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


19 December 2019

Christmas Midnight Mass


There will be a Solemn Midnight Mass for Christmas at the Oratory church of St Wilfrid in York.  It will be preceded at 11.15 pm on Christmas eve by a service of carols and readings.

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St Wilfrid's Church is in Duncombe Place, which is very close to York Minster. 

17 December 2019

Gavin Ashenden Converts to Catholicism.

For anyone who does not know who Gavin Ashenden is, I suggest that the google him.  He is highly intellectual, and was originally on the liberal wing of the Church of England.  Gradually he shifted his ground towards a more evangelical position and finally to what he described as Sacramental Anglican (perhaps another way of saying Anglo Catholic).  He is well qualified in the Law and in Sociology, having been an academic for many years.  He ended his time in the C of E as a Chaplain to the Queen.

A few years ago, he decided that he could not continue in the C of E and resigned his ministry in favour of the Free Church of England, a very small denomination of orthodox Anglicans.  He also became a bishop, and tried hard to gather together Anglicans who were distressed by the direction in which the C of E has been moving. 

Now we have the news that he is to become a Catholic.  It is interesting that Bishop Mark Davies has played an important part in his conversion.  Gavin Ashenden has a large following partly due to his appearances on Anglican Unscripted, a regular discussion video that can be found on You Tube.  I would be surprised if Gavin Ashenden did not bring a lot more converts in his wake.

13 December 2019

ICKSP Church in Belfast opens with Vespers


The first service


The new church of the Institute of Christ the King in Belfast opened on Tuesday with Vespers attended by the Bishop of Down and Connor, Rt Rev Noel Treanor.  The following day, Wednesday 11th November, the Institute's Monsignor Gilles Wach offered a Solemn Mass.

The Institute has had to work hard to make the former Presbyterian Church suitable for Catholic use.  A temporary altar (seen in the picture) has been installed.  This altar originated in Spain, and was used as a temporary altar at the Institute's church in Limerick before a permanent one was installed there.  The picture also shows temporary communion rails.

Although the the church is well supplied with benches, they do not have kneelers, and so will require some modification.

There is a BBC video clip of the first Mass on the Latin Mass Belfast facebook page.  It shows that the church was well filled.

09 December 2019

ICKSP Moving into Louisiana


At the invitation of the Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest will shortly be opening an Oratory in the town of Sulphur in Louisiana.  This will be the Institute's first apostolate in the Southern States.

They are to take over a building that has been used as a Judicial Centre or Courtroom since 1985.  This may seem an unusual step for the Institute until it is realised that before it was a courtroom, the building in question was a Catholic church.  Here is a picture of the building.



Although less grand than many of the Institute's  churches, I am sure that the soon to be Oratory of St Francis de Sales will be transformed into a very worthy church.

Here is a picture of when the church was a courtroom.  It is surprising to see that the pews have been preserved.


04 December 2019

Christ the King Shrine


Nearly twenty years ago, the Institute of Christ the King took over the Church of St Gelasius in Chicago.  It had been the church of the German community in Chicago, but after congregations had declined, it was closed.  Later it was damaged by fire, and it seemed to have no future other than demolition. 

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However, the Institute was up to the challenge of restoring the building.  Much money was spent on making the church usable again, but there was a further and much more devastating fire in almost totally destroyed the building.

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Undaunted, the Institute set about rebuilding all over again.  So far, the roof has been reinstated, and the interior now looks like this.



There are very ambitious schemes to complete the restoration.  This is an artist's impression of how it will look when completed.


02 December 2019

The Liturgical Changes of 1969


The first Sunday of Advent marked the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the Novus Ordo Mass, and there have been many reports on the internet and elsewhere reporting the anniversary.  However, I have not seen anything from anyone with first hand experience of the changes. 

I remember my experience of the day, and I have to say that for me it certainly was not a major event.  I was a student at the time at Liverpool University, and although I attended Mass every Sunday and often during the week, I was completely unaware that a major to the liturgy was planned.  I think very few people did.  I cannot recall any announcement beforehand, and even if there had been, I doubt whether I would have taken a lot of notice, because there had been so many changes over the preceding years.

On the day, I attended Mass in a parish church close to where I was living.  I recall that two leaflets were handed out in stead of the usual one.  It had been the practice in most churches that cards or booklets were handed out on which were printed the Ordinary of the Mass in its 1965 form (or the latest revision of the 1965 form).  In those days almost everyone carried their own missal, so until the Novus Ordo was introduced, these could be used for the propers, which had not changed - at least not significantly.  On the first Sunday of Advent 1969, a second leaflet was handed out including the new propers.  The only really noticeable difference was the inclusion of an Old Testament reading.

The changes on that day seemed minor compared with those that had been introduced over the preceding five years.  If I recall correctly, these included the use of English, the abolition of the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, the abolition of the Last Gospel, the use of lay people  as readers and much more. 

Looking back, the most notable thing was the complete absence, at least in my case, f any form of explanation of the changes.  For example, it took me about four years to discover that the Sunday readings followed a three yearly cycle; and about a further ten to find out that the weekday Masses followed a different cycle.

30 November 2019

A Mass for Young People


New Liturgical Movement has a report on a Mass in the Extraordinary Form celebrated a as part of the the National Catholic Youth Conference of the USA.  It took place on the Feast of St Cecilia and was very well attended as the picture below illustrates.


I understand that the venue for the Extraordinary Form Mass was moved to one of the largest churches in Indianapolis because a large congregation was anticipated.   However, the number of young people who actually attended exceeded all expectations.  The article does not record how many attended the Novus Ordo Mass.



The picture clearly demonstrates that a large number of the young people opted for the Latin Mass.  There can be little doubt that this form of the Mass is proving to be increasingly popular with young people, especially in America.  There is also evidence that the same trend is occurring here in England.

The link address for the NLM post is:

http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2019/11/tradition-is-for-young-ef-mass-at.html

The article includes a video of the Mass.

23 November 2019

Musical Oratory


This is a reminder of the event at St Wifrid's Church in York on Thursday 28th November at 6pm.

FSSP Statistics


The Priestly Society of St Peter has published statistics for its membership.  As of  1st November 2019, the figures are as follows:

        Priests                                                320
        Deacons                                               17
        Seminarians (other than Deacons)     145

         Total Membership                             482

There are 10 deceased members.

The Fraternity serves 255 Mass locations in 142 Dioceses.  Of the Mass locations, 44 are formally erected parishes.

Each year there is an average of 13 priestly ordinations.  The growth in the membership of the order since its foundation in 1988 is shown in ye following graph.



The green line represents seminarians,the red priests and the blue line is the total.

20 November 2019

The Institute of Christ the King in Belfast


The first Mass at the Institute's newly acquired church in Belfast will take pl;ace at 6pm on Wednesday 11th December.  It will be a Solemn Mass celebrated by Mgr Wach, Prior General if the Institute, and in the presence of  His Lordship Noel Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor.


The former Presbyterian church has has been hastily worked on to make it suitable for Catholic use, so may be in need of further adaptations.  Nevertheless, I am sure that it will be a great occasion.

Latin Mass in Hull


Don't forget that there will be a Latin Low Mass at the Catholic Chaplaincy in Hull on Thursday 21st November at 7.30pm.

About the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest


I found the following on the Irish site of the ICKSP.  It gives a summary of who they are, how many they are, and what they do.

Founded in 1990, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is a Roman Catholic Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right in communion with the Holy See. The 115 priests of the Institute work across the globe to promote the spiritual Kingship of Christ. A special emphasis is laid on the harmony between faith and culture, and the young community has acquired a reputation for promoting the arts, especially sacred music and architecture. 
The motherhouse and international seminary of the Institute of Christ the King is based in Florence, Italy, where 90 seminarians are training for the priesthood. It also has over 50 religious sisters, especially devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who live a semi-cloistered life and 17 oblates (lay brothers). Among these are several Irish vocations. The average age of this community’s members is 24 for seminarians, 28 for sisters, 41 for oblates and 39 for priests. The community has missions in Gabon (Africa) and important apostolates in the United States, England, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Sweden and naturally in Rome, where their founder, Monsignor Gilles Wach, was ordained to the priesthood by Saint Pope John Paul II. 

Here is a picture of many of their priests gathered at their motherhouse in Gricigliano, near Florence.
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Here are some of the sisters.  Those with white veils are novices.
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To slow how the female branch of the order is continuing to grow, her is a picture of a recent batch of postulants.  It seems that each year brings increasingly large numbers of new members.
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17 November 2019

St John Henry Newman


To mark the canonisation of John Henry Newman, there is to be a special service of readings, hymns and choral music at St Wilfrid's Church in York on Thursday 28th November.  Here is the poster.


11 November 2019

Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus


The Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Sovereign Priest, who form the female branch of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest are continuing to grow at a remarkable rate.  Last year, they welcomed eight new postulants to the order, and will shortly be accepting a further ten.  It is normal for the postulants to spend a year living with the community before being clothed in the habit of the order.  They then join the novitiate, for a minimum of three years before before becoming fully professed nuns.

The order was founded in 2001, with the first three members taking the habit in 2004.  Now there are about 50 sisters with a steady flow of postulants to ensure the growth of the order.

The novitiate is now located in Naples, and there are convents in Switzerland, Germany England and the USA.  Here are six novices and one professed nun in front of the spectacular High Altar of the Institure's church in Florence.

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Here is their convent in Engelport, Germany.


One of the sisters teaching at St Benedict's Academy in Preston.


With the community expanding at the present rate, we can expect many more foundations in the coming years.  However, there are costs involved.  Just to take on another member of the community costs nearly £1,000, in providing a habit and living essentials.   

09 November 2019

Latin Mass Resumes in Hull


After a break of a week, the Extraordinary Form Mass in Hull will resume on Thursday 14th November.  As usual it will be a Low Mass celebrated at 7.30pm by Fr Massie in the Catholic Chaplaincy of Hull University.

The Mass is open to all, and not specifically for students.  Fr Massie pointed out to me that the Mass will be offered every Thursday regardless of whether it is term time or not.

Up to now the attendance has been good, with nearly every seat taken in the fairly small chapel.  I have noticed that the congregation includes many new faces that I do not remember seeing at the Latin Masses either at St Charles' Church or in Hedon.  This would suggest to me that interest in the Latin Mass is more widespread most people imagine.

The Manchester Oratory


It has been announced that the Oratory in Formation in Manchester, located at the Church of St Chad in Cheetham Hill Road, is now a fully erected independent Oratory.  The community consists of Fr Raymond Matus, Fr Christopher Hilton, Fr Richard Bailey, Br Gerard Connett and Br Fabian Trevithick.


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The church which dates from 1847 was designed by Matthew Ellison Hadfield and is a Grade II* Listed Building.  The roof is supported by hammer beams which seem unnecessary for the modest width of the nave.

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Mass is offered in the Extraordinary Form every Sunday at 4.45pm.  We wish the Manchester Oratory every success.

04 November 2019

The Taking of the Pachamama Explained


This video explains exactly how the Pachamama statues were taken from a Rome church and tossed into the Tiber.  Follow the link at the bottom and then press play.

https://youtu.be/FpCaDxN5q38

FSSP Reports Rapid Growth in the USA


The following is an extract from The Missive, the website of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in the USA.


Newer apostolates have seen dramatic growth, some doubling their numbers over the last year, such as Los Angeles, which went from 250 per Sunday to 500. The apostolate did not even have its own church until 2018, so finally settling down in a small church in San Fernando provided needed stability, contributing to the significant increase it saw this past year.
“The main obstacle right now is a lack of space,” said Fr. Federico Masutti, assistant pastor of St. Vitus, talking to the Missive over the summer. His words echo the sentiment of so many other FSSP apostolates that find themselves outgrowing their buildings, but it’s really a great problem to have.
“When we were at 200 people,” said pastor Fr. James Fryar, “we decided to add the fourth Mass, and just adding that one Mass, from one week to the next, another 200 people came.”
“The growth was amazing,” confirmed Fr. Masutti.

 It is only a short portion of a long article, so I advise going here   https://fssp.com/annual-census-shows-prolific-growth-at-fssp-parishes/     to read the full article.   This picture shows how full one of their churches can be.


The FSSP has 33 Personal Parishes in the USA.  These are non-territorial parishes with a dedicated church.  They have many other apostolates that do not carry the status of a parish.

It seems that growth in Mass attendance at FSSP churches has accelerated in the last few years.  

02 November 2019

Latin Masses in Middlesbrough


For some time now, Fr Stephen Maughan has been saying a Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Park Street South, Middlesbrough.  It is at 9am on Saturdays.

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The church, which was opened in 1934, is built in a Romanesque style, and has retained its altar rails.  Some years ago, before Fr Maughan moved to Middlesbrough, he, used to celebrate the Sunday Latin Mass at the English Martyrs Church in York.

No Mass at Hull on Thursday


The regular Thursday evening Low Mass at the University Chaplaincy in Hull will not take place on Thurs 7th November due to Fr Massie not being available.

28 October 2019

Diocese of Frejus-Toulon


In a recent post, Fr Zuhlsdorf mentions a recent conversation he had with Bishop Dominique Rey of Frejus-Toulon.  Apparently, the bishop has 95 seminarians in his diocese.  I understand that the diocese currently has about 120 priests; so if all these men are ordained as priests, ther are exciting times ahead for the Diocese of Frejus-Toulon.

The remarkable thing about this story is that it is against a background of steadily declining numbers of ordinations in France.  In 2018, there were 114 priestly ordinations to French dioceses, with 48 out of the 98 dioceses not having a single one. 

I would be interested if anyone could expand on this story.  It seems quite remarkable.

27 October 2019

Feasts of All Saints and All Souls


On Friday 1st November, the Feast of All Saints, there will be a Solemn Mass at 6pm in the Church of St Wilfrid in York.

The following day, Saturday 2nd November, the Feast of All Souls, there will be a Solemn Mass of Requiem at 12 noon in St Wilfrid's Church in York.

24 October 2019

More on the new ICKSP Church in Belfast


Here is a picture of the church that the ICKSP have purchased in Belfast.  It occupies a very prominent position on the Antrim Road, a couple of miles the north of the City Centre. 


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In many ways it is typical of Presbyterian Churches, the centre of attention is the pulpit.  Besides seating for about 300 in the nave, there are galleries that can accommodate a further 300.  Here is a picture of the inside.


A temporary altar has been found to take the place of the pulpit, which will be moved to one side.  Other works will be necessary to make it suitable for Catholic use.  For example, the pews are not designed for kneeling. There is paneling under the seats to prevent this.  A certain amount of work will be needed before it can be opened as a Catholic Church, but the Institute are keen that this should not take too long.

In time, more radical works will be undertaken, including the installation of communion rails and  possibly the removal of parts of the gallery so that side altars can be installed.

ICKSP to open New Apostolate in America


There is news of the further expansion of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in America. Below is a poster giving information of the inaugural Mass that will tale place, appropriatrly on the Feast of Christ the King, which is next Sunday.

It looks a beautiful church, which is, of course what we have come to expect from the Institute.

In recent years, the ICKSP has been getting increasing numbers of priestly vocations from the USA, so it is entirely appropriate that that they should be expanding there.  It is also the case that the ICKSP's initiatives in America tend to b e highly successful, attracting large congregations which continue to grow.  This looks like a pretty big church, so let's hope they can fill it.

21 October 2019

Institute of Christ the King Purchases Presbyterian Church


The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest has purchased a Presbyterian Church in Belfast.  It occupies a very prominent position on the Antrim Road a little to the north of the City Centre.  The church, which is to be dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, is an imposing building with a prominent spire.

Priests of the Institute have been travelling from Limerick to offer occasional Masses in Belfast for some time, but a resident priest will shortly be resident there.  The church will require a considerable amount of modification to make it suitable for Catholic use, so it is not clear when the first Mass will be.

19 October 2019

Increase in number of FSSP Seminarians


I read on the Eponymous Flower that there has been an increase in the number of candidates accepted to start training for the priesthood with the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter.  A total of 45 young men have enrolled at the Fraternity's two seminaries this year - 30 at Wigratzbad in Germany and 15 at Denton, Nebraska.  Of those entering Wigratzbad, 17 will be studying in French and 13 in German.  The 15 students at Denton will be studying in English.

Among the 45 are three from Great Britain, so if all goes well with them, there will continue to be a flow of British priests.

Also mentioned is the intention of the FSSP to establish a seminary where tuition will be in Spanish.  It is not known yet where this will br.

16 October 2019

Latin Masses in Hull


There is some excellent news from Hull.  The following extract is taken from the newsletter of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Peter Chanel, where Fr Massie is the Parish Priest.


WEEKLY MASS TO BE CELEBRATED IN LATIN EVERY THURSDAY EVENING
After Pope Benedict confirmed that every priest had permission to celebrate Mass using the pre-1969 Rite, often called the ‘Tridentine Rite’ now the ‘Extraordinary Form’, Bishop Drainey arranged for it to be available in the main areas of the Diocese. It is now celebrated weekly at the University Chaplaincy every Thursday evening at 7.30pm. It will seem very unfamiliar in some aspects to anyone under the age of 65. There is plenty of information available on line and a brief explanation will be given before each Mass.


Fr Massie has recently been joined by the newly ordained Fr Peter Taylor who is now the Chaplain to Hull University.  It is particularly gratifying that this newly introduced Thursday Mass takes place in the University Chaplaincy, which is next door to the church. Although I understand that it is Fr Massie who will be saying the Mass, the fact that the Mass is in the Chaplaincy surely indicates that it is being provided for the benefit of University students as much as the parish.

I have been campaigning for years to get Latin Masses into our University Chaplaincies, with little success until now.  So I am delighted to hear this news.  So far as I know, Cambridge and Bristol are the only other Universities where the Latin Mass is offered in University Chaplaincies.

We do know for sure that the traditional form of the Mass is popular with young people.  There are several students from York University who attend the Latin Mass at St Wilfrid's in York, and these include most of the serving team.


30 September 2019

Pontifical Low Mass in Gateshead


It has been announced that Bishop Robert Byrne Cong Orat will be celebrating a Pontifical Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the Church of St Joseph in Gateshead.  This is the church where Fr Michael Brown is the Parish Priest.

Bishop Byrne, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, will be celebrating the Mass at 12 noon on Sunday 8th December.  Although a Low Mass, it will include motets sung by the Westland Singers.

19 September 2019

Fr Drew's Last Mass in Hedon


Fr Drew will be leaving Hedon shortly to return to Liverpool and his last Latin Mass at the Church of St Mary and St Joseph in Hedon will be on Saturday 21st September at 4pm.

Fr Drew has not been enjoying good health recently, and I understand that he is due to have an operation.  I am sure that all who have attended Fr Drew's Mass will want to wish him a speedy recovery.

10 September 2019

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary


The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered according to the Usus Antiquior in honour of The Most Holy Name of Mary, Thursday the 12th of September at 6.30 pm in St Mary's Church, Bishophill Junior, York. This will be a Sung Mass. Confessions from 6.00 pm.

21 August 2019

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary


The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered in honour of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Usus Antiquior at 6.30 pm on Thursday 22nd of August at St Mary's Church, Bishophill Junior. Confessions from 6.00 pm.

19 August 2019

Walsingham


Next Sunday, I will be in Walsingham with the Latin Mass Society's annual walking pilgrimage.  Although I will not be walking the 57 miles from Ely to Walsingham, which takes three days, I do hope to join the pilgrims on the final stretch.

There will be a Solemn Mass in the Basilica at Horton St Giles at 2pm on Sunday 25th August, followed by a procession along the Holy Mile when the Rosary will be sung.  There will be further devotions at the site of the holy house within the Abbey grounds which will conclude before 4pm.

I have made this annual pilgrimage for about 15 years, and it is, in my view, the finest pilgrimage on offer.  I strongly recommend it.

Paul Waddington.

Fr Mark Drew

Please pray for Fr Mark Drew.  He was unable to say the Latin Mass at Hedon on Sunday 11th August due to his being unwell, and he does not know whether he will recover enough to say The September Mass.  After that, he is due to move to Liverpool.

10 August 2019

St Margaret Clitherow Pilgrimage, York


This year's pilgrimage in honour of St Margaret Clitherow will take place in York on Saturday 31st August.  There will be a procession setting off from the Bar Convent at 10.45am.  It will pause at various places for prayers including Ouse Bridge (the place of St Margaret's execution) and The Shambles (her former home and now shrine).

There will be a Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form, followed by Benediction at 12noon in St Wilfrid's Church.

Feast of Our Lady of York.

Thursday 22nd August is the Feast of Our Lady of York.  There will be a Latin Mass at 8am in the Lady Chapel of St Wilfrid's Church in York.

05 August 2019

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord


There will be a Mass according to the Usus Antiquior at 6.30 pm. on Tuesday the 6th of August at St Mary's Church, Bishophill Junior. Confessions at 6.00 pm and after Mass, the usual refreshments.

01 August 2019

Feast of the Assumption

Thursday 15th August will be the Feast of the Assumption and a Holyday of Obligation.  There will be a sung Latin Mass at 6pm at St Wilfrid's Church in York.

Latin Masses in Hedon

There will be a Latin Mass at 5pm on Sunday 11th August in the Church of St Mary and St Joseph in Hedon.  It will be celebrated by Fr Mark Drew.

This may be Fr Drew's final Latin Mass in Hedon, as he will soon be leaving the area to return to Liverpool.  The last that I heard was that the date of Fr Drew's departure has not not been fixed.

I am sure that all who have attended Fr Drew's Masses in Hedon and indeed his earlier Masses in Hull and Marton will want to thank him for all his efforts serving the Latin  Mass community in the area in recent years.  We wish him rvery success in Liverpool.

25 July 2019

Feast of St Anne


There will be a Mass according to the Usus Antiquior at 6.30 pm. on Friday the 26th at St Mary's Church, Bishophill Junior, York. Confessions at 6.00 pm and after Mass, the usual refreshments and possibly a trip to the chip shop.

11 July 2019

Ordinations to Traditional Orders


Worldwide, a total of 24 priests are being ordained this summer to Orders of priests that exclusively celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form.  The breakdown is as follows:


Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter:   16

Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest:   7

Institute of the Good Shepherd:  1

In addition, the SSPX are ordaining 13, and there may be others.  Going by the numbers of students in their seminaries, it is likely that the number of ordinations in traditional Orders of priests will increase in the years to come.


09 July 2019

St Margaret Clitherow Pilgrimage


This year's pilgrimage in honour of St Margaret Clitherow will take place in York on Saturday 31st August.  The programme will be as follows:

10.30am        Assemble at the Bar Convent, Blossom Street.

10.45am        Procession sets off.

12 noon         Solemn Mass and Benediction at St Wilfrid's Church.

The procession will pause at at Micklegate Bar, Ouse Bridge, and the Shambles for recitation of the Rosary and readings about the life of St Margaret Clitherow.

08 July 2019

Twelve Years of Summorum Pontificum


Pope Benedict XVI published his Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum twelve years ago.  This very important document gave priests the right to choose to offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form.  It also gave the faithful the right to request their Parish Priest to offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form.  These provisions, set out below are enshrined in Canon Law.



Art 1.  The Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the lex orandi (rule of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite.  The Roman Missal promulgated by Saint Pius V and revised by Blessed John XXIII is nonetheless to be considered an extraordinary expression of the same lex orandi of the Church and duly honoured for its venerable and ancient usage.  These two expressions of the Church’s lex orandi will in no way lead to a division in the Church’s lex credendi (rule of faith); for they are two usages of the one Roman rite.
It is therefore permitted to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal, which was promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Church’s Liturgy.  The conditions for the use of this Missal laid down by the previous documents Quattuor Abhinc Annos and Ecclesia Dei are now replaced as follows:
Art. 2.  In Masses celebrated without a congregation, any Catholic priest of the Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use either the Roman Missal published in 1962 by Blessed Pope John XXIII or the Roman Missal promulgated in 1970 by Pope Paul VI, and may do so on any day, with the exception of the Easter Triduum.  For such a celebration with either Missal, the priest needs no permission from the Apostolic See or from his own Ordinary.

Art. 3.  If communities of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, whether of pontifical or diocesan right, wish to celebrate the conventual or community Mass in their own oratories according to the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal, they are permitted to do so.  If an individual community or an entire Institute or Society wishes to have such celebrations frequently, habitually or permanently, the matter is to be decided by the Major Superiors according to the norm of law and their particular laws and statutes.
Art. 4.  The celebrations of Holy Mass mentioned above in Art. 2 may be attended also by members of the lay faithful who spontaneously request to do so, with respect for the requirements of law.
Art. 5, §1  In parishes where a group of the faithful attached to the previous liturgical tradition stably exists, the parish priest should willingly accede to their requests to celebrate Holy Mass according to the rite of the 1962 Roman Missal.  He should ensure that the good of these members of the faithful is harmonized with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the governance of the bishop in accordance with Canon 392, avoiding discord and favouring the unity of the whole Church.
§2  Celebration according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII can take place on weekdays; on Sundays and feast days, however, such a celebration may also take place.
§3  For those faithful or priests who request it, the pastor should allow celebrations in this extraordinary form also in special circumstances such as marriages, funerals or occasional celebrations, e.g. pilgrimages.
§4  Priests using the Missal of Blessed John XXIII must be qualified (idonei) and not prevented by law.
§5  In churches other than parish or conventual churches, it is for the rector of the church to grant the above permission.
Art. 6.  In Masses with a congregation celebrated according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, the readings may be proclaimed also in the vernacular, using editions approved by the Apostolic See.
Art. 7.  If a group of the lay faithful, as mentioned in Art. 5, §1, has not been granted its requests by the parish priest, it should inform the diocesan bishop.  The bishop is earnestly requested to satisfy their desire.  If he does not wish to provide for such celebration, the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.
Art. 8.  A bishop who wishes to provide for such requests of the lay faithful, but is prevented by various reasons from doing so, can refer the matter to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, which will offer him counsel and assistance.
Art. 9, §1  The parish priest, after careful consideration, can also grant permission to use the older ritual in the administration of the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Penance and Anointing of the Sick, if advantageous for the good of souls.
§2  Ordinaries are granted the faculty of celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation using the old Roman Pontifical, if advantageous for the good of souls.
§3  Ordained clerics may also use the Roman Breviary promulgated in 1962 by Blessed John XXIII.
Art. 10.  The local Ordinary, should he judge it opportune, may erect a personal parish in accordance with the norm of Canon 518 for celebrations according to the older form of the Roman rite, or appoint a rector or chaplain, with respect for the requirements of law.
Art. 11.  The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II [5], continues to exercise its function.  The Commission is to have the form, duties and regulations that the Roman Pontiff will choose to assign to it.
Art. 12.  The same Commission, in addition to the faculties which it presently enjoys, will exercise the authority of the Holy See in ensuring the observance and application of these norms.

We order that all that we have decreed in this Apostolic Letter given Motu Proprio take effect and be observed from the fourteenth day of September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in the present year, all things to the contrary notwithstanding.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on the seventh day of July in the year of the Lord 2007, the third of our Pontificate.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

04 July 2019

ICKSP Ordinations


Seven men were ordained to the priesthood today for the Institute of Christ the King.  The ceremony led by  Cardinal Raymond Burke took place in Florence.  One of the ordinands, Canon Ryan Post, has been resident at St Walburge's Church in Preston for several months.

Earlier in the week, Archbishop Guido Pozzo ordained 10 deacons and 8 subdeacons.  This should ensure that the Institute will continue to grow in the years to come.

Although there are no Englishmen among this batch of ordinations, there is good reason to suppose that there will be in the future.  In the lower years of the Institute's seminary in Gricigliano, there are  one Scottish and several English students.

26 June 2019

Fest of the Most Precious Blood. Monday July 1st.

Feasts of the Sacred Heart and saints Peter and Paul


The Feast of the Sacred Heart is celebrated on the last Friday of June, which this year is 28th June.  The following day, Saturday 29th June is the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.  So this year, these two great feasts follow one another.  As you can see from the poster below, St Wilfrid's Church in York will be linking these two great feasts with All Night Adoration.