Preference for the Latin Mass

The York Oratory is livestreaming a daily Mass in both the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form.  I noticed that yesterday that the Extraordinary Form had 81 viewings and that the Ordinary Form had 61 viewings.

This would seem to suggest some preference for the Extraordinary Form.

FSSP Seminary at Widratzbad

There is news that the Seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter at Widratzbad in Bavaria is suffering from coronavirus.  All the priests and half of the 90 seminarians are affected.  Everyone is confined to their rooms.  I understand that no one is seriously ill, but it is thought that the virus will eventually affect all the students.

Please remember these good priests and students in your prayers.

Feast of the Annunciation

THIS MASS IS CANCELLED

Wednesday 25th March, being exactly nine months before the Feast of Christmas, is the Feast of the Annunciation.

There will be two opportunities to attend a Sung Mass in the usus antiquior in the Diocese of Middlesbrough on this very great Feast.

As is usually the case on major Feasts, the York Oratory will be offering a Solemn Mass at 6pm.

Fr William Massie will be offering his first old right Missa Cantata at 7.30pm at the Church of Our Lady of Lourds and St Peter Chanel, Cottingham Road, in Hull.

Fr Massie is putting a great deal of effort into learning how to sing a Missa Cantata.  It will also be a new venture for the servers and for the choir, so we must all hope and pray that it goes well.

I would urge anyone living in the Hull area who is free on the evening of the 25th March to  give Fr Massie their support by attending this Mass.

THIS MASS IS CANCELLED

Coronavirus

REVISED AND CORRECTED

The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales have announced that as from Saturday 21st March, all public church services will be suspended, although churches will remain open where possible.

At St Wilfrids in York there will be daily Mass in the Extraordinary Form live streamed on the internet.  The link is given on the St Wilfrid's website.

The timings are:

           Mondays to Fridays              8.15am
           Saturdays & Sundays           9.15am


 

Please also note that the Thursday evening Latin Mass at the Catholic Chaplaincy in Hull is discontinued, and that the proposed Mass for the Annunciation in Hull has been cancelled.

Solemn Vespers at Gateshead

Latin Vespers and Benediction in Gateshead

Submitted by Stephen Moseling on Wed, 26/02/2020 - 11:20

Latin Vespers and Benediction in Gateshead

Solemn Vespers will be sung in St Joseph’s, Gateshead, on the Feast of St Joseph. This will be the first occasion that Solemn Vespers have been sung in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle since the liturgical changes were introduced in the 1960s.

Vespers - sung by the parish men’s Schola and the Westland Singers under the direction of Paul Dewhurst - will include a setting of the Magnificat by Orlando de Lassus, followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, with music by Elgar and Perosi.

Officiant: Fr Paul Zielinski. Cantors: Fr Michael Brown and Fr David Phillips.

Thursday 19th March 2020 at 7pm. St Joseph’s Church, High West Street, Gateshead NE8 1LX.

The LMS is delighted to be sponsoring this event. Everyone is most welcome. A poster advertising the event can be downloaded HERE.

Thursday Evening Masses in Hull

This is a a reminder that there is an Extraordinary Form Mass at 7.30pm on Thursday evenings at the Catholic Chaplaincy of Hull University.  It is celebrated by Fr William Massie and currently attracts a congregation of a dozen or more.

I am pleased to report that the proportion of students at this Mass, although a minority, is increasing.  This is further evidence of the popularity of the Traditional Mass among young people.

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday 26th February will be Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.  As usual there will be a Solemn Mass with the blessing of Ashes at 6pm at St Wilfrid's Church in York.

The York Oratory

There will be a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving for the establishment of the York Oratory on Saturday, 22 February at 12 noon, celebrated by Bishop Terence Patrick. Bishop Robert Byrne of Hexham and Newcastle will be the preacher. Our Fr Procurator, Fr Michele Nicolis of the Verona Oratory, will read the Papal Brief and will be accompanied by the Oratorian Fr Visitor, Fr Marco Guillén of the Toronto Oratory.

This Mass will be in the Novus Ordo, but nevertheless it is to celebrate a great achievement, and will be well worth attending.

Priestly Ordinations in Poland

According to a Polish website, more than one in four of the ordinations of diocesan priests occurring in Europe take place in Poland.  The following is an extract from the website.


One in four ordainments of Catholic diocesan priests in Europe takes place in Poland, according to data from the Polish Institute for Catholic Church Statistics.

Around 350 new Catholic priests have been ordained annually in Poland in the last few years, representing 26% of the total number in Europe, which was 1,272 in 2017, the last year for which data are available. The total number of ordainments worldwide in 2017 was 5,800.


These figures relate only to diocesan ordinations.  It may be that the figures for the total number of ordinations would produce a different result.  Nevertheless, these are surprising figures.

Church Bells

St Wilfrid's Church in York, the York Oratory, has a peal of 10 bells that are expertly rung by St Wilfrid's Bellringers before Masses on Sundays, Feast Days and on special occasions.  Although the Church of St Wilfrid was opened in 1864, the bells were not installed in the tower until 1995. 

Recently, an additional bell has been installed in the tower and it was blessed by Bishop Byrne.  The new bell has been given the name "John Henry", but it formerly belonged to Trinity House, and was used to warn shipping of dangerous rocks in the English Channel. 

John Henry will sound the Angelus daily at noon and 6pm.  Unlike the main peal, it will be operated remotely by the press of a button.

John Henry being blessed by Bishop Byrne

Meanwhile, the bell at Shrewsbury Cathedral, originally cast in 1856, but silent for the past 50 years,  is being brought back into use.  It too, will be operated remotely at the press of a button.

Bell being installed at Shrewsbury Cathedral