Plainsong at Leeds Cathedral

When churches were closed due to COVID 19, Leeds Cathedral lost no time in livestreaming a daily Mass.  Regrettably, no Latin Masses have been livestreamed, but Latin plainchant has been included in the Sunday Novus Ordo Messes.  I have just heard from a source within the Leeds Curia that this has been extremely well received by viewers, with many favourable comments.

I am told that, although Leeds Cathedral would like to livestreram their Sunday Latin Mass, they cannot do so because they only have one person to deal with the technical aspects.  However, we must be grateful that viewers are being introduced to plainsong.  For many people, it could be the thing that leads them to the Latin Mass.

Withermarsh Green, Suffolk

There is an interesting development  concerning the Latin Mass in the hamlet of Withermarsh Green, which is in the south eastern corner of Suffolk.  Bishop Alan Hopes of East Anglia has invited Fr Henry Whisenant to set up a Latin Mass Chaplaincy based at the very small church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Edmund.  The church and presbytery were sold by the diocese more than a decade ago, and are now privately owned.  By good fortune, they were purchased by Catholics, and the church remains a consecrated Catholic Church, albeit little used.

I understand that Fr Whisenant will be saying a Mass there on the Feast of the Assumption (Sat 15th August) and that there will be a weekly Sunday Mass.  No doubt, daily Masses will follow.

This is the first time in England and Wales that a bishop has allocated a diocesan priest to be a Latin Mass Chaplain exclusively to promote the Latin Mass in his diocese.  Fr Whisenant is a relatively young priest and an enthusiast for the Latin Mass, so there is every prospect of the venture being a success.

The church, which is a Grade II Listed Building, is of a fairly basic design, but none the less very attractive.  It remains unaffected by Vatican II innovations, but I understand  lacks many of the items required for the traditional liturgy.  It looks like this inside:

This post taken from a facebook page shows you the outside.

 

 

Over 500 Priests in Traditional Orders

Fourteen priests were ordained have been ordained in various locations for the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter so far this year. Cardinal Burke ordained nine priests for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest on 2nd July.  In addition, the Institute of the Good Shepherd have six new priests.

That is 29 newly ordained priests between the three traditional orders, bringing the total number of serving priests well over 500.

To this total can be added many priests who belong to traditional religious communities including Benedictines (particularly in France), Dominicans and  Redemptorists.

The traditional orders are continuing to grow at a time when the numbers of Diocesan priests are declining throughout the western world.  Gradually, our bishops are coming to recognise that the part that the traditional orders can play within our dioceses.  Currently they are established in five English dioceses.  Maybe it will be the turn of the Diocese of Middlesbrough soon.

Thursday evening Masses in Hull

Fr Massie has confirmed that Low Masses in the Extraordinary Form have resumed at the church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Peter Chanel in Hull.  They tale place at 7.30pm  on Thursdays in the main church, not the chaplaincy.

On Line Conference Saturday 18th July

Because the Latin Mass Society had to cancel its Annual General Meeting which was to have taken place this coming weekend, an on line conference has been organised to take its place.  Here are the details:

An online conference “Catholicism in a Covid-19 World” will be hosted by the Latin Mass Society this Saturday, 18th July, from 12 noon (GMT + 1) until 4.45 pm (GMT + 1) featuring speakers Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Fr Tim Finigan, Fr John Zuhlsdorf, Dr Joseph Shaw, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson and Mgr Gordon Read. The event will be hosted by Dr Shaw and Sebastian Morello and will begin with Live High Mass in the Traditional Rite from St Mary’s Warrington.

Joseph Shaw writes “I am delighted to be taking part in the Latin Mass Society’s first online conference with a wonderful selection of speakers. I hope that many people will be able to join us on the day.”

This event is being held online for free and can be viewed on the Latin Mass Society’s new YouTube channel. To bookmark the LMS YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxse5AR6hhY6ATQW34vn8w/.

The direct link for the Conference is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WTtjXDjfUM

No registration is necessary, although to sign up for updates before and during the event, go to http://lms.org.uk/civicrm/event/info%3Fid%3D171%26reset%3D1.

A recording of the day will remain on our YouTube channel.

PROGRAMME (Subject to change)

12 noon Introduction from Dr Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society and Sebastian Morello, Formation Adviser for the Archdiocese of Southwark.

12.10pm High Mass Live from St Mary’s Warrington. Celebrant Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP

13.25 Archbishop Gullickson, Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland and Liechtenstein and Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan

13.45 Fr Tim Finigan, Priest of the Archdiocese of Southwark

14.15 Mgr Gordon Read, National Chaplain to the LMS

14.45 Fr John Zuhlsdorf, President of the Tridentine Mass Society of Madison and Blogger: Covid-19 : What are the implications for Tradition?

15.45 Dr Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the LMS: After the Plague

16.15 Live Q & A with Dr Shaw, Fr Tim Finigan and Sebastian Morello

16.45 End

A Quarter of a Million Views

By the end of today, this blog will have been viewed 250,000 times.

Saturday Latin Masses in Middlesbrough

I have had confirmation that the Saturday Latin Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Middlesbrough is NOT being resumed at the present time.

Reopening for Public Worship St Wilfrid's York

St Wilfrid's Church in York (The York Oratory) will be reopening for public worship on Saturday 5th July.  There will be a DAILY Mass in the Extraordinary Form according to the following schedule:

                Monday to Friday   8.15am

                Saturday                  9.15am

                Sunday                    12 noon

All Masses will be Low Masses, because of the ban on singing.  There Masses will also be livestreamed.

There is no mention on St Wilfrid's website of any special arrangements that have to be complied with, so I suppose it is in order just to turn up.  I understand that the church has sufficient capacity (after taking into account social distancing) for the usual Sunday congregation at the Latin Mass.

The Institute of Christ the King in Fundraising Mode

The Institute of Christ the King has launched a campaign to raise £3.5 million for restoration works at St Walburge's Church in Preston.  The proposed works include the renewal and insulation of he roof, and the provision of a new heating system.  A later phase will be the restoration of the Sanctuary.

The Institute has also just launched an appeal for funds to redecorate the interior of the Sacred Heart Church in Limerick.

 

Please visit the websites of these churches to find out how to contribute to these schemes.

Feast of St John Fisher and St Thomas Moore

I am sorry that this is a little late as the Feast of St John Fisher and St Thomas Moore in the traditional calendar was a few days ago on 22nd June.  However in the new calendar it is still to come on 6th July.

I attended the John Fisher School at Purley in Surrey in the late fifties and early sixties.  In fact I was there for 11 years.  When I joined the school the headmaster was Canon Byrne, who had been headmaster since the school's founding, 50 years before.  Canon Byrne had written the school hymn, which was a tribute to John Fisher (John Fisher has not been canonised at the time the hymn was written).  Here are the words.

Sharing Christ’s Priesthood, high honour, dread burden,
Steadfast amid all its manifold cares,
Friend of the poor, of the aged, the dying,
Saint of the Priesthood, give ear to our prayers,
And pray for us now.

Patron of learning, enriching, ennobling,
The home of the scholar, inspirer of youth;
Through thy far vision, athwart the late ages,
The lamp of true wisdom, the torchlight of truth.
Illumine us now.

Counsellor of State, ever tireless in service,
Dauntless defender of faith without stain;
Alone thou didst see and rebuke the first heralds
Of heresy, liberty’s cloak – and its bane:
O counsel us now.

Alone of thy peers thou didst brook the displeasure
Of King and his court, God’s law to proclaim;
Loyal to England and Christ’s earthly vicar.
Death found thee fearless, despising the shame.
O strengthen us now.

Gentle yet stern, like John the beloved,
Aflame with the fire of the Baptist’s zeal;
England’s own Chrysostom, Saint of the Priesthood,
St John of England, before thee we kneel:
O plead for us now.

I am pleased to be able to report that the hymn is still sung at the school now, although less frequently that in my day.  I am also pleased to report that another tradition of the school continues.  That is of producing candidates for the priesthood.  Some well known priests in the traditional world are products of the John Fisher School.  These include Fr Tim Finigan, Fr Sean Finnegan and Fr Mark Higgins.

It is a pity that the hymn has not been taken up more widely by the church.  Canon Byrne certainly had a talent with words and a good appreciation of the character of St John Fisher.  Unfortunately, I cannot reproduce the tune here.  It is an unusual tune for a hymn, mostly being in triple time, with the final line of each verse being quite different.