The Feminine Approach

When I got home from work yesterday, there was a message on hy answering machine.  It was from a lady who had heard about the pilgrimage on the local radio and gone along, probably not knowing quite what to expect.  Apparently, she was so bowled over by what she saw, that she immediately joined the Latin Mass Society.

She did, however, have one small criticism, and that was that there were no flowers arranged around the base of the statue of Margaret Clitherow that was paraded through the streets of York.  Next year we will try to correct this omission.  Clearly we are lacking in feminine input.

Margaret Clitherow Pilgrimage

I hope that we will be able to publish some photographs soon.  In the mean time, we will have to be content with a written report.

Over 200 people took part in the pilgrimage by attending the Solemn Mass in St Wilfrid's Church, walking in the procession and being present at the Church of the English Martyrs for veneration of the relic and Benediction.  The presence of Bishop Drainey, who presided at the Mass and gave the Benediction, was much appreciated by all.  A lot of people came up to me afterwards and said:  "I wish we had a bishop like him!"  Not only did he not make a single error, but he looked completely confident throughout the proceedings.  I think that this must be due to the amount of preparation that he put into it beforehand.

It seems that the procession made a significant impact in the city of York, there being good coverage both in the local newspaper and on the local radio.  Several people have remarked that the procession was treated with respect as it passed through the busy streets.  Shoppers and tourists alike stood back out of the way to allow the procession to pass, and there was virtually no antagonism shown.

An innovation this year was to carry a statue of St Margaret Cluitherow on the procession, and that added to the impact.  We also had a mobile loudspeaker system for the recitation of the roasry, which was a great help.  Next year, we will introduce further features which will make the pilgrimage even more conspicuous.

Two Days to Go

Two days to go to the pilgrimage in honour of St Margaret Clitherow in York.  I am going to York tomorrow to record something about it for Radio York which will be broadcast on Saturday morning.  I understand that the York Press have given the pilgrimage some coverage.

Now, all that we can do is hope and pray that it will be well attended.

Changing Attitudes in Seminaries

In his blog, What Does the Prayer Really Say, Fr Zuhlsdorf has a post about a seminarian who claims that a poll has indicated that a majority of seminarians would prefer to be ordained in the older form of the rite.  Furthermore they indicate a preference for Mass celebrated in the extraordinary form.

Unfortunately, no further details are given of the poll, so one must assume that it was conducted informally, and relates to one seminary, which is probably in the USA.  It would be unwise to extrapolate the findings, and apply them to all seminaries in America, or the world.  However, it would be very reasonable to identify a trend.  Such a result would have been unthinkable ten years ago.

It is often said that what happens in America today, happens in Europe tomorrow.  I would be surprised if the results of this poll were not replicated all over America in about three years and this side of the Atlantic in ten.