Macklin Street - A report from the LMS online conference

LMS goes digital

Restrictions imposed by the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Society to cancel events it had planned for the summer. These included our annual pilgrimages to Chideock, Holywell, and Walsingham, as well as our Annual General Meeting, which would have been followed by High Mass in Westminster Cathedral.

Elsewhere in this magazine you will see details of forthcoming events planned for the autumn. Whether or not they go ahead, only time will tell. It is highly recommended that, before travelling to any of them, you check our website or call the LMS Office for updates.

Although there is no substitute for us gathering to participate in Holy Mass, Fr de Malleray, and other members of the FSSP community in Warrington celebrated High Mass in St Mary’s Shrine for the intention of members, on what would have been the day of the AGM – Saturday, 18th July. That Mass, live-streamed from Warrington with a very stirring sermon from Fr de Malleray, formed the opening part of an online Conference hosted by the LMS.

Streamed live on the Society’s YouTube channel, the Conference began with a message of welcome from HE Vincent Cardinal Nichols, in which he wrote:

‘In the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Lord, truly present on the altar in the Sacrament of His love, draws near to us in a uniquely close way. The particular form of the celebration of the Mass can itself be such a spur to our devotion and faithfulness. As Pope Benedict XVI reminded us on 7th July 2007, when he issued the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum:

“Constat utique liturgiam latinam variis suis formis Ecclesiae in omnibus aetatis christianae saeculis permultos Sanctos in vita spirituali stimulasse atque tot populos in religionis virtute roborasse ac eorundem pietatem fecundasse.” (It is well known that in every century of the Christian era the Church’s Latin liturgy in its various forms has inspired countless saints in their spiritual life, confirmed many peoples in the virtue of religion and enriched their devotion).

I pray that today ’s online Mass, together with the other presentations, may offer inspiration to you, enriching your devotion and sustaining you in the practice of the Catholic Faith, until we can again rejoice in its full celebration.

Please be sure of my prayers for each and every one of you. And, please pray for me.’

The day was presented by Dr Joseph Shaw and Sebastian Morello, and the audience was able to listen to inspiring talks from Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Mgr Gordon Read, Fr Tim Finigan, Fr John Zuhlsdorf and our Chairman, Dr Shaw. The afternoon was rounded off with a question and answer session, hosted by Dr Shaw, Sebastian Morello and Fr Finigan.

We were very pleased with the viewing figures which remained fairly constant throughout the afternoon, with people from many different parts of the world tuning in including a quarter of our audience from the USA. The entire Conference (including the Mass) remains on the Society’s YouTube account.

We offer our sincere thanks to all the on-screen contributors to the Conference, and to those who worked extremely hard behind the scenes to make the day so successful, in particular Gareth Copping for his technical expertise and Clare Bowskill for her editing and graphic work.

This was the first such online event the LMS has produced, and it certainly will not be the last. Having been forced to cancel our annual Walking Pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham, we shall replace it with an online virtual pilgrimage, to be held during the August Bank Holiday weekend – at what would have been the time of the walking pilgrimage. Our plan is to start with Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden in London on Friday 28 August and make our way, accompanied by talks, devotions, prayers and Masses, to the Basilica of Our Lady in Walsingham. Please monitor our website for further details.