Developments in Hull

I am pleased to announce that regular Latin Masses are to be established in Hull. Following discussions with Bishop Drainey, it has been decided that there will be a Low Mass on the first Wednesday of each month at 6.30pm in the Church of St Charles. This is the principal church in Hull and is in a central location. The celebrant will be Fr Peter Mulholland. This provision will start on Wednesday 6th May, so there is a little time to wait. Fr Mulholland has celebrated Mass in the usus antiquior on a few occasions at the Church of St Francis of Assisi, and many years ago I attended a Mass of his at Ugthorpe in the north of the diocese. Bishop Drainey has said that this Mass will be provided ad experimentum for a period of six months. By this I understand that he intends to review the provision later in the year, in the light of the reports he gets of how many people are attending. Thus it is essential that this Mass is well attended if it is to continue in the longer term. My ultimate objective is to achieve a regular Sunday Mass in Hull. At the moment this looks difficult, as the diocese is not able to supply a priest with time to say a Mass on Sundays. In all probability, the priest would have to travel from some distant location, and this could only be justified if there was a sizable congregation. On way to prove the demand for a Sunday Mass would be to have good numbers at the weekday Masses, so it is over to you.

New Church in Libreville

I have been following the building of the Institute of Christ the King's new church in Libreville, Gabon. The following picture was taken in 2011, and it did not look as if it was going to be a very great piece of architecture.

I suppose that at such an early stage, it is not possible to tell what it is going to be like. In this later picture it has acquired a classical style of facade.

It is beginning to look like a church. The latest pictures show a further transformation.

I understand that the murals are composed of tiles made in Portugal. Here is a picture that shows a little more detail.

If the inside can be transformed in the same way, it will be a very impressive church.

Ash Wednesday

There will be blessing and imposition of Ashes followed by Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 6pm on Wednesday 18th February at St Wiklfrid's Church in York.

Priest, Deacon and Server Training

The Latin Mass Society will be holding its 11th training conference for priests, deacons and servers wishing to learn the older form of the Mass from 14th to 17th April 2015. It will be held at Prior Park College near Bath.

Prior Park, which currently houses an independant Catholic school, is set in 28 acres of parkland, and was built in the 1730s as a country mansion for a local quarry owner named Ralph Allen. Its architect, John Wood, used Bath stone from Ralph Allen's quarries to create a building in the Paladian style on a hillside site that overlooks the city. The grounds include several impressive features, including an ornamental bridge, also in the Paladian style, over an artificial lake.

After the death of Ralph Allen, the property passed through a number of owners, and in 1828 was purchased by Bishop Baines, the Vicar Apostolic for the Western District at the time. His intention was to establish a seminary on the site, which he eventually did, along with a school. It was also his intention to build a cathedral at Prior Park, but this never happened. However a fine chapel was added.

The seminary closed in 1856, with the students transferred to Oscott College. The school continued until the buildings were occupied by troops during the First World War. A fresh attempt was made to establish a boys bording school in 1925, which is the fore-runner of the present school.

Prior Park College is very suitable for the needs of the LMS training conference. There is plenty of sleeping accommodation in single rooms, and common rooms will be available for relaxation at the end of each day. Also, Prior Park has the reputation of serving excellent food. The chapel is particularly beautiful and retains its original altar and reredos in a spacious sanctuary.

There are four side altars, conveniently arranged for tuition to be given around them in small groups.

Bookings are now being taken from priests, deacons, and servers to attend the conference at Prior Park. Further details, including the charges, the application form and how to apply are on the website of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.