REPORTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
DIOCESAN DIGEST Mass of Ages quarterly round-up Arundel and Brighton Huw Davies aandb@lms.org.uk This is my first report as the new Rep for Arundel and Brighton after Anne-Marie Mackie-Savage stepped down from the role at the start of 2021 following many years of loyal service. I would like to thank her for her work and wish her the very best. There remain a good number of public Masses in the Extraordinary Form across our diocese despite the most recent national lockdown. At St Pancras in Lewes, Canon Jonathan Martin now celebrates an EF Mass every Sunday at 12.30pm, in addition to the longer-standing Saturday morning Mass, with this provision appreciated by regular parishioners as well as more established devotees of the Traditional Mass. There is a hope to train up more servers soon to fill the shoes of regular server Mr Ben Williams, whom we congratulate on his acceptance for formation for the Permanent Diaconate. At St Barnabas in East Molesey, Fr Richard Biggerstaff has also supplemented his usual Saturday morning EF Mass with a 12.15pm Mass on the first Sunday of the month, meaning an extra Mass in the top corner of the diocese. Here as well as at Lewes, visitors are encouraged to have a look at the stunning Paschal candles, both of which were designed and painted by Molesey parishioner Mrs Kerryn Penson and inspired by the famous mosaics in the basilica of San Clemente in Rome. In the far west of the diocese, at my parish of St Hugh of Lincoln in Knaphill, Fr Gerard Hatton continues to celebrate a Thursday evening Mass in addition to the 8am Sunday Mass, which has become a fixture of the parish schedule since the summer of last year. This Mass has seen great growth since its introduction and now attracts a number of young families and couples. We were blessed to witness the beautiful service of “Churching” of a new mother in January, and there is hope that a number of the children attending this Mass will be able to start catechesis for first Communion and Confirmation together. There will also be an initiative to train some younger servers to add to the small but committed group of men who currently serve at the altar here. At Sacred Heart, Caterham, Fr Sean Finnegan continues to celebrate a Wednesday morning Mass, albeit currently only on the live-stream due to the impact of Covid health and safety regulations on Mass attendance. We pray that we will soon be rid of the restrictions on our worship to allow this Mass to become public once again. Finally, members will be glad to hear that the diocese’s newest priest, Fr Thomas Kent, who was ordained at Arundel last summer, has begun learning the Traditional Mass and has celebrated a small number on the live-stream of St Joseph’s Guildford, where he is serving as curate. Birmingham and Black Country Louis Maciel 07392 232225 birmingham@lms.org.uk birmingham-lms-rep.blogspot.co.uk/ The popularity of the 10.30am Sunday High Mass at the Oratory, which regularly required an overflow Mass in the Upper Cloister Hall to accommodate numbers as a result of the reduced capacity due to Covid guidelines, has meant
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that an additional 7.30am Low Mass has been introduced on Sundays. There are now three Masses in the region on a Sunday, with the two at the Oratory complemented by the 11.30am Mass at St Mary-on-the-Hill in Wednesbury. The Oratory celebrated a full programme in the Extraordinary Form for Holy Week, starting with a slightly earlier 10am High Mass on Palm Sunday to accommodate the longer liturgy. Tenebrae for Good Friday and Holy Saturday took place at 8pm the night before, having been celebrated in the morning on the day itself in previous years, which meant that the Maundy Thursday High Mass had to be moved to the slightly earlier time of 6.30pm. Earlier in Lent, Ash Wednesday and the Annunciation saw a Low Mass at St Mary-on-the-Hill at 5pm followed by a High Mass at the Oratory at 7.30pm, replacing the usual 5.45pm Low Mass. The Feast of St Joseph in the Year of St Joseph fell on a third Friday, which meant there were three Masses in the Extraordinary Form in the region: the regular Friday Low Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton, the usual High Mass at the Oratory and the monthly third Friday Low Mass at St Dunstan’s, which it was hoped would be sung but unfortunately the cantor was unable to make it. Due to Good Friday falling on the first Friday, the monthly Mass at Acocks Green had to be delayed by a week in April, but there was a very good attendance at Mass during Lent, where it followed the parish Stations of the Cross. Birmingham, (Oxford) Joseph Shaw oxford@lms.org.uk As we cautiously move towards normal, I am glad to say that sung Masses are back on the menu, and we have been having these on Sundays in Holy Rood (Oxford, Abingdon Road) and on feast days in SS Gregory & Augustine’s (Oxford, Woodstock Road). This pattern will continue: please see the Mass listings for details. The one-off events I organised in the past in the Oxford area are still difficult with the remaining restrictions we will have to wait a bit longer for them. Nevertheless, I am planning a server-training day in Oxford, for Saturday 17th July (tbc): please email me if you are interested in taking part. Birmingham (North Staffs) Alan Frost Fr Paul Chavasse, Cong. Orat., has continued to offer the Traditional Rite at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Swynnerton every Sunday, throughout the Covid restrictions, though latterly with only spiritual Communion due his own health issues. Obviously, Fr Paul is hoping to be able to give the Blessed Sacrament to worshippers (whose numbers have stayed good) as soon as possible. As a prison chaplain he also hopes to be able to offer Mass for inmates (though in the OF) who have been deprived of his visits through this grim time. At St Augustine’s, Stoke-on-Trent (Meir), Fr Kasimierz Stefak, OSPPE, continues to celebrate the Old Rite Mass weekly on Wednesday evenings (7 pm) and is working towards offering his first Missa Cantata.
SUMMER 2021
