Chairman's Blog
Server Training in London: February, April, May
Server training in St Mary Moorfields |
Cross-posted from the Society of St Tarcisius blog.
We have booked dates for the first half of the year as follows:
26th February, St Mary Moorfields, from 10:30 am to 4pm. Booking page.
2nd April, St Dominic's Haverstock Hill, from 11 am to 4pm (please come to the parish hall on the left of the church). Booking page. Note the new venue!
21st May, St Mary Moorfield, from 10:30 am to 4pm. Booking page.
St Mary Moorfield's is 4/5 Eldon Street, London EC2M 2LS: more on the venue.
St Dominic's Priory is at Southampton Rd, NW5 4LB: more on the venue.
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Are Traditional Catholics 'corrupt'? A response to Austen Ivereigh
Mass of Reparation, celebrated in response to clerical abuse revelations in 2018. |
Austen Ivereigh writes that he has been troubled by a criticism of the restrictions on the Traditional Mass brought in last July by Pope Francis' Traditionis Custodes. This is the point, made even by people with no particular interest in the ancient Mass, that it was an example of collective punishment: the innocent were being deprived of the Mass alongside those, whoever they are, who are truly guilty, of whatever it is they are supposed to be guilty of. Even if we accept Pope Francis' characterisation of Bad Trads, it can't be true of everyone who has derived solace from the old Mass. It can't, in fact, even be true of most, because it implies a degree of theological engagement which is unusual. Most Catholics don't spend their time talking about Vatican II's teaching on Religious Liberty, for example, because most Catholics, whether they have encountered the old Mass or not, don't have a very clear idea of what it is -- the idea is absurd.
Furthermore, we have been told over and over again that Pope Francis is all about 'dialogue', 'meeting people where they are', not expecting people to be perfect, seeing the Church as a 'field hospital', not 'throwing stones' and all the rest of it. His treatment of Catholics attached to the Old Mass seems, to put it mildly, in tension with this
Ivereigh quotes Greg Hillis: “At a time when we as a church are embarking on a synodal path,” Hillis wrote, “I have difficulty understanding why a more synodal—a more dialogical—approach is not being taken with traditionalists.”
This 'nagged' at Ivereigh, he tells us. But he has come up with a solution. He has dug up something written by the Pope back in 1991, which distinguished 'sin' from 'corruption':
Hence, writes Bergoglio, “we could say that while sin is forgiven, corruption cannot be forgiven,” for at the root of corruption is a refusal of God’s forgiveness. The corrupted person or organization sees no need of repentance, and their sense of self-sufficiency gradually comes to be regarded as natural and normal.
This is the use of words not with the usual meanings, but let's go with that. The first problem is that it is no clearer than before that all, or a majority, or even an important minority of Catholics who attend Mass regularly or occasionally in the Old Rite should be categorised in this way. It is still an unjust collective punishment. Ivereigh deals with this, however, by saying that the rest of us are guilty by association because we have not attacked the guilty ones.
Conversely, the sinner—even when not ready to repent—knows that he is a sinner and yearns to throw himself on God’s mercy. This is the key distinction: the sinner remains, however obscurely and unconsciously, open to grace, while the corrupt deny that they sin. Enclosed by their pride, they shut out the possibility of grace.
“We are ready to convert if party spirit or pride has polluted our hearts.” Why if and may? Isn’t “party spirit and pride” one thing traditionalism has become famous for?
Rosary Crusade of Reparation in London. |
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Iota Unum 2022 Season
Prof Tom Pink |
Please come to the Golden Square entrance directly to the basement: 24 Golden Square, W1F 9JR, near Piccadilly Tube Station (click for a map)
Thomas Pink is a Professor in Philosophy at King's College London and a Patron of the Latin Mass Society. He has a particular interest in the history of theology in the early modern and modern periods, on religious liberty and the role of the Papacy.
Friday April 29th, David Hunt ‘The perennial sin of Usury’
David Hunt |
David Hunt studied at the International Theological Institute in Austria to study philosophy and theology, and recently completed an MA in Philosophy at the University of Buckingham with a thesis titled ‘Usury Redux: A defence of the scholastic position on usury’. David lives in Kent with his wife and five children.
Friday May 27th, Dr Jeremy Pilch ‘St John Henry Newman and Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces’
Jeremy Pilch |
Tim Stanley |
Dr Stanley is a well-known historian and journalist, and author of the recent Whatever Happened to Tradition?
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The attack on Latin: Tito Casini
The celebrant blesses the deacon before the latter proclaims the Gospel at High Mass. LMS Annual Mass for our Annual General Meeting in Westminster Cathedral, 2021 |
I have been reading the Traditionalist classic, Tito Cassini’s The Torn Tunic, first published (in Italian, La Tunica Stracciata) in 1967, reprinted by Angelico Press. It is an impassioned, indeed ferocious, statement of the case for liturgical traditionalism, written and published before the Novus Ordo Missae was promulgated. Casini, like most Catholics of the time, has only the vaguest idea what further changes were being cooked up. What he was objecting to was the things which had already been done, notably by the 1964 Instruction Inter Oecumenici, and the liturgical abuses which had been springing up. Casini’s focus, like that of the Latin Mass Societies and Una Voce groups which were founded as early as 1964, was the use of the Latin language.
Iota Unum talks: Prof Tom Pink on Papal Monarchy, Friday 28th Jan
We are delighted to announce a new series of Iota Unum talks. The following have been confirmed. Great speakers, great topics, plenty of wine, an intimate setting and lots of time for discussion: if you in reach of London, don't miss out!
January Friday 28th: Thomas Pink: ‘Papal Monarchy’
February Friday 25th: Theo Howard: ‘The Dominicans and the English Parliament’
March Friday 25th: Pierpaolo Finaldi ‘On the vocation of the Catholic author’
April Friday 29th: David Hunt‘The perennial sin of Usury’
May Friday 27th: Dr Jeremy Pilch ‘St John Henry Newman and Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces’
June Fri 17th: Dr Timothy Stanley ‘Whatever Happened to Tradition?”
Doors open 6:30pm; talk at 7pm
Basement of Our Lady of the Assumption & St Gregory, Warwick Street: enter via
24 Golden Square, London W1F 9JR (click for a map)
The Direction of Worship, for Catholic Answers
LMS Pilgrimage to Chideock. Photo by John Aron. |
The subject of which direction the priest should stand while celebrating Mass has generated a great deal of attention since about the middle of the twentieth century. The celebration of Mass “facing the people” (versus populum) was officially encouraged after Vatican II, but the historic practice, of “facing East” (ad orientem), is still permitted in the reformed Mass and normative for the traditional Latin Mass.
Even before the Second Vatican Council, some important historic churches, notably St. Peter’s in Rome, had altars at which celebration facing the people was possible. In St. Peter’s (and also in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem), this was because the high altar was over an important holy place, which needed to be accessible from the nave of the church, via steps. The solution to the design problem was to allow the priest to celebrate facing east, toward the rising sun, from the apse side of the altar. This general arrangement was imitated (or anticipated) in some other ancient churches.
The idealised past and anti-Tradition: the Brown Windsor Myth
King Alfred the Great lets the cakes burn. |
A key feature of tradition is the notion of a past as in some sense normative: the past as a guide to action in present, because that past should in some sense be restored. Tim Stanley talks about this in his Whatever Happened to Tradition?
Online Latin Courses: discounts for Clergy & Seminarians
The new year will see a new set of online Latin Courses from Matthew Spencer. The Latin Mass Society is happy to sponsor clergy (priests and deacons) and seminarians (or those preparing for the diaconate) to tune of 80% of the course fees.
More from Matthew Spencer.
Do you wish you had better Latin — to follow the liturgy, or immerse yourself in the theology and history of the Church?Since 2020, small groups have been meeting over Zoom to help individuals do just, with the support of an accomplished ancient linguist.
Now, after "Traditionis Custodes", the Latin of the Roman Canon has become a particular renewed focus for many people. Therefore a special 3-month route, led by Matthew Spencer (MA MSt Oxon) to better linguistic understanding of this ancient text, which unites the vetus and novus ordo, concluded just before Christmas.
A repeat of the course (further details here) will begin in the last week of February 2022 for a limited number of people.
'The Latin Mass Society,' as Matthew writes, 'is generously supporting my initiative by offering 80% bursaries to any Catholic priest, monk, nun, religious sister or permanent deacon or seminarian (or other Catholic religious) who has established ties to England or Wales.'
The standard course fee is £600 — reduced to £120 for LMS Bursary holders — and allows you to meet with no more than four others, together with the instructor, for two 1-hour sessions weekly over 12 weeks. (A short break of a few days will ideally occur every four weeks, schedules permitting.)
We meet on the days most convenient for the group. As a special New Year offer, those who do not qualify for the bursary may take the three 4-week individual modules at a reduced price of £500 for all 3 modules — if they sign up or express an initial interest by 2022. [deadline??]
Alternatively one module may be taken for £200, based on prior experience of Latin (please write directly to matthewjaspencer@yahoo.com to discuss your options).
An independently moderated examination (conducted "viva voce") is now available for those who need or would like conformation of their level of Latin for pastoral or liturgical purposes.
About the three-month course a Dominican sister writes: '. I have found that by the way you blend actual reading from texts, group exercises and grammar lessons, I have been able to slowly assimilate everything as we have progressed. This has worked well for me.'
Letter of the week: from The Tablet
The absolution before Communion: High Mass of Requiem at St Benet's Hall (Fr Edward van den Burgh) |
Responsa ad dubia: good news on private Masses
A private Mass in a side-chapel, at Prior Park, England, at our Priest Training Conference in 2016 |
Laws which establish a penalty, restrict the free exercise of rights, or contain an exception from the law are subject to strict [i.e. narrow] interpretation.
Pope Benedict in Sacramentum Caritatis (2007) 80 wrote: 'I join the Synod Fathers in recommending "the daily celebration of Mass, even when the faithful are not present." '