Fr William Charlton will be offering the following Latin Masses at the Church of St Joseph in Stokesley:
Sun. 25th Dec. Christmas Day 11.00am
Sun. 1st Jan. New Year's Day 3.00pm
Fri 6th Jan. Epiphany 11.00am
Fr Charlton will then be retiring and will not be offering any further Latin Masses at Stokesley.
Instead, Fr Sellers will be offering Sunday Latin Masses at 3pm in the Church of St Andrew in Teesville, Middlesbrough. These will start on 8th January.
The times of Latin Masses at the York Oratory over the Christmas period are as follows:
Christmas Eve Low Mass 9.15 am
Christmas Day Solemn Mass at Midnight
There will be NO Latin Mass at midday despite being a Sunday.
During the Christmas Octave Daily at 9.15am
Thursday, 8th December is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Latin Masses will be offered as follows:-York Oratory
8.15am Low Mass
6.00pm Solemn Mass
An article headed 'Old Latin Mass Finds New American Audience' has appeared in a prominent position in the New York Times. The lengthy article tells of the resurgence of the Latin Mass in the United States, especially amongst young people and large families. The writer of the article describes her experiences visiting the Church of St Joseph in Detroit. This church, which is run by the Institute of Christ the King, has grown its congregation dramatically in recent years.
The article, which is easily found on the internet, includes many good photographs including the ones below.
Tuesday 1st November and Wednesday 2nd November are the feasts of All Saints and All Souls respectively. On both days, Mass will be offered in the older form at the York Oratory as follows:
8.15am Low Mass
6.00pm Sung Mass
This graph caught my eye. It seems that Mass attendance in the USA has been in decline since the time of Vatican II, but that the decline has been particularly steep during the reigns of Paul VI and Francis.
There is more excellent news from the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. I understand that seven candidates will be joining their House of Formation in Preston in October. This is a record number, admissions having been limited to five in previous years. It is normal in the ICKSP for young men aspiring to be priests to spend a year discerning their vocation at a House of Formation before joining the seminary in Gricigliano.
The House of Formation at Preston is within the Presbytery which is a large old building, which has been in need of repairs, especially to the roof. Recently, benefactors have enabled roof repairs to be completed, and I presume that it is these works that have allowed the extra candidates to be accommodated. The picture below shows the presbytery alongside the Church of St Walburge.
One thing is certain. There is no shortage of young men wishing to test their vocation to become priests of the Institute of Christ the King.
A record number of young men have joined the seminary of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest at Gricigliano near Florence in Italy. The photograph below shows the new first year seminarians, who commenced their studies earlier this month.
Until recently, the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia, USA made good provision for adherents of the older form of the Mass. There were no less than 21 locations where it was offered, and these Masses were attended by about 2.5% of the Mass going population. The Most Reverend Michael Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington, has implemented Traditionis Custodes in a very strict way, and the number of locations has been reduced to eight and will be further reduced to five in 2023.
One of the locations to be dropped is Holy Trinity parish in Gainsville, which was one of the best attended. In its place, the diocese has offered the use of a disused gymnasium at a school in Nokesville. Supporters of the Latin Mass have, in very short time, transformed this gymnasium into a chapel by constructing an altar with reredos and providing a sanctuary with altar rails. They have also acquired benches from a disused church and redecorated throughout. The result can be seen below.
Check out these very wise words of our new King.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1567957411880923140
The newly elevated Cardinal Roche, formerly Bishop of Leeds, but now Prefect of the Dicastery for Devine Worship and the Sacraments, has given an interview to The Tablet. In it, he describes supporters of the older form of the Mass as "stubbornly opposing" the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. He says that these people are "putting themselves to the edges of the Church" and "becoming more Protestant than Catholic".
These statements have met with both derision and amusement throughout the traditionalist world. To many it seems incredible that the Cardinal can describe those who align themselves with the form of the Mass that has been prevalent throughout most of the history of the Church as Protestant, when compared with those who prefer the newer form that has existed for merely 60 years. Does Cardinal Roche not understand that the reforms that followed Vatican II were designed to make the Mass more closely resemble the Protestant liturgies?
Late on Sunday evening I returned home after attending the Latin Mass Society's walking pilgrimage to Walsingham. It took place over three days, and about 160 pilgrims made the journey on foot from Ely to Walsingham, a distance of 56 miles. A few, like myself, did not walk, but provided support services such as catering. My principal duty was as sacristan, setting up for four Masses each day, and transporting all the requisites between the four locations. This is a picture of the post-pilgrimage Mass at the Slipper chapel on the Monday.
The following Monday the Pilgrimage in honour of St Margaret Clitherow took place in York, and I was on duty again. This time I walked the mile between the Bar Convent and the York Oratory. Here you can see the statue of St Margaret Clitherow which had been carried in the procession and placed in the sanctuary for Mass and Benediction.
Both events were a great success, and I would encourage anyone who is fit enough to attend one consider attending at least one of them next year.
Monday 15th August is the Feast of the Assumption. Although most of the modern Church will be celebrating the feast on Sunday, there will be a Sung Mass at the York Oratory at 6pm on the Monday.
There will also be First Vespers of the Feast and Benediction at 4pm on Sunday.
The Annual General Meeting of the Latin Mass Society took place in London on 30th July. Unfortunately, it was difficult for people from Yorkshire to attend due to rail strikes. Readers may like to listen to the chairman's address by clicking on the link below.
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-dnjzh-128ec0a
This is a picture of a policeman on duty in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is kneeling whilst a Eucharistic procession passes.
The Latin Mass Society organises a Walsingham pilgrimage every year over the August Bank Holiday weekend. This year the pilgrimage will start on the evening of Thursday 26th August when pilgrims will assemble in Ely. Over the following three days, pilgrims will walk 57 miles to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. On the Sunday, there will be a Solemn Mass in the afternoon, and then the pilgrims will walk the Holy Mile. The pilgrimage concludes with devotions at the site of the Holy House in the grounds of Walsingham Abbey.
Men are expected to bring tents, but covered accommodation is provided for ladies. Excellent food is provided. More than 100 are expected to take part this year, and although most are young people, all ages are represented.
Full details and a booking facility can be found on the website of the Latin Mass Society.
For those who do not want to walk for three days, it is possible to join the pilgrimage on the Sunday only. Anyone doing the one day pilgrimage need not book in advance, but should aim to arrive at the Catholic Shrine (Slipper Chapel) at about 1pm. The devotions conclude at 5pm.
It is heartening to report the ordination to the priesthood of Gwilym Evans. Fr Evans, who comes from Wales, is now a priest of the FSSP.
Also, Two Englishmen were ordained deacons for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest on the Feast of St Peter and St Paul. If all turns out well, Liam Dodd and Michael McCowan will be ordained priests this time next year.
Wednesday 29th June is the Feast of St Peter and St Paul, and a Holyday of Obligation. There will be two Latin Masses at the York Oratory. For early risers, there will be a Low Mass at 8.15am. Others may prefer the Missa Cantata at 6pm.
Last Thursday I attended a Missa Cantata for the Feast of Corpus Christi at the York Oratory. After Mass, there was Benediction with a Blessed Sacrament procession. This took place mostly within the church, although the procession did exit through the side door and re-enter through the main door. Both the Mass and the Benediction were accompanied by excellent singing provided by the choral scholars the and assisted by the parish schola.
On Sunday, I travelled to Warrington to attend a Solemn Mass at the FSSP-run Church of St Mary. The Mass was followed by a Eucharistic Procession which progressed through the streets of central Warrington to end up at the Church of St Alban, where Benediction was given. Again there was some wonderful music, with a particularly beautiful polyphonic setting of the Tantum Ergo.
I thought that it was wonderful that the procession passed through the town centre, and was seen by so many people. How good it is to see some of these older practices revived.
Friday 24th June is the Feast of the Sacred Heart. There will be two Latin Masses at the York Oratory. At 8.15am there will be a Low Mass, and at 6pm there will be a Solemn Mass followed by Exposition. This will form the start of the Forty Hours Devotions.
Starting with a Solemn Mass at 6pm on Friday 24th June, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, there will be Forty Hours of Devotion at the York Oratory. The full programme is below.
Thursday 16th June is the Feast of Corpus Christi, traditionally a Holyday of Obligation. There will be two Latin Masses that day at the Church of St Wilfrid in York - a Low Mass at 8.15am, and a Missa Cantata at 6pm. The 6pm Mass will be followed by a procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.
The Choral Scholars will be singing Missa Secunda by Hassler as well as motets at 6pm Mass. This comes highly recommended, as does the music at the Benediction.
Please note that there will be no Latin Mass in Hull on the Feast of Corpus Christi, as Fr Massie is away. Neither will there be a Latin Mass the following Thursday, for the same reason.
Thursday 26th May is Ascension Day and a Holyday of Obligation. Latin Masses in the traditional form will be offered in the diocese as follows:
York Oratory 08.15 Low Mass
18.00 Sung Mass
Our Lady, Hull 7.30pm low mass
It has been announced that the Holy See has given permission for the Manchester Oratory to continue to offer Mass according to the 1962 books on Sundays for a period of two years.
After a lapse of two years due to COVID, a pilgrimage in honour of the English Martyrs is to take place at Preston on Saturday 7th May.
The programme is as follows:
11.45am Assemble at St Walburge's Church.
12 noon Procession to Church of the English Martyrs' starts
1pm (approx) Sung Mass at English Martyrs' begins, followed by tea in the hall.
The pilgrimage will be led by the canons of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, which has custody of both of these spectacular Preston churches.
The Church of St Walburge was designed by Joseph Hansom and opened in 1854. It boasts the third highest steeple in England, only being surpassed by Salisbury and Norwich Cathedrals. The Institute of Christ the King has begun a restoration scheme, which will take many years, and is estimated to cost £3.5 million. Currently, the first stage of the roof renewal is in hand.
The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and the English Martyrs was designed by Edward Welby Pugin, and was opened four years after St Walburge's in 1867. Unlike St Walburge's which was built by the Jesuits, English Martyrs' Church was staffed by diocesan clergy.
Key Addresses
St Walberge Weston St, Preston. PR2 2QE
English Martyrs Garston Road, Preston. PR1 1NA
Someone by the name of Mark Rome, whom I take to be American, is collecting signatures worldwide for a petition to Pope Francis urging an end to restrictions on the Latin Mass. He is hoping for 1,000,000 signatures and at present has "tens of thousands".
Below is a link to a podcast.
https://preservethelatinmass.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Marc_Rome_On_MyCatholicFaith_podcast.mp3
Back in October, I published a post about a young priest celebrating Mass at a Rock Altar on Achill Island in Ireland. Here is the picture:
I was a bit worried that it might be a photoshopped picture, and that the story might be fake. However, I need not have worried. It turns out that the priest is Fr Gerard Quirke, a priest of the Irish Diocese of Tuam. It has recently been announced that Fr Quirke is now a postulant with the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, and is resident at Warrington. It looks as if the FSSP may gain another good young priest. If this happens, Fr Quirke will be the second Irish diocesan priest to join the FSSP in recent years.
Most readers will probably know that Archbishop Roche, the Prefect of the Congregation for Devine Worship, issued a document entitled Responsa ad Dubia just before Christmas. The document supplied answers to some questions that had purportedly been raised by bishops from around the world about the implementation of Traditionis Custodes, the motu proprio that that had been issued by Pope Francis earlier in the year. Amongst the matters covered by Responsa ad Dubia was the use of liturgical books that relate to the older rites, and the use of the Pontificale Romanum was specifically banned except in canonically erected personal parishes.
The Pontificale Romanum contains the texts to be used in conferring the sacraments that are reserved to bishops. As a result, it would seem that the Responsa ad Dubia outlawed confirmations in the older rite in all places other than personal parishes. This interpretation was adopted by the Archdiocese of Westminster which cancelled the traditional confirmations that were due to take place this summer in the church of St James, Spanish Place.
It has now emerged that Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of the Liverpool Archdiocese will be conferring confirmations in the traditional rite at the FSSP church in Warrington on Saturday 2nd July. It is likely that there will be large numbers of confirmands because of the cancellation in Westminster. Anyone wishing to be confirmed at Warrington (or their parents) is invited to conduct Fr Quirke who is dealing with the preparation of candidates for the FSSP. His email is:
A course of preparation will begin in Warrington after Easter. It is possible that courses of preparation, organised at other locations may be accepted so it would be wise to contact Fr Quirke at an early date.
Fr Michael Rowe is a priest of the Archdiocese of Perth in Australia. For many years, he has travelled to England to take part in the Latin Mass Society's walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham. This was until he was prevented from doing so by COVID. He is the chaplain to a thriving Latin Mass Community which was given the redundant church of St Anne in the Belmont area of Perth by the previous Archbishop. The Latin Mass community has spent a lot of money improving the church, including the installation of an organ.
The current Archbishop has decided to sell this church, thus depriving to Latin Mass community of any premises. Appeal through the processes of Canon Law have so far failed, so Fr Rowe is now seeking redress through the Civil Courts, and is seeking funds to go to the Australian High Court. A fuller explanation of the case, as well as an opportunity to donate towards costs can be found on the Go Fund Me page.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-latin-mass-at-st-annes-perth-australia?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet
The following is the result of a survey conducted by the Christus Vincit Foundation. It was an on line survey, which could mean that the sample was not very representative, but it did have 4870 respondents, which is large enough a number for the survey to be taken seriously. The answers to the question about how long respondents have been attending the Latin Mass should give reasonably reliable results;
Wednesday 2nd March is Ash Wednesday. Ashes will be blessed and distributed at a Missa Cantata at 6pm in the York Oratory.
According to the listings in Mass of Ages, the quarterly magazine of the Latin Mass Society, the average number of Latin Masses offered on Sundays in England and Wales over the coming three months is 63. This is one up on the previous quarter, and is the highest number ever reported.
It seems that the only casualty that can directly be attributed to Traditionis Custodes, so far as Sunday Masses is concerned, is in the Diocese of Clifton, where Bishop Lang ordered the cancellation of the Mass in Glastonbury.
Another casualty has been the cancellation of the proposed Confirmations in the traditional rite, that were to take place at St James, Spanish Place in London. However, there is good news that might mittigate this set back. Pope Francis has confirmed to the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter that they are free to use the Pontifical (the book containing the rite of Confirmation in the traditional form) in their churches. It seems that this permission applies also to all the Ecclesia Dei communities, so the possibility of traditional confirmations exists in at least five dioceses.
Generally, reports from around the country suggest that attendance at Latin Masses is continuing grow. So overall, Traditionis Custodes has had little impact. My impression is that it has given a minor boost to the traditional movement.
The picture below was taken at St Patrick's Oratory, the Church of the Institute of Christ the King in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA. It shows 17 of the 36 babies baptised at that church during 2021.
There is a petition circulating in which it is hoped to get one million signatures to a letter to Pope Francis appealing to him to allow the preservation of the Latin Mass throughout the world. Unfortunately, I am not clever enough to provide a direct link, but the petition is easily found by typing Preserve the Latin Mass into any search engine.
Please consider signing it whether or not you are a regular attender at the older form of the Mass. I know that there are many who do not personally favour the Latin Mass, but who do think that the the current attempt to get it removed from our churches is both uncharitable and illiberal, and therefore should be resisted.
PLEASE SIGN IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO
A Latin Mass in the traditional form is offered at 3pm every Sunday at the Church of St Joseph in Stokesley.
The church has a chequered history. Opened in 1873 to a design provided by George Goldie, it could be described a a small church built to a modest budget. It suffered from a disastrous fire in the 1970s that destroyed the roof, and much else. A new roof was provided and the internal arrangements were altered so that the altar was in the middle of the south (liturgical) wall.
In recent years, the original orientation has been restored, which is a huge improvement.
This truck, which has been photographed in Chicago, has an uncompromising message. The gentleman in the red biretta is Cardinal Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago, who has imposed Draconian measures to restrict the Latin Mass in his diocese, including banning it on the first Snday of every month.
The photograph below was taken in the 1950s, and shows ordination day at the Seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris. You can count 66 ordinands in the picture, and there are clearly more outside the view of the camera.
I first came across Fr James Mawdsley around the year 2000. At that time, he was in the news as a campaigner against the repression of the tribal people of Burma by their government. Many years later I met him in completely unrelated circumstances, and discovered that he was about to start training to become a priest of the Priestly Society of St Peter. After studying at Wigratzbad, he was ordained in Warrington in 2016, and has served the FSSP, mostly in Austria and Germany.
Recently, he has hit the headlines again. He has embarked on a new campaign to fight the attempt by Pope Francis to curtail and eventually eliminate the Latin Mass. In order to be free to take on this cause, and not to cause the FSSP embarrassment, Fr Mawdsley has resigned from the order.
He has now released a video, which can be found on the Remnant and on Fr Z's blog as well as several other places.
Below is a report taken from en.news that states that a Brazilian archbishop will on 19th February be conducting a priestly ordination according to the Pontificale Romanum.
Archbishop Fernando Guimarães, 75, the Military Ordinary of Brazil, will ordain a priest for the Good Shepherd Institute on February 19 in Brasilia, Brazil.
He will use the Pontificale of 1962 of which Francis and his Liturgy Congregation believe that it is “forbidden.” The Institute announces the ordination of Abbé Thiago de Oliveira Pino “with joy.” The whole Church rejoices with them.
This news, if correct, is important for two reasons. Firstly, it involves an archbishop disregarding the Responsa ad Dubia issued by Archbishop Roche of the Congregation for Divine Worship. Secondly, it indicates that Institute of the Good Shephard, one of the three largest orders of traditional priests, intends to continue ordaining priests in the traditional rite.
The Feast of Candlemas, or the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary is on Wednesday 2nd February. There will be a Sung Latin Mass with blessing of candles and procession at 6pm in St Wilfrid's Church, York.
CANCELLED MASS
Please note that the Latin Mass that usually takes place at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Peter Channel at 7.30pm on Thursdays will NOT take place on Thursday 13th January. The Mass will resume the following week.
Although I do not subscribe to The Tablet, I am always interested to see what it has to say on matters concerning the Latin Mass. I discovered that last week's edition included three letters (including one from myself) on the subject, all of which were highly critical of the policy coming from the Pope Francis and the Vatican of attempting to extinguish the Mass that so many of us love. The letters are reproduced below.
The following are extracts from the sermon given in St Peter's Basilica by Pope Francis on the Feast of the Epiphany:
"Have we been stuck all too long, nestled inside a conventional, external and formal religiosity that no longer warms our hearts and changes our lives?"
"Do our words and our liturgies ignite in people's hearts a desire to move towards God, or are they a 'dead language' that speaks only of itself and to itself?"
It seems that Pope Francis is continuing to deride the Latin Mass, and is now doing so in his sermons.
Thursday 6th January is the Feast of the Epiphany and a Holyday of Obligation. In the Middlesbrough Diocese, there will be a Sung Mass at 6pm at St Wilfrid's, York; and a Low Mass at the Church of Our Lady and St Peter Chanel in Hull The Mass in Hull will be offered for the repose of the soul of Peter Miles, a long time member of the Latin Mass Society, who died before Christmas.