Letters to the Editor

Swamped by joy

We often smile to ourselves when we hear about the cost of weddings nowadays, and those who put off the day because of being unable to afford the perceived costs involved (Lone Veiler, Mass of Ages, Summer 2018).

We remember our wedding with great joy. Because of our circumstances at the time, we were married by two priests with a congregation of two - our witnesses - while the rain lashed outside. Our reception was sherry, tea or coffee in the presiding priest's house; cost - a £20 donation. We also dedicated a crucifix we brought as a symbol of sharing the crosses of marriage, and it hangs on our bedroom wall. When life gets difficult we pray before it.

What more did we need? A marriage blessed by God, coupled with lashings of holy rain and the truth that we are united forever - complete bliss!

Bob and Jane Latin Morecambe

Wikipedia – a fool’s errand

Richard Holland (Letters, Summer 2018) laments the fact that Wikipedia does not acknowledge the existence of the LMS or of Mass of Ages in its entry on the Latin Mass. My own experience trying to correct and augment Wikipedia articles does not encourage me to attempt to do anything about this, unfortunately.

Some time ago I saw that the Wikipedia entry for the LMS itself was out of date and lacking in key information. As anyone can, I created an editing account and provided some accurate information with links to sources. I thought it was best to be honest about it so I used my real name, acknowledging my role in the LMS. Unfortunately, the fact that I knew something about my subject turns out to be a severe disadvantage within Wikipedia, and although they could find no fault with what I had contributed, a couple of extraordinarily pompous Wikipedia editors decided I was guilty of trying to promote something I had an interest in. All my information was removed from the entry, and I was banned from editing it again. Not long afterwards a Wikipedia editor with an even higher opinion of himself took a look at the entry and turned it into a 'stub', removing even the information which had been there in the first place.

Trying to improve Wikipedia, sadly, has become a fool's errand. Large companies employ undercover agents to tweak their entries, but for the likes of the Latin Mass Society we may actually be better off with people noticing the inadequacy of Wikipedia and turning to the abundant information on our own website.

Yours faithfully,

Joseph Shaw Chairman, Latin Mass Society