Converts

I was surprised to find that several of the people I talked to on the Walsingham pilgrimage were converts.  In a group of 70, one would expect there to be a few, but they seemed to be surprisingly numerous.  Some were very recent converts.

In answer to a question, one lady said to me:  "I don't know, I have only been a Catholic since last Wednesday."

Back from Walsingham

I took part in the Latin Mass Society's walking pilgrimage to Walsingham over the Bank Holiday weekend.  I should admit that I did not walk the 55 miles from Ely to Walsingham, but was part of the transport team.  One of my roles was to go ahead and prepare for each day's Mass and ensure that everything needed was present.

There were over 70 walkers, including several children.  There was a Solemn Mass each day, with the final one at the shrine in Walsingham.  For me, the climax of the event was the procession along the Holy Mile from the Slipper Chapel to the grounds of the former abbey in the village.  Many, not me, walked this in bare feet, and the rosary was sung in a very joyful manner.

Look out for reports with photographs on other blogs.  You will find something on LMS Chairman and on Chaplain Abroad.  No doubt there will be other reports.

USA Sets an Example

I read in New Liturgical Movement that the Sacred Heart Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit will be holding a four day workshop on the Extraordinary form of the Mass.  Members of the Society of St John Cantius will be presenting the workshop which will be open to senior seminarians, seminary staff and priests of the diocese.

It is interesting to see that seminary staff are specially mentioned.  One presumes that this is to enable the Extraordinary Form to continue to be taught to seminarians in future years.

This follows the example of Bishop Morlino of Maddison, who has expressed the desire that all priests of the diocese should be able to offer the Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

The bishops of the USA, or at least some of them, do seem to be leading the way.  Maybe, one day, the bishops of England and Wales will follow. 

Franciscans of the Immaculate

 

 

Amid all the controversy about the Friars of the Immaculate, I was surprised to come across this video of one of their monks displaying incredible skill with a skateboard.   An even better demonstration has been posted by Fr Zuhlsdorf.  You can see it on his blog   wdtprs.com/blog  under the date 11th August.

The Teaching of Latin in Seminaries

Nowadays, Latin is not taught in all seminaries as a matter of course.  At Oscott and Allen Hall, Latin is included in the curriculum, but the amount of time devoted to it is insufficient for students who have not previously studied Latin to grasp any real understanding of the language.  What is given is really only a brief overview.  At Wonersh, no Latin is taught at all, perhaps because the seminary takes the view that simply presenting an overview would be little help to most students.  Students who study at the Venerable English College in Rome do have the opportunity to study Latin in a more systematic way in their own time.

No Latin is taught at Valladolid where many English and Welsh students spend a propaedeutic year, and the demands on teaching time are much less.

Readers may be interested to know that Canon 249 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law states:

The programme of priestly formation is to provide that students, not only are taught their native language, but also to understand Latin well.

In other words, Canon Law requires that seminarians are taught Latin to a good standard.

Sunday 11th August

There will be no Mass in Redcar on Sunday 11th August because Mgr Heslin is away on holiday.  The Mass in York will take place as usual.

Seminarians

We are frequently presented with pictures of a declining Church, especially in the western world.  This is reflected in various figures such as Mass attendance, baptisms, marriages and numbers of priests.  However, although the trend is undeniable, it is not uniform and there are many instances of individual dioceses going against the trend.

Fr Zuhlsdorf has given some figures for the Diocese of Madison in the USA, which has been headed for the last ten years by Bishop Robert Morlino. Since Bishop Morlino was installed in 2003, the number of seminarians in the diocese has increased from 6 to 35 - nearly a six times as many.  As a bonus, Bishop Morlino likes all his newly ordained priests to be able to celebrate Mass in the forma extraordinaria.

I do not have the comparable figures to hand for the Middlesbrough Diocese, but I think it would be fair to say that in the five years since he took charge of the diocese, Bishop Drainey has put considerable effort into seeking vocations to the priesthood, and has had a good measure of success.  For this, he should be congratulated.

However, if the rate of retirements is to be matched ordinations, many more young men must be attracted to the priesthood.  Maybe Bishop Drainey should take a leaf out of the book of Bishop Morlino and encourage all his ordinands to be trained in the forma extraordinaria.

York to get Oratory

It has been announced in this week's Catholic Herald that an Oratorian Priest, Fr Richard Duffield will be taking charge of the Church of St Wilfrid in York in October of this year.  This development is not unexpected as rumours have been circulating for some time.

Fr Duffield, who is a native of York, is currently at the Oxford Oratory and was for a short period the provost of the Birmingham Oratory. It is expected that he will bring one or two priests with him to enable the erection of an Oratorian commonity based at St Wilfrid's.  This is a process that is likely to take several months, or possibly years.

The Oratorians, founded by St Philip Neri, favour large city centre churches.  In this respect, the church of St Wilfrid, which is almost opposite the west door of York Minster suits them very well.  Another reason for choosing this church might be the very large presbytery that goes with it.  This will allow a sizable community to develop in York.

Brompton Oratory in London's west end was founded in the middle of the 19th century by Fr Frederick Faber, who is best known for writing many hymns, including Faith of Our Fathers.  At a similar time an even more famous priest, Fr (later Cardinal and now blessed) John Henry Newman, founded the Birmingham Oratory.  The Oxford Oratory was later formed as a daughter house of the Birmingham Oratory and is now independent.

Much more recently, a group of priests has started the process of setting up an Oratory in Manchester, based at the church of St Chad.  This church was briefly used by the Premonstretensians.  The addition of York means that there will eventually be five Oratories in England.

The pleasing thing for the Latin Mass Society is that the Oratorians  have a reputation for quality liturgy, including the use of Latin in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass.

Sunday 21st July

There will be Low Mass followed by Benediction  at the Church of the English Martyrs in York on Sunday 21st July starting at 4pm.  The celebrant will be Fr David Smith

There will also be a Low Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Redcar at 6pm.  The celebrant will be Mgr John Heslin.

Formal Liturgy more Attractive to Men

The blog of Fr Ed Tomlinson, the Ordinariate priest who is in charge of the quasi parish of Pembury in Kent, is always worth reading.  In his latest post he reports that five adults are to be confirmed next Sunday and that four teenagers will be confirmed later in the year.

This church used by this quasi parish is little more than a scout hut.  It was built as a church hall in the 1960s with the intention of building the real church alongside.  This never happened.  Until the Ordinariate came into being, it was part of the parish of Paddock Wood with a single Sunday Mass.  During the week the building was used for other purposes. 

The Tonbridge Wells Ordinariate group  is one of the largest in the country with two priests and seventy odd lay people converting in 2011.  Others have joined since.  Finding accommodation for this group was difficult because the existing Catholic Church in Tunbridge Wells already had four Sunday Masses, with no space for an additional Ordinariate one.  The solution adopted was to hand over to the Ordinariate the Mass centre in Pembury, which is several miles away.

This is now shared between the diocesan congregation, formerly part of Paddock Wood parish, and the Ordinariate group, with Fr Tomlinson and his assistant being responsible for both.  On Sundays, the 9.15am Mass is designed to serve the Ordinariate group and the 11am Mass the diocesan congregation, although I believe that there is some mixing of the two.

Having a resident priest has allowed weekday Masses and other devotions.  It has also led to many more activities such as garden parties and a holiday camp for the younger people.  Furthermore, the building is to be extended so that the main part can serve as a church full time.

Although the two communities seem to get on in harmony, the arrival of Fr Tomlinson did produce some changes that were not to the liking of everyone in the former congregation.  For example, cassocks and cottas were reintroduced for the servers and they were expected to wear black shoes rather than trainers.  A choir has been established and some of the folk music was dropped in favour of plainchant.  Some of those who disliked the changes have migrated elsewhere, whereas others have been attracted.

Now that these changes have had time to settle, Fr  Tomlinson has commented on the changes in the congregation, and I think that he is referring to the diocesan part.  Firstly, he says that the average age is generally younger, with many more families attending the Masses.

Secondly, the congregation is more devotional.  I presume that this means that they are more likely to pray, and less likely to talk amongst themselves.

I find the third comment particularly interesting.  Apparently there are many more men, and they are now in the majority.  Infact, I understand that two of the adult confirmands are men who were baptised as Catholics and are now returning to the Church after many years of absence.