Chairman's Blog
The problem with 'Great Books'
My latest in the Catholic Herald: a book review.
In the 1920s, some influential academics were dismayed to find that many graduates of elite American universities were, not to put too fine a point on it, culturally illiterate. They lacked the knowledge that could be taken for granted among cultivated Europeans at the beginnings of their tertiary education, let alone at the end.
The academics’ natural response was to attempt to address this lack, and so the “Western Civilisation Course” or “Great Books Programme” was born, and made compulsory (or strongly recommended) in many institutions. These courses frog-marched students through a carefully selected canon of Western literature, from the Greeks and Romans onwards, with excursions into philosophy and history.
Requiems this Saturday: London and Oxford
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| Sung Domincan Rite Mass in St Dominic's from the spring, celebrated by Fr Lawrence Lew |
The Catholic Medical Association is holding a Requiem for deceased members followed by a day of recollection in St Dominic's, Havestock Hill, this Saturday: the Dominican Rite Sung Mass begins at 11am. See here for more details.
The annual Requiem for deceased members, staff, and benefactors at St Benet's Hall, 38 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LN will take place on Saturday at 10:30am. It will be a High Mass in the traditional Roman Rite, and will be celebrated by Fr Edward van den Burgh of the London Oratory.
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| Last year's Requiem at St Benet's Hall |
Prof Stephen Bullivant at Iota Unum talk Friday (1st Nov) in London
Our series of Iota Unum talks in London continues with Prof Stepen Bullivant, author of Mass Exodus, talking about his study of Catholic lapsation since the second world war.
Did Vatican II have anything to do with it? Stephen Bullivant, a sociologist of religion, will tell you...
6:30 for 7pm in the basement of Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick Street: please use the Golden Square entrance. £5 on the door. Drinks and a good company.
See my discussion of the book on LifeSiteNews.
Perseverantes Unianimier in Oratione: Pilgrimage to Walsingham, 7-8 December
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| The LMS Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham in August 2019 |
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children is being joined by the Latin Mass Society and the Good Counsel Network in organising a pilgrimage to Walsingham on 7-8 December, with a short conference on the Saturday and a Sung EF Mass on Sunday (10am in the Reconciliation Chapel at the Catholic Shrine, Houghton St Giles), followed by a procession to the site of the Holy House in the grounds of Walsingham Priory.
The pilgrimage is in response to recent legislation imposing compulsory sex education on schools, including Catholic schools, and seeks God's grace for those, above all our bishops, in responding to
this.
The conference will be addressed by Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society.
Last Saturday was
Last Saturday was the LMS Pilgrimage to Oxford. We had a lovely Dominican Rite High Mass in Blackfriars, with the Schola Abelis singing Dominican chant, and the Newman Consort singing Byrd's Four Part Mass, with a motet by Baudldeweyn, Ave caro Christi cara: all of which was lovely.
We sang the Te Deum at the site of the martyrdom of Bl George Napier in 1610.
Pachamama is a pagan deity
Probably those who used this symbol demonstrated, wishes to reflect fertility, to women, to life, the life presence among these Amazonian people … and Amazonia is meant to be full of life. I don’t think we need to create any connections with the Virgin Mary or with a pagan element.
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Scalfari and the Pope on the Divinity of Christ
My latest on LifeSiteNews.
Earlier this month, journalist Eugenio Scalfari claimed that Pope Francis believes, "once incarnated, Jesus ceases to be a God and becomes a man until his death on the cross."
Scalfari’s claims about the beliefs of Pope Francis have been puzzling Catholics for six years, and from time to time elicit some form of denial from Vatican spokesmen. On this occasion, they pointed out that Scalfari’s apparently direct quotations of the Holy Father are a mere "personal and free interpretation" of his words, and, furthermore, Scalfari has not met Pope Francis for two years.
Neither statement is exactly decisive, especially as Scalfari claims to have telephone conversations with Pope Francis, a claim that has never been denied. Nevertheless, I was inclined to sympathize with the spokesman, Matteo Bruni, who expressed some exasperation. This claim is so ridiculous, he suggested, that it just goes to show how little we should trust Scalfari’s claims.
Oxford Pilgrimage this Saturday: Mass at 11am in Blackfriars
Our Lady of the Rosary in Holy Trinity, Hethe
If these photographs look as though they were taken through a gradually thickening fog, they were. There was a lot of incense left over from the previous Mass when we started, and the view from the choir loft became steadily more obscure as Mass proceeded. Nevertheless, it was a lovely occasion, the first time - probably, the first time ever - that the traditional Dominican Rite has been celebrated in this venerable church.
Fr Richard Conrad OP followed the Mass with a blessing of roses, which is a Dominican tradition on this day. Roses, and lilies, are very much a theme of the chants.
The next Traditional Mass in Holy Trinity Hethe will take place on Sunday 15th December, Gaudete Sunday. Holy Trinity is on Hardwick Rd, Hethe, Bicester OX27 8AW.
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LMS Aylesford Pilgrimage, 26th October
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| The St Catherine's Trust Summer School at Aylesford in July |
Saturday 26th October will see the Latin Mass Society's annul pilgrimage to the Carmelite Priory at Aylesford, home of the Brown Scapular. We have Mass in the Relic Chapel, which houses the cranium of St Simon Stock, the recipient of the promises of Our Lady on the scapular.
1:30 pm – Missa Cantata (Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary) (Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP)
Sung by Schola Cantorum Sancti Johannes Houghton (Director: Clifford Lister)
3:00 pm – The Rosary Way (led by Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP)
3:45 pm – Enrolment in the Brown Scapular (administer by Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP)
4:15 pm – Vespers (Little Office of Our Lady) and Benediction (Fr Matthew Goddard FSSP)
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| Enrollment in the Brown Scapular in the Relic Chapel |
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