Mass at the Eyre Chantry, Bath

Low Mass will be celebrated at the Grade II* Eyre Chantry at the Perrymead cemetery in Bath, BA2 5AZ at 12.30pm on Tuesday 13^th November, and again at 12.30pm on Tuesday 11^th December.

The Eyre Chantry is a beautiful private chapel built by the Recusant Catholic Eyre family of Derbyshire in the 1860s. The architect was Charles Francis Hansom, the architect of St Gregory’s, Cheltenham and St John the Evangelist in Bath. It is an outstanding example of mid-19^th century Gothic Catholic Revival architecture, built in a style which Pevsner describes as ‘Frenchified Gothic’. You can read more about the chapel, and see photographs of it, here.

The chapel is closed almost all the year, and we are very fortunate to have been allowed to celebrate Mass here. It will be a wonderful chance not only to see the interior of the chapel, but to witness and participate in the Mass for which it was originally intended.

All are most welcome. Although it is a weekday, we hope that 12.30pm time slot will enable some who are working nearby to come in their lunch-break. There will be chairs provided, but no kneelers, so if you require something to kneel on, please bring your own cushion.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Solemn High Mass at Devizes, 14th September: report and photos.

On the evening of 14^th September a Solemn High Mass was celebrated at the church of the Immaculate Conception, Devizes for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Father Andrew Goodman was the Celebrant, Father Philip Thomas the Deacon and Father Alexander Redman the Sub-Deacon. Fr Jean-Patrice Coulon sat in choir. The David Bates singers provided the beautiful music. The Mass setting was Orlande de Lassus’ Bell’Amfritit altera. The two motets were Crucifixus by Antonio Lotti and Adoramus Te, Christe by Gregor Aichinger.

Fr Goodman preached about the triumph of the Cross. He reminded us that when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness to save his people it was a foreshadowing of Our Lord being lifted up on the Cross. He said that to accept and to embrace the Cross in our lives is a mark of a maturing faith. When we cease to fall back upon despair, blame and self-pity, and instead turn to Our Lord and take up our own Cross, we conform our will to His, and share in His work of salvation. It is then that the sign of the Cross becomes triumphant.

The great feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which in past times was also known as Roodmas, was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It specifically commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mt. Calvary by St. Helena and preserved in Jerusalem, but which had fallen into the hands of Chosroes, King of the Persians. The precious relic was recovered and returned to Jerusalem by Emperor Heraclius in 629.

When Heraclius carried the Cross back to Jerusalem on his shoulders, he was clothed with costly garments and with ornaments of precious stones. But at the entrance to Mt. Calvary a strange incident occurred. Try as hard as he would, he could not go forward. Zacharias, the Bishop of Jerusalem said to the monarch: "Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from resembling Jesus carrying His Cross." The Emperor then put on a penitential garb and continued the journey.

We are most grateful to Fr Coulon for hosting the Mass, to Frs Goodman, Thomas and Redman for celebrating, and to the servers, choir members and organist for providing their support for what was a most beautiful and uplifting evening.

Mass for the Nativity of Our Blessed Lady at Glastonbury – report.

Fr Philip Thomas celebrated Mass for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the crypt chapel at Glastonbury Abbey on Saturday 8^th September.

We were blessed with beautiful sunshine, and the largest congregation we have yet seen at this Mass.

Fr Philip preached on Our Lady as Stella Maris – the Morning Star, who precedes and lights the way to Our Lord.

Afterwards, many stayed to enjoy a picnic in the grounds of the ruined Abbey. This is now an annual LMS event - Glastonbury Abbey, with its strong Marian associations, is a wonderful place to celebrate Our Lady's birthday.

Mass at Glastonbury Abbey for Our Lady's Birthday, Saturday 8th September

A Low Mass will be celebrated at 11am on Saturday 8th September for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the crypt chapel of the ruined Abbey of St Mary at Glastonbury.

Arrangements have been made with the Abbey authorities to admit anyone attending this Mass into the Abbey grounds free of charge. There is a car park next to the Abbey.

This year the LMS is not organising a full pilgrimage to Glastonbury, so do please come and support this Mass instead. The Abbey is a wonderful place to celebrate the feast of Our Blessed Lady's Birthday.

Feast of the Assumption – Mass at St Michael the Archangel, Shepton Mallet

The great feast of the Assumption was celebrated with dignity and beauty at a Solemn High Mass at the church of St Michael the Archangel, Shepton Mallet on the evening of

Wednesday 15^th August.

Fr Philip Thomas was the Celebrant, Fr Andrew Goodman was Deacon and Fr Alexander Redman Sub-deacon. Fr Bede Rowe acted as Master of Ceremonies.

Rupert Bevan led a choir of 18 singers, including several ex-Wells and ex-Exeter Cathedral choir members, and three former Westminster Cathedral choristers. The Mass setting was Palestrina’s Missa Assumpta est Maria, based on the motet of the same name, which was also sung at the Mass. The Communion motet was Lobo’s Ave Maria.

Fr Andrew Goodman preached the homily, and spoke about the striking parallels between Our Blessed Lady, Elizabeth her cousin, and Hannah the mother of Samuel. All three were ‘women of faith’, handmaids of the Lord, who put their lives into God’s hands and were richly rewarded. We too, said Fr Goodman, are called to be humble, faithful, trusting servants of God.

The small church was almost full, and there were well over 60 communicants. Grateful thanks to Fr Thomas for organising the Mass, and to Fr Goodman, Fr Redman and Fr Rowe. Sincere thanks too, to all the servers who took part in the Mass, and to Rupert Bevan and his splendid choir.

Mary Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.

The Feast of the Assumption, 15th August

The great feast of the Assumption of Our Lady is nearly upon us.

Here are details of all the Assumption Masses taking place in the diocese of Clifton on Wednesday 15th August:

St Dominic’s, Jubilee Road, DURSLEY, Gloucestershire GL11 4ES - 8.00am - Low Mass

Prinknash Abbey, CRANHAM, Gloucestershire GL4 8EX - 8.15am - Low Mass

Our Lady of Glastonbury, Magdalene Street, GLASTONBURY BA6 9EJ - 12.15pm - Low Mass

Holy Cross Church, Dean Lane, Bedminster, BRISTOL BS3 1DB - 12.45pm - Low Mass

St Michael's Church, SHEPTON MALLET, Somerset BA4 5HP - 7.30pm - Solemn High Mass

Mass for the Sacred Heart at Devizes, June 15th 2012

A Solemn High Mass was celebrated at the church of the Immaculate Conception, Devizes, 

on Friday 15^th June for the feast of the Sacred Heart.

Fr Jean-Patrice Coulon was the celebrant, Fr Alexander Redman was deacon and David Aron was sub-deacon.

The choir of nine, led by David Bates, sang Victoria’s Mass setting ‘Trahe me post te’. They also sang two motets: ‘Ave, Jesu Christe’ by the late 16^th century English Recusant priest and composer Peter Philips, and ‘O Quam amabilis es’ by Pierre Villette, a French composer who died in 1998.

l-r: David Aron, Fr Jean-Patrice Coulon and Fr Alexander Redman

In his homily, Fr Coulon gave an overview of the history of devotion to the Sacred Heart, from the 11^th century to the time of the great revelations to St Margaret Mary Alacoque in the late 17^th century. He ended by reading a beautiful meditation on the divine heart of Our Lord by St Francis de Sales.

Fr Coulon gave the homily. Note the stained glass windows 

depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Most of the congregation stayed to enjoy the refreshments kindly provided after the Mass.

Sincere thanks go to all involved in the celebration of this beautiful Mass, particularly the priests, the servers and the choir.

Mass of Corpus Christi, Weston-super-Mare, 7th June 2012.

A Solemn High Mass for the the Feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated at the church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Weston-super-Mare, on Thursday 7^th June at 7.30pm.

The celebrant was Fr Martin Queenan. Fr Philip Thomas was Deacon and Fr Peter Clarke was Sub-deacon. Fr Andrew Goodman was also present.

The seven-strong choir, the Rupert Bevan singers, sang the ‘Missa Pontificalis’ by Don Lorenzo Perosi (1872-1956), a beautiful and rare setting which was last published in 1895. Perosi was a priest and friend of Puccini. His music was perfectly complemented by two motets from an earlier era, ‘Gloria tibi Domine’ by William Byrd and ‘Ego Sum Panis Vivus’ by Antonio Caldara.

Fr Philip Thomas delivered the homily, reflecting upon the fact that when we receive Our Lord at Communion, we become what we eat – a part of the mystical body of Christ – and we must manifest this when we leave the church and go out into the world.

Sincere thanks go to the four priests, the servers, the choir and organist, and all involved in the organization of this beautiful and uplifting Mass.

Missa Cantata at Cricklade, 29th May

On 29^th May, a perfect early summer’s evening, a Missa Cantata was celebrated  at the beautiful Norman church of St Mary’s in Cricklade, North Wilts, with the kind permission of Fr Philip Beisly the parish priest. The celebrant was Fr Jean-Patrice Coulon MSFS, who travelled from his parish in Devizes. Many thanks are due to Ailsa Burois and her choir for their lovely singing, and to all those who assisted in so many ways.

Solemn High Mass at Downside, 5th May

A Solemn High Mass was celebrated for the transferred feast of the Blessed Martyrs of England and Wales at Downside Abbey Church on Saturday 5^th May, 2012.

Dom Boniface Hill, OSB was the celebrant, Fr Andrew Goodman was Deacon and Fr Philip Thomas Sub-deacon.

The 25-strong St John’s Festival Choir sang Lobo’s ‘Missa O Rex Gloriae’, a wonderful early seventeenth-century setting. At the offertory the motet was ‘Ave Jesu Christe’ by the seventeenth-century English priest and composer Peter Phillips, and at Communion the choir sang ‘Ave Maria’ by Clemens non Papa. 

Dom Boniface preached on the Holy Martyrs of England and Wales. He quoted the great Benedictine scholar Dom Bede Camm, who did so much to promote knowledge of and devotion to the English martyrs in the early years of the twentieth century. 

According to Dom Bede, there are four things we ourselves can do to venerate the martyrs of this country: firstly, acquaint ourselves with the stories of their lives; secondly, visit their shrines and relics; thirdly, follow their example, sacrificing ourselves for the holy sacrifice of the Mass; and fourthly, help to promote knowledge and veneration of the martyrs in the wider world. If it wasn’t for the sacrifice and witness of these men and women, he said, the Catholic faith in this country would have been extinguished.

Around 90 people attended the Mass, and there was an opportunity afterwards to venerate and examine at close hand a collection of relics held at Downside Abbey, including remains of two martyrs of the Benedictine community of St Gregory – St John Roberts (d. 1610) and St Ambrose Barlow (d. 1641). There was also a relic of St Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armargh and Primate of all Ireland, who was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in July 1681: the last Catholic martyr to die in England. 

For more information about the martyrs associated with the Downside community, please see: http://www.downside.co.uk/Abbey/about_us/downside_abbey_history_detail.php?our-martyrs-5

Pilgrimage to Holywell, Sunday 1st July.

‘Father Z’ Heads Impressive Line-up of Speakers at LMS’s First One-Day Conference on 9 June

Father John Zuhlsdorf

Father Tim Finigan

Father John Zuhlsdorf, best known as the blogger ‘Fr Z’, will be one of the speakers at the Latin Mass Society’s Conference on Saturday 9 June in central London. This is the first time that the LMS has organised such an event and we are very excited to have such a strong line-up. In addition to Fr Zuhlsdorf will be Fr Tim Finigan, parish priest, blogger and newspaper columnist; Dr John Rao of ‘The Roman Forum’; John Hunwicke, blogger and well-known member of the Ordinariate; and Stuart McCullough of the Good Counsel Network. They will address the audience on the conference theme of ‘The Traditional Mass and the Catholic Life’.

We hope that our guests’ talks will demonstrate that there’s more to Traditional Catholics than simply attending the Traditional Mass. Following the end of the talks, there will be a panel discussion to round off the day. The conference is aimed principally at ordinary LMS members, although non-members are very welcome to join us.

The Conference Venue is: Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street, London W1C 2DJ (opposite BHS, less than 5 minutes’ walk from Oxford Circus)

Admission is by ticket only. Full price tickets are £20 each, but there is a discounted price for paid-up LMS members of £15 each. In addition, we are supplying an optional buffet lunch for which there is a £9 supplement. So far, most people have booked in for the lunch (drinks are included). We are hoping that lunchtime will provide conference attendees with the chance to meet and chat with their fellow LMS members from up and down the country and to some of the speakers.

Tickets are available from the LMS office on 020 7404 7284 or online at:

www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/lms-one-day-conference

There is a Low Mass before the Conference begins at St James’s, Spanish Place at 9am, for those who can attend. Doors open at Regent Hall from 10am and there will be a number of stalls for you to browse round (during which refreshments will be available – there will also be afternoon tea) before the first speaker begins at 11am. The Conference will close at 6pm.

Here is the full timetable and a summary of booking information:

9am Low Mass at St James's, Spanish Place.

10am Doors open.

10am -11am Registration. Stalls in the Conference Hall will be available to browse

11am - 11.50am 1st talk: Dr John Rao (Roman Forum)

12 noon - 12.50pm 2nd talk: Stuart McCullough (Good Counsel Network)

Lunch

2pm - 2.50pm 3rd talk: Fr John Zuhlsdorf (Fr Z)

3pm - 3.50pm 4th talk: Fr Tim Finigan (columnist and blogger)

4pm - 4.50pm 5th talk: John Hunwicke (of the Ordinariate)

5pm - 6pm Panel discussion

6pm Close

BOOKING INFORMATION:

Admission is by ticket only.

Ticket prices:
LMS Members £15
Non-LMS Members £20
(includes morning and afternoon refreshments)
Optional: Buffet lunch including drinks £9 supplement

You can buy your ticket by phoning the LMS office on 020 7404 7284, sending a cheque (payable to 'LMS') to LMS, 11-13 Macklin Street, London WC2B 5NH or online here: www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/lms-one-day-conference

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

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

Bishop Drainey Leads LMS Pilgrimage to York

The Bishop of Middlesbrough, Rt Rev Terence Drainey, led a procession through the streets of York, as part of the Latin Mass Society’s 2^nd Annual Pilgrimage to York in honour of St Margaret Clitherow on Saturday, 24 March. This followed a Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form at St Wilfrid’s Church at which Bishop Drainey had presided at the Faldstool, and which attracted pilgrims from across England and Wales and overseas. The music was provided by the Rudgate Singers who sang a Mass setting by contemporary composer Jeffrey Ostrowski and pieces by Victoria, Bruckner and Scarlatti.

During the Mass, the bishop preached on the danger posed in contemporary society by moral relativism. ‘This relativism seems to permeate our world today to such an extent that it is part of the cultural and societal air that we breathe. If we are not on our guard it will taint us and affect us. It is an evil about which our Holy Father, Pope Benedict has spoken on many occasions,’ said the bishop. He went on to say that this was nothing new and, indeed, Bl. John Henry Newman had spoken nearly two centuries ago about the dangers to the faith posed by liberalism and religious indifferentism.

After Mass, Bishop Drainey led the procession through the narrow streets of the city, as pilgrims prayed the Rosary. Passing St Margaret Clitherow’s house and her shrine in The Shambles, the line of people crossed Ouse Bridge where the bishop drew attention to the site of St Margaret’s martyrdom, now marked by a plaque. The procession reached the Church of the English Martyrs where Solemn Benediction was celebrated. A relic of St Margaret’s hand, which was kindly lent by the Sisters at the Bar Convent, was exposed for veneration by the faithful.

LMS General Manager Mike Lord commented, ‘The pilgrimage was an important witness to the Catholic Faith in times when our religion is once again under attack. This was brought home by some of the negative comments made from the crowd as the procession made its way through York’s city centre. We were delighted that Bishop Drainey was able to join us and his encouraging sermon was much praised by pilgrims on what was a very successful day.’

Photo attribution: Andrew Sheffield

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

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

Solemn High Mass for the Annunciation, 26th March

On Monday 26^th March at the church of the Immaculate Conception in Devizes, a Solemn High Mass was celebrated for the transferred feast of the Annunciation.

Fr Philip Thomas was the celebrant. Fr Andrew Goodman was deacon, and Fr Jean-Patrice Coulon was sub-deacon. Fr Alexander Redman gave the homily and reflected, among much else, on the connection between the Creation and the Annunciation, the fiat lux and the fiat mihi. The choir of 11 singers, led by David and Elizabeth Bates and Rupert Bevan, sang Victoria’s Missa Ave Maris Stella. At the Offertory they sang a motet, Ave Maria, by Robert Parsons, and during Holy Communion the Ave Virgo Sanctissima by Francisco Guerrero.

Around 60 people attended – most also stayed on to enjoy the refreshments provided afterwards. It was a beautiful Mass, and a wonderful celebration of this very important feast.

Solemn High Mass at Downside, Saturday 5th May

On Saturday 5th May there will be a Solemn High Mass at Downside Abbey, celebrated by Dom Boniface Hill.

It will take place at 11am.

The Abbot will preach, and the St John's Festival Choir will sing the Missa 'O Rex Gloriae' by Lobo. At the Offertory will be "Ave Jesu Christe" by the sixteenth century English recusant exile Peter Phillips, and at Communion "Ave Maria" by Clemens non Papa.

Please support this Mass and spread the word.