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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.

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.

Brentwood Mark Johnson

I am delighted to report that the Missa Cantata on Christmas Eve at St Margaret's Convent Chapel was very well attended (within Covid protocols). Fr Michael Cullinan was the celebrant, with Tomas Luis de Victoria's Mass setting, O Magnum Mysterium sung by Cantus Magnus under the direction of Matthew Schelhorn. Our thanks go Monsignor John Armitage, the parish priest, for his hospitality and willingness to accommodate the Mass in a busy Christmas schedule.

The Mass at Canning Town continues with improving numbers. I am most grateful to Fr Gabriel Diaz, Fr Jean-Claude Selvini and Fr Tim Finigan for their willingness to come and celebrate the Mass.

Fr Neil Brett has returned to the Diocese of Brentwood and is now resident at SS Mary & Ethelburga, Linton Road, Barking. He is now offering a Low Mass every Sunday at that church at 12 noon.

Members should note that the Triduum Sacrum will be celebrated again this year at Canning Town. Please see the magazine or Latin Mass Society website for details.

Brentwood (East) Alan Gardner alanmdgardner@gmail.com

We continue to be grateful to hard-working priests and laity across our extensive area for their wonderful efforts to make the Mass available to us. I know that in some cases we are having to rely on Spiritual Communion and/or live-streaming and I know we are all praying for a return to ‘full experience’ Masses everywhere.

As you can imagine, provision is continually shifting – if you are ‘in the know’ in your local area, please keep me informed so that I can circulate to everyone.

If you are not currently on my local email circulation list (you should be receiving something from me at reasonably regular intervals), do please feel free to get in touch.

Cardiff Andrew Butcher cardiff@lms.org.uk 07905 609770

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda. It goes without saying that last year was a very unpredictable and distressing year for us all. I hope and pray that this year will be a much happier and healthier one. Daily Mass is continuing to be offered and live-streamed at the Cardiff Oratory in Formation and Sunday Masses are offered at both the Oratory and Most Holy Trinity, Ledbury (not livestreamed). Please see the Mass listing for more information and please check with the parishes, either by visiting their websites or by phone before travelling, as a ticketing system may be in place.

I would also like to thank the clergy for their support and hard work over the last twelve months, it is truly appreciated.

Be assured of my prayers.

East Anglia (West) Gregor and Alisa Dick

Sunday Masses in the Dominican Rite continue to be celebrated at Blackfriars in Cambridge. Often too there is Mass on holy days of obligation, as was the case most recently for Christmas and the Epiphany. To find details of such Masses near to the time, please check the LMS website or contact us.

Of your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Mgr Mark Langham, lately Catholic chaplain to the University of Cambridge, who died on 15 January. Mgr Langham learned to celebrate the Traditional Mass following his appointment as chaplain in 2013, initially in order to celebrate the annual Requiem Mass for Mgr Alfred Gilbey, but beyond this he would also say other Masses in the Traditional Rite in the chaplaincy at the request of students. May he rest in peace.

East Anglia (Withermarsh Green) Sarah Ward 07522 289449 withermarshgreen@lms.org.uk

It has been a joy to watch the season changes at the remote rural location of Withermarsh Green. What a blessing to attend Mass in such picturesque countryside!

Travellers to the church may have encountered flooding, stray cows and certainly mud on their way up the hedge-lined, single track road. Parking at the field by the church has become almost impossible due to the mud, with many vehicles getting stuck. On the whole, this has caused more laughter than distress, but special thanks must go to all the willing men who have been so obliging in pushing vehicles out of the mud. Many now opt to park a little further up the lane and walk down to the church.

A second national lockdown in November meant that public Masses were suspended for a few weeks. The church remained open for private prayer and a good number of people made use of this opportunity, as well as a weekly Holy Hour with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. We are very grateful to Fr Whisenant, who produced regular videos for our edification in a series of “Fireside Sermons” and “Rambling Sermons”, the latter being filmed as he took a walk around the Dedham Vale.

For a short period, Withermarsh Green was designated Tier 2 and Fr Whisenant was able to get started on some pastoral initiatives, in particular a Men’s Group and a Women’s Group. We hope these will take place on a monthly basis once restrictions are eased.

The last few weeks of Advent and the Christmas Octave were a glorious interlude between lockdowns. Some highlights include a Solemn High Mass on 8 December for one of our patronal feasts, the Immaculate Conception. Thanks to Monsignor Gordon Read and Fr Simon Leworthy for assisting. Also, two very beautiful Rorate Masses, celebrated by candlelight at dawn. On Christmas Eve, a team of volunteers decorated the Church with garlands of fresh greenery and set up a Nativity scene. Midnight Mass was celebrated with a Missa Cantata, preceded by carols sung by the new fledgling Schola.

Unfortunately, our other patronal feast, that of St Edmund, fell during the November lockdown. So as not to forget our great local Saint, Fr Whisenant arranged to say Mass at the tiny chapel of St Stephens in the hamlet of Bures St Mary, purportedly built on the site of St Edmund’s coronation in 855 AD. This chapel is even more remote than Withermarsh Green! Nevertheless, a good number of people braved the freezing weather conditions to travel to Bures and attend Mass. We are grateful to the current custodian of the chapel for his hospitality and telling us a bit about its history.

We look forward to spring at Withermarsh Green!

Hexham & Newcastle Keith McAllister 01325 308968 07966 235329 k_mcallister@ymail.com

Latin Mass provision continues as last quarter, in a very limited manner, with the only Sunday worship being at St Joseph’s, Gateshead celebrated by Canon Michael Brown. He also arranged a Missa Cantata on 20 December (Advent 4) celebrated by our Bishop Robert Byrne. With a congregation of 78, this was fittingly elevated with musical and choral excellence by the Paul Dewhirst choir, including the Ave Maria offertory by Vittoria,

Elgar’s Ecce Sacerdos magnus; then at Communion, Panis Angelicus by Casciolini.

Weekday Masses are proceeding at Coxhoe through to Lent, thanks to Fr Shaun Swales; also at Whittingham, celebrated by Fr David Phillips.

Fr Paul Tully and I are trying to reinstate Sunday Masses at Thornley and are currently engaged in the diocesan compliance regime of stewards/ cleaners/ booking system, et al!

There is no imminent prospect of a renewal of Masses at Barnard Castle, given retirement of the PP approaching, with no indication of the new incumbent yet announced.

Bishop Byrne had agreed to a Latin Mass at our cathedral on 23 Jan; however, he has decided to postpone this, probably to March.

The death of Patrick (Paddy) Walsh of Hartlepool is noted with sadness as of early December; a Latin Requiem Mass was celebrated at his local church by Fr Paul Tully ahead of Paddy’s burial. Paddy was an avid supporter of Tradition in the diocese and abroad, serving Masses near home, on pilgrimage in Fatima and marching from Paris to N.D. of Chartres.

Lancaster (North) Nicholas Steven 07715 539395 warwickbridge@lms.org.uk

After a three-year gap, weekly Traditional Latin Masses have returned to Cumbria! Canon Luiz Ruscillo, having been appointed Parish Priest of the newly amalgamated Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in September 2020, is now offering Mass at 10 am each Saturday at Our Lady and St Wilfrid, Warwick Bridge. Let's hope this will one day extend to Sundays and other days of the week.

Attendees regularly include faithful souls who have been devoted to the Usus Antiquior for over 50 years, families with children who love the quiet reverence of the Mass and regular parishioners who just wish to receive the Blessed Sacrament in the traditional manner.

I had the awesome privilege of serving Fr Luiz's first Mass - in the very church where I had first learned to serve it in 1961. JohnPaul Whalen served the second Mass at which his son, William, received his first Holy Communion. Fr Luiz's third Mass was a Missa Cantata, accompanied by our four-man Schola, ably led by Andrew Plasom-Scott. Do please join us for future Masses if you can. Anyone coming from a distance is always most welcome to call me on 07715 539395 to confirm before setting off. Please text the same number if you'd like to join our WhatsApp news group. Also please call if you are passing and would like to pray before the tabernacle and relics of St Petronia in A.W. Pugin's little masterpiece. I'll see what can be arranged.

Liverpool Neil Addison liverpool@lms.org.uk

I must begin by giving praise to my predecessor Jim Pennington who has retired after 20 years as the Liverpool LMS representative. That means being involved in the LMS when life was much harder for the Traditional Rite than it is today. Jim was particularly involved in ensuring that the Traditional Rite continued as a weekly Mass at St Anthony’s and it is a particular sadness that he has retired during the time that the St Anthony’s Mass has been discontinued due to the Covid restrictions. I am very grateful to Jim for his constant guidance and kindness as I’ve tried to understand the rep’s job and I am fortunate that he remains just a telephone call away when I need advice.

Like everywhere else in the country Liverpool Archdiocese has had to contend with the relaxation following Lockdown 1 being followed by Lockdowns 2 & 3. We are fortunate that we have the ICKSP churches in New Brighton and Preston as well as the FSSP in Warrington because without them we would have no access to the Traditional Rite other than online. Fr Simon Henry in Leyland made valiant attempts to re-start a regular Sunday EF Mass at Leyland but the small numbers combined with the need to clean afterwards rendered that impractical, however he is offering 2 weekly EF Masses on Tuesdays and Fridays. Other than that, there are no diocesan churches offering the EF at present and we are dependent on the 2 Traditionalist Orders.

Over Christmas we were fortunate in the number of Masses offered by the Traditionalist Orders but despite valiant efforts Jim was not able to get approval for a Christmas EF in St Anthony’s, which was a great loss to the many who attended that Church.

On a very positive note, the Archdiocese has issued a ‘Summary of Proposals’ as part of its Synod 2020 consultation process www.synod2020.co.uk and those proposals include this heartening entry. 3.5 The Synod proposes that the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite be more widely available. There are other proposals which we in the traditionalist community will also support. 3.3 The Synod proposes that traditional devotions, which have nurtured people in ages past, be renewed for our age. 3.8 The Synod proposes that more value be placed on the need for beauty in our liturgy, in the way it is celebrated and in the liturgical environment.

The local LMS were in fact consulted by the Archdiocese as part of the Synod process and asked to make submissions. Obviously, we asked for more availability of the EF but we also looked at the wider needs of the Archdiocese. We stressed the value of traditional devotions, Rosary, Divine Office, Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic Adoration etc. and the importance of beauty and reverence in the liturgy, whether in Latin or in English. It is heartening that our submissions seem to have been listened to. We can only hope and pray that they will be acted on as the Archdiocese starts to look to its future post Covid

Liverpool (Warrington) Alan Frost

In these troubled times it is encouraging to be able to report some excellent news. Improbable as it seemed at the outset a little over two years ago, the St Mary’s Priory Campaign raised the huge sum needed to purchase the buildings targeted by the October deadline and finance some of the conversion work inside; indeed, it surpassed it a little, raising just over a £1 million. All this in less than five years and in time for the fifth anniversary of the FSSP taking over the running of what is now the Shrine Church of St Mary.

St Mary’s was formerly owned and run by the Benedictines of the Abbey of Ampleforth. For want of priests, they had to withdraw and after two years the Archdiocese of Liverpool was about to shut down this magnificent church. The FSSP, the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, the largest traditional priestly community in full communion with the Holy See, took it over. The Fraternity’s registered charity legally owns the church, presbytery and entire site. Archbishop McMahon of Liverpool entrusted the FSSP with the canonical mission of making the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite available to all in the Liverpool Archdiocese, but, of course, the priests welcome anyone from other dioceses. The Confirmation of nineteen candidates from several dioceses by Archbishop McMahon last July illustrated this point. Details about the FSSP can be found on-line: https://www.fssp.org/en.

The regular Sunday congregation increased by one third during last summer, from 150 to 200. And since the re-opening of the Shrine Church for daily Mass, attendances have been impressive, particularly at the Christmas Midnight Mass. Many also attended the (seldom seen) ‘Blessing of the Epiphany Water’, following the Epiphany Eve Mass, people being able to take home containers of the newly blessed water for private devotions.

Weekly confessions heard reached 100 in September. When allowed by the often-changing Covid regulations, the following activities take place: Weekly Mothers’ Prayer group and Men’s Groups, both on Wednesdays, monthly Ladies’ Group; the family educational afternoon, with the Youth Group active on-line (juventutem.warrington). Moreover, during Advent, appropriately, it was good to see Fr Alex Stewart able to return to his priestly duties. He re-joins Fr Verrier (organist and choirmaster), support priest Fr Jolley, and Rector Fr de Malleray, whose summer ‘FSSP Sermon for the LMS Anniversary’ is available via the on-line ‘LiveMass’ link.

Deacon Roger Gilbride, who spent some time at St Mary’s in recent months, was ordained in his native New Zealand in October. Fr de Malleray thanks all who contributed to the spiritual bouquet sent to Deacon Gilbride for his ordination. FSSP seminarians have been visiting from the States and assisting at St Mary’s, two of them feature on the cover of the current issue of the ‘Dowry’ quarterly (available by surface mail), along with recently professed Sr Mari Caritas, formerly a helper at the Shrine church and for several years a student at the LMS Summer School. On the theme of the calling to religious life, it is hoped, at the time of writing, to hold the Annual Vocations Weekend at the end of January (beginning 29 Jan but obviously subject to Covid regulations).

Finally, the ongoing promotion of the Shrine and its mission has seen the introduction of a new logo for related sales items and works: the image of Mother Mary from the centre of the great Lady rose window above the altar.

Menevia Elaine Sharpling 01239 710411 meneviastabatmater.blogspot.com/

Good news from Menevia – despite the various lockdowns and circuit breakers, Fr Liam Bradley was able to offer his first Mass in the Extraordinary Form in November. Our very fine seminarian, Gregory Beckett, served the Mass and was excellent in every way. Canon Jason Jones and Fr Paul Brophy also offered wonderful support.

This provision means that the Mass of Ages takes place on each Sunday offered in turn by Canon Jones, Fr Brophy and Fr Bradley. In particular, Fr Liam’s Mass is a significant help for those living in west Wales.

Attendance remains good and we are delighted to see new families with children attending the Holy Mass.

We continue to post information on our blogspot and it is essential that you check there before travelling - a booking system for Mass attendance is in place.

Northampton (South) Barbara Kay bedford@lms.org.uk 01234 340759

Deo Gratias, the Annual Mass of Reparation for Abortion at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Bedford went ahead for the third time on 14 November. Sadly, this had to be celebrated behind closed doors due to the lockdown, but Peter Jones, a member of our congregation who works for EWTN, live-streamed the event, and also took some beautiful photographs. Fr Seth Phipps, FSSP, celebrated this High Mass on his first visit to the Shrine, assisted by Fr Gabriel Diaz as Deacon and Fr Michael Cullinan as Subdeacon. They wore some beautiful cloth of gold vestments which form part of Christ the King Bedford’s collection. The team of servers was most ably led by Columba Shaw, son of our Chairman, Joseph, who himself was serving on this occasion, and Matthew Schellhorn provided the music.

We had a ‘first’ at Bedford in December – the first Christmas Latin Midnight Mass since 1968, at 12.00 am of course; the parish congregation’s Midnight Mass was kindly put back to 10 pm to accommodate us. We also had the usual 8.30am Mass on Christmas Day, both Masses being celebrated by Fr Matthew Goddard, FSSP, with an attendance of about 90 people at each. Fr Goddard was back on 6 January for the Epiphany Mass, which was attended by a surprisingly large congregation of around 100. Afterwards the faithful were able to collect Epiphany water and blessed chalk, as sadly, of course, due to the pandemic, homes could not be blessed by our priests this year.

It has been a privilege since the beginning of December to welcome turn by turn to Bedford Frs Armand de Malleray, Ian Verrier and Alex Stewart from the FSSP apostolate in Warrington. This has come about because there are currently two rather than the usual three priests at Reading at the moment with three apostolates to cover. The Warrington priests come down on Saturday afternoon to hear confessions from 3pm – 5pm and then stay over to celebrate the 8.30am and 12.30pm Sunday Masses.

We have heard from Fr Patrick O’Donohue, FSSP, who said Mass at Bedford up until last September. He returned from Reading to his native land in September to be the first resident priest there in a new FSSP apostolate. Sadly, the strict lockdown in the Republic of Ireland with the total closure of churches has meant that there have been only four Sundays in three months where Fr O’Donohue has been able to celebrate Mass publicly.

We now have a new priest-in-residence at Christ the King, Fr Nicholas Nwanzi. Happily, he has been supportive of our Latin Mass community, continuing the warm welcome given to us by his predecessor.

We have a flourishing Facebook page which is regularly updated with full details of our activities: please see https://www. facebook.com/bedfordlatinmass/.

The Annual Mass of Reparation for Abortion

Nottingham Jeremy Boot 07462 018386

I am sorry to say there is little to report this quarter. As I write this, most of the country has just gone in to tier 4, including Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, which makes travel outside one’s immediate area illegal rather than simply cautionary. We have one Mass in Nottingham that still takes place at The Good Shepherd, Thackeray’s Lane, Nottingham NG5 4HT (Saturday before 2nd Sunday, 4.30pm). So far these have been Low Masses, occasionally with some music. Our other scheduled Masses at Our Lady and St Patrick’s, Nottingham and the Cathedral still cannot take place alas. For those further south, Masses are regularly celebrated at Our Lady of the Annunciation, Ashby Road, Loughborough LE11 3AB on Wednesdays at 6.30pm. Our thanks as ever to our generous celebrants and also our thanks to the small army of cleaners in those parishes who both keep us safe and make us welcome in these trying times.

Nottingham South (Leicestershire & Rutland) Paul Beardsmore

There is little to report in Leicestershire and Rutland other than the regular Wednesday Masses at Loughborough, which happily included the Epiphany this year.

Plymouth (Cornwall) Stefano Mazzeo cornwall@lms.org.uk

The Convent Chapel at Laherne continues to serve the Traditional Catholic faithful of Cornwall and is open during the day for private prayer. Mass is at 10am on Sundays and at 8am from Monday through Saturday. Confessions are from 3pm on Saturdays and from 9.15 to 9.45am on Sundays. Volunteers have been working on the grounds of the Convent to help with improvements and especially a very large hedge, which needed to be cut by hand. An even bigger project is the restoration of Lanherne's historic chapel, and the sisters, Canon Scot Smith and the congregation have been engaged in a Novena to St Joseph for benefactors.

Should anyone wish to help please contact Canon Smith at: The Chaplain's House, Lanherne Convent, St Mawgan, Newquay, TR8 4ER. Tel: 07366 321039. To be included in Canon Smith's weekly newsletter email please a request to canon.smith@ institute-christ-king.org

Lanherne's historic chapel

Plymouth (Devon) Maurice Quinn 07555 536579 devon@lms.org.uk

In these strange and restricted times, it is pleasing to report that in the City of Plymouth our regular Sunday Latin Mass has been celebrated as usual at St Edward the Confessor in Peverell by Canon Scott Smith of the ICKSP, who looks after the pastoral needs of the Latin Mass congregation. The Christmas Day Mass was particularly uplifting due to it being a Sung Mass with a choir, when Mr Andrew Proctor once again provided the organ music for the Latin chants and for the traditional Christmas carols, while two of his sons, Oliver and Alajandro, ably served on the sanctuary. I managed to attend Mass at St Edward’s the following Sunday when Canon Scott blessed wine that people had brought in for the purpose, and was pleased to see that once again the small but efficient choir was in full voice. For anyone considering attending this regular and beautiful Sunday Mass at St Edward’s, please do note that Canon Scott has brought the Mass back an hour from 4pm to 3pm in order to accommodate more easily the four Mass celebrations that take place every Sunday (2 x Novus Ordo, 1 Ordinariate Rite and 1 Traditional Latin). As is apparent, the Priest in Charge, Fr Ian Hellyer, ensures that everybody in the Plymouth area is catered for! I would just like to add that Canon Scott has been pleased to resume the monthly 1st Saturday’s Mass at 11.30am (Our Lady of Fatima devotion) with Confession beforehand, so please do avail yourselves of this wonderful opportunity to comply with Our Lady’s request to Sr Lucia, one of the Fatima seers.

Unlike in Plymouth, the pastoral needs of the Latin Mass congregations at Blessed Sacrament in Exeter, and at St Cyprian’s, Ugbrooke House, Chudleigh, cannot be met. I hasten to add that this is not the fault of parish priests – who are doing their level best to accommodate us – but is simply due to present nationwide circumstances. The major insurmountable obstacle at the moment at both venues is that we cannot possibly meet the added time-consuming virus requirements for congregational use – after Mass deep clean/sanitizing etc., so I do ask everybody to be patient and understanding. The good news is that we have already been pleased to engage the services of Fr Peter Coxe, who has kindly offered to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for us at both venues throughout this current year when circumstances allow.

As always, do check the Mass Listings, and contact me if you have any questions regarding the above.

Plymouth (Dorset) Maurice Quinn 07555 536579 devon@lms.org.uk

I am happy to report that the days/dates for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass have been confirmed for 2021 at Our Lady’s, Marnhull, and at Our Lady of Lourdes & St Cecilia in Blandford Forum. The first UsusAntiquior of the year was celebrated at Blandford Forum by Mgr Francis Jamieson on Our Lady’s Saturday, 2 January at 9.30am. Please take note that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Traditional Rite will be celebrated every Saturday morning at Blandford Forum at 9.30am throughout the coming year, so if you are able, do support this, especially if you live in the area – a wonderful opportunity for carrying out the 1st Saturday devotions of Our Lady of Fatima. The Epiphany Mass was also celebrated by Mgr Francis on Wednesday 6 January at 12 noon, an occasion that saw Our Lady of Lourdes & St Cecilia at full capacity given the current virus distancing in force. This Mass was followed up on Wednesday 13 at 12 noon by an impromptu celebration of the Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Although this latter was not well attended due to it being a last-minute arrangement, it was much appreciated by those present.

It is always a special joy for me to attend any of the Dorset Traditional Latin Mass celebrations, so to be present at Our Lady’s, Marnhull, for the Thursday 10 December 12 noon Mass was memorable, especially as I had the pleasure of serving on the sanctuary after being invited to do so by the PP and celebrant Fr Martin Budge. On the sanctuary I was once again struck by the beautiful simplicity of this traditional old church, especially of the reredos replete with tapestries showing six West Country saints – including the Chideock Martyr Fr John Cornelius S.J. expertly produced by lady parishioners in 1982 (see photograph).

During 2021 give yourself a real treat and attend a celebration of the centuries old Traditional Latin Mass at Our Lady’s, Marnhull, and at Our Lady of Lourdes and St Cecilia, Blandford Forum, and take note that Confession is available at both venues before Mass. Do check the Mass Listings, and if travelling any distance, do contact me to confirm or if you have any relevant questions.

Our Lady’s Marnhull: from left to right, Blessed John Slade; St Walburga; St Aldhelm; St Boniface; St Edward; Blessed John Cornelius SJ

Portsmouth (Bournemouth) Tim Fawkes t.fawkes136@btinternet.com

Over the past quarter and when the law has allowed, regular Sunday Masses at 4pm have continued at St Thomas More Church, Iford and our thanks again to the friars in Gosport who undertake a lengthy round trip to the church to offer Mass on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation. There were also Masses on 8 December (feast of the Immaculate Conception), Christmas Day at midnight and on 6 January (Epiphany).

First Friday evening Masses have continued at the Bournemouth Oratory and there were vigil Masses for the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Epiphany.

Portsmouth (Isle of Wight) Peter Clarke

We give thanks for 32 years of Latin (E.F.) Masses on the Isle of Wight. These have been mainly at St Mary's, Ryde. Now they are chiefly at St Thomas's, Cowes, thanks to Fr Jonathan Redvers Harris. Despite a heavy workload running two parishes (Cowes and East Cowes) and his duties as Chancellor of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Father still manages a weekly E.F. Mass at 12 noon on Thursdays.

We have benefited in the past from visiting priests, especially from the FSSP. The present pandemic has curtailed this. However, we look forward to welcoming any priest who visits our beautiful Island (when restrictions are lifted) who will, hopefully, offer Mass for us.

Portsmouth (Reading) Adrian Dulston 01491 682909 berks@lms.org.uk

Reading Latin Masses continued to be served by the FSSP, who are now down to two priests, who nevertheless valiantly continue to serve other areas of the country. The Masses have continued more or less at the normal times albeit with the restrictive measures in spacing etc. However, thanks to the down to earth nature of these heroic priests there is some spiritual anchorage to the routine of the laity’s lives.

Of course, the highlight remains Christmas, and Midnight Mass was well attended, beginning with Carols at 11.30pm and Mass at the stroke of midnight. There were no festive refreshments. It would be remiss of me to not mention the choir, both the male chant and the mixed polyphonic, who give valuable beauty to the Sunday Masses and these seasonal Feasts.

I have to say the FSSP priests are a providential gift for the people of north Portsmouth Diocese and far beyond – if you ever come you will know the spread of distances people travel to get to the greatest of treasures of the Church.

I write on the Feast of the Epiphany where two Masses were offered, one in the morning and one in the evening as well as a commitment to another diocese. Let us thank God for Fr Goddard and Fr Phipps. And a Blessed Epiphanytide to you all!

Shrewsbury (The Wirral) Neil Addison liverpool@lms.org.uk

Congratulations are due to Canon Montjean of the ICKSP who achieved a Doctorate in Theology after 3 years of hard work. His thesis was ‘Catholic Marriage in the works of St Francis de Sales’, St Francis is a Patron of the Institute of Christ the King so a very appropriate subject for a Thesis.

Sad news however for Canon Poucin whose grandmere died in the New Year, he has the sympathy of all of us at the Dome.

We were fortunate over the Christmas period that 2 Vigil Masses were offered on 24 December and 2 on Christmas Day. The Vigil Masses needed to be booked in advance to ensure proper social distancing was maintained and in addition we had sung Mass on New Year’s Day. One slightly amusing addition was a service on 31 December to ‘Give Thanks for the Year’, a nice thought and a traditional devotion but I don’t know how sincere people were in giving thanks for 2020, however we are all certainly looking forward with hope to 2021.

We know that compared to many areas we are very fortunate in having access to regular Masses and devotions in the Traditional Rite. The Canons continue to live-stream these services for those who are unable to attend and they can be found on YouTube

The restoration work on our Church is continuing in the main Altar and inside the Dome itself, so we continue to use the side altar of St Philomena which is serving us well. Like the rest of the country, we continue to make the best of the situation and hope that things will have returned to some normality by Easter. For us Easter will also hopefully be the time when the building work is complete and we are able to return to using the main Altar.

Southwark (Kent) Marygold Turner 01580 291372

Things have looked up since my last report and our churches are open, so we’ve been able to have Holy Mass on Sundays and Feast Days. I’m immensely indebted to Fr Behruz at St Andrew’s in Tenterden for welcoming us so warmly and for understanding the importance of the Traditional liturgy. Not only that but Fr Gabriel Diaz has most generously celebrated the Mass for us at St Andrew’s. He has a very fine reputation as an expert on many subjects, especially the liturgy, which he has studied for so many years. He also has a magnificent voice, as many of you will know.

We have been able to have a number of Sung Masses with Ben Bevan and one or two of his singers. He came to Trevor Leney’s funeral on 18 January. The music was celestial, ending with Faure’s In Paradisum.A fitting tribute to Trevor, who was a marvellous and very devout man. Trevor’s son put together the beautiful Requiem, which was attended by his devoted mother and family. Live-streaming the Mass via Zoom enabled more than 20 family and friends around the world to join with us.

Southwark (St Mary’s Chislehurst) Christopher Richardson chislehurst@lms.org.uk

We have been blessed by the appointment of a new parish priest, Fr Francis Lynch. We were very busy over Christmas and the Epiphany. In addition to our usual Sunday (Sung) and Friday (Low) Masses, we had Sung Masses on Christmas Day; on The Vigil of the Octave of the Nativity (31 December) followed by a Te Deum; on the next day (the Octave, New Year’s Day) preceded by the chanting of the Veni Creator; and on the Feast of the Epiphany. We will have a Sung Mass again on the feast of the Purification of the BVM (Candlemas).

Our Traditional Masses continue to be well attended, but at the same time meticulous care is taken to ensure Covid restrictions are observed.

Southwark (Thanet) Antonia Robinson 01843 845880 07961 153963 thanet@lms.org.uk

Amidst the madness of the whole country going into lockdown, then coming out of lockdown, then back into lockdown again, liturgical life at the Shrine Church of St Augustine in Ramsgate flourished. Never one to miss a trick, Fr Christopher Basden seized the opportunity of the November lockdown to increase the internet reach of the traditional community of St Augustine’s and saw the number of subscribers to the church’s YouTube channel increase to well over 1000, with a virtual congregation stretching across the globe.

Although forbidden to enter the church during those lockdown weeks, a number of faithful gathered every Sunday in St Augustine’s peaceful clifftop graveyard to pray the Rosary, read the Sunday readings aloud, and adore Our Lord when the peal of the consecration bells rang through the flint walls, just audible above the crashing of the waves.

What delight there was among the faithful when the doors were allowed to be reopened and public worship resumed! Three joyful sung Christmas Masses in the Traditional Form were celebrated in 2020, which must be a post-conciliar record for the parish. We are all enormously grateful to Fr Gabriel Patri Diaz for celebrating Christmas Mass at Midnight, (really at midnight!) and a Dawn Mass at 6am on Christmas Day. The Dawn Mass was a rare treat, with the first pale shafts of light illuminating the sanctuary as the liturgy reached its pinnacle. Thanks are also due to our intrepid Director of Music, Ben Scott, who led, sang and played the music at all three Christmas TLM, and Hugo Robinson who MCed both the Midnight and Dawn Masses. Sung Mass on Christmas Day celebrated by parish priest Fr Christopher Basden was the final of our three Traditional Masses, and no less splendid than the others. All three Christmas Masses were very well attended and it was particularly wonderful to see so many intrepid worshipers at the dawn Mass.

On 27 December a glorious High Mass was celebrated for the Feast of St John, Apostle and Evangelist, Celebrant: Fr Christopher Basden; Deacon: David Hunter; Subdeacon: Patrick Breeze; MC: Hugo Robinson.

At the time of writing, we are into a third lockdown although the church remains open and the congregations (both in church and online) are growing. Particularly pleasing is an increase in the number of young families, the toddlers and infants who will be the next generation of servers, priests, and religious. At the end of a difficult year, we have much for which to thank God and many reasons to feel hopeful. Deo gratias!

Southwark (Wandsworth) Julia Ashenden

Canon Martin Edwards continues to run a thriving parish at the Oratory of St Mary Magdalen in Wandsworth and kept the Church open every morning for private prayer during the November lockdown. Once Mass could be resumed there was a feast of Advent and Christmas Masses. On Gaudete Sunday a small professional choir sang Mozart’s Missa Brevis while the following week, just before Christmas, a Rorate Mass was celebrated in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 7.30am by candlelight. Likewise, a Dawn Mass was said on Christmas morning in the EF.

Midnight Mass was a splendid occasion with the church as full as Covid rules would allow and the choir singing Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit pour Noël. This small visiting choir, under the leadership of David Guest, sings once a month using the spacious choir loft. On the other Sundays at 11am there is a Missa Cantata with a trio of singers from the congregation, again using the choir loft. In addition to the 11am Sunday Mass Canon Edwards will now be adding a regular weekday Latin Mass on Tuesdays, followed by Benediction.

If we are still allowed to function by Easter (by the Government) then the liturgy will be as you would expect, and on Easter Sunday at 11am there will be the world premiere of a new Mass setting by Mr David Guest. We now have a website up and running, so for any more details or information, please log in! Website: stmarymagdalens.co.uk

Westminster (Willesden) Anna Grayson-Morley willesden@lms.org.uk 07710 472295

We continue to carry on the best we can under the threat of more extensive lockdowns. Mass attendance on Sundays continues to be very low at 6 – 8 people, while Holy Days see a slight rise. For example, the Epiphany saw a turnout of 14, still lower than pre-Covid. The most notable exception was the 10am Christmas Day Mass, where we had a very large attendance of 126. If only we could keep this up weekly!

It is due to the very low numbers on the Sunday evening Mass that Fr Stephen will be taking the situation under review at the end of January. It may be that we will have to move to a fortnightly or even monthly EF Mass. It all depends on the support via attendance that we get. You can keep up to date on times by visiting our website http://parish.rcdow.org.uk/willesden and clicking on the latest newsletter. Please also remember that in order to keep to social distancing guidelines, you must reserve a place for Mass attendance. You can do this by email: willesden@ rcdow.org.uk or by telephone: 020 8965 4935.

Wrexham Kevin Jones wrexham@lms.org.uk 01244 674011

The situation in Wrexham is unchanged in respect of celebrations of the Traditional Mass and the ongoing pandemic situation. None of the venues, which were few in the first place, have resumed.

Of note is that our Llay celebrant, Canon Lordan, has continued his treatment and just before Christmas he went home to Co. Cork for a period of convalescence. I am sure you will join me in continued prayer for his recovery.

The grim situation in Wrexham diocese is typified in that OF Masses at Llay are, as I understand it, being covered by the Bishop himself such is the crisis in Priestly numbers in the diocese.

Any changes to the situation will be posted on the Wrexham LMS blog lmswrexham.weebly.com