The importance of tradition

The atmosphere was buoyant as the Latin Mass Society’s sixtieth anniversary Faith and Culture Conference heard from a range of prominent speakers about the importance of tradition in shaping the church’s mission for the future. All talks are now available to watch on the LMS YouTube channel.

The “sold out” conference at the London Oratory was joined by a global livestream audience, first hearing from Bishop Athanasius Schneider, who was visiting England to participate in the conference and a programme of other LMS anniversary celebrations. Next came the philosopher and LMS Patron, Prof Thomas Pink, who gave an engaging paper on ‘Tradition, secular and religious’ and the historian and journalist Dr Tim Stanley, who captivated the audience with his incisive ‘Reflections on 20 years as a Catholic’.

After lunch, LMS Chairman, Dr Joseph Shaw, rallied the troops, with his address, ‘Evangelising after the cultural revolution’, in which he highlighted the Church’s opportunity to respond to contemporary cultural challenges. The acclaimed contemporary painter, James Gillick, then offered an impactful exposition on how sacred art can engage and transform believers.

The conference concluded with a keynote address by Cardinal Raymond Burke, appearing via video link from America. The Cardinal used the occasion to give a theological commentary on the relationship between the Sacred Liturgy and the Divine Law, the Jus Divinum.

The day concluded with a magnificent celebration of Solemn Pontifical Vespers – the First Vespers of Trinity Sunday –at which Bishop Schneider presided. The visceral beauty of the liturgy—in its sacred music, ceremonial richness, and reverent atmosphere—offered a fitting culmination to the conference. It served as a living expression of the themes explored throughout the day: the power of tradition, the role of beauty in worship, and the enduring vitality of the Church’s liturgical heritage.