Latin Mass Society

Chairman's Blog

04/12/2023 - 13:46

LMS Mass listings

Cross-posted from Rorate Caeli.

Since its inception, the Latin Mass Society has published lists of traditional Masses in England and Wales; for many years these have been available to all on its website. If you go to the relevant page now you will be asked to log in as a member. The reason for this is explained in the 'Chairman's Message' of the currant Mass of Ages, the magazine of the Latin Mass Society, which arrived with members over the weekend.

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

Chairman’s Message

Joseph Shaw

Mass of Ages
began as the Latin Mass Society’s Newsletter; we started selling a few
copies in about 2005 and we made it free in 2009. It’s availability to
non-members, indeed to anyone in the world online, allows us to explain
ourselves to a wider audience. It also means that in these pages we are not
simply talking among friends.

With this issue, we are instituting a new approach to
the information available to readers. Readers picking up Mass of Ages for
free at the back of church will no longer find, bound into their copies, a list
of Masses celebrated according to the 1962 Missal around England and Wales. Nor
will this list henceforth appear on the publicly accessible part of our
website. Members of the Latin Mass Society who receive their copies in the
post, on the other hand, will find them included.

To casual readers, this part of the magazine was the
bit in the middle they skipped over. For our members, I know, it can be a
lifeline, especially when travelling. Others again, looking at the list,
didn’t like what they saw, and didn’t think others should be able to see it. This
reality has a distorting effect on the listings: there have always been a few perfectly
licit and regular celebrations that could not be advertised. Sometimes this has
been a condition imposed by bishops.

The seriousness of the problem has depended on official
attitudes to the Traditional Mass. When, in the 1970s and 1980s, permissions
for it were seen by some as pastoral concessions to something that really ought
to hurry up and die out, a long and growing list of Masses celebrated with
permission was seen as an indication of the failure of the official policy, and
even a spur to greater repressive efforts. Furthermore, listing these Masses,
and therefore making them known to a wider group of people, could be seen as ‘promoting’
them, in defiance of the official policy. When people resorted to travelling
long distances for the Traditional Mass, their personal sacrifices were
regarded by some as a bad thing: not a sign of love for the liturgy, but contrary
to the spirit of the permission, supposedly given only for some vaguely defined
local group of people.

Of course, what the official attitude—the will of the
bishop, or of the pope of the day—really was, was not always easy to discern.
Bishops naturally varied in their views, among themselves and over time. Again,
I remember being told firmly that that Pope John Paul II ‘doesn’t like it’, but
the historical record of his words and actions paints a rather more complex
picture.

Readers know that those days, with all their confusion
and spiritual suffering, are back. Once again we are being told that promoting
the Traditional Mass is somehow problematic, and once again advertising Masses
has the potential to cause difficulties for celebrants, and even for their bishops.

We have made the decision, therefore, to make the Mass
listings available only to our members, who are also be kept up to date through
electronic means. I encourage those readers who value and make use of our Mass
listings to join the Society, if you share our aims. The membership fee is
equivalent to approximately 1p a day through the year, even if you do not
qualify for a concessionary rate. We have not raised it in line with inflation
in the last few years, and I’d say it was very good value. You can pay for it
in monthly instalments if you wish, and you get a discount if you pay by Direct
Debit. You also get a discount in our shop and when booking our major events.

Membership of the Latin Mass Society, however, should
not be seen primarily in terms of what you can get out of the Society. We are
not a commercial venture offering a parcel of goods for fixed sum. We are a
group of Catholics determined to preserve the Church’s liturgical patrimony,
and to use every resource, of our prayers, knowledge, skills, time, and
energy—and money as well—to do so. As an LMS activist, Bernard Wall, wrote in
explanation of the 1971 Petition to save the ancient Mass, signed by Agatha
Christie and so many others: the signatories ‘felt that a liberal and plural
approach to church ceremonies was in harmony with our age where all are allowed
to do and think what suits them best, and that a totalitarian prohibition of
the old Mass involved an out-of-date approach.’

Support the Latin Mass Society

30/11/2023 - 17:34

Requiem for the Catholic Military Association

IMG_4136

On Wednesday 29th November, the Latin Mass Society arranged a Requiem Mass for the Catholic Military Association of Our Lady of Victories (see their website and their Facebook page). This association, which is only a few years old (though it had precursors), supports Catholics in the British armed services, and their families.

IMG_4106

The traditional Missa Cantata was celebrated by Fr Mark Elliot Smith, parish priest, in Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street, in London.

IMG_4140
It was accompanied by Gregorian Chant and Anerio's Requiem, sung by the Southwell Consort under Dominic Bevan.
IMG_4089
It was attended by two members of the Association, in uniform: Wing Commander Gerry Doyle and Captain Francis Osborn.
IMG_4094
IMG_4162
Support the Latin Mass Society
29/11/2023 - 09:26

Bishop Schneider in Milton Keynes

IMG_4012

Last Sunday Bishop Schneider celebrated Mass in Milton Keynes. This was part of a trip organised by Catholic Voice, a newspaper based in Ireland. As news of the Mass spread, it became clear that the local churches would be too small, so it took place--with the approval of the bishop and the parish priest--in a school hall, with a remarkable portable altar. 

IMG_4015

It was a Pontifical Low Mass, and the Latin Mass Society sponsored polyphonic motets to accompany it. Following Mass Bishop Schneider gave a talk in the same venue.

IMG_3974

IMG_3985

IMG_4012

IMG_4020

IMG_4030

IMG_4038

IMG_4041

IMG_4055

IMG_4059

Support the Latin Mass Society
18/11/2023 - 19:18

Who is to blame for lapsations? Me in Crisis magazine

IMG_3845
Closer than most young Catholics will ever get to the Traditional Mass.
LMS Annual Mass in Bedford in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
My article begins:

Every now and then we read on social media about a Catholic lapsing from the practice of the Faith, or apostatizing—transferring allegiance to some grouping not in communion with the Holy See. This is always a tragedy. As St. Peter said to Christ when some disciples left Him because of His teaching on the Eucharist, “Thou hast the message of eternal life” (John 6:68).

There are many reasons why people leave, and it is something which has happened on a truly apocalyptic scale in recent decades, starting in the 1970s, in Europe and North America. It is depressingly predictable that many Catholic commentators display very little curiosity about why it has been happening, until they think they have found a way to use it as a stick to beat an opponent. This is what happened to Eric Sammons on Twitter/X when he shared the content of an email he had received by someone who had left for the Orthodox Church. 

Not only do many of Sammons’s respondents show no compassion for the man in question, or understanding of the factors which influenced his decision, but they contrive to blame Sammons, and the Traditional movement in general, for what happened. Their argument seems to go like this: the guy complains about poor liturgy; therefore, the people who recognize that liturgy is indeed often poor and want to improve it must have influenced him into thinking that liturgy is important enough to leave the Church over. The same goes for his other complaints: effeminacy, the lack of “challenge,” the impression that even some priests don’t believe in the Real Presence, and so on. If we address these concerns by trying to improve things, we are part of the problem because we are admitting that some aspects of Church life could be improved. 

Read it all there.

Support the Latin Mass Society
11/11/2023 - 18:30

Annual Mass of Reparation for Abortion in Bedford: photos

IMG_3778

The Latin Mass Society began this Mass following the tragic abortion referendum in Ireland. The Church of the Holy Child & St Joseph, Bedford houses the national shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the pro-life movement.

IMG_3779

The celebrant, Fr Gerard Byrne, was assisted by Fr Michael Cullinan and Fr Thomas Crean OP. Fr Byrne preached a barnstorming sermon.

IMG_3792

It was accompanied by a Byrd Mass and the chant propers (it was a Votive Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe), by a small choir under the direction of Dominic Bevan. Mass was attended by 70 to 80 people.

IMG_3807

IMG_3826

IMG_3839

IMG_3852

IMG_3857

Support the Latin Mass Society
08/11/2023 - 15:15

Sewing Retreat: photos

IMG_3744

The Sewing Retreat took place from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th November. The Retreat giver was Fr Stephen Moseling OPraem; it took place at St Joseph's Centre, Ashurst. It was well-attended and a lot of sewing, and a lot of praying, took place!

IMG_3728

IMG_3729

IMG_3733

IMG_3752

IMG_3764

Support the Latin Mass Society
07/11/2023 - 15:41

Talk on the Latin Mass and the Intellectuals

Come along to the London launch on Thursday 9th November! More details, and to sign up, see here.
 

This is the talk I gave to the Pax Liturgia Conference in Rome to launch my book, The Latin Mass and the Intellectuals. If you click below it will start at 3 mins 35 secs and skip the introductory matter.

 
More about the book, including how to buy it.
 
 
 
 
Support the Latin Mass Society

 

23/10/2023 - 10:54

Oxford Pilgrimage 2023: photos

IMG_3469

Another successful Oxford Pilgrimage, thanks to the Dominican community and some hardy pilgrims, willing to run the gauntlet of tourists, shoppers and students to retrace the steps of the martyrs, dragged on hurdles from the Bocardo prison (next to St Michael's at the North Gate in Cornmarket) to Hangman's Corner, the far end of Holywell Street. It was particularly good to see plenty of students this year.
Click on the photos to see the whole album.

IMG_1415

Fr Gregory Pearson OP was celebrant; Br Bede Mullens OP deacon, Br John Peter Anderson OP was subdeacon. Mass was accompanied by the Schola Abelis (Dominican chant) and the Newman Consort (polyphony: Byrd's Mass for Four Voices, plus motets by Byrd and Sheppard). We had a dozen singers in the 'Tribune', the choir lost, of the Priory Church.

IMG_1436

IMG_3507

IMG_3520

The procession was led by a young priest who is doing studies in the University.

IMG_3546

IMG_3550

 

Support the Latin Mass Society
21/10/2023 - 10:00

I delighted to

I delighted to announce the launch of 

The Latin Mass and the Intellectuals:
Petitions to Save the ancient Mass from 1966 to 2007

Preface
by Martin Mosebach

With contributions
from Leo Darroch, Fr Gabriel D
íaz-Patri, Philip Maxence, Sebastian Morello, Matthew
Schellhorn, and Erik Tonning

In due course it will be available from Arouca Press (in the USA) and the Latin Mass Society shop (in the UK), and Amazon: see my author page.

I will be introducing it in Rome, at the 

Paix Liturgique Conference, Friday 27th October (Patristic Institute Augustinianum, via Paolo VI, 25), 

and in London on Thursday 9th November.

The London launch will take place at the St Wilfrid Hall, London Oratory  SW7 2RP

6:30 for 7pm; refreshments

All welcome.

More about the book can be found here.

When the Church's ancient Mass was in peril, in 1966, 1971, and in later years, a huge outpouring of support for it came from artists and intellectuals, many Catholic, many not, including Anglicans, Jews, non-believers, and even Communist sympathisers. What they recognised is that this Mass is part of the cultural and spiritual patrimony of the whole world, and that it would be a tragedy if it were to cease to be celebrated.
    This book looks at the petitions, the petitioners, their historical context, the arguments they used, and the intellectual and artistic movements of which they were part. It includes long-forgotten documents, new archival research, and discussions of key ideas. Why did the pacifists like Lanzo Del Vasto and E.I Watkin sign? What was the appeal of the Mass to artistic modernists like David Jones, Benjamin Britten, Robert Lowell, and Sir James MacMillan? How is this connected with the movement promoting the Middle Ages? Why did so many converts sign, like Evelyn Waugh, Malcomn Muggeridge, and Compton MacKenzie? Why are there so many Argentinians among the signatories, so many members of the Académie française, so many Nobel laureates and nominees, and so many people who had distinguished themselves in the fight against Fascism?
    Furthermore, this book draws out from the shadows the outstanding contribution to the organisation of the early petitions by otherwise obscure figures: the Italian Cristina Campo, and the Englishman Bernard Wall, their circles and their concerns.

As the Trappist, and theological liberal, Thomas Merton wrote in 1964:


As you know, I have many friends in the world who are artists, poets, authors, editors, etc. Now they are well able to appreciate our chant and even our Latin. But they are all, without exception, scandalized and grieved when I tell them that probably this Office, this Mass will no longer be here in ten years. And that is the worst. The monks cannot understand this treasure they possess, and they throw it out to look for something else, when seculars, who for the most part are not even Christians, are able to love this  incomparable art.



Support the Latin Mass Society
20/10/2023 - 10:00

Oxford Pilgrimage Saturday 21

IMG_1436

High Mass in the Dominican Rite in the Priory Church of the Holy Spirit, Blackfriars

St Giles, OX1 3LY, at 11am. Accompanied by polyphony from the Newman Consort.

This is followed, after a break for lunch, by a procession to one of the sites of Martyrdom in the city at 2pm. This is followed by Benediction at Blackfriars.

Do join us! We even have a gallows at the site of the martyrdoms.


Support the Latin Mass Society

Charity web design by Turtlereality

© LMS 2016 | Registered Charity Number: 248388 | Terms & Conditions

Latin Mass Society, 9 Mallow Street, London EC1Y 8RQ | 020 7404 7284 | [email protected]

randomdiss