High Mass of Exposition at the Birmingham Oratory

It is the Quarant' Ore devotion at the Birmingham Oratory this week, beginning with High Mass of Exposition in the Extraordinary Form at 7pm on Tuesday 15th October. It ends with Extraordinary Form Sung Vespers of the Blessed Sacrament (Mozart Vesperae Solennes de Confessore K 339) at 7pm on Thursday 16th October concluding with procession and Benediction. Of course, EF Sung Vespers and Benediction also happens every Sunday at the Oratory at 4.30pm before the 5.30pm Mass in English.

Picture courtesy of Oratory website

The full schedule is as follows:

Tuesday 15th October
7.00pm High Mass of Exposition Procession and Benediction
11.00pm Deposition

Wednesday 16th October
7.30am Mass
8.00am Exposition
12.30pm Mass
8.00pm Conducted Holy Hour
9.00pm Sung Compline
11.00pm Deposition 

Thursday 16th October 
7.30am Mass
8.00am Exposition
12.30pm Mass
7.00pm Sung Vespers of the Blessed Sacrament 

Please note that all other Masses (at 7.30am and 12.30pm on Wednesday and Thursday) will be in English. If you do manage to spend some time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, could I please request that you keep the activities of the Birmingham and Black Country Latin Mass Society in your prayers.

October Mass Changes

The view towards Halewsowen from outside Our Lady and St Kenelm

There are several temporary changes to the Masses in October. Firstly, Fr George is away which means that the first Monday Mass in Redditch in neighbouring Worcestershire and the Friday Masses scheduled for the 11th and 18th October at West Heath have been cancelled. I was hoping to get some cover for the latter Masses, but unfortunately this was not possible. Alternative Friday provision is available at the Birmingham Oratory and Wolverhampton. The 18th also sees the beginning of the Retreat on the Theology and Spirituality of the Traditional Mass in Pantasaph, which may be an alternative if you are able to attend for the whole weekend.

Towards the end of the month there are also some amendments to the Masses at Halesowen: the Mass on the 23rd is cancelled, and the Mass on the 30th has been moved to 8am in the morning. I am now getting quarterly updates on the Halesowen Masses and will be updating the calendar in the sidebar with any changes of which I am aware. However, I would still recommend you ring up beforehand (telephone number 0121 602 1972) if you plan to attend because there can be some last minute changes and I myself was caught out earlier this year when I travelled to Halesowen for the noon Mass only to find out that it had been moved at the last minute to 8am. I took the opportunity to take the photo above.

Changing Times

The above is a photo I came across via Twitter, from a 1942 LIFE magazine, showing a priest taking Holy Communion to the sick. He is being led by an altar boy carrying a candle; a sight we are unlikely to see nowadays. H/T The Deacons Bench.

Another post I came across via Twitter was an article entitled Why I'm Not a Traditionalist (But We're Going to Latin Mass Anyways...). I offer it here merely as a prompt for discussion. It strikes me that as we end the month where we celebrated the sixth anniversary of Summorum Pontificum, and with the ongoing and neverending discussions about the liturgical tastes of Pope Francis, one of the things we seem to have lost is how Pope Benedict's Motu Proprio on the Latin Mass introduced the EF to a generation who would never have experienced it otherwise and would not necessarily describe themselves as "Traditionalists". I know people influenced by the charismatic movements who are increasingly becoming liturgically more "traditional" when it comes to the Mass, often as a result of an opportunity to experience the Extraordinary Form made possible by Summorum Pontificum over the last few years. A Pope may lead by example indeed, but are we underestimating the impact of more local efforts to improve the liturgy?

Don't sit on the sidelines and moan - do your bit and join the Latin Mass Society today.

Pictures from Exaltation of the Holy Cross

 

More available at the following link:

http://www.birminghamoratory.org.uk/photo-gallery/exaltation-of-the-holy-cross/

High Mass for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On Saturday, the Oratory will be having a High Mass at 12 noon for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, followed by a procession and veneration of the Relic of the True Cross. This is of course the sixth anniversary of Summorum Pontificum and so is an excellent opportunity to give thanks for the document which makes so much of the work of the LMS possible. Please note that the 12 noon Mass replaces the Saturday Low Mass at 9.30am.

Saturday also coincides with the Day of Reconciliation: Archbishop Bernard Longley has requested that every parish make confession available between 11am and 12 noon this Saturday so that people can rediscover the beauty of this wonderful sacrament. Interestingly, recent reports suggest that there has been a boom in confessions since the election of Pope Francis. The Oratory will be providing an opportunity for confession between 10am and 12 noon, and 2.30pm to 5.30pm.

'Private' Masses

A 'private' Mass at the Birmingham Oratory

Last week Dr Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society, wrote a blogpost on a document recently released in German and Italian on the importance of priests celebrating Mass daily, even if that means it is celebrated without a congregation, sometimes known as 'private' Masses. The term 'private' Mass of course is no longer used as it is a bit of a misnomer: every Mass is in some sense an act of public celebration of the Church. Coincidentally, the excellent Chasubles and Chalices blog posted some photographs of private Masses that take place at the Birmingham Oratory, including the photograph included on this blogpost. Go to the blog to view the rest.

The Birmingham Oratory sometimes has a 'private' EF Mass on Saturday's at the Altar of Our Lady at around 8-8.30am if you are unable to make the more widely publicised 9.30am EF Mass, but please phone up to check it is on beforehand to avoid a wasted journey.

LMS Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham ‘Best Yet’

The Latin Mass Society’s annual walking pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Walsingham took place over August Bank Holiday weekend. The fourth consecutive year of this event saw 90 people (a 25% per cent rise on last year) undertaking the three-day journey on foot to ‘England’s Nazareth’. The intention of the 55-mile walk, which started in the cathedral city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, was the conversion of England. Pilgrims slept in tents or on the floors of school and village halls along the way and clearly many found it more challenging than they had expected, but all managed to reach the Shrine in time for Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form on the afternoon of Sunday, 25 August.

The pilgrimage procession in Walsingham High Street

Four priests accompanied the pilgrimage. Fr Bede Rowe of Clifton Diocese, presently based at Chavagnes College in France, was chaplain of the pilgrimage. He was joined by Fr Thomas Crean, OP, of Holy Cross Priory, Leicester, Fr John Cahill of Northampton Diocese, and Fr Michael Rowe (no kin) from Australia. In addition, three English seminarians from the Fraternity of St Peter joined the event as well as member of the Dominican community at Blackfriars, Cambridge. Traditional Solemn Mass was celebrated every day of the pilgrimage, most notably at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, a fifteenth century moated manor house and former recusant home, still lived in by the Bedingfeld family.

LMS General Manager, Mike Lord, said: ‘By common consent, this has been the best year for this

The pilgrimage concludes by the Abbey ruins in Walsingham

pilgrimage so far. The overwhelming majority of walkers are young families and young people, showing the continuing vitality of the Traditional Mass and Faith. Many are encountering the Old Rite for the first time and have found the experience of the traditional spirituality of the Roman Rite and the spiritual and physical discipline of a walking pilgrimage an inspiring and transforming experience. Our entrance into Walsingham itself was memorable. On other public pilgrimages organised by the LMS, it is common to encounter hostility in the street, but as we approached the gates of the Abbey grounds to the former site of Lady Richeldis’s Holy House, the response of bystanders was very positive, even awed.’

The LMS plans to release a short film documentary in the early autumn about this year’s pilgrimage to inform and inspire others to join them for next year’s event.

Retreat on the Theology and Spirituality of the Traditional Mass

I have recently added a couple of regional LMS websites to my sidebar. If I am missing any, please leave a comment on this post.

One of the sites I have added, for LMS Wrexham, highlighted a retreat at Pantasaph organised by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest on the Theology and Spirituality of the Traditional Mass, which will take place between the 18th and 20th October. I believe this had been planned before but was cancelled due to a lack of interest, so please think about supporting it if you are able. The cost for the weekend is £90, and it takes place at the Franciscan retreat centre at Pantasaph, a fine setting where I attended the LMS Latin Course last year. For more information, download a flyer and/or booking form.

The ICKSP have recently received a heritage lottery grant for the restoration of their church in the Wirral. A report by the BBC can be found here.

Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham

There will be a Low Mass tomorrow at the Birmingham Oratory at 6pm for the Feast of the Assumption.

If you have not got any plans for the Bank Holiday weekend, perhaps you would consider joining the LMS pilgrimage to Walsingham? Unfortunately, work commitments means I am unable to participate, but I was able to join the Blessed John Paul II pilgrimage organised by the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph last weekend after being informed about it by Joanna Bogle, who writes about her experience here. Having experienced it, I can thoroughly recommend it, although I would suggest you are equipped with a good pair of walking shoes! Above is a picture taken by Sr Theresa of the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham soon after the pilgrims arrived at the Slipper Chapel.

Our Lady of the Snows

Fr George celebrating Mass in Redditch

Due to Fr George's pastoral commitments, this week's Friday Mass (9th August) at West Heath has been cancelled. However, no doubt in part due to the first Friday devotion, we are blessed in the West Midlands with two other regular Friday evening EF Masses at the Oratory at 6pm and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Wolverhampton at 6.30pm. Perhaps if you usually go to West Heath or were thinking of going this week you might consider one of these alternatives instead - more details are available in the sidebar.

It was, however, possible to satisfy the weekly fix of a Fr George EF Mass tonight as he celebrated the first Monday Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Redditch (pictured above), a satellite town of Birmingham which strictly speaking falls under Worcestershire but has obvious links with our area. In the Novus Ordo, the Optional Memoria today is the Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major. Until 1969 though and therefore in the 1962 Missal, it was known as Dedicatio Sanctæ Mariæ ad Nives (Dedication of the Church of Our Lady of the Snows), based on the following (probably) mythical story:

There lived in the Eternal City a nobleman, John and his childless wife, who had been blessed with much of this world’s goods. They chose the Mother of God as the heir to their fortune, and at the suggestion of Pope Liberius, prayed that she might make known to them how to do this by a particular sign.

In answer, the Virgin Mother during the night of August 5, appeared to John and his wife and also to the Holy Father, Pope Liberius, directing them to build a church in her honor on the crown of the Esquiline Hill. And what would be the sign that John and his wife had requested?

“Snow will cover the crest of the hill.”

Snow rarely falls in Rome, but the flakes fell silently during that night, blanketing the peak of the historic hill. In the morning the news quickly spread and crowds gathered to throng up the hill and behold the white splendor. The snow had fallen in a particular pattern, showing the outline of the future church. When it became known that the snow was a sign from Mary, the people spontaneously added another to her long list of titles, Our Lady of the Snows.

The doctrine of Theotokos, Mary as the Mother of God, was defined dogmatically at the Council of Ephesus in 431. Pope Sixtus III (432-440) erected a basilica at Rome on the Esquiline Hill in honour of the Mother of God which later became know as St Mary Major, the oldest church in the west dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.

The New Evangelisation

Sunday High Mass at the Birmingham Oratory, Advent 2011

Fr Z picks up on the theme of the New Evangelisation by drawing on an article from the Archdiocese of Miami which shows how, ironically, the Old Rite is drawing young people back to the Church and even attracting converts. Of particular interest to our area is the following:

Likewise, his girlfriend, Vida Tavakoli, knew she had found her home in the Catholic Church when she first attended Latin Mass in England.

Formerly an atheist, her aversion toward religion changed at the end of her college career, when she became a Protestant. During her post-collegiate travels she became resolute in converting to Catholicism after attending a Missa Cantata, or sung Mass, in the parish of her favorite author, J.R.R. Tolkien, a devout Catholic who penned the “Lord of the Rings” series.

The parish of J.R.R Tolkien which celebrates an Old Rite Missa Cantata? Surely it can only be our very own Birmingham Oratory, which appears to be sowing the seeds of Traditional Catholicism not only in our area but across the world?

As one of the younger generation who is attracted to the Traditional Mass, I am under no illusion about the challenges we face in our changing society over the next few years and decades. As a recent article in the New Statesman puts it:

Take, for example, the results of a YouGov poll of "Generation Y" released yesterday. Only 25 per cent say that they believe in God, as opposed 38 per cent who definitely don't. It may not be surprising that fewer than ten per cent attend religious worship on anything like a regular basis (at least once a month) but one finding stands out starkly. 41 per cent thought that religion was the cause of more harm than good in the world. Only 14 per cent (a considerably smaller figure than that for belief in God) thought that religion was, on balance, a good thing. Richard Dawkins and the other "New Atheists" would seem to have got their message across.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the experiments of the last forty years, under the cover of but not necessarily mandated by the Second Vatican Council, have spectacularly failed in attracting new people to the Church and if anything, have helped push those already in the Church away from her. If we are going to win the culture wars with the aggressively anti-religious secularists, we are going to have to draw on the treasures that have served us well for hundreds if not thousands of years.

The Birmingham Oratory has a High Mass every Sunday at 10.30am, and Low Masses on Friday at 6.30pm and Saturday at 9.30am. See the sidebar for further details.

Recent Mass Reports

I forgot to take my camera but here is a photograph taken with my mobile phone of the Annual High Mass on the Old Rite Feast for St John Fisher and St Thomas More at St John Fisher Church in West Heath. Around 25 people were in attendance, with around eight in the choir and seven on the sanctuary. I managed to meet Columb and Merryn Howell, the longstanding reps for Worcestershire, at the buffet after.

I also managed to attend the weekly 6pm EF Mass at the Birmingham Oratory last night which was attended by around fourteen people.

After several problems, a calendar of local EF Masses has been added to the sidebar and now contains the correct times, but particularly for the Halesowen Mass and for Masses at all churches over the summer, please check with the parish before travelling.

Annual High Mass for St John Fisher and St Thomas More

West Heath High Mass 2010

Fr George welcomes us once again to St John Fisher at West Heath on Tuesday 9th July 2013 at 7pm for  High Mass in honour of the patron saint of the parish and his fellow English martyr St Thomas More. The photo above is from the same Mass in 2010 - there are better pictures but I chose this one because it includes me as the server at the back on the right, the only time I have attended this Mass and indeed served in the Extraordinary Form.

Mass will be celebrated by Fr Richard Duncan of the Birmingham Oratory with Fr Jan Nowotnik acting as Deacon and Brother Andrew of the Oratory as Subdeacon. Music will be provided by the Oratory, ably led by Oliver Hayes, and refreshments will be provided in the parish hall after Mass. A High Mass organised by a parish is a rare thing so I do hope you will be able to support this endeavour. Low Mass takes place here every Friday at 6.30pm - see the sidebar for further details and directions.

Speaking of the Oratory - I believe there will be a Low Mass at 6pm tonight for the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Missa Cantata for St Peter and St Paul

Just a reminder that the weekly 9.30am Mass at the Birmingham Oratory tomorrow will be a Missa Cantata for the Feast of St Peter and St Paul.

First Monday Redditch Mass - One-off Change for July

Earlier this year, in his last act on this blog, Dr Matthew Doyle advertised a Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redditch, which normally takes place on the first Monday of the month. Due to Fr George's commitments, the next Mass will take place on the second Monday of the month, 8th July 2013, as a one-off.


View Larger Map

Around a dozen or so people are turning up to this Mass at the moment, which is good but could be better. We do not have a Monday Mass in the Birmingham area so perhaps if you live in South Birmingham (or further!) you would consider supporting it.

Annuntio Vobis Gaudium Magnum: Habemus...

It has been just over a month since I was appointed the Latin Mass Society Representative for Birmingham and the Black Country but I have had so many events to post about I have not had time to properly introduce myself. Cardinal Tauran, who famously announced Pope Francis' election to the Papacy, was in Birmingham on Saturday as part of his duties as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and so I thought it might be an appropriate time to reveal who I am, especially as I introduced myself in my new capacity to the Archbishop of Birmingham outside St Chad's Cathedral after a special Vespers for the occasion on Sunday (the occasion of course being the visit of Cardinal Tauran and not my appointment as Birmingham LMS rep):

Archbishop Bernard Longley and I (right)

His Grace and I were honoured to be in the presence of Radley Russell (centre left) who you may know from his roles in such BBC dramas as White Van Man and Doctors, not to mention his appearances as an extra in such acclaimed American series such as Desperate Housewives and The Wire. He also greeted the Pope Emeritus on behalf of the students of Newman University College at Cofton Park a few years ago, but managed to take time out of his busy schedule to be pictured with us.

Cardinal Tauran was reported to be unimpressed at my appointment.

"What do you mean they have appointed that idiot Louis as Birmingham LMS Representative? I must inform the Holy Father at once!"

The pictures are courtesy of Marcin Mazur, photographer to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. If you meet him, can you remind him that he still owes Radley some photos from the Papal Visit.

I still plan to write to local members to introduce myself and the new Assistant Representative in the next couple of weeks.

New Gregorian Chant Group in Stourbridge

As mentioned in the last post, a new Gregorian Chant group will be starting at Our Lady and All Saints Church in Stourbridge on Wednesday 19th June at 7.30pm (please note that the time and date has changed since it was originally advertised).

It will start from the very beginning with the Missa de Angelis, Credo 3 and Pater Noster, designed with young adults who have not had much exposure to this kind of music before in mind (although anyone of any age and ability is welcome to join). The initial plan is for the group to perform at St Chad's Cathedral's 2nd Friday Masses (OF) for young adults, so called because they take place on the 2nd Friday of each month (there is one this Friday 14th June) and hopefully, if the opportunity arises, selected EF Masses in the future.

Two Ways to Learn Gregorian Chant

Have you been inspired by Father Z's recent blogpost, Gregorian Chant Will Save the World? Here are two ways you can learn:

1. A new chant group will begin on Wednesday 19th June 7.30pm at Our Lady and All Saints Church in Stourbridge. Frank Fahey, a very gifted organist and choir master, will be the instructor. It will start from the very beginning with young adults who have not had much exposure to this kind of music in mind, although anyone of any age and ability can join, by learning the Missa de Angelis, Credo 3 and Pater Noster.

2. The LMS, in conjunction with the St Catherine's Trust, organise a Gregorian Chant Course that takes place over the same weekend as the St Catherine's Trust Family Retreat. They have produced a video to advertise the course if you want to have a look at what goes on:


One Weekend in April, Part Two: The Gregorian Chant Network Weekend Course from LMS on Vimeo.

Corpus Christi Sunday in Spetchley

I was not able to make the Corpus Christi Mass at the Birmingham Oratory on the traditional Thursday date, so I went to neighbouring Worcestershire to celebrate Corpus Christi with a Latin Mass and outdoor procession. The weather was glorious!

The Catholic Chapel of St John the Baptist is actually inside Spetchley House and is linked to the parish of St George's in Worcester.

There was a brief procession to the neighbouring disused medieval church.

The disused medieval Anglican Church is currently cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust. Maintaining a church like this can be prohibitively expensive, but would it not be wonderful if the Catholic Church could take it over again?

We ended with a brief period of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction, followed for some by a picnic in the beautiful grounds of Spetchley Park.

Update 09/06/2013: Fr Anthony Talbot's sermon at the Mass is now available here:

Corpus Christi in Birmingham and Worcestershire

For those who wish to celebrate Corpus Christi on the traditional day, there will be a Solemn High Mass and Procession at the Birmingham Oratory on 30th May 2013 at 7pm.

Fr Anthony Talbot will also have a Corpus Christi Mass and Procession at Spetchley Park in neighbouring Worcestershire on Sunday 2nd June. If the weather is good this may be followed by an outdoor picnic in the field afterwards.