Mass of Ages Autumn 2017

Mass of Ages The quarterly magazine of the Latin Mass Society

Issue 193 – Autumn 2017

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Š John Aron

Warrington ordinations The Lutheran revolt The Peace of Christ: a history of the paxbrede Plus: news, views, Mass listings and nationwide reports

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Contents 3 Chairman’s Message Joseph Shaw raises a glass in thanksgiving for a decade of Summorum Pontificum 6 LMS Year Planner – Notable Events 7 Liturgical Calendar and News 8 History in the making – Alan Frost reports on the first ordinations in the Traditional Rite in England for more than 50 years 11 Thoughts from my heart – Andrew Brayley discusses the diary kept by Mgr Pericle Felici during Vatican II 12 Obituary: Damien Ashby remembered 13 Angels and devils – Canon Amaury Montjean, of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, on the writings of St Francis de Sales 14 A stitch in time…saves a chasuble

The Guild of St Clare held its first ever Sewing Retreat at the Carmelite Retreat Centre, Boar’s Hill, just outside Oxford earlier this year. Barbara Kay reports 15 Roman report – Alberto Carosa talks to Coetus Internationalis Summorum Pontificum Secretary, Guillaume Ferluc 16 Reports from around the country – What’s happening where you are 22 Glorious tradition – Canon Gwenaël Cristofoli ICKSP on great times in Preston 24 Art and devotion – Caroline Shaw looks at El Greco’s The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, painted between 1586 and 1588 for the Parish Church of Santo Tomé, Toledo 26 Our Lady’s Wishes – Mary O’Regan on the Third Secret of Fatima 27 Thirty years of the Old Rite – Peter Clarke reports from the Isle of Wight 28 Restoration drama – In this follow-up to his summer feature on the Sacred Heart Church at Caterham, Paul Waddington reports on the recent restoration of the wall paintings in the Sanctuary and Lady Chapel 30 Review – Annie Mackie-Savage discusses a new book on marriage 31 To guard and to guide – Do we still believe in Angels? asks Fr Bede Rowe 33 Mass listings 40 The Peace of Christ – Latin Mass Society Chairman, Joseph Shaw, looks at the history of the paxbrede 42 My first Latin Mass – Mackenzie Robinson remembers a special experience at Buckfast Abbey 43 An emotional response – The Lone Veiler on Holy Communion 44 Review – The Lutheran revolt was, ultimately, a revolt against reason, sense, balance, normality and even common humanity, as James Bogle explains 46 Crossword and classified 47 Macklin Street

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CONTENTS/CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

We’ll climb that mountain Joseph Shaw raises a glass in thanksgiving for a decade of Summorum Pontificum

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DISCLAIMER:

Please note that the views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Latin Mass Society or the Editorial Board.

Great care is taken to credit photographs and seek permission before publishing, though this is not always possible. If you have a query regarding copyright, please contact the Editor.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission.

The Latin Mass Society 11-13 Macklin Street, London WC2B 5NH Tel: 020 7404 7284 editor@lms.org.uk PATRONS: Sir Adrian Fitzgerald Bt, Lord (Brian) Gill, Sir James MacMillan CBE, Colin Mawby KSG, Charles Moore COMMITTEE: Dr Joseph Shaw – Chairman; Kevin Jones – Secretary; David Forster – Treasurer; Paul Beardsmore – Vice President; Paul Waddington – Vice President; James Bogle, Eric Friar; Alisa Kunitz-Dick; Antonia Robinson; Roger Wemyss Brooks.

Registered UK Charity No. 248388 MASS OF AGES: Editor: Tom Quinn Design: GADS Ltd Printers: Bishops

Mass of Ages No. 193 Cover image: Ordinations in the Traditional Rite at St Mary’s Shrine, Warrington. © John Aron

Due to the considerable volume of emails and letters received at Mass of Ages it is regrettably not always possible to reply to all correspondents.

en years ago Pope Benedict XVI promulgated ‘motu proprio’ – ‘by his own initiative’ – the Apostolic Summorum Letter Pontificum: it was published on 7 July 2007, and came into force on 14 September. For those readers who have encountered the ancient Mass only since 2007, and perhaps have had experience of difficulties which still impede its celebration today, it may not be easy to imagine what things were like before that date, and therefore what difference this document made.

If so, allow me to enlighten you.

Under the previous legal situation, as then understood, the celebration of the Traditional Mass was possible under an ‘indult’: that is, a permission which lifted, under certain circumstances, the force of a general rule.

Pope John II, mindful of the work of the Society of Pius X, described the desire for the ancient Mass as a ‘rightful aspiration’, and pleaded with bishops to be ‘generous’ in their permissions, but, having given them the power to give permission for the Vetus Ordo, he left the ultimate decision in their hands.

The result could not be described in any sense as ‘generous’ provision, for a number of reasons I can’t explore here.

This practical difficulty was joined by a theoretical one for Catholics attached to the Traditional Mass: conservative and liberal Catholics alike frequently criticised us for wanting something which was, in the last analysis, banned, and banned, presumably, for our own good.

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CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE These problems, which added greatly to the suffering of those who remembered, or had somehow discovered, the riches of the old Mass, were summarised by Cardinal Ratzinger, before his election as Pope Benedict. He wrote in 2000: ‘Anyone who nowadays advocates the continuing existence of this liturgy or takes part in it is treated like a leper; all tolerance ends here.

There has never been anything like this in history; in doing this we are despising and proscribing the Church’s whole past. How can one trust her at present if things are that way?’

(Spirit of the Liturgy).

Readers may think this statement exaggerated the problem, but really it does not. I experienced myself good and faithful Catholics, highly educated and courageous defenders of the Magisterium, recoil from me on learning I attended the old Mass, as if I had announced that I was the bearer of

a deadly and highly contagious illness: and one, moreover, which implied serious moral failings on my part, like some kind of spiritual syphilis.

In the same way, the attitude that everything in the liturgy before the Second Vatican Council was darkness, was the solemn and unquestionable presumption of serious Catholic programmes of study in universities and seminaries.

It is true that such attitudes can still be found lingering today, here and there, but they can easily be put on the defensive simply by referring to the Motu Proprio. The peculiar distortions of what this document said, which were attempted when it was first published, can be challenged by reference to the short, clear, text, which is available to everyone with access to the internet.

Looking at the practical results of the Motu Proprio, we can refer to the Society’s Mass Listings for an objective measure.

They tell us that in 2007, the Traditional Mass was celebrated at least monthly in 26 locations; today there are

147. In 2007, there were 20 places in England and Wales where it was possible to attend the Mass every Sunday; today, there are 40. For Holydays of Obligation, there were 13 celebrations for All Saints in 2007; there were 36 last year. There were 10 Masses of Christmas in 2006; in 2016 there were 71.

Contemplating the mountain we have to climb before we will be able to say that the Extraordinary Form is genuinely available to Catholics in England and Wales who want it, or who would benefit from discovering it, we should remind ourselves what an incomparably woeful situation obtained before the Motu Proprio: and that itself was the result of 40 years of tireless work and sacrifice by the Society’s members and friends.

So this season raise a glass in thanksgiving for a decade of Summorum Pontificum, and Pope Benedict XVI! If you have not already done so, join the Anniversary Supporters advertised in this issue of Mass of Ages, and together we’ll climb a bit more of that mountain.

‘Let’s see now... how does the Hail Mary go again?’

Taken from Cracks in the Clouds by Dom Hubert Van Zeller (Brother Choleric), 1976

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EVENTS

LMS Year Planner – Notable Events Thursday 24th – Sunday 27th August 2017 LMS Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham. This will be our eighth walking pilgrimage to Walsingham for the conversion of England. Pilgrims meet at Ely on the Thursday evening and, after Mass early Friday morning, start the walk to Walsingham.

Arriving in Walsingham on the Sunday, pilgrims will be joined by day pilgrims from around the country. For those wishing to make a day pilgrimage on the Sunday, a coach will leave central London, returning in evening. To book a seat on the coach, please register online or contact the LMS office.

Monday 28th August Tyburn Walk. The Tyburn Walk retraces the footsteps of the Catholic Martyrs from Newgate Gaol (now the site of the Old Bailey) to the site of Tyburn tree at the renamed Marble Arch.

See our website for details.

Saturday 9th September 2017 LMS Pilgrimage to Brinkburn Priory.

LMS Pilgrimage to Glastonbury. The LMS Pilgrimage to Glastonbury begins with Mass in the church of Our Lady of Glastonbury at 11.15am. After lunch (please bring your own), there will be a rosary procession and the day concludes with Benediction.

Saturday 21st October 2017 Annual Meeting of LMS Committee & Local Representatives.

Each year members of the LMS Committee meet with our Diocesan and Assistant Representatives. This year the meeting will be at the church of Our Lady of The Assumption & St Gregory, Warwick Street London. Further details will be sent to Committee members and Reps nearer the time.

Saturday 4th November 2017 LMS Annual Requiem Mass. High Mass of Requiem in Westminster Cathedral at 2.30pm. This is our annual Mass offered for the repose of the souls of deceased members and benefactors of the Latin Mass Society. It will be celebrated by the Rt Rev. Mark Jabalé O.S.B., Emeritus Bishop of Menevia, with the assistance of priests from the ICKSP. Saturday 18th November 2017 Confirmation in the Traditional Rite. Our annual celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation will take place in St James’s Church, Spanish Place, London W1U 3QY at 11.30am, it will be followed by Pontifical Benediction. The celebrant will be the Rt Rev. John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster. To register your child or yourself to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation please see our website or contact the LMS Office.

Thursday 14th – Saturday 16th September 2017 40 Hours Devotion at St Mary Moorfields. See our website for details.

Saturday 23rd September 2017 Missa Cantata in St Augustine’s, Snave. The LMS returns to Snave for a Sung Mass at 12 noon, celebrated by Monsignor Antony Conlon, with music from the Victoria Consort. St Augustine’s is one of the medieval churches on Romney Marsh now in the care of the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust, who have kindly given permission for us to celebrate Mass there.

Saturday, 14th October 2017 LMS Pilgrimage to Wrexham Cathedral. Our annual pilgrimage to the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Wrexham, in honour of St Richard Gwyn, a co-patron of the LMS. Mass at 11.00am followed by veneration of the relic of St Richard Gwyn. The LMS is very grateful to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest who will be with us on the day.

Tuesday 17th October 2017 Requiem Mass for Marie Antoinette The will be a Sung Requiem at St Anthony of Padua, Watchbell Street, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7HB at 12 noon. The setting of the Mass, by the 17th century French composer Jean Gilles, will be sung by The Victoria Consort, directed by Dominic Bevan.

FACTFILE Details of all our events can be found on our website, together with booking and payment facilities where applicable. Go to lms.org.uk

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LITURGICAL CALENDAR/NEWS

AUGUST 2017 Sun 13 X SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 14 VIGIL of the ASSUMPTION of the BVM II CI V Tue 15 ASSUMPTION of the BVM I Cl W Wed 16 S JOACHIM FATHER of the BVM II CI W Thu 17 S HYACINTH C III Cl W Fri 18 FERIA IV Cl G Sat 19 S JOHN EUDES C III Cl W Sun 20 XI SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 21 S JANE FRANCES FRÉMIOT de CHANTAL W III CI W Tue 22 IMMACULATE HEART of the BVM II Cl W Wed 23 S PHILIP BENIZI C III Cl W Thu 24 S BARTHOLOMEW § Ap II Cl R Fri 25 S LOUIS K C III Cl W Sat 26 OUR LADY’S SATURDAY IV Cl W Sun 27 XII SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 28 S AUGUSTINE B C D III CI W Tue 29 BEHEADING of S JOHN the BAPTIST § III Cl R Wed 30 S ROSE OF LIMA V III Cl W Thu 31 S RAYMUND NONATUS C III Cl W

SEPTEMBER 2017 Fri 1 FERIA IV Cl G Sat 2 S STEPHEN K C III Cl W Sun 3 XIII SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 4 FERIA IV CI G Tue 5 S LAURENCE JUSTINIAN B C III Cl W Wed 6 FERIA IV Cl G Thu 7 FERIA IV Cl G Fri 8 NATIVITY of the BVM II Cl W Sat 9 OUR LADY’S SATURDAY IV Cl W Sun 10 XIV SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 11 FERIA IV Cl G Tue 12 MOST HOLY NAME of MARY III Cl W Wed 13 FERIA IV Cl G Thu 14 EXALTATION of the HOLY CROSS II Cl R Fri 15 SEVEN SORROWS of the BVM II CI W Sat 16 SS CORNELIUS § P & CYPRIAN § B MM III Cl R Sun 17 XV SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 18 S JOSEPH of CUPERTINO C III CI W Tue 19 SS JANUARIUS B & COMPS MM III Cl R Wed 20 EMBER DAY II Cl V Thu 21 S MATTHEW § Ap Evangelist II Cl R Fri 22 EMBER DAY II Cl V Sat 23 EMBER DAY II Cl V Sun 24 XVI SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 25 FERIA IV Cl G Tue 26 FERIA IV Cl G Wed 27 SS COSMAS § & DAMIAN § MM III Cl R Thu 28 S WENCELAUS Duke M III Cl R Fri 29 DEDICATION of S MICHAEL ARCHANGEL I Cl W Sat 30 S JEROME Priest C D III Cl W OCTOBER 2017 Sun 1 XVII SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 2 HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS III Cl W Tue 3 S TERESA of the CHILD JESUS V III Cl W Wed 4 S FRANCIS C III Cl W Thu 5 FERIA IV Cl G Fri 6 S BRUNO C III Cl W Sat 7 BVM of the ROSARY II Cl W Sun 8 XVIII SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 9 S JOHN LEONARDI C III Cl W Tue 10 S FRANCIS BORGIA C III Cl W Wed 11 MOTHERHOOD of the BVM II Cl W Thu 12 FERIA IV Cl G Fri 13 S EDWARD K C II Cl W Sat 14 S CALLISTUS I P M III CI R Sun 15 XIX SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 16 S HEDWIG W III CI W Tue 17 S MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE V III Cl W Wed 18 S LUKE Evangelist II Cl R Thu 19 S PETER of ALCANTARA C III Cl W Fri 20 S JOHN CANTIUS C III Cl W Sat 21 OUR LADY’S SATURDAY IV Cl W Sun 22 XX SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 23 S ANTHONY MARY CLARET B C III Cl W Tue 24 S RAPHAEL ARCHANGEL III Cl W Wed 25 FERIA IV Cl G Thu 26 FERIA IV Cl G Fri 27 FERIA IV Cl G Sat 28 SS SIMON § & JUDE § Aps II Cl R Sun 29 OLJC the KING I Cl W (XXI Sunday after Pentecost) Mon 30 FERIA IV Cl G Tue 31 FERIA IV Cl G NOVEMBER 2017 Wed 1 ALL SAINTS I Cl W Thu 2 COMMEMORATION of all the FAITHFUL DEPARTED I Cl B Fri 3 FERIA IV Cl G Sat 4 S CHARLES BORROMEO B C III Cl W Sun 5 XXII SUNDAY after PENTECOST II Cl G Mon 6 FERIA IV CI G Tue 7 FERIA IV Cl G Wed 8 FERIA IV Cl G Thu 9 DEDICATION of the ARCHBASILICA of the SAVIOUR II Cl W Fri 10 S ANDREW AVELLINO C III Cl W Sat 11 S MARTIN B C III Cl W

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AGM at Spanish Place

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r Alex Stewart FSSP (ordained only the week before) celebrated Mass in St James’s, Spanish Place for the LMS Annual General Meeting in June, assisted by Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP (Deacon) and Fr Ian Verrier FSSP (Subdeacon).

Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP was Assistant Priest and he gave the keynote speech at the AGM.

© Joseph Shaw.

Liturgical calendar

Obituary: Fr Geoffrey Hilton

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t is with deep regret, and a sad heart, that I have to report the death of Fr Geoffrey Hilton, the Parish Priest at St Osmund’s in Bolton, who died from a heart-attack in the Presbytery on 9 March this year, at the age of only 60.

On Friday, 24 March, a concelebrated Novus Ordo Funeral Mass was said in St Osmund’s, celebrated by Bishop John Arnold, the Bishop of Salford, accompanied by some 30 priests and civic leaders. The church was so full that it was standingroom only.

In his Homily, the Bishop spoke highly of Fr Hilton, ranking his death as a ‘Sad loss of a great priest.’ In the Eulogy, the speaker highlighted Fr Hilton’s supreme devotion to the Church, and his love of the Latin Mass, as demonstrated by the Midnight Mass at Christmas. He detailed Fr Hilton’s healthy lifestyle, his studies in the history of the Catholic Church in England, and prowess as an outstanding sportsman in several activities, from bowls to rugby. In sports he had been a Chaplain at the Olympics, and a referee for the Swiss Guard in Rome.

His passing is a blow to the Latin Mass Society in Salford, as his church was one of the four where the Latin Mass was said regularly.

The prayers of the many LMS Members in Salford must surely gain him a place in Heaven with the God he so-much adored.

Bernard Richards, Salford LMS Rep

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NEWS

History in the making Alan Frost reports on the first ordinations in the Traditional Rite in England for more than 50 years

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n the spring issue of the Fraternity of St Peter’s (FSSP) magazine Dowry, Fr de Malleray, Rector of St Mary’s Church in Warrington, reminded us of two disastrous anniversaries this year: it is 500 years since Luther’s revolt and 100 years since the Communist Revolution in Russia. But, of course, 2017 is also the centenary of something dwarfing these dates into insignificance – the Apparitions at Fatima. He also pointed out that the year is the twentieth anniversary of the setting up of the FSSP, the Fraternity of St Peter (Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri).

So it was appropriate that on 17 June the priestly ranks of the FSSP should be boosted by the ordinations of Fr Alex Stewart from the Wirral nearby, and Fr Krzystof Sanetra, London-based but of Polish background. More history was

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made as these were the first ordinations in the Traditional Rite in England and Wales for more than 50 years. The ordinations were carried out by the Archbishop of Liverpool, His Grace Malcolm McMahon OP. St Mary’s Shrine Church, Warrington was crowded for the event and the impressive processional entry to the high altar of many priests and seminarians followed by priors, the Right Rev. Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury and, spectacularly in a trailing scarlet cappa magna, Archbishop McMahon. It was the second visit of the Archbishop to the Warrington Shrine in a month. He had earlier confirmed a number of the faithful in the Traditional Rite, as indeed had Bishop Davies at the New Brighton Shrine Church of SS Peter & Paul and Philomena, just three days previously.

The Solemn Pontifical Mass with Ordination was accompanied by beautifully sung liturgy by two choirs, sometimes together. The impressive Shrine choir of St Mary’s Warrington sang, inter alia, Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices while the propers were chanted by a schola of seminarians, FSSP and other Orders, including the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer from the Orkneys, assembled for the occasion.

In the sanctuary the devout pomp and ceremony was splendid to behold, and probably something rarely seen over the past few decades in the UK. At the heart of this sacred service was the great and individually unique experience for the two priests-to-be. As their ordinations unfolded, Archbishop McMahon addressed them with the guidance that there will be times when

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NEWS

they will feel alone and wretched. At these times he advised they turn to ‘your people’ for they are the body of Christ, ‘the mystery you are to become part of.’

He then pronounced the formal address, after the chanting of the Litany of the Saints as the ordinands lay prostrate. Thereafter he laid his hands on their heads and prayed to God

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Almighty, ‘Da, quaesumus, omnipotens pater, in hos famulos tuos presbyterii dignitatem…’ The admittance of the deacons to the dignity of the priesthood was completed by the Archbishop vesting each of them with the chasuble, and after intoning the Veni Creator Spiritus, anointing them. After the chanting of the Veni Creator, he said to

them, ‘Accipe potestatem…’, that they would receive the power to offer sacrifice to God and to celebrate Mass. The Shrine Rector, Fr de Malleray, gave the homily, after thanking the many priests and seminarians who had travelled very long distances in some cases to be at the Ordination, including Fr Bisig, Rector of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska where the ordinands had trained.

A moving and profound spectacle was the repeating of the laying of hands upon the heads of the ordinands by each of the clergy present in choro.

Also impressive was the reception of Holy Communion by the new priests from the Archbishop, and the dignified movement to the sanctuary steps of the priests and seminarians to receive the Blessed Sacrament in their turn.

Shortly afterwards another very special occasion, at the altar rails: several children and adults making their First Holy Communion, kneeling, and receiving the Host on the tongue.

At the end of Mass, the Archbishop gave the Final Admonition to the newly ordained priests, urging them to consider attentively the burden laid upon their shoulders and to endeavour

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NEWS to lead a holy life pleasing to Almighty God, to which they responded ‘gladly’.

And, at the concluding procession, the Te Deum was sung. There followed a generous reception in the nearby Salvation Army Hall (provided at no cost) offering a chance for the meetingup of friends and acquaintances from across the UK and abroad, and a return to St Mary’s for early evening Vespers.

The following morning, at St Mary’s Shrine, Fr Alex Stewart celebrated his first Mass in the Extraordinary Form on the Feast of Corpus Christi. While some of the clergy at the Ordination were back at their parishes, there was still a substantial number of priests, mainly FSSP, and seminarians in the procession to the sanctuary. This meant again that the schola of seminarians was available to sing the propers, in assistance to the Shrine choir, under its director Michael Wynne. Interestingly, this meant that a chanted and a sung version of the Lauda Sion were heard. The Mass sung was Vierne’s Messe Solennelle.

In his homily, Fr de Malleray said how important it was that so many and varied clergy had attended the Ordinations (‘such a full choir’), and he thanked them and those able to make the First Mass of Fr Stewart. He advised the newlyordained priest: you must be Christ-like in your calling; your joys, recreations,

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and friendships need to be Christ-like and you must oppose anything that would be contradictory to God’s greater glory. He then alluded to the numbers of visiting clergy and seminarians again, indicating how special their presence would be in the forthcoming Procession of the Blessed Sacrament that afternoon through the centre of Warrington.

After the Mass, Fr Stewart gave the First Blessings as the congregation moved outside to enjoy a garden party set up for the occasion; the garden being dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, whose statue takes pride of place in the grounds. Appropriately, the sky was a clear Marian blue on a very hot day, although the weather was not ideal for Fr Stewart and the priests leading the Corpus Christi Procession later, in their weighty chasubles!

The procession, for perhaps a mileand-a-half of more than 100 clergy and faithful, ended at the Catholic Church of St Alban, the first Roman Catholic church opened in Warrington after the post-Reformation years of hidden Masses in different buildings about the town. St Alban’s was opened in 1823 under the supervision of Dr Alban Molyneux OSB. It was lovely to see the strewing of petals as the processors entered the church for the concluding service and Benediction.

Sitting in the grounds afterwards, reflecting on how much preparation and activity had been involved, how intense the weekend had been at a physical and spiritual level, how many graces had been bestowed… one could only marvel.

Photographs by John Aron

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REVIEW

Thoughts from my heart Andrew Brayley discusses the diary kept

by Mgr Pericle Felici during Vatican II

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n September 2015 the Libreria Editrice Vaticana published the diary kept by Mgr (later Cardinal) Pericle Felici (19111982) before, during and after Vatican II. Younger members of the Society may not know that he was the Secretary General of the Council and a very distinguished canonist and Latinist. It was he who in 1978 - the year of three Popes – pronounced the time honoured formula, Habemus Papam (We have a Pope).

The diary is made up of a diary in the traditional sense, plus a series of meditations under the heading Cogitationes cordis mei (Thoughts from my heart).

I would like to share some of the diary’s insights, particularly in connection with the two Popes of the Council – Saint John XXIII and Blessed Paul VI – with whom Mgr Felici was in constant contact and whose trust and esteem he enjoyed.

Pope John XXIII On March 23, 1960 Mgr Felici writes that Pope John’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tardini, confided that he was worried about the Pope’s ‘excessive goodness’ and that he felt he trusted people who said they wanted to serve the Church but who in reality wanted to use it to their advantage.

The following day he quotes Pope John as saying that it was Providence that inspired him to call the Council, described by him as a ‘great event’. A few weeks later he is quoted as saying that the Council should not last more than two months! (He was subsequently to express

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the desire that the Council should end in 1963, exactly 400 years after the Council of Trent). Towards the end of 1960, he expressed the desire that Pope Pius IX should be ‘glorified’ during the Council.

Mgr Felici writes that: ‘The Ecumenical Council will serve no purpose if it does not make priests and bishops holier.’

In October 1960, the author was raised to the fullness of the priesthood and he tells us that Pope John gave him a bejewelled gold ring to mark the occasion. Similarly, we are told that in December 1961, he used a gold pen to sign the Bull with which he summoned the bishops to Rome. What is interesting is that Pope John, for all his simplicity, does not seem to have considered such gestures as incompatible with evangelical poverty.

In November 1960, we find a reference to one of the more controversial aspects of Pope John’s papacy: his diffidence towards the Capuchin Friar, Padre Pio, who was said to have received the stigmata. Mgr Felici writes: ‘Unfortunately, I hear things that I would not have expected; the Pope would like more submission and more humility from that friar.’ In the event both were canonised: Pope John by Pope Francis and Padre Pio by Pope John Paul II. We may presume that Saint John XXIII let bygones be bygones! Solvitur in excelsis (knots are untied in Heaven).

Speaking of the schemata that were being prepared for the Council, Mgr Felici tells us that the Pope wanted them to have a prevalently pastoral character but the author adds that doctrine must be expounded in a clear and precise manner. The future cardinal realised that a pastoral approach must always have a solid doctrinal basis.

who voted placet to the supreme and full power of the episcopal College over the whole Church una cum Summo Pontifice, to explain the theological, juridical, historical and practical reasons for their vote, perhaps not one would have given an adequate answer!’ He adds: ‘They wanted to reduce the Pope to one who consented to what had already been decided.’

In October 1964 we find a reference to Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who was later to found the Society of Saint Pius X and who, along with 18 cardinals and four Superiors General, had sent a letter to Paul VI in connection with De Ecclesia. Mgr Felici writes: ‘I cannot understand such fury against a very worthy bishop who is certainly a hardliner but who defends the faith while against others, who use the Council to say things which offend the faith and common sense, nobody reacts effectively.’

The author also has some strong words for the four moderatores. He tells the Pope he has the impression that three of them are members both of the government and the opposition! He says they influence the Pope: ‘They have understood that he does not have a strong and determined character.’ On the other hand, in connection with De Ecclesia and De Oecumenismo he praises the Pope for standing firm and defending Church doctrine: ‘It was the Pope who gave sure guidance.’

Coming back to Paul VI, the author quotes him as saying, with a sense of grief: ‘Protestants are becoming our masters’, and on December 6 1965, two days before the Council ended, he writes: ‘The Council has cost the Pope dearly.’

Pope Paul VI Mgr Felici discusses a number of important questions, in particular the delicate and explosive question of collegiality. His great fear was that it was a pretext for reducing the Papacy to little more than a constitutional monarchy.

Commenting on a vote which took place on 30 October 1963 he writes: ‘I am sure that if one had asked the 1600 Fathers

The diary runs to nearly 600 pages, so it has only been possible to select a few of the author’s many insights. We must hope and pray that there will be an English translation.

Il “Diario” Conciliare di Monsignor Pericle Felici by Vincenzo Carbone, edited

by Agostino Marchetti, is published

by Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV) at €40.

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OBITUARY

Wisdom and encouragement John Macrory remembers Damien Ashby

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I knew Damien for some 47 years; he had a remarkable capacity for making and keeping very good friends. He was also very much a fellow of robust opinion on those subjects that were dear to him, in particular the Old Rite Mass, and the Irish nationalist cause (born in London in 1940 he was proud of his Irish heritage). We had many lively discussions on the latter subject, usually over a pint – or several - of Fuller’s London Pride, his favourite brew.

On the subject of the Latin Mass, however, I (born a Presbyterian, now an Anglican) had little to contribute, whereas he always had a great deal to say. Thus it was that I would accompany him to Westminster Cathedral twice a year for the LMS Masses held there (I happen to be very fond of solemn ritual and sacred music, so I didn’t need much persuading). After each Mass, we would repair to The Cardinal (as it was before it was renamed, much to Damien’s disgust), and there I would be lectured - at some length, and without the possibility of interruption – on the glories of Catholicism and the iniquities of Protestantism.

The other remarkable thing about Damien is that on the most trivial, unimportant, and insignificant, aspects of life, he could be a right old fusspot – and that’s one of the many reasons why we loved him. But on important matters, not least when one had a problem of one’s own to discuss, it was a quite different story. Sit him down, put a pipe in his mouth, and a pint of Pride in front of him, and the words of wisdom and encouragement would calmly flow. I know I am not the only one of his many good friends to have found that; he will leave a great hole in my life, and in that of so many others.

Inspired by his memory, I have myself just joined the LMS and hope to attend future masses. I’m still quite unable to come to terms with his sudden passing.

God bless you, Damien. Requiescat in pace.

© Henry Law

rancis Patrick Damien Ashby died in his sleep on Friday 16 June, after having been in some pain for a time; the coroner’s verdict was cardiac arrest. His funeral took place at Damien’s church: St Mary Magdalen in Brighton, on Friday 14 July, celebrated by Fr Raymond Blake in accordance with the directions given in his Will which were: ‘I wish to be buried in Brighton and that my Requiem Mass and all other liturgy be celebrated according to the Missale Romanum of 1962 as permitted by the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum.’

Damien had strong Catholic beliefs and, so far as I am aware, was a member of the Latin Mass Society (LMS) from a young age (as was his father, Mr Charles Ashby, before him).

He was latterly Secretary of the LMS and one of its strongest proponents.

Damien, engaged in that which was dear to him, serving Holy Mass

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FEATURE

Angels and devils Canon Amaury Montjean, of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, on the writings of St Francis de Sales

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ishop of Geneva from 1602 to 1622, Saint Francis de Sales was raised to the rank of one of the great Doctors of the Church, 50 years later, by Pope Alexander VII. A tireless preacher, an attentive and paternal spiritual director and a theologian consulted by Pope Paul IV, the holy bishop is venerated under the title of Doctor of Divine Love. He offers an ample and profound theological analysis on the essence and effects of Divine love to those who follow him over the generations.

The Salesian teaching, mainly centred on the Mystery of the Incarnation, draws us to the invisible angelic world. This world is a source of practical teaching for Salesian discipline. It finds both the ontological requirement to bring all things back to Christ and the necessary consolation in interior combat. According to St Francis de Sales, the acceptation or refusal of grace is the echo of the combat that takes place between the good and wicked angels. He wishes to show to the Christian that Eternity is

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at stake firstly within himself, but also that in him angels and demons lead a merciless combat - the former to lead him to a greater love of God, and the latter to lead God’s chosen creature away from his supernatural end.

Sanctity with St Francis de Sales consists primarily in unity of life, in a permanent search for harmony between the creature and his Creator. The work of the good angels, who were themselves ‘harmonised’ with God by their first free choice, consists therefore in helping man find once again his supernatural accord lost in the garden with original sin. The demons, each one having a personal hatred for the other, lost forever this relationship with God that a supernatural harmonisation with Him would have offered them, and which would have respected their status of a creature in the created order. They refused this recapitulation of all creation: therefore, they unceasingly suffer when they consider in themselves their personal and constant dependence towards God, who both created them and maintains them in existence. In the diabolical world, harmony does not exist, except when devils conspire together against men, due to their envy of the humandivine Incarnation in Christ (the grace of the hypostatic union).

St Francis de Sales himself lived in abundant contact with the angelical world, as many biographies would reveal: his preaching in the Chablais, and then his episcopal ministry, often placed him in relation with the angelical world, whilst performing hundreds of exorcisms (almost 400) during his priestly life.

The angelical sin provoked a discontinuity between Creator and nature, which divine grace only (in human nature) heal and restore: consequently, St Francis considers the world of good angels as the perfect model of harmony and use of the grace of God: he therefore considers the state of grace as a ‘meek and objective reharmonisation between nature and super-nature.’

This fundamental vision of union between grace and nature in good angels is a decisive answer from the Bishop of Geneva to the pessimistic vision of personal holiness as opposed to the protestant and jansenist understanding of grace: the glimpse of angelical fidelity to the divine call to Heaven and sanctity is the living, true and eternal answer to human natural desire of God. Following this prophetical Salesian vision, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), says that Christ ‘is the centre of the angelic world: this recent affirmation, founded on three passages of Holy Scripture, explains the structure of the Catechism: - angels accompany Christ on his glorious (eschatological) return: ‘And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty’ (Mt. 25, 31).

- angels are messengers of the salvific plan: ‘Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?’ (Heb. 1, 14).

- as all creatures, they were drawn from nothing by Him and return to Him: ‘For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones or Powers or Rulers or Authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him’ (Col. 1, 16).

The angelical world is therefore a preeminent expression of the recapitulation of all things in the Incarnate Word – exterior perfection, yet an imminent one to this entirely spiritual world. It is not only the chronological and ontological completion, but also its harmony and own beauty.

This article is based on Canon Montjean’s book, Angels and Devils in St Francis de Sales, copies are available from newbrighton@icrsp.org at £7, plus £2.50 postage.

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ROMAN REPORT

A stitch in time… saves a chasuble The Guild of St Clare held its first ever Sewing Retreat at the Carmelite Retreat Centre, Boar’s Hill, just outside Oxford earlier this year. Barbara Kay reports

Fr Richard Biggerstaff with the sewing team

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ucy Shaw founded the Guild of St Clare in 2010 because she had been made aware that there was a drastic shortage of people with the skills to repair vestments for the growing number of traditionally minded priests wanting to use and maintain them.

These beautiful vestments are made of fine material, but they are often old and in poor condition, and are sometimes held together by well-meaning but unskilful repairs.

Since 2010 the Guild members have tackled a number of commissions, and working together has enabled them to develop their skills in a way which would have been impossible otherwise.

Lucy said: ‘The fellowship of other committed Catholics determined to serve the Church through thick and thin … has brought us all many graces.’

The Retreat was a way of deepening this mutual endeavour and also of bringing it to people who live too far away to participate all year round.

When I saw the weekend advertised back in September 2016, the prospect of a weekend away with three Latin Masses, some spiritual talks and several sessions of sewing seemed so good that I registered.

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I felt a bit apprehensive as the day approached, aware that I was a beginner among experts. I need not have worried!

Everyone chose a task at their own level and all tasks were equally appreciated.

During the course of the weekend I produced a stole protector. Other participants unpicked ripped linings and sewed in new ones, made new chasubles from sections of old ones and replaced goldwork and beads.

One of the retreatants, Liz Baker, had prepared Japanese braiding kits for us to make Guild of St Clare fobs for our scissors, while Lucy had put together embroidery kits for each of us to create a picture of a pomegranate (symbol of the Resurrection and eternal life). These two projects, carried out alongside our work with the vestments, felt more creative than unpicking and pinning, and gave us a souvenir of the weekend to take home.

To our delight, our chaplain, Fr Richard Biggerstaff, joined in our sewing sessions, making a scissor fob and unpicking a burse.

That this was a retreat rather than a workshop was reflected by the fact that our needlework sessions were interspersed with Low Mass, the Rosary, Benediction and Compline at various times. In addition, Fr Richard gave three

short talks, each centring on one article of the vestments which a priest wears for Mass: the amice, representing the priest’s service, the stole representing his authority, and the chasuble representing the distraction of the laity. Distraction in this case has a positive meaning, that beautiful vestments take us away from our everyday lives and help to lift our minds to God. Mealtimes were happy occasions; the food was plentiful and excellent. We were a group of 16, so over the weekend it was possible to get to know everybody. Some of us were local, others had travelled some distance, including one lady from Edinburgh. We were all ages, including two teenagers and two babies, and we also had a male retreatant, Dan, who acted as our altar server and who admitted that he could not sew, but was willing to unpick stitching.

The Retreat was thoroughly enjoyed by all and we are very grateful to Lucy for organising it. I am delighted to learn that the 2018 retreat has already been booked and, God willing, I will be returning with a friend.

Next year’s dates for the Retreat are 2-4 March 2018. Bookings on the LMS website. More information from Lucy Shaw, lucyashaw@gmail.com

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ROMAN REPORT

Celebrating the Motu Proprio Alberto Carosa talks to Coetus Internationalis Summorum Pontificum Secretary, Guillaume Ferluc

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n its press conference on 19 January in Paris, and on May 31, in Rome, the Coetus Internationalis Summorum Pontificum (CISP) gave a broad presentation of the annual thanksgiving international pilgrimage to Rome to celebrate the Motu Proprio of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who, with this apostolic letter, intended to liberalize the celebration of the traditional pre-Vatican II Roman rite of the Mass. This year’s pilgrimage and related events are due to take place on 14-17 September. They will coincide with the tenth anniversary of the Motu Proprio, dated 7 July 2007 and entered into force on 14 September 2007. Archbishop Emeritus of Bologna, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, will celebrate the Solemn Pontifical in St Peter’s on Saturday, 16 September, while the Prefect of the Pontifical Household, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, will preside over Thursday’s inaugural Solemn Vespers, in the Basilica of San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio in Piazza Venezia.

The anniversary will be celebrated by a symposium on Thursday, at the Angelicum Pontifical University, with speakers including Cardinals Müller and Sarah. I caught up with CISP Secretary and coordinator, Guillaume Ferluc, who agreed to answer a few questions.

Q. So this year the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage will not be held at the end of October, but in midSeptember?

A. We were invited to do this by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. The idea is to emphasize the bond between the people of Summorum Pontificum and the world of Ecclesia Dei, which made it possible for the 1962 missal of John XXIII to be passed on to future generations. As always, the most important moment of the pilgrimage will be the Saturday, 16 September, with a procession through the streets of Rome and Mass in St Peter’s, this year to be held at 11am. On 15 September there will be a Mass at 7pm at the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, celebrated by Monsignor Wach,

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the Superior of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The pilgrimage will end on Sunday, 17 September, with a Mass at the Church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini. As it caters for the traditionally minded faithful in Rome, this church remains a hub for our pilgrimage.

It will be a Solemn Mass according to the Dominican rite, celebrated by the Dominicans of the Traditional Fraternity of San Vincenzo Ferreri. There has also been an official appeal by Msgr Pozzo an appeal for which we thank him - to all the communities under his jurisdiction to converge on Rome for this event.

Q. Will there be other events?

A. Certainly. The 50th anniversary of the International Una Voce Federation (FIUV in the Latin acronym), which was established in 1967, will be among the events related to the pilgrimage.

Although the first FIUV sections were founded a few years before, the need for an international coordination came about only on that date. After the Mass in St Peter’s, the 300 participant clergy will be offered a convivial time near the Vatican. This event, sponsored by Paix Liturgique and FIUV, is important because it will enable the priests tied to Summorum Pontificum, who often feel isolated in their ecclesiastical contexts, to come together and show support to each other. Also, in such difficult times for the Catholic faith, and even for the Church, we continue to give thanks for this liturgical and theological gift. This is an unceasing phenomenon, a constant and positive evolution in the sense that the increased number of places for the celebration of the Traditional Mass goes hand in hand with the concomitant increase in the number of the faithful.

Q. Could there be consequences for the pilgrimage if in the meantime the St Pius X fraternity were regularized, given the many rumours about it?

A. Should anything like that happen with St Pius X, it would most likely affect our programme, and this sixth edition is no exception. We always considered that our pilgrimage was open to all,

including the SSPX faithful and priests. It should also be noted that our pilgrimage traditionally took place at the end of October, when the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) holds its pilgrimage to Lourdes.

This year, since we are in September and not October, they are more likely to be present here in Rome and are more than welcome to join us.

Q. Sometimes the faithful appear somewhat confused, for on the one hand the Pope seems to criticize certain attitudes attributed to the traditionalists, but on the other hand he seems to favour these openings to the SSPX. A. We receive many testimonies from people who do not understand what is happening with Pope Francis. There is an idea that there is a feeling against what is traditional, or at least that is what the media report. Pope Francis has always received us favourably, so it is always easier for us to organize our ad Petri sedem pilgrimage. Should there be a real closure on the part of the Holy Father concerning what is called the Tradition in general, and above all Benedict XVI’s Motu Proprio, I think we would be the first to be aware of it. Instead, as we can testify, we are always increasingly welcomed in St Peter’s.

Q. How would you react to a possible reconciliation between SSPX and Rome?

A. Should the Lord allow a positive conclusion to this issue, of course, for us it would be a great occasion of joy.

May I say that it would also be a fruit of Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum, which tore down a barrier that seemed almost insurmountable? Although the Pope wrote the Mass was ‘numquam abrogatur’ (never abrogated), everyone knows that St John XXIII’s Missal was practically banned for decades. Priests and faithful suffered for years, with the former marginalized and the latter derided for such liturgical choice. It would of course be a wonderful thing and we just have to hope and pray, because we know it’s all in God’s hands and that divine time is not human time.

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REPORTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

DIOCESAN DIGEST Mass of Ages quarterly round-up

ARUNDEL AND BRIGHTON Annie Mackie-Savage 01323 411370 amacsav@sky.com arundelbrightonlatinmasssociety.blogspot.co.uk Mass provision in A&B has been thankfully fairly stable recently. There have been extra Masses said for significant feasts thanks to Fr Gerard Hatton, and Mrs Pam Talbot hosted a day of recollection at Bethany Chapel in honour of Our Lady of Fatima. Mrs Valeria Cassidy writes: The Mass was attended by a large group of all ages, coming from Eastbourne, Seaford, Lewes and surrounding areas. Mass was followed by an insightful talk by Fr Gerard on the subject of Our Lady. A shared lunch followed and provided an enjoyable opportunity for fellowship. Sacrament of Reconciliation was available.

The afternoon programme culminated in a Procession, the Crowning of Our Lady, Adoration with Benediction. We wish to thank Mrs Talbot for hosting the day.’

There are still approximately quarterly Sung Masses at Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead, so please keep checking the blog for the next one, and see the blog sidebar for all regular Masses.

There is now an opportunity to learn chant in Eastbourne.

Andrew Leach is starting a group that will become familiar with the chant and propers of the Mass. If you are interested, please contact him at Andrew@schola.org.uk, where he will be happy to provide you with any details.

Thank you everyone for your support, and to our priests for being so generous with their time. If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact me.

BIRMINGHAM (City and Black Country) Louis Maciel 07392 232225 louis.maciel@gmail.com birmingham-lms-rep.blogspot.co.uk This quarter saw three Thursday High Masses at the Birmingham Oratory: for the feasts of the Ascension, Corpus Christi and SS Peter and Paul. Once upon a time all three would have been Holydays of Obligation, but in the current calendar only the latter is. However, one silver lining from this is that anyone who wants to celebrate the feast on the correct day generally only has the opportunity to do so in the Extraordinary Form and thus the reforms made a few years ago by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales have perhaps led to people discovering, and perhaps in some cases rediscovering, the vetus ordo. There have also been several Sung Masses at the Oratory, including one on 4 July celebrating 25 years of Fr Anton’s priesthood. Coincidentally, Sung Masses were celebrated on the first Saturdays of June (the Vigil of Pentecost) and July (the Feast of the Precious Blood) for those marking the 100th anniversary of the visions of Fatima by attending Mass in the form of the time.

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton celebrated a Missa Cantata in honour of the Precious Blood on 7 July, the tenth anniversary of Summorum Pontificum’s publication. It would have been a High Mass but unfortunately no sub-deacon was available. The next High Mass at this church will hopefully take place in October.

Masses continue in Halesowen, Solihull and Maryvale – please see the Listings for further details and support these Masses with your presence.

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BIRMINGHAM (North Staffordshire) Alan Frost 01270 768144 alan.frost@btinternet.com north-staffs-lms.blogspot.co.uk It is with sadness that we report the transfer of Fr Anthony Dykes of St Wulstan’s, Wolstanton to Lichfield. Fr Dykes has offered first Friday and Feast Day Masses in the Traditional Rite for over twelve years, and before that at his previous parish in Biddulph. Each year he takes a ‘busman’s holiday’ to teach a ‘crash’ course at Valladolid. We wish Dr Dykes well with our grateful thanks.

Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Swynnerton continues, with improving attendances, to be the main venue for weekly Parish Masses and fortnightly Saturday morning Masses in the EF. Our continuing thanks to Fr Paul Chavasse, Cong. Orat. A mention here also for the altar boys who regularly serve the Masses, for their contributions at the FSSP Ordination Mass at St Mary’s Shrine Warrington and the Holywell Pilgrimage in June and July respectively. One, now at Lancaster University, has been serving for twelve years or so.

BIRMINGHAM (Worcester) Margaret Parffrey 01386 750421 We start with a regret that the Mass to be said by Bishop Bryne was cancelled due to other engagements. Fr A Talbot officiated as Chaplain of the Knights of Malta wearing his ecclesiastical robes and Mass was sung by Scola Gregorians.

The congregation enjoyed a picnic lunch in the grounds of Spetchley Park, all thanks to Juliet Berkley and her family; without this beautiful chapel we would lose our beautiful Mass. Please pray for perseverance in keeping alive this Mass centre.

We said goodbye to Michael Alsopp, a pupil of the blind school in Worcester. He has served on the altar most reverently and efficiently. We wish him well.

At Redditch, Fr Cornelius battles on learning to say the Tridentine Rite. We are very grateful for his help, even if Mass lasts one hour. Thanks to altar servers Peter Hatton and Louis who guide him through. This is important, for Fr will return with the Tridentine Rite to Ghana in January, fulfilling Our Lord’s command, ‘Teach all Nations’.

Our other Mass centres survive. Fr Lamb at Kidderminster on the first Sunday of each month at 3pm and Fr Christopher every Tuesday at 7pm. We commend all our Mass centres to Our Lady of Fatima and pray for the consecration of Russia, in this Centenary Year.

CLIFTON James Belt & Monika Paplaczyk 07890 687453 lmsclifton@gmail.com lmsclifton.blogspot.co.uk Our annual Solemn High Mass was celebrated at Downside Abbey on Saturday 17 June, with around 50-60 people in attendance. Dom Boniface Hill was celebrant, assisted by Dom Anselm as Deacon and Fr Jean-Patrice Coulon as SubDeacon. Music was provided by the St John’s Festival Choir from Bath, who sang, inter alia, Monteverdi’s Missa Quattro AUTUMN 2017

REPORTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

Vocum Inequalium. A buffet lunch was provided by the Abbey after Mass.

Preparations are under way for the Glastonbury Pilgrimage on Saturday 9 September. Sung Mass will be at 11.30am in the shrine church of Our Lady of Glastonbury, opposite the Abbey ruins. Rupert Bevan will lead the choir, as he has in previous years. Mass will be followed by lunch in the parish hall (please bring something to share) and a Rosary procession in the Abbey grounds. The day will conclude with Benediction in the parish church at 3pm. All are most welcome to attend.

We are pleased to welcome Fr Bede Rowe back to the diocese. Fr Rowe has been away for several years, first acting as Chaplain to Chavagnes International College, and then studying for a Doctorate at Durham University. Fr has now been appointed as Parish Priest and Shrine Rector in Glastonbury, commencing in mid-September.

EAST ANGLIA Gregor and Alisa Kunitz-Dick 01223 322401 igregord@gmail.com alisarkd@gmail.com The Masses at Blackfriars continue as usual. They are well attended with many children and young families. We had a Sung Mass on Pentecost Sunday, and a couple of new servers have signed up. We’re still looking for more, however, and for choir members, which would enable us to have Sung Masses more frequently. The Masses at Fisher House continue on Saturday afternoons in term time, and these are often sung, but attendance is down. The Latin and Greek classes for children continue as usual, with the first academic year set to finish at the end of July.

LANCASTER Bob & Jane Latin 01524 412987 lancasterlms@gmail.com latinmasslancaster.blogspot.com John Rogan 01524 858832 john_rogan@yahoo.co.uk We were very pleased to be present when Bishop Michael Campbell said a Pontifical High Mass on Easter Sunday at St Walburge in Preston, assisted by Canon Cristofoli as Deacon and Rev. Geoffrey, a transitional deacon from the USA, as Sub Deacon. At the end of May, Bishop Campbell returned to St Walburge to say Mass and crown the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. On Sunday 24 September, Bishop Michael will again say a Pontifical High Mass for the Feast of the Dedication of the Church of St Walburge. Mgr Wach, General Prior and Founder of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, will be present.

There are a number of families moving into Preston in order to be able to attend the EF Mass at St Walburge. This has led to the wonderful news that the Canons are establishing a school, where the liturgy will be celebrated in the Extraordinary Form. Some other good news from Preston: Fr John Millar, who moved from Carlisle to St Joseph’s, Preston in the New Year, has been teaching the parish children the Mass responses in Latin and their enthusiasm has been very moving. Although this is part of the Novus Ordo Mass at present, it can only be a good thing for children to be exposed to the traditional liturgy.

Three Masses have been organised at Sizergh Castle this summer. At the time of going to press two of these have taken place, offered by Canon Cristofoli from St Walburge.

Canon Cristofoli was delighted to be able to say Mass in such a historical setting, and on the second occasion was given a pre-Mass tour of the castle by the owner, Henry Strickland.

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So involved were they that the congregation was kept waiting outside until ten minutes before the scheduled time for Mass – fortunately the weather was fine!

Our monthly Mass at Hornby was replaced, in June, by one at St Joseph’s, Kirkby Lonsdale. There wasn’t a very big congregation but three people came from the parish who wouldn’t usually come along, so it was worth doing for that reason alone. We hope to have more Masses there in the future.

At the beginning of July, Bishop Michael Campbell ordained Rev. Daniel Etienne to the priesthood and we are hoping to be able to arrange for Fr Daniel to say a Mass for us, perhaps at Sizergh Castle. Watch this space.

MIDDLESBROUGH Paul Waddington 01757 638027 paul@gooleboathouse.co.uk Regrettably, it seems unlikely that the Sunday Masses at Redcar, which were suspended due to the illness of Mgr Heslin, will be resumed. Mgr Heslin has served the Latin Mass communities both in Middlesbrough and at Redcar very well for about ten years, and we must be very grateful for all he has done for the Latin Mass in the years of his retirement. I am not aware of any priest who is available to offer Latin Masses in the northern part of the diocese, so for the time being, it is unlikely these Masses will be resumed. It would be very helpful if someone living in that area would come forward to help organise our activities in that area.

Meanwhile, the mid-day Sunday Mass in York continues to prosper. The congregation is getting larger, although most of the increase seems to come from tourists and visitors, rather than local people. The Oratory also provides Vespers and Benediction at 6pm on Sunday evenings.

Fr Mulholland continues to say a Low Mass on the first Wednesday of the month at St Charles Church in Hull. The congregation is small but steady. There will be a Solemn Mass on 4 November (the Feast of St Charles Borromeo), and this is being promoted as a City of Culture event. I hope soon to have news about Sunday Masses in the Hull area, although I cannot give any details at the present time.

NORTHAMPTON (South) Barbara Kay 01234 340759 mbky3@outlook.com Nick Ross 07951 145240 nick@efmass.co.uk

A few words of thanks to start with: firstly to Justin Bozzino, who organised the coming of the Latin Mass to Bedford in August 2015 and who has worked tirelessly to ensure that a celebrant was available each Sunday this summer. Alex Kovasic was also a founder member at Bedford and he faithfully sets up the altar and provides flowers each week, and we have two regular servers, Nicholas Dyson and Nick Ross, who share the duties on the altar. Our grateful thanks to all three.

Many of our regular priests are taking a well-deserved summer break, and we are very grateful to Fr Matthew Goddard and Fr Ian Verrier of the FSSP at Reading for covering three out of five Sundays in July. It will be Fr Verrier’s first visit to Bedford and we are looking forward to meeting him. Fr Goddard and Fr Verrier also regularly celebrate Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Chesham Bois. I understand that the Sunday Masses at Chesham continue steadily and that it has been possible to celebrate Mass there on most of the Holy Days as well. Thanks are due to the Parish Priest there,

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REPORTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY Fr Andy Ollard, for his continued support, and also to the servers, particularly the di Falco family, who make the Mass possible.

The second visit of the Bedford Choral Society to Christ the King duly took place on the evening of Corpus Christi and once again their singing was much appreciated. On this occasion they sang Palestrina’s Missa Brevis. It was a glorious warm summer evening for our procession of the Blessed Sacrament around the grounds of the church. We were pleased to welcome back our celebrant, Fr Anton Webb, who by coincidence was our celebrant for the same Mass last year.

Fr Gabriel Diaz, who was present at the Corpus Christi Mass in choir, returned two weeks later to celebrate a Low Mass for St Peter and St Paul.

Following the refurbishment of our sanctuary last Christmas, in June we acquired a pair of kneelers as the result of an email from the LMS. As it was built in 1960, Christ the King originally had altar rails on three sides of the sanctuary, but sadly these were removed some 20 years ago. We have been managing at the Latin Mass by pulling forward the front bench on each side.

The new kneelers arrived in a van one Sunday morning.

We had not seen a picture beforehand and they turned out to be painted in black, red and gold. As this did not fit in with our existing honey-coloured benches, one of our congregation, Michael Mangan, who is a builder, set to work and in a week or two had refurbished them to blend in, even adding a wood grain effect. Many thanks are due to Michael for his hard work. We were able to use the kneelers for the first time at one of our First Holy Communion Masses.

In the next few months we will be having Low Masses for the Assumption, the Birthday of Our Lady, All Saints and All Souls, as well as the regular Sunday Masses, and before too long we will be thinking about Advent and Christmas again!

Finally, we have recently set up a Facebook page which links to the blog. It would be good to get some more followers there: www.facebook.com/bedfordlatinmass

NOTTINGHAM (Lincolnshire) Mike Carroll lmslincolnshire.blogspot.com lincolnshiremartyrs.blogspot.co.uk Facebook: Latin Rite Mass in Catholic Lincolnshire I am pleased to announce that there has been a partial resumption of regular Masses at St Bernadette, Ashby, Scunthorpe. All Masses in future will be at 3pm on a Sunday when announced. Although we have been very fortunate to have regular Latin Masses since they resumed, please check with the Lincolnshire Latin Mass website or our Facebook page, on a weekly basis, to see if there will definitely be a Mass that week.

We have been extremely fortunate to continue with Sung Masses for all but one week since our Masses resumed. We were also blessed with a Sung Mass on the External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart at Holy Soul’s Scunthorpe. This church is known for having a wonderful sanctuary and restored altar rails, and the addition of a Sung Mass was welcomed by all.

I have now been approached by traditional Catholics locally who have expressed an interest in having a Martyrs Pilgrimage walk into Lincoln. There are no details yet, but a three hour walk from either Barlings or Bardney Abbey ruins, going via The Strugglers Inn (where many of our local Catholics where Martyred for the Faith), then past Lincoln Cathedral, and ending with a Latin Mass at St Hugh’s has been suggested. Those who wish to walk the shorter half hour

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route from the Strugglers Inn would be also encouraged, as I appreciate that not everyone will want to put on their walking boots for the longer distance. Please keep this event in the back of your minds as we will greatly value your support. For the first year it is envisaged that this will be a lower key event, but we will then see where we can take it from there.

PLYMOUTH (Devon) Maurice Quinn 07555 536579 mq018q1057@blueyonder.co.uk The first piece of good news is that Fr Paul Andrew, Parish Priest of St Mary Immaculate Mother of God, Barnstaple, and of St Joseph, South Molton, both of which are in North Devon, is learning to celebrate the EF Latin Mass, and hopes to celebrate it publicly for the first time at Barnstaple later in the year. This is good news indeed, especially as there is no regular EF Mass provision at present in the north of the county. On 25 April I attended an Old Rite Latin Mass (Low) at Barnstaple, celebrated by a friend of the parish priest, Fr Paul Brophy (Fr Brophy was visiting Barnstaple from his home parish in Wales). Fr Paul Andrew gave the homily, while Paul Dixon served, with Chris Eastaugh also in attendance.

Another piece of good news is that Fr Harry Heijveld celebrated a Low Mass at Sacred Heart, Exeter, on 5 June, the Feast of St Boniface. St Boniface is one of the patrons of the diocese, so it was fitting that this Mass took place on the side altar dedicated to him. Sacred Heart is a beautiful town centre church completely untouched by post Vatican II changes, and as such is well worth a visit. There has not been a Traditional Rite Mass celebrated at Sacred Heart for some time, so it was pleasing to see around 25 people in attendance, especially as on this feast day, many people had travelled to join the diocesan pilgrimage at Crediton, the birthplace of St Boniface.

Fr Guy de Gaynesford continues to celebrate the EF Mass (Sung) at St Cyprian’s, Ugbrooke House, on the fourth Sunday of the month, while we have to thank Fr Harry Heijveld for standing in for him on the only occasion that he was unable to do so. I have to thank the two boys – Jerome and Benedict Beards – for still regularly serving on the altar at St Cyprian’s, which is much appreciated by everyone.

At Blessed Sacrament, Exeter, the only disruption we had was in June, when we had to move our EF Mass to the second Sunday of the month from the third, which inevitably lead to a temporary drop in attendance. However, apart from that little change everything else has run smoothly. We have to thank Fr Harry Heijveld and Mgr Adiain Toffolo for celebrating the Missa Cantata at Blessed Sacrament, and John Cox for continually acting as MC, where his wealth of experience is much appreciated.

At Buckfast Abbey, the Vetus Ordo monthly weekday Mass has been unaffected by the disruptions caused by the installation of the new organ. This Mass, celebrated by Fr Guy de Gaynesford in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, still continues to attract the abbey’s holiday visitors. We have to thank Andrew Beards for stepping in to serve on the two occasions that the regular server was unable to attend.

In Plymouth at St Edward the Confessor, the regular Sunday morning Missa Cantata continues to attract families and new faces, and is a regular part of Catholic life in Plymouth. Fr Tony Pillari, who has pastoral responsibility for the St Edward’s EF Mass congregation there, has been away in the USA for some time, and in his absence, we have to thank Fr Anselm Gribbin, Fr Peter Coxe, and Fr Harry Heijveld for filling in. Because of the support of the above named clergy, it has also been possible to have EF evening Masses on the AUTUMN 2017

REPORTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY Feasts of the Ascension, Corpus Christi, and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The good news does not stop here, though, as I am pleased to report that there are now four very smart young boys of the Proctor family (brothers and cousins) learning to serve on the altar at St Edwards – Benjamin (15) Samuel (9) Alejandro (8) and Oliver (7). It was on Low Sunday, 23 April, when Samuel made his First Holy Communion, and during the same Mass, Andrew and Stephanie Proctor renewed their marriage vows, making it a truly joyous occasion for all present.

I am pleased to leave you with more good news, which is that Daniel Barreto, a married man living in Torquay, will be joining our serving teams after training. Daniel joining us on the altar is a great help and is much appreciated.

Finally, do check the Mass Listings before travelling, or contact me by phone or by email for further details.

PLYMOUTH (Dorset) Maurice Quinn 07555 536579 mq018q1057@blueyonder.co.uk As the newly appointed LMS Representative for Dorset, I must thank Mr Francis Osborn for the work that he did on behalf of the Society in the county over the years, and for recommending that I take over the task. Although I live in Torquay, I wasted no time in attending both Dorset venues for Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form – Blandford Forum and Marnhull – and was pleased to meet an old friend at the former, Fr Tom Reagan OSB, and a new one at the latter, Fr Martin Budge.

The first EF Mass I attended in Dorset was on the Feast of the Ascension, Thursday 25 May, at Our Lady of Lourdes and St Cecelia, Blandford Forum, at 12 noon. There were around 25 people in the congregation, a reasonable number considering that things were happening elsewhere on that particular day.

The celebrant, Fr Tom Reagan OSB, gave a thought-provoking homily, while I was more than happy to serve. The week after the Ascension Mass, Fr Tom managed to reverse some of the awful changes to the church that happened a few years ago, the principal one being his reinstatement of the tabernacle to its rightful, central place on the sanctuary. However, after such a good start at Blandford Forum, Fr Tom’s stint there (originally for six months) came to an end, so he had to leave new friends and return to old ones at Buckfast Abbey in early July. It is Father Tom that we have to thank for instituting the Traditional Rite Latin Mass at Blandford Forum, so his going makes any future EF celebrations there uncertain at the moment.

Fr Martin Budge, parish priest at Our Lady’s in the pretty village of Marnhull, celebrates a weekday EF Mass once every two months. Indeed, Fr Martin has kept alive the Old Rite in this part of the diocese for a long time, and we thank him for it (see the Mass Listings). Our Lady’s is a real hidden treasure, built of stone with its own cemetery, it has largely escaped postVatican II changes, making it an ideal venue for the Traditional Rite Latin Mass. I attended Our Lady’s on the Feast of Corpus Christi, Thursday 15 June, where Fr Martin celebrated Mass with reverence and dignity, along with his server, Dominic Prendegast. As at Blandford Forum the previous month, there were around 25 people present, some of whom stayed afterwards (including myself) to enjoy a convivial lunch in the meeting room. For this we have to thank Suzette Glover, Brenda Duncan, and John and Ronnie Bird for providing the food and wine. I suspect that numbers were slightly down due to the fact that Fr Tom Reagan was celebrating his final EF Latin Mass at Blandford Forum at the same time.

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As always, if you intend travelling any distance to attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form in Dorset, do check the Mass Listings first, or contact me by phone or by email, and I will be pleased to answer any questions that you may have.

PORTSMOUTH (Isle of Wight) Peter Clarke 01983 566740 or 07790 892592 pclarke.wight@tiscali.co.uk It was a joy to have a Missa Cantata and our annual Corpus Christi Procession once again here in Ryde. There is disappointing news however. Fr Anthony Glaysher, parish priest of St Mary’s, Ryde, is moving to Aldershot in September.

After nine years in Ryde, many of us expected that this might happen.

Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth informed me in a letter that it was his intention for the EF Mass ‘to continue on the Island as well as other selected areas of the Diocese.’ Fr Glaysher’s successor however is not known for his affiliation to the EF Mass. While some of us were speculating on the immediate future, I was approached by an Ordinariate priest here on the Island, Fr Jonathan Redvers Harris, who said that he would be prepared to learn the EF Mass and provide this pastoral need. Naturally, we are delighted. We thank Fr Redvers Harris and we also thank Fr Glaysher, especially for his promotion of the EF Mass here on the Island. We wish him well in his new parish. Please remember both priests in your prayers. (See Mass Listings for EF Masses on the Isle of Wight.)

The normal EF Mass schedule on the Isle of Wight, is temporally suspended. For further information, please contact me on 01983 566740 or 07790 892592.

PORTSMOUTH Peter Cullinane 02392 471324 pmcullinane@hotmail.com Attendance at the weekly 8am Mass in St John’s Cathedral continues to grow-we quite often see members of the overseas student body, especially those from Nigeria, who are experiencing the Extraordinary Form for the first time.

Booklets and an explanation are provided as an introduction.

A most encouraging feature has been the growth in young servers over the last couple of years. We now have almost half a dozen young men under 30 or so who serve according to a rota, including one in his early teens and another who is off to university in October.

Most of these young people have been trained or perfected by older servers, to whom we are most grateful.

A very good piece of news is the fairly recently inaugurated Extraordinary Form Mass at Holy Family in Millbrook, Southampton. Fr James Bradley says Mass every Thursday evening at 7.30pm preceded by Confessions at 7pm.

I am told an average of almost 30 attends, which is excellent for a new venture and I do encourage anyone near Southampton to swell the numbers.

SALFORD Professor Bernard Richards 0161 200 3325 On 4 May 2017, the Church of the English Martyrs, Whalley Range, Manchester, celebrated the 95th anniversary of its Consecration with a Missa Cantata. The Byrd Mass was sung with the help of the St Philip Neri Choir under Conductor, Miss Rosemarie Darby.

After the Mass, those involved in the sanctuary posed in front of the big mosaics of St John Fisher and St Thomas More,

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REPORTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY two great English Martyrs. These included Fr T. Connolly, Mgr J. Allen, the Celebrant Fr G. Marlor the Parish Priest, Fr P. McKie, Br Gerard Connett. a Latin Mass Server from the Congregation of the Oratory at St Chad’s Manchester, and the Master of Ceremonies, Bernard Richards.

In addition to its being the 95th anniversary for the church, it was also a special anniversary for Bernard, as it was the 75th anniversary of his being a server of the Latin Mass. The three priests in choir have special connections with the church and with Bernard. All three priests were born and grew up in the parish and now each runs his own parish. One is Bernard’s godson, and Bernard taught the other two, as young schoolboys, how to serve the Latin Mass.

SHREWSBURY (The Wirral) Stefano Mazzeo 07767 139576 Contractors have started putting up scaffolding beginning on the outside of the Sacred Heart chapel. The work will last about 20 weeks, therefore parking will be restricted and Masses during the week will move to the day chapel. Should anyone be travelling to the Dome from afar please contact the church on 0151 638 6822 before doing so in case certain Masses are moved during the next few months On Sunday 13 August there will be the Solemnity of St Philomena at 10.30 with a Sung Mass and Procession of the Relic of St Philomena. At 12.30 there will be a social get together.

We are producing an audio tour with locals and members of the congregation taking part in re-enactments of the Dome of Home during the Second World War. So we can hear the role played by the church and people during the war. The tour is designed as an introduction to the various parts of the church and also portrays its people and the visionary priest, Fr Mullins, who built the church. When finished, visitors to the Dome can plug earphones into their mobiles and hear little audio plays at the various altars and points of interest throughout the church.

Three young men from Great Britain received their cassocks and were tonsured on the 4th at the Institute’s seminary at Gricigliano near Florence by the Rt Rev. Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury. Also, six were ordained as priests by His Eminence Cardinal Burke.

SOUTHWARK (St Bede’s, Clapham Park) Thomas Windsor 020 8654 9352 thomaswindsor@mac.com This quarter began with Holy Week and we would like to thank Fr Gabriel Diaz-Patri for coming to celebrate the Liturgy during one of the busier weeks of the year. On Palm Sunday we had our usual Sung Mass and procession, with the choir singing the wonderful setting by Victoria of the Passion.

Our choir once again provided some wonderful polyphony and chant for the Mass and procession of Maundy Thursday, and on Good Friday we once again had Victoria’s setting of the Passion. Our Easter began with our Vigil Mass, with the lighting of the new fire, Exsultet, all the Prophecies, blessing of the Font, with the choir singing the beautiful setting of the Sicut Cervus by Palestrina. It was especially good to see so many of our boys serving, and the church so full of young families for these long services over Holy Week.

With the Vigil over, our excellent serving team and choir could not yet have a well-deserved break, with Easter Sunday Mass and Vespers and another Sung Mass on Easter Monday.

Once again we celebrated Vespers on all the Sundays of

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Easter, with goodly numbers of singers and servers returning to St Bede’s after their Sunday lunch.

Our choir and servers gave up their Bank Holidays to sing Mass on 1 May, and on the 29th the Feast of St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, a Mass not normally sung. With our choir not needed on the third and fifth Sundays they made the trip over to St Mary Magdalen, East Hill, Wandsworth to sing the Sunday Mass; the warm welcome and the refreshments provided after Mass should see this become a regular event in our choir’s diary.

The Feast of the Ascension saw another Sung Mass at 12.30, followed a couple of days later by the Feast of St Bede with a Sung Mass instead of our usual Saturday Low Mass at 9am.

Fr Gabriel Diaz-Patri made a welcome return for the Vigil of Pentecost, a larger than usual number of servers and singers in attendance, with one choir member coming down from Cambridge, all making the early start of 9am.

Sung Masses followed for the Feasts of Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart, and a Requiem Mass for Luisa Hogan, one of the founder members of our community.

On 25 June Fr Dominic Clovis visited us for his first Solemn High Mass, having been recently ordained. The Feast of SS Peter and Paul saw another Sung Mass at 12.30 with members of our choir also singing at Warwick Street in the evening.

This quarter was brought to a close with the Feast of SS John Fisher and Thomas More, this coincided the annual Sodality of St Augustine Mass, with the funding for the paid choir provided by the LMS. With the healthy numbers of children in our community we intend to form a children’s schola starting in September; if you are interested and live locally do get in touch.

SOUTHWARK (Kent) Marygold Turner 01580 291372 We have been so well looked after by our priest friends, who usually come a long way to celebrate Holy Mass for us.

Fr Basden has been especially helpful, for which I am more than grateful.

I was privileged to go to Brussels again, to see Canon William Hudson’s school perform The Gondoliers. He has made such a huge success of his International School, with 650 pupils now, and growing. The performance, with so many nationalities, was a triumph. There is such a wonderful Catholic atmosphere with Canon Hudson in charge.

We look forward to a Mass from Fr Neil Brett on the Feast of the Assumption, who is a very good friend to us. I went to Ramsgate to support Father Marcus Holden with his Masses in May, with the opening of the Visitors’ Centre and to celebrate the restoring of the beautiful Pugin church. Cardinal Pell preached and celebrated the New Rite on the Saturday. It was very moving to be able to celebrate our beloved Old Rite Mass on the Friday, with the church so well restored. So, many congratulations to Father Marcus Holden who has done such a superb job, using the grants he was awarded to such good advantage. The Rood Screen is a particularly fine addition.

I was also lucky enough to go to Warrington for the ordination of two Fraternity of St Peter priests on 17 June, and went to Father Stewart’s Mass at Spanish Place for our LMS AGM. We look forward to our third Mass at Snave church, on Romney Marsh. It will be sung as before, and we do hope we shall have a good congregation. Monsignor Antony Conlon will be the celebrant.

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REPORTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY SOUTHWARK (Thanet) Antonia Robinson 01843 845880 LMS_Thanet@icloud.com It has been an exciting few months for the Traditional Mass on the Holy Isle of Thanet, with much to be thankful for. In Ramsgate, the main restoration of the shrine of Saint Augustine was completed, restoring the rood screen and high altar to their original places. A solemn High Mass in the presence of Cardinal Pell was celebrated on the feast of Saint Augustine to mark the re-opening of the shrine. On the external solemnity of Corpus Christi, there was a solemn High Mass for the First Mass of Fr Krysztof Sanetra FFSP. A few months ago some parishioners formed a schola at St Augustine’s and it has been providing music at the main Sunday Mass ever since; the most recent new member is an eight year old girl. Mantillas have returned to the Ramsgate piety shop after demand from parishioners, and evening classes explaining the rubrics and meaning of the Latin Mass have taken place.

The parish of Saints Augustine and Gregory in Margate had a musical treat on Pentecost Sunday with a Solemn Traditional Latin Sung Mass sung by the choir of Cantabo Domino with music by Byrd, Aichinger, Lotti and Soriano. There was more polyphony on the Feast of the Visitation thanks to another visiting choir. The resident parish schola now numbers four regular female singers and occasional guests. They have added the Gregorian chant communion antiphon to their psalm-tone propers. A new altar server joined the Margate TLM team in May after making his First Holy Communion.

In both parishes tea, coffee and biscuits after the main Sunday Mass has helped to develop a sense of community.

Many parishioners attend both parishes on different days of the week for the Traditional Latin Mass and some alternate between the two on Sundays. The schedule for Traditional Latin Masses in both parishes remains unchanged with a Sung Mass in each on Sundays, and Low Mass on Mondays in Margate and Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Ramsgate.

WESTMINSTER (Hertfordshire) Tom Short 07811 275243 Masses at St Bartholomew’s Church in St Albans continue every Sunday at 5pm. We have a steady congregation but with slight fluctuations. We are very fortunate to have the services of Fr Tim Edgar who is always happy to provide extra Masses on traditional Holydays of Obligation, and even on some devotional days which have not been days of obligation for many years. We had, for example, Mass on the feast of the Sacred Heart and for the Purification, and are having Mass on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Fr Tim is on his own running a busy parish and is chaplain to two schools, so all the Masses he celebrates in the Extraordinary Form are extra to an already busy schedule.

Fr Tim was away on Low Sunday and we had a Sung Mass in the Dominican Rite celebrated by Fr Crean for the Divine Mercy Feast. This involved a special journey from Leicester for him, and again we are very grateful for his help.

We now have two new members of the serving rota in St Albans, which will make things easier. Mike Mason organises the Old Hall Green and Baldock Masses and is grateful for the support of Mgr Read and Canon Noonan.

The Saturday Masses every other month continue at Hertford thanks to the devotion of Fr Phipps. There is, on rare occasions and on an unpredictable basis, a private Mass AUTUMN 2017

in the St Albans area. This happens only on a weekday and at very short notice. If anyone would like to be informed about this please contact Tom Short, 07811 275243.

WREXHAM Kevin Jones 01244 674011 lms.wrexham@outlook.com lmswrexham.weebly.com The last quarter saw Masses taking place on the first Saturdays (Buckley), second Sunday (Llay) and Holywell (fourth Sunday). The only Mass omitted was the June’s Mass at Buckley due to no server being available.

The main event was the annual Holywell pilgrimage and this took place on Sunday 2 July.

Missa solemnis was celebrated by Father James Mawdsley FSSP. This was Father Mawdsley’s first anniversary as a Priest.

He had been ordained at Heimenkirch, Bavaria 12 months to the day and currently carries out his priestly ministry at St Mary’s Shrine, Warrington in the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Both deacon and sub deacon were also from the Liverpool Archdiocese. Our deacon could be classed as a Holywell veteran. Fr Simon Henry has assisted us previously and it was good to see him once again. Fr Sean Riley was our sub deacon and it was his first but hopefully not last time at the Holywell pilgrimage.

Music was provided by the Choir of St Mary’s, Warrington who sang Victoria Missa O Quam gloriosum with motets; Victoria O Quam and Duggan O sacrum convivium. The proper was in Gregorian Chant. Musical direction was under Michael Wynne.

Phillip Russell was MC and numerous servers were in attendance. We welcomed five priests in choir. Newly ordained Fr Alex Stewart FSSP heard Confessions and assisted at the Communion.

Mass was a Votive Mass of a Virgin Martyr with commemoration of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This Mass honours our local and loved St Winefride, to whom many have great devotion.

The post-Mass Rosary procession was led by Canon Lordan of Llay and at the shrine there was an opportunity to venerate the relic of St Winefride.

Following Mass and at the Well, Fr Mawdsley and Fr Stewart gave their first blessings. This was the final day on which Fr Mawdsley could impart his first blessing given his anniversary – but we continue to be blessed by his priesthood and that of all good priests!

At the time of going to press the Summer School at The Franciscan Retreat Centre, Pantasaph had not taken place.

However, the presence of the St Catherine’s Trust and the LMS Residential Latin Course in the diocese is very welcome and it affords us a whole week of the Vetus Ordo!

Finally, and a little bit further than the Diocese of Wrexham, I have just returned from Ordination Week for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Many graces were available from the abundance of fine liturgies, beginning with the reception of the cassock on Monday 3 July (including to three young men from the UK) and culminating in the priestly of ordination of six priests on Thursday 7 July.

Very welcome was the presence of the Rt Rev. Mark Davies, the Bishop of Shrewsbury. Bishop Davies conferred the tonsure and minor orders and remained present in choir for the remaining ordinations ceremonies.

Please check lmswrexham.weebly.com for the latest updates.

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GLORIOUS TRADITION

Glorious tradition Canon Gwenaël Cristofoli ICKSP on great times in Preston

English Martyrs, exterior A new Shrine for the Institute

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n Sunday 9 July, His Lordship the Rt Rev. Michael Campbell OSA, Bishop of Lancaster, addressed the faithful of the churches of English Martyrs and of St Joseph, Preston – both part of the Parish of St John XXIII: ‘We are very grateful for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and the dedication they have to evangelizing through use of the Extraordinary Form.’

Bishop Campbell continued: ‘The Institute has shown tremendous energy in conveying a sense of the sacred through their proven ministry at St Walburge’s and around the world. We are especially encouraged that their

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care and ministry in large and historic churches may also be instrumental in preserving English Martyrs Church now and going forward.

‘Finally, and importantly, the announcement of this initiative will ensure the future sustainability and patrimony of English Martyrs’ Church; a building so dear to local Catholics and many others in Preston. Thankfully, this announcement means English Martyrs is saved from the prospect of closure and is thus secured for the future. The fact that the church will be used each day for prayer and cared for by the Institute means it will continue to witness to the faith and mission of the Catholic Church

in Preston for many years to come.’

The opening of this second Shrine in Preston (at English Martyrs), with the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, is an exceptional occurrence and a great grace. We are very grateful to His Lordship Michael Campbell OSA, Bishop of Lancaster.

Everywhere around us the very foundations of society are challenged and hell seems even more powerful.

Assaults and victories of the ‘culture of death’ (Pope Saint John Paul II) and structures of sin could well discourage even the most optimistic of people.

Are we going to give up? No! But with what force are we to oppose this world

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GLORIOUS TRADITION and all the ecclesiastical authorities we consulted encouraged us. Enthusiastic families are helping us move forward.

Here, our main concern is now material, because we must restore the designated buildings that have not been used for decades and have deteriorated greatly.

We asked St Benedict, the patron of the Institute, to watch over the school because in England, as everywhere in Europe, the Holy Patriarch had a major role in the Christianisation of our country. Christianisation means to make civilisation work! This naturally means the whole, with both the Roman genius and the celebration of the Extraordinary Form, as the Canons will ensure the chaplaincy of this institution. It will be a modest start at first, with just over a dozen children enrolled.

Interior of the Shrine Church of English Martyrs, Preston that turns away from God? Our own force or gifts? Certainly not!

Rather, we have the strength of an unconditional and immeasurable Love. The Love of God, which has been expressed in the great Work of Mercy: the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The fruits of the Love of Our Blessed Lord are given to us abundantly in the sacraments and especially in the Holy Eucharist.

The Blood of martyrs, which is ‘the seed of Christians’ according to the beautiful expression of St Ignatius, connects us to the Martyr par excellence, to the charity entirely given: Our Lord on the Cross.

The specific vocation of the new Shrine will be to make known the history, the fight and the fidelity of our English heroes of the Faith, and this link with this glorious tradition of the English Martyrs will give us all a boost in the missionary spirit.

Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form and Adoration will take place every day, and Friday will be a special day of devotion and prayer to the English Martyrs, with the veneration of the relics preserved and venerated in this church for 150 years. Friday is the day of the

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Passion, and it seems most appropriate to link the Cross to the persecution and death of the Martyrs.

A House of Discernment St Walburge’s Shrine Church will continue its mission of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and will remain the house of prayer for our canonical life.

Fighting the darkness requires many good and holy priests, and it is for this reason that we have decided to open to young men over 18 years of age our presbytery for a year of discernment.

This will accompany them both in their spiritual life, and in the first steps of an intellectual formation living in community. We already have several candidates – Deo Gratias! A deacon will join us to help us in this beautiful mission.

A new school Finally, it was again in this same missionary spirit that the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest wished to respond to several solicitations from Providence to found a school in Preston.

St Francis de Sales asks us not to step over Providence – for fear that our works would become human and no doubt rash. Here sure signs abounded,

St Benedict’s School Faced with the melancholies and the sadness of sin, we want to oppose these with a cautious but vibrant enthusiasm.

These are great times in Preston.

When St Francis de Sales arrived in the Chablis region, there were not even 100 Catholics, but after his years of mission, the Chablis was converted. So, Sursum Corda and thanks to the readers of Mass of Ages for their support and their prayers!

If you would like to assist us and support our missions in Preston, please do contact: Canon Gwenael Cristofoli ICKSP, Saint Walburge’s Presbytery, Weston Street, Preston PR2 2QE. Facebook: ICKSP St Walburge

STOP PRESS

Pontifical Mass will be celebrated by the Rt Rev. Michael Campbell OSA, Bishop of Lancaster, in the presence of Mgr Gilles Wach, Superior General of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, on Sunday 24 September 2017 at 11.30am at the Shrine church of English Martyrs, Preston. Social afterwards, all welcome!

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ART AND DEVOTION

Sublime work Caroline Shaw looks at El Greco’s The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, painted between 1586 and 1588 for the Parish Church of Santo Tomé, Toledo

‘The Burial of the Count of Orgaz’: one of the greatest works of Western art

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t takes a few minutes, when standing before El Greco’s magnificent fourmetre-high painting, ‘The Burial of the Count of Orgaz’, to establish exactly what is happening before one’s eyes.

The swirling, iridescent light, the almost shockingly large number of figures, the various layers and levels of the composition and the different realms

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– Earthly, Heavenly and somewhere in between – requires concentration to absorb and to comprehend what exactly one is witnessing. Time spent in contemplation before this painting is amply repaid.

El Greco’s masterpiece – ‘my sublime work’, as he himself described it – is widely considered to be one of the

greatest works of Western art, and it still draws thousands each year to the small side chapel in the modest parish church of Santo Tomé in Toledo, just as it did from the very moment it was unveiled in 1588.

The theme of the painting is at once simple and extraordinary. At its most simple, it is a burial scene, depicting the funeral of Gonzalo Ruiz, Count of

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ART AND DEVOTION Orgaz, who died in 1312. The Count was a pious man, known for his uprightness and generous philanthropy. He provided the funds for the foundation of the Augustinian convent of Saint Stephen in Toledo, and he left a considerable sum of money for the enlargement and adornment of his local church of Santo Tomé, which happened to be El Greco’s parish church.

At its most extraordinary, the painting depicts the legend according to which, at the moment of the Count’s burial, the Heavens opened, and mourners, including a number of worthy priests, monks, knights and aristocrats, witnessed a sky filled with Heavenly figures; Our Blessed Lord flanked by Our Lady and St John and a host of saints and angels.

More extraordinary still, St Augustine and St Stephen (the latter pictured as a young deacon), then appeared among the mourners, and gently took the body of the Count in their arms. The onlookers watched as the two great saints carefully lowered the Count into his tomb with their own hands: the deceased man – his face a deathly grey, yet full of dignity – was literally held in the arms of the Holy Catholic Church at his death.

If we look from the mitre of St Augustine upwards to the shimmering yellow of the angel’s robe, we can see in the angel’s arms an ethereal suggestion of the soul of Count Orgaz, being carried up to the Heavenly realm.

The painting was commissioned by Father Andrés Núñez, the parish priest of Sainto Tomé at the time, for the side chapel of Our Lady in which Count Orgaz was buried. This venerable, and clearly formidable priest, whom El Greco depicts in the painting as the balding figure on the extreme right in a gold cope reading from the Missal, undertook to organise the restoration of the church according to Count Orgaz’s dying wishes 250 years earlier. This involved filing a lawsuit, which he won in 1569, to reclaim the original payment of the Count’s endowment. He then commissioned El Greco to paint an image of the burial of Count Orgaz, stipulating that it was to cover the wall of the chapel, with nothing left unpainted between the top and the bottom of the arch. It should be filled with portraits of contemporary Toledan aristocracy and clergy, and it was to take no longer than nine months to complete.

El Greco rose magnificently to the challenge, filling the vast canvas with a large number of vivid portraits, including members of the Order of Santiago, a

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military-religious order founded in the 12th Century to protect pilgrims along the route to Santiago da Compostela. They wear a red cross resembling a sword with a fleur-de-lys hilt emblazoned on their breast. The crowds of people who flocked to see the painting when it was unveiled would have recognized the faces of many well-known individuals of the day: clerics, monks and aristocrats, whose solemn, dignified expressions survey with calm acceptance the great mystery that is being revealed to them. The onlookers would have noticed too, that El Greco included a portrait of himself in the scene – the thin bearded figure gazing out at us, above the head of St Stephen – as well as a portrait of his beloved son Jorge Manuel, who is the only other figure looking directly at the viewer. He kneels on the left, holding a torch and pointing to the dead man. On his handkerchief, El Greco has inscribed his signature and the date of Jorge’s birth.

We might imagine for a minute that we are standing in the chapel in front of this extraordinary image. We would examine in detail the beautiful, penetrating portraits of the mourners and the noble, wise and generous faces of St Augustine and St Stephen. We might lean in to look more closely at the bright yellow-gold and exquisitely rich embroidery of the saints’ vestments. On the dalmatic of St Stephen, we can discern a panel showing an image of his martyrdom, bringing to mind St Stephen’s vision just before he was stoned to death, which echoes the scene we see before us: ‘Behold, I see the Heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.’ We would notice too, that the actual tomb of Count Orgaz is located immediately below the painting, and we would recognize the way in which this group of three figures, Count Orgaz and the two saints, form a composition that has clear affinities with the Entombment of Christ. El Greco has created the brilliant impression that the Count is being laid directly into his tomb.

Our eye now travels to the right, and follows the upturned gaze of the priest, who stands with arms outstretched in rapt awe as he contemplates the mystery unfolding before his eyes. His left hand is illuminated with Heavenly light, and the angle of his head, together with the pale, almost translucent folds of his alb, form a link between Earth and the Heavenly realm. Slowly our eye travels upwards, following his gaze, to the yellow billow of silk that forms the angel’s robes, echoing the deep yellow-gold of the vestments below. We follow the ascent

of Count Orgaz’s soul into the swirls of cloud, up to Heaven, which shimmers with pale ivory-grey light and pulsates with a host of angels. Here the figures are otherworldly, elongated, delicate and almost transparent; far more ethereal than the solid band of mourners below.

Our Lord, flanked by His Mother and St John the Baptist, prepares to receive the soul of the worthy Count. Behind Our Lady sits St Peter, his yellow robe brilliantly echoing that of the angel and the saints below, dangling a pair of keys languidly between elongated fingers.

To the left, King David plays Heavenly music on his harp. To the right of St John the Baptist is a host of apostles, martyrs and confessors, gazing in rapture at Our Lord, together with Pope Sixtus V and the bearded, white-haired figure of King Philip II of Spain, both of whom were still alive at the time of painting.

The premature elevation of Philip II and Pope Sixtus V to the communion of saints can perhaps be justified by the fact that both were important figures in the Counter-Reformation. The Council of Trent had ended just 25 years before this painting was begun, and Sixtus V’s energetic battle against Protestant heresy, together with Philip II’s military and political championing of Catholic interests in the face of the Protestant threat, were vital to the Council’s aims.

In Spain, there was a further layer of tension, as the memory of the 700-year Islamic occupation was still raw: the fall of Granada had taken place less than 100 years earlier, and in 1485, the Tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition had been established in Toledo, making the city an important centre for the propagation and preservation of the Catholic faith. As one of the pre-eminent artists of Philip II’s reign, El Greco was fully employed in the campaign to explain and promote Catholic truth. He was called upon time and again to produce images that were striking, memorable and instructive. The image of Count Orgaz’s burial illustrates in the most dramatic and powerful way, some of the fundamental truths of our faith: that physical death is not the end but merely the beginning; that our soul is truly immortal; that Heaven awaits those who die in a state of grace; that the communion of saints is a reality and that if we honour the saints and cultivate them as friends and protectors, they will indeed lead us on the true path to Eternal life.

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COMMENT

Our Lady’s Wishes Mary O’Regan on the Third Secret of Fatima

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may sound alarmist but heart and soul I believe the Third Secret of Fatima has not yet fully come to pass: that the bloodbath foretold by Our Lady when she appeared to Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco has not reached its bitter conclusion, which will be marked by a massacre of the Holy Father, bishops, men and women religious and lay faithful. Indeed, I believe that this rude shock is ahead of us, not behind us.

A full 100 years ago this year Our Lady cautioned that if humankind did not turn from sin, repent and offer prayers and penance in reparation, all the while honouring her specific requests, then the contents of the Third Secret would be our fate.

That faithful day on the hillside Our Lady revealed a vision to the three children, which was later relayed (fully or edited, many of us are not quite sure) by the last surviving seer, Sr Lucia. Relying on Lucia’s words, our mental cinema can create a surreal sequence of events where the Holy Father in a trembling and downtrodden way threads his path through a city destroyed and littered with dead bodies. Offering prayers for the souls of the dead, the Holy Father trudges his way up a steep mountain whereupon, reaching the top, he falls to his knees before a big rudely hewn Cross and is set upon by soldiers who puncture his body with arrows and bullets. Surrounding the Holy Father are the cadavers of bishops, priests, men and women religious who have been slain in the same way.

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This precise chain of events has not yet happened - but I take it literally for two reasons. Firstly, Our Lady intended her words at Fatima to be taken as a reality. If her requests were not honoured, which is my second reason for believing, the Third Secret is unfolding and will reach a bloody climax depicted

by Lucia’s words. The Third Secret may well happen to the letter; otherwise it is the anomaly among the Secrets, and inconsistent with the justice of God, who visited the Second World War on humanity which was prophesised by Our Lady in the Second Secret.

I was at school in Ireland in 2000 when I was first heard it said there were metaphors and symbols sprinkled throughout the Third Secret. This risks reducing it to a poetic theory. They say the Third Secret came to pass with the attempted assassination of John Paul II in 1981. A bullet did pierce the body of the Polish Pope, but to collapse all the arrows and bullets that ring through the air in the vision given the little children is an exercise in fooling the masses to the point where they relax and refrain from amending their lives in accordance with Our Lady’s wishes. For one thing the Third Secret is carried out in microcosm each day in the Middle East, where Christians know a red martyrdom, while in our part of the globe thus far we are more likely to know a white martyrdom.

I’ve often felt tempted to allow myself to be lulled into thinking the Third Secret began and ended with the attempt on John Paul II’s life. But it is self-deception when we deceive ourselves into thinking humanity has appeased the Heavenly court by having satisfactorily honoured Our Lady’s requests.

Transposing the attempted murder of John Paul II onto the whole of the Third Secret is actually destructive and undermines Our Lady’s warnings. This has the deleterious effect of calling into question the First Secret - the vision of Hell - as being more metaphor than reality. If Our Lady relied on imagery that would not correspond to real life, what’s to say she didn’t use such imagery when the ground opened up and she

gave the children a vision of Hell? Put bluntly, if you pass off so easily the Third Secret as a careless mishmash of scary symbols, who is to say the vision of Hell given the children - where flames licked the souls of ‘poor sinners’ and the stench of putrefied flesh filled the air - is not in the realm of the fantastic?

The Holy Mother of God has never appeared under the title, Our Lady the Fantasist. But after all my years attending youth groups and meeting every variety of devout Catholic as a journalist, I’ve known too many people for too long who are in the grip of a fantasy that Hell isn’t all that bad, that they can carry on with lives of great sin because if they are sent down it will not be worse than sitting too close to a popping log fire at Christmas.

They take Our Lady of Fatima seriously up to a point, but not to the extent that they will change their lives. The burning irony is that Hell may be all the more certain for those who in this life think it is merely a macabre metaphor.

“ I’ve often felt tempted to allow myself to be lulled into thinking the Third Secret began and ended with the attempt on John Paul II’s life.”

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FEATURE

Thirty years of the Old Rite Peter Clarke reports from the Isle of Wight

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© Peter Clarke

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he largest Catholic church on the Isle of Wight is in Ryde High Street.

It is a Grade II listed building completed in 1844 by Elizabeth, Countess of Clare (1793-1879) who converted to Catholicism following her experiences on the Grand Tour. The church (designed

by Joseph Hansom, of Hansom cab fame) is one of the finest early Victorian Catholic churches in the south. Popularly known as St Mary’s, it is the first church in England to be dedicated to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Lady Chapel is a real gem, with its Pugin altar and wall paintings by Nathaniel Westlake depicting Biblical and devotional scenes in the life of Jesus and Mary.

There is no shortage of choice in terms of the liturgy in Ryde, as three Forms of the Roman Rite of Mass (Ordinary, Extraordinary and Ordinariate) are celebrated. Fortunately, the re-ordering of St Mary’s in the wake of Vatican II has not unduly affected the sanctuary.

It was 30 years ago that the EF Mass returned, on an occasional basis, to the Island; mainly in Ryde and Newport.

At the time, it was visiting priests who offered these Masses, with the support of (mostly) sympathetic local clergy.

At one time, we were permitted only four weekday EF Masses in the year. I had to go cap in hand to beg for an increase in the number of Masses. I asked for a monthly Mass. I eventually got six; later raised to eight. Things began to settle down and we were blessed with our first Missa Cantata, sung by Fr Martin Edwards, at St Mary’s in Ryde in June, 2003. This was followed by a Corpus Christi Procession. A momentous occasion! Other priests came and gave us inspiring Days of Recollection, visited sick and housebound members, gave Benediction and provided the spiritual nourishment that many were seeking.

With Summorum Pontificum in 2007, and the arrival of Fr Anthony Glaysher in Ryde the following year, there was a new lease of life amongst traditional Catholics.

Many of us had prayed that we would have a traditional priest, sympathetic to the Old Rite. Consequently, it was with great joy that I was able to serve at the Father’s

Fr Anthony Glaysher leading prayers in the church garden of St Mary’s, Ryde at the start of the annual May Procession first Mass at St Mary’s, Ryde on the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady in 2008; a most appropriate feast, bearing in mind the dedication of the church.

The EF Masses (normally twice a week) then became parish Masses.

Attendance at the time was healthy, about 40 on a weekday. Sadly, these have declined recently with death, old age and infirmity.

In June 2009, the Island had the joy of its first Solemn High Mass for 45 years, when Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP (then only ordained for a week) came to Ryde. As celebrant, he was assisted

by Deacon Stephen Morgan and with Fr Simon Leworthy as Sub Deacon. Soon afterwards, Fr Glaysher introduced a First Friday EF Mass, and Missa Cantatas increased with a schola choir developing.

Gradually, many of Fr Glaysher’s flock in Ryde came to discover and appreciate the great power of the Holy Latin Mass in all its richness. In addition, he encouraged and promoted the traditional devotions of the Church: May and October devotions and First Fridays, as well as restoring May and Corpus Christi Processions, veneration of relics of the saints and even Tenebrae in Holy Week.

After nine years in Ryde, we heard Fr Glaysher was moving to Aldershot in

September. He will be sorely missed among traditional Catholics on the Island. He is clearly a man who loves the priesthood. As one person remarked: ‘Psalm 109 is most apt for Father: Tu es sacredos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech - Thou art a priest forever, according to the Order of Melchisedech).’

While I was considering the future provision of EF Masses on the Island, patiently waiting to see if the Lord would provide, I was both surprised and delighted when an Ordinariate priest here on the Island, Fr Jonathan Redvers Harris, approached me to say that he had ‘been moved by the Holy Spirit to offer to fulfil a pastoral need and to learn to say the EF Mass.’ Deo Gratias!

Realistically, we know that the regular Sunday EF here on the Island has now gone (for the time being), but we look forward to occasional (maybe monthly) weekday Masses and then see what develops.

In the meantime, do contact me for dates and times of EF Masses if you come across to the Island. And thank you Fr Glaysher for your pastoral care and spiritual direction and for what you have done for us here in Ryde.

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ARCHITECTURE

Restoration drama In this follow-up to his summer feature on the Sacred Heart Church at Caterham, Paul Waddington reports on the recent restoration of the wall paintings in the Sanctuary and Lady Chapel

Š Deirdre Waddington

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The restored Lady Chapel

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he paintings in the sanctuary of the Sacred Heart Church at Caterham date from 1889, and were designed by John Hardman Powell, the son-in-law of Augustus Welby Pugin. They were executed

by Joseph Aloysius Pippett, the chief artist of the Hardman Company. In the spandrels to the windows of the apse are depictions of six of the prophets; and applied to the upper portions of the side walls are ten scenes from the New Testament.

It is beneath the level of the string course that the main theme is developed. The focus is an image of the Agnus Dei between two adoring angels painted on panels affixed to the front face of the altar.

Immediately beneath the string course, are written the opening words of the Te Deum, leading up to the word Sanctus. This word is repeated many times amid foliate decoration applied to the lower part of the wall. The theme of Sanctus is also taken up by ten angels within roundels who are singing the words: Dominus Deus Sabaoth etc.

Most of the decoration of the Lady Chapel was undertaken in 1892, when stained glass was inserted into the windows. Each of the five windows depict one of the joyful mysteries of the Rosary. Immediately beneath the string course are the words of the Magnificat.

These divide two different Marian motives repeatedly stencilled above and below. The one below uses bright blue paint and has a floral pattern. The one above is predominantly turquoise and is more unusual. It was possibly inspired by the fabric of the mantle worn by Our Lady in Carlo Crivelli’s fifteenth century painting, Madonna and Child Enthroned.

Due to rising damp and leaking gutters, the paintings deteriorated over the years and, in the 1950s, the lower

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ARCHITECTURE

Sermon on the Mount © Deirdre Waddington was repaired and flaking paint was reattached using adhesives. Working from an old photograph, an artist has recreated the three altar panels. The result can be seen in the photographs.

The restored Sanctuary and Lady Chapel were officially revealed at Vespers and Benediction on 23rd June (the Feast of the Sacred Heart) in the presence of Bishop Moth.

© Deirdre Waddington

parts of the sanctuary walls and the whole of the south wall of the Lady Chapel were over-painted. The panels with the Agnus Dei and the Angels were removed and apparently lost.

Since December 2015, a specialist firm has been at work restoring the wall paintings. Where possible, the over-painting of the 1950s has been removed using carefully chosen solvents. Where this was not possible, the paint was removed mechanically, revealing sufficient of the original design for it to be copied and new stencils created. Decayed stonework

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© Deirdre Waddington

Te Deum in the presence of Bishop Moth

Restored High Altar showing Agnus Dei and Angels

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REVIEW

Radical advice?

Annie Mackie-Savage discusses a new book on marriage

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onstanza Miriano’s Marry Him and Be Submissive, is marketed as a book that gives ‘radical advice from a real woman about marriage, love, kids, work, play and everything else’. This is some claim for a tome a mere 239 pages long. Intrigued, I was prepared to be as enlightened and entertained as the dust jacket assured me I would be.

Perhaps something was lost in the translation from the Italian, but the content left me cold. Instead of a bold assertion of Catholic teaching from a lay woman’s perspective, the chapters are arranged as a series of chatty agony-aunt letters to female and male friends, full of advice and personal anecdotes, followed by a discussion with more personal anecdotes and some reflections on popular culture, and a three-years-later postscript.

Each of the chapters has a stereotypical subject: the cold-footed fiancée, the co-habitees, the serial monogamist, the first-time mother, and so on, who receive personalised advice. The author argues in general that women no longer have a ‘clear path laid out’, which is to a certain extent true, expected as we are in the secular world to juggle family and career, all while beautifully groomed (but more of that later).

There are odd nuggets to be found.

On page 27, the author explains ‘submissive’ to mean to be placed under, ‘so as to be the support of your family.

You must be the foundations.’ She also points out the complementary nature of men and women; we aren’t the same, our thought processes and responses can be different, and both women and men should be aware of this.

The friends written to in each of the chapters are all in different types of relationship or states of life, and are addressed ‘where they are’. As a vociferous advocate of marriage, the author encourages them to take the plunge. In chapter three, ‘Marco’,

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she addresses the issue of long-term cohabitation, in which she rightly concludes that with Marco and his girlfriend Chiara, ‘being reborn feminists... has led to them being immature’ in their relationship.

Commitment-phobes, or is it just him?

We discover in the three-years-on postscript, they have split up, Marco having found someone else to marry.

I would agree that women using sex as a recreation has damaged the male/ female relationship dynamic. I am sure we’ve all witnessed this somewhere among our family and friends at some stage, but the author states the obvious with no attempt at a solution. Love is, after all, an act of will not a fuzzy feeling.

While she says women can’t have it all (although she seems to have managed pretty well herself ), and that sacrifice is part and parcel of motherhood and being a wife, she calls for fathers to reclaim their rightful role; less appeasement of the children for example, and more authoritative paternal leadership. She suggests a woman submit to her husband in choices, choose his preference over her own, saying, ‘a man cannot refuse a woman who respects him, God has given you a husband, try and hear God’s will through him.’

One last point. In chapter six, ‘Agnese’, the author writes (perhaps tongue-in -cheek) that spouses wearing joggers (loose trousers for running) in the home is the greatest threat to a marriage. Well, the wearing of joggers does not in and of itself mean you have completely let yourself go, and that the spark has gone. Nor (in chapter nine, ‘Antonio’), is it true that the spark will desert you should you have your husband present at the births of your children because you might not be quite looking your best. But then I am English.

I take issue with the ‘radical’ tag to this book. It might be a good selling point, but the book is filled with obvious common sense, and as every spouse (of either sex) knows, putting the other first, and compromise, are the foundations of any good marriage whether you are Catholic or not. Scriptural as it may be, the sensationalist title certainly isn’t the sum of the book. It is a little clichéd, and tries far too hard. And if I may add something personal, one of the things that has kept my marriage happy? My husband dislikes football every bit as much as I do.

Marry Him and Be Submissive,

by Constanza Miriano, is published

by Catholic Courses and is available (in hardback only) from the LMS online shop, £19.99.

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COMMENT

To guard and to guide Do we still believe in Angels? asks Fr Bede Rowe ‘The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary…’

‘Holy Michael, Archangel…’

‘Angel of God, my guardian dear…’

alk of angels surrounds us in our personal devotions. The Angelus speaks of the annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the prayers after Low Mass invoke the powerful protection of the mighty Archangel Michael. And, hopefully, we remember through the day the presence of our Guardian angel as well.

In fact, it is not just talk of angels which surrounds us, but the angels themselves. So, what are they? Well, to begin with they are creatures created

by God. They are not the souls of people who have died, nor are they gods, or deities, or malevolent pixies or sprites.

The angels are parts of God’s creation, and they share the common purpose of all creation, namely to worship and adore the One who made them. Like us, however, they may be given jobs or tasks to do.

Thus it was that Gabriel (whose name means ‘the power of God’) came to Our Lady, and Michael (meaning ‘who is like God?’) stands at the doors of Eden, of Paradise, with a flaming sword, and is destined to be in a battle with Satan until the end of time.

Perhaps the Fallen Angel, Satan, will be the subject of another article.

By tradition there are seven Archangels, though we only know the names of three, the other named being Raphael in the book of Tobit – the healing of God. The orders, or choirs of angels, from the closest to God outwards, are Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Archangels, Principalities, and Angels.

This ordering is part of our tradition, not an article of faith. The existence of angels, however, is, as it is attested to in Sacred Scripture.

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As in Church, it is always the people who stand up and do ‘important’ things who get the glory (their reward will be not be great in heaven as they have had theirs here on earth – yikes!) but the real backbone of the Church, without whom it would not run so smoothly, are the people who clean, and do the laundry, and make sure the sacristy is stocked. It is the same with the angels. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, important and flashy, get all the attention; Seraphim and Cherubim, mysterious and mystical, have our fascination; but the real work, in my humble opinion, is done by the most lowly. And these lowly angels, those most intimately involved with us, are our Guardian Angels.

At the moment that you were conceived in your mother’s womb, God assigned an angel to be with you.

Your Guardian Angel is always there in every moment of your life. They prompt us, they open our eyes to the possibilities in front of us, and help us to see the good that we can do, and the evil that we should avoid. They are the comforting presence when our hearts are breaking, and the stiffening of our resolve when we are fearful and afraid. They are the voice of reason in moments of temptation, and the voice of calm in panic and distress. And as we lie alone and Death whispers to our heart his sweet secrets, which stills our breath, then it is our Guardian Angel who eases our soul from this mortal frame and leads it to the judgment throne of God. These are the Angels of God who we should look up to and admire, for they have been with us throughout all of our life.

There are little angel shaped badges that you can get on pieces of card.

They are called ‘an angel in my pocket’, and are quite popular. Of course, the cynical me thinks that these things are the result of a complete loss of faith

of the people in our society – when we no longer believe in God, then we believe in anything, in lucky charms and talismans. And the theological me thinks that it is errant nonsense to reduce these awesome creatures of God to a little bit of metal, and God help you if you did ever have an angel in your pocket – your pocket would explode at the very least! But the feeble and frail me, the human me, thinks that anything which reminds us of our Guardian Angel is a good thing and something that they, our angels, could use in our everyday life.

Remember your Guardian Angel.

Speak to them now. If it has been a long time, then reintroduce yourself. Talk through what has been going on. They are there to listen to you, to guard you, and to guide you.

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MASS LISTINGS

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MASS LISTINGS

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MASS LISTINGS

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MASS LISTINGS

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FEATURE

The Peace of Christ Latin Mass Society Chairman, Joseph Shaw, looks at the history of the paxbrede

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© John Aron

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ne of the more obscure liturgical items - up there with the clapper used instead of the bell on Good Friday, and the ‘scruple spoon’ for adding water to the wine at the Offertory - is the paxbrede (or paxbred or paxboard, the ‘instrumentum pacis’ or osculatorium).

In certain circumstances this is used instead of the ‘kiss’ (or, better, embrace: Latin amplexus) to give the Peace of Christ before Communion. Readers may not know that it can be used today at all, and its history is an interesting one.

The Kiss of Peace goes back to the earliest records we have of the liturgy.

In the Extraordinary Form today, at High Mass, with Priest, Deacon, and Subdeacon, the Celebrant kisses the Altar (which represents Christ: once he kissed the newly consecrated Host), and then turns to embrace the Deacon, passing on the Peace of Christ which he received from Christ.

The Deacon then embraces the Subdeacon, and the Subdeacon the Master of Ceremonies, and this Peace is passed on, like a gift, to any clergy who may be in Choir. The Kiss of Peace is omitted in Masses for the dead. In ancient times this process extended to the congregation, and it still does in the Maronite liturgy.

As St Alphonsus Ligouri expressed it: ‘Before giving the peace, the priest kisses the Altar to show that he cannot give peace unless he has first received it from Jesus Christ, who is represented by the Altar.’

How, exactly, the symbolic Peace is passed from one person to another has varied over the centuries. The Ordinary Form hand-shake has been widely criticised for making it look like a business transaction, and despite this sober association the process can easily get out of hand. Another problem with simultaneous handshakes is that there is no sense of the Peace radiating out from Christ, present on the Altar, which obviates a key part of the symbolism.

Presenting the paxbrede In the Extraordinary Form High Mass, the Kiss of Peace is limited to the clergy and religious in choir, allowing an interior participation by the people, using one of the most expressive and moving rituals of the Roman Rite.

However, the Paxbrede represents an earlier point of the historical development of the rite, which survives today in certain circumstances.

A paxbrede is most commonly a decorated circular metal plate, with a handle on the back, though other

things (a painted wooden board, an icon, or a crucifix) have also been used.

There is a collection of them in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

It was first used in English monasteries about the year 1000. In parish Masses the paxbrede would be kissed by the celebrant and then presented by the Parish Clerk to the Faithful one by one. One great advantage of this over any form of kiss or embrace was that it could be passed between the sexes, who would, in any case, be sitting in different parts of the church.

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FEATURE From England this custom spread through Europe, but in the period after the Council of Trent it began to die out.

It had certain disadvantages. Eamon Duffy gives pre-Reformation examples of court cases following altercations in church from a person who felt slighted by the clerk giving the paxbrede to another person first. There may also have been concerns about hygiene.

Like many things in our liturgical history, its disappearance was not, however, complete. It remained in use in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. It is also still used by a number of religious orders, notably the Dominicans. At High Mass the Dominicans do not use the embrace at all, but the paxbrede, for clergy and religious in choir.

What is less well known are the contexts in which it can be used today in the standard Roman Rite. The liturgist Fr John O’Connell notes: ‘To “greater” prelates present at low Mass, to the clergy in a sung Mass, and to lay persons of high rank present at solemn Mass or low Mass the kiss of peace is conveyed by means of the instrumentum pacis or pax-brede.’

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The presence of lay dignatories at Mass may not be a frequent occurrence, and bishops and Cardinals assisting at Low Mass may be even rarer, but clergy (deacons or priests) are present at Sung Masses from time to time. O’Connell explains how it should be done: the server, ‘after the prayer Domini Iesu Christe, qui dixisti, kneels at the right of the celebrant and presents the paxbrede to him. The celebrant kisses it, saying Pax tecum, to which the server replies Et cum spiritu tuo. The server then presents the pax-brede to the prelate or laymen (who remains kneeling) to be kissed, saying Pax tecum.’

This is certainly a somewhat obscure ceremony, but it is worth maintaining it for a number of reasons. First, it recalls, and preserves in a vestigial form, an important ancient ceremony of the Church. Secondly, it adds solemnity to Sung Mass and is a way of acknowledging the clerical dignity of assisting priests and deacons. Thirdly, it makes more visible and expressive an

important moment in the Mass which is otherwise easy to miss, outside High Mass: the passing on of the Peace of Christ, from the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar, to everyone else present. This is perhaps particularly important as the connection, between Christ present on the Altar and the Peace of Christ communicated outwards at the Sign of Peace, is obscured in the way it is done in the Ordinary Form.

Presumably because of the connection with the Spanish Netherlands, the use of the paxbrede would seem to have survived in the Novus Ordo in Belgium, and newly manufactured paxbredes are available from a Belgian church supplier, Slabinck, which trades in England as Vanpoulles. They supplied the paxbrede currently in use at Sung Masses assisted by a permanent deacon in Holy Trinity, Hethe, pictured left.

More about the Pax can be read in the FIUV Position Paper 19: The Kiss of Peace.

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MY FIRST LATIN MASS

The prayerful state Mackenzie Robinson remembers a special experience at Buckfast Abbey

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ednesday, 26 April 2017, Buckfast Abbey: my first experience of Mass celebrated under the Old Rite. Despite having been a Catholic for 17 years now, the old Latin Mass has always remained under my radar, until now.

I had assumed that it would be essentially the same as the New Rite, only in Latin, and with the priest facing the other way. How wrong I was. It has a completely different atmosphere, and a different focus.

It is extraordinary how much less busy the Old Rite is for the congregation.

The New Rite seems intent on keeping everyone actively involved - sit, stand, kneel, sit, stand, kneel; call and respond to prayers - as if fearing that our minds will wander if we are not given something to do.

In the Abbey I felt free to kneel, eyes closed, and just pray. I was still fully aware of the liturgy unfolding in front of me, all around me, because despite only understanding a few Latin words, I knew the underlying structure of the liturgy and what was happening. With the priest facing the same way as us, it felt natural to leave it to him to unfold the liturgy on our behalf. I did not need to follow and think about every word, it was simply happening anyway. I knew then that the liturgy is not fundamentally something that we do – instead our words and actions are the outward signs that God is doing something amongst us.

The experience of prayer was also different. I am familiar with silent prayer in the tradition of the Desert Fathers, using a silently repeated prayerword or phrase, both on my own and in a group. For some reason praying this way is always easier, and deeper, with a group.

However, I was completely unprepared for what happened during Mass. I had never experienced it before, because the New Rite keeps you so busy – no time to go deeply into a state of

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prayer, and the English words constantly stimulating your mind leave no space for that deeper attention to develop.

In this Latin Mass I found the words of the Jesus Prayer – ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’ - naturally arose within me. This was strange, because I do not normally use this prayer. But it was just there, and I felt as if I could stay kneeling in front of that glorious floor-to-ceiling stained glass window indefinitely, held in this wonderful, infused state of prayer. It is the only time I have been in Mass and felt a real sense of presence rather than absence, arrival rather than waiting.

When Mass finished, I walked slowly down through the Abbey, still feeling held in this prayerful state, almost as though I were drifting down the aisle (is this what being a monk feels like, on a

good day at least?). Even after Mass, my wife noticed that I was different, and wisely ordered me to go and have a walk on my own, as I was clearly not ready to go straight back to family life!

I took a slow, contemplative walk around the sensory and physic gardens, but the prayerful state continued, and even an hour after leaving, I was still there. This has never happened to me before.

I feel I am going to struggle with Mass under the New Rite from now on. The priest facing us, the insistence on our active participation throughout, no space, no quiet, words continually stimulating our mind - how did we ever end up with this?

Mackenzie Robinson lives in Devon, and is a parishioner at St Austin’s Priory, Ivybridge.

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COMMENT

An emotional response The Lone Veiler on Holy Communion

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ot to get this off my chest - I don’t like stewing: Holy Communion in the hand. No. Just no. Not ever.

Don’t do it. There has been a lot written in the more traditionally minded blogs and in social media about it, as well as the wonderful words of Cardinal Sarah and other lovely erudite people. To me, an average Catholic, it always felt wrong, even when I was very young. For a while we had a very modern priest, and at weekday and Saturday morning Masses we were encouraged, nay, expected, to stand around the altar handing the Blessed Sacrament on to each other.

Yes, just like passing a bowl of crisps at a party and helping yourself on the way.

I think it was meant, and this is as charitably as I can put it, to make everyone feel extra special, to feel very ‘in’. Those who didn’t feel comfortable coming up to stand around the altar stayed in the pews and didn’t receive Holy Communion. I remember a dear old couple, always in the front pew on the left, they stayed put. They had no qualms about being as ‘out’ as possible.

I was curious about them at the time.

After a while the priest moved on. The agonising ‘inclusivity’ of previous Masses made queuing for Holy Communion in the hand from the next priest feel a lot more reverent.

My feelings were at odds with the feelings of other Catholics who liked the take-one-and-pass-it-on informality.

Were my feelings more valid than theirs, or vice versa? Using the ‘f’ word a lot, aren’t I? Which is, of course, the problem: we all have feelings. So, as often happens, I was somehow pointed in the direction of the Latin Mass, where my rather incoherent but strong emotional response to the Ordinary Form of the Mass found a focus.

I understood how the old couple in the front pew felt.

Bear with me, changing gear slightly.

In 1876, in Pellevoisin in the middle of France, a woman lay dying from an abdominal tumour, peritonitis, and TB

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and was given only hours to live. On her death bed, she was visited by Our Lady (brief details of the apparitions can be found at www.pellevoisin.net/node/102).

Estelle Faguette was cured on the fifth day after Our Lady’s first visit.

Estelle was visited a total of 15 times, with Our Lady giving her the Sacred Heart scapular. Quite understandably to my mind, Estelle found it difficult to be always sanguine as her visitor was the Mother of God, and Our Lady told her she would, ‘...bear in mind your efforts to be calm. It is not only of you that I request these efforts, but also of the Church and of France. The Church is not as calm as I would like it to be.’ As relevant today: no?

Estelle felt totally unworthy to spread Our Lady’s word, but she was given this assurance: ‘You will meet opposition, people will call you a victim of an illusion, a fanatic or a madwoman, but take no notice of all that. Be faithful to me and I will help you.’ She was faithful to Our Lady’s message, and embroidered the first scapular from which others were manufactured. Estelle died in 1926, at the grand old age of 86, having done exactly as Our Lady had asked.

The messages from Our Lady that speak to me particularly are these: ‘What afflicts me most is the lack of respect for my Son that people show at Holy Communion and the prayerful attitude that they adopt while their mind is really on other things. I mean this of people who make a show of piety.’ And, ‘... strive to make reparation for the outrages my Son is subjected to in the sacrament of His love’.

I can’t help but think of all the Masses where Holy Communion is distributed by laity, and received in the hand. I received like that for years. Can’t think why – oh, of course I can, who am I kidding, it was how I was taught, it was what everyone did and all everyone of my generation knew. Now I know more, I absolutely cringe at the thought, and

will never receive from laity or in the hand. Holy Communion is an immense privilege, it is Christ Himself. I wish I had known that quiet melancholy old couple in the front pew better. I am sure if I had they would have been able to save me from a lot of regret. May they rest in peace.

Please pray for the souls of all members who have died recently Requiescant in Pace Damien Ashby Peter Boyns John Campbell (Priest) William Carter Sadie Dyson Edward Murtagh Anne Nott Ursula Purvis Winifred Revill James Wallace Patrick Warwick Every effort is made to ensure that this list is accurate and up-to-date.

However, if you know of a recently deceased member whose name has not, so far, appeared on our prayer memorial, then please contact the LMS, see page 3 for contact details.

The LMS relies heavily on legacies to support its income. We are very grateful to the following who remembered the Society in their Will: William Carter and James Wallace.

If you would like details of how to leave a legacy to the LMS, please contact the Office.

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REVIEW

Not so nice The Lutheran revolt was, ultimately, a revolt against reason, sense, balance, normality and even common humanity, as James Bogle explains

I

n October 2016, Pope Francis visited Sweden and, at Lund, he met Lutheran church leaders to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses nailed to the portal of Wittenberg Castle church in 1517.

This is the step which Protestants regard as the beginning of the Protestant revolt against the Church to which almost all Western Christians then belonged, the Roman Catholic Church.

Ahead of the papal visit, in July 2016, the Roman Forum, founded by Professor Dietrich von Hildebrand, the great 20th Century Catholic philosopher and scholar, met at their annual symposium in Gardone, by the shores of the glorious Lake Garda. They were led by von Hildebrand’s worthy successor, the energetic, scholarly, delightful and above all learned Dr John Rao of St John’s Catholic University, New York.

The upshot was this excellent and thoughtful book of essays, contributed to by Roman Forum participants and edited by Dr Rao. The aim was to debate and wrestle with the issues thrown up the selfcontradictory actions of Pope Francis.

Considering the deep hostility exhibited by Luther toward Catholicism, it was peculiar for Pope Francis to wish to celebrate the founder of Protestantism.

Pope Francis clearly wanted to be friendly toward ‘nice’ Lutherans who, albeit they nowadays hardly believe even the central doctrines of Christianity, nevertheless have much in common with those Catholics who want to see, not the Church of Jesus Christ, but rather the new and alien ‘church of nice’.

But how ‘nice’ was Luther, in fact?

The answer is that he wasn’t nice at all. He was nasty. But neither Swedish Lutherans nor Pope Francis wish to hear about the real Luther.

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It was Luther who wrote a treatise Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants, in which he urged Protestant princes thus: ‘To kill a peasant is not murder; it is helping to extinguish the conflagration. Let there be no half measures! Crush them! Cut their throats! Transfix them. Leave no stone unturned! To kill a peasant is to destroy a mad dog! If they say that I am very hard and merciless, mercy be damned. Let whoever can stab, strangle, and kill them like mad dogs.’

He also wrote: ‘Like the mules who will not move unless you perpetually whip them with rods, so the civil powers must drive the common people, whip, choke, hang, burn, behead and torture them, that they may learn to fear the powers that be.’

Was this the Luther that Pope Francis wished to approve, one wonders? But perhaps he had in mind the Luther who wrote this about the papal bull of Pope Leo X, ‘ …it is the sum of all impiety, blasphemy, ignorance, impudence, hypocrisy, lying – in a word, it is Satan and his Antichrist.’

Or who wrote: ‘We do everything of necessity, and nothing by “free-will”; for the power of free-will is nil…’

Or perhaps the Pope had in mind the Luther whose view of women allowed him to write: ‘The word and work of God is quite clear, viz., that women are made to be either wives or prostitutes.’

The same Luther is often quoted as being opposed to the burning of heretics but, in fact, by 1531, Luther believed that blasphemy and false teaching were punishable by burning.

In 1536, fellow Protestant, Philip Melanchthon, drafted a memorandum demanding death for all Anabaptists and Luther signed it. The Luther who taught that our only guide is Sacred Scripture, was the same who made an

attempt to remove from the Bible the Epistles to the Hebrews, of St James, of St Jude and the Book of Revelation because they contained passages that denied his teachings.

He succeeded in removing the Epistle of St James and called it Epistola Straminea – ‘an epistle of straw! – because it flatly contradicts his teaching that man is saved by faith alone (sola Fides justificat) and not by any ‘works’ (that is, Masses, prayers, sacrifices and good deeds).

By contrast, the Epistle of St James teaches that ‘faith without works is dead’.

After his death, Lutherans quietly replaced the Epistle of St James into the Lutheran Bible, embarrassed that their founder had been so arrogant as to claim the right to edit Scripture and ‘improve’ it.

This same Luther believed in lying and wrote: ‘To lie in case of necessity, or for convenience, or in excuse, would not offend God, who is ready to take such lies on Himself…What harm could it do if a man told a good lusty lie in a worthy cause and for the sake of the Christian Churches?’

Ultimately, Luther did not even think sin separated man from God and wrote: ‘Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly . . . as long as we are here [in this world] we have to sin… No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day.’

In the face of the papal visit to meet and greet Swedish Lutherans it was, therefore, high time for a salutary corrective to the false view of Luther.

In the twelve essays in this book, an assessment is made of the impact of Luther’s novel theological and philosophical doctrines on faith, political theory, law, ethics, economics,

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REVIEW

and science, not to mention his contribution to the destruction of Christendom and its substitution by a contemporary secular culture in Western Europe.

The theme inevitably emerges that there is ‘nothing about Luther and his Protestant rebellion that we should celebrate’. The contributors show that the darker elements of modern society were decisively formed out of contradictions confected by Luther.

With essays from Dr John Rao, Chris Ferrara, Professor Brian McCall, Rev. John Hunwicke, Sebastian Morello and other scholars, Luther and His Progeny is a vital foundation for understanding

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the meaning and consequences of the Protestant revolt, and an essential guide to understanding the reality about its influence on our own times.

The importance of the Lutheran revolt is that it was, ultimately, a revolt against reason, sense, balance, normality and even common humanity.

While there was much to complain about in medieval Christendom – and not merely the corrupt sale of indulgences – what was required was the kind of reform envisaged by St Thomas More and the saints and thinkers of the Catholic Reformation, not a revolutionary upheaval of the kind launched by Luther and the later Protestant leaders and heresiarchs.

Luther’s profoundly flawed understanding of philosophy, partly formed by the fashionable medieval intellectual disease of Nominalism, led him from the rational realism of the theology of St Thomas Aquinas, taught him, probably badly, in his youth, to a visceral, irrational rejection of reason, logic and normal debate.

He endorsed a bulldozing, pathological and emotionally overcharged kind of solipsism that put himself at the centre of his universe, rather than the Supreme Being Who created him. This irrational and illogical subjectivism is at the heart of the anti-intellectual vandalism and barbarity of much of modern society.

On the one hand, like Luther, it claims to right wrongs in the name of a vigorous protest, showing outrage and disgust at the corruptions and failures of fallen humanity, while, on the other hand, claiming to overcome all with a determined will that emanates from the inner, and largely solipsistic, self.

It is a kind of medieval triumph of the will, so reminiscent of a later German demagogue who wreaked so much damage in the 20th Century.

Unsurprisingly, then, we find in Luther the beginnings of similar errors that came later to characterise that other German demagogue, not least in the form of a virulent anti-Semitism, common to both. One wonders what Pope Francis can possibly have found attractive in these words from Luther’s work On the Jews and their Lies: ‘Let their houses also be shattered and destroyed…let them be driven like mad dogs out of the land…In sum, they are the Devil’s children, damned to hell.’

Perhaps a gift copy of Luther and his Progeny ought to be presented by some generous soul to Pope Francis to broaden his understanding of the subject?

If so, the Pontiff will learn much from this elegant, well-presented and well-argued series of essays edited by Dr John Rao. Luther and His Progeny - 500 Years of Protestantism and Its Consequences for Church, State, and Society, 12 essays Edited by John C. Rao, is published by Angelico Press and is available from the LMS online shop, £16.50 + p&p.

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CROSSWORD

Clues Across

1 ‘Sic ……. gloria mundi’, ‘thus pass the glories of the world’ (7) 5 ‘Et incarnatus … .. Spiritu Sanctu….’ Credo (3,2) 8 Mother of lambs (3) 9 Contrary virtue to the Deadly Sin of sloth (9) 10 Theatrical farewell (5) 11 Christian underground burial chambers during the Roman Empire (9) 14 Lady whose vision led to the creation of the Walsingham Shrine (9) 18 Sound of a bell as in Gray’s Elegy in a Country Churchyard (5) 21 ‘.. ……. debita nostra…’, Pater Noster (2,7) 22 ‘… nomen Domini benedictum’, ‘blessed be the name of the Lord’ (3) 23 Early people giving name and language to Irish, Scots and Manx culture (5) 24 Members of Order that looked after Walsingham Shrine until recent times (7)

Clues Down

Alan Frost: July 2017

ANSWERS FROM SUMMER 2017 CROSSWORD

Across: 1 Memento 5 Psalm 8 Rig 9 Omissions 10 Waugh 11 Yorkshire 14 Dialectic 18 Clang 21 De Spiritu 22 Sit 23 Lydia 24 Essenes Down: 1 Mary Ward 2 Magnum 3 Neophyte 4 Oliver 5 Pisa 6 Ab Omni 7 Muse 12 Succours 13 Exegetes 15 Amused 16 Thrice 17 Samson 19 Idol 20 Lima

Closing Date & Winner

Closing date for Crossword entries: Friday 29th September 2017. The winner of the summer 2017 competition is Mr D. O’Neill of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

1 Person of secondary school age (8) 2 St. …… Falconieri, longest surviving of the seven founder members of the Servite order (6) 3 Member of Jewish sect at the time of Christ opposed to His teachings (8) 4 Family name of 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, sponsor of numerous Pugin churches (6) 5 See 6 Down 6 & 5 Down: Opening of the fifth verse of Aquinas’s Pange Lingua (6,4) 7 City and R.C. Archdiocese of Hungary (4) 12 Brewed by monks for centuries (4,4) 13 Early Christian ascetics who lived on pillars preaching and praying (8) 15 Source of illumination used in votive offering (6) 16 ‘…… meum pactum’, motto of the London Stock Exchange (6) 17 A supplicatory depiction of Christ flanked by the Blessed Virgin and the Baptist, as in the Ghent Altarpiece (6) 19 Fr. John, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter [FSSP] (4) 20 Old Testament prophet (4)

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St Catherine’s Trust: advance notice of Family Retreat, to be led by priests of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, at the Oratory School, near Reading, 6-8th April (Low Sunday weekend).

Gregorian Chant Network: advance notice of the Chant Training Weekend, to be led by Christopher Hodkinson and Fr Guy Nichols, at the Oratory School, near Reading, 6-8th April (Low Sunday weekend).

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Guild of St Clare Forthcoming Events, all in Oxford 2nd September: Project finishing (bring along your unfinished sewing projects). 21st October: Embroidery techniques with Jacqui McDonald of the RSN. 11th November: Vestment mending.

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AUTUMN 2017

MACKLIN STREET

A Day with Our Lady After a short break for lunch, the faithful were given the opportunity to venerate the relics of the two Fatima seers.

Dominican novices led us in praying the rosary and Fr Lawrence Lew OP gave a spiritual conference on ‘Our Lady of Fatima & Holy Purity’, after which a number of those present were invested with the Brown Scapular.

Photos © John Aron

To mark the centenary year of the apparitions at Fatima, the Latin Mass Society organised a very successful Day with Our Lady of Fatima at Our Lady of the Rosary & St Dominic’s, Haverstock Hill, on Saturday 8 July.

First Vespers of SS John Fisher and Thomas More, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary concluded the day.

The day began with a procession of the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady and the relics of SS Jacinta and Francisco. High Mass in the Dominican Rite was celebrated by Fr Thomas Skeats OP, Prior and Parish Priest of St Dominic’s; the Deacon (and preacher) was Fr David Rocks OP, Prior and Parish Priest of Holy Cross, Leicester, the Sub-deacon was Br Albert Robertson OP.

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The LMS is very grateful to Fr Skeats and the Dominican community for their kind hospitality; to the World Apostolate of Fatima for allowing us to have their Pilgrim Statue and Relics for the day and to Cantus Magnus (directed by Matthew Schellhorn) for providing music throughout the day. www.twitter.com/latimmassuk (@latinmassuk) www.facebook.com/latinmassuk To contact the General Manager, Stephen Moseling, please email stephen@lms.org.uk or telephone the office.

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