Mass on the Marsh

The Latin Mass Society’s annual Sung Mass was held in St Augustine’s, Snave, Kent, on Saturday 23 September.

Report and photos by Joseph Shaw

This is the eighth of these Masses, in collaboration with the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust, which has the care of the church. Their other 13 ‘marsh churches’ continue to function as Anglican Parish churches, but St Augustine’s does not. The Annual Mass is one of this church’s only two services a year, the other being a Harvest thanksgiving/ evensong.

The Mass was attended not only by the Latin Mass Society’s Local Representative for the area, Marygold Turner, but the President and the Chairman of the Trust: Mr John Doyle MBE and Mr Peter Anwyl-Harris.

Mass was celebrated by Fr Gabriel Díaz-Patri, and accompanied by the Victoria Consort. The Mass was for the Ember Saturday, and the Consort sang Byrd's Mass for Four Voices and motets.

There is no electricity or piped water at St Augustine's, which was built in the 13th century, but the church was bathed in brilliant autumn sunshine. It was a great privilege to have Mass in this wonderful medieval church.