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.

Church Doors Open - Just a Little

The church doors of the York Oratory were opened very briefly yesterday, the Feast of Corpus Christi, as then following picture shows.

After Benediction, the Blessed Sacrament was taken to the church steps and a blessing given to the City of York.  It is interesting to see that at least three people knelt on the wet ground to receive the Blessing.  Presumably this was a spontaneous reaction of passers by.

In normal circumstances, there would have been a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of York to mark the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Solemnity of Corpus Christi

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is on Thursday, 11 June. Our Masses will be live streamed on our YouTube Channel.

9.15am Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form

There will also be Rosary and Benediction at 5.50pn

Corpus Christi

Thursday 11th June is the Feast of Corpus Christi.  There are many opportunities to follow Mass livestream.  The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Peter Chanel in Hull have their Thursday Latin Mass at 7.30pm.  It may be preceded by Benediction.  I like to follow the Mass from the Sacred Heart Church in Limerick, Ireland.  It is at 7pm and can b e found via the Institute of Christ the King's Irish website.

The website of the Latin Mass Society has a long list of livestreamed Masses for those who are looking for a different time of the day.

Priests Showing Interest in the Latin Mass

I was part of an on line meeting of the committee of the Latin Mass Society earlier today.  One of the things that I learned was that there has been a substantial upsurge in the number of priests ordering copies of the Missale Romanum and altar cards from the LMS shop during the of lockdown due to COVID 19.  This is surely evidence that priests are taking the opportunity created by the closure of their churches to study the celebration of Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

It remains to be seen hbow this works out in the long run, but it is surely good news for supporters of the Traditional Mass.