LMS Chairman

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Absolute Uniqueness of Monsignor Gilbey: now available from the LMS

On 19th July we had a very successful book launch for The Absolute Uniquness of Mgr Alfred Gilbey by Alexander Haydon, which was addressed by the author, me, and Fr Ronald Creighton-Jobe of the London Oratory.

The book is now available from the Latin Mass Society shop here.

It is also available from Amazon here.

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Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Interview with Mgr Alfred Gilbey: book launch 10th July

I am delighted to announce the sponsorship of this booklanch of this fascinating book, a long interview with the great Alfred Gilbey, which will take place in the St Wilfred Hall of the London Oratory on Thursday 10th July. Doors open at 6:30pm.

Click here to register for the launch (so we can keep track of numbers)

The Absolute Uniqueness of Monsignor Alfred Gilbey: The Final Interview by Alexander Haydon; foreword by Christopher Monckton

The celebrated priest Monsignor Alfred Gilbey (1901–98) was Chaplain to the (male) Catholic undergraduates of Cambridge from 1933 to 1965, and from some time in 1965 to 1997 the sole resident member of the Travellers Club, Pall Mall, from where he pursued a unique apostolate. His book We Believe, a commentary on the penny catechism, which had sold more than 15,000 copies before his death, had by then inspired more than forty vocations to the priesthood and religious life. It has no doubt inspired many more since. As Chaplain he received unusually large numbers into the Church. His charismatic personality and extraordinary charm, combined with his elegance of dress and manners, enabled him to attract many to the Faith who might have been put off by a more active evangelical approach. In him devotion fused with culture in a peculiarly harmonious way.

Endorsements from Dr Joseph Shaw, Fr Ronald Creighton-Jobe, C.O. (London Oratory), and Henry Sire!

Available from Arouca Press, Amazon, and various online retailers.

Special price on the day! £13 (paperback) £20 (hardcover).

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Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Bishop Schneider in England: Reading

The final Mass of Bishop Schneider's tour was in St William of York, Reading, the church used by the Fraternity of St Peter, on Sunday 15th June.

Bishop Schneider was assisted by Fr Seth Phipps FSSP (clerical MC), Fr Gwilym Evans FSSP (AP), Fr Thomas Crean OP (deacon) and Rev Mr James Forde-Johnson. Mass was accompanied by the choir of the TLM community.

Bishop Schneider was the first speaker at our conference in London in the St Wilfrid Hall at the London Oratory; you can see all the speeches here.

At the conclusion of the conference he celebrated Vespers, which was celebrated with some solemnity, with polyphony provided by the choir of the Oratory. The chapel, the Little Oratory, is directly downstairs from the hall. Bishop Schneider was assisted by four priests in copes: Mgr Gordon Reid, Fr Michael Cullinan, Fr Giles Pinnock, and Fr Stephen Dunn.

On Friday 13th June, Bishop Schneider celebrated Pontifical High Mass in the Shrine of St Augustine in Ramsgate. As with the Mass in Northampton, people came from far and wide to assist at the liturgy: as members of sanctuary team, or to fill the church.

Bishop Schneider was assisted by Fr Jonathan Routh (the Shrine Rector, as Assistant Priest), Fr Stephen Morrison OPraem (deacon) and Fr Francis Lynch (subdeacon). Mass was accompanied by a small professional group directed by Matthew Schellhorn.

Bishop Schneider in England: Northampton

Bishop Athanasius Schneider has just concluded a short tour of England, at the invitation of the Latin Mass Society. The first major event was a Pontifical High Mass in Northampton Cathedral, with the kind permission of Bishop David Oakley, who was there to greet Bishop Schneider and others as we arrived.

We are grateful to all who took part, with clergy, servers and singers coming from all directions, and an excellent turnout of the faithful.

Video debate with Fr Joseph Fessio

The Mass of the Ages team set up this debate between me and Fr Joseph Fessio, the well-known proponent of the 'Reform of the Reform'. This is the beginning section of the debate, when we each read short pre-prepared talks. Mine starts at 3 minutes 12 seconds, which is where this video will start -- scroll back to Fr Fessio's (it doens't matter which you hear first as they don't respond to each other).

The full version is available to subscribers on the Mass of the Ages 'vault', along with a lot of other material.

In this opening statement I make the point that the Traditional Mass sacrifices intelligibility (audibility, visibility, etc.) for what will increase the devotion of the worshipper. Later in the discussion we go into the place of Latin in the Mass (Fr Fessio likes Latin), the authority of Vatican II, the interpretation of Sacrosantum Concilium, and other matters.