41 minute read
DIOCESAN DIGEST
Mass of Ages quarterly round-up
ARUNDEL AND BRIGHTON - Anne-Marie Mackie-Savage 01323 411370
Mass availability has remained stable over the few months, with only the occasional cancellation. There was a Missa Cantata for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne, celebrated by Fr Gerard Hatton which was well attended. Any Masses I am informed of will appear on the blog, cancellations likewise, but please remember if I don't know, I can't post on the blog, so please, I'd rather be told the same thing three times than not hear at all. Thank you for your continued support.
BIRMINGHAM (Black Country) - Louis Maciel 0739 223 2225 louis.maciel@gmail.com
The advantage of being ordained a deacon on Halloween at the Birmingham Oratory is that one immediately has two Feasts on consecutive days to act as Deacon in High Mass, as Brother Dominic found to his advantage. During Advent, there were Rorate Masses on Saturday morning in addition to the 9am Mass. Unfortunately, there was no Pontifical High Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception as reported in the last Mass of Ages because Bishop Byrne was double-booked.
In addition to the regularly scheduled Low Masses at Halesowen and Maryvale, a High Mass was celebrated on the first Friday of December in Solihull with singing aided by a chant group started at my original parish church of St Dunstan’s in Kings Heath.
There was a choice of three Christmas Masses in the region, with a Low Mass celebrated at St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury, in addition to one at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton and High Mass at the Birmingham Oratory. This was superseded on the Epiphany when there were High Masses at both Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and the Oratory, in addition to a Low Mass in Wednesbury. The latter, just off junction 9 of the M6, is a new venue for the EF Mass serving the Walsall deanery and followed several private Low Masses at the location, and a new monthly third Sunday Mass which started, appropriately perhaps, on Gaudete Sunday. A comprehensive schedule of Masses being celebrated at the initiative of the new parish priest, Fr Paul Lester, during the next quarter is available in the Mass Listings.
BIRMINGHAM (North Staffordshire) - Alan Frost 01270 768144
Traditional Rite Masses continue at Our Lady’s Swynnerton in North Staffs, and apart from carols at the early Christmas Vigil Mass, the Te Deum was sung at the Vigil Mass of the Presentation. Led, we’re happy to report, by Fr Paul Chavasse.
Masses for All Saints, the Holy Souls, and the Dead were celebrated by Fr Paul and he was invited to give a talk in a military context about his great uncle, one of perhaps only three men ever to receive the VC twice.
Just to the south of this area, Masses are said regularly in Wolverhampton (Fr Stephen Goodman) and at St George’s Chapel at the Barracks two miles out of Lichfield (Fr Smith).
BIRMINGHAM (Oxford) - Joseph Shaw 01993 812874
There are a great many Masses this quarter being celebrated by the very generous priests of the Oxford area, and readers must consult the Mass listings for the complete list, bearing in mind also Holy Rood, Abingdon Road, in Oxford but over the diocesan boundary in Portsmouth, and the English Martyrs, Didcot, also in Portsmouth Diocese but close to many living in Birmingham Archdiocese.
I would like to draw readers' attention in particular to the annual LMS Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Caversham, a refounded medieval shrine, on Saturday 24th February. This year the Saturday of Ember Week of Lent falls on the feast of St Matthias. For the first time we will provide lunch for pilgrims in the very comfortable parish room after Mass. High Mass, celebrated by Fr Anthony Conlon, will be at 11:30am. Chant will be provided by the Schola Abelis, and Polyphony by the Newman Consort.
Please support this and the many other High and Sung Masses on special occasions, and regular Sunday and weekday Masses, being celebrated in the area this quarter.
I am delighted also to confirm that Fr Anthony Talbot is now in place in Holy Trinity, Hethe, and that he will be able to maintain the every-Sunday provision of the Traditional Mass there. These take place at 12 noon; they are sung on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month. Holy Trinity is a very beautiful historic church to the north of Bicester, and I encourage readers living within reach to visit.
BIRMINGHAM (Worcester) - Margaret Parffrey 01386 750421
We start the digest that Fr Cornelias has returned to his native home of Ghana. We hope Father will take the Tridentine Mass to all parts Ghana.
The Tridentine Rite will be said by the Parish Priest, Fr Rohan. We are very grateful for Father taking on this extra duty, but know graces will flow abundantly. Mass at usual time 2nd Tuesday in the month at 6pm.
Father started to learn the Tridentine Rite while he was living at Mount Carmel and soon became proficient. Our thanks and prayers go with him. We will try and get his address in order to pray and work with him.
Fr Christopher said High Mass on the Feast of St Egwin’s Anniversary. Egwin was a Benedictine Monk of Worcester to whom Eoves, a swine herd, told of a heavenly vision in Evesham Meadow, which was Our Lady. From here came Our Lady of Evesham and a great Abbey church was founded. St Egwin’s tomb was founded at the base of his shrine. Mass at Evesham every Tuesday at 7pm. Kidderminster Mass at 3pm 1st Sunday of month said by Fr Lamb.
BIRMINGHAM (Little Malvern) - Alastair J Tocher 01684 893332 extraordinarymalvern.uk@btinternet.com Facebook: Extraordinary Malvern
With the closure at the end of November of Spetchley Park Chapel and the departure of Fr Anthony Talbot to pastures new in Hethe, Oxfordshire it became necessary quickly to find a new Sunday home for the Traditional Latin Mass community in south Worcestershire.
Initial enquiries elicited a very positive response from Dom Edward Crouzet, OSB (Downside), parish priest of St Wulstan’s, Little Malvern and from his Parish Council regarding the use of his church (where the noted English composer Sir Edward Elgar is laid to rest). While Dom Edward does not himself celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form, he has been very welcoming and supportive of our efforts, for which we are extremely grateful. Further local enquiries soon led to Dom Jonathan Rollinson OSB (Belmont) who has enthusiastically taken up our invitation to offer a Missa Cantata twice monthly at 3pm on second and fourth Sundays. Dom Jonathan already celebrates Low Mass at Belmont Abbey on the other Sundays.
Whilst our relocation has inevitably seen the loss of a few former Mass-goers from Spetchley who are sadly unable to get to Little Malvern, it has already drawn in a few new faces from local parishes, including four potential new members for the Schola Gregoriana Malverniensis and the Schola Parva , both of which have also followed the move to Little Malvern. We are fortunate also in that several servers from Spetchley are still available to us here along with two additional experienced servers from the Cheltenham area.
Our first Mass at St Wulstan’s on 26 November – most likely the first Vetus Ordo Mass there in 50 years – saw a solid 27 in attendance which was a promising start especially since there was less than three days’ notice given of the Mass after all necessary aspects were finally confirmed in place. Sadly, excessive snowfall meant our second Mass planned for 10 December had to be cancelled at very short notice but by the time you read this in AD 2018 we hope – Deo volente – to be fully up and running.
CLIFTON - James Belt & Monika Paplaczyk 07890 687453 lmsclifton@gmail.com lmsclifton.blogspot.co.uk
Another successful Missa Cantata was held in the Crypt Chapel of Downside Abbey on the first Sunday in December. This was once more very well attended. The annual Downside High Mass has been confirmed for Saturday 2nd June.
Deacon Seth Phipps, FSSP, who grew up and found his vocation in Clifton Diocese, is due to be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on Saturday 9 June. He will celebrate a First Solemn High Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, Weston-Super-Mare the following Wednesday, 13 June. Further details will follow on our blog (address above).
Other regular Masses continue around the Diocese. Three Low Masses were celebrated on Christmas Day, in Weston, Glastonbury and Stow-on-the-Wold. Masses are also planned for Ash Wednesday.
EAST ANGLIA (West) - Gregor and Alisa Dick 01223 322401
The Masses at Blackfriars are continuing mostly as usual but with several recent developments. The first is that we have had a recent intake of servers, a lot of them students. The second is that we had a Sung Mass on Christmas morning, and wish to thank everyone, especially the friars, who assisted. We are still in need of more choir members, and additional servers would always be welcome. And, once again, the children who attend Latin and Greek classes performed their nativity play in Koine Greek.
HEXHAM & NEWCASTLE - Keith McAllister 01325 308968 07966 235329 k_mcallister@ymail.com
The provision of EF liturgies continues much as before, mainly in the southern half of what is a very large diocese, stretching from the border with Scotland to the Tees valley. In the past 2 years we have had the huge benefit of the very energetic Fr Bede Rowe assisting our traditional apostolate; now gone to a new appointment in Glastonbury.
For St Joseph’s Gateshead, Fr Michael Brown maintains a consistent Mass provision for Saturdays, Sundays and Holydays. Following the sadness of losing Fr Gary Dickson of Thornley to early retirement because of poor health, there is no resident Priest. We are thus very grateful to Fr Paul Tully (Hospital Chaplain) for his regular Sunday EF Holy Masses and other liturgies.
At St Mary’s Barnard Castle, Fr Wilfrid Elkin, still resident in retirement and an indefatigable octogenarian, celebrates EF Low Holy Masses on Sundays, Holydays and each Tuesday.
In Coxhoe (Durham) we are thankful to Fr Shaun Swales for a regular Thursday Low Mass (sometimes transferred to an adjacent Holy day, with Benediction when appropriate).
Our annual Mass in the c1135 Augustinian Priory of Brinkburn, Morpeth [a property managed by English Heritage (EH)] took place on Sept 9th with a Missa Cantata celebrated by Fr Michael Brown. The acoustics there are simply wonderful and we yet again enjoyed the pleasure of fine choral voices and organ music. After many years of beautiful Mass celebrations here, we sadly face a prospect of being denied access by EH, they quoting Health & Safety risks!
Our F.I. Juventutem group based at St Cuthbert’s in the heart of Durham City continues to flourish thanks to the blessing of Parish Priest Fr Andrew Downie, plus enthusiastic student support and availability of trained MCs and servers.
The November 30 Missa Cantata celebrated by Fr David Phillips, enhanced by the Student Schola, was well attended, as was that of December 14 celebrated by Fr Paul Tully. Young Catholics keen to engage with F.I.Juventutem and its social events can email juventutemdurham@gmail.com or the Diocesan Rep.
LANCASTER - Bob & Jane Latin 01524 412987 lancasterlms@gmail.com latinmasslancaster.blogspot.com - John Rogan 01524 858832 john_rogan@yahoo.co.uk
It's been a fairly quiet quarter across the Diocese but once more there has been exciting news from Preston. Only two weeks after the opening of the new Shrine to the English Martyrs in September, Bishop Michael Campbell announced that the Sisters Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest had accepted his invitation to come to the Diocese. The Sisters are the female Branch of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and are a contemplative order, though not enclosed, with the charism of Eucharistic Adoration, and reparation to the Royal Heart of Jesus. They took up residence in the former St Augustine's presbytery on 12 November.
Since the ICKSP arrived in Preston, many young families have been moving into the parish and the Canons have responded by launching an ambitious project to provide a school at St Walburge, as in earlier times. On 21 November, the first group of children began their lessons at St Benedict's School, initially in rooms adjacent to English Martyrs, with the long term plan of restoring the former school buildings next to St Walburge. The liturgy at the school will, of course, be in the Extraordinary Form! This wonderful project will require a goodly sum of money so please do give any support you can – the Institute's address at St Walburge can be found in the Mass Listings.
Meanwhile, Fr Daniel Etienne has undertaken to provide two EF Masses each week at St John Vianney in Blackpool - Mondays at midday and Fridays at 6pm - which is very good news for those in the Blackpool area.
We continue to provide a monthly Mass at our other location, St Mary's in Hornby, with a very small but loyal congregation. From time to time new people appear, sometimes from the parish; if they all came at once it could be quite a good sized group! Our grateful thanks to Canon Luiz Ruscillo.
LIVERPOOL (Warrington) - Alan Frost 01270768144
St Mary’s Shrine Church in Warrington experienced a very busy Advent and Christmas season; such that the consistently impressive choir were given a rest from their weekly contribution to the Sunday High Mass on December 24, music director Michael Wynne holding the fort from the organ. They were back on song for the carols and Midnight Mass later. The Very Rev. Fr John Berg, FSSP, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, was welcomed during Advent, and was Celebrant at the 11am Solemn High Mass on Sunday 10 December. He also attended, with Abp Malcolm McMahon OP, a sacred concert on the 16 December. given by the Warrington Choral Society in St Mary’s. The polyphonic Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was preceded by a Novena for the great Feast of Our Lady.
Many regulars were sad that Fr Mawdsley was transferred to take over the FSSP in Bedford, but doubtless he will be seen at various LMS events in the coming year. Fr Lowenstein has taken over his duties pending the coming of Fr Verrier to Warrington.
The latest (Winter 2107/2018) FSSP quarterly magazine Dowry (free), which Fr de Malleray edits, is available in the Shrine narthex and on request. There is also a new expanded repository.
MIDDLESBROUGH - Paul Waddington paul@gooleboathouse.co.uk 01757 638026
The Mass to mark the Feast of St Charles Borromeo last November in Hull was very well attended. Fr Mark Drew was the celebrant and the Rudgate Singers provided the music. The Mass was a Missa Cantata, rather than the planned Solemn Mass, because we were not able to find sufficient clergy. Regrettably, the monthly Wednesday evening Masses at St Charles’ Church in Hull have had to be discontinued.
By way of compensation, Fr Drew will be offering a Low Mass at 5pm on the second Sunday of each month at the Church of St Mary and St Joseph in Hedon, which is four miles to the east of Hull. This very plain little church dates from 1803, a time when there were severe restrictions on the building of Catholic churches, and is hidden behind the presbytery. Anybody having difficulty finding it should look for the Shakespeare Inn in Baxtergate. The entrance is alongside the pub’s car park.
Meanwhile Masses continue at noon every Sunday at the Oratory Church of St Wilfrid in York. The Oratorians also provide traditional Vespers and Benediction on Sundays at 6pm.
I am very conscious of the lack of any Latin Masses in the northern part of the diocese. For the foreseeable future, it seems unlikely that the diocese will be able to provide a priest able to fill this gap, so I would welcome any suggestions of other priests that could be approached.
NORTHAMPTON (North) - Paul Beardsmore 01858 434037
Fr Byrne offered additional Masses at St Brendan's in Corby for All Saints Day and All Souls Day, and celebrated a Sung First Mass of Christmas. The new year got off to a flying start with a Mass for the Octave of the Nativity, which was relatively well attended.
NORTHAMPTON (South) - Barbara Kay mbky3@outlook.com 01234 340759 Nick Ross nick@efmass.co.uk 07951 145240
Three churches in this area celebrate the Latin Mass on a regular basis: Christ the King, Bedford (weekly on Sunday at 8.30 am), Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Chesham Bois (weekly on Sunday at 8am) and St Francis of Assisi, Shefford (3rd Friday of the month at 7.30pm). The report from Chesham Bois is that things are ticking along nicely there. Attendance at Shefford is only 3 – 5 people, so to safeguard this Mass, please consider going along.
Also in our area is the (very modern) church of Our Lady of Light, Long Crendon, near Aylesbury. Organised by Dr Joseph Shaw, the Schola Abelis provided for a Missa Cantata with great solemnity for the Feast of SS Simon and Jude on 28 October 2017. We were much obliged to celebrant, Fr Anthony Conlon, former Chaplain to the LMS, and to the Parish Priest and parishioners, many of whom attended.
Chesham Bois has been an Apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP) for some time now. In the Winter edition of Mass of Ages, we reported that the FSSP, based at Reading, were also sending priests to Bedford for Sunday Masses and Holydays of Obligation, starting on 8 October. At the time of writing, we are three months into the Apostolate and things are going well. Fr Goddard, Fr Verrier and Fr O’Donohue have been visiting us on a rota basis each Sunday, alternating with their other Apostolates in Reading and Chesham Bois. Fr Verrier has now been posted to the Apostolate in Warrington, while Fr Mawdsley has joined the Apostolate in Reading.
Our numbers are growing; about 70 people are coming on Sundays, a 40% increase from the 50 we have had in the last two years or so. Among them we have recently welcomed a family who come from just outside Norwich and who even managed to get to Mass on the very snowy morning of 10 December 2017.
Before he moved to Warrington, Fr Verrier – who is a music graduate, and who taught in school before his ordination – started the process of training a small choir, so that Sung Mass could be offered at Bedford once a month. We are hoping to sing for the first time on Sexagesima Sunday, 4 February 2018.
We are also planning to have First Saturday Masses and other devotions on 3 February, 3 March, 7 April, 5 May and 2 June, followed by catechesis, server training and choir practice according to interest. Please see https://www. facebook.com/bedfordlatinmass/ for regular updates.
We have had two ‘firsts’ recently: Rafael Pierlot made his First Holy Communion with us on 17 December, and on Christmas Eve, Maria Kovacsics was received into Full Communion with the Church.
Our 8.30 Christmas morning Mass was attended by 70 or 80 people, well up on the Christmas morning figure in 2016. We were able to offer our customary refreshments in the hall afterwards and were pleased that a familiar face, Fr Gabriel Diaz, who was staying nearby, called in to greet us. He was part of the original rota of priests who said Mass at Bedford when we started in 2015.
On the last day of 2017, Fr James Mawdsley visited Bedford for the first time. He also celebrated Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany the following Saturday, and for the Holy Family on the Sunday, and over that weekend, visited ten families to bestow Epiphanytide home blessings, with more to follow on his next visit later in January.
Looking further ahead, we have an exciting event planned for 21 April. One of the founders of Regina Caeli, an educational academy for children of all ages with fourteen centres in the United States, will give a presentation at Christ the King, Bedford, about what they can offer to families in this country. If there is enough interest, they will open a centre in the UK. Please see our blog as above for more details and to book your place, and contact bedfordlatinmass@gmail.com with any questions.
NOTTINGHAM (Leicestershire and Rutland) - Paul Beardsmore 01858 434037
Sung Masses were celebrated at Holy Cross Priory in Leicester on the feast of All Saints and on All Souls' Day, and at St Peter's in Leicester for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. There will be further Sung Masses at St Peter's for the Epiphany and the Purification. Meanwhile at Oakham the Duruflé Requiem was sung by the St Peter's Singers at a Sung Mass celebrated by Fr Dye on the first Friday of November.
Otherwise the regular schedule of Masses continues. It was pleasing to note a congregation of 120 on the last Sunday of the year at Holy Cross Priory, and I pray that this trend continues into the new year!
NOTTINGHAM (Lincolnshire) - Michael Carroll lmslincolnsire.blogspot.com Facebook: Traditional Latin Mass in Lincolnshire, Doncaster, and Hull
We are awaiting the return of the Latin Mass to Lincolnshire. Announcements of new Mass times and a new church will be given on the local website and Facebook page as soon as we are informed.
It is now possible to attend St Mary and St Joseph, Baxtergate, Hedon, HU12 8JN on second Sundays at 5pm. There are also relatively local Masses for those in the north of Lincolnshire at Doncaster (third Sundays at 3pm).
NOTTINGHAM - Jeremy Boot 07462-018386
Since the last report there has been a change of clergy at two of our venues: the first at Our Lady and St Patrick, the Meadows, Nottingham and the second with a new Dean at the Cathedral. So far we have suffered no changes to our usual schedule. At the Cathedral, Mass continues at 6.15pm on the third Wednesday (followed by a Juventutem meeting). At Our Lady and St Patrick, although temporarily the church is being run by the local deanery, there is no reason to suppose we cannot remain there for the 3rd (Sung) and 4th Sundays of the month at 2pm for both. For all these Masses, we supply our own priests and do not draw upon the churches’ own resources other than for a venue and an altar. Lastly, we continue with Mass on the Saturday before the 2nd Sunday of the month (4.45pm) at The Good Shepherd Church, Arnold, Nottingham, in the capable hands of Canon Phillip Ziomek, who has been our celebrant for quite a few years now and to whom we extend our grateful thanks.
Attendance at Masses varies between churches but is reasonably stable. Masses are sung at least at one venue a month. We have very limited resources and singers, and particularly servers, are needed to lessen the burden on those on whose fidelity and competence we rely too much already. Many thanks again to all of them and to our hard-pressed clergy without whom there would, of course, be no Masses at all.
PLYMOUTH (Devon) - Maurice Quinn 07555536579 mq018q1057@blueyonder.co.uk
The best good news on the Plymouth Diocese Latin Mass scene has to be the visitation of Bishop Mark to St Edward the Confessor in Plymouth, when he attended the 11.30am Sung Vetus Ordo on the 10 December at very short notice. The Latin Mass congregation at St. Edward the Confessor in Plymouth – which numbered about a hundred people including whole families with children - were celebrating the 10th ordination anniversary of the celebrant, Fr Anthony Pillari. People came from all parts of the diocese and were treated to a beautiful Missa Cantata with Andrew Proctor as Musical Director leading the chant and supplying the music. The wonderful choir consisted of William and Elizabeth Harbinson, Michael Crawford, and Timothy TindalRobertson. Elizabeth Harbinson, a mezzo soprano who has performed for Pope St John Paull II, sang Shubert’s Ave Maria at the offertory, and Franck’s Panis Angelicus during Holy Communion. The serving team – as always at St Edwards – was superb, consisting of MC Mateus Vila Real, Bishop’s server John Buscombe, Thurifer James Buscombe, Acolytes Alejandro and Oliver Proctor Montano, and the Torchbearer Samuel Proctor. Bishop Mark read the Gospel in English and preached the homily.
After Mass everybody gathered in the church hall for a social buffet lunch organised by Valerie Williams and others. This was a great success, and included Fr Anthony cutting two celebration cakes supplied and made by Justina Misztela and Stephanie Proctor. It was a joy to see many young children enjoying themselves, and to be entertained by Irish dancers Brendan, Finian, and Nathanael Balcomb, and by Lidia Keogh guitar player and singer, and Elizabeth Harbinson who sang excerpts from Carmen. It was during the buffet lunch that Bishop Mark gave everybody the good news that he is working towards the eventual setting up a permanent Latin Mass venue with full pastoral provision in other areas such as Exeter, Torbay and in Dorset.
We have to thank Fr Tom Reagan OSB for celebrating the St Edward’s Mass on one Sunday, and Fr Reginald-Marie Rivoire O.P. for standing in while Fr Anthony Pillari was away in the U.S.A. and Canada completing studies and visiting his old parish in Texas. Fr Reginald is a member of a new traditional Dominican order in France, and was looking after the nuns at Lanherne in Cornwall, and the St Edward’s congregation in Plymouth until Fr Anthony’s return. This meant that the St Edward’s Vetus Ordo was celebrated in the Dominican Rite – a rare occurrence in Devon.
The monthly Latin Mass at Buckfast Abbey has been alternately celebrated these last six months by Fr Tom Reagan OSB and by Fr Guy de Gaynesford, the Rector of the School of the Annunciation. We have to thank both of these busy priests for celebrating Mass for us in this beautiful location. An added bonus here was the Sung Requiem in November, celebrated by Fr Tom, with music provided by the Abbey’s musical director, Philip Arkwright.
Last 12 – 14 October Buckfast Abbey hosted the ‘Day with Mary’s’ Symposium with Cardinal Burke as the main speaker. The wonderful spin – off for us was that the Cardinal celebrated the Vetus Ordo on the main altar at 7.30am each morning with a very appreciative congregation, while the abbey’s six small chapels and some of the side altars also had their own celebrant. It was a wonderful opportunity to see these chapels and altars being used for their original purpose, with a Traditional Latin Mass being quietly celebrated at each one.
Our regular monthly Latin Mass at St Cyprian’s, Ugbrooke House, is still being celebrated on the fourth Sunday of each month by Fr Guy de Gaynesford. Unfortunately, the December Old Rite celebration had to be cancelled as it fell on Christmas Eve, a very busy time for our clergy, and Fr Guy is no exception, having his own parish at Ivybridge. I must apologise to anyone who may have missed the notices about this cancellation, and I urge anyone travelling any distance to check the Mass Listings or contact me beforehand if possible.
The monthly Latin Mass at Blessed Sacrament in Exeter has been well attended, even though in December it had to be brought forward to the second Sunday due to understandable circumstances beyond our control. Mgr Adrian Toffolo and Fr Harry Heijveld were the celebrants over the last few months, and in November after Mass, Fr Harry treated the congregation to Benediction, which may become a regular feature. We are in need of servers for Mass at this venue (and elsewhere), so if any male readers would be interested in helping out do get in touch with me after Mass or by phone/ email.
On Thursday, 2 November Fr Harry Heijveld celebrated a Sung Requiem at Sacred Heart, Exeter, with Absolution at the catafalque. Unfortunately, this beautiful town-centre church is not one of Devon’s regular Traditional Rite Mass venues, so to have a Sung Requiem here was a memorable occasion for everybody present. We thank Fr Harry for this, and we have to thank Mr Tegwyn Harris for providing the music, and Andrew Munro for coming forward to help with the serving, and for acting as Thurifer.
I will finish with an appeal: If you happen to know the whereabouts of some unwanted altar rails, please contact Fr Francis on 07826 732493.
PLYMOUTH (Dorset) - Maurice Quinn 075555 36579 mq018q1057@blueyonder.co.uk
It gives me great pleasure to begin 2018 with more good news regarding the Old Rite Latin Mass scene in Dorset. Mgr Francis Jamieson, the PP of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Cecelia, Blandford Forum, has agreed to celebrate the Vetus Ordo every other month in 2018, and began on the Feast of the Epiphany in January. This means that between Mgr Francis at Blandford Forum and Fr Martin at Marnhull, the Vetus Ordo is celebrated in this part of Dorset once every month, albeit alternately. Do check the Mass Listings for further details and support both venues if possible. I had the pleasure of serving Mgr Francis’s first Latin Mass at Blandford last November 9, on the Feast of the Dedication of the Archbasilica of the Saviour, and you will be pleased to know that the reordering of the sanctuary, started by Fr Tom Reagan OSB, is coming along nicely. A beautiful domed tabernacle has now been acquired, and a large crucifix now adorns the wall directly above it being flanked by two figures.
Mgr Jamieson celebrated the Epiphany Vetus Ordo Mass at Blandford Forum at 12 noon on Saturday 6 January, with about twenty-five appreciative people present in the congregation. It was also a pleasure to meet another server – Kieron Weaver-Mizzi, who served the Epiphany Mass along with Dominic Prendergast, both of whom deserve our thanks for doing so. In future, Mgr Francis hopes that people will stay after Mass for a little social and a shared lunch, as is the custom at Marnhull, so do support this if you have the time.
The Mass celebrated by Fr Martin Budge on Thursday 14 December at Our Lady’s, Marnhull, was preceded by individual confessions followed by the Angelus, with Dominic Prendergast as server. Numbers attending this Mass were at a low level, but this did not affect the quiet dignity and reverence of the celebration in such a lovely old and atmospheric church. It is also pleasing to meet people from other Dioceses attending our celebrations, such as Andrew Robson who had travelled from Clifton Diocese to be present at this particular Mass – he had made the journey to Marnhull for the first time, and was made very welcome by the rest of the congregation, and he joined us all for lunch afterwards in the parish rooms. During a conversation, Andrew suggested the possibility of having some plainchant in the Mass at Our Lady’s, so if any reader would be interested in this please get in touch with me via mobile or email. This is definitely worth doing if we can get enough voices together. Ronnie and Joan Bird, much missed stalwarts of the Old Rite for many years, could not be present at Our Lady’s due to illness, so do keep them both in your prayers.
I like to end on a positive note, so I can tell you that my appeal for any priests in Dorset interested in learning to celebrate the Traditional Old Rite Latin Mass has borne fruit. I am happy to report that a priest has contacted me about this, and I shall give you more details about this if we get a positive outcome.
As always, do check the Mass Listings in Mass of Ages, the LMS website, or in the Diocesan monthly Catholic South West , which is regularly updated by me.
PORTSMOUTH (Bournemouth) - Tim Fawkes 01202 730200 t.fawkes136@btinternet.com
Our regular monthly Low Mass at the Bournemouth Oratory in Formation, Church of the Sacred Heart, is now taking place on the first Friday of each month at 6pm. Further Masses are being offered when possible; there will be Mass on Monday 9 April at 6pm, which this year will be the feast of the Annunciation.
Readers may also be interested in knowing of the traditional Benediction service which takes place at 6pm each Sunday. All services are viewable via the church website at www.bournemouthoratory.org.uk
PORTSMOUTH (Isle of Wight) - Peter Clarke 01983 566740 07790 892592
We were pleased to welcome Canon Martin Edwards back to the Island for Mass (E.F.) today for the Feast of St Andrew, Apostle and Patron Saint of Scotland.
Despite a bitterly cold day, it was good to have a reasonable attendance for the weekday Mass. Canon Martin reminded us in his sermon that Our Lord said to the apostles: - “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men”. He also gave us a vivid account of the very successful pilgrimage that he led recently to the Holy Land. One of the highlights of this was being in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and being conscious that this was where Our Blessed Lord called Peter and Andrew to leave their nets and their boats and to follow Him. It was here by this lake that Jesus gave the Beatitudes and where He did so much of His preaching.
The following week it was good to welcome back to Ryde, Fr Neil Brett (Brentwood Diocese) for a Low Mass in St Mary’s on the Feast of St Ambrose. In his sermon Father spoke about St Ambrose being a reluctant bishop and having to almost be forced into the ministry. However, he proved to be an effective bishop in preaching the Gospel in the battle against the Arian heresy.
With the departure of Fr Anthony Glaysher in the summer and the consequent loss of our regular weekly E. F. Masses, we are grateful to both these priests for travelling to the Island to offer Mass for us.
We are also grateful to Fr Jonathan Redvers Harris (Ordinariate and parish priest of Cowes and East Cowes) for his pastoral care for us in offering the E.F. Mass. Father has now offered five E. F. Masses. These are usually on the third Thursday of the month in different Island churches. See Mass Listings for details.
For further information on Isle of Wight E.F. Masses please contact me on 01983 566740 or 07790892592
PORTSMOUTH - Peter Cullinane 023 92 47 13 24 pmcullinane@hotmail.com
Sadly, there were two Tridentine rite funerals in the period. The first was in early December for Valerie HayEsson, a longstanding attender at both Winchester and Reading until her illness two years ago.
The funeral, conducted by Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP, took place in the charming Victorian church in Fareham and thanks to Stuart, Valerie’s son, a record collection was taken for the LMS. A Scottish piper at the graveside honoured Valerie’s Aberdonian connections.
The second funeral took place later that month in the equally charming church of St Joseph’s Havant, my home parish, for a lady who, though not an LMS member, had converted to the faith some 50 or more years ago having been attracted, Fr Joe McNerney said, by the old rite Mass.
The funeral Mass replaced the new rite daily Mass and some 40 attended in all, half being older parishioners who had not experienced such a funeral for several decades and were generally complimentary about its reappearance, as I found at the coffee break afterwards.
We were lucky that the Mass was efficiently served by one of our youngest servers, now a first year university man, thus demonstrating to Havant parishioners that it was not just that the more than 60 who followed the old rite but that the young generation were able to serve a rite many thought was extinct.
South Hampshire is lucky in having full Holy Week services at the Friars in Gosport and a 9am Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family parish in Millbrook, Southamptondetails will be available later on both the LMS and parish websites as follows:
Gosport: www. gosport@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
Holy Family: www.holyfamilysouthampton.org.uk
On Christmas Day, 50 attended a 9am Mass at Holy Family and 45 at Gosport on the Epiphany on January 6.
PORTSMOUTH (Reading) - Adrian Dulston http://lmsreading.wordpress.com/
Nice to see Sunday crowds at our Advent and Christmas Masses at St William of York. There was a midnight Mass for both Christmas and New Year, with mulled wine after both. Changing times in Reading with Fr Verrier leaving us in the New Year for Warrington FSSP, although not without a sendoff parish party with Fr Goddard ensuring he had some stiff company and an umbrella as if he needed a reminder. We missed him at our first Friday devotions with his organ support but I guess Warrington will be the richer for it but at least we had the additional presence of Fr Donoghue who helped us chant the Latin Sacred Heart Litany.
The weekday Masses are a real gift from heaven, although numbers fluctuate due to daytime duties and pressures. Visitors come and go even from the University and we occasionally get a person who has never been to a Latin Mass, which is good to see. The FSSP continue to run men, women, and youth groups, together with altar server training. A reminder that there is confession before each Mass and sometimes during the Sunday Mass – we must remember to thank God for these priests and their dedication for the sake of Christ and His Church, Reading has a heartbeat with the Mass of the Ages.
See https://www.facebook.com/fssp.england for the latest Holy Mass times and relevant news. Note there are changes in Mass times during the week so please keep up to date.
Note Latin Masses at English Martyrs Catholic Church, Didcot offered by Fr Phillip Pennington Harris are reduced to 1st Sundays.
SHREWSBURY (Chester) - Andrew Nielsen
Third Sunday monthly Sung Masses are continuing at St Clare’s in Chester. The 12.30 Traditional Mass now replaces the regular 11.15 parish Mass. Masses continue to be celebrated by the priests of the Institute of Christ the King from New Brighton. Numbers attending Mass have increased since the first Mass back in Easter 2017 (including some St Clare’s parishioners) but more would be welcome. Recently we have had a welcome addition of younger servers in the form of our MC Philip Russell’s grandchildren.
SHREWSBURY (Wirral) Stefano Mazzeo
Activities at the Shrine Church of SS Peter & Paul and St Philomena continue to expand, particularly for young people. Canon Montjean runs a youth group that meets once a month on Saturdays with faith talks and discussion. Anyone between the ages of 14 to 25 who would like to join should contact Canon Montjean, Email: chn.montjean@icrsp.org. There is also a catechism class for Ages 8 to 12s on Sundays after Mass, again contact the Shrine for details and times. And there will be a group going from the church on the Chartres pilgrimage, contact Canon Montjean.
Canon Vianney Poucin has been giving faith formation talks for adults, this year based on the history of the Church. Canon Parant in running monthly faith formation talks for married couples, Domus Christiani which looks at love and marriage issues from a Catholic perspective. Contact chn.parant@icrsp.org for further information. We are also running the first five Saturdays devotion for families. Liam Dodd, our seminarian from the Dome, received the cassock and tonsure from Bishop Mark Davies last summer, please keep him in your prayers.
I am hoping to form a Catholic drama group at the Church with the hope of bringing the standard of acting up to a level that we can film for EWTN's latest docudrama series "The Reformation". Should any budding actors, or indeed actors, be interested in taking part please contact me: semazzeo@ talktalk.net Also, I hope to produce a series of little docuvideos of Masses and news from the Dome, please keep your eyes on the Dome's Facebook and website.
The church gets many parties of visitors and to help people understand a Catholic church, and in particularly the history of the Dome, we have produced an audio tour. The tour is a series of little 3 to 4 minute audio plays that take place in different parts of the church that can be picked up on one’s smart phone via Wi-Fi.
Work on the side chapels is now complete and hopefully by the time this is published the scaffolding will have been taken down, and the church is once again watertight.
Last but not least, the Carmel at Birkenhead continues to have a Latin Mass at 7:45 on Thursdays celebrated by a priest from the Shrine. This year the community will be celebrating 100 years of foundation.
SOUTHWARK (Thanet) - Antonia Robinson
A busy Christmas in Thanet with Traditional Latin Masses in both Ramsgate and Margate. Ramsgate had a beautiful 9:30pm ‘Midnight’ Mass with music by the Victoria Consort and preceded by Carols, as well as Christmas Day Mass with their parish singers. In Margate the Bevan Family Schola sang a glorious Christmas Day Mass. Margate also had a traditional celebration of Epiphany, including singing of the Te Deum, Sung Mass and blessings of Epiphany Water and chalk. On a less upbeat note, we are most sad to report that Fr Mark Higgins has been moved by the Diocese. Fr Higgins was curate in Ramsgate for almost a year and a half and his great piety and inimitable preaching style made him much-loved. An excellent and rigorous confessor, with a great love of traditional liturgy, Fr Higgins did much to increase devotion to Our Lady and to the Blessed Sacrament and will be sorely missed. We offer him our heartfelt thanks and prayers.
SOUTHWARK (Wandsworth) - Julia Ashenden julia.ashenden@gmail.com
Our 11am Masses continue each Sunday. Since the last Report to this magazine we have had four Sung Masses with visiting choirs.
In addition to the regular Sunday Masses we have had Low Mass on All Saints and All Souls. The Midnight Mass of Christmas was a beautiful Missa Cantata with Charpentier’s Messe de Minuitpour Noel as the Mass setting; we also had Low Mass (the Mass of Dawn) on Christmas Day.
Looking to the future, Canon Edwards, the Parish Priest, has arranged for a professional choir to provide the music at the 11am Mass on the first Sunday of every month. In addition, the 11am Mass for Palm Sunday will be a Missa Cantata, as will the 8pm Mass on Maundy Thursday. The setting for the 11am Mass on Easter Sunday will be Puccini’s amazing Messa di Gloria - a rare opportunity to hear this work within the setting for which it was composed.
WESTMINSTER (Hertford) - Tom Short
Masses in Hertfordshire continue in the same pattern as before. We are very grateful to Fr Tim Edgar for his commitment at St Albans. As well as Sundays at 5pm, we have had Mass for Holy Cross on 14 September, and had Masses for All Saints and All Souls at 7.30am. In addition to these, on November 3 we had Mass to celebrate the “Feast of the Sacred Roadworks.” The residents had been informed that the road outside the church would be closed for major works all day on 3rd starting from 8.30am. Instead of the usual Mass at 11am Fr Tim decided to say Mass early that day at 7.30am and in the old rite. I wonder how many of us ever imagined we would be thanking the construction industry for promoting the Latin Mass! We had Mass on Christmas Day at 8.30am with quite a good congregation. We shall have Mass on February 2 at 7.30am.
Mass at Baldock at 3pm on the first Sunday of the month continues thanks to the dedication of Canon Noonan. At Old Hall Green Mass is at 3pm on the third Sunday of the month. Mike Mason is trying to arrange extra Masses here, and by the time you read this there will have been Mass on the second, as well as the third, Sunday of January but at this stage only the third Sunday can be guaranteed. If people want to check about extra Sundays here, they should phone Mike Mason on 07810 778160. He says to be persistent in phoning as he sometimes cannot find his phone!
Mass in Hertford is at 11am on the fourth Saturday of alternate months, March should be the next one but please check the website to be sure.
Occasionally and unpredictably there is a weekday Mass in the St Albans area. Anyone who would like to be informed of this should contact Tom Short on 07811 275243. This phone does not take voice messages despite my 6th formers’ efforts on my behalf, but it does take texts.
WESTMINSTER (Spanish Place) - Roger Wemyss Brooks wemyssbrooks@outlook.com
Attendances continue to be steady, and growing especially over the holiday period when there are many visitors. This shows the importance of providing many copies of the Society’s Ordinary Prayers booklets, which are regularly reordered. The printed Propers which are now provided for every Sunday Mass are proving very popular.
We need more servers for Low Mass. Any volunteers may contact me and training can be given if needed.
WESTMINSTER (Uxbridge) - Sebastian Morello
The First Friday Masses are going well, and continue to be well attended. Although the choir is quite small, we always have a Sung Mass, which is excellent. It is hoped that this year will see a new server at Uxbridge, which will greatly benefit Fr Schofield as he continues to offer this special Mass, which is so important to those practicing the First Friday Sacred Heart devotion.
WREXHAM - Kevin Jones 01244 674011
I omitted to submit a report for the last copy of Mass of Ages, mea culpa!
Something worthy to carry forward from that missed report is a few words on the Wrexham Pilgrimage that took place last October. A wonderful Missa Cantata was celebrated in honour of LMS Co-patron, St Richard Gwyn at Wrexham Cathedral on the 14 October. Canon Amaury Montjean, English and Welsh Pro-Provincial for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest was celebrant and Gregorian Chant was provided by a schola consisting of Mr Bernard Beattie, Mr Peter Bamford, Mr Alastair Tocher and Mr Christian Spence. Approximately 40 attended Mass followed by veneration of the relic and I am grateful to Canon Simon Treloar, Cathedral Dean for his continued support. Next year, we must remember to deal with the fire alarm before Mass rather than during Mass – we learned the hard way that burning incense and smoke detectors don’t go hand in glove!
This last quarter saw Masses taking on the First Saturdays (Buckley), Second Sunday (Llay) and Holywell (Fourth Sunday). We missed the First Saturday at Buckley in December due to Canon Doyle being away.
At Holywell in November, we welcomed Canon Hoban, Vicar General Emeritus of Shrewsbury Diocese to celebrate for us and I am grateful to him for his assistance. Again, in November, but at Llay, Canon Lordan celebrated a Requiem on the second Sunday.
Father Armand de Malleray, FSSP held a retreat at Pantasaph Friary over the weekend of the 8-10 December. We were able have a Mass for the beautiful Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Friday 8 (and also Masses on the Saturday and Sunday). Despite the snow, it would appear all pilgrims made it safely to sadly the last retreat at the centre as the Franciscans have announced its closure.
The heavy snow that beset North Wales over that weekend made St Francis of Assisi, Llay particularly hard to travel to on Sunday 10 December. However, it was good to see the majority of the regulars present despite the near foot of snow on the roads outside.
Finally, I must ask members of the LMS locally to support the Masses that take place within the diocese. Whilst the core numbers remain pretty static, it would be good to see some movement upwards.
From February, the first Saturday Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary, Buckley will be at 11am (previously 12.30pm). The Old Rite Mass will actually replace the English Mass on the first Saturday.
Canon Montjean celebrating Mass at Wrexham
