You may have seen Fr John Boyle`s report on yesterday`s Pontifical Low Mass celebrated by the bishop Sample of Marquette in the USA. In itself this is good news but even better is the news that the bishop intends to offer Mass according to the Extraordinary Form once a month on a Sunday in his cathedral! Although we have bishop MacMahon`s Immaculate Conception Mass coming up it still seems hard to imagine a bishop doing this in this country, especially given the piece in the Tablet a few weeks ago where the bishop`s conference reported little enthusiasm for the Extraordinary Form since Summorum Pontificum in 2007. ( See Joseph Shaw`s blog for a discussion of this). Fr Boyle is a priest of Southwark diocese at present working in the diocese of Marquette.
2 comments:
I have just looked at the wonderful photos on Fr Boyle's blog. It would be a good idea to print the report - with pictures - and send a copy to each bishop in the UK. Bishop Sample looks quite young so perhaps he does not have the ingrained 1960s 'All you need is love' attitudes of most of the bishops on these isles. He is a shepherd displaying true spiritual leadership in his diocese for which HE has ultimate responsibility. It makes a pleasant change from UK collegial cowardice (we are in this together and nobody must break ranks). It might be an idea to contact Rome and see if they would sanction a transfer, as in football. I would be willing to contribute to any transfer fee.
There is a striking similarity to your sanctuary shape and size here Father...and no altar rails around the lower part as far as I can tell. I sigh with regret when I see the damage (and it is asthetic and theological damage) done to my home parish Church by taking literally the 'gather round' ideology of the 1960's coffee table celebrations.
Post a Comment