Extraordinary Form for Beginners

The following is an extract from the newsletter of St Wilfrid's parish:

EXTRAORDINARY FORM FOR BEGINNERS Tuesday, 30 January, 7.30pm. Duration: forty-five minutes to one hour. Location: The Upper Room. A talk introducing the Extraordinary Form (Latin Mass) for those unfamiliar with or wanting to increase their understanding of the EF. The aim is to make all feel confident and comfortable attending it.

This is surely a very good idea.  It is certainly true that many people benefit from having the older form of the Mass explained, and I am sure that some good will come of it.  Look out for reports of increased attendance at the Latin Masses provided at St Wilfrid's Church.

Candlemas Friday 2nd February

The following has been copied from the website of St Wilfrid's Church in York.

Friday, 2 February is the Feast of Candlemas and a special day for the Oratory in England as it it our birthday. It is also the anniversary of the installation of the new Statue of Our Lady of York. In addition to the 12.10pm Mass There will be a Mass at St Wilfrid’s for St Wilfrid’s School (to which all are welcome) at 10am with Blessing of Candles and Procession. There will be a sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 6pm also with Blessing of Candles and Procession.

Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus, Sovereign Priest

A couple of months ago, I reported on the arrival in Preston of three nuns of the Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus.  This is the female order of nuns associated with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

Today, I received a newsletter reporting on their progress.  It seems that they have settled well into their new home, which is the former presbytery of the church of St Augustine. The building, which had been unoccupied for years, is now equipped with furniture and a chapel.  In recent weeks, the sisters have spent much of their time at the Shrine Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, much of it cleaning the church and polishing the benches.  They attend daily Mass there and on Sundays lead the singing, which I am told they do very beautifully.

The newsletter concludes with an announcement.  On 29th January, Rt. Rev. Michael Campbell, Bishop of Lancaster will be in Florence, when five postulants will receive the religious habit of the order.  Of the five, two are from the USA, one from France, one from Ireland and one from England.  The one from England is Bianca Brajuha, who was a student at York University and used to attend the Latin Masses in York when they were in the English Martyrs Church.  Bianca, whose father is Croatian, was a student of Music.  I am sure that her talents will be much appreciated in the Order.

Bishop Campbell has forged some strong links with the Institute of Christ the King.  Besides entrusting the care of two churches in Preston to them, he has provided the nuns with a former presbytery for their convent, and is a regular visitor to the Institute's motherhouse at Gricigliano.

Diocese of Arlington, Virginia

I keep a fairly close watch on any news coming out of America concerning the provision of Latin Masses.  My reason for doing this is that I believe that the United States is generally ahead of England and Wales in these matters.  In other words, by studying what is happening in the US today, we can get a glimpse of what we can expect in Britain in five or ten years.

In the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, there are now 15 parishes out of a total of 70 where Mass in the Extraordinary Form (the Americans call it the TLM)  is part of the regular schedule.  That is more than one parish in five.  This is particularly remarkable when it is realised that in 2006, the diocese had no regular Latin Masses at all.  By comparison the Archdiocese of Birmingham is probably our best performer in England and Wales.  It also has 15 parishes with regular Latin Masses, but this is out of a total of 236 parishes.  That is roughly one parish in fifteen.  So it could be said that provision in the Diocese of Arlington is about three times better than it is in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

It would take a long time to make the same comparison between all the parishes of the United States, and all the parishes of England and Wales,  but I suspect that roughly the same ratio would emerge.  That is that opportunities to attend a Latin Mass are about three times as great in the USA as they are in England & Wales.

But what of the future?  I believe that the bishops of England and Wales will become increasingly well disposed towards Latin Masses, as will the clergy generally.  Against this, the shortage of diocesan priests will make it increasingly difficult for bishops to make Latin Mass provision. So progress will be slow, but nevertheless I believe that the trend will be in the direction as the American experience.

Church of St Mary & St Joseph, Hedon

Starting on Sunday 14th January, there will be a regular monthly Latin Mass on the second Sunday of each month at the Church of St Mary and St Joseph in Hedon, which is four miles to the east of Hull.  For the time being, it will be a Low Mass and will be offered by Fr Mark Drew at 5pm.

The church dates from 1803, and is one of the oldest in the Diocese of Middlesbrough.  Because it dates from a period when there were severe restrictions on the building of Catholic churches, it is very plain on the outside, and mostly hidden behind the presbytery.  Consequently, it is easy to drive past without noticing.  It can also be a little difficult to find because of the on-way traffic system in Hedon.  The postcode is HU12 8JN and the church is next to the car park of the Shakespeare Inn in Baxtergate.  This is the view that you get from the street:

The main building that you can see is the presbytery, with the church hiding behind.

Wednesday 3rd January

Please note that there will be NO Latin Mass at St Charles Church in Hull on Wednesday 3rd January.

I am not sure whether first Wednesday Masses will resume, so please keep an eye on this blog.

Starting on Sunday 14th January,  Fr Mark Drew will be offering a Low Mass on the second Sunday of each month at the Church of St Mary and St Joseph in Hedon.   More about this, including the time, later.

Rorate Mass in York

There will be a Rorate Mass at St Wilfrid's Church in York at 7am on Saturday 23rd December . It will be in the side chapel of St Philip Neri.  A Rorate Mass is an early morning Mass of Our Lady offered in Advent and is usually by candlelight.  It takes its name from the opening words of the Introit.

Breakfast is being provided after this Mass, but must be pre-booked.  See the parish website for details. 

Midnight Mass in York

There will be a Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form  at St Wilfrid's Church, York at Midnight on Christmas Eve.  It will be preceded by the singing of carols.  So far as I am aware, this will be the only EF Christmas Mass in the Diocese of Middlesbrough this year.

Pope Francis on Latin

In a message to a meeting of the Pontifical Academies in Rome, Pope Francis is reported as saying:

"Teachers should know how to speak to the hearts of young people, know how to treasure the very rich heritage of the Latin tradition..."

As is usually the case with Pope Francis, he talks around the subject, dropping in suggestions and inferences, but not being very clear about what he actually means.  Many reporters have interpreted the pope's message as encouraging the teaching of Latin, especially to young people.