Christmas Mass Times 2018

Our Lady's Altar at the Birmingham Oratory
set up for a Rorate Mass

Over the Christmas period, there is inevitably a change to the Mass schedule which is detailed below. On Christmas day itself, there is a choice of three Masses in the region, all at different times and one each in the form of low Mass, Missa Cantata and High Mass! In summary, there is no Mass on Christmas Eve and the Wednesday Halesowen Mass is cancelled. The weekday evening 5.45pm Mass at the Oratory moves to 9am in the morning and there is at least one other low Mass every day during the Octave except on Sunday.

Monday 24th December 2018

No Mass at the Oratory

Tuesday 25th December 2018
Christmas Day
Wolverhampton (OLPS*) 8 a.m.
Low Mass
Wednesbury (SMH#) 9.30 a.m.
Sung Mass
Oratory 10.30 a.m. High Mass


Wednesday 26th December 2018
St Stephen
Oratory 9.00 a.m. Low Mass
Wednesbury (SMH#) 12.00 noon Low Mass
No Mass at Halesowen

Thursday 27th December 2018
St John the Evangelist
Wednesbury (SMH#) 8.00 a.m. Low Mass
Oratory 9.00 a.m. Low Mass

Friday 28th December 2018
Holy Innocents 
Wednesbury (SMH#) 8.00 a.m. Low Mass
Oratory 9.00 a.m. Low Mass
Wolverhampton (OLPS*) 6.30 p.m.  Low Mass

Saturday 29th December 2018
St Thomas Becket
Oratory 9.00 a.m. Low Mass
Wednesbury (SMH#) 11.00 a.m. Low Mass

Sunday 30th December 2018
Oratory 10.30 a.m. High Mass

Monday 31st December 2018
Oratory 9.00 a.m. Low Mass
Lichfield(HC+) 11.00 a.m. Low Mass

Tuesday 1st January 2019
Octave Day of Christmas
Oratory 12.00 noon High Mass
Wednesbury (SMH#) 12.00 noon Low Mass

*OLPS - Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Cannock Road, Wolverhampton, WV10 8PG

#SMH - St Mary on the Hill, St Mary's Road, Wednesbury, WS10 9DL

+HC - Holy Cross, Upper St John Street, Lichfield, WS14 9DX

Oratory directions in sidebar

I wish all readers of this blog a happy and holy Christmas 2018 and New Year 2019

Rorate Masses and the Immaculate Conception

Due to the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Oratorian Blessed Antony Grassi falling on a Saturday this year, there will only be one Rorate Mass at the Birmingham Oratory during Advent at 7.30am on the 22nd December. Instead, on 8th December, High Mass will be celebrated at 11am. There will additionally be a low Mass at the same time in Wednesbury at St Mary-on-the-Hill. On the 15th December, the Feast of the Oratorian Blessed will be celebrated with a Missa Cantata at the usual time of the Saturday Latin Mass of 9am.

Pontifical High Mass 2016 (c) Jozef Lopuszynski

The Immaculate Conception is the patronal feast of the Oratory in Birmingham and so first Vespers will also be celebrated on 7th December at 7.30pm. The music list is as follows:

First Vespers - Friday 7th December 2018

Deus in Adjutorium Padilla

Magnificat I Palestrina

Ave Maria a 5 Morales

High Mass - Saturday 8th December 2018

Missa Alma Redemptoris Victoria

Ave Maris Stella Monteverdi

Alma Redemptoris Victoria

This year, Rorate Masses will also be taking place at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton every Thursday in Advent (6th, 13th and 20th December) at 7am. This is in addition to the weekly 6.30pm Friday Mass.

Directions to these churches are available in the sidebar.

NB This post has been amended to say there will be a Missa Cantata at 9am on the Feast of Blessed Antony Grassi (15th December). This replaces a Rorate Mass at 7.30am that was previously advertised here and in Mass of Ages.

December Lichfield Masses

Fr Anthony Dykes is planning to celebrate two low Masses at Holy Cross, Upper Saint John Street, Lichfield, WS14 9DX in December, on the first and last day of the month:

10am Sat 1st December 2018 - Diocesan Feast of the Blessed Martyrs of Oxford University
11am Mon 31st December 2018 - Transferred Feast of St Thomas of Canterbury

High Mass for Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

There will be a Solemn High Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton at 7.30pm on Friday 9th November for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. This replaces the usual weekly 6.30pm low Mass

News on other Masses this week:

Tuesday 6th November - the usual 5.45pm low Mass at the Birmingham Oratory will be a Missa Cantanta for the Feast of the Oratorian Blessed Salvio Huix

Wednesday- no Mass at Halesowen. There will be a Mass for the dead at St Mary-on-the-Hill, Wednesbury at 6pm

All Saints and All Souls 2018

There are a number of Extraordinary Form Masses in the West Midlands area for All Saints and All Souls which are detailed below and recorded in the calendar on the sidebar.

EF Masses for All Saints (1st November) - Holy Day of Obligation
St Mary-on-the-Hill, Wednesbury Low Mass 6pm
The Birmingham Oratory High Mass 7.30pm (no 5.45pm Mass)

EF Masses for All Souls (2nd November)

St Dunstan's Kings Heath 8am (poster below)
The Birmingham Oratory 8am-11am Low Mass at Holy Souls Altar roughly every half hour (please indicate to server if you wish to receive communion
St Mary-on-the-Hill, Wednesbury 6pm Low Mass
St Augustine's Solihull 6.30pm Low Mass
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Wolverhampton 6.30pm Low Mass
The Birmingham Oratory 7.30pm High Mass of Requiem (no 5.45pm Mass)

The full addresses and directions for these locations can be found in the sidebar.

The Forty Hours Devotion 2018

The annual Forty Hours devotion at the Birmingham Oratory will start on Thursday with High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 7.30pm - this replaces the usual 5.45pm low Mass.

St Edward the Confessor

The Enthronement of Edward the Confessor, opening scene of the Bayeaux Tapestry

In addition to the regular 9am Saturday low Mass at the Oratory, there will be two additional low Masses in the region to celebrate the Feast of St Edward the Confessor.

10am Holy Cross, Upper Saint John Street, Lichfield, WS14 9DX
11am St Mary on the Hill, St Mary's Road, Wednesbury, WS10 9DL

Holy Cross is very close to Lichfield City Railway station, and St Mary on the Hill is just off junction 9 of the M6 (see sidebar for directions) so both are relatively easy to get to regardles of which form of transport you are using.

Pontifical High Mass for the Feast of Cardinal John Henry Newman

Bishop Robert Byrne C.O. will celebrate Pontifical High Mass at the Birmingham Oratory for the feast of its founder, Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman at 7.30pm on the 9th October. EF Vespers will take place the day before at 6.30pm (not 7.30pm as may have previously been advertised).

The Oratory has released its music list for the month of October. Music for the High Mass will include:

Missa Vidi Speciosam Victoria
Laetatus Sum Parry
Vidi Speciosam Victoria

I hope to see as many of you as possible there.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross 2018

High Mass will be celebrated at Birmingham Oratory at 7.30pm this Friday for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This replaces the usual 5.45pm low Mass. Please note that the Mass at Wednesbury on that night, along with the Mass scheduled for tonight, both at 6pm, have had to be cancelled.

Lichfield Mass

Fr Anthony Dykes, the parish priest at Holy Cross, Lichfield has informed me that there will be a low Mass on Saturday 1st September, the feast of St Giles, at 10am. As well as teaching Latin at Oscott seminary, Fr Anthony used to celebrate the EF at St Wulstan's, Wolstanton in North Staffordshire and it is wonderful to see the Extraordinary Form continue in the Lichfield are following the cessation of Masses celebrated at Whittington Barracks at the end of June. Saturday conicides with the local Whittington County Fair during the day and the Lichfield Proms in the evening, so you could make a day of it. It is also my parents 45th wedding anniversary so please remember them in your prayers if you do attend Mass.

Holy Cross, Lichfield (source: Roman Catholic Lichfield)

Please also note the usual weekly Wednesday Mass at Our Lady and St Kenelm in Halesowen, which will take place on the Feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist, will be at 9am tomorrow rather than the usual time of 12 noon.

The Feast of the Assumption

As usual, there is a choice of two Masses in the Extroadinary Form in the region for the Holyday of Obligation of the Assumption: low Mass will be celebrated at Wednesbury at 6pm, and High Mass at the Birmingham Oratory at 7.30pm followed by the Annual Consecration to Our Lady in front of the statue in the cloister. Directions to both of these Masses are available in the sidebar.

The usual Wednesday Mass at Halesowen is cancelled.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and there are four Masses in the region on the proper day if you wish to celebrate this Feast on the proper day in the Extraordinary Form.

There will be a High Mass at St Augustine's Solihull at 6.30pm where the Palestrina Mass will be sung by St Alphege's choir and St Dunstan's choir will help out with the propers.

The Oratory will have a Missa Cantata on at 5.45pm on Friday, and a High Mass on the External Solemnity celebrated on Sunday at 10.30pm

There will be a low Mass at St Mary on the Hil Wednesbury (at 6pm) and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton will have its regular 6.30pm low Mass with Adoration beforehand.

If you are unable to attend on the day or on the Sunday at the Oratory, the third Friday Mass at St Dunstan's (15th June) will be a votive Mass of the Sacred Heart, with the choir using the High Mass at Solihull on the proper date to practice.

Directions to all the parishes are available in the sidebar.

Please also note that the Mass planned for Saturday 9th June at Wednesbury has had to be cancelled because Fr Paul Lester is hoping to attend the ordinations in Warrington.

Corpus Christi Thursday

Corpus Christi Thursday is the only holyday of obligation not restored to its proper date, so Masses for this are only available in the Extraordinary Form (it is the feast of the Visitation in the Ordinary Form). In this region, there will be a 6pm low Mass at St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury, and a 7.30pm High Mass at the Birmingham Oratory which will be followed by an indoor procession and benediction (please note this replaces the usual 5.45pm low Mass).

Please also note that the First Friday Mass at Solihull which should take place on 2nd June has been postponed until the following week (9th June). It will be High Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

Bank Holiday High Mass

There will be a High Mass on Bank Holiday Monday at the Birmingham Oratory for the transferred Feast of St Philip Neri, the founder of the Oratories. His feast is actually the 26th May,  but in the Extraodinary Form calender this falls within the Octave of Pentecost so would need to be transferred to the Monday after Trinity Sunday. This is the first time the principal Mass of the founder of the Oratories has been held in the Extraordinary Form so please do your best to attend if you are at a loose end on the Bank Holiday.

First Mass in the EF

Catholics attached to tradition have just witnessed the ordination of Brother Dominic by his fellow Oratorian Bishop Robert Byrne C.O. Tomorrow his first Mass will be High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 10.30am. There cannot have been many occassions since the reforms that an newly ordained priest has celebrated his first Mass in the EF without being in a exclusively old rite order. First blessings will be available after Mass.

Oratory Music List May 2018

There will be no first Friday Mass at St Augustine's in Solihull this week - however the "third Friday" St Dunstan's Mass is being brought forward to the second Friday (11th May).

There will be a low Mass at St Mary on the Hill Wednesbury at 6pm for the Feast of the Ascension, which has returned to being a holyday of obligation, alongside the 7.30pm High Mass at the Birmingham Oratory.

The Oratory has published its music list for EF Masses in the month of May.

The Transferred Feast of the Annunciation

Thanks to an early Easter, the Annunciation will  be celebrated on the 9th April this year. The Oratory do not offer a High Mass when the Feast of the Annunciation is transferred, but the usual low Mass at 5.45pm will be available (which may be a Missa Cantata for the occassion).

However, there will be a High Mass at 7.30pm at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton. Directions are in the sidebar. An additional low Mass will be offered at 8.00am at St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury.

Please do your best to try and support these Masses.

Holy Week and Easter 2018

The Mass schedule for Holy Week at the Birmingham Oratory is above. Please note the Mass on Maundy Thursday is in the Extraordinary Form, with the usual Mass times on Spy Wednesday and Easter Sunday.

In addition to the above, there will be low Mass at 6.30pm tonight at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton (replacing the Mass that would normally take place on Friday). On Easter Sunday, there will be a low Mass at St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury at 8.30am.

Obviously all the usual Masses on Friday and Saturday will not be celebrated.

I wish all readers of this blog a happy and holy Easter celebration.

St Joseph and Palm Sunday

St Joseph's Altar at the Birmingham Oratory

St Mary on the Hill and the Oratory in Edgbaston will celebrate Mass on the Feast of St Joseph and Palm Sunday for those who are attached to the Extraordinary Form.

There will be a 7.30pm High Mass at the Birmingham Oratory tonight for the Feast of St Joseph - this replaces the usual 5.45pm Low Mass. However, a low Mass will be offered at 6.00pm at St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury. Directions to both churches are available in the sidebar.

On Sunday, High Mass at the Birmingham Oratory will start at the earlier time of 10am to accomodate the procession with palms. Low Mass will also be celebrated at St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury at 8.30am.

The Feast of St Chad

The statue of St Chad in St Chad's Cathedral

The first Friday of March coincides with the Patronal Feast of St Chad, whose relics are found in the Cathedral in Birmingham. Thus in addition to the first Friday low Mass at St Austine's in Solihull at 6.30pm, and the regular Friday Masses at the Oratory and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Wolverhampton at 5.45pm and 6.30pm respectively, there will also be a low Mass at St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury at 8am. Directions to all these Mass centres are available in the sidebar.

Ash Wednesday

There are two EF Masses in the region on Ash Wednesday: there will be low Mass at 8am (not 6pm as mentioned in Mass of Ages) at St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury, and High Mass at 7.30pm at the Oratory.

The usual 5.45pm low Mass at the Oratory, and the weekly/ monthly Wednesday Masses at Halesowen and Maryvale have all been cancelled.

Candlemas 2018

Friday marks the end of Christmas and the anniversary of the founding of the Birmingham Oratory, which will be celebrated with High Mass at 7.30pm (replacing the usual 5.45pm low Mass). As it is the first Friday there will also be a 6.30pm low Mass at St Augustine's in Solihull. Directions for both of these are in the sidebar. For those who prefer a Mass in the morning, there will a low Mass at St Mary on the Hill, Wednesbury, WS10 9DL at 8.00am. St Dunstan's, Kings Heath will also be celebrating Mass in the Extraordinary Form for the first time at 7pm; this will be the first time the parish priest has celebrated the Mass publicly, just a few days after celebrating the 21st anniversary of his ordination. This will be a welcome return of the Extraodinary Form to the South Birmingham deanery since the end of the Masses at St John Fisher in West Heath a few years ago.

The usual 6.30pm Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton has however been cancelled.

Epiphany Masses 2018

Despite the announcement in September from the Bishops Conference of England and Wales that the Epiphany would be reinstated from this liturgical year, due to the practice of transferring holydays which fall on Saturday and Monday to the nearest Sunday (with the exception of Christmas of course), Epiphany will be celebrated on a Sunday for the next three years. The good news is that there are a plethora of EF Masses you can attend to celebrate the Epiphany this year in the Birmingham and Black Country area:

Saturday 6th January 2018
10.00am Low Mass St Mary on the Hill, St Mary's Road, Wednesbury, WS10 9DL
11.00am High Mass Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Cannock Road, Wolverhampton, WV10 8PG
11.00am High Mass Birmingham Oratory, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B16 8UE

External Solemnity (Sunday 7th January 2018)
10.30pm High Mass Birmingham Oratory, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B16 8UE

The 6.30pm first Friday Solihull (low) Mass is also this week.