Masses in Limerick: Letter in The Tablet

Not available in Limerick?

Update: I'm told (by someone on Facebook) that there were in fact a few OF Masses celebrated in the diocese, by religious (as opposed to secular, diocesan) priests. Also, that the lay-led liturgies were not Eucharistic, just 'liturgies of the word'.

This makes the falsity of the report by the diocesan 'manager' more egregious, and the deprivation of the Faithful of the Sacrements more clear-cut.

Original post below.

Last weekend The Tablet reported on the alleged fact that the previous Tuesday had not seen any public celebrations of Mass in the Diocese of Limerick. The headline connected this with a shortage of priests, but the text of the story took a quite different line, pointing out that the diocese has no fewer than 108 priests. Surely one or two could have said a public Mass? The reason they didn't is that they were all involved in a training day. So there were lay-led eucharistic liturgies instead.

According to Catherine Kelly, general manager of Limerick Diocese, the liturgies are one of the many initiatives from last year’s synod. The diocese is offering people opportunities to have “greater involvement in the Church, greater leadership [and] greater ownership”, she said.

“The Church we all grew up with could be viewed as a train,” said Bishop Leahy, “a locomotive pulling many carriages behind it. That is not fit for purpose today. We all need to be engines of the Church, out there, working for others, doing good work”.

An interesting attitude. What the Protestants couldn't do, the liberals have done. Anyway, this weekend The Tablet have published a letter of mine:

Your report on the Mass-less Tuesday in the Diocese of Limerick gives the impression that it was not just an unfortunate coincidence, but a deliberate stunt to promote lay-led Eucharistic liturgies. Let us hope that the bishop of Limerick does not see his role as depriving his people of the sacraments, instead of feeding his flock, which would indeed be strange if true.

In any case, the report was false. The church of the Sacred Heart in Limerick, sold to developers by the Jesuits in 2006 and re-opened for worship by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in 2012, had Mass at 8am and at 7pm, and also times for Adoration and Confession. No doubt it didn't appear on the radar of the diocesan employee quoted in the story because, although the Institute works in the diocese with the permission of the bishop, they celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

Yours sincerely,

Joseph Shaw
Chairman, The Latin Mass Society

Support the work of the LMS by becoming an 'Anniversary Supporter'.

Photos of the FIUV Conference

I'm not in a position to process my photos yet, annoyingly, but here are a couple I took: of Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos celebrating Mass in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in St Peter's, and of the conference participants with Cardinal Raymond Burke.





Here are some photos taken by the Wandering Oblate.



Choir singing at our Mass in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel; they are in fact the regular singers at Sta Trinita, the FSSP church.


The congregation: the chapel was pretty full.


The last blessing.


Cardinal Castrillon after Mass with Leo Darroch, FIUV President.


Cardinal Burke at lunch.

My set here for Cardinal Hoyos' Mass; here for the Conference.

The Wandering Oblate's set of photos; blog - I think he'll be posting on the conference soon.

Mgr Pozzo on the importance of the 'Old Rite'

Ht Fr Tim

Full transcript (in English translation) of the interview Mgr Pozzo has given here.

"Because the ancient rite of the Mass makes explicit and highlights certain values and certain fundamental aspects of the liturgy that deserve to be maintained, and I am not speaking only about the Latin or Gregorian chant, I am speaking about the sense of mystery, of the sacred, the sense of the Mass as a sacrifice, the real and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the fact that there are great moments of interior recollection, interior participation in the divine liturgy. All these are fundamental elements which are particularly highlighted in the ancient rite of the Mass. I am not saying that these elements do not exist in the Mass of Paul VI's reform, but I am saying that they are highlighted much more and this can enrich even those who celebrate or participate in the ordinary form of the Mass."



Fr Tim notes in parenthesis:
(The expression in the first sentence is "la Messa nel rito antico" - "Mass in the old rite" would be simplest literal English translation. This expression, used by the Secretary of Ecclesia Dei, has also been used by Pope Benedict. It is not a naughty expression.)

Shameless plug for the 'Roman Forum'

If you don't know the Roman Forum, then you should find out about them, listen to their downloadable MP3s and, if possible, attend their events. I am envious of the intellectual activity they have been able to generate; I wish we could do some of this here in the UK. I admire Dr Rao and his work enormously.

Here is a plug for their new season's activities, and an appeal for funds, from Dr Rao himself.

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

The Roman Forum
11 Carmine St., Apt. 2C
New York, New York 10014
www.romanforum.org

September, 2011


Dear Friends:

The Sack of Rome! Most people think of this in conjunction with barbarian invasions, although the worst assault on the Eternal City actually took place in the Sixteenth Century, when commanders of a “Christian” army justified their soldiers murdering, burning, and plundering the capital of Christendom as divine chastisement for the sins of the Papacy. Despite this horror, it still required a number of years, many more setbacks, and the election of another successor to St. Peter, Paul III, before the Church awoke from her “dogmatic slumbers” to pursue the magnificent work of the Tridentine Reform in earnest. She did this not by choosing “Pope Luther”, as the troops punishing Clement VII in 1527 demanded, but by going back to the sources of the Faith. In returning to Tradition, she also created something new as well: Baroque
Civilization.

The Sack of the final remnants of Christian Civilization in all its forms! That is what we are witnessing in our own time. Although we already have a Pontiff eager to stem such destruction, there are many obstacles, inside and outside the Church, making any progress in doing so ephemeral. Why? One major reason is because we believers are not yet plumbing the fullness of the Catholic Tradition for the answers to dilemmas that could lead to the creation of a fresh Christian Culture. Instead, we continue to listen to liberal, conservative, neo-conservative, and libertarian teachers, providing them soldiers for the Sack of Christian Civilization in the process. The Roman Forum’s mission is that of urging Catholics to flee ideology and open their minds to a return to the complete Christian Tradition; a Tradition that also provides a reliable road map through new, unchartered territory; a road map “back to the future”. How does it fulfill this task?

1) First of all, through our New York City Church History Lectures.

2) Through our Modern Image and Catholic Truth Series.

3) Through our Summer Symposium on Lake Garda, Italy. For two weeks in the summer, a small Italian resort, Gardone Riviera, on Lake Garda, the largest and most beautiful lake in Italy, is literally transformed into an international Catholic village, with daily traditional masses, lectures, camaraderie, superb food and wine, and day trips to surrounding sites, such as Venice and Trent. For participants, many of whom come back year after year and feel like family, it is a rare and wonderful opportunity to experience Catholic life on the continent where Catholic culture first fully came to flower. The Summer Symposium hosts a large international faculty, which has included Dale Ahlquist (G.K. Chesterton Society of America), Patrick Brennan (U. of Villanova), Christopher Ferrara (American Catholic Lawyers Association), Fr. Brian Harrison (Catholic U. of Puerto Rico, Emeritus), James Kalb (author of The Tyranny of Liberalism), Michael Matt (editor of The Remnant), Brian McCall (U. of Oklahoma), John Médaille (U. of Dallas), Fr. Richard Munkelt (Fairfield U.), Fr. Gregory Prendergraft (FSSP), Duncan Stroik (Notre Dame U.), Alice von Hildebrand (Hunter College, Emeritus), David White (US Naval Academy, Emeritus), and myself from the United States; Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula (Human Life International, Rome) and Danilo Castellano (U. of Udine) from Italy; James Bogle (Catholic lawyer, activist, and writer) from the United Kingdom; Miguel Ayuso-Torres (U. of Madrid) from Spain; Thomas Stark (Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule, St. Pölten), from Austria; David Berlinski (Discovery Institute) and Bernard Dumont (editor of Catholica) from France; and Taivo Niitvaagi (Hereditas Foundation) from Estonia. The late, prolific, traditionalist author Michael Davies, from the UK, and my predecessor as chairman of the Roman Forum, the late William Marra (Fordham U.), were honored speakers for many years. Faculty and students are served spiritually by a large number of secular and religious clergy.

Next year’s Summer Symposium will be a particularly splendid one, marking our twentieth anniversary in Gardone Riviera. Having completed our cycle of historical studies, we will begin our activities in mid-June with a Tour of Greece, the main secular font of Western Civilization. We will then sail to Venice. After several days in Venice, we will move to Gardone at the end of June and early July for our eleven-day academic program. Gardone, 2012, entitled Either
Catholic Political and Social Doctrine---Or the Sack of All Civilized Order, obviously takes its theme from the situation discussed at the beginning of this letter. Please consult our website
(www.romanforum.org) and that of The Remnant Newspaper (www.remnantnewspaper.com) for more complete information on the Greece and Venice Tour, the 2012 Summer Symposium, as well as other future events, like our annual New Year’s Eve Dinner Dance.

4) Through our Lecture Downloads. 2010-2011 Summer Symposium Lectures are available through The Remnant Newspaper. Almost all of the lectures of our History of Christianity program from 1993-2010 can be downloaded to your computer for only one dollar per lecture or purchased on audiotape at www.keepthefaith.org.

In order to undertake these projects properly, the Roman Forum needs an annual budget of $50,000. Where do these funds go? Mailings, advertising, books, storage space for them, and use of conference halls alone now cost us at least $15,000 per year. More importantly, most college students, priests, and seminarians hoping to attend the Summer Symposium cannot be present without some financial assistance. Although no one on the teaching faculty receives any compensation for his work there, the daily expenses of all those delivering papers in Gardone
must also be covered. Aiding both speakers and participants therefore takes up almost all of the rest of our annual budget.

But why should we place such an emphasis upon this Summer Symposium? Dr. Ayuso-Torres summarized the chief reason in a lecture in Gardone in 2008: “Unless we traditionalists learn to appreciate the universal nature of the Catholic vision and fight for its general recognition and
victory, we will all rest contented with our own little parochial piece of that heritage, and destroy the entirety in the process”. My Remnant article on this subject, entitled Are Beauty, Camaraderie, and Talk Really Expendable? (see jcrao.freeshell.org) underlines the same point.
Providing scholarships for such a program to priests, professors, and students can be expensive---but its incalculable fruits will be more and more seen in preaching, teaching, and writing in the years to come.

The Roman Forum may not be able to promise immediate political benefits, but we work with the conviction that what we are doing is being done to good long-term and lasting spiritual and educational effect. To show you our appreciation, we have arranged that the intentions of our benefactors be remembered once a month at a traditional Mass offered in Rome by our chaplain, Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula. With the acknowledgment of your donation, of any size, you will receive a note confirming that you have been enrolled in these Masses. I thank you in advance for your generosity.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

John C. Rao, Chairman, D. Phil. Oxford
Assoc. Prof. of History, St. John's University

Norway's tragedy: don't blame Christianity

Update: I just love this photo of Breivik in his Masonic garb. H-t Bones!

While we are all in shock from the appalling events in Norway, the Norwegian police, the BBC and the international media have taken the opportunity to label the mass murderer, Breivik, a 'fundamentalist Christian'. What mix of laziness and Christianophobia has led to this is anyone's guess. What is clear is that the killer had no developed theological ideas and no discernible links to any Christian groups. See here.

There have been mindlessly violent Christians over the centuries: think of the Donatists in Africa, the somewhat Christianised gnostic Cathars in France, the Anabaptists in Germany, or Cromwell in Ireland. But Breivik was not one of them.

The initial basis of the claim was the fact that on Facebook he called himself a Christian. This is a minimally meaningful gesture but it fits in with his wider views, which have since emerged, to the extent that his motivating idea is opposition to multi-culturalism. You don't have to be a Christian to hate immigrants - on the contrary, being a Christian is an impediment - but if you want to oppose multiculturalism with some notion of native European culture, then you may want to lay claim to Christianity. And that is what is happening here.

Breivik also seems to be keen on Odinism. Are we going to hear that he is a pagan fundamentalist?

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Fra’ Fredrik Crichton-Stuart, RIP

'Fra Freddie' was at different times Chairman of Una Voce Scotland and President of the International Una Voce Federation; at the time of his death he was Grand Prior of England, of the Knights of Malta.

He was also a major benefactor, through one of the charitable trusts he was involved with, of the St Catherine's Trust Summer School.

An indefatigible worker for the Church's traditions, and for the corporal works of mercy for which the Order of Malta was founded.

May he rest in peace.

More on the Una Voce Scotland connection; the Una Voce Federation connection, and the Order of Malta connection.

Ave Maria University

As well as visiting Denton I spent some time in Florida visiting friends. I stayed at Ave Maria University, and gave a paper there which was fun. 'AMU' is one of a group of recently founded Catholic universities which are trying to recapture the Catholic values which have apparently been lost in many if not all of the most famous Catholic institutions. These new foundations can be broadly characterised as 'neo-Conservative' in their approach; Fr Joseph Fessio, founder of Ignatius Press and one of the best-known spokesmen for this strand of opinion in the English-speaking world was the chaplain here for some years. The Oratory (as they call it) at AMU presents an interesting contrast to the (equally new) chapels at Denton and the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph at Valparaiso nearby.

The altar is placed so Mass can easily be said 'ad orientem'. [Corrected: see comments.] (The Traditional Mass is available every Sunday at 12.30pm.) The chapel is far, however, from traditional in its form; the best description might be a neoGothic rendered in steel girders. The altar has no reredos to speak of, but a series of gigantic statues stand on either side, and the interior of the church is dominated by a huge crucifix. Far bigger than life size, the nails pass through Our Lord's wrists and his body is characterised by oddly exagerated bones, muscles and veins. Here is someone else's close-up of it:

There are no side altars or shrines; there are places to light candles, but the do not correspond to any of the devotional images in the church. They sit under the first and last of the Stations of the Cross; I think the idea is that you are lighting your candle before the Tabernacle. There are, however, a large number of confessionals, and these line the church on each side.

While impressive the whole thing seems to me to lack the spirit of devotion and human scale. I think it is interesting that although the Oratory is daring in design and large in size the architect did not think of buying an existing altar for it. Old altars, some of great artistic merit and with accompanying reredos, baldachinos and all the rest are available in North America as in Europe, having been stripped out of demolished (or radically re-ordered) churches. What a joy it is to see some of these as the centre-pieces of new churches and chapels which are continuing the same religion, and the same artistic and devotional traditions, as the artists and donors who created these wonderful things many years ago. In Ave Maria it is certainly the same religion, but the artistic and devotional traditions have been ruptured.

The chapel of the Convent of Jesus Mary and Joseph near Denton, with an altar which had been in storage for many years before finding this new home.

The altar of the chapel of the Seminary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Denton, originating in a church in Quebec. Yes, it can be done!

More photos of AMU here.

'Independent' monastery reconciled to the Church

This is an intriguing story. Bishop Baker of Birmingham, Alabama, and his assistants are to be congratulated for their patience in bringing these individuals back into full communion. 'Independent' traditionalist groups, who are often but not always sede vacantist (i.e. think that the See of Rome is vacant: the Pope is not the Pope), constitute a peculiar phenomenon, and there are alas a number of little groups in the USA and elsewhere who are in this situation. They need our prayers. (The are 'independent' in the sense that not only are they not in good standing with the local ordinary, but they are not aligned with one of the bigger irregular groups, such as the SSPX.)

Christ the King Abbey has a rather charming announcement of its reconciliation on its website; it dates it to 1st May, but good news travels slowly. Note the laity in the church in the photograph above (from their website): this reconciliation will surely be of more significance for local Catholics than the fate of four individuals.

This reconciation must have been greatly assisted, if not begun, by Summorum Pontificum; it is interesting to see it bearing fruit here and there making possible, as the Holy Father hoped, 'an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church' (Letter accompanying the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum). The other well-known example of a reconciliation since the MP has been the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.


From Catholic World News, via CFNews.

A SCHISMATIC Alabama monastery founded in 1984 has been reconciled with the Diocese of Birmingham and the Holy See.

'It is somewhat unique as an effort at reconciliation,' said Bishop Robert Baker. 'The discussions leading to this reconciliation were very delicate and complex and took place over a number of years with both Bishop David Foley, my predecessor, and myself, aided by a canon lawyer who had worked for the Vatican, Msgr. Anthony La Femina.'

'We had much prayer and good will on both sides going into this effort,' he added. 'We all listened to the Holy Spirit, and now we are seeing the fruits of our efforts.

Before its reconciliation, Christ the King Monastery was an independent monastery whose members included both sede-vacantists and those who recognized the validity of the elections of recent popes. By December 2010, six monks and three nuns were associated with the monastery. Three of the monks and one of the nuns have reconciled with the Church--two on their own, and two as monks remaining at the monastery.

With Bishop Baker's approval and the assistance of priests of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, Mass in the extraordinary form is offered daily at the monastery. [CWN]

Photos from the FSSP Ordinations: 2 - Fr McCarthy's first Mass

Fr Matthew McCarthy FSSP was ordained on Saturday 21st and on Sunday 22nd he said his first Mass: a Solemn Mass in the chapel of the Carmelite Convent of Jesus, Mary & Joseph at Valparaiso, a 30-minute drive from the FSSP Seminary.












Distribution of communion to the Carmelites, through a grill.


Fr McCarthy's deacon was Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP, another English Fraternity priest. Fr Goddard is currently based in Ottawa, Canada, where the Fraternity have a long-standing and thriving apostolate.


The chapel is classical in form and quite lovely. Here is the mosaic in the dome. The altar comes from an abandoned church and was in storage for a long time before being installed here.

Relations between the Seminary and Convent are close. The Carmelites have re-adopted the Traditional Mass and Office, and three of them are sisters of young men in the Seminary up the road. I was privileged to see the Mother Superior and most of the community through the double grill; it was a truly heartening to see so many young women dedicating themselves to this contemplative vocation. Since arriving in Lincoln diocese they have made two foundations and more are being planned.

Here is the double grill, with a curtain behind it; the curtain was drawn aside and we were able to talk to the nuns. Please say a prayer for them; perhaps one day they will establish a foundation in the British Isles.

There are more photos: slideshow, set. Soon I will post again about the Seminary.

Photos from the FSSP Ordinations: 1

On Saturday 21st May Matthew McCarthy FSSP and Christopher Pelster FSSP were ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz at the Seminary of the Fraternity of St Peter in Denton, Nebraska (not far from Lincoln, the seat of Bishop Bruskewitz's diocese). Here are some photos.

Bishop Bruskewitz presides at Terce before Mass. This room, here set up as a chapel, was in fact the Seminary chapel until the new chapel was completed.


Bishop Bruskewitz processes in through a guard of honour provided by Knights of Columbus.


Bishop Bruskewitz at the throne; Matthew McCarthy, the English ordinand, can be seen in front with a candle.


The laying on of hands: Bishop Bruskewitz lays on his hands on the two ordinands; all the other priests present do the same.


Fr Armand de Malleray lays his hands on Matthew McCarthy; in front can be seen Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP, another English priest, lining up to do the same.


The new priests are clothed with a folded chasuble.


Having had their hands annointed, the new priests' hands are bound together.


Following the ceremony of the ordination, Mass resumes with the Gospel.


The new priests, kneeling at special prie dieus, and each with a missal and an assistant, follow the canon of the Mass, which the celebrant (uniquely) reads out loud.




Fr Matthew McCarthy gives the kiss of peace to Fr Armand de Malleray.


The superb liturgical schola singing the Communion antiphon.


Bishop Bruskewitz gives the final blessing.


Procession out.


Bishop Bruskewitz, Fr McCarthy and his family.


Bishop Bruskewitz speaks at the lunch following the ordinations.


The Seminary's cloister, where three newly ordained priests were giving first blessing: not only the two ordained that day, but Fr Damon Sypher FSSP, who ordained earlier in the month in Sydney by Cardinal Pell.




The British contingent at Denton. Top row, left to right: Leo Darroch, President of the Una Voce Federation, Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP, Fr Matthew McCarthy FSSP, and Ian Verrier, an English seminarian; bottom left and middle two first year seminarians (still in lay clothes); bottom right, me. All FSSP seminarians from England and Wales are sponsored by the Latin Mass Society.

There are lots more photos: slideshow, set.

Next I'll post about Fr McCarthy's first Mass, which took place on Sunday.

American bishop restores prayer to St Michael after Mass

"Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, has asked that prayer cards with the Prayer to St Michael be placed in the pews of every church and that the prayer be said publicly at the end of every Mass before the recessional hymn."

Here is the translation used in England and Wales (in the US they have a slightly different one):

Holy Michael, Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust down to Hell Satan, and all wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

H-t to Fr John Boyle.

Una Voce Federation welcomes UV Portugal and UV Japan

The FIUV Council has approved the applications for membership from Una Voce Japan and Una Voce Portugal. This is another sign of progress of both the Una Voce Federation and the traditional Roman rite of Holy Mass. I am sure that Our Lady of Akita and Our Lady of Fatima will bring blessings on these new members. Please remember both these new members in your prayers so that they may go from strength to strength.

The photo is of a Mass organised by Una Voce Japan.


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