Latin Masses in Diocese of Middlesbrough

 

In case anyone is not clear about the provision of Latin Masses in the Diocese of Middlesbrough, the timetable is as follows:

York Oratory (Church of st Wilfrid)

          Sundays        12noon            Sung Mass

          Mon to Fri     8.15am            Low Mass

          Saturdays       9.15am            Low Mass

Our Lady & St Peter Chanel, Hull

         Thursdays       7.30pm            Low Mass

St Joan of Arc, Catterick Barracks

         Thursdays       12noon           Low Mass

There has in fact been no change in in the Latin Mass provision in the Diocese of Middlesbrough as a result of Traditionis Custodes.

         

Traditionis Custodes

 

I found this story on Gloria TV.  The picture below shows a group of people kneeling in the rain outside a chapel where the Latin Mass is being offered.  Clearly the chapel is too small to accommodate the number of people wanting to attend.  The irony is that there is a large church only a few yards away.

The picture was taken in the Warsaw-Praga Diocese in Poland, where the bishop, Romuald Kominski, has taken a hard line on implementing Traditionis Custodes.

HOW RIDICULOUS!

CORRECTION

 PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SOLEMN MASS AT WALSINGHAM IS AT 2PM and not 2.30PM AS STATED IN THE POST BELOW.

LMS Walsingham Pilgrimage

The Latin Mass Society organises a walking pilgrimage to Walsingham every year that takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend.  Pilgrims walk from Ely to Walsingham which is a distance of 57 miles.  Solemn Masses are offered each day, and the pilgrims recite or sing the rosary as they walk.

Bookings are now closed for those who want to walk the full distance, and I understand that more than 100 will be doing so.  This will make it the largest pilgrimage in its 10 year history.  However, anyone can take part in the final Mass which is at 2.30pm on Sunday 29th August at the Shrine in Houghton St Giles.  The Mass is followed by a procession along the Holy Mile and the day concludes with devotions at the site of the Holy House.

It is a wonderful event and I would encourage anyone who can get there to attend.

Mass at Westminster Cathedral

Last Saturday, on the Vigil of the Assumption, there was a Solemn Mass in Westminster Cathedral on the occasion of the AGM of the Latin Mass Society.  The LMS made special efforts to encourage people to attend, and were not disappointed.  A member of the Cathedral staff commented that he had not seen so many turn out for an event at the cathedral since before Covid!

You can see from this picture how full the benches are.  The size of the attendance is, no doubt, a reaction to the Pope's recent actions to limit the older form of the Mass.  There is no doubt that the faithful still thirst for the Mass of Ages.

Pilgrimage in Honour of St Margaret Clitherow

 

Encouraging Words from Australia

The following is reproduced from an Australian website. The penultimate sentence is particularly interesting.

Archbishop Christopher Prowse of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn has emphasised the importance of reading calmly Pope Francis’s recent document on the Latin Mass.

He also underlined the need to understand exactly what its teaching contained.

The Archbishop was referring to Traditionis Custodes (Guardians of the Tradition) which was issued on 16 July and is available at Apostolic Letter on the Latin Mass.

The letter is a significant statement that puts in place restrictions on celebrations of the Mass where it is practised in its “extraordinary form” (i.e., in Latin).

The Pope said he issued the document after considering the wishes expressed by bishops and others, including hearing opinion from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“The recent Papal document can easily evoke vigorous reactions from Catholics throughout the world,” Archbishop Prowse said.

“It is imperative for us all to respond to this important instruction and not simply react.

“As an initial pastoral response, as Archbishop I am very pleased with the presence of the Latin Mass community in the Archdiocese.

“I look forward to examining the document with them and discussing implications for our Archdiocese.”

Has Pope Francis Done Us a Favour?

I attended the 10.30am Mass at St Walburge's Church in Preston this morning.  I have never seen so many in the congregation there.  Talking to regulars, confirmed that the size of the congregation is growing steadily, but especially in the last three weeks.  This would seem to confirm what many people are saying.  The motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes is serving to promote the popularity of the Latin Mass.  You could say that Pope Francis has done us a good favour!

Support the Latin Mass

Please demonstrate your support for the Mass of Ages by attending the Solemn Mass which will be offered at Westminster Cathedral at 2.30pm on Saturday 14th August.  This Mass will follow the AGM of the Latin Mass Society which will occur in the morning of the same day.

The scale of support for the Latin Mass needs to be made public and visible in these times of persecution.

What Does the Future Hold for the Latin Mass in England and Wales.

Nearly two weeks after the promulgation of Traditionis  Custodes, it is perhaps a suitable time to look at the consequences here in England and Wales.  So far as I can discover, the only bishop to have made a public statement about the implementation of the motu proprio is Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster (reported below).  

The reactions of all other bishops have to be found from private conversations or from second hand sources. With one exception, the Bishop of Clifton, it seems that their response is similar to that of Cardinal Nichols.  That is carry on as you have been doing, at least for the time being.

In the case of the Bishop of Clifton, the only regular every Sunday Mass Latin Mass in the diocese, -that offered by the Benedictine community at Glastonbury - has been banned. The future of Latin Masses at other locations in the diocese is unclear.  Bishop Lang has declined to make any declaration concerning these.  This silence could be interpreted as indecision, and indicate some misgivings about his earlier decision concerning Glastonbury.

So, what does the future hold?  It seems that the bishops of England and Wales are in no hurry to do anything other than maintain a holding position.  They would, no doubt, argue that, with August approaching, it is holiday time, and no time to rush into decisions - far better to let the emotion die down and return to the matter when any decisions might be received more calmly.  It is also probable that most bishops favour a collective statement rather than individual ones.  This could come with the next meeting of the bishops conference in the autumn.

It would seem to me that with every week that passes, the bishops will find it more and more difficult to implement Traditionis Custodes with rigour.  Any ban or restrictive measure imposed in the autumn will be interpreted as the action of the bishops rather that that of the pope, and few of the bishops would want to bring down opprobrium on themselves.  It is likely that the bishops will want to apply as light as touch as they feel that they can get away with.

Furthermore, the statement by Cardinal Nichols includes this very clear passage:

My intention is to grant faculties for these requests, as long as it is clear that the conditions of the Motu Proprio are fulfilled and the intentions of the Holy Father fully accepted.'

I suspect that most if not all the bishops will fall in behind this approach.