Sung Masses in Scarborough & Hull - More Information

These Masses will be in the usus antiquior and will be celebrated by Fr Stephen Maughan with the music provided by the Cambridge University Polyphonic Choir, directed by Matthew Ward. Matthew Ward is a PhD student at Cambridge, specialising in twelvth centuary Anglo-Norman Chant. We have been informed that the music will include works by Byrd and Tallis, as well as the Winchester Trooper, Dunstable and a movement from the Missa Caput.

The locations and times are:-

Church of St Peter
Castle Road
Scarborough
Wednesday 30 th June
5.00pm

Church of St Charles
Jarratt Street
Hull
Sunday 4th July
12.30pm

These will be rare opportunities to attend Mass with such high quality music, so please come along and tell your friends about them.

Sung Latin Mass in York

If you're eagerly anticipating the Sung Mass in Hull, which promises to be splendid, and can't wait for July 4th, you're in luck, because there's a Sung Mass in York this weekend at English Martyrs Church!

The Mass will be at the usual time of 6.30pm on Sunday, and we will sing the Mass in Eb by Christoph Dalitz [very like Mozart, but this was composed in 1989] & the Motets Jesu Dulcis Memoria by Victoria and Elgar's Ave Verum. We shall also be singing the Gregorian Chant Proper from the Graduale and ending by singing the simple tone Salve Regina.

All welcome!

Sung Latin Mass in Hull

At 12.30pm on Sunday 4th July, there will be a Latin Mass in the church of St Charles Borromeo, Jarratt Street, Hull. This is located in central Hull and is the principal church of the city.

It will be a Missa Cantata sung by the Cambridge University Polyphonic Choir and directed by Matthew Ward. At this stage, I am not sure what the musical setting will be, but I think we can be assured that it will be of excellent quality.

The Cambridge University Polyphonic Choir will also be singing at a Mass in Scarborough, but I have no details yet. Watch out for further information.

Candidate for the Priesthood

I was pleased to read that Richard Marsden, whose blog is entitled Bashing Secularism, had been accepted as a candidate for priesthood in the Diocese of Middlesbrough.

Richard, who hales from Hull, graduated at the University of Sheffield and is currently employed as a journalist. He particularly interested in and a campaigner for life issues.

This is very good news for the Diocese of Middlesbrough, where the decline in the number of priests over the last decade or so has been more marked than in most other dioceses.

Trinity Sunday

Next Sunday, 30th May, is Trinity Sunday. There will as usual be Usus Antiquior Masses at both York and Middlesbrough.

The one in Middlesbrough will be at the church of St Alphonsus in North Ormesby at 6pm, celebrated as usual by Fr William Charlton. It will be preceeded at 5pm with Rosary and Benediction.

The one in York will be at 6.30pm at the church of the English Martyrs in Dalton Terrace. On this occasion, we welcome as celebrant Mgr William Steele of the Leeds Diocese.

Yet Another Sung Mass

I have just heard that there is to be a a Sung Mass at 12.30pm on Sunday 4th July at the Church of St Charles in Jarratt Street, Hull. A visiting choir will be singing a four part polyphonic setting and the celebrant will be Fr Stephen Maughan. Otherwise, I have no further information at the moment.

It is particularly pleasing that this Mass will take place in Hull as, at present, there is no regular provision for the traditional Mass in this city, which is the largest centre of population in the diocese. It is even more pleasing to have the Mass in St Charles Church as it is a very fine building.

More information later.

PRIESTS TRAINING AT DOWNSIDE

The next priests training conference will be at Downside Abbey, which is in Sumerset, and will take place from 10th to 13th August. The Abbey Church at Downside is the largest Catholic church in the gothic style in England, and is an impressive building.

The conference will be open to all priests and deacons of the Catholic Church, and will provide tuition in the traditional Mass in all its forms (ie Low Mass, Missa Cantata and Missa Solemnis).

It will also be open to laymen who wish to learn to serve Mass, especially in the Missa Cantata and Missa Solemnis forms.

The cost, inclusive of board and lodgings, is £85 and application forms are available from:

paul@gooleboathouse.co.uk.

Another Sung Mass

Next Sunday, , being Whitsunday, there will again be a sung Mass in York. On this occasion, it will be a plainsong setting. The details are:

Church of the English Matryrs
Dalton Terrace
York
6.30pm, Sunday 23rd May

The celebrant will be Fr Stephen Maughan.

Young Catholic Adults Host International Juventutem Weekend at Douai Abbey During the weekend of the 10-12 September 2010

During the weekend of the 10-12 September . For the first time, Young Catholic Adults will be running the 2010 Juventutem International Conference at Douai Abbey(before the Douai weekend was aimed at the UK), the weekend will be led by Juventutem Ecclesiastical Assistant Fr de Malleray . The weekend will be full-board
Places are limited so please book early
* There will be Sung Mass, Low Mass, Rosary, Adoration, Confession, a Marian Procession in honour of Our Lady of Fatima and socials
* Fr. de Malleray FSSP head of Juventutem will preach the retreat, Masses will be in the Extraordinary form.

THE MAIN GUEST HOUSE
Saturday 11th – Sunday 12th September (full board)*
51 pounds full-board (except Sunday lunch) PER PERSON PER NIGHT
25 pounds for students/low waged/unwaged (or whatever you can afford)

THE COTTAGES
£35 per person per night (full board). Self catering £25 per person per night (reductions for students:- or whatever you can afford) .

SELF CATERING CAMPING
£5 per person per night (or whatever you can afford - please bring your own tent and food ).

Limited places so please reserve your place early
To reserve your place FOR THE WEEKEND (no deposit needed if you are coming for the day on Saturday 5th July), please a 20 pound deposit (NON RETURNABLE) to Damian Barker, Flat 5, 12 St. Catherine Street, Kingsholm, Gloucester, Glos. GL2 9DU (please make any cheques payable to Damian Barker). For enquiries ring 07908105787.

For more details see:- http://www.youngcatholicadults.co.uk/

For photographs of previous Douai Retreats please see:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24212854@N07/sets/72157606091441047/

Another Opinion Poll

Paix Liturgique have conducted another opinion poll about attitudes to the traditional form of the Mass. This poll was in Portugal and timed to coincide with the Pope's visit to Fatima. The poll was undertaken by Harris International and based on a random sample of 1443 people, of whom 950 claimed to be Catholics..

Again, the poll demonstrates two things. Firstly, there is widespread ignorence about about the provisions of summorum pontificum. Around three-quarters of all Catholics and half of practicing Catholics do not know that Mass could now be celebrated in the older form. Secondly, the poll reveals a remarkableable amount of interest in the usus antiquior.

Here is a summery of the findings when addressed to all Catholics:

Are you aware that Mass can be celebrated in both the ordinary (modern) form and the extraordinary (traditional) form?

Yes 26%
No 74%

If the traditional Mass were available in your parish, without displacing the modern Mass, would you attend?

Weekly 6.5%
Monthly 7.7%
On major Feasts 14.0%
Occasionally 63.7%
Never 8.1%

The same questions were put to practicing Catholics (ie those who attend Mass at least once per month).

Are you aware that the Mass can be celebrated in both the ordinary (modern) form and extraordinary (traditional) form?

Yes 57.9%
No 42.1%

If the traditional Mass were available in your parish, without displacing the modern Mass, woukld you attend?

Weekly 29.5%
Monthly 24.0%
On major Feasts 14.2%
Occasionally 23.5%
Never 8.8%

Looking at these figures carefully, you will see that over 90% of practicing Catholics in Portugal say that they would attend the older form of Mass at least occasionally. I take this to mean at least once a year. It is interesting that when the same question is put to all Catholics, roughly the same percentage indicate that they would attend occasionally. One can conclude from that that the traditional Mass would attract back many lapsed or partially lapsed Catholics.

Nearly 30% of regularly practicing Catholics say that they would attend weekly.

I wonder what the figures would be if a similar poll was conducted in England.