St Patrick

Coming up this Wednesday, if I can find a priest available (you think I'm joking?) will be a Low Mass for St Patrick at 6pm at the parish of St Michael the Holy Angels, West Bromwich.

This parish will now be fully equipped for this Mass, right down to the last Maniple. Nothing imported from the Oratory! Altar cards of beautiful quality have been rediscovered, as well as three useable Missals (including one from 1738!). Incidentally, none of these have St Joseph biro'd into the Canon, which must mean the Parish's Missal in use around 1962-65 was probably disposed of. The other Missals probably only survived because they were boxed away in storage. I hope I will be able to show you some photos of the Altar setup soon, which is in permanent display.

Here is the Mass sheet for wednesday. The feast of St Patrick has its own Collect, and the other prayers are from the common of Confessor Bishops.

St Patrick

The One Hundred Mark

The numbers at Sunday Low Mass continue to increase steadily. Last Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Lent, it went above one hundred people. Attendence is counted at every Mass at the Oratory, and I will perhaps analyse some of the figures to show some effect of Summorum Pontificum in preparation for the three-year report which will be submitted to Rome. Considering this Mass started out as 15-20 people in a separate chapel, I think this is certainly a sign of renewal in the traditional Mass. It is also encouraging to always see new faces, and more families coming. I find, myself with a young family, the Latin Low Mass is a real haven of spirituality which can nurture in a child the sense of the sacred space which Mass should be about. Besides the sermon, people aren't listening out for what's being said or what's going on - it is about prayer which I think helps us to be less distracted by every little noise.

Sacred Heart

The Mass at West Heath this Friday at 7pm will be a Low Mass of the Sacred Heart, as is customary on the first friday of the month. I have uploaded the Mass sheet which will be available there.

Sacred Heart (Lent) Mass sheet

Ash Wednesday

I have prepared an A5 booklet (which fits onto one double-sided sheet of A4) with all the prayers for Low Mass tomorrow. It is not available from my usual source, so I thought I'd make it available here.

Ash Wednesday

I wish you all a blessed Advent penance...

LATIN MASS SOCIETY PRESS RELEASE. 15 FEBRUARY 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAUNCH OF THE GREGORIAN CHANT NETWORK

A new organisation – The Gregorian Chant Network - has been launched to organise training in Gregorian Chant and to link singers and choirs singing Gregorian Chant for the Catholic liturgy, with the support of the Latin Mass Society, Una Voce Scotland, the Association for Latin Liturgy, and the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge.

On Saturday 30th January, at a meeting at the London Oratory, 35 Chant directors, Gregorian Chant experts, and interested parties, including representatives from more than twenty Gregorian Chant scholas from all parts of England, Wales, and Scotland, and the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, met to launch a new association to coordinate and promote Gregorian Chant training initiatives, and to facilitate mutual support, both moral and practical, among chant scholas. They were addressed by Dr Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society, which sponsored the meeting, and Colin Mawby, the composer and former Director of Music at Westminster Cathedral. The meeting ended with Vespers in the Little Oratory, led by Fr Anthony Alexander.

Dr Shaw introduced the Gregorian Chant Network and outlined its practical work, which was further discussed in an open forum. Mr Mawby gave a paper on the importance of Chant, and led a practical session on conducting a chant schola.

The Gregorian Chant Network (GCN) is supported by the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales (LMS), and its Scottish equivalent, Una Voce Scotland, the Association for Latin Liturgy (ALL), and the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge. The LMS and UV Scotland promote the use of the usus antiquior of the Roman Rite (the Traditional Latin Mass). The ALL promotes the use of Latin in the liturgy in both forms of the Roman Rite. The Schola Gregoriana, which was founded by the late Dr Mary Berry CBE, provides training in the Chant, sings at events (including Mass in both forms of the Roman Rite) across the country, and has a programme of recording CDs.

The GCN’s first training event will be a three-day course at the Oratory School, Reading, 9-11th April, directed by Nick Gale, the Director of Music at Southwark Cathedral. The course will cater for beginners and more advanced singers alike.

More details can be found on the GCN website:

http://www.gregorianchantnetwork.org/

Email: chantnetwork@googlemail.com

Background

The Gregorian Chant Network is unique in the UK as a collaboration between groups which promote the Traditional Latin Mass (the LMS and UV Scotland), a group primarily associated with the New Mass (the ALL), and a group of professional singers (the Schola Gregoriana).

Gregorian Chant is called for in both the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ forms of the Mass, with Vatican II calling for it to have ‘pride of place in liturgical services’. In the fifty years leading up to the Council the Chant underwent a widespread renaissance in the Church, with the help of scholarly work of the monastery of Solesmes in France. Following the Council, however, Chant fell out of widespread use in the Catholic liturgy. In the context of the renewed interest in the liturgy stimulated by Pope Benedict XVI, interest in the Chant is growing once more. The spread of the Traditional Mass, allowed greater freedom under Pope Benedict’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, is creating a greater demand for the Chant, which is required for its sung forms. The ‘Reform of the Reform’ movement, which seeks to improve the Mass promulgated in 1969, has also led to the restoration of Chant in many churches.

The repertoire of Gregorian Chant includes much music composed for the Mass between the 4th and the 8th Centuries, and chants for the Office which go back to the time of Christ and earlier. It is written in square notes on a four-line stave, from which modern musical notation developed, and requires special skills for its interpretation and performance. It was described by Vatican II and Pope Pius X as specially suited to the Roman liturgy.

For further information contact John Medlin at the LMS: 020 7404 7284
(info@latin-mass-society.org)

Mass of Ages Report: February 2010

News from the Dioceses

(Birmingham & Black Country)

Mass of Ages Magazine

February 2010

The High Mass of Requiem for the parish in West Bromwich was attended by over 150 people, mostly from the local area. The guest choir of ensemble 1685 sang the Polyphonic Requiem of Jean Richafort magnificently, with the congregation joining in with plainchant Dies Irae. A DVD/Video is available for £5, please contact me for details. I am looking into having regular Low Masses at this church in the future.

I had the opportunity of attending the installation of our new Archbishop Bernard Longley; he seemed pleased to see a representative of the LMS when I met him afterwards (see page 21).

We managed a Missa Cantata at 4pm on Christmas Eve, which was the first Mass of Christmas at the Oratory and had 170 people in attendance! Numbers at regular masses also continue to increase, with the EF Mass clearly having established itself as a normal part of parish life.

The First Friday Mass at West Heath has started well on our cold dark evenings, with about twenty people attending. Fr George said Benediction on the first day of 2010 with a litany of the Holy Name.

Requiem DVD

I have managed to produce a DVD of the Solemn High Requiem Mass at West Bromwich, and it is almost available if you want a copy. I would be happy to take orders for this, which is at a cost price of £5 with the generous permission of ensemble 1685 who own the copyright to the singing (the high renaissance polyphonic setting Requiem in Memoriam Josquin Desprez written by Jean Richafort, with plainchant).

The DVD is professionally presented in a printed box containing a full translation booklet which is chapter indexed. Also on the DVD is a short 6-minute promotional edit which gives a great feel for the sights and sounds of the Traditional Latin Mass (see below). Lastly on the DVD I have included a short slideshow of photographs taken of the Mass.

Please note this DVD will not be available from anywhere else.

a capella contribution © ensemble 1685: www.ensemble1685.org.uk

Happy New Year!

We celebrated the first day of the new year, and the Octave of Christmas, in West Heath as part of the regular First Friday Mass in the Extraordinary form at 7pm. Fr George Grynowski offered Benediction with the Litany of the Holy Name, and preached about the importance of offering sacrifices for blasphemy against the holy name of Jesus, which is so prevalent. I hasten to agree, even in my own slip of the tongue.

Tonight was probably the poorest I have ever served Mass! I thought I had cracked Low Mass but I was indeed greatly humbled. Part of serving Mass should be about being 'invisible' and enabling the Priest more easily to keep his mind on the great sacrifice being offered, without becoming a pest or a distraction. I think I was both!

My best wishes for 2010 and I hope to meet more of you soon.

St Thomas of Canterbury

Yesterday's High Mass was celebrated by Fr Anton Guziel of the Oratory, I think his first High Mass according to the 1962 books since moving to Birmingham. In this respect it was quite novel; a novice celebrant with the Provost as Deacon.The Subdeacon was diocesan Priest Fr George Grynowski, who also celebrates the Traditional Mass in his Parish of West Heath. Fr Guy Nichols led a small schola with plainchant setting accompanied by organ. There were about five Priests in choir, as well as the new Oratorian novice. It was expertly MC'd by Andrew Wagstaff better known for his services down south, and a Brother of the Little Oratory in London.

Unfortunately the turn-out in the nave was very poor, and communion was over in no time. I'm sorry I was not able to advertise it a bit more widely than just this blog. People seem to travel a long way for a High Mass, even from neighbouring counties, and especially during such a holiday season.

However, for another chance to participate in a High Mass as said prior to the reformed Missal, please come along to celebrate Epiphany on its traditional feast day of January 6th at 8pm.

Christmas Report

The Night Mass of Christmas (which was the Midnight Mass but at 4pm on Christmas Eve) was a great success. Nearly 180 people turned up to the Oratory for the first Mass of Christmas, well in excess of the expected number. It was a Missa Cantata, which was possible thanks to Mr Oliver Hayes; he organised music, lead a small schola of three men, and even provided organ accompaniment for the first time after months of painstaking practice, for the Latin hymns Veni Redemptor Gentium, Quem Pastores and Adeste Fideles.

I am very grateful to the Oratory Fathers (in particular Fr Philip Cleevely who sung the Mass) for indulging our desire to make a really special celebration of this feast day, which has been a Low Mass in previous years. It included High Mass ceremonial (two acolytes, a thurifer, MC Colin Tunnicliffe, and even four torch bearers: left), showing just what is possible with no budget but lots of willing volunteers bringing their gifts to the service of the Lord.

The Low Mass on Christmas morning (right) also took place in St Philip's Chapel at 9.30am, with thirty people filling it nicely. It has been noted that since Summorum Pontificum, the Extraordinary Form of Mass has become more of a natural part of the Oratory Parish, with new faces attending all the time, numbers increasing, and the Mass sheets really helping people participate in the Proper Prayers for each feast.

This latter aspect is only a small investment to help the success of the Latin Mass in Parishes, with a free downloadable accompaniment to the infamous 'red booklet' available for each major feast from Una Voce. At the Oratory we use our own purpose written ordinary booklets to make it easier to follow; one for Low Mass and one for High Mass. I simply adapt the Mass sheets to suit these. Here is the one I used for Christmas Eve, which was unusually two sheets of A4 to fit both the Latin Hymns and also the Gregorian notation for Missa de Angelis, which allowed the congregation to participate in both:

Nativity Night

Christmastide Masses

BIRMINGHAM ORATORY

First Mass of Christmas

Thursday, December 24th at 4pm (Sung Mass in the Main Church)

Mass at Dawn

Friday, December 25th at 9.30am (Low Mass in St Philip's Chapel)

St Stephen Protomartyr
Saturday, December 26th at 9.30am (Low Mass in St Philip's Chapel)

Sunday within the Octave Commemoration of St John Apostle & Evangelist

December 27th at 9.30am (Low Mass in the Main Church)

St Thomas Becket (of Canterbury) Bishop, Martyr (Patron of English Pastoral Clergy)
Tuesday, December 29th at 11am (Solemn High Mass in the Main Church)

Octave Day of the Nativity

Friday, 1st January 2010 at 9.30am (Low Mass in the Main Church)

ST JOHN FISHER, West Heath

Octave Day of the Nativity

Low Mass: Friday, 1st January 2010 at 7pm (Preceded by Benediction at 6.30pm TBC)

EPIPHANY at the Birmingham Oratory

N.B. Solemn High Mass at 8pm (Wednesday January 6th 2010)

St Thomas Becket High Mass

I didn't originally think it was going ahead, but due to the success of previous years the Birmingham Oratory Fathers will once again hold a Solemn High Mass for the feast of St Thomas of Canterbury.

Tuesday, December 29th at 11am

It is a popular Mass for Priests in the Diocese to come and visit the Birmingham Oratory. This year it will hopefully be a chance for Fr Richard Duffield, the soon-to-be Provost of the Birmingham Oratory, to meet everyone as well.

St Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury who was martyred in his Cathedral in 1170 due to his conflict with King Henry II over the rights and privileges of the Church in England. To me it is almost a savage precursor of the havoc wrought against Catholicism 400 years later by his namesake King Henry VIII.

Archbishop Bernard Longley

Today I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the installation of the new Archbishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley. I was in attendence in my capacity as Representative for the Latin Mass Society, and it was a wonderful opportunity. I have not time or the space on this blog to write a full report, but I shall do so in due course on Lacrimarum Valle.

"With faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the love of God in my heart, I accept the pastoral care of the People of God in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. I promise to serve faithfully the Church in this Archdiocese, preach the Gospel, and celebrate the Eucharist."

- Archbishop Bernard Longley accepting the Apostolic Letter at today's Installation

Tota Pulchra Es María!

This morning we had a beautiful Low Mass at the Lady Altar of the Birmingham Oratory, for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated by Fr Anton Guziel.

It is not very often we are fortunate enough to have such an intimate affair at this beautiful side altar, and as the Patronal Feast of both the Oratory and the Archdiocese, it was a fitting occasion to pray for the benefits of both. A second Collect was said, I assume for the newly installed Archbishop of Birmingham Bernard Longley.

Alleluia, alleluia. Tota pulcha es, María: es mácula originális non est in te. Alleluia.

Thou art all fair, O Mary, and there is in thee no stain of original sin. Alleluia.

Immaculate Conception

Tuesday, December 8th 2009

Low Mass (Birmingham Oratory) 11am

Solemn High Mass in Evesham at 7pm

(Our Lady & St Egwin, High Street, Evesham)

Please also remember to pray for our new Archbishop, Bernard Longley, who will be enthroned (or 'installed', like a new version of Windows) on this feast day at 12noon in St Chad's Cathedral. I am lucky enough to be able to watch it over at the Sally Ann live on a big screen! I hope they have Popcorn!

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.