11^th September 2010, 11am: Sung Mass of Our Lady, Douai Abbey Church, Berks.: occasion: Juventutem international gathering

· Friday 17^th September 2010: 7pm: Sung Mass ‘Pro Fidei Propagatione’ (Votive Mass n°18) followed with Prayer vigil in front of the Blessed Sacrament until midnight: occasion: Holy Father’s visit.

· Sunday 3^rd October 2010: 11am: Sung Mass of BMV of the Rosary (External Solemnity), St William of York, Reading: occasion: Inauguration

Retreats: Please book now for our next retreats at Douai Abbey, Berks. are :

· for students and young professionals, Juventutem week-end 10-12 September 20101 (contact: Damian Barker: ps99ddb@yahoo.co.uk);

· for all: Advent week-end: 10-12 December 2010. (contact: Fr de Malleray: [malleray@fssp.org]‎)

Anglicanorum Coetibus: why Gerald Warner is wrong

2010-07-13T14:26:00.004+01:00

Gerald Warner has posted, following the Anglican Synod vote which effectively puts an end to any face-saving deal for Anglo-Catholics who might remain in the Church of England, criticising Pope Benedict's offer to these Anglo-Catholics in Anglicanorum Coetibus, that they may if they wish enter the Catholic Church as a group, and retain some elements of group identity, such as some parts of the Anglican liturgical tradition.

His objections are scatter-gun, but they are all wrong-headed. Here's one:

If the Anglican liturgy is “a precious gift nourishing the faith”, why did the restored Catholic Church burn its author Cranmer as an apostate and heretic?

Sorry, Gerald, Cranmer was executed for heresy, not for his prose style; nor did he compose the great bulk of what is used in the (Vatican approved) 'Anglican Use': he simply translated it from the Latin of the Catholic Sarum Use. The Psalms, as translated by Cranmer, and as sung in Anglican churches, can surely be described as 'nourishing the faith': to deny this would be absurd.

If some adaptation of the Anglican liturgy is envisaged, to formulate a valid Mass, that, along with the old and new translations of the Novus Ordo, will mean three English versions coexisting.

Too late, Gerald, it happened years ago, it's called the Anglican Use. It is unlikely to be used much in England, because Anglo-Catholics here aren't Book of Common Prayer enthusiasts for the most part. But why do you imagine that the the old and new translations of the Novus Ordo will co-exist? The new is intended to supplant the old. And why would it be such a disaster if there were more than one liturgical usage in English? There are already five Usages employing Latin in England and Wales alone. (1962 Roman, 1970 Roman, Trad. Dominican, reformed Carthusian, Trad. Premonstratensian.) Why assume this is a bad thing?

Why does it take escalating extravagances perpetrated by successive General Synods to drive them into the papal flock? That is not the spirit in which John Henry Newman unconditionally converted.

Why not read Newman's Apologia, Gerald, and see how the 'escalating extravagances' of the mid 19th Century drove the great man into the Papal flock? The rise of theological liberalism, the Anglo-Catholic reaction, the Anglican bishops' condemnation, the Jerusalem bishopric. If you think Newman became a Catholic out of a vacuum you could not be more mistaken. He became a Catholic when all Anglican avenues appeared blocked. The Holy Ghost made use of these things to open Newman's mind to the Catholic truth, and you can see this process again and again in the conversion stories of Anglicans from the great era Newman initiated up to the 1950s.

Let me say this loud and clear: there is no shame in recognising the truth as a result of historical contingencies. How could there possibly be? The idea is totally preposterous. This is how human nature works. People need time and experience to work things out.

The notion that formal adherence to objective truth can be made conditional upon being allowed to retain the cultural expression of schismatic practices defies the spirit of conversion.

Really, Gerald? Would you say the same about the Lutherans who were allowed to retain (for a time) the reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds, and vernacular hymnody, in the 16th Century? Would you say the same about the liturgy and artistic traditions of the Uniate Churches reconciled in the 17th Century? Would you say the same about the concessions to the honouring of ancestors, and the use of Mandarin as a liturgical language, made to Chinese Catholics in the early modern period (concessions which, thanks to some bone-headed opposition and the collapse of the Chinese empire, never developed fully)? Would you say the same about the Christianising of pagan festivals and customs in the conversion of the barbarian tribes in the early Middle Ages? Would you say the same of the concessions offered to the SSPX?

Or would you say rather (and as I have blogged before): where there are matters where the faith is not at stake, such that making concessions can ease the path of great masses of people to enter into the fullness of the truth, not to make such concessions would be a failure of charity. The Church is ultimately about the salvation of souls: our customs are to be preserved for that purpose, and for that purpose alone. As a matter of fact our customs are not in the smallest way to be imperilled by allowing these elements of Anglican patrimony to be used by the envisaged communities, so what possible reason would we have to impose our customs on them?

The Holy Father has an acute sense of what the Church is for - the salvation of souls - and the historic opportunity which the recent events present. It may be tempting to gloat at the difficulties those misguided Anglicans are having, and to demand the maximally humiliating terms for their conversion, but this is not the spirit of the great missionaries - of St Cajetan, St Boniface, St Francis de Salles, St Francis Xavier. Indeed, it is not a Christian spirit at all.

Exchange with The Tablet

2010-07-10T17:34:00.006+01:00

Last week The Tablet (aka The Bitter Pill) tried to pin a negative story about the Traditional Mass onto a passage taken from my AGM speech. (Did they send a journalist to the LMS AGM? No, they picked it off this very blog. They'll be reading this. Cooee!)

Here's their little Notebook article from 3rd July:

IN JULY 2008, when Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos swept into Westminster Cathedral resplendent in cappa magna to celebrate an old-rite Mass, hopes were high for a Tridentine revival across England and Wales. Traditionalists boasted that some of their most enthusiastic followers were young people.

The reality, however, seems to be rather different. Last weekend, Dr Joseph Shaw, the chairman of the Latin Mass Society (LMS), told his society’s AGM that the situation in parishes was “a paradox”. The problem? In some places old-rite Masses are attended only by a few people yearning for the Mass of their youth.

He said: “The number of Masses has risen considerably, and we know scores of priests who are gearing up to do more in their parishes as they gain in confidence. But we also know that some of these Masses are very thinly attended, that some congregations appear to be ageing, and that the rightful aspirations of those attached to the Church’s earlier liturgical traditions are still not being fulfilled in many places.”

Notice how what they quote doesn't actually undermine the claim attributed to 'Traditionalists' 'some of their most enthusiastic followers were young people.' This is partly because, as they express it, it is a very weak claim. I'm pretty young, and so is my 6-year-old daughter, and we are among the most enthusiastic supporters of the TLM, so the claim is true. But of course the LMS would go a lot further, and say that the Traditionalist movement is increasingly typified by large numbers of young people - and even this claim isn't thrown into doubt by my observation that there are some Masses where there aren't very many of them, let alone my observation that people in some parts of the country can't get the Mass because it is not being provided for them as it should be - how does that fit in? (Was the last bit included by mistake?) And I didn't say anything about people yearning for 'the Mass of their youth' - some of the oldies I know who attend the Traditional Mass, as it happens, are post-conciliar converts.

Still, we don't read The Tablet for logic. We read it for self-mortification. In any case, they graciously published my reply (10th July):

Enthusiasm of young for old rite

Readers of The Tablet should take scant comfort from my admission (Notebook, 3 July) that congregations at some old-rite Masses are small and predominantly ageing, since this merely reflects the wider Church in depopulated cities and the countryside.

They would be better employed reflecting on the fact that the usus antiquior is attracting intelligent young people who are eager to recover what the older generation seemed so determined to discard. If they would like evidence of this, they need only look at events (not reported in The Tablet) such as the recent 70-mile walking pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, where the traditional Mass was celebrated daily, which attracted more than 10,000 mostly young people.

I am sad when I recall the deeply patronising liturgical pap designed to cater for “yoof” – Pope Benedict refers to this kind of thing in his letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum as “arbitrary deformations of the liturgy” – which drove most of my contemporaries away from the practice of the faith (I was born in 1971). I am reminded of Kipling’s lines on the generation lost to the Great War:
“What tale shall serve me here among
Mine angry and defrauded young?”

Joseph Shaw
Chairman, Latin Mass Society

Kipling's short poem, The Dead Statesman, deserves to be quoted in full (here are more of his Great War Epitaphs):

I could not dig: I dared not rob:
Therefore I lied to please the mob.
Now all my lies are proved untrue
And I must face the men I slew.
What tale shall serve me here among
Mine angry and defrauded young?

Kipling's anger and bitterness - he lost his only son Jack in the War - are appropriate for our situation. Far worse than to lose your child in a war, is to lose children and grandchildren, or contemporaries, to the faith, since in this case it is their immortal destiny which is at stake. If there are any people really taking satisfaction in the illusory idea that the Traditional Mass isn't attracting the young, they must be the most fossilised liberal fanatics who would rather see the Church disappear and her children be damned than that the Mass of Ages to return.

But what is this? The editorial of the very same issue - the current one - the Editrix appears to accept my point about bad liturgy being a major cause of lapsation, writing

A combination of poor liturgies, uninspiring religious formation and the lure of new experiences, especially sexual ones, don’t encourage Mass attendance.

As Valle Adurni says, welcome to the real world! Glad to have you with us! So stop carping about the spread of the 'Tridentine Mass' (surely The Tablet is the only publication in the world using that terminology), and think about its benefits for the Church.

(The photos, by the way, are of the Chartres Pilgrimage.)

PCED: no communion in the Hand at the Traditional Mass

2010-07-06T21:44:00.001+01:00

The question of communion in the hand at the Traditional Mass has long been unclear. It was not permitted in 1962; it is permitted now (albeit with great reluctance, as a concession to a condemned abuse). Is it permitted now for all forms and rites? Or should those using the 1962 Missal be bound by the rules in force in 1962?

The latter has long seemed the more sensible opinion to the Latin Mass Society, and to most people attached to the 'earlier liturgical traditions'. To adopt into the 1962 Mass customs permitted in the context of the 1970 Mass undermines the integrity of the rite. Each Missal has its own liturgical law, both written and unwritten.

Not all issues are on the same level, however. The question of when Catholics are obliged to go to Mass, and how long they must fast before Communion, are set by canon law (in the first case in the context of decisions made by ordinaries). What is obligatory under the latest Code of Canon Law is obligatory for all Catholics subject to that Code, ie the Code for the Latin Church covers the whole Latin Church. By contrast, liturgical law is specific to the form or Rite.

The common view has been confirmed by the Pontifical Council Ecclesia Dei, as this letter makes clear. These clarifications are to be welcomed.

One may ask: what should a priest do faced with someone insisting on receiving in the hand? The clarification itself, and priests' explanation of the situation, should make this a less frequent occurance. But as with all attempts at inappropitiate behaviour at Mass, priests must respond in a sane way with pastoral sensitivity. There is no legislating for such such cases.

Translation:

"Dear Mr. XXXX

In reference to your letter of 15. June, this papal commission would like to point out that the celebration of Holy Mass in the extraordinary form envisages the reception of Holy Communion while kneeling, as the Holy Host is laid directly on the tongue of the communicant. There is no provision for the distribution of Holy Communion on the hand in this form of the Holy Mass.

With blessings,"

See Fr John Zuhlsdorf: http://bit.ly/ddgzIb

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Mass in St George's Warminster

2010-07-05T09:43:00.002+01:00

We attended the Traditional Mass in the church if Fr Bede Rowe in Warminster, a Low Mass at 6pm. The church is being redecorated so this wasn't the ideal occasion for photographs!

Whenever I go to Warminster I see people I know from other contexts, perhaps because there are few Old Masses in Clifton diocese and people travel here from a long way away. This time I saw several people I met on the Chartres Pilgrimage.

More photos now available here.
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Mass at Milton Manor with the Schola Abelis

2010-06-29T08:34:00.000+01:00

With all the things happening I haven't had time to blog about this, a beautiful Mass we had on 19th June in the private chapel of Milton Manor House, thanks to the hospitality of Anthony Mockler-Barrett, the owner.

In the choir loft in Milton Manor Chapel.

This chapel was consecrated by Bishop Richard Challoner, and our celebrant, Fr Simon Leworthy FSSP, used Challoner's altar cards, vestments and chalice.

The Mass was a Votive Mass of Our Lady and was accompanied by the Schola Abelis, the last Mass of their schedule for the academic year. They sang a polyphonic Ordinary, Francisco Guerro's Missa Beata Mater.

The Schola is the ONLY Catholic choir each year in Fresher's Fair, though I hope this may change. Equally surprising is the fact that our polyphonic section is also the ONLY Oxford choir of any kind specialising in Renaissance music. It now has the right to use the University's name, and call itself the Oxford University Gregorian Chant Society.

The schola has had a very good year. We have more town-based people singing for us now, which means there are more resources for Masses in the vacations. We are planning more Saturday Masses for next term, and more training for members. See the Schola's blog for more about them.

We made a good sound in Milton Manor; here are the polyphonists singing a motet.

There are more videos here, and more photos here.

LMS AGM: Chairman's speech

2010-06-28T10:57:00.000+01:00

The Latin Mass Society Annual General Meeting took place yesterday. As usual we had a report from the Secretary and from the Treasurer, a speech by the Chairman (me) and a speech from a guest, this year Fr Michael Brown, the LMS' new Chaplain for the North of England. Fr Brown has a blog, Forest Murmers, and was a tutor at the Latin Mass Society's Ushaw Priest Training Conference.

The Treasurer, Paul Waddington, gives his Report to the AGM; Paul Beardsmore, the Secrecary, is in the foreground. At the AGM Paul Beardsmore retired from his post, to take up the post of Deputy Chairman, to be replaced by David Forster.

The Secretary was able to announce the retirement of John Medlin as General Manager of the LMS; he will continent to work for us part-time as Magazine Editor and Publicist. John was the first to hold this job in it's present form. He is succeeded by Neil Glanfield, who (unlike John) will be full-time.

Fr Brown gave a very interesting talk on the usefulness of the Latin Mass Society in supporting traditionally-minded priests, and the difficulties we all still face after the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

Fr Brown and others at lunch after the AGM.

At the end of the AGM we sang the Creed (Credo III), as is customary. Then the Committee members and Representatives had a buffet lunch round the corner, before the splendid Pontifical Mass in Westminster Cathedral celebrated by Bishop Hopes.

Here is the text of my own speech.

Father Brown, ladies and gentlemen.

This time last year I set out a long list of house-keeping matters which urgently needed to be done within the Society, and a number of things which we were planning for the Society to do in developing its work. Our retiring Secretary has given an indication of how far we have got down that list, and I hope you will agree that we have done pretty well. I won’t tell you how much effort was required to achieve each of these things, because it would take too long, and anyway you wouldn’t believe me; all I will say is that I’m glad we won’t need to do any of them again for a good long while, let alone all of them at once. I am extremely grateful to the Officers, and especially to our retiring Secretary Paul Beardsmore, whose role meant that he was involved in all of these projects, and whose wise counsel and hard work was indispensible to them.

But while the Society has been getting itself organised internally, and has even launched new apostolates, the situation on the ground presents a paradox. Three years after the Holy Father liberated the Mass with his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum the Traditional Mass is flourishing in many places, but still faces apparently insuperable obstacles in others. Paul Beardsmore has given us some statistics which show that, overall, the number of Masses has risen considerably, and we know scores of priests who are gearing up to do more in their parishes as they gain in confidence. But we also know that some of these Masses are very thinly attended, that some congregations appear to be aging, and that the rightful aspirations of those attached to the Church’s earlier liturgical traditions are still not being fulfilled in many places. There seems to be a mismatch between the youthful enthusiasm for the Traditional Mass which is very evident on the blogs, in certain parishes, and at certain events, and what is happening in other parts of the country.

There are complicated reasons for this, including many to do with local conditions, but on the subject of youthful enthusiasm I think it is fair to say that up to now the Society has not been especially good at harnessing the energy and ideas which young people frequently have. One reason for that is that for a long time its mission has necessarily involved more diplomacy than activism. There are many things which we would have liked to have done, but haven’t done to avoid offending people, or treading on people’s toes, or even to avoid drawing attention to ourselves or to our events. Many here will have had the feeling that the more popular a Mass was, the harder it could be to get the permissions necessary for it to continue. Experience, caution, even paranoia, were the qualities needed to cope in this environment.

With the motu proprio things have not changed completely, but they have changed enough for our emphasis to shift towards activism. The Society has always wanted to be an activist organisation, making things happen, and the long period in which we were hobbled in our activism has been a painful one. The new environment allows us to be ourselves, to do more of the good and important things we want to do for the Church and for the good of souls. For the Society this means a change of tempo and a change of culture. I hope these things will be reflected in the new website, and the new membership materials we are preparing. I hope it will encourage more people to join. What it will certainly do, and what it is already doing, is to enable us to make better use of our members and volunteers. We can now far more easily adopt the bright ideas and harness the energy which is out there. And whereas the energy and ideas of individuals could easily become confined to a single parish or project, in the context of the Latin Mass Society they can more easily benefit the whole of England and Wales, and indeed the whole Church.

This last point, about the value of the Society as an organisation, is worth emphasising. It has been said a number of times that we are less necessary after the motu proprio, but this is the reverse of the truth. Only after the motu proprio is it possible for us to do, in a straightforward and direct way, what we were set up to do. There is nothing in our constitution’s list of charitable objects about negotiating permissions under indults. What it says is that we should be promoting the Traditional Mass, we should be promoting Gregorian Chant, we should be promoting Latin. These are things which we can do far more effectively after the motu proprio than before, and I am glad to say that these are all things we are indeed doing far more effectively now than in the past. To help us in our work we have, over many years, gathered together expertise of various kinds, financial resources, an office with paid staff, and a national network of members and active volunteers, a national organisation which it would probably be impossible to replicate if anyone were to try from scratch starting today. This organisation is something which amplifies the effort of individuals within it.

The amplification of individual effort is the point of organisations of all kinds: that is why they exist. By coordinating people they can achieve more, for the same level of effort, than a lot of individuals working in isolation. People working in what we might loosely call the Traditional Movement outside the LMS should be reminded of this. If you want to do something for the Church, but have finite time and energy, then collaborate with others; if you are in England and Wales, collaborate with us. We can set your efforts into the context of a network of people who will supply your deficiencies and make the most of what you have to offer.

This brings me back to the question of harnessing the palpable energy of people attached to the Traditional Mass. We can harness it by helping them to do the things they rightly want to do for the restoration of Tradition. When I started to canvass for support among choir directors and chant experts for the Gregorian Chant Network, I was told again and again that they had been waiting for years for something like this to be organised. When David Forster launched the Society of St Tarcisius, people came from all over England to attend, and people have joined the new sodality with whom we had no contact before. We are pushing on an open door. Not only that, but in doing these things we bring into the Society, or into active work for the Society, people who want to do something positive for the Church in these areas, and will help us take these and other projects forward. Far from it being the case that these kinds of projects sap the time and energy of the office and Committee, they are actually a way of revitalising the Society and bringing in human resources for all of our work.

Another initiative we have undertaken this year is a walking pilgrimage to Walsingham. I have myself been for the first time on the great French pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, whose British contingent is supported by the Society. This is a wonderful experience and I encourage all who can to make the effort to go. Not everyone on the pilgrimage of more than 10,000 people is under forty, so you needn’t rule yourselves out on that ground, but naturally most are, and it is a wonderful example of how a totally traditional devotion appeals to new generations of people. Inspired by this, and by the similar Christus Rex pilgrimage in Australia, as well as the millennial native tradition of walking pilgrimages to Walsingham, we can now announce that a group will be walking the 50 miles, or most of it, from Ely Cathedral to the Catholic Shrine at the Slipper Chapel at Walsingham, arriving on Sunday 22nd August, with Sung Masses on each day. I will be there; there are flyers at the back for anyone interested in joining us.

The Gregorian Chant Network, the Society of St Tarcisius, and the new residential Latin course we have initiated this year all have a long way to go before they are fully developed, but we have made an important start. There are two other broad areas in which the Society, it seems to me, needs to develop. One is in providing more opportunities for members to meet, to create a real sense of being fellow members of the Society, and a sense that the Society is something it makes sense to join. Another is in providing more spiritual sustenance for members, a sense of spiritual co-operation and something to sustain the spiritual life between Sundays, especially for members living far from each other and far from regular Traditional Masses.

Both of these can and should be addressed in many ways simultaneously, but we have already instituted two small things which should help. One is the system of regional chaplains, who I hope will begin to lead at least occasional events which are not only in London or the South East, but also not purely local: days of recollection, for example, such as will be worthwhile for members to travel to attend from all over their region.

Another is the new policy agreed by the Committee making provision for the spending of central funds for music at local pilgrimages and other important local events. I have long considered the Society’s many pilgrimages, organised tirelessly by local representatives, one of the most interesting and edifying works the Society does; they are also a very longstanding tradition in the Society. I hope that the in conjunction with the support we are giving the Society’s many scholas, we can foster the growth and improvement in the quality of liturgical music at the Society’s events, something which is of enormous value in demonstrating the beauty of the liturgy to newcomers.

On the subject of newcomers, one important project for the immediate future which I can mention before I end is a membership drive. This has been in preparation for some time; it requires the complete revision of our publicity materials, a new advertising strategy, and of course our new website must be in place before we can start. I hope it will take place in the Autumn, and perhaps we will even see some results by the next AGM. Before the hoped for new members arrive, however, I should like to take the opportunity to thank you, our existing members, who have stuck with us through thick and thin. This is your Society, and I hope we will have your support in developing its work in the exciting times through which we are now living.

LMS AGM Mass 2010

2010-06-27T10:36:00.005+01:00

After our AGM we had a beautiful Mass today in Westminster Cathedral, celebrated with great dignity by Bishop Alan Hopes. It was the Feast of SS John and Paul, martyrs, and was accompanied by the Lay Clerks of Wesminster Cathedral, directed by Martin Baker, the Master of Music, who sang the Mass 'Quarti Toni' by Tomas Luis da Victoria.

By coincidence, the relics of St John Southworth were in the nave for veneration, since his feast-day is on 26th.

More on the AGM to follow.

More photos - slideshow.

LMS Walking Pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham

2010-06-25T16:02:00.007+01:00

The Latin Mass Society is proud to announce its first ever Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham.

Pilgrims will meet at Ely campsite on the evening of Thursday 19th August, and the pilgrimage will start with a blessing in Ely Cathedral at 7am on Friday 20th. We will arrive in Walsingham in time for Sung Mass at the Catholic Shrine at 2.30pm on Sunday 22nd.

Accommodation is in tents (bring your own); camp sites have been booked. The pilgrims will be supported by vehicles carrying the heavy luggage, providing water, and looking after those unable to continue walking.

We will have Traditional Missa Cantata each day: in Downham Market on Friday, and in the private chapel of Oxburgh Hall on Saturday.

We will be accompanied by Fr Alexander Redman.

The cost is £60 per pilgrim, but those in straightened circumstances are encouraged to pay only what they can afford.

Contact Paul Smeaton: paulsmeaton@hotmail.co.uk

For Our Lady of Walsingham and the conversion of England!

Paul Smeaton writes:
As this is the first time we have attempted anything like this in England, as well as a spiritual journey, this will no doubt be something of a learning experience. For that reason we are limiting this year's pilgrimage to thirty pilgrims and adults only. We hope that this will be the start of great things.

That being said we expect that this year will be a rich and beautiful expression of the treasure's of our Church. We are blessed to have a priest walking the entire pilgrimage with us and their will be sung Mass in the traditional form each day.

Open Studio

2010-06-18T17:20:00.001+01:00

It's unlike me I know but this is an ushamedly personal post. My mother, who paints as Anthea Craigmyle, is having her annual Open Studio (with the other artists of the Chiswick Mall): Cedar House, Chiswick Mall, W4 2PS.

Anyone can walk in over the weekend and look at her latest - and buy some too if you fancy.

Moat are domestic scenes but she does religious paintings sometimes, here's the Entry into Jerusalem.

Windy outdoor scenes have featured a lot over the years.

And farmyards.

There are always some tiny ones to suit every pocket.

It's a good year!

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Fr Simin Harkins celebrates Solmn Mass in Reading

2010-06-13T13:38:00.001+01:00

Having celebrated Solemn Mass in the presence of Cardinal O'Brien in Edinburgh,

and a Solemn Mass on Sr James' Spanish Place, the newly ordained Fr Harkins has visited the Fraternity apostolate in Reading, and celebrated another Solemn Mass here.

After Mass we all queued up for a blessing.

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Traditional Wedding at St Bede's Clapham Park

2010-06-12T15:06:00.001+01:00

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LMS Priest Training Conference at Downside

2010-06-10T12:04:00.000+01:00

The LMS office has just issued this press release.

10 June 2010

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

For Immediate Release

LMS Residential Training Conference for Priests Wishing to Learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass) at Downside Abbey, Somerset.

The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales (LMS) is organising a residential training conference for priests wishing to learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass) at Downside Abbey, one of England’s most prestigious monasteries.

The conference will run from Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 August 2010 and will feature Traditional liturgies in Downside’s beautiful chapel together with a Gregorian Chant schola and polyphonic choir.

Expert tuition in the celebration of Mass in the Usus Antiquior will be provided on a small group basis. There will be tuition in Low Mass, Missa Cantata and Missa Solemnis and there will be streams for beginners and more advanced students. Tuition will also be given in the other sacraments and in Latin.

There will be opening and closing High Masses, daily Mass, Offices and Rosary. There will also be a closing Conference dinner with guest speaker.

The subsidised fee to participants is only £115.00 which includes all accommodation, meals and training materials. There are limited places and priests are asked to register as soon as possible.

Further details and registration forms can be obtained from the LMS office (Tel: 020 7404 7284, e mail: info@latin-mass-society.org) or from the conference organiser, Mr Paul Waddington (Tel: 01757 638027, e mail: paul@gooleboathouse.co.uk).

Running alongside the training for priests, the Society of St Tarcisius (the LMS’s newly-formed sodality for Traditional altar servers) will organise a residential training course for servers and MCs. Further details can be obtained as above.

Paul Waddington said, “This is the sixth training conference the LMS has organised and we are delighted to be going to Downside Abbey. The Pontifical Commission ‘Ecclesia Dei’ has recently praised our work which makes us more determined than ever to provide training to every priest in England and Wales who seeks to learn the Usus Antiquior.”

Latin Mass Society, 11-13 Macklin Street, London WC2B 5NH
Tel: 020 7404 7284
E mail: info@latin-mass-society.org
Website: latin-mass-society.org

. . . . ENDS . . . .

For further information, please contact John Medlin, General Manager, or James Murphy, LMS Office Manager, on (T) 020 7404 7284;
(F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) info@latin-mass-society.org

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Free on-line Latin course for clergy & seminarians

2010-06-08T16:56:00.001+01:00

I have just received this from a fellow member of the Una Voce Federation. Sounds interesting !
---------

One of the obstacles for priests celebrating the TLM can be their lack of knowledge of Latin.

"The Sapientis Institute (http://sapientisinstitute.org/home.html) is making 10 places available to clergy, religious and seminarians who would like to learn Latin. This is a Beginner’s Latin class which has started and so it would be wise to encourage clergy to get signed up soon.. The course is free to the first ten clergy, religious, or seminarians who apply.

Lectures are delivered live in an on-line classroom that allows students to see the lecturer and follow his presentation. This allows students to study from home. Students can use a mic. to communicate with the lecturer. All lectures are recorded and are available for students to download. Homework assignments and self-assessment test can be sent to the lecturer for correction.
Course details can be found at http://sapientisinstitute.org/courses/beginninglatin.html

Applicants merely need to send an e-mail expressing their interest to theschoolmen@societyofscholastics.org. "

These courses are offered only in English. Although officially 10 places are available the Sapientis Institute will do their best to extend the offer to as many clergy as possible.

If you have blogs/websites feel free to post this offer on them. If you know of laity who are looking for a Latin course it would be a kindness if you could also notify them of the course. Having paying students allows the Sapientis Institute to offer the course to clergy for free.

"The course is also open to non-clergy/religious. All students can take advantage of a three lecture trial period. During the trial period they can attend the lectures, obtained downloads and evaluate if this course suits their needs. Our pricing structure is unique. Course fees cover every one in the family as long as they are using one connection to our classroom.

To register for the free trial offer go to http://sapientisinstitute.org/trialperiodoffer.html

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Location:Free on-line Latin course for clergy & seminarians

New Una Voce affiliate in the Phillipines

2010-06-08T13:57:00.001+01:00

Press release from Leo Darroc, President of the Una Voce Federation.

NEW MEMBER OF THE FEDERATION.

I am pleased to inform everyone that the Council of the Una Voce Federation has approved an application for membership from the Ecclesia Dei Society of St. Joseph – The Philippines. The leader of this group is Carlos Antonio Palad whose name you might recognise from his work on the Rorate Caeli web log. The situation in The Philippines is difficult for those who wish to attend the traditional Mass so we send the members of this new group our best wishes and prayers for the resurgence of the traditional liturgy in their country. It is our fervent hope that membership of the Federation will enhance the standing of this society in the Philippines, especially in its dealings with the hierarchy.

The name of the Ecclesia Dei Society of St. Joseph – The Philippines, will be added to our website.

In the unity of the faith,

Leo Darroch, President – Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce.

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British FSSP Priest: first Mass in UK in presence of Cardinal O'Brien

2010-06-06T17:53:00.003+01:00

Fr Simon Harkins FSSP, recently ordained in the newly consecrated chapel of the Fraternity of St Peter seminary in Denton, Nebraska, said his first Mass in Britain in Edinburgh, in the presence of Cardinal O'Brien.

The monks of Papa Stronsay were there, and have some lovely photos on their blog. Br Martin, from Oxford, is in the back row on the left.

Fr Harkins will be saying another Solemn Mass in London, in St James' Spanish Place, this Saturday, 12th June, at 3pm.

Chant Training Day in Portsmouth

2010-06-02T10:01:00.001+01:00

Last call for bookings!

Gregorian Chant Workshop

Saturday 12 June 2010, 10am

St John's Cathedral Portsmouth

Fee £15

All are welcome, both beginners and advanced students.

Led by the Abbot of Farnborough Abbey and a director of the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge. The workshop begins at 10am and concludes with Vespers and Benediction at 4pm.

To register, contact: chantnetwork@gmail.com or Tel: 023 92862384.

In association with

The Gregorian Chant Network and The Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge

(Photo: the LMS Annual Solemn Mass in Portsmouth Cathedral, 4th October 2009)

Chartres overview: what is it like?

2010-05-31T13:54:00.008+01:00

Following my post about how the Chartres Pilgrimage 'works', and the series of posts I did as it actually progressed, I am going to say something about what it actually felt like.

This was my first year on the Chartres pilgrimage. It was a wonderful experience, and I recommend it, not because it is not difficult - it certainly is - but because of the spirit of the pilgrimage, which makes the difficulties possible to bear, and makes the whole thing an overwhelming spiritual experience.

First, I should give credit to the French organisers and volunteer helpers. Anyone who has had run-ins with French officialdom will know what I mean by a certain energetic efficiency, but while the thing needs to be brisk and orderly to work at all, they are motivated by a truly Catholic spirit. Charity and common sense are both evident in the vast medical operation run by the Order of Malta, the gigantic quantities of bottled water handed out at regular intervals, and the systematic provision for those unable to walk further.

While in that last category myself waiting for transport, I met Fr Nicholas du Chaxel FSSP, who many readers may remember from his years working in England. He explained that he, another priest and a seminarian were looking after the spiritual needs of the volunteer helpers, of whom there were 900.

The devotion of the other pilgrims is a real joy to see. First, the vast numbers of chapters, each with its patron saint, ranging from the martyrs who first evangelised the Gauls and then the Franks, to Maxilimial Kolb and Marcel Callo, both victims of the Nazis, Sister Faustina and Mother Theresa. Every part of France is represented, plus (that I saw myself) Germany, Poland, Switzerland, the USA and Ireland, as well as Britain. There are lots of chapters made up of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. Each has at least one priest, and there were also lots of nuns, making the pilgrimage alongside the laity. And as they go they sing; after a while you tune into to the most common French songs, which in fact we sang ourselves too - the Hail Mary, sung over and over in the Rosary, and the 'theme tune' of the pilgrimage, the hymn 'Chez Nous', which is sung at the end of Mass in Chartres Cathedral, as shown in this YouTube video.

One of the most moving things on the pilgrimage is the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at the Gas campsite (on the second night), which carries on all night. The prayers of the pilgrims before the Blessed Sacrament are palpable.

Being part of something so enormous is itself a thrilling experience. The column takes an hour and a half to pass a given spot: it is a powerful witness to the faith, and demonstrates that it is far from dead in France.

The liturgy is also very moving. To get everyone to Mass it is obviously necessary to make time for everyone to arrive and then after Mass for everyone to leave, which means the lunch stops on the Saturday and Sunday are quite long. But the Missa Cantata on Saturday and particularly the Solemn Mass on Sunday in the woods (celebrated this year by the Abbot of La Grasse, the Norbertine community), are wonderful. The choirs and scholas are amplified, as well as the sacred ministers, to reach the enormous area occupied by the pilgrims, and the vast numbers of priests (200?) take communion to the faithful, each one accompanied by a boy scout with a communion plate in his white-gloved hands, plus a blue-jacketed volunteer with a yellow and white umbrella (ie an ombrellino, which is folded if the hosts are finished, but otherwise carried over the priest).

Finally, the walking. Who would have the nerve to suggest a walking pilgrime involving two successive days covering 28 miles each? On the first day, because of the marshelling in front of Notre Dame and the blessing in the Cathedral, we got up at 4.30am and didn't get into the camp until 8.30 in the evening. Yes, it was killing. I had been training and was quite prepared for a very long walk indeed, but towards the end of that day I developed enormous blisters; coupled with these it was extremely hot, especially in the afternoon, and despite my precautions I got a touch of heat stroke. The last day was the hottest of all, clocking in at 35% C.

Was it worth it? Well, it was penitential, and that was fine. It was a bit mad, and that was fine too. It creates a great bond with one's fellow pilgrims - even the ones you don't meet. The fact is that it is an opportunity to do something genuinly difficult for God. Even the super-fit French boy scouts must be able to go home with a sense of acheivment, especially the ones I saw going for a run wearing nothing but shorts and boots on the second morning, before the rest of us were up. Do you feel there is nothing you can do about some problem, some loved one you would like to help but can't? Well, take your intention to Chartres!

Our organiser Francis Carey said in a speach to the British pilgrims at our dinner after our arrival in Chartres, that when he first experienced it he realised that this was they way Europe would be converted. There is something in this. The witness to the faith, the prayers of the pilgrims, the being prepared to do something extreme, something really gruelling, for the love of God and for the conversion of the world: this is a unique instrument of God for the re-evangelisation of the West.

Don't be left behind next year! The dates in 2011 will be Friday 10th June to Monday 13th June (with the British group by coach from Westminster and back again, Thursday 9th to Tuesday 14th, assuming it works the same way as this year). Enquiries should be directed to chartres@duc-in-altum.co.uk
The prices are extraordinarily good value for money and the British pilgrimage is financially supported by the Latin Mass Society, making possible some sponsored places for those who can't afford it.

Here is a film with Dr John Rao, the American traditionalist historian, about it, from Gloria TV.

For the rest of my photos, see here (slideshow).

First Holy Communions with the FSSP in Reading

2010-05-30T13:02:00.002+01:00

Three young members of the Traditional Mass community in Reading received their First Holy Communion today.

Immediately after Mass, one of them crowned the statue of Our Lady with flowers.

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Chartres overview: how it works

2010-05-29T17:46:00.005+01:00

The Paris to Chartres Pilgrimage organised by Notre Dame de Chretianite is the biggest and longest organised pilgrimage in Christendom (the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, of course, is not a single 'organised' pilgrimage in the same way). It is also by far the biggest event of the Traditional Catholic scene, a great inspiration for everyone who does the pilgrimage. It is extremely well organised, and while I have no 'inside' information it is worthwhile to explain something of how it works, at least from the perspective of an ordinary participant.

The pilgrims are organised by 'chapter', and each chapter, or group of chapters, has its own leaders who coordinate with Notre Dame de Chretianite, let them know how many will be coming, gather registration fees, and help their own groups get to the starting point, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, at the right time. The British group in fact had four chapters: Our Lady of Walsingham,

St Edward the Confessor (a 'Juventutem' chapter),

St Alban (another Juventutem chapter),

plus a chapter composed of boys from Chavagnes International College, dressed in scout uniforms who for the most part carried banners in the other three chapters. Here they are at Mass on the Saturday.

Chapters are quite small : ours were only about 25 people each, and in practice were often less than that as people dropped out (some people also join the pilgrimage at later stages, so there are more in Chartres than left Paris). There are getting on for 200 chapters in total, and although I took a lot of photos of chapter banners in different contexts these are only a selection. The American chapter, for example, I only ever saw from a distance, although I met some of them later in Chartres.

In addition to the official British group, there was a group of British friends who travelled by minibus and greeted us at various points on the journey.

Finally there are are special chapters for children and for families, who do a reduced version of the walk. We didn't have any of these this year ourselves.

Chapters walk together with gaps between them, which is important to let cars pass and so forth. Despite the length of the walk people don't tend to lag behind; there is a good esprit de corps, and when things get really bad you simply avail yourself of the Order of Malta medics, whose vans are to be seen at intervals at the side of the road, and / or the transport provided to take the 'fatigued' to the next stop.

Finding myself completely crippled by blisters at lunch on the second day, I joined a large group waiting for transport, and we were taken in coaches and people carriers to the next rest stop, where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Finally we were taken by coach to the campsite. While at the rest stop, a village called Gaveron, there were French devotions and an open church to pray in,

and loos. I spent much of the time asleep, but did manage to see a lot of chapters pass when the column caught up with us, such as these.

Chapters are marked by banners, or failing that with a painted wooden cross with their name on it; they often carry national flags as well, and occasionally, like this one, a small statue on a bier.

The two camp sites, at Choisel and Gas, are staggering feats of organisation. There are large 'communal' tents for different nationalities (men and women separate), and open spaces for those with individual tents - 'pop-up' tents have become very popular, and I found mine excellent. To say that washing facilities are basic would be an understatment. Soup in the evening and coffee or hot chocolate in the morning is provided, with the ubiquitous bread rolls which also appear at lunch time, but otherwise food is the responsibility of the pilgrims.

Pilgrims carry a small bag on their backs mainly for their lunch. All the heavy luggage, including tents, is taken by lorry. Lorries, bags, and the correct area of the campsite for your group are indicated by a system of colour coded ribbons.

By chance I stumbled over the Priests' area in the Gas campsite,

where they were being given a more substantial evening meal. In the morning I saw them saying their private Masses in a special tent in the same place. I'm glad they get looked after a little, since walking in cassock and surplice must be quite something in the heat - or for that matter the mud.

In my next post I'll say more about what it is actually like.

For the rest of my photos, see here (slideshow).