Tenebrae at Longbenton

Holy Week started this morning at 10 with Tenebrae at SS Peter and Paul`s Longbenton. This was according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (1962). Three of the schola were present and were augmented by Alan from Glasgow, another disciple of Mary Berry. Many thanks to Ian, Dorothy and Sheila. I wasn`t expecting a large congregation but a few souls turned up to give it a try. Ian said he had not sung Tenebrae since the days of the famous `Glover Holy Week` on Palace Green in Durham, twenty years ago when the whole office of the triduum was sung in its pre-reformed form (!) and attracted people from all over the country. It is a wonderful service to be part of although it does require stamina. Much as I love the settings of the Lamentations by Couperin or Charpentier or the Victoria responsories I can imagine that if these were introduced the whole office would take at least three hours! This morning it lasted two and a half hours.

Here is a picture taken on my phone showing the hearse and altar candles. Sorry we didn`t have unbleached candles for the altar but I was glad we had them for the hearse.

St Patrick`s Night (?)

Yesterday I was mostly dancing with Zulus. Part of a parish priest`s everyday duties: the Lions of Zululand came to do a dance display for our primary school and at the end they dragged members of the audience up to dance with them: the headteacher was first and I, an obvious target, was next.

Tonight we had a St Patrick`s Day celebration in the parish hall. This was to raise money for young people trying to get the funds together to go to World Youth Day with the Pope in Australia later this year.


However this year with an early Easter St Patrick doesn`t crop up on the English liturgical calendar. When I was trying to get help for our penance service on Monday night at the deanery meeting one of our Irish priests said " You know what night that is" and I replied that it was normally St Patrick`s night but not this year. I believe that the annual St Patrick`s Mass at St Michael`s Newcastle was held this morning. (Not sure what happened to St Joseph there.)

Problems started this morning at the weekly EF Mass in the parish. I got to the altar , put the chalice down and looked at the missal when I realised I was in purple vestments and today was (I think: at least according to the diocesan ordo: the LMS ordo said not) St Joseph`s day. So off we went back to the sacristy to change vestments.


Then I got an email asking what has happened to St Cuthbert`s day this year? Normally this is on March 20th but that is Maundy Thursday this year. The diocesan ordo has transferred the Annunciation to March 31st but no mention of St Cuthbert. The rest of the country now has St Cuthbert on September 4th to give them a chance to celebrate him as he is not a solemnity in elsewhere but we have kept March 20th (and also have September 4th for the feast of his translation). As there is no mention of the feast in the ordo I`ll have a Mass of St Cuthbert on the earliest possible date which is April 1st.


In the meantime here is a picture of the band for tonight`s St Patrick`s night do.

When will it start at Ushaw?

In an interview with Zenit, Cardinal Rigali, the archbishop of Philidelphia talks about providing training for the Extraordinary Form in his seminary. This is the logical conclusion of Summorum Pontificum. If the Roman Rite has two forms it is remiss of seminary authorities to train a man for six years only to have him unable to celebrate all forms of the Roman Rite. Of course this will also mean that the much ignored canon about seminarians being given a training in the Latin language will need to be observed too. Recenly I spoke to a member of staff at a seminary who laughed at the idea of training in the EF saying that he had told students that if they had enough Latin (and he mentioned that he himself had an `A level`) then they could apply. This is the kind of sneering attitude which causes problems. Clearly this training cannot be only an option for seminarians as then students who opted for it may be regarded with suspicion. No doubt the much awaited instruction from the Ecclesia Dei commission will deal with this point. In the meantime here is the main part of the Zenit interview:

"Summorum Pontificum" in the Seminary

Cardinal Rigali on Introducing Seminarians to the 1962 Missal

By Annamarie Adkins

PHILADELPHIA, MARCH 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Since Benedict XVI has said that the Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII should be available to those who prefer it, seminarians should be taught to say it, says Cardinal Justin Rigali.

The Pope clarified in his apostolic letter "Summorum Pontificum" that there are two forms of the liturgy in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church: ordinary and extraordinary.
To learn what some bishops are doing to implement the document in seminaries, ZENIT spoke with Cardinal Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, about his plans to introduce seminarians at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to the extraordinary form of the Mass.
Cardinal Rigali also suggested why priests already in active ministry should become familiar with the Missal of 1962.

Q: What practical steps are being taken to incorporate "Summorum Pontificum" into the life and curriculum of the seminary?

Cardinal Rigali: First there will be a lecture offered on the "motu proprio" that elucidates the theology underlying the 1962 missal so that the seminarians are afforded a clear understanding of the "motu proprio" and the Holy Father's pastoral concern for the faithful who have a deep love for the Tridentine liturgy.

Since nearly all of the seminarians at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary have grown up attending Mass according to the "Novus Ordo" -- Missal of Paul VI -- it is important to offer an exposition of the Mass according to the 1962 missal -- Missal of Blessed John XXIII.

Further, seminary course work in theology, liturgy and Church history will cover and expound upon the Holy Father's initiative. It will be helpful for them to see the continuity between the two expressions, but will also afford the opportunity to address the changes that took place in the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council.

Sometime in the spring semester, after the lecture, Holy Mass according to the extraordinary form will be celebrated once for the entire St. Charles Borromeo Seminary community. This will demonstrate to the seminarians the liturgically correct manner in which the extraordinary form of the Mass is to be celebrated.

Q: What about "Summorum Pontificum" has led you to support the incorporation of that document into the life of St. Charles Borromeo seminary? Are you foreseeing a greater demand for the traditional form of the Mass in the future?

Cardinal Rigali: The Holy Father has indicated that the Mass according to the extraordinary form as well as celebration of the sacraments should be available to the faithful when there is a genuine pastoral need.

Many of our clergy have never celebrated Mass or administered the sacraments according to the 1962 missal and the other liturgical texts. In order to provide for the pastoral needs, should they arise, the current seminarians should have the opportunity to be properly educated as to the rituals involved and the theology that underlies these forms.


Q: Some analysts of "Summorum Pontificum" have said that it is primarily directed at priests, and is a gift to them. What is your view?

Cardinal Rigali: The "motu proprio" is issued by the Holy Father for all Catholics.
With regard to priests, any statement from the Holy Father on the liturgy or any change in the liturgical forms or formula afford the priests an opportunity for thought and reflection on the mysteries they celebrate in the liturgy.

Many priests find in these opportunities a renewed sense of awe and appreciation for the liturgy and an opportunity for recommitment to celebrate these liturgies in a more reflective, reverent and respectful manner.

In this sense, "Summorum Pontificum" is a gift to all priests, because it encourages them, through the sacred liturgy, to draw all people into a deeper communion of holiness with the Lord.
Q: Seminaries are in the business of formation, particularly liturgical formation. What formative effect do you believe learning and celebrating the extraordinary form of the Mass will have upon seminarians?

Cardinal Rigali: Studying about and learning the Mass according to the 1962 Missal will afford the seminarians an opportunity to experience the continuity between the older and newer forms.

So much of our faith is based on continuity and tradition, handing on of the faith from one generation to the next. Sometimes the rituals change and develop but at the core they remain the same.

Prior to engaging a "practicum" experience, the theology behind the liturgy and the "motu proprio" will be studied. I have encouraged any priest who may wish to learn to celebrate this liturgy to seek such educational opportunities so that the liturgy may be celebrated in a prayerful and reverent manner.

Who will be the new bishop of Hexham and Newcastle?

Yesterday I was at a clergy lunch. As might be expected the conversation was dominated by recent events. Conversation soon turned to trying to guess who our new bishop might be. Naturally names of priests of the diocese were put forward as we imagined them as bishop until we remembered that it appears to be very rare these days for a priest of a diocese to become bishop of his own diocese. So it may well be another episcopal vicar or auxilary bishop from an archdiocese. However I`m holding out for bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan who made a name for himself at the Synod on the Eucharist speaking about a preference for receiving holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue. He is an auxilary bishop and so is free. He also speaks English and is 46 years old. I`m not really expecting a transfer from Kazakhstan to Newcastle but I must try and get a copy of his book on the Eucharist. Here is an article about him from the Catholic News Agency of America: it all makes sense to me.



Bishop calls receiving Communion on the tongue more reverent



“It is not a question of ritualism, but a question of faith and love for Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider

CNA STAFF, Mar 5, 2008 / 06:21 am (CNA).- Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Kazakhstan, in a new interview has expanded his advocacy of reverence at Mass and receiving Holy Communion on the tongue.


The Vatican Editing House recently released Bishop Schneider’s book "Dominus Est: Meditations of a Bishop from Central Asia on the Sacred Eucharist." The book contains a foreword by Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith, the Vatican’s Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Sacraments.


In a video interview conducted by gloria.tv, Bishop Schneider said that his book aims to "strengthen the consciousness" of the holiness of Mass among the clergy and laity.
The archbishop said that contemporary celebrations of Mass were "so superficial," lacking "due concentration" and "visible, external signs of reverence."


"We are composed of body and soul," Bishop Schneider said. "We have to worship and to adore Christ in this moment also with our body. There is a mutual influence between the exterior sign and the interior disposition.


“Therefore, here is not a question of some 'right,' but here is a question of-- we are dealing with the Lord Himself, and therefore we cannot be silent, especially I as bishop, and say 'OK, it's all OK.' It's not all OK. When we love our Lord, we have to strengthen this moment in order that it become more sacred in order to educate the exterior sign of adoration, which is also an education of faith."


He referred to the common formal gestures used to greet a president, a king, or a queen, saying comparable respect for the King of Kings was necessary.


"It is not a question of ritualism,” he said, “but a question of faith and love for Our Lord, Jesus Christ."


The archbishop responded to one objection to receiving Holy Communion in the hand, which claims that because one sins more with the tongue than with the hand, the hand is more fitting to receive the Sacrament. He dismissed the argument, by saying that, "In any case, Holy Communion comes on the tongue."


In the interview, Bishop Schneider also addressed the history of the reception of Holy Communion and the question of whether contemporary abuses, such as receiving Holy Communion while chewing gum, can be corrected.


You can watch the interview here: http://www.gloria.tv/?video=ptgsa3bs9lgyidmdvpar

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos to Celebrate Pontifical High Mass in the Traditional Latin Rite in Westminster Cathedral, Saturday 14 June 2008

I received this very good news today from the LMS. What a marvellous event this will be and a clear signal that the Extraordinary Form is here to stay.

The Latin Mass Society is proud to announce that Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission in Rome and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, has accepted its invitation to celebrate a Pontifical High Mass in the Traditional Latin Rite (the Extraordinary Form) in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 14 June at 2.00 pm.

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos is one of Pope Benedict XVI’s closest collaborators and is charged with oversight of the Vatican’s relations with the religious communities and laity committed to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos will arrive in London on Friday 13 June in time to attend a private dinner given in his honour by Mr Julian Chadwick, Chairman of the LMS.

The LMS hopes to arrange for Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos to call on Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, at Archbishop’s House close to the Cathedral on Saturday morning. Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos will then deliver an address at the LMS’s AGM in Westminster Cathedral Hall later in the morning. He will then take lunch with the LMS’s Committee members before celebrating Mass in the Cathedral at 2.00 pm.

As befits a Prince of the Church, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos will be welcomed at the Cathedral west door in full cappa magna before processing to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel to pray; he will then vest in the sanctuary whilst the Cathedral choir sings. Pontifical High Mass will then be celebrated at the High Altar with all the breathtaking ceremony and music integral to the Traditional Rite. Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos will also preach.

Julian Chadwick, Chairman of the LMS, said, “This is the highlight of the LMS’s 43 years of struggle on behalf of the Traditional Latin Rite. It will be the first time since the liturgical changes of 1969 that a Cardinal will have celebrated the Extraordinary Form in Westminster Cathedral [Note: Cardinal Alfons Stickler, Vatican Librarian Emeritus who died in December last year, presided at a High Mass in the Cathedral organised by the LMS in 1992 but did not celebrate]. Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos has been unstinting in his work on behalf of the Extraordinary Form and this Mass is a clear signal from Rome that it wants the Traditional Rite reinserted into the heart of the Church’s liturgical activity. We are extremely grateful to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor for readily agreeing to this Mass and to Mgr Mark Langham, the Cathedral Administrator, and all his staff for their help with all the arrangements. This Mass literally represents the prayers of many thousands of LMS members and supporters offered up through the years and now come true.”

. . . . ENDS . . . .

For further information, please contact John Medlin, General Manager, or James Murphy, LMS Office Manager, on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585;
(E mail) thelatinmasssociety@snmail.co.uk

Sarum Talk

Thanks to those who have written to ask how my talk on `The Sarum Use and the Recusants` went last week at the North East Catholic History Society. It seemed to go down well enough and I have been asked to write it up for the Society magazine which I will do soon before I forget it all. My greatest fear, apart from not having enough material, was that my technology would let me down and I wouldn`t be able to show the YouTube extracts from Fr Sean Finnegan`s Merton College Mass. It was a close run thing but finally I managed to get both the laptop and digital projector to do as I wanted and the clip was shown.

Fra Matthew Festing

I was delighted to read yesterday on Holy Smoke that Fra Matthew Festing has been elected as the new Grand Master of the knights of Malta. Fra Matthew lives in Northumberland and so not only succeeds the previous Grand Master Fra Andrew Bertie as only the second Englishman to be appointed to this position but he is also the second person from this diocese to hold it as Andrew Bertie was from Hexham. Fra Matthew is well known in this diocese through his work for Sotheby`s.

What with Leo Darroch as head of International Federation Una Voce and now Fra Matthew as head of the Knights of Malta, Hexham and Newcastle is doing well in high places in the universal Church!

Here is the news as announced on the Knights` website. For background on who the Knights of Malta are click here.

Frà Matthew Festing Elected Grand Master
Rome, 11 March 2008
Frà Matthew Festing, 58, an Englishman, becomes the 79th Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, elected this morning by the Council Complete of State (the Order's electoral body). In accepting the role, the new Grand Master swore his Oath before the Cardinal Patronus of the Order, Cardinal Pio Laghi, and the electoral body. He succeeds Frà Andrew Bertie, 78th Grand Master (1988-2008), who died on 7 February.

The new Grand Master affirms his resolve to continue the great work carried out by his predecessor. Fra' Matthew comes with a wide range of experience in Order affairs. He has been the Grand Prior of England since the Priory's re-establishment in 1993, restored after an abeyance of 450 years. In this capacity, he has led missions of humanitarian aid to Kosovo, Serbia and Croatia after the recent disturbances in those countries, and with a large delegation from Britain he attends the Order's annual pilgrimage to Lourdes with handicapped pilgrims.

Educated at Ampleforth and St. John's College Cambridge, where he read history, Frà Matthew, an art expert, has for most of his professional life worked at an international art auction house. As a child he lived in Egypt and Singapore, where his father, Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, had earlier postings. His mother was a member of the recusant Riddells of Swinburne Castle who suffered for their faith in penal times. He is also descended from Sir Adrian Fortescue, a knight of Malta, who was martyred in 1539.

Frà Matthew served in the Grenadier Guards and holds the rank of colonel in the Territorial Army. He was appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by the Queen and has served as her Deputy Lieutenant in the county of Northumberland for a number of years.
In 1977 Frà Matthew became a member of the Order of Malta, taking solemn religious vows in 1991.

As well as his passion for the decorative arts and for history, for which his encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of the Order is legendary, as is his very British sense of humour, Frà Matthew spends any free time possible in his beloved Northumberland countryside.

Bishop Kevin Dunn is laid to rest

Last night I went to the cathedral for the reception of the body of Bishop Kevin Dunn. I couldn`t make it to the funeral Mass today as we were interviewing for a new headteacher at our primary school. I must say that last night was the cathedral at its best. I was pleased to see unbleached candles used for the `big six` and for the candles round the coffin. The music was not of the type that has diminished my enthusiasm for attending cathedral Masses of late. (I went once to the chrism Mass in the 1990`s but found the music so inappropriate that I didn`t go again to the chrism Mass until bishop Kevin came. At least the improvising trombone was no longer in evidence as it was in the 90`s but the music was still largely of the `folk` variety. For an account of last year`s Mass click here.) It was a shame the statues were not covered for passiontide. We had the chant Introit for the Requiem Mass to start with, the Libera me from Faure`s Requiem at the offertory and the Agnus Dei from Mozart`s Coronation Mass. What with bits of Latin chant, incense and torchbearers for the eucharistic prayer it reminded me of St Mary`s Forest Hall on a Sunday morning!

I have been amazed by the whole thing. I was firstly amazed when I heard that Kevin Dunn was going to be our new bishop as I had known him during my two years at the English College in Rome when he was doing his doctorate in canon law and I was there for the licence. Having known him in that time I never felt constrained in talking to him and felt I could say what I felt in what has been a turbulent couple of years. I am also amazed that he is no longer with us. The last thing I expected was that he might die after only three and a half years as bishop. He always looked so well and full of life. He also packed quite a lot into his time here. I was very glad that he saw upgrading the very inadequate Catholic church on Holy Island to make it a place worthy of its heritage as one of his first priorities. The makeover is a vast improvement. Maybe one day we`ll get Duncan Stroik over to build a basilica but in the meantime things have improved. I don`t think Bishop Kevin was that keen on the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite but he didn`t try to cancel any of the current Masses we have.

One of the good things about bishop Kevin was that he had worked as a parish priest. This is a rarer quality than might be expected among a number of people who are in charge of forming secular priests and leading them.

Extracts from last night`s Mass can be heard on the diocesan website.

May he rest in peace.

H & N`s own Fr Z

Naturally our diocesan website is primarily concerned with the death of our bishop but under the other news section this week`s podcast is by our own Fr Z (and that`s pronounced `Zed` : rhymes with Ted), Fr Zielinski, the judicial vicar and my boss at the tribunal (there are only the two of us and our secretary). I know he has worked hard at producing this so it would be a shame for it to go unnoticed: he offers reflections on the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Sorry this podcast seems to have gone now as it is updated each week.

More on the diocesan adminstrator

I`ve been asked recently to provide some more information on the role of the diocesan administrator. So here goes

Canon 427 says that the DA is bound by the obligations and enjoys the power of a diocesan bishop, excluding those matters which are excepted by the nature of things or by the law itself.

Thus the DA, if he is not a bishop, cannot carry out pontifical ceremonies, he cannot grant incardination or excardination, unless the see has been vacant for a year and he has the consent of the college of consultors (c. 272) Likewise he cannot appoint pastors until the see has been vacant for a year (c. 525.2). (So no clergy moves for a year.)

Other things a DA cannot do are:
- to approve diocesan associations of the faithful (c. 321.1.3)
- to entrust a parish to a clerical religious insitiute or clerical society of apostolic life (c. 520.1)
- remove the judical vicar and adjutant judicial vicar (c.1420.5)
- confer a canonry (c.509.1)

Things a DA can do but only with the consent of the college of consultors
- to remove the chancellor and other notaries (c.485)
- to issue dimissorial letters for ordination but never to those who have been denied orders by
the diocesan bishop (c.1018)

C.428 says nothing new is to be done and the DA cannot do anything prejudicial to the diocese or episcopal rights. He is also specifically prohibited, whether personally or through another, from removing or destroying any documents of the diocesan curia or from changing anything in them.

C 429 says the DA is obliged to live in the diocese and to say a Mass for the people each week. Theses are also obligations of a diocesan bishop.

The DA can only be removed by the Holy See. He can resign and he presents the resignation to the college of consultors. If he is removed, resigns or dies then the college of consultors is to elect another. (c.430)

So that`s about it. The basic thing is that the DA is just watching the shop until the new bishop comes along.

Novus Sanguis

Novus Sanguis is the website of the project co-founded by Professor McGuckin and his team in Newcastle University, Great Britain, and the Foundation Jérôme Lejeune in Paris, France. It aims to use cord blood cells for stem cell research with all the benefits that can bring while being acceptable from a Catholic point of view. Dr Nico Forraz, a parishioner here at Forest Hall, is Prof. McGuckin`s colleague and recently made me aware of this new website.

Bishop Kevin Dunn was eager to support their work. Nico and Colin make regular trips to the Vatican too where there is much interest in this important work.

Funeral Arrangements for Bishop Kevin Dunn

I`m sorry to say I won`t be able to go to the Requiem Mass as we are interviewing for a new headteacher for our primary school that day but I hope to be able to get to the Monday night Mass

From the diocesan website.

Funeral Arrangements for Rt Rev Kevin J Dunn
at St Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne

Reception
Bishop Kevin’s body will be received into St Mary’s Cathedral on
Monday 10th March 2008 at 7.00 pm
with the celebration of Mass, followed by a vigil of quiet prayer ending with
Compline at 10.00 pm

This Mass and Vigil of Prayer is open to all people who may wish to attend.
----------
Requiem Mass
Bishop Kevin’s Requiem Mass will be celebrated at St Mary’s Cathedral
on Tuesday 11th March 2008 at 12.00 noon
Burial will follow immediately in the Cathedral Crypt

Unfortunately, due to the seating capacity in St Mary’s Cathedral, it is not possible for this Mass to be open to everyone and therefore entrance is by ticket only. Standing space may be available in the Cathedral precincts and courtyard and loudspeakers will broadcast the Mass outside.

----------
Clergy from other Catholic Dioceses

Any priest wishing to concelebrate at either of the above Masses is asked to contact Bishop’s House on 0191 228 0003 or e-mail office@rcdhn.org.uk by Friday 7th March

-----------

Flowers
Donations in lieu of flowers may be given for the Critical Care Unit at the Freeman Hospital. Cheques to be made payable to ‘Bishop Kevin Memorial Fund’ and sent to Bishop’s House, East Denton Hall, 800 West Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 2BJ
----------
Transport
Please note that car parking is only available in the public car parks throughout Newcastle City Centre. The nearest ones are Times Square Car Park and Grainger Town Multi-Storey. For those travelling by train, Central Station is opposite St Mary’s Cathedral.

Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle: what happens now?

On the death of a bishop the governance of a diocese falls on the auxiliary bishop until the college of consultors ( a body of priests which is chosen to advise the bishop) can meet and they can elect a diocesan administrator. As we don`t have an auxiliary bishop then the college of consultors had governance until they elected an administrator.

Our college of consultors met yesterday afternoon and the former Vicar General, Canon Cunningham was elected as diocesan administrator. On the death of a bishop the Vicar General and all episcopal vicars lose authority. Canon Cunningham, as diocesan administrator enjoys the power of diocesan bishop `excluding those things whch are excepted by their very nature or by the law itself`. However canon 428 says: sede vacante nihil innovetur ( `when the see is vacant nothing new is to be done`).

The judicial vicar (and associate judicial vicar) remain in office and cannot be removed by the diocesan administrator but need to be confirmed in office by the new bishop. The diocesan chancellor remains in office and can only be removed from office by the diocesan administrator with the consent of the college of consultors.

Looking back at the history of this diocese there has always been an auxiliary bishop in the diocese on the death of the bishop since 1958 when bishop McCormack died (his auxiliary was bishop Cunningham who became bishop of the diocese on July 1st 1958) until the retirement of bishop Griffiths although he retired on 25th May 2004, the day bishop Dunn was consecrated.

Most of our bishops have been buried at Ushaw.

On-line book of condolence for bishop kevin Dunn

If you haven`t yet seen this the diocesan website has an on-line book of condolence for bishop Dunn. It can be found here.

Requiescat in Pace

From the diocesan website:

Requiescat in Pace: Rt Rev Kevin Dunn, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle

Bishop Kevin has died very peacefully in the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, at 9.30pm on Saturday 1st March.

He was surrounded by his family including his mother, Cath, aged 88. Canon Cunningham, the Vicar General, was also present and anointed him and said the Prayers for the Dying, and together with the family said the Prayers for the Dead.

The Vicar General, Canon Cunningham, said: "We are very grateful to the doctors and nurses at the Freeman Hospital for the loving care and concern given to the Bishop and his family throughout his illness."

Bishop Kevin had been admitted to hospital in February and was transferred to intensive care with pneumonia.
A full obituary and press release will follow as soon as possible.

Kevin Dunn, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
Requiescat in Pace

Bishop Kevin Dunn

From the diocesan website:

Saturday March 1st

On Thursday night Bishop Kevin's family were called, to come from Staffordshire, to the hospital as his condition was described as precarious. Canon Cunningham gave him the Sacrament of the Sick on Thursday evening.


Saturday 5pm
Bishop Kevin's condition has further deteriorated. Please keep him and the family in your prayers.

Friday February 29th
Last night Bishop Kevin's family were called, to come from Staffordshire, to the hospital as his condition was described as precarious. Canon Cunningham gave him the Sacrament of the Sick yesterday evening.

Canon Cunningham has visited the hospital this morning at 7.00 am and prayed with Bishop Kevin. The news from the hospital this morning is that his condition is a little bit more stable.

Please continue to pray for Bishop Kevin, his family and Pam, his housekeeper.

LMS training course for the Extraordinary Form

I have been asked to post this press release:

29 February 2008

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

For Immediate Release

Residential Training Conference for Priests Wishing to Learn the Traditional Latin Rite at Merton College, Oxford, Monday 28 July to Friday 1 August 2008

The Latin Mass Society’s August 2007 training conference for priests was a great success with 47 priests attending. (It was opened by Archbishop Vincent Nichols and attended by Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma). Many of these priests are now offering the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Rite) or are far advanced in their preparations to do so.
The LMS now announces its second Priests’ Training Conference at Merton College, Oxford, which this year will accommodate over 60 priests and seminarians and will last for a full week. This reflects feedback from priests last year who asked for more ‘hands on’ training time.

The main features of this year’s conference will be:
● two training streams, one for complete beginners
● small training groups of about 5 students to ensure one-to-one tuition
● training in the Low Mass and the Missa Cantata
● training in all the Traditional Sacraments from baptism to funerals, and including Vespers and Benediction
● lectures in Traditional spirituality and the Usus Antiquior in a parish setting; Latin, and the Traditional Calendar
● Daily Mass, Lauds and Vespers – all in the Traditional Rite
● opportunity for all priests to offer their private Masses in the Traditional Rite with a priest ‘guide’
● More accommodation for seminarians.

To provide such intense practical training in the Traditional Mass and Sacraments and to ensure a daily high standard of liturgy, the LMS will have a large training, liturgical and music staff of about 25 – all knowledgeable in their fields. Priests will be charged a low fee of £150 to cover all tuition, board and accommodation. The LMS membership is generously paying the rest of the conference costs.

Julian Chadwick, LMS Chairman, said: “We know from the highest levels in the Vatican that our training conference last year greatly impressed the Roman authorities. It is with their approval that we are organising this second conference. We hope to make this an annual event which will roll out ever increasing numbers of priests briefed in the Traditional Rite and able to take it back to their parishes.
“The LMS’s aim is to ensure that the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is freely available in all the dioceses. To this end we will step up our training of priests, seminarians, choirs and servers. We will liaise closely with the bishops and seminary rectors to ensure that all who wish to learn and worship in the Traditional Rite are able to do so.”

. . . . ENDS . . . .

For further information, please contact John Medlin, General Manager, or James Murphy, LMS Office Manager, on (T) 020 7404 7284;
(F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) thelatinmasssociety@snmail.co.uk

Hurrah! Valle Adurni is back

I am delighted to see that Fr Sean Finnegan is back with his Valle Adurni blog. I`m particularly happy to see his series of videos of one of his Sarum Use Masses he organised in Oxford in 1997. I went to one of them and it may have been that one. I am due to give a talk to the North East Catholic History society next Wednesday on `the Sarum Use and the recusants`, information about which has been hard to come by, despite consulting a number of people I thought might be able to help, but I think I have enough for a talk. I would have liked to have had more on 19th century attitudes to the Sarum use amongst Catholics but have found little. Two stories in particular continue to do the rounds but I can`t find a reference for them. One is that Pius IX offered the new English hierarchy the Sarum Use and they turned it down out of a desire to be thoroughly Roman and the other is that there was talk of having the Sarum Use at Westminster cathedral when it was opened in 1903. If anyone has any information on either of these stories I`d be very grateful for it.

The Orientation of the Mass

On Tuesday nights in Lent at St Mary`s I have started a Mass with priest and people facing the same way following the example of Pope Benedict in the Sistine chapel. This is the New Mass in English but it has given rise to some unfavourable comments. This video by Fr Fessio may help to explain what is going on and why Pope Benedict thinks it is an important aspect of the Mass to re-discover.

From Forest Hall to Forest Gate

Today I was talking to a priest friend about a priest we both know Fr Dennis Hall of Forest Gate in the Brentwood diocese. I`ve only met Fr Hall once when he came to St Wilfrid`s Gateshead to hold a `Day with Mary` but my parish sister had worked with him for a number of years. It was quite a coincidence when tonight I looked at Holy Smoke and found that he is in the news because of a wrangle over the 1962 missal in his parish.

It raises interesting issues which I hope the imminent instruction from the Ecclesia Dei office will help resolve.

More on bishop Kevin Dunn

From Independent Catholic News

Bishop Kevin Dunn critically ill

Parishioners across the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle are praying for Bishop Kevin Dunn, who is very seriously ill in hospital. Over the weekend, his condition deteriorated, a diocesan spokesman said.

Canon Seamus Cunningham, vicar general of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, told the Sunderland Echo: "Bishop Kevin was admitted to hospital on Tuesday, February 5, and then on Friday, February 8, was transferred to intensive care with pneumonia. He is responding to treatment and the priests and people of the diocese are being asked to remember him in their prayers."

Father Bill O'Gorman, of St Michael's Church in Houghton, said: "We are very sad. The diocese is shocked to hear that he's critically ill. He's a wonderful bishop. He's been in the diocese since May 2004, coming up to four years, and has made his mark already. Every day we have prayers for him. We would wish him a speedy and full recovery."

Bishop Kevin, 57, was ordained as the 12th Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in May 2004 by bishop Ambrose Griffiths.Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, he studied for the priesthood at Oscott College in Birmingham and was ordained at Our Lady and St Werbergh's Church in Clayton, Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1976.

Since then, he has worked mainly across the West Midlands. He studied at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome and was awarded a doctorate in Canon Law in 1991.In 2001, he was appointed full-time episcopal vicar for Wolverhampton, Walsall, the Black Country and Worcester. In 2002, he became a Canon of the Metropolitan Chapter of St Chad and a member of the Episcopal Council in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

A message on the Hexham and Newcastle diocesan website site says: "He is being remembered and supported in prayer by so many people at this time, both in the diocese and beyond. We ask that you continue to keep him and his family and the whole of the diocese in your prayers at this time
© Independent Catholic News 2008

Prayers Please

Our bishop, Kevin Dunn, has been suffering with kidney problems recently and has spent the last week or so in intensive care with pneumonia. He is very ill and was anointed this morning. If you are reading this, then out of kindness, please say a prayer for him. He has been bishop since 2004 and is 57 years old.

Diocesan website here.

Lenten Talks at St Mary`s

Tonight at 7.30pm we have the first in a series of talks on matters of Catholic interest to be given during Lent. The programme so far is:

12th February: Terry Middleton, a local historian and genealogist, will talk on the Northern Rising of 1569.

19th February: Fr David Milburn, author of a history of Ushaw College and until recently chairman of the North East Catholic History society will talk about Ushaw (which this year is celebrating its bi-centenary).

26th February: Ian Graham the director of the Schola Gregoriana of Northumbria will give a talk entitled: More than One Line: The Development of Polyphony in Liturgical Music 1300-1600.

4th March: Mike Collins, a local representative for Aid to the Church in Need will talk about the history of that organisation and the life of its founder Fr Werenfried van Straaten.

11th March: Dorothy Allen, member of the Schola Gregoriana of Northumbria and former pupil of Dr Mary Berry, on `The place of the psalms in Christian life`.

Una Voce statement on the Good Friday prayer for the Jews

I received this last night. It is interesting to note that the SSPX-affiliated Transalpine Redemptorists based on the island of Papa Stronsey in Scotland have embraced the new prayer. This will make life interesting if the SSPX itself does not. Let`s hope that this willingness to follow the Holy Father in this may lead to the Transalpine Redemptorists finding regularisation in the Church.

Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce.
Quae patronum invocat sanctum Gregorium Magnum Papam.

LEO DARROCH, Executive President.


Statement.

Good Friday Prayer for the Conversion of the Jews.

The recent Nota from the Secretariat of State on the revision of the Good Friday prayer for the conversion of the Jews has received much comment in the media; much of it unfavourable, unfortunately, from some of those for whom the revision was intended to placate. The fact that there has been a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding from certain quarters has not helped to promote a sensible appraisal of the revision. The Jewish Journal states, “The change would affect the Missal of 1962 which the pope brought back into use.” Other Jewish sources have made the same mistake and are blaming Pope Benedict XVI for re-introducing the traditional form of Mass. This is completely untrue and indicates, perhaps, an understandable lack of knowledge about the Catholic Church which, however basic, cannot be attributed to Catholics.

It cannot be emphasised strongly enough that Pope Benedict has not ‘re-introduced’ anything. The Missal approved in 1962 was never abolished and, thus, the prayer for the conversion of the Jews has always been available in its traditional form. In his explanatory letter to the bishops that accompanied his Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum (7 July 2007) Pope Benedict declared “I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this Missal (of 1962) was never juridically abrogated and, consequently, in principle, was always permitted.”

A new Missal was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 (and included a revised version of the prayer) but in 1971, following receipt of a petition signed by a number of international figures, including the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, Pope Paul VI authorised the continuity of the older form in England and Wales. In 1984 Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter ‘Quattuor abhinc annos’, extended the permission to the rest of the Latin Church and stipulated that “These celebrations must be according to the 1962 Missal and in Latin”. Only four years later, because this document was found to be too restrictive, Pope John Paul II, in 1988, widened the authorisation even further through another Apostolic Letter ‘Ecclesia dei adflicta’. He declared “Moreover, respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition, by a wide and generous application of the directives already issued some time ago by the Apostolic See, for the use of the Roman Missal according to the typical edition of 1962.”

It is a fact, therefore, that the prayer for the Jews has been recited in Catholic Churches around the world more or less without interruption since 1962. It is pertinent to ask why complaints were not ranged against Pope Paul VI in 1971, or Pope John Paul II in 1984 and 1988? Why has Pope Benedict been unjustly, and falsely, accused of re-introducing a prayer that was never abolished and was publicly sanctioned by two of his predecessors? It is this kind of ill-informed comment and partial approach that does nothing to help the cause of improving Judeo-Catholic relations that Pope Benedict’s accusers purport to pursue.

Pope Benedict XVI, like Pope John Paul II and Pope Paul VI before him, is the supreme authority in the Catholic Church on matters pertaining to the celebration of the Church’s liturgy, insofar as the deposit of the Catholic Faith is preserved and propagated. The revised version of the prayer for the Jews as published by the Secretariat of State on 4 February 2008 quite clearly maintains Catholic doctrine. Our Holy Father has considered this matter and given his decision. The International Federation Una Voce welcomes this decision in filial obedience and will accept the new form with immediate effect.

Leo Darroch – Executive President.
10 February 2008.

Things you don`t expect to hear: no 1

Papal Secretary of State quotes Woody Allen. (Ansa)

Cardinal Bertone has been noted for a sense of humour. He is an ardent fan of Juventus football team, and has even acted as commentator on football matches for Genoese television stations. He once observed that although the Vatican opposed human cloning, "an exception might be made in the case of Sophia Loren". Nonetheless he still caused surprise when he began a homily at a Mass to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the San Egidio community on February 1st by quoting Woody Allen`s line ` God is dead, Marx is dead and I don`t feel too well myself`! He went on to denounce the state of mind of a large part of humanity which is apparently always more and more unhappy and less confident of the future.

Whatever next?

At last!

Readers may already have seen the pictures of Pope Benedict`s Ash Wednesday Mass. I know some may think this is getting obsessed with details but I was very pleased to see that at last the `Benedictine reform` has reached the Pope`s chasubles. This is in keeping with his intention of stressing the continuity of the Catholic faith rather than any idea of a rupture and a beginning from scratch again. Liturgical continuity reiinforces doctrinal continuity. Thus I was pleased to see the Pope wearing this Roman style vestment for Mass yesterday for the first time since he became Pope. It was also encouraging to see the seven candles for a papal Mass now seem to be a constant feature althogh the arrangement here left something to be desired.

For more learned comments see the NLM blog. For a brief introduction to chasubles see Wikipedia

Latin in demand

This story appeared on Tuesday in the Guardian. H/T to rogueclassicism. I have heard it said that the enthusiasm is only for GCSE Latin and few follow it to A level, but who knows? I have offered to start a Latin for beginners class in the parish and there is quite a lot of interest from teenagers as well as adults. I hope to start in the next couple of weeks. Certainly my intermediate Latin class this year at Newcastle University is the biggest I have known by far.

Back in 1965, Oxford and Cambridge decreed that applicants no longer required O-level Latin to gain admission to their hallowed halls and cloisters. The following year saw the founding of the Cambridge School Classics Project (CSCP) with the aim of keeping alive not only the flickering flame of classical culture, but also a language that even some academics regarded as past its sell-by date and the preserve of a snobbish elite.

More than four decades on, something strange is happening. The demand for Latin teachers in schools is going up, while the supply is going down. "Universities aren't producing enough, so we're all scrabbling around for the same people," says Andrew Hutchinson, headteacher at Parkside Community College in Cambridge - a comprehensive serving the centre of the city. "Quite a lot of academics live around here, which means the parent body can be quite demanding." Unusually for a state school, both he and his deputy are classicists.

Hutchinson has an MA in the subject from King's College, London, one of just two universities that are still training classics teachers. The other is Cambridge. Every year, its faculty of education gives PGCEs to 15 graduates qualified to teach classics, including Latin. King's College trains another 12. A total of 27, then. Meanwhile, around 72 Latin teachers are retiring or leaving annually, according to the CSCP.

The CSCP also estimates that there has been a three-fold rise over the past seven years in Latin classes of one form or another. The subject is now taught in 1,042 schools, including 453 independents and 118 grammars. But the biggest increase has come in state comprehensives, with a total of 471. Before addressing how this has come about, perhaps King's should be asked why it is training only a dozen classics teachers annually."

Good question," says Aisha Khan, subject director for PGCEs in Latin and classical civilisation. "Our head of department recently made a bid to increase the numbers to 16, but that was turned down. We've been told by the Training and Development Agency that the figure will stay at 12 until at least 2011."

Khan's counterpart at Cambridge, Bob Lister, points out that 20 years ago there were 15 higher education providers of classics teachers. "But then 20 years ago," he goes on, "universities were happy to have PGCE courses with four or five students. Financially, that won't work now."

Times change. The number of higher civil servants with Oxbridge classics degrees is in decline just as the number of employers demanding graduates with more practical skills is increasing. What can a profound knowledge of classical civilisations offer in this brave new world? "The same benefits as any humanities degree - the ability to develop and sustain argument with reference to evidence," Lister says. "What's more, a knowledge of classical heritage is invaluable to anyone trying to understand culture in the 21st century."

Roots of English

Or the new millennium, to put it another way. Millennium is a good Roman word, and one of many that lie at the roots of English and other European languages. Ironically, the revival of an ancient language in schools has come about through modern technology. DVDs and computer terminals bring the subject to life in a way that would seem unimaginable to older generations who were forced to conjugate verbs by rote. "In 2000, the government put out a tender for software to support the teaching of Latin," says Will Griffiths, director of the Cambridge project, based on the second floor of the university's faculty of music. "One aim was to improve standards in schools where the subject was being taught by trained teachers. The other was to allow the majority of schools to be able to offer the subject through English or modern language teachers."

For the most part, the subject is taught on an extra-curricular basis to children who tend to be academically bright. "You find them in state schools all over the country," Griffiths enthuses. "I remember a girl in Dagenham who did GCSE by following our distance-learning course. The girl was highly sought after by top clubs in the field of women's football, but she turned them down to concentrate on her studies and came out with an AS in Latin by video link."

In one of its offices, the CSCP harbours a bank of screens from which one teacher, Verity Walden, holds what might be termed a video conference in Latin with some 260 schools around the country. Meanwhile, the demand grows for specialist Latin teachers on site. "They're becoming like gold dust. I sometimes receive two inquiries a day from heads looking to hire one," says Griffiths, 37, a former classics teacher at a comprehensive. "The issue for higher education is how it can support this surge in interest from schools. The government will always prioritise subjects like English and maths, but there's no reason why it shouldn't support more training for teachers in classics."

And the children who are creating the demand for those teachers - how do they see a knowledge of Latin and classical civilisation helping in their future degree and career choices?"

I think there's still an idea that a knowledge of Latin is helpful for medicine and law," says Griffiths. "That may be a misconception. But there's little doubt that Latin helps with an understanding of the make-up of English and other modern European languages. As teachers it's our job to enthuse and make that understanding a lively process."

Not an easy option

On the other side of the River Cam, dusk is drawing in and children are streaming away from Parkside Community College as Latin teacher Nicky Parr is going to work. From key stage 3 onwards, between 25 and 40 pupils in each year group stay behind after normal classes, and the numbers taking the subject at GCSE level are approaching double figures. "It's not an easy option," says Parr, "Latin is marked particularly rigorously and children have to put in long hours. It demands commitment as well as academic ability."

At least one of her pupils, Molly Makinson, 13, is also studying ancient Greek. ("My grandad used to teach it," she says.) Another, David Mestel, 15, acquired an A* GCSE in Latin in year 9. Along with Luke Freeman-Mills, currently studying A-level Latin at sixth-form college, he's producing a booklet containing translations of Virgil, Horace, Ovid and others. So does he fancy studying the subject as part of a classics degree?"

No," he says. "I will probably do something scientific." For young Mestel, it would seem, translating Latin poetry is simply a bit of fun.

Latin Mass Society on the new Good Friday Prayer

I received this this morning which I am happy to share.


PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

For Immediate Release

6 February 2008

* Latin Mass Society Responds to New Good Friday Prayer

The Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict XVI has issued a new Prayer for the Jews to replace that in the Missal of Blessed John XXIII (1962). The new prayer is to be used with immediate effect.

Pope Benedict XVI when issuing his Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum of 7 July 2007 indicated that he would consider certain organic changes to the 1962 Missal, such as introducing a wider selection of Prefaces. The Good Friday prayer is his first change.

The unofficial translation of the new Good Friday Prayer for the Jews is:

Let us pray, and also for the Jews:
May our God and Lord enlighten their hearts, so that they may acknowledge Jesus Christ, saviour of all men.
Let us kneel…
Almighty and Everlasting God, who desirest that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth; mercifully grant that, as the fullness of the Gentiles enters into Thy Church, all Israel may be saved.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The new prayer was written by Pope Benedict himself and keeps the key idea of conversion to Christ. It situates the Jewish people as one group among all the groups of humankind who are offered conversion and salvation through Christ.

Although the Good Friday Prayer for the Jews had previously been revised by Blessed Pope John XXIII, some still found a hint in it that it was offered at rather than for the Jews. This possible ambiguity has now been removed.

Although some might wonder if there was indeed a pressing need to rewrite the prayer, nevertheless the Latin Mass Society in loyalty to the Holy Father’s clear wish will use the new prayer in all Good Friday services organised under its auspices.

John Medlin, General Manager of the LMS, expressed a personal opinion and said: ‘The new Good Friday Prayer for the Jews is self-evidently more concise and unambiguous than the current Prayer for the Jewish People in the 1970 Missal of Paul VI. I wonder if consideration might be given to introducing the new prayer into the 1970 Missal.’

. . . . ENDS . . . .

For further information, please contact John Medlin, General Manager, or Yvonne Windsor, LMS Office Administrator, on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585;
(E mail) thelatinmasssociety@snmail.co.uk

Blog Statistics

I`ve never published one of these before but I see Fr Ray Blake has done so today so I thought I`d follow suit as it may be of interest. This blog gets about 120 visits a day.

New Good Friday prayer

Readers of Rorate Caeli will have seen that the expected new Good Friday prayer for the Jews for the Extraordinary Form has been published today by the Vatican. I have no problem with the prayer. It still clearly calls for the Jews to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Saviour of all. I had no problem with the old prayer but if the Holy Father sees fit to make this change to remove some language which may make relations with the Jews difficult while retaining the meaning of the prayer than that is a good thing.

Another Good Thing is that it removes the claim that was made by some through an inaccurate reading of Summorum Pontificum that there was no permission for the EF in the Triduum. All that is forbidden is a private celebration which is natural enough. Yet another Good Thing is that this shows that the EF is here to stay and is a full part of the current Roman Rite.

Here is the prayer and translation courtesy of Rorate Caeli:

Oremus et pro Iudaeis. Ut Deus et Dominus noster illuminet corda eorum, ut agnoscant Iesum Christum salvatorem omnium hominum.
Oremus.

Flectamus genua.
Levate.

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui vis ut omnes homines salvi fiant et ad agnitionem veritatis veniant, concede propitius, ut plenitudine gentium in Ecclesiam Tuam intrante omnis Israel salvus fiat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

From the Vatican, February 4 2008.

Let us pray also for the Jews.

May our God and Lord enlighten their hearts, so that they may acknowledge Jesus Christ, saviour of all men.

Let us pray.

Let us kneel.
Arise.

Almighty and everlasting God, who desirest that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of truth, mercifully grant that, as the fullness of the Gentiles enters into Thy Church, all Israel may be saved. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Of course supporters of the SSPX will complain bitterly about this (cf. Angelqueen) and it will make reconciliation with them more difficult but if they really believe in the authority of the Pope it would be refreshing to see some humility on the part of the SSPX leadership, for them to really show willingness to accept the authority of the Pope and agree to use it.

This prayer came out rather quickly. I wonder how near to completion the long-awaited explanatory document from Ecclesia Dei might be?

UPDATE: 6.02.08 I thought this would not be very acceptable to Jews who were offended by the idea that the church should pray for conversion and so it seems it isn`t

Prayer for Conversion of Jews Remains Troubling Despite Vatican Changes

New York, NY, February 5, 2008 …. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said the Vatican's changes to the Latin Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews amount to "cosmetic revisions" and the prayer remains "deeply troubling" because it calls for Jews to "acknowledge Jesus Christ as the savior of all men."

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

While we appreciate that some of the deprecatory language has been removed from a new version of the Good Friday prayer for the Conversion of Jews in the 1962 Roman Missal, we are deeply troubled and disappointed that the framework and intention to petition God for Jews to accept Jesus as Lord was kept intact.

Alterations of language without change to the 1962 prayer's conversionary intent amount to cosmetic revisions, while retaining the most troubling aspect for Jews, namely the desire to end the distinctive Jewish way of life. Still named the "Prayer for Conversion of the Jews," it is a major departure from the teachings and actions of Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and numerous authoritative Catholic documents, including Nostra Aetate.

ADL wrote to Pope Benedict on January 22 expressing concern that a revised Good Friday prayer that Jews abandon their own religious identity, would be devastating to the deepening relationship and dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

I can`t get too excited by this as I have mentioned before that celebrating the 1962 Good Friday liturgy I discovered it is essentially the same as that of the Novus Ordo apart from using black vestments. I would be interested in using the older form, from before the changes of the 1950`s but there is no permission to do so (although rumour has it that the Institute of Christ the King have permission). I ony wish that this new prayer for the Jews could be used instead of the rather weak one in the Novus Ordo.

Archbishop Ranjith does it again

I remember hearing the reports of the discussions at the Synond on the Eucharist and being rather disappointed by it all. One of the few interesting interventions was from a bishop from Kazakhstan who suggested that receiving Holy Communion in the hand and standing may be partly responsible for the decline in devotion to the Eucharist. It made sense to me but I was only sad that the idea was only being voiced in Kazakhstan. However Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Karaganda in Kazakhstan, has written a book and Archbishop Ranjith has written the preface. He concurs with the bishop`s thesis. I can`t wait for archbishop Ranjith to take over as prefect of the CDW!

Here are some relevant extracts from the preface courtesy of the NLM blog where the whole preface may be read.

At the same time, speaking of communion in the hand, it must be recognized that the practice was improperly and quickly introduced in some quarters of the Church shortly after the Council, changing the age-old practice and becoming regular practice for the whole Church. They justified the change saying that it better reflected the Gospel or the ancient practice of the Church... Some, to justify this practice referred to the words of Jesus: "Take and eat" (Mk 14, 22; Mt 26, 26).

Whatever the reasons for this practice, we cannot ignore what is happening worldwide where this practice has been implemented. This gesture has contributed to a gradual weakening of the attitude of reverence towards the sacred Eucharistic species whereas the previous practice had better safeguarded that sense of reverence. There instead arose an alarming lack of recollection and a general spirit of carelessness. We see communicants who often return to their seats as if nothing extraordinary has happened... In many cases, one cannot discern that sense of seriousness and inner silence that must signal the presence of God in the soul....

Now I think it is high time to review and re-evaluate such good practices and, if necessary, to abandon the current practice that was not called for by Sacrosanctum Concilium, nor by Fathers, but was only accepted after its illegitimate introduction in some countries. Now, more than ever, we must help the faithful to renew a deep faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species in order to strengthen the life of the Church and defend it in the midst of dangerous distortions of the faith that this situation continues to cause.

This takes the biscuit

Chris Gillibrand`s tireless efforts to uncover silliness and abuses in the celebration of the sacred liturgy are remarkable. This however must be the silliest thing yet (and there is some stiff competition!). Read more about it here.

More praise for Lancaster school document

I asked at our diocesan school department whether they had a copy of the Lancaster `Fit for Mission?` document but they said they hadn`t got it yet. Other people seem to have received it, in the Vatican. I`ve already mentioned the previous Vatican praise for this document. Now there is more. H/T to Total Catholic.

New Vatican praise for bishop's education document

A groundbreaking education document produced by the Bishop of Lancaster has received further praise from the Vatican.

Fit for Mission? Schools had previously been praised by the Congregation for Clergy.

It has now also been singled out by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, as a “reliable resource for renewing the vitality of Catholic education in today’s society”.

The cardinal commended Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue on behalf of the congregation for his “initiative and work done to strengthen the values inherent in the Catholic school”.

Cardinal Grocholewski highlighted the publication’s “comprehensive” use of documents from the Holy See to support the Catholic ethos in schools on a diocesan level.

The implementation of the Fit for Mission? Schools programme will be developed throughout Lancaster over the course of this year.

The diocese’s education centre will facilitate and co-ordinate further consultation and implementation of the action plan among primary and secondary schools, and colleges.

The consultation will culminate in a diocesan conference in November 2008 to discuss the progress of the initiative overthe year.

Bishop O’Donoghue, currently on a pastoral visit to India at the invitation of the Syro-Malabar community, said: “I am absolutely delighted with the letter from Cardinal Grocholewski.

“It is so encouraging to learn that Fit for Mission? Schools has been commended by the Congregation that has authority over all Catholic schools and colleges throughout the world.”

He added: “I see it as yet another sign that our efforts at Lancaster are moving in the right direction.

“We are honestly trying to make our schools and parishes fit for mission – striving to communicate the Gospel with a freshness and energy to young and old.”

Can King Kev save Newcastle?

While I was away for a few nights last week in Lille, the news broke and just made it onto the news on CNN on the hotel television that Kevin Keegan was returning to manage our football club. I was eager to get hold of an English paper to read about it. I was never very good at football. I`ve not been to St James` park for over ten years and when I last went I needed to ask a ten year old beside me to explain what was going on and as for the off-side rule... However I follow the progress of the club with much attention and interest and also go to the theatre a lot although I don`t even live in the south! (Cf. KK`s remarks at the press conference.) It has been said that football in Newcastle is different to elsewhere in the country as the fortunes of the club appear to influence the life of the whole city.

I read when I got home that shortly after the news of Kevin Keegan`s return was announced a couple named their new born son Kevin Keegan. This made me think back to confirmations here in Forest Hall in the autumn conducted by our own bishop Kevin Dunn. He remarked sadly that no-one had chosen Kevin as a confirmation name. We`ll have to wait and see but next time he comes for confirmation in a few years time he may find a whole row of Kevins waiting to be confirmed (and maybe even a couple of Alans).

Christian Unity Week

I`m afraid it has been a rather uneventful Christian Unity week this year even if it is the centenary of the first one. As I have mentioned before my last experience of it was in 2005 when I went to the service in Gateshead at the C of E Christ church where the bishop of Durham was the preacher. I was the only Catholic priest present as far as I could tell but there was no shortage of Anglican clergy and a lady vicar in choir dress led the service.

How strange to be back in the very same church on Saturday as I popped in to see bishop Fellay`s blessing of that church for the use of the Society of St Pius X. I thought that, given that he is the head of that organisation it might be interesting to hear what he had to say. So after the blessing of the church he stood in that same pulpit where I had seen bishop Tom Wright of Durham preach and he talked for about an hour. The first half offered reflections on the symbolism of the rite of blessing a church and the place of the sacraments in Catholic life. In the second he gave us his reflections on the Motu proprio. Having heard what he had to say I must say my thought was that reconciliation with the Holy See and the SSPX looks as unlikely as ever.

Whereas Pope Benedict in his accompanying letter to the Motu Proprio wrote: There is no contradiction between the two editions of the Roman Missal, bishop Fellay appears to see the two forms of the Roman rite as being mutually exclusive which is ironically quite similar to the outlook of `liberal` Catholics who oppose the Motu Proprio or make it difficult to be implemented as they too see the two forms as being opposed to each other.

I stayed for some of the Mass which was beautifully done except that the choir had not made it because of trouble with the trains and so the music wasn`t what had been intended. I said a prayer for reconciliation and pray that this division may not harden as Pope Benedict mentioned in the letter accompanying Summorum Pontificum when he wrote:

Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the centuries have rent the Body of Christ, one continually has the impression that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church’s leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to enable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew.

This makes me so happy

As readers may have read elsewhere today the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the Sistine chapel this morning but this time the temporary altar for celebrating facing the people was removed and the original altar of the chapel was used instead. Here is a picture courtesy of the NLM blog. It is very encouraging to see the Mass celebrated like this after there has been much written recently, not least by Cardinal Ratzinger himself, about the need to restore this orientation in the Mass. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the issues involved a good introduction can be found here.

I fervently hope that we will see the Pope celebrate Mass like this more often as it will encourage others (myself included) to follow his lead. So far we have read the books and a few brave souls have taken on this practice but with these pictures there is much more encouragement.

In Summorum Pontificum there is mention of the extraordinary form influencing the ordinary and vice versa. Although this orientation has never actually been forbidden for the Paul VI missal (and the rubrics in a few places seem to expect it, as in the priest turns to face the people and says `Behold the Lamb of God`) many churches have been `re-ordered` with varying degrees of iconoclasm on the supposition that this was required by Vatican II. However as the EF is celebrated with this orientation most of the time and the OF is normally celebrated `facing the people` this would be one example of the EF influencing the OF. Maybe we can start an experimental OF like this once a week in the Forest after appropriate catechesis.

Church and state

These two stories struck me as interesting. In Slovakia a radio station has been fined for making fun of the Vatican`s document on road safety while in Spain the government asks for the country`s bishops to apologise for holding a day to celebrate the family. It seems to me that both of these reactions are somewhat extreme.

Spanish leaders want bishops' apology for pro-family rally
Madrid, Jan. 3, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Spanish government leaders have asked the country's Catholic bishops to apologize for the massive pro-family rally held in Madrid on December 30, Vatican Radio reports.

Leaders of the Socialist governing party have charged that the Church intervened in partisan political affairs with the rally, which drew nearly 2 million participants. (The government is reporting that only 160,000 took part in the demonstration.) The government has asked the bishops' conference for an apology.

Although 40 bishops took part in the pro-family event, and the hierarchy gave clear support to the event, the rally was organized primarily by lay Catholic activists. The organizers have consistently argued that the rally was not intended as a partisan political event, but as a public expression of support for the traditional family founded on Christian marriage.

Slovak station fined for criticizing Vatican's “ten commandments” of driving

Bratislava, Jan 10, 2008 / 04:02 am (CNA).- A Slovakian television station has been fined two-million koruna ($88,400), for making fun of a Vatican document on Christian driving, Agence France Presse reports.

Slovakia’s broadcasting council said that a program on the commercial station Joj abused viewers’ religious sensibilities and was not objective.

The program targeted the 2007 document issued by the Pontifical Council for Migrants “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road,” widely characterized by media reports as teaching the “Ten Commandments” of driving.

The program said that priests were “not the best experts” to give instructions on driving because the Vatican had "only two kilometers of highway and the last traffic accident was more than half a year ago."

Around two-thirds of Slovakians describe themselves as Catholic.

Zielinski speaks

I apologise for once again lifting an article from Rorate Caeli but I know not all those who read this read it. Here are the words of the Most Rev. Abbot Dom Michael Zielinski, O.S.B. Oliv., Vice-President of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church as reported in today`s Osservatore Romano. I`ve tried to do my bit to encourage chant in the Forest but it takes time for it to become familiar. I was talking to some parishioners today who said that after hearing it a few times they began to enjoy it, so we soldier on.

Despite the pronouncements of the Vatican II Council and of the papal magisterium, Church music is in crisis; it is affected by the hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture, of which Benedict XVI spoke in his Address to the Roman Curia of December 22, 2005.

To recover the great treasure which the Tradition of the Church gave to us, it is necessary to begin with Gregorian Chant, which is capable of communicating to the People of God the sense of Catholicity and to guide it towards a correct inculturation.

German writer Martin Mosebach recalls that this music was peculiar also to the ears of Charlemagne, of Saint Thomas Aquinas, of Monteverdi, or of Haydn. And it was as strange in their age as it is in our age. Today, however, one is more inclined towards the music of other cultures than the Christians of many centuries ago. Besides, the melodies of the various local traditions, even of those of cultures different from ours, are close relatives of Gregorian chant and, even in this sense, Gregorian Chant is truly universal.

Mass from Highfield in 1967

I was recently given a cassette tape recording of a BBC radio broadcast of the Sunday Mass of November 27th 1967 from St Joseph`s, Highfield, near Rowlands Gill. The celebrant was Fr Hugh Lavery, one of the finest preachers and spiritual writers of this diocese in recent times. However it is a fascinating record of the changes in the Mass at that time.

The Mass appears to be a Missa Cantata in that the proper is sung by some very well-spoken girls but other elements such as the prayers and the Our Father are said . The whole Mass is in English apart from the canon which is said aloud in Latin. A lay reader reads the Epistle and bidding prayers and there are a couple of hymns too. The Introit and Communion antiphons are sung with extended psalm verses.

I can imagine there was great excitement at the time about these changes (although for a different reaction see Evelyn Waugh`s reaction in the book `A Bitter Trial`) as it represented the fulfilment of the hopes of the Liturgical Movement and the culmination of a process which had been at work throughout the 20th century to restore the liturgy and free it from the accretions of centuries. Certainly everyone on the tape (including the commentator) sounds quite excited by it all. However I think I`d be with Evelyn Waugh on this one.

The Saint Lawrence Press

I recently received a copy of the ordo for 2008 published by the Saint Lawrence Press. This ordo follows the 1939 edition of the Roman missal. If you would like to know more about it, there is a website here. Readers of this blog will have seen the comments on the post about the new SSPX church in Gateshead where this frst came to my attention. The ordo looks formidable at first and takes a bit of deciphering when it is unfamiliar. There is a sample page with explanation here.

It is a fascinating insight into the Roman rite before the reforms of the 1950`s and 1960. The site offers a comparison between different editions of the Roman rite since 1570 which is also very interesting.

Fr Demets in his talk to the clergy of Little Rock mentions that within the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter there are some who prefer the pre-1962 Roman missal. The Institute of Christ the King are said to have permission to celebrate the pre-reform Holy Week services too. However as I mentioned in the comments box it is enough of a struggle to get the 1962 missal up and running at the minute without complicating things further. However I am enjoying looking at this ordo every day to see what was in the norm in 1939.

When I was at seminary it was not unusual for an attachment to the `Tridentine` missal to be attacked on the grounds that those who liked it valued it for the sense of liturgical immutability and continuity it gave whereas in fact the Roman missal of 1570 missal was not identical to that of 1962. Here we can, with the help of the comparison table, follow those changes. However the changes between 1570 and 1962 are fairly cosmetic compared to that of the 1970 Novus Ordo and the sesnse of following an unbroken tradition is stronger in the 1962 missal than that of 1970.

More from Lancaster

I don`t understand why it would be a cause for regret that the organ could not accompany the singing at a Requiem as it is meant to be sung without accompaniment but it`s good to see a regular EF Mass at a cathedral. How enlightened.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

For Immediate Release

3 January 2008

Traditional Rite Returns to Lancaster Cathedral

After an absence of many years, and thanks to the Motu Proprio of our Holy Father, a Sung Mass in the Traditional Latin Rite was offered in the Cathedral of St Peter, Lancaster on 11 November 2007 – Remembrance Sunday.

The celebrant was Canon Stephen Shield, Cathedral Dean. Father Michael Docherty and Fr Peter Groody sat in choir. The servers were under the direction of the MC, Michael Massey, and Andrew Plasom-Scott conducted the choir who sang the Mass for the Dead without accompaniment as the cathedral organ is awaiting restoration.

The congregation, made up mainly of parishioners but including LMS members and visitors, numbered over 140.

Canon Shield offered a further Mass in the cathedral at 12.15 pm on Christmas Day.
It is now confirmed that commencing on Sunday 24 February, Canon Shield will offer a regular fourth Sunday Traditional Mass in the cathedral at 12.15 pm. It is planned that some of these Masses will be sung.

Julian Chadwick, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society, said, “Slowly but inevitably the Traditional Rite is returning to the altars of the Church. The LMS is immensely grateful to Canon Shield for agreeing to offer regular Sunday Masses. The LMS would also like to record its thanks to Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue of Lancaster, not least for his recent very fine teaching document on the need to provide a full and rigorous Catholic education for our youngsters. The renovation of the Faith in England and Wales is an urgent necessity and Bishop Patrick and Canon Stephen are showing the way.”

For further information, please contact John Medlin, General Manager, or Yvonne Windsor, LMS Office Administrator, on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585;
E-mail: thelatinmasssociety@snmail.co.uk