Mallow Street

Thanksgiving to God is a theme which has permeated 2024.  This edition of Mass of Ages pays tribute to many faithful souls who have stood in defence of the traditional Mass – the recent signatories to The Times petition and Michael Davies among them.

At the turn of the year, we marked the first anniversary of Pope Benedict’s death with a splendid Sung Requiem at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane.  He would have delighted in the music and it was a timely moment to recall how the crowds at his funeral Mass in Rome had echoed an immemorial Roman custom, crying “Santo Subito” ( sainthood now).  They cried that 17 years previously and John Paul II is now a canonised saint.  As the church begins to assess the theological and liturgical legacy of the Pope of  Summorum Pontificum, we chose to make this a theme of our Pilgrimage to Newman’s Shrine at the Birmingham Oratory, with Prof Jacob Philipps giving a talk on Pope Benedict XVI’s indebtedness to St John Henry Newman. You can view it online at lms. org.uk/newman2024.

We had a strong field of candidates for this year’s Guild of St Clare Bursaries, which fund participation in the Royal School of Needlework’s Certificate in hand embroidery. Exceptionally, three awards were made. Congratulations to the recipients, Julija Bigataite, Maya Breen and Gerrie Serpell, and also to Sr Josephine Mary, who has completed the RSN Certificate and is undertaking the Diploma.

Each year we publish an “Ordo” which is a definitive guide to the traditional liturgical celebrations proper to England and Wales in each liturgical year. You can buy it at our online shop and there’s a free online version too.  We have been thinking about all the wonderful ways in which the church sacrilises time.  Last year we added a record of when plenary indulgences are available upon particular days. This year we have added a guide to when special blessings are provided in the Roman Ritual.  So, if one of Sebastian Morello’s wine reviews has been particularly inspirational, you can ask your priest to give the traditional blessing of wine on St John’s Day. Or you might invite your priest to impart one of the manifold Easter blessings of food following the fast of Lent.  Should you have gold and incense in store, you might present them for the traditional Epiphany blessing.  Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.