This blog is offered as a forum within which events to promote and celebrate the Traditional Catholic Latin Liturgy can be organised in the North of England. The idea emerged during conversations at the 2010 Low Week Latin Mass Society training course at Ushaw College.
Regular Sunday Masses in the North of England
St Mary's Brigg, Every Sunday 5 pm
St. Joseph's, Castleford, Every Sunday 3 pm
Sacred Heart, Broughton Hall, Skipton, 1st Sunday of Month 11.30 am
St Mary Magdalene, Penwortham, Preston Every Sunday 9 am
St Dominic's Priory, Newcastle, Every Sunday, 11.30 am
The Sacred Heart & English Martyrs, Thornley, Co Durham, Every Sunday 9.30 am
St Joseph's, Gateshead, Every Sunday 12 noon
St Mary's, Barnard Castle, Co Durham, Every Sunday 9 am
Our Lady Star of the Sea, Seaforth, Liverpool, Every Sunday 9.30 am
St Anthony's, Liverpool, Every Sunday 3 pm
English Martyrs', York, Every Sunday 6.30 pm
St Alphonsus, North Ormesby, 6 pm
Holy Name, Manchester, 4 pm
St Mary's, Gilbert Street, Halifax, Every Saturday 6 pm
St Catherine Laboure, Staningfield Lane, Farington P25 4QG, Every Sunday 11.30 am
An MC’s Perspective
ReplyDeleteIt was an event I never expected to happen. At least not for a long while; but happen it did, and beautiful it was.
What struck me most was not the music, though it was beautiful, or Fr. Stephen's preaching, which was superb, not to mention no nonsense and had me in stitches the entire time; or even being able to stand at the High Altar of a church I love, assisting at a form of the Mass I love.
No.
Rather it was the congregation. The vast majority hadn't seen this for many, many years, if at all; there were far, far more than we expected, around 140/150, so there weren‘t nearly enough sheets or Mass books to go round. Few brought their own Missals, but they followed it, just about. They managed to work out what was meant to come next, and I hope some of them realised that the differences in structure between the two forms of the Rite are not very great at all. There were some false starts, but by the Credo, they were well into it, and the almighty clatter of kneelers as they all knelt for the Incarnatus, testified! (I seem to remember Ronnie Knox remarking, in the Mass in Slow Motion, on the creaking of chairs that testify our homage to the God made Man.)
I was talking to a few beforehand, and a goodly number could remember it, and were extremely pleased to be present, if only for nostalgia: to be able to attend Mass as they did when they were children. It was interesting the little things they remembered, and what stuck most in their memories, such as the Elevation of the Chalice, and most strongly of all, kneeling at the Altar rails, and receiving Communion- this was what brought most of them so much joy. One lady in particular, I noticed, as I went along with the Communion Paten, needed considerable assistance walking- she was very small, very frail, very hunched and helped along by someone who gave the appearance of being her daughter; but once she was at the rail, she knelt, and one got the impression that nothing on earth would have stopped her kneeling to receive her Lord. She knelt upright, and received, then, as we passed on, I noticed her companion help her to stand again, and supported her as she went back to her place. I think that moment, most of all, struck me as the most beautiful, and it was a very great privilege to be there to see it.
This is not to denigrate in any way the superb work by Matthew Ward and the Fisher House choir, who’s early polyphony was beautiful. There were truly moments when “we knew not if we were in heaven or on earth”.
It would be nice to think this would be the first of many. And it would be nice to see something like it happen again; but nicer still to have even just a Low Mass in that church, say on Wednesday evening a month, even just to show people the simplicity of the Rite, as well as the grandeur.
Now a High Mass….
The full photo set can be seen here.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/24855617@N05/sets/72157624428797128/with/4764660779/
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