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Welcome to the site for News, Events and up-to-date Information on Traditional Catholicism in the West Midlands (UK). I am one of the Diocesan Representatives for the Latin Mass Society of England & Wales for the Promotion of the Traditional Roman Rite.

Tuesday 31 March 2009

Holy Week Masses at The Oratory


Palm Sunday
(April 5th 2009)

Low Mass 9.30am
(Blessing and Procession with Palms
precede the following High Mass in Ordinary Form at 10.15am)



Easter Sunday
(April 12th 2009)

Low Mass 9.30am

Welcome - PASSIONTIDE

Judica me, Deus, et discérne causam meam de gente non sancta:
ab hómine iníquo et dolóso éripe me:
quia tu es fortitúdo mea
Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause against an ungodly nation:
O deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man:
for Thou art my God and my strength

It is great that you are interested in Latin Masses in the West Midlands area. Please follow this link to find out more....

(Outlink to Lacrimarum Valle, my personal Blog)

Extraordinary Rite Triduum at Eight Locations


The Triduum has to be the high point in the liturgical year of the Church. It consists of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Saturday Evening. There have been many changes over the years with the exact ceremony, including during Pope Pius XII's reign. But as far as the 1962 Rite, please see the following Press Release from The Latin Mass Society:


The Sacred Triduum in the Extraordinary Form Will be Celebrated at 8 Locations for 2009


In a sign that the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass) has returned to the heart of the Church, the Latin Mass Society has announced that the Sacred Triduum in the Extraordinary Form will be celebrated at 8 locations within England and Wales.

In recent years the LMS has organised 2-3 celebrations of the Sacred Triduum each year so 2009 is proving a bumper year – clearly Pope Benedict’s Motu Proprio, ‘Summorum Pontificum’ is having a powerful effect. The full Holy Week ceremonies will be celebrated at Lanherne (Cornwall), Reading, South London, Central London, NW London, Brentwood, Leeds, Shrewsbury. A partial Triduum will be celebrated at Ham, Surrey. A full list is available on the LMS website (http://www.latin-mass-society.org/) or from the LMS office.

IMPORTANT
For many years, the LMS has celebrated the Sacred Triduum at Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane, London WC2. Because the Triduum was also celebrated there in the Ordinary Form, the LMS had to arrange its celebrations at unusual times. However, this year, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, has graciously arranged that the Ordinary Form congregation of Corpus Christi Church will join the congregation at nearby St Anselm & St Cecilia’s Church in Kingsway for their Ordinary Form Triduum so allowing the Sacred Triduum in the Extraordinary Form to be celebrated at Corpus Christi Church at the usual times (e.g. 3.00 pm on Good Friday).

In a further gesture of reconciliation, Cardinal Cormac has asked one of his priests, Fr Andrew Wadsworth, to celebrate the Corpus Christi Triduum – in previous years the LMS had to make its own arrangements.

John Medlin, General Manager of the LMS said, “We are very grateful to the congregation of Corpus Christi and the parish priest, Fr Chris Vipers, for giving free use of Corpus Christi Church for the Triduum in the Extraordinary Form. We are particularly grateful to Cardinal Cormac for proposing this arrangement and to Fr Wadsworth for coming to join us. Fr Wadsworth knows the Extraordinary Form well and we are looking forward to a wonderful celebration of these Mysteries of our salvation.”

Introductory Post

I have been aware of numerous rumblings in recent months regarding the Latin Mass Society (most of which have been incredibly one-sided). Recent attention has been fixed on their committee meeting of 7th March 2009, which culminated in the resignation of several prominent members, most notably the Chairman and Treasurer. Clearly everyone is interested in the great changes afoot. But what most people will have been oblivious to is the motion carried forward that I would be assistant Diocesan Representative for the LMS!

Therefore I am happy to introduce myself as new LMS rep for the Birmingham and Black Country area.

We have been blessed in this locale for many years with the Birmingham Oratory, whose Fathers offer the Extraordinary Form every Sunday and Holy Day. It has almost been unnecessary for an LMS rep to operate in this area. However, it has also been remarkable how things have changed since the release of Summorum Pontificum: the Oratory used to have Tridentine Masses at 12.45 in the cramped cloister chapel. But after Christmas 2007, the Mass was moved into the main church at 9.30am. Numbers have inevitably increased from about 20 to between 50 and 80 people. On occasions when we have had a High Mass in the Extraordinary Form (on those Holy Days transferred in the new calendar) attendance has been exceptional at about 200. Whilst still modest in comparison with other Parish Masses, this provides an excellent basis on which to develop interest in the Traditional Latin Mass. The Oratory has also been recently blessed with the addition of Fr Anton Guziel (right) who is well known amongst traditionalist circles. I am encouraging the regular Low Mass by producing a tailored Mass booklet (the Oratory have already produced an excellent one for their High Masses) which I hope to make available after Easter. This will make it much more accessible for newcomers to the Extraordinary Form.

Outside the Oratory there has been very little activity. However, there have been encouraging developments at St Chad’s Cathedral: I arranged a Low Mass for the Feast of the Translation of the Relics of St Chad in a side chapel, which was practically the first such Mass to have taken place since the 1970s. The LMS also had a regional reps meeting at the Cathedral, where Fr Paul Chavasse said Low Mass at the new Altar in the Cathedral’s main sanctuary (left). With such permission, I hope that in coming months and years we can build upon this. It would great to see more Traditional Masses being said at the many unused High Altars in Birmingham's rich repertoire of unspoilt churches.

If anyone wishes to be on my mailing list to keep abreast of news in this area, please get in touch

(It should be noted that the Oratory often has extra EF Masses, including High Masses, at quite short notice eg. Low Mass for Ash Wednesday, Sung Mass for anniversary of Cardinal Pole's death... so it would be of real benefit to be part of this network.)

Regular EF Masses at the Oratory:
Sundays Low Mass 9.30am
Holy Days of Obligation: Generally, Low Mass 11am weekday
N.B. If transferred in the new calendar (eg. Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Ascension), the external solemnity is observed on the traditional feast day with a Solemn High Mass at 8pm (or 11am if on a Saturday)
Feel free to enquire with me.

Monday 30 March 2009

National Events

April

20-23 Ushaw Training Conference

May

Sat. 23 Guild of St Gregory Pilgrimage and High Mass (2.30pm) at West Grinstead

June

Sat 6 Fr Goddard’s first Mass in London at St James’ Spanish Place

Sat 20 AGM (11am probably) and Annual High Mass (2.00pm)

Downside High Mass

July

Sat 11 Day of Recollection at Ware

Sun 12 National Pilgrimage to Holywell Mass at 2.00pm Bishop Rifan celebrant

August

2-9 St Catherine's Trust Summer School

Sat 15 Welsh Pilgimage to Shrine of Our Lady of the Taper

24-28 London Colney Training Conference

September

Sat 5 Pilgrimage to Glastonbury Mass at 12 noon Benediction 2.15pm

Sat 12 National Pilgrimage to Walsingham

Sat 26 Southwark Diocese Pilgrimage to Aylesford? tbc

November

Sat 7 Confirmations at St James’ Spanish Place 11.00am

Sat 14 Dio Reps meeting am Annual Requiem in Westminster Cathedral 2.00pm

Towards Advent Westminster Cathedral Hall

Sat14/Sun15 Una Voce Rome Conference

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