NEWS
History in the making Alan Frost reports on the first ordinations in the Traditional Rite in England for more than 50 years
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n the spring issue of the Fraternity of St Peter’s (FSSP) magazine Dowry, Fr de Malleray, Rector of St Mary’s Church in Warrington, reminded us of two disastrous anniversaries this year: it is 500 years since Luther’s revolt and 100 years since the Communist Revolution in Russia. But, of course, 2017 is also the centenary of something dwarfing these dates into insignificance – the Apparitions at Fatima. He also pointed out that the year is the twentieth anniversary of the setting up of the FSSP, the Fraternity of St Peter (Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri). So it was appropriate that on 17 June the priestly ranks of the FSSP should be boosted by the ordinations of Fr Alex Stewart from the Wirral nearby, and Fr Krzystof Sanetra, London-based but of Polish background. More history was
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made as these were the first ordinations in the Traditional Rite in England and Wales for more than 50 years. The ordinations were carried out by the Archbishop of Liverpool, His Grace Malcolm McMahon OP. St Mary’s Shrine Church, Warrington was crowded for the event and the impressive processional entry to the high altar of many priests and seminarians followed by priors, the Right Rev. Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury and, spectacularly in a trailing scarlet cappa magna, Archbishop McMahon. It was the second visit of the Archbishop to the Warrington Shrine in a month. He had earlier confirmed a number of the faithful in the Traditional Rite, as indeed had Bishop Davies at the New Brighton Shrine Church of SS Peter & Paul and Philomena, just three days previously.
The Solemn Pontifical Mass with Ordination was accompanied by beautifully sung liturgy by two choirs, sometimes together. The impressive Shrine choir of St Mary’s Warrington sang, inter alia, Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices while the propers were chanted by a schola of seminarians, FSSP and other Orders, including the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer from the Orkneys, assembled for the occasion. In the sanctuary the devout pomp and ceremony was splendid to behold, and probably something rarely seen over the past few decades in the UK. At the heart of this sacred service was the great and individually unique experience for the two priests-to-be. As their ordinations unfolded, Archbishop McMahon addressed them with the guidance that there will be times when
AUTUMN 2017
