Chideock Pilgrimage

Maurice Quinn reports on the Latin Mass Society’s Pilgrimage to Our Lady Queen of Martyrs & St Ignatius, Chideock, Dorset, in the Presence of the Rt Rev. Mark O’Toole, Bishop of Plymouth.

Beautiful sunshine greeted pilgrims on the morning of Saturday, 16 October as they gathered at the beautiful and historic Church of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs & St Ignatius at Chideock in Dorset. They had come to this gem of English Catholicism to gather with the Rt Rev. Mark O’Toole, Bishop of Plymouth, to attend a Traditional High Mass in honour of the seven Chideock men – three priests and four laymen - who were cruelly put to death for their Catholic faith between 1587 and 1642, whereas an eighth, John Jessop, died in prison.

This was the first Traditional Latin High Mass to be celebrated in this church that anyone can remember and was certainly the first in the presence of a bishop of the diocese, being also the first time that Canons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest had been invited to officiate.

At the request of the Latin Mass Society (Plymouth), the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered for the intention of vocations to the sacred ministry, and, for this purpose, every pilgrim entering the church was given a Chideock Martyrs prayer card.

On the sanctuary, clergy of the Institute were in abundance, where Canon Tanner (newly appointed Prior of the Shrine Church of Holy Angels in Torquay) was celebrant, assisted by Canon Poucin (New Brighton) as Deacon, and Abbé Carlisle (Holy Angels’ Shrine) as Subdeacon - all three wearing beautiful red vestments loaned by the Carmelite nuns at Lanherne Covent in Cornwall.

Photos by John Aron

On the Throne sat Bishop Mark O’Toole, with two Institute Assistants at his side, Canon Scott Smith and Abbé Patryk (Lanherne). Also sitting in choir was Mgr Keith Mitchell, PP of Bridport, and Fr Martin Budge, former PP of Our Lady’s, Marnhull. Overseeing the ceremony was MC Abbé Jacquet (New Brighton), with a serving team consisting of thurifer Matt Villa Real, acolytes Raphael Oliver and Joseph Miller, and torchbearers Alajandro and Oliver Proctor. Organist and choirmaster Andrew Proctor was ably assisted by choir members Dr Mary Coghill, Suzette Glover, Dr Andrew Beards, John Tristram and Charles Bradshaw, all of whom sang the Propers of the Mass of Many Martyrs. Before Bishop Mark gave the homily, he publicly and officially welcomed the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest into the diocese where they have been ministering at Lanherne for some time and have recently arrived in Torquay, where their presence is already being felt. His Lordship then went on to speak about the bravery and fidelity to the Catholic Faith of the Chideock Martyrs, linking this to the increasing persecution of Christians, especially against Catholics, that we are witnessing throughout the world today.

Just a few feet away from where he stood, in what used to be the loft of an old barn now accessed via the sacristy, is where Holy Mass was offered in secret during penal times by priests and local Catholics in great fear of their lives, and where Bishop Mark prayed quietly before Holy Mass contemplating the sacrifices of those people ever faithful to Our Lord and His church.

His Lordship reminded us that even today, in the 21st century, many innocent people throughout the world - men, women and children - have suffered, and still suffer martyrdom for following Christ.

After the homily, the beauty of the ancient ceremony continued, being enhanced by the seamless and expert movement of celebrant, deacon and subdeacon around the altar under the ever-watchful eyes of the MC and the attentive servers. It was a moving experience to observe the procession of communicants kneel on the lower step of the sanctuary – still shrouded in incense - to receive Our Lord on the tongue in a reverent and dignified manner as the choir in the loft sang the beautiful strains of ‘Panis Angelicus’.

At the end of Mass and after the final blessing, Bishop Mark, clergy and servers left the sanctuary in procession as they had entered it, but this time with the congregation raising the roof by singing ‘Faith of our Fathers’.

During the course of the day, pilgrims had ample time to visit the secret Mass chamber in the loft with its wall paintings, and to admire the unusually decorated sacristy, where one can view a chair that once belonged to Chideock Martyr Fr Hugh Green. They could also quietly tour Our Lady Queen of Martyrs & St Ignatius church with its paintings and artwork.

There was time also to take in the museum with its fascinating array of artifacts, photographs, drawings and articles relating to the Chideock Martyrs; see the once proud castle that overlooked the village, read of the Arundell and Weld families and their part in the history of the area, and, of course, to enjoy lunch with friends both old and new.

A long day for many pilgrims, closure could only come after Veneration of the Relics when, lunch over, with Canon Tanner officiating, people once again approached the sanctuary to kneel quietly and reverently on the lower step to kiss the reliquary, and, by this simple gesture, each person closed the day’s spiritual journey to Chideock, and headed for home.

Photos by John Aron

Photos by John Aron

Photos by John Aron