15
April 2013
Students ‘blown away’ by spirituality and symbolism
of Traditional Latin Mass as Bishop opens
Latin Mass Society’s latest training conference
Students attending the Latin Mass Society’s ninth training
conference in the Extraordinary Form, for priests and servers, have said they
were ‘blown away’ by the depth and richness of the Traditional Latin Mass.
About 60 people attended for all or part of the week-long course, which took
place at Ratcliffe College in Leicestershire during Low Week.
Bishop Malcolm McMahon celebrates Pontifical High Mass to open the LMS training conference
Rt Rev Malcolm McMahon, Bishop of Nottingham, opened the
conference with a Pontifical Mass of the Annunciation. Afterwards, Bishop
McMahon addressed all the participants, putting forward some suggestions of
ways to heal the rift that exists between enthusiasts for the older form of the
Mass and some of those who oppose its widespread use. This led to a lively discussion.
As in recent LMS conferences, tuition was given to both
priests and servers in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. There were also
optional Latin classes.
A priest goes through a dry (practice) Mass at the conference
There was a Sung Mass (either chant or polyphonic) each
day, as well as Lauds, Vespers, Benediction and Compline. Together with private Masses, these services
gave ample opportunity for participants to put into practice much of what they
had learned. The musical settings were
provided by the Rudgate Singers, with Christian Spence as organist.
LMS Chairman, Dr Joseph Shaw, said: 'The LMS training
conferences continue to show their value in giving priests and servers hands-on
experience and expert tuition, including the more complex liturgical roles;
this year's conference attracted priests from Scotland, Poland, and South
Africa, from the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. We also welcomed two
seminarians: a Dominican, and a transitory Deacon studying at Oscott for the
Diocese of East Anglia. The Leicester conference was also a very convivial
occasion and a rare opportunity for like-minded priests, servers, and singers
to spend time together.'
One of the tutors teaching servers said: ‘Two of the young
married men who were in my group and hailed from Glasgow confessed to being
"blown away" by the content of some of my talks on the spirituality
and symbolism of the simple Low Mass. The eldest participant was
similarly impressed with reading
The Mass in Slow Motion by Mgr Knox at
his own pace to place the Mass back in context for him.
‘I am unused to suddenly having my photograph taken whilst
standing in front of some of my Power Point projections as I work, but this
week has been something else. Another young man who had only ever encountered
the old Mass once whilst on holiday last summer with his family was similarly
moved by his experience of seeing the Mass close up. I was extremely privileged
this morning to attend a "private" Mass served near perfectly by this
lad.’
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further information, please contact Mike Lord, General Manager,
