Fr Stephen Brown to Join Oratorian Community

I noticed on the website of St Wilfrid's Church in York, that Fr Stephen Brown of the Leeds Diocese will be trying his vocation as an Oratorian priest. He will be moving to York in September or October and staying with the Oratorians at the rectory of St Wilfrid's Church until a final decision is made about his future. Fr Stephen Brown, who is currently chaplain to Bradford University, is well known to supporters of the Latin Mass. He has taken part in all the Margaret Clitherow pilgrimages of recent years, and has been a visitor to St Wilfrid's on other occasions as well. When he was parish priest at Idle near Bradford, he said regular Latin Masses in his parish. I am sure that he will be a welcome addition to the community at York.

Next Mass in Hull

A reminder that the next Latin Mass in Hull will be on Wednesday 1st July at 6.30 pm in the church of St Charles, Jarratt Street. If these Wednesday evening Masses continue to be well attended, it may be that a case can be made for regular Sunday Masses in Hull. So please give it your support.

Walking to Walsingham

The Latin Mass Society's sixth annual walking pilgrimage to Walsingham will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The dates are Thurs 27th to Sunday 30th August. Pilgrims assemble at Ely on the Thursday evening and reach Walsingham on the Sunday in time for Mass and procession in the afternoon. The walk is about 55 miles and accommodation is provided in schools and halls. The cost is £50 for LMS members and those under 18, which includes the main meals. The cost for other categories can be found on the LMS website, as can further details. It is also possible to join the pilgrimage for the Sunday only, by simply turning up in Walsingham.

Ordinariate Acquires Former Methodist Chapel

There are reports on the internet that the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham has completed the purchase of a former Methodist chapel for its congregation in Torbay. Earlier reports indicated a purchase price of £150,000, which seems good value for a package which includes both the church and a former school. I understand that it is intended to spend at least another £100,000 on works to improve the church and on converting part of the former school to a presbytery. This will not only provide accommodation for the priest, but will give a good sized meeting room for the Ordinariate group to use. The purchase is evidence that the Ordinariate is not only alive and well, but in expansionary mood, at least in some parts of the country. There is further good news of Ordinariate expansion in Pembury, near Tonbridge Wells, where a new hall is being completed. This will allow the main building to be used exclusively as a church. Up to now, it has only been a church on Sundays. During the week it has been used for various other purposes, including a pre-school play group.

For those who Like Statistics

The results of the British Social Attitudes Survey on religious affiliation among adults in Great Britain have been published. Adults are people aged 18 and over. There is a wealth of material and analysis published, but here are the essentials: The number of adults who self identify as Catholics has declined from 4.1 million to 4.0 million between the years 1983 and 2014 (a decrease of around 2%). The equivalent figures for the Church of England are 16.5 million and 8.6 million (a decrease of 52%). This has taken place over a period of 30 years, when the overall adult population has increased from 41.3 million to 50.5 million. Other Christian denominations have shown a modest decline, whilst the number affiliating to non Christian religions has increased significantly. The biggest increase is in those who profess no religion, which almost exactly equates to the decline in the C of E.

Change of Time of Mass in Redcar

During the Summer months, the weekly Sunday Mass in Redcar will be at 6pm and not at 11.30am. This is to enable Mgr Heslin to act as a relief for priests in the area who are taking summer holidays. It is intended that the time will revert to 11.30am in the autumn, but I have no date yet for this change. The regulars will be kept informed, but anyone else thinking of attending the Latin Mass in Redcar is advised to check the time beforehand.

Feast of Saints Peter & Paul

Monday 29th June is the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul. Although, according to the modern practice, most people will be celebrating this feast on the Sunday, those of a more traditional mind who can get to the church of St Wilfrid in York will be able to attend a sung Mass on the actual feast day. It will be at 6pm.

Feast of the Sacred Heart

Friday 12th June is the Feast of the Sacred Heart, and there will be a Missa Cantata at 6pm in the Church of St Wilfrid in York.

Another Successful Mass

Last night's Mass at St Charles Church in Hull, the second in the current series, was well attended. An encouraging aspect was that we had two new servers. One had some experience, remembering what he had learned in his youth. The other was a young lad if 13, who took to it quite naturally and seemed very keen to learn. This is all very encouraging. The next Latin Mass in Hull will be on Wednesday 1st July at 6.30 pm also at St Charles.

Feast of Corpus Christi

The Feast of Corpus Christi will be marked on Thursday 4th June in York with a Sung Mass at 6pm in the church of St Wilfrid.