Friday, July 02, 2010
Fr Gary Dickson in the Catholic Herald
Fr Dickson is a priest of Hexham and Newcastle and parish priest of Sacred Heart and English Martyrs at Thornley, Co Durham. He has introduced a Sunday Mass in the Extraordinary Form to his parish and this week has written an article for the Catholic Herald about his experience. His article can be found here.
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9 comments:
Just to say -before anyone comments! that the title of the article as published was not mine -I entitled it "Implementing Summorum Pontificum -The Experience of a Parish". I would not describe the TLM as 'thriving' here, I would only say that some hostility is decreasing in those who prefer or need to attend a Sunday Mass. My main concern in the article was to say that the entertainment culture attached to the NO needs tackling by education and proper implementation of the norms. As for implementing SP, I think we should make all use of pre-conciliar legislation regarding the TLM (i.e, vernacular hymns at Low Mass) and of SP (vernacular readings) to help ease the return of the TLM into parishes. Sadly, this can sometimes leave traditionalists displeased because Low Mass is traditionally so quiet, and Novus Ordo Cathilics displeased because they don’t like any use of Latin. Communion in the hand is a canonical right at present and I cannot cut laws at my own wim...
Fr Gary you can be sure there will be hostile comments once your article has been read; I find most of my posts attract people with an axe to grind. However while it is not to everyone`s taste what you are doing is perfectly legal and important. I wouldn`t be happy with hymns during Mass but I accept your reason for doing so and you are having more success than me in bringing people a way into the traditional liturgy.
Have you completely ruled out having your own blog?
Bravo, Father Dickson! Some of the greatest if unintentional adversaries of the EF/TLM are those people who insist on its utter changelessness (the one necessary shibboleth), as if there haven't been any number of significant changes over the course of the pre- and post-Tridentine periods. And a third of my parish-- which is orthodox enough, has perpetual adoration etc-- at the EF Sunday Mass? that would be utterly miraculous....
As long as the hymns are traditional hymns as they were when I attended Mass at Father Dickson's parish it seems to work fine. It is when a parish adds in guitars etc. or sings the awful syrupy, infantile modern hymns that it destroys the ambience for me.
Volpius, I just don`t like hymns at Mass becuase they introduce non-liturgical texts and weaken the sense of the liturgy as something given. However I`m probably too much of a purist for my own good.
No Father I would not say you are to much of a purist for your own good, not at all, I agree with you, my preference would be for no hymns at all. If anything on this world should be pure it should be the worship we offer to God.
But if we must have hymns in the liturgy then let them be used the way they are at Father Dickson's parish, I found it at least tolerable though perhaps that is simply because of what is available elsewhere.
My preference for hymns is to see them removed from the liturgy and introduced into the home and social life of the people, that is where they belong and that is where they would do most good by replacing the awful din that passes for modern music.
By using them during the mass I fear we have simply marked them out as something only suitable for church and so the cultural life of the laity is impoverished as a result.
Well done Fr Gary! I agree with (almost) everything that you say even though I don't like hymns during Mass or even the vernacular readings but that is the least of my worries. I'd rather have the EF with those additions than the (sometimes) disgraceful celebrations of the OF where it seems to be the norm to 'go as far out as you can'.
My main concern is Communion in the hand. Whilst I accept it's legality I can't bear to see it. Neither my hands nor the hands of communicants are anointed & the priest's hands are only worthy after the anointing at ordination. The same arument applies to receiving Communion from a layperson. I am pleased to say that I have never received Communion from a layperson & only once - many years ago - received under both kinds. I feel that reception under normal circumstances is unnecessary as I was always taught that we receive the 'Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity' of Our Lord under either species & it seems as if we are not accepting that by receiving under both species.
I like your idea of the explanations of the EF &, perhaps, at those celebrations it could be suggested to communicants that 'IN THIS RITE' it is normal to receive kneeling & on the tongue.
Keep up the good work
I thought that the article was excellent and just what is needed. It will be widely read because several blogs have linked to it, including New Liturgical Movement which has a big internatonal following.
Having a Mass in the usus antiquior as part of the normal schedule of Sunday Masses is a major step forward. A great improvement on a special Mass at an odd time put on for the benefit of some "cranks"
Congratulations to Fr Dickson.
Well Done Father.
I enjoyed attending Sunday evening Mass with my family.
It is good to find evening Mass being said locally, when you are not able to attend Sunday morning Mass.
You have a lovely Church
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