REVIEW
Sponsor a Catholic education
By Canon Ryan Post, Principal of St Benedict’s Academy
S Pondering a great gift Fr John Saward reviews The Case for Liturgical Restoration
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could get away with simply placing an enthusiastic ditto underneath the endorsements written for this book by such great and good men as Cardinal Burke, Bishop Schneider, and Professor de Mattei. I agree with everything they say. The ‘case for liturgical restoration’ is, in my opinion, eloquently and convincingly made. (But then, I didn’t need convincing.) If I’m to add anything, let it be this: I think I’m authorized to bring you an endorsement from St Thomas Aquinas, his teacher St Albert, too, and his friend St Bonaventure. You see, each of these saints, like many of the Doctors who preceded and followed them, composed expositions of the rites and ceremonies of the Mass, including much of what is discussed in this new book. The actions of the priest at the altar, says St Thomas in a deliciously easy bit of Latin, are not ridiculosae gesticulationes: they all have a purpose and a meaning; they are performed to express reverence and to symbolize something. So, the many signs of the Cross made by the priest during the Canon of the Mass represent the various stages of our Lord’s Passion. For example, the five signs at hostiam pura, hostiam sanctam, hostiam immaculatam, panem sanctum vitae aeternae et calicem salutis perpetuae stand for the five wounds. There is this difference, of course, in historical context between the Patristic and Medieval expositiones and The Case for Liturgical Restoration. Without the pressure of controversy, the Fathers and Doctors were concerned, simply and serenely, with deepening understanding of the Eucharistic mystery, and with increasing devotion to it, through a study of the rite. By contrast, the Una Voce authors are responding to six decades of liturgical revolution, a revolution beyond the imagining of the holy Doctors. However, despite the difference in context, the principal purpose of The Case remains close in spirit to the meditations of the Fathers and Doctors. In the words of Cardinal Burke: this collection of studies is ‘a defence of the usus antiquior of the Roman rite, not in the sense of a polemic … but as an invitation to ponder and to plumb the great gift of the usus antiquior … [It is directed at] enrich[ing] and deepen[ing] the knowledge and love of Christ alive for us in the Church, His Mystical Body – alive, above all, in the sacred liturgy.’ There you are. His Eminence has said it all for me. Buy this book! The Case for Liturgical Restoration, edited by Joseph Shaw, is available from the LMS online shop: paperback £16.50, hardback £24 + p&p.
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t Benedict’s Academy is a part-time academy based in Preston, Lancashire, looked after by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. We welcome children from age 5 to 18. In September, the academy will be entering its third academic year. The education provided at St Benedict’s is all deeply rooted in the Catholic faith, as all subjects lead back to Our Lord. Whether in the study of History, with the Incarnation as its centre-piece, learning about and admiring the wonderful creation of God through the sciences, or in the study of the sacred language of the Church, Latin, through looking at the texts of the Mass, as well as passages from the Vulgate, Christ is always at the centre. It is a great privilege for us as priests to be able to teach the children, and to pass on the faith to them. The Sisters Adorers teach Catechism and French, as well as Gregorian Chant and Polyphony. It is wonderful to have religious at the school, as an example and inspiration to the children! Every Friday, at 12 noon, there is a Sung Mass at English Martyrs, at which some of the boys from St Benedict’s serve, and the rest of the children sing the Kyriale of the Mass, as well as some of the Ordinary, along with one or two polyphonic motets. While the majority of the teachers at St Benedict’s are volunteers, there are in fact many other essential costs, including heating the building, electricity and water bills, textbooks, insurance and maintenance of the academy. As the academy is a charity, we never wish to turn a family away if they are not able to afford the fees and at present the majority of families do not pay fees. To keep the Academy running and provide a strong Catholic education to as many children as possible, we rely on the donations of generous benefactors. As we read in our dearly-beloved Missal at Christmas time, “Thine almighty Word, O Lord, leaped down from heaven”. Priests must always imitate Christ in all things. Therefore, Canon Vianney Poucin, accompanied by Philip Russell (a trustee) and Kevin Russell-Young (a parent of three of the children) will also be leaping from the heavens (1500ft), but by means of an aeroplane and a parachute in order to raise funds for St Benedict’s! The planned date is the 4 September. Will you help make Catholic education great again? Will you sponsor them? If you feel able, visit https://www.gofundme. com/f/parachuting-priest
Teaching at St Benedict’s Academy
AUTUMN 2019
