The two Masses and a stark comparison

If you are a devotee of the new Mass, you may not wish to watch this video. It leaves you in no doubt as to which form of the Mass is the most profound, most reverent and most focused on the Holy Trinity.

There are, however, some OF Masses that have a far greater aura of sanctity than the example shown.
Where Latin is used and the Mass celebrated ad orientem.

But, even so, there is a stark difference between the two.

We should not forget that many priests 'have' to celebrate Mass in the Ordinary Form.

Immense pressure would be brought to bear on them if they attempted to introduce the Mass of all Time, the Latin Mass.

O gentle Jesus, call Thy priests back to Thee. 

Lay open their hearts to hear Thy call, and answer Thy call with fervour and a burning love to lead Thy flocks to Thee. Amen.



New or Old.......what's the difference?

Purely coincidentally, there appears to be a common theme emerging (is that a thread?) among several bloggers in Wales.

One in which I have been drawn into, not by their excellent posts that appeared, more or less at the same time as my rather less illustrious offerings, but by pure providential serendipity (what those in other churches might term 'chance').

The essence of the matter is the well worn case of EF or OF - is there a difference? Is one better than the other?
 Here, I have to say that I have taken the liberty of trying to paraphrase the context of the posts from Ragazzagallese and Lucas Cambrensis and I hope that I have not mis-judged them.

                                          This renders words superfluous

Both writers are young and present interesting views but, Lucas Cambrensis speculated on the fact that, if all Masses today reverted to the old rite, liturgical abuses would still take place.

An interesting point and one that none of us with any degree of certainty, can comment on.

But, he goes on to state that he suspects such abuses were in place prior to the introduction of Mass in the vernacular.

Aha! Here, at last I can claim some degree of expertise because, of course, I was around in those days. Those were the golden days of my youth.

Let me put some perspective on that last statement.
 I was an altar server from the age of five and, from the age of nine, my family home was less than fifty yards from St Michael's and St Martin's Church, Hounslow.

Now Hounslow, for the geographically challenged, lies at the eastern end of London Heathrow Airport's main runway (Are you still with me? Please hang on for a few minutes more).

Priests arrived in Hounslow from all corners of the world, on a weekly basis. We had many fine American priests, French ones, German ones and so on.

And I was in the firing line for the duties of default server.
 Most mornings I would troop into the sacristy never knowing who the celebrant might be or where he was from.

But, in the midst of all this multi-cultural ministry, never once did the words or format of the Mass differ.

Every Mass was the same.

Why?

Well, of course, because the language and words were constant.

But, also, the priest was invisible. He had no identity.

Well that's not quite true. He had the identity of Christ ( but I didn't fully appreciate that then).

And, with such an identity he was, of course, truly Christ like, diminishing his own presence to act as the link between us, the great unwashed and Almighty God.

I don't think you get such an aura of priestly invisibility at a new Mass but I am open to correction as I never (or hardly ever) attend a new Mass; I am not experienced in the ways of the new other than by distant memory.

Of course, there are many theological distinctions between the OF and the EF but I like the late Father Hugh Thwaites' summary of them.

The new Mass, he said, is like water, while the old Mass is milk.

That is a very apt way of comparing the two in my book.




 

Yet another good case for the Latin Mass....

....where are the well balanced and well reasoned cases for the Ordinary Form?

http://www.traditionalcatholicpriest.com/2013/11/19/traditional-priest-humbly-offers-the-holy-sacrifice/

And I agree with the priest who commented on my last post to the effect that the OF Mass, if celebrated reverently and so on, is a thing of beauty. But, diminished beauty when compared with its Extraordinary counterpart.

The Latin Mass or the new Mass...... which?

This video clip presents some (just some) of the differences between the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Mass.

It takes less than ten minutes....it is well worth the time

"But it's so quiet"

This is probably the comment most frequently uttered by those Catholics who attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form for the first time.

And, of course, it is quiet. Why the surprise?

When they go to little Johnny's school to see his solo recorder performance does the audience chatter throughout?

Or, when they attend a live performance (play, ballet, opera) do members of the audience wander around, chatting throughout the performance?

And, before anyone points it out, yes, this is an SSPX priest celebrating Mass....faultlessly!

Something missing?

 

A ten minute film that encapsulates what we have lost.... "architecturally bankrupt" a nice turn of phrase......

 

 

"There's something wrong with the Church..."

A video clip featuring Bishop Fellay of the SSPX...what's not to like?

H/T to California Latin Mass

Yes, I do know that there are difficulties between Rome and Econe but, can you honestly say that +Bernard Fellay is a raging heretic or schismatic?

I have met this man.

He epitomises saintliness. I attended a Mass that he celebrated and I received the Blessed Sacrament from him.

He also, incidentally, consecrated a chalice for my family chapel.

I approached him before Mass with the request (at the time we had a small chapel in Pembrokeshire, where we said a 'dry' mass most Sundays and then had a real Mass whenever a priest came to stay).

Bishop Fellay was most suspicious, wary, I guess, of anything dodgy in the way of sedevacantism or the demonic.

He gave me a thorough interrogation; this was not going to be easy.

"Why are you having Mass in a private chapel?"

"Why do you not attend a normal Latin Mass?"

"Who is this priest who comes to say Mass for you?"

Eventually he said: "Come back and see me after Mass, I will give the matter some thought"

He walked off with my precious chalice in his hands.

And, when I went to the sacristy after Mass he told me that he was prepared to consecrate the chalice. Phew!

But first, he had to write out an attestation of consecration - in Latin - fluently and without thinking, as if it were his first language.

A fragment of Catholic history - Bishop Fellay's note of consecration
for a chalice

I am not, by choice an SSPX follower.
25 years ago they were the only option for a traditional Catholic family living hundreds of miles from the bright city lights.

The Society carries it's own agenda of problematical issues, foremost of which, is the puritanical attitude of some of their priests.

But, can you really fault them?

If you stood one SSPX priest alongside one of our OF only priests you might be shocked at the physical distinction, let alone the spiritual.

The Society priests bear the mark of the cross and it shows in their faces and in their demeanour and, who knows, before long we might all be beating a path to their door.

The EF Mass 'cannot' be banned

In my previous post I speculated on a Plan B if the unthinkable happened and the Latin Mass was banned.

It was a speculation.

I hope that it will never happen and, yes, I do know that it 'cannot' be banned but, sometimes life throws a googly at you and the impossible becomes possible.

I would like to thank those who commented and to post here, a comment made by a young Catholic woman named Hannah.

If there is anything to make me feel on top of the world (apart from two pints of Rev James), it is to see the witness of young Catholics.

Here is Hannah's comment, I hope she will forgive me for bringing it to the fore:-


"The Traditional Latin Mass cannot be banned and thank God for that.

I would be completely heartbroken if that happened. The banning of the Latin Mass would be the cherry on the top of this Chastisement the Church is undergoing.

The Church is under the judgement of God.
I pray that it will come to end.......soon.

To those who cannot attend a reverent Liturgy, have hope.

The Church will return to her former glory. You may think I'm crazy for saying that, but it's true.

Our Lady triumphs in the end. We must continue to hope and pray.

And, especially, give God due worship at the Holy Sacrifice.

The Latin Mass means so much to me. I will always love my traditional Catholic Faith.

I feel so close to God at the Latin Mass. I really can't describe it.

The Latin Mass is indescribable. I feel sorry for those who hate it.

Only the worst enemies of Holy Mother Church could hate it, could hate tradition and our heritage.

If you haven't been, GO! GO GO GO! You will never regret. It's amazing to sit there in silence before Mass without having to listen to the yakking before and after Mass.

It's amazing not to have to watch people treat God like a cracker aka Communion in the hand.

It's amazing not to see armies of lay people handle God ahd the sacred vessels.

It's amazing to be able to kneel to receive the Holy Eucharist on the tongue at the altar rail. And so on and so on.

Most of all, it's amazing to be able to lift your mind and heart to God in a Mass where you KNOW Heaven meets Earth."

Thank you Hannah.

Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate - on film

The Eponymous Flower has a post concerning the appointment of Father Bruno Alfonso as the man now in charge of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, a man reputed to be opposed to the Latin Mass and all that follows in its wake (piety, reverence, adherence to doctrine, clear moral authority).

It is hard, very, very hard, to see a good sense of purpose in this move to "discipline" this devout, orthodox and successful order. 

And if the move is not good then, it is something else.

Those readers 'young' enough to recall the novella, 'Catholics' by Brian Moore and the subsequent film of the same name, will, doubtless be struck by the similarity between a remarkably prophetic work of fiction and the events unfolding in Rome today.

In the book/film, an order of monks in Ireland, is refusing to say the new Mass and continues to celebrate the Latin, much to the delight of the faithful.

Rome despatches a modern young priest to kick the Abbot and his monks into place...sounding familiar?

Watch this clip to see fiction become reality.....



And now for something totally different.

 I am taking the rest of the week off for a period of reflection and prayer. I no longer smoke so I cannot crush a cigar in the manner of Don Camillo when he wished to undergo a penance so I will have to think of something in its place.

 A blogging interlude seems a good starting point.

If it looks Protestant and sounds Protestant......

.....then, logic dictates, it must be Protestant.

I mean, of course, the Ordinary Form of Mass, the Novus Ordo.

This post has been prompted by several comments, made privately, from recent converts who have found themselves in the 'double somersault' position, namely, the first somersault in converting to the Catholic Faith and the second in discovering the Tridentine Latin Mass.

And then comes the process of attempting to reconcile the one with the other - a hard and often painful period of doubt and concern.

And to a certain degree it applies also to Novus Ordo Catholics who, again, 'discover' the Old Rite and then come up against the same problems as their converted brethren.

Now, I stress that, what follows are my own views and I accept that some may be offended by them but, I return to the post heading: "If it looks Protestant and sounds Protestant, then it must be Protestant".

The liturgical case of OF vs EF has been made many times but I would like to focus on the physical, actual signs of Protestantisation in the new Mass.

The elements that make the distinction between old and new as clear as white is from black.

Catholic or Protestant? Hard to tell in today's world

TEN SIGNS OF PROTESTANTISM IN THE NOVUS ORDO:

Again, I pre-qualify what follows by stating that we have many good priests who celebrate both forms. I believe that to be an acceptable but dangerous thing inasmuch that, in many respects, the two represent very different spiritual processes. 
We also have many indifferent priests who only celebrate the Ordinary Form, and that, indeed, is an extremely dangerous thing.

1. The Catholic altar has been replaced by the Protestant table

2. The Faithful stand to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the hand

3. Holy Communion is given in both forms

4. Unifying Latin has disappeared to be replaced with the vernacular

5. The Priestly vestments have morphed into the style of the Protestant pastors

6. Females as altar servers

7. Religious statues, flowers on the altar, candle offerings - all are disappearing in the new order

8. Holy water fonts are, often dry and neglected

9. Sacred music has been replaced by guitars and tambourines

10. Altar servers wear albs

Now, please comment by all means but do not tell me that, in your parish, the water font is full to overflowing.
My points are generalisations and you will always find parishes where the Novus Ordo is celebrated reverently and largely in Latin.

But, every time that I attend an OF Mass (infrequently, admittedly) I see all that is listed above taking place.

That list, of course, is not exclusive. You could add the disappearance of bells, thuribles, dancing and so on to the list (and please feel free to do so in the comment box).

So, on the one hand we have the Mass that organically expanded until, in the 16th century, it was (broadly) ratified and has remained the same ever since, throughout the world, and, on the other, the Mass that was committee designed in the 1960s and 70s, that is subject to constant variations and changes according to the whim of the celebrant and that is allegedly in the vernacular but, in Britain today, is just as likely to be in Tagalog or Polish or Mandarin.

I know which Mass has Catholic Doctrine in its DNA.

I know which Mass I will attend to fulfil my Sunday obligation.


Picture: Infallible Catholic blog

Noddy goes to the Latin Mass

With apologies to Enid Blyton (or Eonidh O'Bloightain as she is sometimes called)

"Introibo ad altare Dei" Parp, parp!

"It was a bright and sunny Sunday morning as Noddy climbed into his little yellow car and set off for Mass at St Knobbly's in the centre of Toytown.

As he drove along he waved cheerily to Mr and Mrs Tubby Bear and their son, Bruiny and then braked hard to avoid running over Bumpy Dog. "Parp, parp" went the little yellow car as Noddy tooted at Bumpy Dog, warning him to be more careful in future.

Noddy carefully parked his little car outside St Knobbly's and, just as he was about to enter the church, he was pounced upon by the two goblins, Sly and Gobbo.

"Let me go!" said the little nodding man; "Oh, please let me go!"

"Not until we have greeted you" said Sly and Gobbo in chorus; "We're the new greeters"

"But we don't have greeters at the Old Rite Mass" said Noddy.

"And, anyway, you are the Parish Artists and have nothing to do with us traditional Catholics."

"We're the new greeters" said Sly and Gobbo

"Now then, now then" said Policeman Plod, appearing as if by magic; "What's going on 'ere then?"
Mr Noddy is quite right you know, there's no need for greeters at EF Masses, traditional Catholics are far too smart for such silly pranks.
Now run along the two of you before I report you to Bishop Bumble".

Sly and Gobbo made a series of nasty faces at Noddy before running off to find their friend Stinkly, the parish liturgist, who lived in Bishop Bumble's dustbin.

"Phew" said Noddy. "Thanks PC Plod, those goblins really give me the creeps. I really can't begin to think why folk need 'greeter's to welcome them to Mass, especially when Our Lord is waiting to greet them in person".

"I know, I know", said PC Plod; "Trouble is, Noddy, people have forgotten all about worshipping the Lord properly.
I just hope that Pope Frankly will put them straight so that we can all settle down in peace once more.
Now you run along into Mass and don't forget to say a prayer for me will you?" he winked knowingly at the little nodding man who cheekily replied: "Of course not PC Plod, I always pray for sinners!"

Know your rites!

H/T to Elaine who pointed me in this direction.

We rarely sit back and take stock of the differences between the Tridentine Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo.

It is important that we do lest we forget that, in reality, the two forms of Mass are poles apart.

This film clip gives some but not all of the distinctions, new versus old, crass versus reverent.

 

Mass, in a time of lunacy

When I was a young man I lived in the parental home at the very poorest end of Virginia Water in leafy Surrey.

In those days there really was still a 'poor end' to this Surrey enclave, now I read that the average house price is in excess of £1 million.

Such is the way of the world.

Just a short distance away lay the rambling Franco Gothic towers that is now divided by gated apartments for uber rich yuppie types and one of London's most prestigious Universities, the Royal Holloway, part of the University of London.

But, in my day, it was not merely a seat of academic excellence, (part of it was a Women's College) it was.....can you guess?

A lunatic asylum.

I'm not sure if I may still call it that, perhaps I should have called it a home for the mentally challenged.....but then, I am not very pc.

This magnificent old building, more architecturally akin to Molesworth's St Custards than a seat of learning, or an asylum for that matter, also housed a Catholic Chapel for the inmates to attend on Sundays and Holydays and, as my home was within half a mile (and the parish church five miles distant), we availed ourselves of the opportunity to attend Mass regularly.

This made for interesting experiences.

The residents were a varied lot apparently from all walks of life proving that madness, as with any illness, is a great leveller.

You never really knew what would take place in the course of, naturally, a Latin Mass (this was the mid 1960s).

One resident whom we called affectionately 'Old Thumper' would stand at the Confiteor, Sanctus and the Domine non sum dignus to noisily but reverently thump his chest three times.

Others wandered around the Chapel and even the sanctuary at will.
Most of them muttered or shouted, often in falsetto tones, at various times during the Mass; unnerving at first but we soon, in a strange way, felt quite at home

The celebrant always proceeded with the Mass as if all intruders into the holy area were invisible; nothing could interrupt the unfolding Sacrifice that was taking place.

They soon got used to me and my parents and paid us no attention whatsoever.

 And we, at times, as the changes in the liturgy began to unfold, we felt that, maybe we should be locked up with these poor souls also.

The whole Catholic world was going mad.

I recall one holy day of obligation where I was able to attend an early morning Mass before setting off to work.

Before Mass commenced I knelt in the Chapel surrounded by the usual residents when I heard the sound of clinking, of chains being rattled and of the shuffling of feet.

The noise drew closer until the Chapel door opened and in came ten or twelve inmates, manacled at the hands and shackled together.
These were the serious cases, the dangerous ones that could not be trusted to attend Sunday Mass when there was a sizeable 'lay' congregation present but, on a weekday with only one or two non asylum folk in the congregation, the authorities had allowed it.

And, certainly, my pulses quickened a little.
This was definitely adding a new dimension to attending Holy Mass.

This was positively medieval in aspect; I had never imagined that the mentally insane could be treated in such a fashion but then....how do they control such people? Is medical sedation any better?

The Mass proceeded almost without incident until, at the Consecration, a large, heavily built male (now unshackled), marched to the altar rails and performed the most basic functional act in the centre of the aisle.

Again, the Mass, quite rightly, continued without pause, despite the lavatorial noises that accompanied this act.

The poor demented man was led away and asylum attendants cleared up the mess.

Such experiences may appear bizarre but they did truly represent the nature of Holy Mother Church.

If this sanatorium had been around at the time of Christ, I felt that He would have been there, ministering to them and embracing their needs.

It emphasized that the Mass is for all, regardless of their secular or physical state.

 As for their spiritual state, the Irish have a phrase for people so afflicted.

They used to say that: "Their minds are with God" and I think they were right.

Did you enjoy your first cigarette?

No?

Maybe you relished your very first sip of whisky?

Or were uplifted by hearing Prokofiev for the first time.......or reading your first Shakespeare play?

For most people, such experiences are not always overwhelmingly pleasant; invariably (and, in the case of smoking, inexplicably) you have to repeat the process several times before full appreciation sets in.

Tastes or experiences that, at first seem strange and alien may need time and repetition  before mind and body become attuned.

                                                    The Latin Mass

Is this the most moving clip of the year?

Watching this clip reinforces my belief in the sanctity of the Extraordinary Form of Mass but, more than that, it makes me realise how privileged are the altar servers, there, standing within a few feet of the Body and Blood of Our Blessed Lord.

Witnessing the most intimate and reverent moments of the Mass, the Host lying helpless on the paten, the priest's fore finger and thumb locked to exclude any chance of dishonouring the Host by touching the Body of Christ with fingers that may have brushed across the altar server's sleeve or the cloth on the altar.

A happy and holy Feast of St Peter and St Paul to all!

My thanks to Fr J for guiding me to the video....

Which Mass does Jesus Christ want?

I mean, it has got to come down to this, surely?

There are two basic types of Mass in the Roman Church, the Ordinary (OF) and the Extraordinary (EF).

Please do not say at this stage: "But all Masses are the same". They are evidently not.

One is in the vernacular and is missing many of the key elements that Quo Primum stated quite clearly, should be preserved and the other is a reasonable representation of the Mass that gradually evolved over the four or five hundred years after the death of Our Lord - in Latin.



The OF Altar

Some may say that both Masses are the same because the outcome, in the manner of the renewal of the sacrifice of Calvary in an unbloody fashion, and the subsequent changing of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ are identical at both forms of Mass.

But that still leaves the question hanging in mid air; the two are different in format - so which one does Jesus Christ want?

Many would claim that He wants both kinds but that does not wash; let me change the question to: 'Which Mass does Our Lord prefer?' Which one does He believe will benefit us the most?
Which Mass attracts the most grace?

                     The EF Altar                     (Civitas Dei)

My conclusion, which, of course,  I believe to be perfectly logical, is that Our Lord prefers the Mass that is closest to the one that His Church first created; the one that was so greatly influenced by the Apostles who loved and served the Lord.
 The Mass that is the more comprehensive of the two, more demanding of the celebrant (and of the server) and requiring a greater demonstration of reverence and piety from those attending.

The Mass that is not divisive in areas where a variety of tongues are spoken, a Mass that is, as the Faith itself, universal.

A Mass that is basically unchanged since early times and ratified by The Council of Trent in 1535.

A Mass that does not allow for personal liturgical expression by the priest or the laity; a Mass that is easy to follow (if you have a missal) and easy to meditate at if you haven't.

So why is this Extraordinary Form of Mass so ignored by the priests?

I can understand the episcophobic issue, the Bishop might well come down heavily on any priest wishing to introduce the EF Mass.

I can understand, also, the fear of upsetting the liberal parishioners who, quite frankly, have no concept of the matter other than an irrational dislike of the Latin.

But some priests also come up with the corny line: "I just don't speak Latin"

That is a copout. They quite merrily take their holidays overseas and indulge in café French or Italian as the case may be. To learn to read and pronounce Latin is not hard.

As a child, all altar servers in our parish had to be able to give the Mass responses in Latin by the age of seven. Hard at that age but far from impossible.

So, we come back to the question as to which Mass Our Lord wishes us to take part in.

The answer seems plainly clear to me.

What's the difference..............

....between an egg and a Latin Mass?



An egg.......

A Latin Mass 

You can beat an egg...

Put Much Birch in your Latin Mass satnav

A good priest of the Benedictine order, has contacted me with a reminder that, in the Archdiocese of Cardiff aka 'Stackshire,' the old rite Latin Mass is regularly celebrated at the convent of the Poor Clares at Much Birch.

Confusingly, for me at least, the PCs address speaks of 'Monastery' rather than 'Convent', doubtless some erudite good souls will comment to enlighten me.

But, if you find yourself in the beautiful county of Herefordshire, and it happens to be a Sunday, please attend Holy Mass at the following address where Fr Antony Tumelty OSB is the celebrant.

Here is the address:

The Poor Clare Monastery
Much Birch
Hereford
HR2 8PS

Mass times are: 6.30pm every Sunday




An ability to smile permanently is another requirement of the order
  

The Poor Clares is a favourite order of mine, I well remember them when they used to come begging for alms, door to door when I was a child.

And, many years later, when I worked in Cheltenham, they did the rounds of the offices, pleading for money.
It must be a most unpleasant and humbling task, to beg for your daily crust; but the PCs managed to undertake it with smiles and prayers for benefactors.

Nowadays, it probably not PC to be a PC, disturbing people's consciences with a begging bowl.

The entry requirements for this Franciscan order are remarkably simple.

Firstly, you must be able to prove at least two martyrs in your Catholic aristocratic family history and, secondly, you must be under four feet six inches in height.

Simple.

And also, for those unfamiliar with the Welsh English border country, the Archdiocese of Cardiff (in Wales) extends over the Dyke (please, what minds you have) into England's green and pleasant land.

The plundering Welshmen have, for centuries raided the fields of good and humble English folk (?) giving rise to the Song of the Border Raiders which I quote from memory:

"O the valleys sheep are sweet

but the border sheep are fatter;

We therefore deem it meet

to carry off the latter".

Picture: The Poor Clares

In the presence of a living saint

We have spent the last four days with a group of pilgrims at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

It has been a profound and uplifting experience, not least because our group of 16 people was led by a venerable priest, Father Peter Lessiter.

Unable to move, Fr Lessiter celebrates the Mass with great humility and devotion

The pilgrimage itself was very demanding in terms of having a strict programme of devotions at various times and venues throughout the Shrine but, if I tell you that Father Lessiter, wheelchair bound,  was at the helm during those four days, despite being seventy nine years of age and in his forty ninth year as a priest, you will have some small concept of the very great demands that were made on this, the most humble of men.

And then, if I tell you that Fr Lessiter is basically paralysed due to various illnesses you will appreciate the tremendous effort he made in order to provide the rigour and integrity to the group and to give honour to Our Lady of Fatima and her Divine Son.

Retirement is a word not recognised by Fr Lessiter; God called him to the priesthood and there he will remain until such time that God will call him again.

Not for him the two bedroomed bungalow in the suburbs and the leisurely life style of the average retired parish priest.

Father L maintains a spiritual and mental programme of activity that would put a 25 year old to shame.

 

A much loved and respected priest

And when people thank him for his witness and guidance his stock reply is:

"Don't thank me, thank Almighty God, He's the one who is deserving of praise; I am just His servant"

It is hard to imagine the daily struggle of an aged man who has lost 80% of body movement.

But Father Lessiter bears it all without complaint or any reduction of his immense good humour.

Watching him celebrate the Latin Mass, virtually immobile but for slight movements of the hands, is a humbling experience.

Every slight action takes an enormous effort of will; just standing at the altar must sap his energy considerably.

Yet he continues, unremittingly in his drive to save souls.

During his lifetime he has brought the Sacraments to many thousands of Catholics living a 'recusant' like existence prior to 2007.

He has also been on constant call, night and day to take the Sacrament of Extreme Unction to those in danger of death - anywhere in England and Wales.

And, most especially, he has been on call to minister the Last Rites to brother priests, many of whom, have turned to the traditional Faith on their deathbed.

It may take more than a hundred years for Fr Lessiter to receive the recognition he deserves but, I am confident that the day will come when he is canonised by Holy Mother Church.

Please remember him in your prayers, he has a gruelling and mentally draining period ahead of him and a difficult return journey to make.

Coincidentally, you may like to read Fr Ray Blake's post that touches on the subjects of retirement and evangelisation, you may read it HERE

If the Catholic Church was a patient....................

....Just what would be its state of health?

 



 

Well, in England and Wales, any medico making an analysis of Church ills, might well be inclined to declare the patient as suitable for the DNR ('Do not resuscitate') tag.

In fact, we are probably not so far away from having a large ticket tied to our big toe before being sent to the morgue.

But, the cry goes up, "Our parish has welcomers, lots of lay readers, Extraordinary Ministers, a vibrant parish council (is that an oxymoron?) and special services for the children on a Sunday, just what are you talking about?"

The fact is that, in England and Wales, the Church has dropped arches, poor circulation, chronic emphysema, limited vision and, it's overweight, clinically obese, in fact.

It is not quite yet dead but it does require remedial invasive surgery as well as a fitness programme to return it to full health.

To renew and re-invigorate.

Parishes that make the claim that they have a lively programme of church activities may well be telling the truth but they are missing the point, a busy and varied liturgical and social programme is fine but that is not the measure of success; it's only a partial performance indicator.

There are thousands of Catholics out there who are falling through the net and to whom, parish bible reading sessions are anathema.

And there are millions of non Catholics out there who, if presented with the average Diocesan newsletter, would move into reverse gear and put their foot hard down on the accelerator (gas) pedal.

The Church message has not changed; so why the problem?

It all has to do with focus and delivery.

Focus inasmuch that, so I believe, men and women are hungry for real meat and are not interested in  a faux Anglican Church comprising of middle class citizens and delivery in terms of the means that the Church employs to reach out to its existing members and to its potential members.

We have seen the great Anglican experiment of vicars drinking half pints of beer with the lads on a Friday night and then placing their Sunday Worship programme into the hands of a few members of the laity so that liturgy is trumped by nature displays from the primary school children and the Mother's Union clog dancing performance.

That has failed and quite rightly so.
 There is no substance to that just as there is no substance to most Catholic diocesan and parish activities.

Show me a parish with a blog or website that utilises the abundance of material available on the internet.

Where are the Facebook and Twitter entries?
 Non existent, while parish news is carried on poorly printed and highly boring A4 sheets left at the back of the church.

Of course, access to a computer is not available to all, but it is to the masses and full use needs to be made of it.

That's the delivery side, now for the focus.

If you treat the liturgy as a form of Playschool where you patronise and obscure, then it's no wonder that the pews are empty and folk look to the 'new' evangelical faiths.

Summorum Pontificum still applies.

Reverence towards the Blessed Sacrament still applies - stop bowing and start genuflecting.

Apply some rigour to attending church on a Sunday - cut out the chattering before and after Mass. Develop useful activities for the female altar servers ( not church cleaning) and get them off the altar.

Give the Sacrament of Reconciliation sitting in an armchair facing the priest the heave ho and re-introduce the Sacrament of Penance, in a confessional, at regular times.

Reception of Holy Communion in a reverent fashion still applies (in the Roman Rite) - bring back the altar rails, allow the faithful to kneel and to receive by mouth.

Above all else, open up the windows and allow fresh air to blow through the parishes, expelling the low oxygen levels and stale air of the past 50 years of headless chicken church management.

The Gospels are there.

Renewal is still possible; but the spirit needs to be willing.

We need leaders who have spirit and vision and who are inspired by the love of Christ to place us back on track.

Pray for Archbishop Mennini that he will long continue to give us the blood transfusion we so desperately need.