Regional Poster

Here is an A4 poster I produced for various reasons. If you want to support and publicise the Masses we arrange in the West Midlands, and if you have a decent colour printer with A4 glossy paper, perhaps you would consider printing it and displaying in your Parish (with your pastor's permission of course)? It shows all the various activities the LMS have done in the West Midlands, as well as Masses at the Oratory, and even a pilgrimage to Walsingham. There is also a sneaky picture of our new Archbishop at one of the LMS events in London. Enjoy!

Birmingham LMS Poster

Westminster Pontifical Requiem

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

21 November 2009

Westminster Bishop celebrates Traditional Mass for the First Time as the Latin Mass Society Celebrates Its Annual Requiem Mass in Westminster Cathedral

The Rt Rev. Alan Hopes, auxiliary bishop in Westminster, celebrated a High Mass of Requiem in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 14 November for the repose of the souls of all deceased members and supporters of the LMS. Father Andrew Southwell was Assistant Priest, Fr Michael Cullinan was Deacon and the Sub-deacon was Fr Michael Dunne of the cathedral staff. Gordon Dimon of the LMS was MC. Bishop Hopes also preached on the theme of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as a bridge between the saving events of Our Lord’s Passion and the men and women of our own time with all their hopes and fears.

A congregation of some hundreds heard the men of the Cathedral Choir sing the plainsong Requiem Mass together with the plainsong Adore Te Devote at Communion.

The Mass was followed by the traditional ceremonies of Absolutions at the Catafalque and before Mass, a wreath was laid by Mr Kingsley Lewis, Deputy Chairman of the LMS, and other LMS members on the grave of Cardinal Heenan in the cathedral nave in thanksgiving for the Cardinal’s efforts to preserve the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Father Andrew Southwell read prayers for the occasion.

John Medlin, General Manager of the LMS, said afterwards: “This was the first time that Bishop Hopes had celebrated the Traditional Mass and the LMS is most grateful to him for the great care he took in learning the Rite. We also thank Canon Christopher Tuckwell, the Cathedral Administrator, and his staff for the friendly welcome we always receive in the cathedral”.

Note: The Extraordinary Form has now returned to many of our cathedrals throughout England and Wales and the LMS is actively seeking to introduce further Masses.

. . . . ENDS . . . .

Traditional Confirmations

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

12 November 2009

Westminster bishop confers Traditional Rite confirmations

Bishop George Stack, auxiliary bishop in Westminster, administered Confirmations in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Rite) at St James’ Church, Spanish Place, London W1 on Saturday 7 November. 32 candidates received the sacrament – 27 children and 5 adults. This was the sixth year of the annual ceremony organised by the Latin Mass Society.

As usual, permission for the Old Rite Confirmations had been given by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, now Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster.

The candidates’ day began with a catechetical meeting in the Lady Chapel with Bishop Stack. The Confirmation ceremony followed and the liturgical ceremonies were concluded with Pontifical Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The choir and organist of Spanish Place provided the music, and a large congregation of over 400 family and friends joined them in singing the Veni Creator Spiritus and other traditional hymns. During the anointing, the choir sang polyphony and plain chant.

After the ceremonies, a reception for the bishop and congregation was held in the crypt. Bishop Stack met and chatted with the newly-confirmed and their families and cut the celebratory cake.

Doctor Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society, thanked Bishop Stack for his pastoral concern for those attached to the Extraordinary Form and led the families and children in a rousing round of applause.

. . . . ENDS . . . .

Solemn High Requiem

It was a bold undertaking. A Solemn High Requiem in the simple parish church of West Bromwich with a considerably reordered sanctuary, including no footpace around the freestanding Altar. A short complement of servers meant the MC had to double as the thurifer! He did a great job in the circumstances.

But with all this, over 150 were present on the rainy evening to see the sanctuary transformed with an array of unbleached candles (four on the altar itself and a further two shelved next to the newly-veiled tabernacle). A brand-new set of black-framed Requiem Altar cards had pride of place on the Altar. The choir ensemble 1685 sang a beautiful rendition of Richafort's Requiem. The Dies Irae was sung with the congregation for alternate verses. A Newman hymn ("Help Lord the souls which Thou hast made") was sung after the Last Gospel with great gusto.

Overall it was an exceedingly successful occasion. Prayers were offered up for all the deceased parishioners of the church, including its founding pastor Hon Fr George Spencer, ancestor of Lady Diana. My thanks go out to everyone involved.

Photos are up on the LMS photostream (embeded below) and hopefully a DVD recording of the occasion will be available in due course. If you are interested in obtaining a copy please get in touch.

Mass of Ages Report: November 2009

News from the Dioceses
(Birmingham & Black Country)

Mass of Ages Magazine
November 2009

Once again we had a successful Solemn High Mass at West Heath, this time for the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr George Grynowski, after attending the London Colney priests training conference, was celebrant. He will also offer Low Masses in his parish church of St John Fisher on the first Friday of every month at 7pm, starting in November.

We have an exciting event coming for November 4th: a Solemn High Requiem in West Bromwich with an outside choir singing Jean Richafort’s Requiem in memoriam Josquin Des Prez from 1532. This will be the first such occasion in the UK, and marks the return of the Latin Mass to the Black Country! We pray that it will be well received by the parish.