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Latin Mass Society
  1. About Us
  2. Chairman's Blog
  3. Chairman's Blog

Chairman's Blog

    16/05/2023 - 10:50

    Letter to the Tablet, from 1965
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    The tenth station: Jesus is stripped. Fr the Church of SS Gregory & Augustine's,
    Oxford
    My researches on the background to the petitions to save the Traditional Mass have revealed something else worthy of a wider audience: a published letter to the press by a certain Gillian Edwards. The writer had been a member of the Latin Mass Society Committee, and the letter indicates that she had been a convert and lived in Cambridge, but I don't know anything else about her. The then-Chairman of the the Latin Mass Society, Geoffrey Houghton-Brown, said this letter had more effect than anything else written at the time, so I looked it up in the archives of The Tablet.
    Published in The Tablet 21st August 1965.
    Dear Sir,
    Your correspondents are convinced that all who love the Latin Mass must be classical scholars. This is quite untrue. Latin is so rich for us precisely because it does not tie us down to one particular limited meaning. When we hear the common and familiar phrases we know if we are glorifying God, confessing our sins or asking for mercy. Consciously they unite us with the priest, with our fellow-men, with the whole Church in space and time, praying the same words. Unconsciously they leave us free to approach God in our own way. They say for us all those things we long to say and cannot. They liberate us from ourselves as only great poetry and music can do, and combined with what used to be a charged and holy silence bring us as close to the knowledge and love of God as we are ever likely to come.
    This is what Mr. [Evelyn] Waugh means by the "raising of the heart and mind to God." It is what drew many of us into the Church, a potency and depth of worship which few other Christians preserved and which we had been looking for all our lives. It is also what the Church, to our bewilderment, now appears to condemn as "private devotion" and to look on as not only worthless but sinful. Misery is not a strong enough word for what we feel.
    Unfortunately those who do not share this conception of what worship should be cannot understand it. But unless it is an attitude reprehensible in itself, which I cannot believe, that is no good reason why their joy in singing hymns and reciting English prayers should deprive us of the quieter joy we used to know. Isn't there room for both?
    Yours faithfully, 
    Gillian Edwards, Cambridge.
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    09/05/2023 - 14:57

    Defending the monarchy: with Timothy Flanders
    Here is a 5 in clip from an interview with Timothy Flanders of OnePeterFive on the British monarchy.
    The full podcast, of which is this a clip, with more about the monarchy and about my new book The Liturgy, the Family, and the Crisis of Modernity, can be seen here.
    I've written for the blog on this subject here.

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    09/05/2023 - 10:00

    What has the LMS achieved? 1972 edition
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    Quietly getting on with it. Mass at the Guild of St Clare spring sewing retreat.
    More from the unpublished history of the LMS by Geoffrey Houghton-Brown. At a certain point he makes this remark, which seems to me true today, as it was then, not only for the LMS but for the Una Voce Federation and Una Voce/Latin Mass groups all over the world.

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    After reading so many quotations from the Press and so
    little, in comparison, about the activities of the L.M.S. it may be asked “but
    what actually was the L.M.S. doing all this time? What had it achieved? The
    answer is that we did, in our News Letters give our members as much information
    regarding the liturgical changes etc. as we could; that we did organize the
    saying of Latin Masses both in London and in the country so far as we were
    able, that our various Diocesan representatives were in touch with their
    bishops trying to persuade them that Latin Masses were wanted, organizing
    meetings and Masses where possible. But, in my opinion, our greatest activity
    was the mere fact of our existence. An organized body of some two thousand
    Catholics, small as that number is, could not be completely ignored by the bishops
    and was a constant witness to the existence of a body of people who wanted the
    Latin Mass, something that the bishops were constantly denying. It seemed to me
    essential to keep the Society in existence if only because of its witness as
    representing these many people, the vast majority of whom were not even members
    of the Society, who loved and wanted the Latin Mass.

    -------------------------

    Houghton-Brown goes on to talk about the great triumph of the English Indult in which the LMS had a key role, and as the years have gone by the Society has organised a vast number of Masses, pilgrimages, training events, talks, and so on. Nevertheless, what he says remains true. Even a Una Voce group which can do little of all this by its very existence is a rebuke to those who say that there is no demand for the Traditional Mass, and this is the argument our opponents love to fall back on. Like it or not, when Catholics encounter their ancient liturgy, many of them want it.

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    06/05/2023 - 17:58

    Prayers and a Mass of Thanksgiving for the Coronation

    The LMS has organised a Mass in thanksgiving for the Coronation on Monday in Corpus Christi Maiden Lane (London WC2E 7NB) with some splendid polyphony: 6:30pm.


    Dominic Bevan of the Southwell Consort, who will accompany this Mass, tells me: "we shall have a votive Mass of the Holy Ghost for the new king and queen. We shall include a motet by Taverner, commissioned by Cardinal Wolsey for Henry VIII (altered for Queen Elizabeth I), now edited with the original text and rhyme to include the name of King Charles."

    This is the text of the Prayer for the King to used at the conclusion of the principal Mass on Sunday under the 1962 rules, in England and Wales. It is the basis of the prayer for private and public use recommended by the Bishops of England and Wales for King Charles on the occasion of the Coronation.


    V. Dómine salvum fac Regem nostrum Cárolum.

    R. Et exáudi nos in die, qua invocavérimus te.



    Oremus.

    Quǽsumus, omnípotens Deus, ut fámulus tuus Cárolus, Rex noster, quæ tua miseratióne suscépit regni gubernácula, virtútum étiam ómnium percípiat increméntum; quibus decénter ornátus et vitiórum monstra devitáre, [in time of war: hostes superáre,] et ad te qui via, véritas, et vita es, cum regina consorte et prole régia gratiósus valeat perveníre. Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.



    R: Amen.

    In English:

    V. O Lord, save Charles our King

    All: and hear us in the day that we shall call upon thee.



    Let us pray.

    We beseech thee, almighty God, that thy servant Charles our King, who through thy mercy has undertaken the government of this realm, may also receive an increase of all virtues. Fittingly adorned with these, may he be able to shun all evildoing, [in time of war: to vanquish his enemies,] and, together with the Queen consort and the royal family, to come by thy grace unto thee who art the way, the truth, and the life. Through Christ our Lord.



    R: Amen.

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    05/05/2023 - 15:36

    On pomp and ceremoney, by Geoffrey Houghton-Brown
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    Bishop Campbell processing into the sanctuary of Westminster Cathedral
    to celebrate Mass for the LMS in 2019. Photo by John Aron.
    I have been reading a very interesting document from the Latin Mass Society's archives, an unpublished history of the early years of the Society by Geoffrey Houghton-Brown: Notes on the Struggle to Retain the Roman Liturgy, 1964-1972

    Houghton-Brown, an artist and convert, was a founding member of the LMS, at first a Vice President and later Chairman and Diocesan Representative for Westminster. His history of these eight years is quite comprehensive, and every now and then he makes an interesting observation.

    Archbishop John Carmel Heenan was made a cardinal in 1965, just when some of the pomp and ceremony of the occasion, in Rome and on his return to Westminster Cathedral, was being abolished, including the "canopy of state" which was held over his predecessors as they entered the Cathedral. This is Houghton-Brown's comment.

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    I do not imagine that the Cardinal refused the customary canopy in order to be better seen [as suggested by the report in The Times] but in order to comply with the Pope's wish for "simplicity". If these customary symbols of high office are abandoned the office itself, be it of Pope, King, Bishop, Judge, or Mayor, will lose its significance, its dignity, its solemnity. By the sight of these symbols we recognise that which they represent. High Office must be made visible in order to be recognised and it can only be made visible by such symbolic and customary signs as the canopy of state, the crown, the mitre, the Judge's wig and robes, the Mayor's chain etc. Remove symbols and you lesson, even destroy, all respect, for authority.

    In connection with the canopy of state it should be noted that The Times (of February 26th) reported that "The public Consistory has, however, lost some of its pomp, just as it has lost the great cardinal's hat beneath which the new princes of the Church used to swear their oath before the Pope -- the great cardinal's hat has now vanished altogether from the formalities of creating members of the Sacred College."

    In comparision with other reforms now taking place the suppression of the cardinal's red hat may seem extremely trivial but nonetheless it is extremely significant, indicating as it does the loss of an emblem bound up iwth the history of the Roman Church. A generation that has no reverence for the past is doomed to become rootless, isolated, adrit. This is the sin condemned in the commandment of Moses, - if you do not hold your ancestors in honour you will not keep for long the inheritance that they handed down to you. The keeping of this commandment is the secret of the miraculous survival of the Jewish race. It is by the preservation of their ancient laws, festivals, fasts, and liturgical language that the Jews have kept their racial identity. Pope Paul is advocating a policy of ecclesiastical suicide when he announces that the Church will "despoil herself -- of that old royal mantle -- in order to reclothe herself in more simple manner suitable to the taste of to-day." The disappearance of the canopy of state and the red hat may be small matters but like certain small marks on the body they can indicate a deadly disease.

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    04/05/2023 - 10:00

    Part-time vacancy at the Latin Mass Society

    Mallow Street; our office is at the back of this building.

    Would you like to work part-time for the Latin Mass Society? We are advertising for a part-time position. In addition to looking after members, the LMS Office supports our events around the country, distributes our magazine Mass of Ages, and looks after our busy on-line shop.

    Our office is in central London, 9 Mallow Street, London EC1Y 8RQ.

    ----------------

    Salary: £15,000 - £17,000 per annum
    Part-time: 21 hours per week

    The Latin Mass Society is recruiting an Office Assistant to work at its office in central London. The Office Assistant will be responsible for supporting the administrative work of the charity, including:

    • Office administration
    • Membership administration
    • Online retail
    • Information administration
    • Volunteer administration
    See full details on our webpage here.

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    03/05/2023 - 11:32

    Feast of St Joseph in Maiden Lane: Mass for the Catholic Police Guild

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    With the support of the Latin Mass Society, the first Monday Mass of each month in Corpus Christi Maiden Lane is being celebrated for the intentions of the Catholic Police Guild. Last Monday, which was the Feast of St Joseph the Workman, the Guild dedicated themselves to the Sacred Heart, and their processional banner was blessed.
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    The remarkable banner was made in 1939. With the post-Conciliar decline in processions (and indeed guilds) it was in storage for many years. Now it is on the wall in Corpus Christi (above the confessional at the back, if you know the church), and emphasises the connection now established between this church and the Guild.

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    The church was nearly full for this occasion, and the Southwell Consort excelled themselves with Palestrina, Byrd, and L'Heritier.

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    We have another great musical programme for Mass on Monday 8th, which will be a Mass of thanksgiving for the Coronation (a Votive Mass of the Holy Ghost). The Southwell Consort will sing music by Tye, Taverner, and Sheppard.

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    These Masses, organised by the Latin Mass Society, take place every Monday at 6:30pm, in Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7NB, between Covent Garden and the Strand, continuing an unbroken tradition going back to before the liturgical reform.

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    26/04/2023 - 12:59

    LMS Residential Latin Course 2023
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    I'm delighted to announce that booking is open for the Latin Mass Society's annual residential Latin and New Testament Greek course.

    It will run Monday 14th August - Saturday 19th August 2023, 

    at Park Place Pastoral Centre, Wickham, Fareham, Hampshire PO17 5HA.

    You can get there by train or car; it's set in very pleasant grounds, not far from Southampton.
    The tutors are the same as last year: Fr John Hunwicke, who will also be celebrating Mass each day; Nathan Freeman; and, for the Greek, Matthew Spencer.
    The fees are very low and there are generous discounts for clergy, seminarians, and students.
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    There is some very interesting advice on learning Latin without a teacher by a Latinist called Carla Hurt; this can be read in full here. She says some interesting things about some of the well-known learning techniques which have acquired a cult-like following, but her positive suggestions are also important. A key passage:
    As a language teacher, I have found that my students’ scores in grammar tests have had little to no correlation to their scores in broader interpretive skills such as translation. This suggests that explicit knowledge of parts of the language is a separate beast from the actual ability to use and understand the language.
    ... meaningful activity is essential to language learning, because making form-meaning connections is the basis of learning a language. Any activity which does not genuinely engage with meaning is missing a crucial element. In order to associate all the various words, phrases, grammar, and syntax with their meaning, we need to encounter them many times in contexts where their meaning matters.
    On the first claim what she actually shows, with a rather small sample, is that knowledge of grammar is less highly correlated to outcomes than knowledge of vocabulary, which I'm sure we could all have told her in advance. Nevertheless, the only way anyone is going to tell the difference between 

    Marcus Sextum oppugnat
    and
    Marcum Sextus oppugnat
    or, heaven help us,
    Marcus Sextum oppugnet
    is by the kind of knowledge tested in those boring grammar tests. It's not the be-all and end-all, but this knowledge can't simply be left out.
    However, she is certainly correct that meaningful activity is a huge boon in all language learning. If you are interested in the Latin of the Mass you can't do better than use the texts of the Mass to learn it. 
    The Latin Mass Society's Simplicissimus book does this: many of the examples it uses are familiar, interesting, or memorable. The book works up to tackling passages from the Lectionary, the Propers of Corpus Christi, the Roman Canon, and similar texts. The same spirit animates the Residential Course.
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    19/04/2023 - 16:29

    Continental Synodal Reports and the TLM
    The 'Continental Stage' of the Synod on Synodality has concluded, with the publication of the 'Continental Reports': they can be seen here.
    Since the FIUV and the LMS asked people to contribute to the consultation process, it is interesting to see whether our voices have actually made it through to these reports. I discussed the national reports here.
    The voice of Catholics attached to the Traditional Mass do emerge in two of the reports: not surprisingly, those of Europe and North America. This is not because Traditional Catholics are absent from Oceania, Asia, Africa, and South America, but because the bishops of those regions have been unwilling to allow celebrations or to acknowledge their point of view. It is worth reminding ourselves that the Traditional movement is well-established in Australia and New Zealand; there are many apostolates of the Traditional priestly institutes in Africa, notably the ICKSP in Gabon; and South America is home to the Apostolic Administration of St Jean Vianney in Campos, Brazil, the one place in the world where one can find a bishop exercising ordinary jurisdiction over a community of traditional faithful.
    The reports are a reflection not only of the inputs, of course, but of the process of selection. The reports as a whole have very little to say about the liturgy.
    This is what got through in the European and North American reports: emphasis mine.

    Europe (pdf)

    67. From a fundamental point of view, it is possible to detect the link between Church and liturgy, between ecclesiology and the theology of liturgy: The liturgical dimension in the Church is a place of strong tensions. These tensions are part of a deeper tension of an ecclesiological nature. Ecclesiological tension often arises from a vision of the Church based on one’s own expectations (Italian language working group). In this context, the tensions and sufferings concerning the ancient form of the Roman liturgy should be understood, with explicit references by France, England and Wales, and Nordic countries to the pre-conciliar liturgy according to the Missal of 1962.

    North America (pdf)

    27. Some participants in the synodal process reported on the profound sense of suffering of those prevented from receiving the Eucharist. While there are a variety of reasons for this reality, perhaps preeminent among them is Catholics who are divorced and remarried without an annulment, and others whose objective situation in life contradicts the beliefs and teachings of the Church. Additionally, some delegates spoke of those wounded by the limitations placed on the pre-conciliar Latin rite. Unfortunately, liturgy is not always experienced as unifying. “We could find our unity in common prayer, but liturgy is one of the things that is divisive in the Church and we must break through that” (Session X Group 18).

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    13/04/2023 - 12:33

    Walsingham Pilgrimage: booking open

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    You can now book your place on the Latin Mass Society's annual walking pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham. The dates are 24-27 August (Thursday evening in Ely to Sunday afternoon in Walsingham). For those staying overnight there will be a Mass in the Slipper Chapel at the Catholic Shrine in Walsingham on the Monday.
    For the first time, a limited number of places are available to walk on Thursday from Cambridge to Ely.
    There is a 10% discount for early booking until the Ascension. Make sure you are a member of the LMS for a further discount: you can join while booking and still save money.
    Note the new venue to meet on Thursday evening!
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