Response from the Biased British Corporation

 'Dear Audience Member

Reference CAS-952009-PF1XYL

Thanks for contacting the BBC.

I understand that you feel there was insufficient coverage of the Pope's visit to Spain and World Youth Day in comparison to the protests in Madrid against the visit.

Whilst I appreciate your concerns, choosing the stories to include in our bulletins and programmes; the order in which they appear and the length of time devoted to them is a subjective matter and one which we know not every viewer and listener will feel we get right every time. However we are confident that we also provided coverage across the BBC of the Pope's visit in a number of reports, including online reports such as those below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14568707

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14606335

Nevertheless, we’re guided by the feedback we receive and I can assure you I've registered your complaint on our audience log. This is a daily report of audience feedback that's made available to all BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, channel controllers and other senior managers.

The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.

Thanks for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

Mark Roberts
BBC Complaintswww.bbc.co.uk/complaints '

As I said, bleurchh.


Unfortunately, he didn't seem to register my contempt for the TV Tax...never mind...Still, they do log complaints, so complain away if you feel so moved!

A Poll From Fr Z - Vote!

As you might have gathered from some comments I've made in the past, I'm not entirely comfortable with girl altar servers!

Fr Z is running a poll at the moment, asking for your opinion. Please go over and vote.

WYD, The Horrible BBC, Michael Voris, and How I Cheered Up

I'm going to be complaining to the BBC about it's lamentable coverage of the events of WYD along with other people. I watch virtually no BBC programmes, but still, mea culpa, catch the news, even if it can make me froth at the mouth.
It is a bit much to expect balance from our supposedly impartial compulsorily funded (if you want to watch any TV at all) broadcasting corporation, but I had hoped for better, all the while knowing that good news, especially Catholic good news, is no news. Watching a load of angry old faces is much more telegenic than young peaceful and happy ones.

Given how taken the media were with youth rioting in the UK and how awful it was, it would have been nice to see some youth behaving beautifully in contrast, woudn't it? The Beeb do like youth after all (anyone else notice Dr Who is becoming progressively younger? If he regenerates another couple of times, he'll be an eight year old).

So I thank God for EWTN and Catholic media in general and was lucky to be able to catch most of the coverage of WYD on EWTN. Weren't those Stations of the Cross beautiful? It was brilliant to see so many young people so happy, to see the Holy Father so happy, even during the storm. Everything the Holy Father said was great. I especially loved his address to the disabled, all life has value and is of infinite worth. Again, not very newsworthy is it, to affirm all life as good?

Which brings me to Michael Voris, who is in the UK and speaking in London tomorrow.  I'm really sorry I can't get to hear him, but I have the net to make up for it. I'll be frank: I like what he says. He can be a bit, er, confrontational, in style as well as in content (and what is it with that pencil?) but that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's quite nice to hear something less fleecy and cuddly.

And so to me, a viewer, participating remotely, miffed to the nth degree by the failures of the above mentioned, I decided the only way to cheer myself up, and in honour of Madrid, was to buy a Spanish mantilla. So I have. I've tracked it eagerly from Spain to Germany, and await its delivery some time today, and I only ordered it on Saturday. How's that for service?

Update: Mantilla arrived and is beautiful.
Update part deux: I have also had a really good rant on a BBC complaint form. I can recommend it as highly cathartic.

WYD

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

 
WYD Success for Latin Mass Society

The Latin Mass Society (LMS) has welcomed back home a group of young Catholics that it sponsored to attend World Youth Day in Madrid.

The LMS teamed up with Juventutem, the international youth movement that supports the Traditional Latin Mass, and funded over twenty young people from England and Wales to attend two weeks of events in Spain culminating in Pope Benedict’s visit to Madrid.

Juventutem organised a week-long ‘pre-retreat’ event based at the Carmelite monastery of Amorebieta-Etxano near Bilbao in the Spanish Basque Country, that combined daily Traditional Mass and talks about the Catholic Faith from priests of the Fraternity of St Peter with fun social and recreational activities around the region.

The Juventutem group then went to Madrid to attend WYD, where the English and Welsh pilgrims mixed with many other Catholic youngsters and clergy, many of whom had not come across the Extraordinary Form Mass before. It was a wonderful experience for all those who were there.

Teresa Nevard, one of the English pilgrims, and WYD co-ordinator for Juventutem in England and Wales said:

‘We had a fantastic time in our pre-retreat in Bilbao and in Madrid itself for WYD. All 22 of us from the UK Group are really grateful to the Latin Mass Society for the sponsorship which enabled us to attend and show our support for the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and for the Pope, by joining in some WYD events as well as our daily Pontifical Masses.  These Masses were all attended by close to 1000 people with standing room only and included those experiencing the beauty of the Traditional Latin Mass for the first time.  The numbers of young people attending Juventutem Masses and events in the UK have risen a lot over the last year and we anticipate another increase following the great time had by all of us who attended WYD with Juventutem.’ 

http://www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/news-blog/august-2011#wyd-success-for-LMS

The Assumption

Happy Feast Day Everyone!

'The Mass'

If you've seen the post below this one, you will know that this week the EF was said at Our Lady of Ransom. It was three mornings of absolute bliss; peaceful, prayerful, getting straight down to it, honest to goodness Mass. No fuss (apart from the inevitable dashing about for missing kit before hand, playing hunt-the-paten/cruets/communion wine), no frills, just Mass. Many thanks to the celebrant, Fr Charles Briggs, who was down for a few days R&R. The surprise EFs at Our Lady of Ransom drew a congregation of about 20, mid week in August. So that's mid week...hmmm...how many do you think would like to come on a Sunday?

One gentleman who came along had seen that it was an Extraordinary Form Mass on the parish newsletter, but hadn't twigged what it meant. "You can imagine my joy," he said "when I saw it was The Mass." The Mass he knew, loved, and very obviously missed for the last 40+ years. He can't get along to the EF Masses outside the parish, but would be over the moon if they were available in his home parish.


'Oh, but there isn't really enough demand!' we hear. Well, with all due respect to those spouting this and other (rather patronising to my mind) views, what of faithful Catholics like this gentleman, who have put up with -if not suffered- the NO for years? Not everyone who lived through the demise of the Old Rite was enthused to bash a tambourine and praise the New. Listening to people, they remained Catholics in spite of, not because of, the New Rite, and it has caused them a lot of pain to see the reverence, dignity and uniqueness of the Mass disappear.








It was also really great to meet up with Mulier Fortis and swap stories over copious pots of tea! We were watched over by images of Mr Pickwick,  Little Nell, Oliver Twist and Pip.

(Apparently the chap on the right visited the town once, and so a tea shop was born. Lewis Caroll used to come to the town regularly, and I've always been amazed that there is no Wonderland or Cheshire Cat tea room).






Tomorrow there is Mass at Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead, have a look at the sidebar for details, and I hope to see you there!

Masses at Our Lady of Ransom, Eastbourne this week

There will be EF Masses at 10.00am on Wednesday 10th, Thursday 11th, and Friday 12th August.

That's this week folks.

Hope to see you there.

The Feast of the Assumption, 15th August

There will be a Low Mass at 7.00pm at St Pancras, Lewes.

'Not even for ready money'

There will be NO MASS at Seaford on Sunday 23rd August, Fr Bruno is at WYD in Spain.

The Feast of St Anne

O Blessed St Anne, rescue society, which is perishing for want of virtues like thine.

Leicester Training Day

I mentioned in a previous post the day course in the Midlands at Holy Cross Priory, Leicester on Tuesday 23rd August from 9.30am till 5pm and which is open to anyone, Priest or server, interested.

Click here for more details.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

LMS Appoints New Editor of Mass of Ages

The Latin Mass Society has appointed Gregory Murphy as its next editor of Mass of Ages, the LMS’s popular quarterly magazine.

Based in Liverpool, where he works as a freelance editor and PR professional, Gregory Murphy, 44, is a regular member of the congregation at the weekly Sunday Traditional Latin Mass celebrated at St Anthony’s Church, Scotland Road.

Gregory Murphy comes to his new role with over twenty years’ experience as a professional journalist, editor and PR consultant. He learned his trade on local newspapers and Catholic publications, such as the Catholic Pictorial, until, in the mid-1990s, he joined the staff of The Catholic Times where he was News Editor and subsequently Editor. He then spent five valuable years as Corporate Communications Publications and PR Manager for the Littlewoods Organisation, before deciding to go freelance. Gregory Murphy now provides journalistic and editorial services to a range of commercial, public and voluntary sector clients around the UK.

Michael Lord, LMS General Manager said: “We were fortunate to have several strong candidates at interview, but were particularly impressed by Gregory’s professional experience, his grasp of what is required in revamping the magazine and by his personal commitment to the Traditional Mass and Faith. We are delighted to have Gregory on board and look forward to seeing the first issue of Mass of Ages under his editorship in November.”

Gregory Murphy will take over from John Medlin, who steps down from the editor's post in August after nine years in the job. The August issue of the magazine will be John's last and his presence in the LMS office will be much missed.

The appointment of a new editor and the forthcoming redesign and relaunch of Mass of Ages is the last of a series of major changes that have taken place at the LMS over the past two years. The move to new offices, the appointment of a new General Manager, the launch of a new and much-praised website, the use of social media such as Facebook, the adoption of a new constitution and other changes are part of a longer term strategy to enable the LMS to promote the Traditional Mass and the orthodox Faith that it embodies more effectively following Pope Benedict’s liberation of the Traditional liturgy with the publication of Summorum Pontificum in 2007.

For further information, please contact John Medlin, Publicist, or Michael Lord, General Manager, on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) info@lms.org.uk

On the Feast of St Mary Magdalen...

...there will be an EF Mass at 7.00 pm at St Mary Magdalen, Brighton on 22nd July, see Clare's blog for details.

A reminder...

...that there is a Mass at St Joseph's, Guildford, this coming Sunday.  Celebrant Fr de Malleray. See here for details.

Mass at St Mary Magdalene, Bexhill

There will be a Mass at 8.00 am this Sunday, 10th July at St Mary Magdalene, Bexhill.

The celebrant will be Fr Bruno Witchalls.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

LMS AGM High Mass and AGM at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, London Saturday 2 July 2011

The Latin Mass Society was warmly welcomed to St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, London on Saturday 2 July by the Cathedral Dean, Canon John O’Toole and the Administrator, Mr Alex Scott for its Annual General Meeting and AGM Mass. The LMS is grateful to all the cathedral staff for their help and encouragement in making our AGM arrangements.

The day commenced at 11.00am with High Mass of the Visitation of Our Lady celebrated by Fr Andrew Southwell, LMS National chaplain, assisted by Fr Michael Cullllinan as Deacon and Fr Gregory Kilaja as Sub-deacon.

The men of the Cathedral Choir sang Victoria’s Missa Quam Pulcri Sunt. The Gloria was taken from the Missa de Angelis, the Creed was Credo I and the Offertory motet was Victoria’s Ave Maris Stella.

After lunch, the LMS AGM convened in the cathedral’s Amigo Hall to hear reports from the Secretary, Mr David Forster, the Treasurer, Mr Paul Waddington and the Chairman, Dr the Hon. Joseph Shaw. The LMS’s National Chaplain, Fr Andrew Southwell, had opened the proceedings with a prayer and after the reports gave an address in which he discussed Pope Benedict’s XVI admirable work in the fields of doctrine and the liturgy. The meeting then sang ‘God Bless Our Pope’ to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Pope Benedict’s ordination to the Sacred Priesthood and closed with the singing of the Credo.

This year’s AGM was relatively low-key and in a new venue. However, Dr Shaw, in particular, was able to update those present on the increasing level of work being carried out throughout England and Wales by the LMS and its local representatives. The LMS is now more focussed on providing support to those many priests and faithful throughout the country who are gradually reintroducing the Extraordinary Form into their parish life. Its aim is to publicise the liturgical initiatives of Pope Benedict and to support and encourage the growing number of young people and young families who are discovering the Old Rite.

For photographs of the High Mass and the AGM go to our Flickr page here.

For further information, please contact John Medlin, Publicist, or Michael Lord, General Manager, on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) info@lms.org.uk

Sometimes...

...it's just so hard to be charitable.

Fr Z has commented on the latest load of *insert word of choice*from that allegedly Catholic waste of paper and ink.

If you have a strong stomach, have a look.

Training Day for Priests and Servers

Holy Cross Priory,  Leicester, Tuesday 23rd August 2011

The Latin Mass Society will be hosting a day of training for priests and servers wishing to improve their knowledge of the celebration of Mass in the usus antiquior.  It will take place at the Holy Cross Priory in Leicester on Tuesday 23rd August from 9.30am till 5pm.  A sung Mass will be included as part of the Programme.

The day will be suitable for priests with all levels of ability.  Tuition will be tailored to suit the requirements of the priests attending with the possibility of studying Low Mass, Missa Cantata or Missa Solemnis.  Similarly, servers will be tutored in the various forms of the Mass, according to their experience.  They will also have the opportunity of enrolling in the Sodality of Saint Tarcisius. 

The fee for attending is £5  which includes the provision of lunch.  Application forms are available from the website,  www.lms.org.uk  

This Sunday at West Grinstead

Mass is at 3.00pm, celebrant Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP.