Latin Mass Society members elected to International body

At the biennial General Assembly of the International Federation Una Voce (FIUV), the international body representing lay groups attached to the Traditional liturgy, Mr James Bogle, barrister and former Chairman of the Catholic Union, was elected President. Mr Bogle is also a Committee member of the Latin Mass Society. The LMS is a founding member of FIUV in 1965 and its largest member. Dr Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the LMS, was elected Treasurer of FIUV and Mr Thomas Murphy was elected the Secretary. Mr Thomas Murphy, belongs to an Irish association member of FIUV, St Conleth’s Catholic Heritage Association, and the FIUV Council includes members from North and South America, Poland, Russia, Spain, and the Philippines. Matthew Schellhorn, LMS Local Representative for Southwark North, was co-opted to the FIUV Committee. Matthew also organised a professional choir to provide some superb music for the various liturgies during the FIUV Assembly.

The retiring President, Mr Leo Darroch, had held the post since 2007.

During the General Assembly the Federation was addressed by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, and had Mass and Vespers in the Chapel of the Choir, in St Peter’s Basilica. Walter, Cardinal Brandmüller and Archbishop Guido Pozzo were among the celebrants.

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos with James Bogle

Latin Mass Society: contact the General Manager, Michael Lord:

michael@lms.org.uk

020 7404 7284

FIUV: contact the Secretary, Mr Thomas Murphy
secretary@fiuv.org

 

 

 

 

 

Bishop Philip Egan presides from the throne at High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Portsmouth Cathedral

Rt Rev Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth, presided from the throne at a High Mass in the Extraordinary Form, organised by the Latin Mass Society, at Portsmouth Cathedral on Sunday, 27^th October.

 

The Traditional High Mass was the first at the cathedral for four years and joins the weekly Sunday morning Low Mass that has begun at Portsmouth’s mother church in recent weeks. Despite warnings of dire weather conditions, the Mass was well attended.

 



 

 

 The celebrant was Fr Phillip Pennington Harris, and the deacon was Rev Stephen Morgan, both of Portsmouth Diocese. The sub-deacon was Fr John Maunder of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, based at St Agatha’s, Portsmouth. Music was provided by the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, directed by Christopher Hodkinson.

 

 

During his homily, Bishop Egan said that the Extraordinary Form of the Mass was welcome in Portsmouth Diocese where people wished it to be celebrated, and should have a place amongst the liturgical diversity of the diocese. He also highlighted the importance to the Church’s liturgy in both forms of the Roman Rite of Gregorian Chant and the Latin language. The bishop then spoke on the subject of the feast of Christ the King, celebrated on that Sunday in the 1962 Calendar. When Pope Pius XI had instituted it, it had been intended as a corrective to the rampant nationalism seen in inter-war Italy. Today, said the bishop, it still has great relevance as a corrective to the rise of secularism in our society.

 

  

After Mass, tea had been organised by the LMS in the cathedral centre and Bishop Egan stayed to talk with very many members of the congregation.

 

LMS General Manager, Mike Lord, said: ‘We were delighted that Bishop Egan was able to join us on this great occasion and were heartened by his words of welcome to those of us who are attached to the Traditional Latin liturgy and by the bishop’s affirmation of its legitimate place within the life of the Catholic Church. The annual High Mass at Portsmouth Cathedral has been revived after several years and today’s event has proved a great success and a very joyful occasion for all who attended.’

 

For further information, please contact Mike Lord, General Manager,

on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) michael@lms.org.uk

 

 

Celebrations in Rome

Here is a report kindly sent to us by Peter Clarke, LMS Representative for the Isle of Wight, giving an account of the recent pilgrimage to Rome to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the canonical establishment of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP). Father Anthony Glaysher, who accompanied the pilgrimage, is parish priest of St Mary's, Ryde and St Michael the Archangel, Bembridge in the Isle of Wight. He is also the Latin Mass Society's new Regional Chaplain for the South-West, with responsibility for the dioceses of Plymouth, Portsmouth and Clifton.

The pilgrims outside the Church of Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini

Fr. Glaysher’s Rome Pilgrimage – In search of St. Peter.

  Fr. Glaysher was pleased to be able to attend the celebrations in Rome recently on the occasion of the silver jubilee of the canonical establishment of the Society of St. Peter (FSSP). This is a priestly fraternity and a clerical society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical right, which has two main aims:- the formation and sanctification of priests to offer the traditional liturgy of the  Roman rite (E.F. Mass); and secondly, the pastoral deployment of priests in the service of the Church.  It was founded in 1988 after the excommunication of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre for consecrating bishops without papal approval.

  It was especially joyous for Father to visit the Eternal City as we conclude this Year of Faith; and in the year of the 150^th anniversary of the consecration of our beautiful church in Ryde. 

  Father accompanied a group of English pilgrims to Rome for these celebrations, led by Fr. Armand de Malleray (Superior of the Fraternity in England). The group visited some of the Roman places associated with St. Peter, i.e. the Mamertine Prison, where St. Peter was held before his crucifixion; the Church of St. Pudentiana, the site of Peter’s captivity where St. Peter would have stayed, thanks to Senator Pudens’ hospitality, when he first came to Rome; St. Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in chains), a church which contains the chains with which Peter was bound; and St. Peter’s Basilica, built over the tomb of the great apostle. At these places, as well as the Coliseum, where many Christians were martyred, Fr. Armand outlined the history, its significance and its association with St. Peter.

  Both the parish and Fr. Glaysher have a close association with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. In the past twelve years at least ten priests of the Fraternity have visited Ryde to support the faithful by offering Mass, giving talks and days of recollection, hearing Confessions, giving Benediction and visiting the sick and the housebound. Consequently, Father urges those of us affiliated to the Old Mass to give thanks to Almighty God, at this special time, for the Fraternity and for their ministry worldwide.

Inside Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini

  On the Feast of St. Luke, the Evangelist, Fr. Glaysher was present in the sanctuary of the Church of Santissima Trinita Dei Pellegrini, (Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims), for Solemn High Mass offered by Very Rev. Fr. Berg, Superior of the FSSP, in thanksgiving for the Silver Jubilee. Fr Armand de Malleray was the Deacon, and Fr. William Barker the Sub Deacon. This Roman church was entrusted to the Fraternity in 2008, by His Holiness Pope Benedict. It is conveniently situated only a few hundred yards from the Venerable English College. We were delighted to be able to have a guided tour of the college after the High Mass. As a Fraternity priest working in England, Fr Armand de Malleray was particularly pleased to visit the college for the first time and to witness the persecution of the martyrs (vividly displayed on the walls of the gallery above the college chapel). It was through their strength, selfless ministry and courage in adversity during the penal times, that the Faith was kept alive in England.

  In his sermon at the High Mass Fr. Berg gave thanks for the growth and development of the FSSP throughout the world. It has grown from 12 to 250 priests worldwide in 25 years. There are now two seminaries, - in Germany and the United States. He spoke about the importance of family life and how vocations to the holy priesthood are nurtured in the family praying together as committed Catholics.

  The significance of Pope Benedict’s Motu Proprio, “Summorum Pontificum”, of 2007, was highlighted by Fr. Berg. It lifted virtually all restrictions on priests offering the immemorial Mass. This Mass emphasises adoration and worship of Almighty God as our Creator and Saviour. He reminded the congregation present of the dignity and the reverence with which Mass should be offered. “It is Christ who is foremost in the Mass; not the priest”. To highlight this point he mentioned the words of Fr. Ronald Knox, who suggested that the best Mass is the one where people leave the church and say to each other, “now can you remember, which priest was it who said Mass this morning”?

  Fr. Berg thanked members and supporters of the Confraternity of St. Peter for their prayers and their financial support over the past 25 years. This had contributed greatly to the growth of the FSSP. Each member commits themselves to recite a decade of the rosary and say the Confraternity Prayer every day for priestly vocations and ministry; and to have an annual Mass offered to the same intentions.

  It was interesting to witness what happened at the end of the High Mass. When the clergy departed for the sacristy, after the singing of the “Te Deum”, about 90% of the congregation remained in the pews for at least five minutes. There was complete silence as people made their thanksgiving after receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion. Contrast this to the usual rush for the church door at the end of Sunday Mass (or even before), with people talking and laughing, that we often have to endure today. There is much in terms of reverence, respect and dignity that we can learn from the Fraternity.

L-R: Fr Glaysher, Fr de Malleray, FSSP, Fr Southwell, Fr Berg, FSSP.

  Outside the church it was good to meet Fr. Berg socially. He posed for photographs with the English pilgrims. Two other English priests were delighted to see us; namely, Fr. William Barker FSSP, who is the curate at this Roman church, and Fr. Andrew Southwell, formerly of St. Bede’s, Clapham Park, - now based in Rome. 

  In the evening there was Solemn Vespers for the Feast of St. Luke and by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The evening concluded with a concert by the St. Andrew Camerata from Scotland, (once the Blessed Sacrament had been removed from the tabernacle into the sacristy). Among the hymns which they sung were Exultate Deo (Scarlatti), Christus factus est (Buckner), Alma Redemptorist Mater (Palestrina) and  O Sacrum Convivium (Viadana). 

  Details of the concert and other aspects of the pilgrimage (and photographs) can be read in the IoW Catholic History Society web site  www.iow-chs.org  after 27^th October. 

Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam.

All Saints and All Souls

Madonna and Child enthroned with saints, Benozzo Gozzoli, 1461-2.

Here are the details of Masses being celebrated on the feast of All Saints and All Souls in the diocese of Clifton:

All Saints Day – Friday 1st November

- St Dominic’s, Dursley – 8am Low Mass

- Prinknash Abbey – 8.15am Low Mass

- Our Lady and St Kenelm, Stow-on-the-Wold – 11am Low Mass

- Our Lady and St Alphege, Bath – 12 noon Low Mass

- Our Lady of Glastonbury – 12 noon Low Mass

- Holy Cross, Bedminster – 12.45pm Low Mass

- SS Joseph and Teresa, Wells – 6pm Low Mass

The Last Judgement, Michaelangelo, 1541.

All Souls Day – Saturday 2nd November

- St Dominic’s, Dursley – Three consecutive Masses will be celebrated from 8am onwards.

- Our Lady and St Kenelm, Stow-on-the-Wold – 10 am Low Mass

- Prinknash Abbey – 11 am Low Mass

- Holy Cross, Bedminster – 12 noon *Solemn High Requiem Mass*

- Our Lady and St Alphege, Bath – 12 noon Low Mass

- SS Joseph and Teresa, Wells – 6 pm Low Mass

Walsingham film

The Latin Mass Society has released a lovely new film about the recent LMS pilgrimage to Walsingham.

Please click  vimeo.com/76993160 to view it. It is about 13 minutes long, and well worth watching!

Latin Mass in the Vendee

A report kindly submitted by Clifton LMS members Ken and Carol Reis:

 Do you holiday in the Vendee region of France?  If so, you may be interested in learning that during the months of July through to September a Latin Mass is celebrated every Sunday in Les Sables-d'Olonne.   The Mass is held in the Chapelle du Sacre Coeur at 10.00 am.  Parking is available at the Chapelle.

The Masses which are now in their second year are celebrated by three priests, one of whom is Fr Bede Rowe who hails from the Clifton Diocese and is currently on secondment at Chavagnes International College.  Fr Rowe was invited to participate by Mgr Castet, the Bishop of Lucon.

The Chapel was originally the hospital chapel of La Sagesse sisters.  The  Chapel is now in regular use by the Parish to provide the Latin Mass at the behest of Mgr Castet.  The La Sagesse sisters and the Parish have provided the relics, altar cards and candles.  The mainly French congregation have also contributed magnificently as can be seen by the photo.  There is even a set of portable communion rails!

The Latin Mass has a distinctive French flavour.  A Rosary is said before the Mass and a small choir accompanies the Mass as the Gloria and Creed are sung along with some hymns. 

It is hoped that the Masses will continue and it is anticipated that from October onwards there will be Masses on the first and last Sundays of each month at the same time of 10.00 am.  For further information please e-mail lesamisdelachapelle@free.fr

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King,
from 'The Last Judgement' by Giotto, in the Arena Chapel, Padua c.1304.

There will be a Missa Cantata to celebrate the great feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King, on Sunday 27^th October at 12pm, at the church of Our Lady and St Alphege in Bath. 

Do come and celebrate the feast with beautiful music and liturgy.

However… if you happen to be closer to Portsmouth on that day, there is to be a Solemn High Mass for the feast of Christ the King, at St John’s Cathedral, Portsmouth at 3pm.  Bishop Egan has kindly agreed to preside at this Mass, and to preach. This is a rare example of a Bishop presiding and preaching at an EF Mass, and it will be a great event. Do support it if you can.

Happy Birthday

The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sunday 8^th September, was celebrated with a Missa Cantata at Our Lady of Glastonbury. It is the patronal feast of the church, and so it was a fitting place to celebrate this important date in the Church’s calendar. The celebrant was Fr Philip Thomas, parish priest of SS Joseph and Teresa in Wells. The choir sang Missa Ave Maris Stella by Thomas Luis de Victoria, Ave Maria by Robert Parsons and O Sacrum Convivium by Thomas Tallis.

The Abbot of Downside, Dom Aidan Bellenger, preached. He spoke movingly about the central place that Our Lady occupied in the minds and hearts of the people of this country when it was the Dowry of Mary. The Lady Chapel of Glastonbury Abbey, although now in ruins, is still an important reminder of Our Lady’s presence here. Mass was followed by Benediction. Afterwards, choir and members of the congregation enjoyed a picnic lunch in the beautiful presbytery garden in the early autumn sunshine.

The Right Reverend Dom Aidan Bellenger, Abbot of Downside.

Fr Philip Thomas

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

There were six servers on the altar, including two young men who are about to leave the diocese to test their vocations, one with the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP) and the other with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP). We wish them both very well and our prayers go with them. 

Virgo Dei Genitrix, quem totus non capit orbis, in tua se clausit viscera, 

factus homo. Alleluia.

O Virgin Mother of God, He whom the whole world is unable to contain, being made man, enclosed Himself in thy womb. Alleluia

Clifton Pilgrims

The 4th annual LMS pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham, a distance of about fifty five miles, took place over the August Bank Holiday weekend.  Nine pilgrims from this diocese took part, including LMS members Ken and Carol Reis who have kindly sent us this report.

Pilgrims from all over the country and also from Europe and Australia met up on the Thursday evening for an evening meal and a chance to get to know fellow walkers.  The Chaplain of the pilgrimage was Fr Bede Rowe and the pilgrims were well blessed with spiritual guidance as accompanying him were three more priests plus three seminarians.   The priests were Fr John Cahill, Fr Thomas Crean OP and co-incidentally another Fr Rowe (Michael), who had come all the way from Australia.  Altogether there were about eighty walking pilgrims and ten support staff who provided meals, transport, first aid etc.  Without their support the pilgrimage could not have taken place.  Many of the pilgrims consisted of young families and the majority had not done the pilgrimage before.  Nine of the pilgrims (including Fr Bede Rowe who is currently on secondment at Chavagnes International College in France) were from the Clifton Diocese.  

Nine pilgrims from Clifton diocese - weary but cheerful.
Fr Bede Rowe is standing in the back row, third from left, and to the left of him is
Seth Phipps, a third-year seminarian with the FSSP. 

On the Friday morning the pilgrimage began with a 6.15 am Solemn Mass at St Etheldreda’s Church in Ely.  This was followed after breakfast with the blessing of the pilgrims and their backpacks.  Everyone then processed round to Ely Cathedral to pray for the conversion of England to Catholicism.  Then with banners aloft the walking began, the first day covering a distance of about 20 miles, ending at a school in Stoke Ferry.  Stops were made on the way, making use of public houses where possible or convenient grass verges.  The sun shone in the morning and although it did become overcast later it remained dry.  The rain did come but luckily not until after the tents were pitched. 

Unfortunately on the Saturday morning it poured with rain as the pilgrims set off at 7.00 am.  The first part of the walk was to Oxburgh Hall, which was built in the 15th century, for Solemn Mass in the private chapel there.  Although the chapel was not built until 1836 it has a very fine Medieval reredos.  The owners of the property very kindly allowed breakfast to be served in their kitchen and there was also a chance to visit the priest hole, including climbing inside to get an idea of how cramped for space it is.  By 10.30 am the pilgrims were back on the road.  The rain had eased and although it remained cloudy the threat of further deluges did not materialise.  Lunch was taken on a village green and then at 4.00 pm a slight detour was made to visit the ruins of the Augustinian Priory at Westacre to pray for the faithful departed.  The pilgrimage then continued to Harpley where the evening stop was made at the Village Hall and for those camping, a nearby school.  There is a pub conveniently situated opposite the Hall but apart from a few hardy souls most of the pilgrims wound their weary way to bed!

Although it rained overnight there was a definite improvement in the weather on the Sunday.  After breakfast the pilgrims set off for Walsingham, the statue of ‘Our lady of Walsingham’ being carried at the front of the procession.   Lunch was taken at a lay-by on the A148.  This has become known as ‘Confession Layby’ as it is one of the last chances to go for Confession.  Upon arrival in Walsingham prayers were said and a Solemn Mass was held in the Chapel of Reconciliation.  This was followed by the ‘Holy Mile’ which traditionally is walked barefoot, to the original Shrine, the Holy House in Walsingham village.  Pilgrim numbers swelled to almost double as many others joined the procession.  Fr Bede Rowe led a rousing Rosary and the sound of the singing reverberated around the narrow High Street.  At the Shrine further prayers were said and hymns sung and then the pilgrimage was brought to a close. Everyone walked with great enthusiasm and the young people especially accredited themselves so well walking uncomplainingly and with much stoicism. 

If the idea of walking along peaceful lanes, singing hymns, litanies to the Saints, the Rosary in English, French and Latin, coupled with periods of spiritual reflection and Traditional Mass each day appeals to you then keep a look out for details of next year’s pilgrimage on the LMS web site.

There is a wonderful set of photographs of the 2013 pilgrimage, taken by LMS Chairman Joseph Shaw. To view his photostream click here.

Now you see it...

The beautiful church of Our Lady and St Alphege in Bath has a new altar frontal. It was made by the talented seamstresses of the Guild of St Clare a network of needlewomen who create, maintain and repair vestments and other church furnishings. The fabric comes from the Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company in Suffolk, a traditional firm that creates historical replicas of old fabrics. 

The altar frontal covers up the stone altar that has been in the sanctuary of the church since 1965, when the church was re-ordered. The original high altar, which was designed by the great Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was destroyed in the re-ordering, and a plain stone table altar was put in its place. For nearly 50 years this altar has been an eyesore in the sanctuary of this otherwise beautiful and harmonious church. Now, thanks to the ladies of the Guild of St Clare, the altar is properly adorned and the sanctuary has regained its full beauty and dignity.

Now you see it...

..... now you don't.

The sanctuary has regained its beauty and dignity

 A Latin Mass is celebrated here every third Sunday, and on Holy days of obligation, at 12 noon. Come and see this lovely church for yourselves: it is one of the treasures of the diocese.

Ecclesia Dei

We always knew that the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei were a welcoming group of people. But now, they have an official role in welcoming all new members of the Church! Fantastic. This is thanks to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, who has changed the so-called new rite of Baptism (that had been made up by Pope Paul VI). In the new rite of baptism, the phrase that reads: "The Christian community welcomes you with great joy" has now been officially changed to; "Ecclesia Dei welcomes you with great joy".

Well, that is kind of them.

You can read all about it, with the offical texts etc here, thanks to Sandro Magister.

Here is a nice picture of the welcoming Fr Withoos, from Ecclesia Dei.

This says it all

Hat-tip to Fr Tomlinson for this excellent cartoon. It couldn't be clearer!

You can read what Fr Tomlinson has to say about it here.

We also recommend Fr Henry's recent blogpost, which expresses current problems with great eloquency. See here.

A celebration fit for St Dominic

St Dominic by Fra Angelico, from the Perugia Altarpiece, 1448.

The feast of St Dominic is commemorated in the traditional calendar on 4^th August, two days after the feast of his mother, Blessed Joan of Aza. This year the feast of St Dominic fell on a Sunday and it was celebrated with great dignity and joy at the parish church of St Dominic’s in Dursley, Gloucestershire, with the first Solemn High Mass to be held at the church in almost 50 years (see previous post).

St Dominic's has become an important centre for the Latin Mass in this diocese, and it was fitting that the first Solemn High Mass here since Vatican II was celebrated in honour of one of the greatest preachers and defenders of orthodoxy in Catholic history. Many faithful came to celebrate the feast, and the church was almost full. We hope it will be the first of many such events. 

St Dominic’s is blessed with its own schola, led by Paul Rouse. The choir sang the Missa de Angelis most beautifully, and their numbers were boosted by the presence of a seminarian in his second year of studies for the Society of St Peter (FSSP).

Fr Alexander Redman, the parish priest of St Dominic’s, was the celebrant. Fr Andrew Goodman was deacon and Fr Bede Rowe, our Chaplain Abroad, was the sub-deacon. In addition, there were seven servers, including a young man who is about to become a seminarian for the FSSP, and another who writes the blog Chasubles and Chalices.

L-R: Fr Rowe, Fr Redman, Fr Goodman.

The epistle for the Mass of St Dominic is taken from the Second Letter of St Paul to Timothy, and is particularly apt, both for the life and times of St Dominic, and for our own times:

Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, and will be turned unto fables. But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry.

After Mass there was a reception with abundant food and drink in the parish hall. It was a joyful gathering of local parishioners and those who had travelled from further afield, who had all come to honour and celebrate the great 'Hound of the Lord' St Dominic.

St Dominic, pray for us!

Wiltshire's loss is Somerset's gain

Fr Coulon preaching on the Feast of
the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus last year

Important news: Fr Jean-Patrice Coulon, parish priest of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Devizes, is moving to a new parish with immediate effect. His new church is the Holy Ghost in Yeovil. This is a sad loss for Wiltshire, but good news for Somerset.

The Holy Ghost, Yeovil

This means that the Latin Mass celebrated every Friday at 6pm and every Second Sunday at 12.15pm in Devizes will no longer take place. We hope that provision will be made for those parishioners who are attached to the Latin Mass in Devizes, and we will of course keep you informed. Similarly, once Fr Coulon has settled into his new parish, we will let you know about Latin Masses being celebrated in Yeovil.

Fr Coulon is a member of the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales, or Fransalians.
May St Francis de Sales guide and protect him as he starts work in his new parish.

First Fridays on the Island

In the last post we saw images of St Mary’s, Ryde on the Isle of Wight. The daughter-church to St Mary’s is St Michael the Archangel (below), located in the pretty seaside town of Bembridge. The church was built in 1965, and the first Mass celebrated there was on 20^th June of that year. Just six months later, the solemn conclusion of the Second Vatican Council took place in Rome, and the newly-built church had to be adapted to the new form of the Mass.

St Michael the Archangel, Bembridge

Today, both the Ordinary and the Extraordinary Form of the Mass are celebrated in the church. Despite its modern appearance, the sanctuary has been made a fitting and beautiful setting for the Latin Mass, as can be seen from the photographs below.

Fr Glaysher celebrates Low Mass at St Michael's on the First Friday in July.
LMS rep Peter Clark is serving.

The sanctuary is beautifully adorned.

A set of Rococo light fittings adds splendour to the church.

Fr Glaysher celebrates an Extraordinary Form Mass in this church every first Friday at 9.30am. There is also a Holy Hour on First Fridays in St Mary’s, Ryde. We reproduce below a text that appears on the parish website about First Fridays, a devotion which is observed with great care in this part of the world.

The First Friday of each month was designated by our Saviour Himself as a day to be consecrated to honouring His Sacred Heart. The object of this devotion is to make our Saviour Jesus Christ ardently and perfectly loved, and to make reparation for the outrages offered to Him in the past, as well as for those which he daily receives in the Blessed Eucharist. Jesus Christ merits our love at all times, but alas! So many in the world today simply do not recognise His redeeming love for mankind. We should remember that He is truly present in every Catholic church. We should then adore Jesus Christ in this Sacrament, make a fervent act of love to Jesus in the tabernacle, thank Him for having instituted this Mystery of love, express our sorrow at seeing Him so abandoned, and resolve to visit Him as soon as possible and love Him unceasingly. Attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is assuredly the best means of honouring and loving the adorable Heart of Jesus.

First Friday devotions in honour of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus:

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Act of Consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Act of Reparation

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Sacrament of Penance (Confession)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Surrounded by Angels, c. 1775 by Jose de Paez.

The Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

"I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life."

"I will establish peace in their homes."

"I will comfort them in their afflictions."

"I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death."

"I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings."

"Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy."

"Tepid souls shall grow fervent."

"Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection."

"I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honoured."

"I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts."

"Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out."

"I promise thee in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

The Church also teaches us that the most efficacious prayer is prayer in the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Prayer in the Divine Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament releases the power, blessings and graces of God upon mankind. 

 Each time you go to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, you touch His Heart with your faith. Each Holy Hour you make in the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament releases His power and graces upon you, your family, your parish, your diocese and the world. 

Our Lord appears to St Margaret Mary Alacoque

Here in St. Mary's in Ryde we are pleased to have a Holy Hour on every First Friday, at the start of which, we meditate on Christ's Passion while publicly reciting the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary followed by the Litany of the Sacred Heart. Our own Sacred Heart Chapel contains stained glass windows of saints famous for their love and adoration of Our Blessed Lord, including St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, the French nun, who had a vision of Our Lord exposing his Sacred Heart on 15th June, 1675. Our Lord said to her: "Behold this Heart, which loves men so much. Yet in return I receive ingratitude, irreverence, sacrilege and a coldness and contempt which they exhibit for me in this Sacrament of love." 

The Garden of Gethsemane by Andrea Mantegna, c. 1470.

It was through St. Margaret Mary that Christ instituted the "Holy Hour" of devotion and prayer to the Sacred Heart in reparation for the three apostles who fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane. Our Lord told her to, "encourage people to make reparation for the ingratitude of men. Spend an hour in prayer to appease divine justice, to implore mercy for sinners, to honour Me, to console Me for my bitter sufferings when abandoned by my apostles when they could not watch and pray for one hour with me". 

It was Pope Pius IX who added the feast of the Sacred Heart to the Roman Calendar in 1856 in order to "stimulate the faithful to honour with greater devotion and zeal the love of Jesus Christ under the symbol of the Sacred Heart". Consequently the practice of honouring the Sacred Heart with pictures, shrines and statues in homes was encouraged by the Church. From Victorian times priests would visit family homes to solemnly enthrone a representation of the Sacred Heart and urge each family to pray together and seek mercy and forgiveness for sins, as Christ himself requested in his appearance to St. Margaret Mary. 

In the 1930s Pope Pius XI affirmed devotion to the Sacred Heart to be, "the epitome of religion and the norm of the more perfect life which more readily leads souls to acknowledge Christ the Lord, and which more effectively, inclines hearts to love Him more ardently and imitate Him more closely." In the 1950s Pope Pius XII describes the Sacred Heart of Jesus as, "the divine remedy which will save men from the devil and all forces of evil."

Reproduced with kind permission of Fr Glaysher and Peter Clarke.