Vatican II

Spotted on Mrs Parkes blog was the following which I found worthy of filching (with her blessing).


Do you want to win a sure-fire bet? Take the average Catholic over fifty - and the average Catholic is over fifty - and ask her (the average Catholic is “her”) which of the following were ordered by the Second Vatican Council:

* that Latin should stop being the normal language of Mass and the sacraments.
* That pop hymns should replace Gregorian chant as the music of the Church.
* That there should be fewer prayers and less honour to Our Blessed Lady.
* That the Blessed Sacrament should be moved away from the main altar and hidden away.
* That statues should be removed from our churches.
* That it is all right to celebrate the life of saints but we must not ask them to pray for us.
* That the name of the Sacrament of Penance should be changed to Reconciliation so that we can be “reconciled to our neighbour and to living with ourselves.”
* That artificial contraception and even abortion are not really wrong.
* That nuns should no longer wear their habits but should wear ordinary clothes and lipstick and have expensive hairdos.
* That there should be no more Benediction.
* That Catholic should join CND and be in favour of unilateral disarmament.
* That devotion to the holy angels should be played down and all hymns concerning the angels should be removed from our hymn books.
* That there is nothing much wrong with remarrying after divorce and those who do so should be able to go to Holy Communion.
* That all religions are much the same.
* That no one goes to hell any more but at death everyone goes straight to heaven.
* That the purpose of a Requiem Mass is to celebrate the life of the one who has died not to pray for the soul of that person.
* That you should not pray for the holy souls in purgatory.
* That men and women are identical and everything possible should be done to minimise differences.

What is the correct answer to win your bet? Not one of the list was ordered by the Second Vatican Council. Most of the above are the exact opposite of what the Council actually said.

This article is based on one originally published in The Catholic Times newspaper.
Copyright ©; Eric Hester 2003

Saturday

This Saturday I will be going to say Mass on Holy Island (Lindisfarne). St Aidan`s, Benton, which is one of my parishes, is celebrating its centenary this year and this trip is part of the celebrations. We`ll get a chance to see the alterations made by the bishop to the Catholic church on the island. It was certainly in need of refurbishment. Mass is at 2pm, so I`ll just get finished there and have to drive back for the vigil Mass in St Mary`s. Lindisfarne was the cradle of Christianity in this region and the home of many saints. My favourite of the Northumbrian saints, St Wilfrid, started his monastic life there.

I hope to get time to get a glimpse of the Motu Proprio at sometime in the day when I can get near a computer.

Expectans expectavi

We have a name for the new Motu Proprio. According to Rorate Caeli it will be Summorum Pontificum. Sounds good and authoritative. Well that`s two words: reports say that the others will be released on Saturday.

Obnoxiously

While at a concelebrated Mass tonight, during the `Lord have mercy` from the Israeli Mass, it occurred to me that I should say how delighted I am to see that the Obnoxiously Pious blog has sprung back into life. Today there is a very thoughtful article about the coming Motu Proprio which dares to suggest that it may help priests who draw spiritual strength from the traditional Mass.

07.07.07

From reading the blogosphere I see that next Saturday is the expected date for the Motu Proprio on the Mass. While on my tour of California I met two charming ladies from North Carolina, BeBe and De, who are Charismatic Evangelicals. They told me that their pastor has organised a rally for that date, which they expect 400,000 people to attend, as he is convinced that it will be a significant date and the beginning of a great Christian revival. I can`t really remember if anything dreadful happened on 06.06.06 but I was able to let them know, after a text from a friend, that 07.07.07 might well be a turning point for the Catholic Church too. Oremus.

That car park again

Just before I went away I got a call from the BBC asking me to write a piece for their website about why I thought the Gateshead car park should be demolished after someone had alerted them to my previous blog entry about it. So I rushed it off and they put it on their website the day I flew off. I only got to see it yesterday. It can be read here. It is interesting to see that of the more than 16,000 people who voted in the poll about the future of the car park, 79% thought it should go. It is a strange feeling to be on the popular side of an issue!

I must say however that I share the fears of those who have said Gateshead deserves more than a large Tesco store for its new town centre. I remember seeing the plans for the proposed redevelopment a couple of years ago and apart from the absence of the car park the proposed new buildings were not very exciting. The plans will be appearing here soon. I don`t think the replacement has to be considered a `chocolate box` type of architecture just because it won`t be `Brutalist`. In California I saw plenty of attractive modern buildings, not the least of which was the Getty centre in Los Angeles. I hope the plans for the renewal of Gateshead town centre will match the imagination which brought the Sage and the Baltic to the banks of the Tyne.

Back again

Apologies for the lack of posting recently but I`ve been away to California for 12 days where I went with my mother who wanted to see friends in San Diego so I offered to accompany her. It was my first trip to the USA ( apart from an afternoon in Buffalo many years ago when staying in Toronto). After Monday-Friday in San Diego we went on an eight day coach tour with the excellent Caravan Tours. Quite a number of people on the tour turned out to be Catholics so we had some interesting discussions. I could have guessed that something significant would happen in Rome about the Motu Proprio when I was away and not near the Internet but I got the drift of what was going on via text message. However I`m going to have to spend some time digesting the accounts on Rorate Caeli to catch up!

Bishops` response

The Daily Telegraph has an article today entitled Catholic bishops resist advance of Latin Mass. The thrust of it is that the English bishops claim that provision for the Tridentine Mass in this country is already adequate and that the Motu Proprio will be of little consequence here. Requests for the celebration of the Mass are rarely refused, the article says. However as the article says some dioceses are still very reluctant to give permission. The Motu Proprio will aid especially priests for whom this Mass is an important part of their spiritual life and will also confirm them in the knowledge that their desire to celebrate this Mass does not make them some kind of pariah. Recently two priests who at present do not celebrate the Tridentine Mass have told me that they will start when the Motu Proprio is issued.

A Dame at last

Following on a previous post where I expressed surprise that she has not yet been honoured in this way, I was delighted this morning to see that Emma Kirkby has finally become Dame Emma in the queen`s birthday honours list! Given her huge contribution to music-making in this country it seems long overdue. Let`s hope that other long overdue event, the Motu Proprio will follow soon. Congratulations to Dame Emma!

A matter of days

News from the excellent Rorate Caeli blog. I was very impressed by Monsignor Bux at the CIEL conference in Oxford last year. The original story is on the Petrus website (as revealed by Fr Zuhlsdorf).

For the Record - URGENT - Italian Papal News website:

Motu proprio "signed and imminent"

Quotes from the Accompanying Letter

Exclusive: "Motu Proprio" signed by the Pope, liberalization of Latin Mass imminent

by Bruno Volpe.

The Papal "Motu Proprio" for the liberalization of the Latin Mass according to the Tridentine rite of Saint Pius V is ready, is about to be translated into several languages and will be published right before the departure of Benedict XVI for the summer vacation. [Rorate note: The Pope's vacation this summer will take place in a small villa of the property of the Diocese of Treviso, in the tiny hamlet of Lorenzago di Cadore, Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region, in the July 9-27 period.]

The text has already been signed by the Pontiff, who has even written a long explanatory letter, of a theological character, "addressed to all the Bishops of the world", as it can be read in its introduction, "so that they may receive this document with serenity and patience".

The Pope thus asks to the Bishops, to the clergy, and to the faithful a serene mood in the acceptance of the "Motu Proprio", which will be presented in a Press Conference by Cardinals Francis Arinze, Dario Castrillon Hoyos, and Julian Herranz.

The delay in the publication of the document seems to be related to strong oppositions from some sectors of the clergy (especially from the French Episcopal Conference).

Monsignor Nicola Bux (a personal friend of the Pope), a theologian and collaborator of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, declares: "You may write calmly [that] Pope Benedict XVI loves agreement and collaboration, and does not wish to decide everything on his own, which is why he has heard several and repeated opinions, but the Motu Proprio for the liberalization of the Latin Mass has been signed and its publication is imminent, I would say it is a matter of days."

The Tridentine Mass is completely celebrated in Latin, with the exception of a few words and sentences in Ancient Greek and in Hebrew; it is interspersed with long periods of silence, to allow the faithful to adequately meditate on the greatness of the Eucharistic mystery which they are called to assist. The faithful follow the liturgy reading the bilingual handmissal or leaflet, which carry, side by side with the Latin text, the integral translation of the actions in Italian or in the other national languages.

Amnesty International

It is a great pity that the work of Amnesty has become impossible for Catholics to support by its new stance on abortion. This is from Zenit today.

Amnesty International's Identity Lost : Catholics Should No Longer Support Group
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 13, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is encouraging Catholics to withdraw support from Amnesty International since the groups no longer defends the right to life. Cardinal Renato Martino told the National Catholic Register that the recent decision by the human rights group to promote abortion "rights" is a betrayal of its identity."By pushing for the decriminalization of abortion as part of their platform, Amnesty International has disqualified itself as a defender of human rights," he said. "If AI is no longer willing to stand up for the most basic human right -- the right to life -- then the very integrity of the organization is called into question."Amnesty International was founded in 1961 by Peter Benson as a defender and promoter of the inalienable rights of the human person.Now it has joined other international organizations, such as the United Nations Children's Fund, in promoting a so-called right to abortion, at least in certain cases.

Culture of death
Cardinal Martino, who served as the Holy See's permanent observer at the United Nations, says that this change of position is part of the "pro-death" agenda in the culture."The pro-death agenda […] is cloaked in human rights language, but in reality it undermines the very human rights it portends to support," Cardinal Martino said. "Its logical conclusion is the destruction of life and all of the life-giving values that we as a human family and as a society should be grateful for. De-sensitizing the culture to the evil of abortion is part and parcel of the pro-abortion lobby."However, the 74-year-old cardinal recognized that pro-choice organizations have not succeeded in establishing an "internationally recognized human right" to abortion."I was head of the Holy See delegation to the Cairo Conference on Population and Development when that issue was settled definitively," Cardinal Martino stated. "Paragraph 8.25 of the Cairo Declaration clearly states, 'In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning … and every attempt should be made to eliminate the need for abortion."The cardinal said that Amnesty International's decision means Catholics and Catholic organizations should no longer financially support the group."The very promotion of abortion opens the door to the slippery slope of evil and death, where human rights are taken away from the most innocent and vulnerable children of God," he said. "I believe that, if in fact Amnesty International persists in this course of action, individuals and Catholic organizations must withdraw their support."

More good news

Following the demolition of Westgate House it seems we can now finally look forward to the demolition of another Tyneside eyesore: the multi-storey car park in Gateshead town centre (as reported today on the BBC website). Gateshead town centre is in real need of development following the success of the Sage concert hall, the Baltic art gallery and the Gateshead Hilton. Woe betide any visitor to the town who decides to explore beyond these new features and wander up Gateshead High Street. Although it includes the chapel of St Edmund, built in 1247 and outside which blessed John Ingram was martyred, the overall impression is not good. Now it seems things will begin to change in the autumn. Perhaps only the fans of the film Get Carter will be unhappy.

Hitherto when asked about the state of Gateshead town centre, councillors have generally drawn attention to the Metro Centre by the A1, Europe`s largest shopping mall, but it is good to see something is going to be done for the actual town centre. Co-incidentally yesterday I bought a splendid book, Newcastle and Gateshead Architecture and Heritage which is the best guide I have seen to the outstanding buildings of the area.

Return of the Relics

One of the things that troubled me since I moved here in September 2005 was that I could not find my small collection of relics. I had acquired these at the Augustinian convent off the Via Cavour in Rome after being made aware of its existence by a group of Anglo-Catholic clergy who were staying at the Casa del Clero, near the Pantheon, when I was there, a mere acolyte, on holiday with two deacons back in 1986. I wonder what became of that group of Anglicans and whether they are still with the C of E. They were very knowledgeable about Rome and claimed they liked St Peter`s basilica because it was `so Anglican`! However they did introduce us to the place to acquire relics. There was an old typed catalogue in which some of the saints had been crossed out when they were no longer available. I was particularly intrigued to see St Cuthbert listed but unfortunately he had been crossed out in pencil! A certificate of authenticity for each relic was available but only for saints who lived after the fourth century. I went for St Pius V, St Pius X, St Oswald and St Walfrid. It said Walfrid in the catalogue but also mentioned him as being the bishop of York. I was sure it must be a spelling mistake and be Wilfrid but the good sister insisted that Walfrid was the Latin form of Wilfrid. I went for it anyway as I was sure it is meant to be Wilfrid. The arrangement was that the relics were free but the container had to be bought and a few days later they would let you know it was ready. The relics mostly consist of very small pieces of bone. I remember reading a few years ago that the authorities in Rome had changed the rules so that this kind of relic is no longer available. I have thought of going back to the convent when I`ve been back in Rome as sometime these changes of rules don`t amount to very much but have yet to do so.

Little did I know that I would become parish priest of St Wilfrid`s Gateshead in 1995. On his feast I would get his relic out in an empty reliquary I found there and place it on the altar. I grew very fond of St Wilfrid during my time there although he was not an easy saint to love. Sometimes today he is shunned on the grounds of being `too Roman` by those who wish to feel a distance between themselves and the Holy See. We had a parish hymn to St Wilfrid (which the same people would find far too `Roman) which I must try to dig out and share.

I`m pleased to report that when packing my case for Biddlestone there I found my four relics as it is a case I haven`t used much recently. So I must now find a reliquary so as to display them on their feast days.

Changing a church

Thanks to Fr Tim Finigan for pointing out the site of Duncan Stroik who is responsible for this amazing transformation of the church of St Theresa`s in Sugar Land, Texas, which he says has been on the Catholic blogosphere for some time. Not everyone who visits this blog may visit his so I include it here. I was much heartened by this and other examples of his work on the site. I didn`t think such things were possible nowadays.


Before:










And after:

UPDATE; another before and after! Quite amazing

Mass at Biddlestone

On Saturday I was celebrant of a traditional Mass at Biddlestone chapel. This is an annual event organised by Jack Harvey the redoubtable `convenor` of the indult Mass at St Dominic`s, Newcastle. I think I have been the celebrant every year since it started as probably not that many clergy are sufficiently fanatical to drive for over an hour to what is a very remote spot in Northumberland on a Saturday lunchtime. The chapel is all that remains of Biddlestone Hall, the home of the recusant Selby family since the fourteenth century until its demolition in the 1950`s. The chapel itself dates from the 1820`s and as the picture shows is built on the base of a medieval pele tower. Mass was said there until the 1970`s.

In the past the chapel has been packed for this Mass but this year, despite the glorious weather, numbers were down somewhat. I forgot my camera and then found the person I`d hoped would have a camera wasn`t there so I have no photos of the Mass. After the Missa Cantata, most of the congregation stayed to have a picnic lunch. There are no facilities at Biddlestone, not even running water, but so far it has never rained and I hope that we will be there again next year. A retiring collection raised £75 for the upkeep of the chapel.

My next foray into Northumberland will be for the twelfth annual traditional Mass at Brinkburn priory in September.

Searching for a Cardinal

Damian Thompson yesterday had an interesting article about the absence of Cardinal Murphy O`Connor from the premier of a new Mass setting by the pianist Stephen Hough which was sung at Westminster Cathedral yesterday. No doubt he`ll be there to hear the controversial performance of the Taverner setting of the 99 names of Allah on June 19th! However Ruth Gledhill in today`s Times has an article about the search for a successor to the Cardinal when he eventually steps down. It is interesting to note that Archbishop Kevin MacDonald is the joint favourite to succeed along with Archishop Vincent Nichols, according to Paddy Power. Well whatever happens I don`t suppose things will change much whoever gets chosen to manage our gentle decline. I can`t see us getting a Pell-like figure who might shake things up. However I did meet a priest last year from somewhere in the south who was convinced that we might get Pell himself in Westminster! That might be interesting.

Evangelium

I am glad to report that our Evangelium course( produced by the CTS) has finally got off the ground. I had hoped to start in January but the need to acquire a lap top and a data projector slowed things down somewhat. So far we have had three meetings at SS Peter and Paul`s, Longbenton and have looked at the first two sessions in the course ( after an introductory meeting). I had worried that the material was not enough to last an hour but the first session lasted 90 minutes! I`m not sure how many people are following the course as numbers have varied between eight and twelve. We have two people who are seeking to become Catholics but as they can`t make all the sessions I will have to supplement the ones they miss with the more traditional converts` meetings. However the material is great to use and the art work is a joy. The discussions have been interesting and even life-long Catholics have said they have learnt something new. It would have been great to have had thirty or forty people attending but we live in hope. If anyone is thinking of using Evangelium I can thoroughly recommend it.

On another note I was interested to read in the Pope`s book on Jesus that evangelium was the term used by Roman emperors for their public decrees (p. 46-7). I`d never come across this before and can find no reference to it in the Oxford Latin dictionary or Lewis and Short.

Comments

Sorry to say that I haven`t been alerted to recent comments by the customary email. This means that if you comment on an article that is slightly older I may not find it. I`ll have a look at the set up to see that all is as it should be.

Blair may seek to become deacon

The Daily Mail had the following story today!

Blair 'may become a Catholic deacon'
Visit to Vatican to see the Pope as last trip before quitting No10 'is highly significant'By JONATHAN OLIVER and MARTIN DELGADO -

Tony Blair has discussed becoming a Roman Catholic deacon when he quits office.
The revelation comes as he prepares to meet the Pope amid speculation that he will use the audience in the Vatican to announce his conversion.
In his last foreign engagement, just days before he leaves Downing Street for the final time, the Prime Minister will visit Pope Benedict XVI in what officials say will be a "highly significant" personal mission.

It is thought that Tony Blair will announce his conversion to Catholicism when he meets the Pope. Reports that he will convert from the Church of England to the Catholic faith of his wife Cherie have often surfaced during Mr Blair's decade in office.
The claims were supported by revelations that he has already discussed not only converting to Rome, but also taking a formal lay position within the Church.
Deacons are just below priests in the Catholic hierarchy and have the right to administer certain sacraments and wear a special white robe known as a dalmatic.
Mr Blair discussed the idea of his taking such a role with Canon Timothy Russ, priest at the Immaculate Heart of Mary near the Prime Minister’s official country residence, Chequers.
The revelation is contained in a new book soon to be serialised by The Mail on Sunday – The Darlings Of Downing Street by Garry O’Connor.
The book states: "Tony expressed his strong desire when he stepped down to become a deacon – and a Roman Catholic deacon at that, confirming the often-speculated belief that he would convert to Roman Catholicism sometime in the future."
Mr Blair is reported as asking his confidant Father Timothy: "Would this be possible?" He was told: "It usually takes two or three years", to which he replied: "The fact that I'm PM, could this make a difference?"
The deacon idea emerged in a conversation a few years ago about Mr Blair's plans after he leaves office. Father Timothy suggested that taking on a formal role in the Church could give him fresh moral clout when he campaigns on climate change and Africa. The priest added: "He has a lot of potentiality for good. He is still looking for the meaning in his life."
The Blairs stopped attending Mass at the Immaculate Heart of Mary last year for "security reasons". The relationship with the priest became strained after he spoke out against the Iraq War, accusing the Prime Minister of moral surrender.
It is understood that Mr Blair will be accompanied by Cherie at the audience with the Pope in the papal apartments a week on Saturday. The couple are expected to spend the weekend in Rome before returning for their last 72 hours in Downing Street.
It will be Mr Blair's third visit to the Vatican in four years and a source said: "The fact that he will meet the Holy Father for his last official overseas engagement is highly significant and must raise speculation over his conversion to Catholicism."
The latest revelations follow recent comments by Father Michael Seed, who provides private Masses for the Blairs in their Downing Street flat.
The priest, known for bringing high-profile politicians and aristocrats into the Catholic fold, believes Mr Blair is poised to join the Church of Rome.
Converts are usually welcomed into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass, held the night before Easter Sunday, but these arrangements are considered flexible.
Admittance to the Church is normally a two-year process. But Mr Blair, because he is already a regular attender, is likely to be fast- tracked.
As a deacon, he could help priests administer Mass, preside over baptisms and read the gospel in Church services. Unlike priests, deacons are not required to take a vow of chastity.
Mr Blair, whose children have been brought up as Catholics, regularly attends Mass at Westminster Cathedral and has become close to the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
The Prime Minister's first meeting with the present Pope took place last June, but he had an audience with Pope John Paul II in February 2003, shortly before the US and British-led invasion of Iraq.
It later emerged that the Prime Minister had received Holy Communion from the Polish-born pontiff at a private service for the Blair family in the Vatican.
Mrs Blair, who is a devout Catholic, had an unexpected meeting with Pope Benedict last year when she was on a speaking engagement in Rome.
In 1996 Cardinal Basil Hume, the late Archbishop of Westminster, asked that the Prime Minister – a member of the Church of England – cease taking Communion at his wife’s London church in Islington.
Mr Blair is not believed to have received the sacrament in British Catholic churches since then. However, he is understood to have taken the Eucharist during holidays in Italy where an Anglican church was not easily available.
Mr Blair has always been reluctant to discuss his religious beliefs. Alastair Campbell, his former Downing Street communications chief, famously told one interviewer: "We don't do God."
A Downing Street spokesman said: "It is true that the Prime Minister will visit the Vatican. But I am not going to confirm the date. He will discuss various issues with the Pope including inter-faith issues, the Middle East peace process and international development and aid."
President Bush proved himself less than familiar with Catholic etiquette when, on his way home from the G8 summit in Germany, he stopped for an audience with the Pope in the Vatican.
First he failed to bow before shaking hands, saying: "It's great to be here."
Then officials cringed as he repeatedly called the Pontiff 'sir'. Later, a Vatican spokesman said: "I don't think President Bush meant anything by his use of words. The expression "sir" is widely used in English and especially by Americans – but of course the correct term is "Your Holiness"."

Benedict XIV

Since coming across Benedict XIV while studying for a canon law licence, I always thought he sounded like a pope I`d like to know more about. I learnt that he had an interest in the liturgy and had sought to preserve the purity of the oriental rites in communion with Rome. He had also introduced the figure of the Defender of the Bond in marriage cases to make sure the bond itself got a fair hearing. However it was only a couple of years ago while looking through second hand bookshops in York that I found Haynes` `Philosopher king: The humanist pope Benedict XIV` It took me a while to get round to reading it but I did so earlier this year. There was a lot to enjoy in the book. It was his fair-minded and moderate approach that I found appealing. My heart sank somewhat on finding four chapters (out of twelve) dedicated to his famous work on beatification and canonization which I thought would be rather dry but they were anything but as they analysed the criteria for determining when a miracle is really a miracle and how to judge whether an incident is truly supernatural. Haynes book had only a little to say about Benedict`s liturgical interests however.

Some incidents give a flavour of the man. The conclave which elected him in 1740 lasted six months. Lambertini was put forward as a compromise candidate and addressed the conclave saying : "If you wish to elect a saint choose Gotti; a statesman, Aldobrandini; an honest man, elect me". ( Haynes translates what she says is a Bologonese term as `booby` whereas `honest man` is the Catholic encyclopedia`s version). He was renowned for his witty conversation but also could shock visitors by his use of `uncardinalish expletives` which he eventually tried to restrain. It was interesting to see his assessment of Henry Stuart, the Cardinal brother of Bonny Prince Charlie. Haynes records he said `if all the Stuarts were as boring as Cardinal York he did not wonder that the English had driven them out`. As for the Polish bishops he said they were `inclined to drink much and think little`.

He was praised by Horace Walpole and Voltaire. Voltaire on one occasion penned the following lines:

`Lambertinus hic est Romae decus et pater orbis
Qui mundum scriptis docuit, virtutibus ornat`

(Here is Lambertini, the glory of Rome and the father of the earth, who teaches the world by his writings and adorns it with his virtues)

When this was presented to the Pope someone present complained that hic did not scan as it should always be a long syllable. The Pope replied that although he had not read Vergil for fifty years he could remember one line in which the poet scanned it as long and another where it was short!

In response to Walpole`s praise he remarked that he was `like the statues on the facade of St Peter`s which appear better when seen from a distance.`

I`m sure there are many reasons why Cardinal Ratzinger took the name Benedict. I wonder if the character of Benedict XIV, with his love of learning and self-effacing nature, was one of them.

Chant Sunday

Today, being the first Sunday of the month, we had Chant Sunday. For a change from Mass XVIII we introduced the Kyrie from the Missa de Angelis and had the Ite missa est also from the same Mass as well as Mass XVIII for the Sanctus and Agnus Dei. I`m glad to report that the parts from the Missa de Angelis were sung with enthusiasm. Maybe next time we`ll use the Sanctus and Agnus Dei from that Mass too. Maybe after a few months of that Mass we can move on to try some other settings. Thanks again to Ian Graham and the ladies of the choir for leading the singing.

And the next rumour is...

Biretta tip to Rorate Caeli for this:

Paolo Rodari in Il Riformista (May 29 issue):
For when, then, the expected liberalization of the ancient rite? Hard to answer. What seems to be certain is that the text of the "Motu proprio" by Benedict XVI is ready. Recently, moreover, it seems that the Pope spoke about it in a private audience with Robert Spaemann, philosophy professor at the University of Munich, the great Catholic intellectual to whom Ratzinger himself dedicated the book "Church, Ecumenism, and Politics" (Kirche, Ökumene und Politik). An audience -- the one the Pope granted to Spaemann -- of which little has been known, even if it is said that the German professor left it with the belief that the "Motu proprio" will be made known soon, maybe even within the month.

The champagne is still in the fridge.

Grammar Schools

I have always been in favour of grammar schools. I went to St Cuthbert`s Grammar in Newcastle and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is well known they did a good job in getting working class children into the professions. As for the argument that it meant that an 11 year old child`s future was determined by the eleven plus exam, from what I remember it was possible for a child who was doing well at a secondary modern to transfer to a grammar school later on. However I was amazed by the recent upset in the Tory party to discover that they had still been in favour of them. I had no idea. Given that they did nothing to re-introduce them during their seventeen years in power I thought that they too had given up on them. I follow the debate with interest.

The greatest soprano never to sing a note of Verdi

An anonymous comment on my last post asks about musical interests. All I`ll say for now is that I was very pleased to see this in the Telegraph yesterday. It`s amazing she isn`t yet Dame Emma! I`ve been a fan since 1977 and was delighted that in recent years she has been making an annual or sometimes a twice yearly visit to Newcastle.

Tagged

Fr Justin of Nova et Vetera has tagged me. Just as he is not often tagged neither am I. So here are my selections:

Three fiction books everyone should read:

1. Brideshead Revisited Evelyn Waugh
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time Mark Haddon
3.

Can`t think of a third at the minute. I`m not a great reader of fiction.

Three non-fiction books everyone should read:

1 The Restoration of Christian Culture John Senior
2. Daily Life in Papal Rome in the Eighteenth Century Maurice Andrieux
3 The Two Catholic Churches: A Study in Oppression Antony Archer

(Also Moreschi: The Last Castrato Nicholas Clapton and Samuel Johnson by John Wain)

I read the John Senior book in an afternoon in 1984 at the monastery of Le Barroux. It is still a source of inspiration to me. It is now hard to get hold of. The Andrieux book is fascinating and very entertaining. The Archer book, written in 1986, is largely an account of the post Vatican 2 life of St Dominic`s parish in Newcastle and how the working class was alienated by the reforms. The book on Moreschi gives a fascinating insight into the life of the papal court at the end of the nineteenth century especially the conflict between the establishment and the new Cecilian movement led by Perosi.

Three authors everyone should read:
1 Joseph Ratzinger
2 H.V. Morton
3 Tom Stoppard
(Also perhaps Raymond Chandler, the Carmina Burana and Wendy Cope)

Three authors that I can’t get on with (but would like to be able to):
1. Jane Austen
2. Ovid
3. St Teresa of Avila

I always take the life of St Teresa with me away on retreat and always think " This is rather good. Why did I have problems before? " and then always get derailed about the same place. It`s only really the Metamorphoses of Ovid that I struggle with: I really want to enjoy it but never manage to as much as I would like.

Three films everyone should see:
1. Amadeus
2. Culloden
3. Branagh`s film of Love`s Labour`s Lost
( Also Kubrick`s Barry Lyndon)

I know Kenneth Branagh ruins the film by looking far too old to play Berowne but there is much I enjoyed here although generally the critics did not.

Musical News

I know this has been on a couple of other blogs a few days ago but I meant to say what a wonderful idea this is at the FSSP church in Rome.

May 23rd, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. at San Gregorio dei Muratori, Via Leccosa 75 (off Piazza Nicosia), the Fondazione Elsa Peretti with the collaboration of the Associazione Pro Missa Romana is sponsoring a recitation of the Most Holy Rosary in Latin with musical accompaniment.
Gregorian Antiphon
Ave Maris Stella
***
Francesco Soriano (1548-1621)
Canon CIII Sopra l'Ave Maris Stella
***
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704)
Sonata del Rosario XII L'Ascensione di Cristo -Intrada
Aria tubicinum - Alemanda - Courente - Double
***
Anonimo (prima metà XVIII sec.)
Ach amoris dolcissima poena
mottetto per Soprano, Viola d'amore e Basso Continuo
Ach Amoris, Aria
Sed in hac poena, Recitativo
Tu o mi Jesu, Aria
Alleluia
***
Pablo Bruna (1611-1679)
Tiento de Secondo Tono por G-sol-re-ut
Sobre la letania de la Virgen
***
This will be the first in a series of Rosaries which will be recited at the principal Marian shrines of Rome. Elsa Peretti has dedicated these events to Our Lady and to the recovery of the sacred through the traditional rites of the liturgy. This first Rosary is in memory of Nando Peretti.

I think I imagined this is the kind of thing I had hoped to promote as a priest whereas now I count it a major triumph if I manage to persuade the folk group to drop the `Peruvian` Gloria in favour of the `Lourdes`.

I was giving serious thought at the end of 2005 to joining the FSSP, but then all the Motu Mania started and I decided to wait and see how things turned out. It`s been a very, very long wait. It seems there may be some light at the end of the tunnel given the words of Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos in the last few days.

In the meantime there are some treats to look forward to. We are continuing the Chant Sundays at Forest Hall which consists of a few simple parts of the ordinary. We have the occasional Missa Cantata on a Saturday morning and there is the annual Brinkburn Mass in September. The music will be interesting as this time it is proposed to have the Byrd propers for the birthday of Our Lady with the ordinary sung in chant.

In the meantime the wait goes on.

Jesmond Pilgrimage

Every year the Catholic Families Association has a pilgrimage to the medieval shrine of Our Lady of Jesmond. There are only a few ruins left of the shrine. Every month a group meets to say the Rosary there. I have been with the Catholic Families group many times but this year they will be accompanied by the indefatigable Fr Mark Withoos, an Australian priest pursuing a PhD at Durham. Normally we go to the local Catholic parish for Benediction afterwards but this is not possible this year so they are coming here instead. I look forward to the visit. It is not long since the first Family Day of the Association here which took place on Palm Sunday. The pictures of the recent Family Day in Rome which attracted over a million people shows we have quite a way to go yet.!

Ascension

Well today I celebrated the Mass of the Thursday of the sixth week of Eastertide. It felt very strange not celebrating Ascension Day when it was forty days after Easter. I really wish the bishops had just left the feasts they have moved where they used to be and removed the obligation. They have left the Assumption as a holy day despite it being in the middle of the holiday period when parish life is somewhat in low gear.

So on Sunday we will celebrate the Ascension, a few days later than Scripture relates, but there we are. I`ll have to ask the congregation to see whether this change helps them
" to foster the celebration of the rhythm of the liturgical year and to celebrate more profoundly the mysteries of the life and mission of the Lord." I imagine it will feel just like another Sunday.

It is also World Communications Day, whatever that it is, but I suppose in the ideal world we should be marking that with bidding prayers and a sermon. The official theme is: Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education.

Vale Valle

It is a terrible shame that the Valle Adurni blog has been discontinued after all the work Father did especially with the film of the papal coronation Mass and his scoop over the proposed new ICEL translation. It is even more sad that this closure came about through the activities of another priest. I hope that the tired parish priest of the Adur Valley will pop up again somewhere in blogdom because he is sorely missed.

The Times

Ruth Gledhill has this article in today`s Times. The `opt-out clause` may be no worse than what has been said before about a bishop being able in certain cases to prohibit a priest from using this missal but, from what was said, there had to be a reason given for the prohibition other than that the bishop doesn`t like priests using this missal. I even heard it said that if a bishop wants to prohibit a priest he would have to apply to the Ecclesia Dei commission!

There is more on Ruth Gledhill`s blog. I liked the quotation from Christopher Gillibrand: 'For forty years, the Church has put into a traditionalist ghetto their often best informed, committed and practising Catholics. The day of liberation for the Latin Mass seems to be at hand,' he says.

Well it looks as if something might be happening soon. The champagne is in the fridge and waiting.

Pope set to bring back Latin Mass in face of opposition

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

The Pope is going ahead with plans to bring back the traditional Latin Mass in spite of objections from German bishops, sources have told The Times.
Pope Benedict XVI is understood to have signed an “indult”, or permission, that would allow Roman Catholics worldwide to celebrate the Tridentine Rite whenever they wished. At present the old rite can be said only with special permission from a diocesan bishop.
The return of the Tridentine Rite would represent a triumph for traditionalists and be an indication of the Pope’s determination to reinforce conservative Catholic doctrine as one of his most powerful weapons in the fight against secularism.
In Brazil last week the Pope made clear his conservative sympathies, emphasising that there could be no relaxation on the Church’s teaching on sexual ethics and abortion.
In a private audience with one leading traditionalist, Alice von Hildebrand, Pope Benedict said that he intended to publish the permission to celebrate the 16th-century rite this month.
The document had been expected earlier but is understood to have been delayed after a seven-page document of objections by German bishops was sent to the Pope.
Among other things, the Germans were anxious about a Good Friday prayer calling for the conversion of the Jews. A wider revolt by bishops’ conferences around the world would have seen off the indult, but in the end the Germans were isolated in their protest. However, when the permission is published, it is thought likely to exclude prayer for the conversion of the Jews, which leaders of the German and the British councils of Christians and Jews have spoken out against.
It could also include an “opt-out clause”, allowing bishops to prohibit it at a local level, which would placate both the German and the modernist French bishops.
Mrs von Hildebrand, 83, an author and lecturer who lives in the US, told The Times: “I know that the Pope favours the Tridentine Mass very, very much. I asked him if there was any chance that the permission would be given. He said it would be given in May.”
Mrs von Hildebrand, whose late husband was the theologian Dietrich von Hildebrand, added: “You should prohibit what is evil. But to prohibit holy tradition — that is something that goes against the tradition of the Catholic Church.” Another informed source said that the permission could not be guaranteed to be this month.

Canon Law Conference

This week the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland is holding its annual conference across the river in Gateshead. The advertised topics of the talks are :

Rev Anthony Randazzo (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith):
"Formation for a Healthy Priesthood - A Canonical Overview"


Mr Mark E. Chopko
"Intersection of Civil and Canon Law - The Experience of the USA with regard to Abuse of Children by Clergy"

Rev Brendan Killeen (Diocese of Northampton):
"The Role of Love in Marriage: An Historical Re-examination"

Rev Frank Morrisey OMI (St Paul's University, Ottawa):
"Where are we with Rights in the Church?"



Tomorrow morning our own canon lawyer bishop, Kevin Dunn, will celebrate the opening Mass. The Mass will take place in the conference room. It reminds me that the last time I was at a Pontifical Mass in a hotel room was when bishop Williamson of the SSPX came to Newcastle and said Mass in the Station Hotel in Newcastle. Bishop Williamson mentioned that it was an odd place for a Pontifical Mass and expressed the hope that the smoke of the incense didn`t set off the fire alarm and even worse, the sprinkler system! I don`t imagine that we shall be having any problems with incense tomorrow.

While the topics of the papers can appear to be rather dry, the conference is an opportunity to meet others working in the same field and to meet up with others again including normally some of those I was with at the Gregorian in Rome.

Normal Service Resumed

Newcastle United lost again, Tony Blair is going to make an announcement next week to make his position clear and no Motu Proprio. Back to waiting. Oh well, there will be a new bishop in Middlesbrough: that might be interesting or then again.....

Update 06/05/07. Rocco Palmo has some reflections on the retirement of bishop Crowley.

At last?

On Monday the England striker Michael Owen finally returned to play for Newcastle United after an absence through injury of a year and a day. He had only been back a short time before this while he recovered from a previous injury. Newcastle still lost but it has been a long awaited event. In the next few it looks as if another long awaited event will come to pass when Tony Blair steps down to let Gordon Brown take over as Prime Minister. My mother says things always come in threes. Could it be that the rumours of the Motu Proprio being issued on May 5th will also finally prove to be true?

New Bishop

This from VIS today must be good news:

The Holy Father appointed Fr. Timothy Costelloe S.D.B., rector of the Salesian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia, and Msgr. Peter John Elliott, of the clergy of Melbourne, episcopal vicar, as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Melbourne .

Mgr Elliott was not unsympathetic to the traditional Mass and is the author of the Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite.

I was always grateful to him for one morning in Santa Maria della Scala in Rome when I was preparing to celebrate the traditional Mass in what had been the chapel of the Mater Ecclesiae group (a breakaway group from Econe) that he appeared to extricate me from a Carmelite who was insisting that I concelebrate with him! (It was then the house in which the FSSP priests in Rome lived and the chapel houses a foot of St Teresa of Avila.)

Cartoon

This cartoon, as featured on Fr Zuhldorf`s blog, is worth seeing and originally on Shouts in the Piazza. It did make me laugh.

Sr Petra Clare

I am delighted to be able to say that Sr Petra Clare called the other night to say she will be due to visit York and would like to come to Forest Hall to give a talk on icons. Sister lives at the Sancti Angeli Benedictine Skete at Cannich in Inverness-shire. She painted two icons for St Wilfrid`s church in Gateshead when I was there and I have asked her to paint two for St Mary`s. However first we have to raise the funds and we need nearly £5,000. I have asked for one of the Annunciation for the left of the tabernacle and one of the coronation of Our Lady for the right to represent the first and last mysteries of the Rosary.

Sister will be giving her talk on the evening of Sunday 6th May at 7pm.

The Moving of the Benches

On Saturday morning five men of the parish set about moving the church benches to create a central aisle. We were led by Andy our Health and Safety officer who had drawn up a plan to make it work. At times it did look as if the plan was going to go horribly awry but in the end we managed it. The pictures give an idea of before and after.

So far I have had many positive comments about the new arrangement which is a trial for two months. Tomorrow we have a funeral Mass and it will be nice to be able to have the coffin lying with the feet towards the altar instead of having it set out parallel with the altar so that it felt one was standing at an ironing board during the absolutions. There is also room now for the six funeral candlesticks to stand around the coffin. Another benefit is that the view of the altar is unobstructed and it makes it seem more prominent.

As the back rows are now made up of two or more benches together some people have expressed concern that this arrangement may not satisfy fire regulations so that is something to check but by and large I have been delighted by the responses I`ve had.

Blog Awards

I was amazed to see that this blog had been nominated by the for the Blogger`s Choice Awards. Last time when the Catholic blog awards came up I got two votes. This time I see I have seven! Thanks to `Baggins` from Durham for the nomination.

High Mass at Blackfen

I was just going to continue posting more all-singing and dancing videos from YouTube in the continued absence of the Motu Proprio but I couldn`t resist this slide show from Fr Tim Finigan`s blog of a High Mass in his church which took place on Monday. It is of particular interest as it features my good friend Fr Charles Briggs as celebrant. I`m envious of the altar rails Fr Finigan has installed and would like to have them here but there is no room around the sanctuary area.

Which Twentieth Century Pope are you?

This quiz is featuring on a number of blogs at the minute. Much to my shock I came out as Paul VI! I normally blame all my troubles on him! The comment was: `You are Pope Paul VI. You don't get no respect.` Tell me about it!

It`s sweeping the country

I can`t see this taking off in Forest Hall however.

A night out

Last night I was invited to the Carvers`, one of our NACF families, for a lovely meal. In the course of the evening I was introduced to this video. Once seen, never forgotten! Thanks to Amy Welborn for spotting this.

The New Translation

Thanks to Valle Adurni for the preview of the latest draft of the new translation for the Novus Ordo. It is very satisfying to see such an accurate translation at last. Yes I know the previous one was composed according to the then Vatican directive to capture the sense rather than provide a literal translation but it was often so far removed it is debatable whether it really caught the sense. This example from Fr Tim Finigan made me laugh out loud:

Latin text
accipens et hunc praeclarum calicem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas

Old ICEL
he took the cup

New ICEL
he took this precious chalice into his holy and venerable hands,

I also enjoyed the remark of Northern Cleric:

One thing I will not be making room for in my diary is the inevitable "training day" that will be organised by the Diocesan Liturgy Whatsitcallednow? (they keep changing their title). I can read.

This translation will, I hope, do a lot to improve liturgical standards by changing the atmosphere of worship. I`m looking forward to getting started with it.

An interesting account of the problems of the translation currently in use, given at a lecture by members of the new ICEL committee, can be found on the Fumare blog. It`s fair to say that raising any of these issues at Ushaw in the 1980`s would not have done one`s path to the priesthood any favours. How wonderful to see these self same points being made by the present members of ICEL. It feels like a dream.

Send birthday greetings to Pope Benedict!

Click here. Thanks to Rocco Palmo for pointing this out.

What difference will the Motu Proprio make?

A friend raised this question with me yesterday. I`m sure there are those who will hope it will make very little. Often we are told when a new document comes out from Rome that it doesn`t really apply to England. That was famously said at the time of the publication of the 1997 document On certain questions regarding the collaboration of the non-ordained faithful in the sacred ministry of the priest despite it being remarkable for bearing the signatures of the heads of numerous Vatican dicasteries. Apparently it was designed for abuses which happen somewhere else but not England. A bishop was known to say that any document from Rome is filed away in his bottom draw, apparently oblivious to the precedent he might be setting for any of his own `guidelines`. Already the opinion has been offered that the Motu Proprio won`t really make any difference in England as the bishops are already so generous with their permissions. I look forward to the interpretation of word `extraordinary` as in the 1962 missal being the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite and will be keen to see if that interpretation comes anywhere near that used in the term extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.



However the same friend raised with me yesterday the practical outcome we can look forward to. For example, this

is not about to be transformed into this!

However what I hope it will enjoy is the momentum of something new. It will be harder for parish councils to declare themselves against any regular use of Latin in the liturgy, even if only a small amount, as I know does happen. There will, I hope, be a greater openness to the `hermeneutic of continuity` and we might see a more balanced approach to worship so that there is a place for that which speaks of tradition alongside the new. Of course nothing will be more powerful than a lead from the top. It would be useful for example for papal Masses to use the Graduale rather than the responsorial psalm if only now and then. A papal celebration of the traditional Mass will also be useful.

So far this papacy has been rather disappointing for those of us who read and were inspired by Cardinal Ratzinger`s books on the question of liturgical reform. However reports say that the Holy Father is determined to have the Motu Proprio see the light of day and is also frustrated by the delays. Let`s pray he gives us all something to celebrate on his 80th birthday.

Another date

Fr Zuhlsdorf has translated this article from the Italian daily, Il Tempo, which sets yet another date for the proposed publication of the Motu Proprio!! He has, as ever, some interesting comments to make.

Here is Father`s translation:

The long-awaited Motu Proprio next Monday Mass in Latin: Tradition returns

The long-awaited papal "Motu Proprio" on the recovery of the pre-Conciliar Mass in the Latin has been ready for a while, but its publication, foreseen at first for before Easter, will slide instead for after 16 April (slitterà a dopo il 16 aprile), the day of the 80th Birthday of Benedict XVI. So indicate reliable sources in the Vatican. The document, written by the Pope himself, will restore the possibility of celebrating the Mass in Latin with the Tridentine Rite. That is not to say that this Rite is forbidden: but there are so many and so complex burocratic obstacles and approvals to obtain from local bishops that most of the faithful to whom it would be a pleasure to return to the feel of things as established by the Council of Trent, that they give up. The Motu Proprio – according to the previews that have surfaced in the last months – would permit the celebration of Mass in an almost automatic way, if it is requested by a certain number of people. The Tridentine Mass in Latin is the only one accepted by the followers of the deceased schismatic [sic] Bishop Marcel Lefevbre and the pontifical document would without question reopen the way for a repair of the break that occured in the ‘80s of the last century. The French bishops, guided by their president Jean Pierre Ricard, aren’t hiding a certain discomfort in the face of losing control over their liturgical capital, still burning in France, the following of the Lefebvrite community of St. Pius X is strong. There are many French priests who refuse to celebrate in Latin. Specifically to smooth the perplexity of the episcopacy on that side of the Alps, the publication of the Motu Proprio was delayed several times. On the other hand is evident that the return of a spirituality more closely connected to the millennial tradition of the Church is one of the central point of this Pontificate: even in the post-Synodal Exhortation on the Eucharist a greater use of Latin and of Gregorian chant was wished for.

Tuesday, 10 April 2007

A bishop speaks out

From today`s Times.

Senior Catholic says Britain is heading for moral danger

Ruth Gledhill, Helen Rumbelow and Alice Miles
Britain is becoming “aggressively antireligious”, according to a senior Roman Catholic Archbishop. The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, said that acts of terrorism such as the July 7 bombings had “shaken people’s perception” of the presence of all faiths in the UK.
In an interview with The Times, he also accused the Government of neglecting “moral values” that should form the bedrock of society.
The Archbishop, who campaigned against the Sexual Orientation Regulations, which legislated for equal rights for gay couples when seeking to adopt children, said he believed that gay people were born, not made. His understanding of sexual orientation was that a person “doesn’t have a choice”.
One of the most influential Catholic leaders in the West, he has been at the fore of his Church’s political campaigns on education and asylum-seekers as well as on equality law.
He is among the favourites to succeed the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, who will be 75 in August and will offer his resignation to the Pope this summer.
Anglican and Catholic leaders are concerned at the march of the secular agenda in the West. Archbishop Nichols said: “There is a version of secularism going around which is antireligious, which wants to banish religion from [the political] public forum.” He called this “shortsighted and troublesome” and said that it was mistaken because a properly understood religious faith was a “bedrock for good humanity”.
He said that acts of terrorism had shaken people’s perception of faith in Britain. “I mean sometimes the anxieties that are expressed around faith schools are actually to do with Islamic schools. And when you press a politician they say, well, of course we don’t mean Catholic schools and we don’t mean Church of England schools.
“Then there are others who relish this opportunity to say, with aggression, religious faith is a corruption of human nature, and we’d be better off without it.”
The Archbishop said that Islamic schools must integrate into the state system because “that’s how a community learns to integrate”. He added: “The deep roots of our contemporary secular culture lie in Christianity. And, therefore, there is in Christianity an instinctive understanding about the notion of the rights of the human person.”
Echoing Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, when he voiced fears that the democratic process in Britain was under threat, Archbishop Nichols said: “There is now a clear understanding that politically democracy is the best way of organising the use of power in this society.
“There is, devolved from Christianity, a notion of justice and courts, of the police and supervision of society, of hospitals and of education.”
Asked whether Islam was threatening the roots of society, he said: “I think it remains to be seen.”

The Chrism Mass

This morning I went to the Chrism Mass at St Mary`s cathedral. Under the previous bishop I was never a great attender of this event as I found the music too challenging. ( It was me or the improvising trombone and the trombone won.) Bishop Kevin has introduced some welcome changes into the Mass. I was never that keen on the sanctuary being filled with concelebrating priests as that meant that anyone in the pews looking at the altar would have their gaze met by that of a hundred or so priests. I`m in favour of as few people as possible staring at the congregation over the altar ( preferably none) as I think it distracts from the Mass. Last year the concelebrants behind the altar were restricted to the regional Episcopal Vicars and the Vicar General (although not the Episcopal Vicar for Religious nor the Judicial Vicar) and maybe those priests celebrating jubilees of ordination but I can`t remember for sure. The concelebrants were in the nave on the epistle side. This year we were on the Gospel side and the only concelebrants on the sanctuary were the Vicar General and one regional Episcopal Vicar. There were most of the permanent deacons on the sanctuary but I imagine as their number increases their numbers will have to be restrained. The new arrangement also has the benefit that it allows the bishop to address his clergy face to face in the homily whereas in the past we were looking at his back.

The bishop spoke, in his homily, mainly to the priests and focused on the hands of the priest, speaking first about the importance of hands in general and then specifically in the life and work of the priest.

The music had not, for the bulk of it, caught up on the `hermeneutic of continuity` however. There was again nothing composed before 1970 apart from the tunes of the opening and closing hymns and a Tallis anthem, from his Protestant phase, `If ye love me` which was kind of the theme tune of the English College, Rome, in the early 1990`s. The Gloria and Responsorial Psalm were composed by a local Catholic guitarist who was part of today`s music group and the Eucharistic Acclamations and Breaking Song were by Marty Haugen. A pleasant interlude came with the hymn `O Redeemer, hear our singing `an ancient hymn probably written by an Irish poet and used in the liturgy of Maundy Thursday since the time of Charlemagne` according to the booklet, which was sung unaccompanied to its plainsong tune. We were meant to sing `O Godhead hid` after communion but it was dropped for reasons of time, I suppose. I seem to remember something similar happening last year.

Most of the music was performed in a `folk` style with guitar, piano and flute accompaniment. My reaction to plucked string instruments in the liturgy is similar to my reaction to private revelations to `seers`. If it happened 400-500 years ago I can cope better with it. Thus a theorbo in the sacred music of Monteverdi or Vivaldi is ok. The guitar today feels like a symbol of the liturgical revolution. So I am happy with the dialogues of St Catherine of Siena but feel uneasy with more recent uncanonised people claiming divine authority for their revelations. At least the improvising trombone has gone!

Buy now while stocks last

Catholic World News reports today:

In expectation of the motu proprio, Catholic bookstores in Rome have begun selling copies of the 1962 Missal. Expecting brisk sales, publishing houses in Italy are reprinting the old Missal.

I`m glad to say that I beat the rush in that I ordered 50 copies of `The order of Mass (Tridentine) in Latin and English` from Carmel of Plymouth a few months ago! I`m also glad to say that the vestments that come from Luzar`s all come with maniple, veil and burse too. I may however need a couple of sets of altar cards but I suppose in an emergency there are always the online sets from the sedevacantists! Surely the waiting must be nearly over.

Family Day

On Sunday a number of families from the Catholic Families Association came to St Mary`s for a Family Day. I have been involved with the Association since 1992. I used to find the newspaper for the National Association of Catholic Families in the snug of the English College and think that when I got back to the diocese I would like to be involved with this apostolate. I was delighted to find that there was a branch in the diocese and have been involved ever since and may even be honorary chaplain. Last summer I was delighted to be asked to celebrate the wedding of the daughter of one of our families. The Association seeks to live by the teaching of Pope John Paul II in the document Familiaris Consortio and provides support for Catholic families seeking to be faithful to the Church`s teaching on family life. This Sunday we only had a small number but recent meetings have seen much larger gatherings.

This time I spoke to the 7-11 year olds about confession. The children were quick to turn the session into a series of difficult moral quandaries about where to apportion blame in certain circumstances! I was assisted by Dorothy our organist who had stayed on after Mass to play for Benediction. Dorothy gave the children a short introduction to Gregorian chant and we had a run through of the Adoremus for Benediction.

The picture above shows the families and the children are holding the pictures the youngest had coloured in for the Station which took place in the garden with different families each taking a station.

Chant Sunday

Being the first Sunday of the month we had a `chant Sunday` at the 10.30 Mass. The first Sunday of the month is also the Sunday when the young people do the readings and take the collection. Today the first two readings were read by children while adults helped with the parts in the Passion reading. The children today used a hand-held microphone which greatly improved their audibility. I too have improved mine by discovering a few weeks ago that a portable microphone has to be directly in front of the mouth instead of round the side of the chasuble neck. This puts an end I hope to `Fr Brown: the Inaudible Years` which have gone on for quite a while now.

This time before Mass Dorothy, our organist, led the congregation in a practice of the Sanctus and Agnus Dei of Mass 18. I`m glad to report that there were definitely people singing the Agnus Dei but the Sanctus may take a little longer to become familiar. Still, Rome wasn`t built in a day. During the distribution of Communion, Ian sang the Vexilla Regis as a solo before the congregation sang `The Servant King`. When people are not familiar with chant it naturally takes time to learn anything new but I hope by incorporating it with a lot of familiar hymns the shock will not be as great. In the meantime I must get into school with some simple chants as I`ve said I`d do. I was trying to find a recording of Mass 18 to take in for the teacher but on the occasions I`ve looked I`ve not found anything suitable.

Many thanks to Ian and Dorothy for their labours.