In case you missed this hoot...

...from Fr Z, here's a copy and paste job:


From a reader:



Can a beretta be used in the OF? When would it be used?


Yes, without question! But make sure that it is clean and in good working order so that it doesn’t misfire.


I would use the beretta primarily when there are too many extraordinary ministers charging the altar. Another possible moment would be when the choir sings On Eagles Wings or another ditty of that sort.


The best way to use the beretta is to rise… first removing your biretta – which is perfectly correct to use in celebrations of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite – and, taking aim, go for head shots.


I have learned through hard won and tough experience that you should immediately reload!


To save you and everyone else that embarrassing hitching up of the alb and digging in the pocket for a clip … errrr…. magazine…, have one … or more … ready on a silver salver covered with a linen cloth about the size of a corporal. The altar boy, or if it is a more solemn occasion, deacon, can bring you clips magazines as you should need them.


The beretta should be cleaned after the purification of the chalice and before the final prayer and dismissal.

The congregation will be quite patient and will not leave before that final blessing, believe me.

[No actual extraordinary ministers of Communion or pop-combo members were hurt in the making of this blog entry.]

St John the Evangelist, Horsham

A reminder that there will be a Mass this Saturday at St John's, at 6.00pm.

Fr.Gerard Bradley, the Spiritual Director of St. John's Seminary Wonersh, will be celebrating.

There are two Masses at Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne this week...

...on Tuesday, 28th September, and Wednesday 29th of September, both at 10.30pm in the Lady Chapel.

Hope to see you there.

St Pancras, Lewes

On Sunday 3rd October, Fr Richard Biggerstaff will be celebrating Mass at 5 pm.

Hope to see you there.

Tomorrow, Sunday 26 September

There is Mass at Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead at 3.00pm.

Hope lots of people can make it.

First Latin Mass Society Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham a Great Triumph

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

The first Latin Mass Society Walking Pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham took place from Friday 20 August to Sunday 22 August. It started with a blessing in the Catholic Parish Church of St Ethelreda. The pilgrims then walked from Ely to Downham Market where Mass in the Extraordinary Form was sung in the parish church by the pilgrimage chaplain, Fr Alex Redman. Father Alex also led devotions and heard confessions en route.

On the second day the pilgrims continued to Oxburgh Hall, owned by the Bedingfeld family, and which has been in Catholic hands since the Middle Ages. A sung Traditional Mass was celebrated in the private chapel.

On Sunday the pilgrims continued their way to Walsingham where they prayed in the Slipper Chapel and walked the ‘Holy Mile’ from the village to the Catholic shrine. Many, by tradition, were barefooted. Finally, sung Mass was celebrated in the Chapel of Reconciliation by Fr Redman.

Most of the pilgrims were young and greatly enthused by the combination of the physical effort involved and Mass and devotions in the Traditional form. LMS Chairman, Dr Joseph Shaw, completed the walk and said: “This is simply a trial run. There is a noble tradition of walking pilgrimages to Walsingham which the LMS wishes to revive, so next year we are planning a much bigger and even more heartfelt pilgrimage and we invite all young people, and not so young, to join us. We are determined through hard work and penance to return the Catholic Faith to England and Wales”.

Full photographs can be seen at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/josephshaw/sets/72157624797817624/

What a few days this has been.

What a blessed time, and not only for Cardinal John Henry Newman!

Anyone else unable to wipe the grin off their face?

It was so wonderful to hear His Holiness on mainstream TV, unmediated, in his own words. It was so wonderful that everyone who wanted to could listen.

Yes, I was anxious about how His Holiness would be received, simply because of the the press coverage.

But as I mentioned to Mike, it depends what you watched. I was switching between EWTN and Sky, and I can tell you, in a Sky vs BBC news off, Sky wins hands down (I did catch a bit of the BBC coverage, just in a spirit of fairness you understand!). There was little of the : "Well, that was very 'interesting', we've heard a bit from a 'catholic', but now let's hear from a pansexually transgendered ex 'catholic', a humanist, a rationalist, a scientist and of course, a nun", from Sky.


There are a few moments that stand out for me, mostly good, but a few I feel a bit iffy about. The iffy ones are just teensy quibbles, but I have to get them off my chest.

So in no particular chronological order, the first big one, is the responsorial music written by James Macmillan, those 'people parts' we've been hearing so much about. I'll probably be strung up for saying this, but I didn't like them that much *ducks and covers*.

It sounded as if Cecil B de Mille (I just love those movies!) had commissioned them. They were just too fussy, and they went on too long. True, I am a musical philistine in a lot of ways, but what's wrong with a simple, dignified chant? Do we need swooping responses that go on...and on...and on..? (Come to think of it, did we really need Be Still For the Presence of The Lord? Gack!).

The 'staging' I also thought was pretty awful. There was a flat-pack look to most of it, and the Catholic Mothership had definitely landed in Birmingham, with a retro stained glass effect sheet of a hanging that was really rather nasty.

So, in no particular order, this Best Thing shouldn't be a surprise: it was the use of Latin, and the Mass at Westminster Cathedral (apart from the couple of token serviettes).

There is nothing like singing responses in Latin, nothing like it in the world, always brings a tear to the eye. The creed, the Our Father, I'm blubbing. It's always an 'Oh thank you, God!' moment when you get to sing those at Mass, and to see and hear the Holy Father well, it was just amazing, and I only watched on TV. What must it have been like to be there?

So, another Best Thing. Who still believes that the Pope isn't down with the kids? The Holy Father's address at the Big Assembly and to the youth at Westminster Cathedral should have blown that myth out of the water!

I could go on and on, but I won't, because I hope perhaps you'll tell me in the combox what you thought about it all.

God Bless Pope Benedict!

I watched...



...the Holy Father this morning at St Mary's Twickenham, wearing the blue stole tie-dyed and heart batiqued specially for him, as he addressed what had to be the biggest ever school assembly (it did do what it said on the tin, it was The Big Assembly!).

It was simply perfect.

Here's a snippet I pinched from the Catholic Herald:

' Not only does God love us with a depth and an intensity that we can scarcely begin to comprehend, but he invites us to respond to that love. You all know what it is like when you meet someone interesting and attractive, and you want to be that person’s friend. You always hope they will find you interesting and attractive, and want to be your friend. God wants your friendship. And once you enter into friendship with God, everything in your life begins to change. As you come to know him better, you find you want to reflect something of his infinite goodness in your own life. You are attracted to the practice of virtue. You begin to see greed and selfishness and all the other sins for what they really are, destructive and dangerous tendencies that cause deep suffering and do great damage, and you want to avoid falling into that trap yourselves. You begin to feel compassion for people in difficulties and you are eager to do something to help them. You want to come to the aid of the poor and the hungry, you want to comfort the sorrowful, you want to be kind and generous. And once these things begin to matter to you, you are well on the way to becoming saints.'

And another quick reminder

Arundel this Sunday, 3.00 pm at the Cathedral.

NO MASS AT SEAFORD THIS SUNDAY.

Please have a click on the links and SIGN





Laurence England has written a letter in response to the Guardian letter and we are all urged to sign it.

Let's really get this rolling and encourage as many people we can to add their names to the it!  Tell everyone!

TV Coverage of His Holiness' visit



As we all know, there isn't going to be much (any?) decent coverage from our impartial news providers*, so we're heading off to EWTN for the entire procedings. 

Click here for details of the scheduling.

All coverage is available on the beloved-and-don't-know-what-we-would-do-without  internet.

So even if you are managing to get to an event, you can watch all the other ones too!


*Although I would love to eat my words

And finally, 4, 5, 6, & 7



The thing I liked about all these churches, was the kneelers. They all had kneelers and rails, and a sense of the sanctuary as a special place.

Yes, Pelerin, they're all Protestant, they're all in Norway, so they're all Lutheran. And they put some of our churches totally to shame.





Guess the denomination #3

Guess the denomination #2

His Holiness's visit

I haven't said anything about His Holiness coming to the UK for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I didn't know that I could trust myself to say anything nice or positive about the attitude of the media and their bigoted and biased programming and reporting, and secondly lots had already been said in the blogosphere regarding arrangements, not least, the er, liturgical entertainments and list of terms for the intellectually challenged.

So I stuck to the rosary and novenas and avoided the secular press. Whatever hatchet job reporters and politicians and disaffected try and do, it doesn't change the fact that we have a wonderful, truly holy, Holy Father.

I think, much as the visit of relics of St Therese surprised secular society, Pope Benedict's visit will surprise, unsettle, challenge, and revitalise not only Catholics, but everyone else too. At least, that's what I pray.

God bless our Pope, the great, the good.

Quiz: Guess the denomination #1

Roundup and next Sunday

Yesterday, Fr Agley said Mass at Our Lady of Consolation West Grinstead.

And the Sunday before, Fr Jonathan Martin said Mass at St Pancras, Lewes

It was lovely to see new faces as well as familiar, and to chat after Mass. Thank you Fr Agley and Fr Martin.

Now this coming

Sunday 19th September, there is Mass at Arundel Cathedral at 3.00 pm in thanksgiving for the Holy Father's visit.

Please try and make it.

Great Success for the Traditional Rite at Downside Abbey

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY


The Latin Mass Society’s residential training conference for priests wishing to learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass) held at Downside Abbey, Somerset, from Tuesday 10 August to Friday 13 August was a great success.


The highlight was the Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated at the Faldstool by Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Karaganda in Kazakhstan on the Thursday. Father Andrew Southwell, LMS National Chaplain, and Rev. Matthew McCarthy FSSP were Deacon and Sub-deacon, with Canon Marcus Kunkel ICKSP as Assistant Priest. There were over thirty priests in choir and a congregation of more than 100.

During the conference twenty priests received intensive tuition in the celebration of the Usus Antiquior and eleven laymen were instructed in serving the Mass.

Bishop Schneider gave a well-received keynote lecture on the priest as ‘Eucharistic man’ and was also the main speaker at the closing conference dinner. His book, Dominus Est, which advocates receiving Holy Communion on the tongue whilst kneeling has attracted worldwide attention.

The conference included daily Sung Mass, Lauds and either Vespers or Compline in the evening; there was Benediction after Vespers.

Father Ray Blake, the well-known blogger, who attended the conference, said: “Downside was a tremendous experience. Most of all I enjoyed the sense of fraternity amongst the priests, the solidarity, the sharing of our love for Holy Mother Church and her liturgy”.

Doctor Joseph Shaw, LMS Chairman, said: “This conference was the sixth to be organised by the LMS during the last three years. Over 100 priests have now attended, of whom about 85 now regularly celebrate Mass in the Usus Antiquior. The LMS will organise a further two conferences in 2011”.


All photos by Eric Caudle.

Mass at St John's, Horsham...

70 people assisted at Mass on Saturday evening at St John the Evangelist, Horsham for the first of hopefully many, many EF Masses. 70 people.

Who on earth has the right to say the Old Rite is outmoded, dead and gone?

Many, many thanks to Fr Terry for his tremendous support. Also to St Emilie ( I can whole heartily recommend her!)

I'll leave it to Dom Scarborough, the mover and shaker in Horsham, to sum up:

'The Mass went beautifully and the atmosphere afterwards was like a beautiful rainbow and sunshine after a dark storm has lifted. '

If anyone can send me a photo of the church for my side bar I'd be very grateful :D

Westminster Bishop to Confer Traditional Rite Confirmations

24 August 2010


Bishop George Stack, auxiliary bishop in Westminster, will administer Confirmations in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Rite) at St James’ Church, Spanish Place, London W1 on Saturday 20 November 2010 in a ceremony organised by the Latin Mass Society. This will be the seventh year the LMS has organised ceremonies.

As usual, permission for the Old Rite Confirmations has been given by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster.

The candidates’ day will begin with a catechetical meeting in the Lady Chapel with Bishop Stack at 11.00 am. The Confirmation ceremony will begin at 11.30 am and will be followed by Pontifical Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The choir and organist of Spanish Place will provide the music, and, as ever, a large congregation is expected.

After the ceremonies, a reception for the bishop and newly-confirmed will be held in the crypt during which Bishop Stack will cut the celebratory cake.

Anyone requiring Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form for their children – or themselves; we often have several adult candidates – should contact the LMS office urgently for registration forms and full details. (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) info@latin-mass-society.org

Successful St Catherine’s Trust Summer School

26 August 2010


The St Catherine's Trust for Traditional Catholic Education held its sixth Annual Summer School from Sunday 1 to Sunday 8 August at Ardingly College in West Sussex. It was attended by forty enthusiastic students aged from 11 to 18, and a volunteer staff of sixteen, including a chaplain, Fr Andrew Southwell.

The students studied a range of subjects covering every aspect of Catholic belief, history and culture, and heard a piano recital by the professional pianist Matthew Schellhorn, and a talk from the Catholic journalist Dominic Scarborough.

There was daily Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form, including Mass in Arundel Cathedral, by permission of Bishop Kieran Conry.

As part of the Summer School, the Latin Mass Society held its first ever residential Latin course, directed by Philip Goddard, the LMS's adviser on Latin, which made use of the LMS's teach yourself Latin primer, Simplicissimus. The course was based on the Latin of the liturgy, and examples and exercises were taken from liturgical texts. Students were divided into 'beginners' and 'intermediates', although all joined together for lectures on psalmody and liturgical poetry, the history of liturgical texts, and Latin in Philosophy. Students were delighted with the amount of Latin they were able to absorb, describing the course as 'transforming’ and ‘enriching' their engagement with the liturgy of the Church.

Doctor Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the LMS, said: “The Summer School is always exhausting but exhilarating; it is inspiring to see so many children being so prayerful. This is surely what Pope Benedict wants as part of the re-evangelisation of Europe”.

The St Catherine’s Trust Summer School is financially supported by the Latin Mass Society and other benefactors, and accepts students regardless of their ability to pay. Next year it will be held in Ushaw College in Co. Durham, from Sunday 23 July to Saturday 30 July: see www.stcatherinestrust.org for more details.

Normal (ish) service will now resume...

What a lot I've got to catch up on. Posts will be up shortly.