The purpose of this blog is to provide an open forum for discussion of the aims of the society; news from the wider Church and details of Masses and events of interest in the diocese. The Latin Mass Society in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough expresses its full filial devotion and loyalty to Holy Mother Church, Pope Francis and Bishop Drainey.



REGULAR TRADITIONAL MASSES IN THE DIOCESE OF MIDDLESBROUGH

12 Noon. Every Sunday Missa Cantata
York Oratory (
Church of St Wilfrid)
Duncombe Place, York. YO1 7EF

8:15am Monday-Friday
9:15am Saturday

Feast Days (as advertised) usually at 6pm.

Church of St Andrew, Fabian Road, Teesville. TS6 9BA

3pm Sunday.

Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Peter Chanel
119 Cottingham Road, Hull. HU5 2DH
7.30pm Every Thursday. Low Mass.

VESPERS AND BENEDICTION

4pm. Every Sunday
York Oratory (
Church of St Wilfrid)
Duncombe Place, York. YO1 7EF

Compline and Vespers (as advertised)
(see link to the Rudgate Singers Calendar below)
St Mary's Church, Bishophill Junior. YO1 6EN


27 April 2010

Regular Sung Masses in York

In future there will be at least one Missa Cantata each month at the Church of the English Martyrs in York. The 6.30 Sunday evening Mass will be sung on the third Sunday. On other Sundays it will normally be a Low Mass.

The next Sung Mass will be on 16th May which happens to be the transferred feast of the Ascension. The celebrant will be Fr Stephen Maughan and the musical setting will be Byrd provided by the Rudgate Singers.

26 April 2010

Interesting Opinion Poll in Germany

Paix Liturgique have engaged Harris Interactive (a very respected polling organisation) to conduct an opinion poll in Germany. Here are some of the results.


The following question was put to practising Catholics:

If Mass were celebrated in the Extraordinary Form in YOUR parish, would you attend:

Weekly 25%
Monthly 19%
Holy Days 9%
Occasionally 40%
Never 7%

These are truely remarkable figures. 93% of practicing catholics would apparently attend the older rite at least occasionally. 44% at least monthly.

Another question asked;

Are you aware of the provisions of Summorum Pontificum?

Yes 43.1%
No 56.9%

I presume that these replies relate only to practising Catholics. If this is the case, it comes as no surprise to me. If the same question was put to practising Catholics in England, I doubt whether 10% would be able to answer yes.

There is a fuller report on this survey on the blog, Rorate Caeli.

24 April 2010

Reflections on the Conference at Ushaw

It all went very well, despite a few minor hitches. It was unfortunate that a few of the priests who had booked in were unable to attend due to parish commitments or for personal reasons.

We were able to welcome two young priests from Sri Lanka, for whom it must have been an experience of a lifetime. Not only did they benefit from the tuition and the liturgies, but they were able to visit Durham Cathedral on the Wednesday afternoon. Following their time at Ushaw, they travelled to Walsingham and then were due to to take the Eurostar train to Paris before visiting Lourdes. Another overseas visitor was Fr Craig Holmes from South Africa. We also welcomed two priests from Scotland.

An innovation this year was to include tuition for laymen wishing to become proficient at being MC at High Masses. The shortage of well trained MCs has become a problem in many parts of the country. About ten took advantage of this course, so the problem should eased. One consequence of this was that there was no shortage servers throughout the week.

We were lucky to have six choristers in residence all week so we had a competent schola for all the liturgies. On the Thursday, they were supplemented by members of the Rudgate Singers so we were able to have a polyphonic Requiem Mass. On the Friday, the choir Antiphon came to sing a polyphonic setting of the Mass in honour of St Cuthbert.

Ushaw College again proved an excellent venue. The seminary chapel of St Cuthbert has has a large and convenient sanctuary, and there are many side chapels and altars convenient for tuition as well as private Masses. In addition, the food was excellent and the staff were most helpful.

One bonus was the showing, on the Wednesday evening, of an old film of the seminery's Christmas Midnight Mass in 1960. Although the quality of the sound was very poor, there was great interest in the modus celebrandi. It was all done with military precision and obviously very well rehearsed.

There is no doubt that all the priests who attended found the week both instructive and spiritually uplifting. Several have already enquired about coming back next year.