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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.