REPORTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
DIOCESAN DIGEST Mass of Ages quarterly round-up Birmingham & Black Country Louis Maciel 07392 232225 birmingham@lms.org.uk birmingham-lms-rep.blogspot.co.uk/ It is a sign of the times that, as I write this, the Oratory community has had to isolate for ten days following a priest testing positive for Covid-19. For obvious reasons the church had to close for ten days and it is a reminder that we must keep our priests in our prayers at this difficult time. I do not think any of us expected the public celebration of Mass to be suspended again in the run up to Christmas, which prevented any Monday Masses followed by Sung Vespers for the Dead being offered during November at the Oratory as planned. Four Low Masses were celebrated on All Souls Day, along with a High Mass in the evening. Two additional Masses were celebrated for Christmas at the Oratory, at 9pm on Christmas Eve and 9.30am on Christmas Day, in addition to midnight Mass and the 10.30am High Mass to accommodate the increase in numbers. The daily 5.45pm Mass switched to 9am during the Octave, with a Mass at 12 noon celebrated on the Octave Day itself. The regular Friday 6.30pm Mass continues at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton, which is live-streamed for those who are unable to attend in person. For obvious reasons, this did not take place on Christmas or the Octave of Christmas which fell on a Friday this year, but there was an additional Mass at 7pm on New Year’s Eve, announced at late notice, and on All Souls Day. For similar reasons there was no first Friday Mass at Sacred Heart and All Souls in Acocks Green in January, but the Mass continued in the other months. This continues to be complemented by the third Friday Mass at St Dunstan’s in Kings Heath. I am pleased to announce that a new weekly Sunday Low Mass has now started at 11.30am at St Mary-on-the-Hill in Wednesbury. Due to the current restrictions, communion is not distributed at this Mass. Birmingham (Oxford) Joseph Shaw oxford@lms.org.uk The Traditional Mass in Oxford has proved resilient in the difficult circumstances of the last quarter, and I hope it will continue to do so. While we cannot plan pilgrimages and special events, regular Masses have been taking place more or less as usual, and we have even been able to have Sung Masses, for feast days at SS Gregory & Augustine, and on Sundays (5pm) at Holy Rood, over the diocesan boundary (into Portsmouth Diocese) in the Abingdon Road, with various precautions in place. The Oxford Oratory’s 8am Sunday Mass has been close to capacity on occasion but it is rare for SS Gregory & Augustine to be so, and there is plenty of room at Holy Rood on Sundays. I would like to record my profound thanks to our always hard-working priests in all the churches of the area where the Traditional Mass is being celebrated, who have taken a very sane approach to the challenges of the epidemic, with regard for the health of Oxford’s Catholics both corporeal and spiritual. Thanks are also due to the many volunteers for their time and for the cooperation of all the Faithful.
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Birmingham North Staffs Alan Frost 01270 768144 It is good that in these times of national upheaval, since recently, churches have been allowed to stay open and Holy Mass celebrated, especially in the Traditional Rite. Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Swynnerton has been offering weekly Sunday Mass through parish priest Fr Paul Chavasse, who also celebrated Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany. Similarly, at St Augustine’s, Stoke-on-Trent (Meir), Fr Stefak has been offering the Old Rite Mass weekly (Wednesday evenings). The December Mass fell on an Ember Day and he obligingly prepared a handout about Ember Days, as this old tradition was probably new to some attenders. At the Benedictine chapel of Oulton Abbey (now a hospice/nursing home), Masses are occasionally offered in the Old Rite, such as for the Feast of All Souls, by Fr Regan. Birmingham (Worcestershire) Alastair J Tocher 01684 893332 malvern@lms.org.uk extraordinarymalvern.uk Facebook: Extraordinary Malvern Masses resumed after lockdown at Most Holy Trinity, Ledbury – just over the border in Herefordshire – with a Missa Cantata on the 2nd Sunday of Advent sung by a small group of singers and sung Masses have continued each Sunday since. Owing, however, to the increasingly stringent limitations which ultimately precluded pre-Mass rehearsals, Masses from Christmas onwards have been sung by a solo cantor. These included both Midnight Mass and Mass on Christmas morning, both of which were well attended. A Missa Cantata was also celebrated on the feast of the Epiphany of Our, Lord after which Epiphany Chalk was blessed. Subject to any increased restrictions it is hoped that these sung Masses will continue for the foreseeable future. At St Ambrose’s, Kidderminster, Fr Douglas Lamb offered a Low Missa in Aurora on Christmas morning. Once current restrictions are lifted Fr Lamb hopes to expand and extend provision of the Extraordinary Form in the parish. Watch this space! Fr Jason Mahoney continues to celebrate frequent private Low Masses at Redditch; and at nearby Belmont Abbey (Herefordshire) I am pleased to report that, whilst there have been no public celebrations of Mass in the Vetus Ordo, it seems that three resident monks – including Dom Augustine who was ordained priest last summer – are now celebrating private Low Masses.
Blessed chalk after Mass on Epiphany
SPRING 2021
