Thursday, February 19, 2009

Good news from the Tablet!

Poor Fr Tim Finigan has been meted out the full treatment from the Tablet where this week there is an article attacking him for the temerity to follow Summorum Pontificum. Click here for the article and Father`s comments. In his parish, Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, there are four Masses every week at which one can fulfil the Sunday obligation. A reasonable person would have thought that given that three of the Masses are in the OF that would provide sufficient choice for anyone who feels the need to avoid the EF Mass. But the enemies of tradition cannot rest until it is completely removed.

Why is Blackfen so newsworthy? Why did the Tablet not visit Hexham and Newcastle? Here we have four parishes which include the EF Mass as one of the regular Sunday Masses. One of these is said in my old parish, St Joseph`s, Gateshead by the diocesan liturgist, Fr Dixon. Another by the Dominicans in Newcastle. Are these parishes torn apart? There are at least another three parishes I can think of in Southwark that have the EF as one of the regular Sunday Masses

Why can people not be more tolerant? If they don`t have to go to the EF why not let those who want it and who don`t find `liturgical dance` or such like to their taste get on with their spiritual lives?

And what is the good news from the Tablet? It normally makes me moderately to very angry every week. However the article about Blackfen cheered me up as it concludes with the words: And there could be many more Blackfens in the future. I can hardly wait!

4 comments:

PeterHWright said...

Fr. Tim Finigan has one quality (amongst his many qualities) which the Tablet lacks. He has true generosity of spirit.

They of course can't comprehend it.

Matthaeus said...

Hear, Hear!

Fr. Finegan is a real gentleman and a fine parish priest.

Here's to those 'many more Blackfens in the future' (and to the forunate parishioners of those four generous churches in Hexam and Newcastle)!

A.M.D.G.

Anonymous said...

Hear, hear, Father. You sound quite stirred up about the intolerance issue and very justifiably so. Have a good grrrrrrowl!

Vernon said...

I think that part of the trouble for those opposed to the introduction of the EF Mass in a parish is that those parishes where this is done are also unlikely to include 'liturgical dance' in their OF Masses. Neither will there be more Extraordinary Ministers of Communion on the stage [sorry I mean Sanctuary] than there are parishioners left in pews!

A Parish Priest 'conservative' enough to even contemplate introducing the EF Mass every Sunday will never have allowed all the 'Spirit of V2' free expression {ie abuses} so beloved of the 'liberals'.

As has been said before, 'There is nothing so illiberal as a Liberal who isn't getting his own way to the exclusion of all other views."