Good news! - Bishop 0 - Parishioners 1

Looks a perfectly good church, just needs a considerable bit of renovation.
St Winefride's, Aberystwyth

Picture: Save our St Winefride's

Readers may recall the long drawn out battle of Aberystwyth where the local Bishop (Tom Burns) wished to sell off the old church to developers and build a nuchurch out of town.

Convenient financially for the Diocese of Menevia but not logistically for the parishioners.

Well, news has reached me today that the Bishop has shelved plans to build a new church out of town and (so I believe) reverted to the concept of renovating the old church.

I would not wish anyone to think that I am being triumphalist over this, far from it.

A great deal of money has been squandered on planning fees and so on.
 It is a hollow victory in many ways.

But, it is a victory for the 240 or so parishioners who signed a petition to retain their accessible parish church and I think that a modest huzzah (no exclamation mark) may be allowed.

And, in all of this, spare a prayer for the Bish for whom it must have been a humbling experience, to back down; and for those who supported him.

"Monumental arrogance by (the) Vatican"

Yes, it's another round in the Battle of Aberystwyth where the Bishop wants to sell off the old church and build a new one some way out of town - there's an analogy lurking there somewhere.

As I seem to come under sniping fire from some who uphold the Bishop's plans I am posting this extract from The Cambrian News verbatim, sans comments from me:-

This is monumental arrogance by Vatican

"HAVE A GUESS. A set of historic buildings in the Aberystwyth conservation area. A long-running row over whether they should be preserved or demolished. The claimed final decision - to pull them down – revealed to have been taken by someone who neither owns them, nor has ever seen them, nor is ever likely to. A decision taken by one Raymond Leo Burke, a 65-year-old American resident in Rome. True or false?
False, you hope? Sorry. It’s true. Add to that an unsettling irony. That the decision to smash up a piece of Aberystwyth’s history was taken, of all places, within the walls of a World Heritage Site.
I refer to the Palazzo della Cancelleria, a Medieval palace, part of the Vatican. And our Raymond Burke, who works for the Vatican, from his office within this well-conserved edifice, never for a moment, we may conclude, considering Aberystwyth’s heritage - before striking from his map the church of Our Lady of the Angels and St Winefride and its presbytery annexe.
This the 1870s complex in Queen’s Road - the first Catholic church to be built in Ceredigion since the Reformation – which should be preserved not only as a venerated place of worship and because of its place in history, but because its pleasing unpretentiousness, its green setting, and as it is an important part of Aberystwyth’s Victorian and Edwardian heritage. The diocesan bishop, Tom Burns, wants the site sold to developers because, he claims, it would cost too much to renovate the church, while parishioners insist restoration is entirely affordable.
That Raymond Burke has got involved may seem odd. But not when you remember that the Vatican always knows best. Even when it doesn’t. A wisdom previously thought to be confined to matters religious. Now revealed to extend beyond telling people where they should go to Mass – in a proposed new church in Penparcau – to approving the destruction of a historic Catholic church integral to the Aberystwyth conservation area. This is monumental arrogance.
Such weighty decision-making must of course be easier if you’ve got a weighty title. Like Raymond’s, which the Vatican thinks entitles him to make decisions affecting people and places he doesn’t know and never will. Burke is Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Note all those capital letters. Formerly Archbishop of St Louis, Missouri, before that a bishop in Wisconsin. Having shinned further up the ecclesiastical ladder, he is now a cardinal and the most senior official of the highest judicial authority of the Roman Catholic Church. One quakes.
No wonder Tom Burns, embracing the authoritarianism (sorry, solemnity) of Cardinal Burke’s edict, thought he’d include a bit of Latin in his letter telling parishioners of Rome’s sanctioning of demolition. “Roma locuta est. Causa finita est”, he thundered. Adding, sotto voce: “Rome has spoken. The case is finished”.
Burns is wrong. The case is not closed. He must agree to the reasonable request by opponents of demolition for their surveyors, and his, to discuss the condition of the buildings and restoration costs.
He must tell us why Aberystwyth’s parish priest, Neil Evans, wasn’t informed about a meeting between Burns and pro-demolition parishioners. Evans has now quit the diocesan board of trustees, saying he does not believe that “secret meetings (are) the best way forward.” He’s right.
Why is Tom Burns afraid of an open debate?"

My thanks to a Swansea friend for forwarding the extract.

But Bishop - Arundel and Brighton needs you!

How selfish are we?

We take a Bishop from his own diocese and plonk him down in the wilds of west Wales (Carmarthen) and ask him to be guest speaker at a seminar on 'The Year of Faith and the New Evangelisation'.

Yes, there seem to be no bounds to our greed to have Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel & Brighton Diocese, come and speak to us here in Menevia Diocese (Carmarthen).

We care not that Laurence England and others will be deprived of Bishop Conry's steadying hand for a few days or that his charitable and kind comments on the Holy Father will not resound along the eastern boundaries of England in his absence.

There will be crying in Crawley, weeping in Worthing and unseemly bawling in Brighton.

How can this much loved shepherd leave his flock with such apparent gay abandon?

And can Menevia Diocese cope with the anticipated influx of pilgrims from all points of the compass, anxious to hear words of wisdom from +KC?

The event of the year is due to take place at St Mary's Church Hall, Carmarthen next Tuesday and all are welcome, light refreshments are provided and the day is free. Heady stuff for us west Walians who are starved of any intellectual, theological discourse (let alone egg and cress sandwiches).

Shall I be going?

Sadly, no.

I have already committed myself to washing the car that day.

And after the Feastday Mass - a feast!

I was prompted, by Fr Tim Finigan's post (see HERE) to remind all about the Latin Mass in England for the great feast of The Assumption, that we, here in wild and woolly Wales, also have a Latin Mass on that great day.

                                                       Source: The Hermeneutic of Continuity

It is, in fact, the ONLY EF Mass to be celebrated in Wales on 15th August.....shame on you Cardiff and Wrexham.
What are you thinking of? A country of an estimated 250,000 Catholics and it can only lay claim to one TLM on this great feast of Our Blessed Mother?

It's a real SP failure, I mean, of course, a Supremely Pathetic failure.

Cardiff has a relatively new Archbishop and Wrexham a very new Bishop, time for them to follow the lead of the Bishop of Menevia (Thomas Burns) and extractum digiti (or whatever).


But...I nearly forgot the good news......Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the parish of the Sacred Heart, Morriston, just outside Swansea at 12 noon...to be followed by a bunfight feast of decorous proportions.

All solvent and insolvent Catholics and those interested in the Catholic Faith are welcome...but bring a pork pie or something in the way of a provender contribution.

You will meet an array of interesting folk from all walks of life and also have the chance of kicking a Catholic blogger in the shins!

Of course, you may also wish to bring what in Somerset they used to call a bit of "O be joyful" - whatever that may mean.

* Please note: I have been informed that there will be a 7pm EF Mass at Abergavenny on 15th August but, sorry to appear ungrateful, that is not an appropriate time for families with children.

Church to close in 10 days time

An 800 year old church, once Catholic, is to close due to a dwindling  congregation.

The church of St Thomas a Becket, in Haverfordwest is one of three Anglican churches in the small town, population c. 13,000 and it shows clearly some of the beauty inherited from its Catholic past (although, undoubtedly, it was all vandalised by Henry VIII's hooligans, it was restored, in Protestant hands to a little of its former glory).

Built in 1225 it is mentioned in one of King Edward III's charters and its boundaries are described as:

".....and also of the land from the West gate of the cemetery of St Thomas as the main road leads to the market as far as the Lepers Land and thence as far as Little Haverford" (now known as St Thomas's Green).

At that stage, in the 13th century, Haverfordwest was a hub of commerce and seatrade and boasted two monastic communities, the Dominicans, God bless them and the Augustinians, and God bless them also.
You see, Wales was a Catholic country then and the Faith percolated through the social world and touched the hearts and souls of all - from the diseased leper to the Lord of the Manor.

For 700 years, Catholics were baptised, wed and buried at this beautiful church although no historian these days will admit to its Catholic heritage, such is the way of the world in Protestant Britain today.

And now? Now it looks like this fine building is redundant.

What will happen to it?

Here is my forecast. It will be boarded up and left for a few years so that the Pembrokeshire wind and rain gradually penetrates further into its fabric.
Then a few drug addicts will migrate from the churchyard and set up their hideous practice there until, in time, it has become such a shambles that the Council steps in and launches a plan to save this historic 'monument'.

Then funds will be sought from the Welsh heritage organisation, CADW, to restore the building sympathetically (but incorporating a block of apartments for the well off in Pembrokeshire society).

And that will be its inglorious end.

But....I have a cunning plan. In fact, it is not so much cunning as eminently sensible, feasible and economically sound.

If the Catholic Church, in the form of Menevia Diocese, was to purchase this church and relocate its current parish church of St David and St Patrick there (not very good architecturally, one half of the church is faux gothic and the other half faux car park) then we would have gone a little way to bringing the Catholic Faith and all its richness, back to this corner of Wales. Huzzah! We would all say.

The Diocese could sell off the old church site for it to become the mandatory block of apartments and, with the money, restore St Thomas's Church which, I guess it could purchase from the Church of Wales for round about 50 pence.

And of course, if the Bishop of Menevia would really like to respond to Summorum Pontificum as all good Bishops should, then he might consider 'gifting' this fine old church to the FSSP or the Institute of Christ the King - what a triumph that would be.

 The Mass of all Time restored to its rightful place after a 500 year absence.

"To blog perchance to dream"

To the barricades! Let's storm the church!

"Latin Mass at Llandovery next Sunday d'accord?"

No, not the Church, I mean the church, the Church of Our Lady in the Welsh town of Llandovery where a seagull flying overhead is a cause for intense discussion and debate.

It is a quiet town, quite pleasing in aspect, and - it's next door to the village of Llangadog, the village of three stunning pubs all within a few feet of each other.

But it's not the pubs (no, really) it is the beautiful little church that has no parish priest and is served from its larger neighbours of Llandeilo and, somewhere else (memory is getting embarrassing).

This church has no Sunday Mass. Hmm.......my brain went into second gear when I heard that fact.
No priest, no Sunday Mass - it's ripe for a take-over.

Let's do it! St Nicolas-du-Chardonnay style.

Do you remember 1977? No? Never mind, stick with me.

That was the year that a group of French Catholic families, thoroughly fed up with the liturgical bilge that was pushed in their direction, rebelled. Yes, rebelled.

They chose a church in the centre of Gay Paree (well, just Paris really, most of it is gay these days). And they stormed it, turfing out the clerical occupants and barricading the doors.

Of course they were well stocked up with all edible things French (in France, the maxim is, if it moves eat it and, even if it doesn't move, still eat it).

So they had stocks of pate, baguettes by the ton and plenty of bottles of....Chardonnay of course! Voila!

They stayed in the church for about six weeks until the secular authorities (who have jurisdiction over church property in France), caved in and granted the church of St Nicolas to the then legit SSPX.

It remains today, an absolute bastion of Catholicism, beautiful and untouched by moronic modernist hands.

But, back to Llandovery. Could we, I wonder, recreate the actions of the Catholic French and take over this  gem of a church and reserve it only for the Tridentine Latin Mass?

We would need a stock of provisions, some traditional Welsh fare, Caerphilly cheese, laverbread, salt marsh lamb and.....some curry sauce and chips! All along with a few barrels of good Welsh ale.

The forces of darkness could not compete against folk who had such stout reserves.

And then...we would await word from the Bishop. Maybe a letter stuck in the cleft of a stick and pronouncing:


" With the authority granted to me by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, I hereby grant the Latin Mass lovers of Menevia, full use of the Church of Our Lady, Llandovery for the celebration of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form in perpetuity and furthermore state that no OF Mass of any kind, whether celebrated by clown priests, or accompanied by leotard clad maidens, shall ever take place in this holy House of God"

That would indeed be a case for a "huzzah" in fact, quite a few "huzzahs".

NB: A friend has kindly pointed out that the Paris Church is that of St Nicolas-du-Chardonnet...not Chardonnay.- I did, of course, just take a little poetic licence (ahem, and a few yellow pills).

The first Ordinariate for Wales

Father Brian Gill, former Vicar General of the Traditional Anglican Church will be ordained by the Bishop of Menevia, Thomas Burns, on Saturday 21st July in the cluster parish of Presteigne, Rhayader and Knighton.

A small number of community members forming what is believed to be the first Welsh Ordinariate will join with Fr Gill on the day.

Remember Fr Gill and the Welsh Ordinariate in your prayers please, especially on this feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - the following prayer may be said as a novena on behalf of the Ordinariate:

O most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein that you are my Mother.
O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart, to succour me in this my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. O show me herein that you are my Mother.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us that have recourse to thee. (3 times)
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands. (3 times)

Of course, this will be the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham but.......dare I suggest.....

.......that it should really be the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Cardigan as this shrine has equal standing to Walsingham and is, of course, the National Shrine of Wales.......but then, it is a long way from major cities, fast trains and motorways (!) 

The 'forgotten' shrine of Wales, Our Lady
of Cardigan - National Shrine

Holywell - a step closer to heaven

    The Shrine of St Winefride - Virgin and Martyr

Last Sunday's pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Winefride in North Wales was, as well as being a spiritual journey in the manner of all good pilgrimages, a profound and uplifting experience.

Organised by the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales it attracted an estimated 400 people whom, as well as attending to their duties as pilgrims also wished to attend the Pontifical High Mass offered by 62 year old Bishop Fernando Areas Rifan, Apostolic Administrator of the Personal Apostolic Administration of St Jean Marie Vianney, from Campos, Brazil.                                                                                      
An interesting choice of celebrant as Bishop Rifan was, at one time, "separated" from Holy Mother Church and aligned with the SSPX. He and his Diocese returned to the fold (some might say that he had never left it) in or around the year 2004 and he was then subjected to cries of "traitor" from Bishop Fellay and others within the Society.
The Bishop remains a controversial figure as far as traditionalists are concerned but, after witnessing his devout manner and mellifluous voice and hearing his beautifully articulated sermon, there could be few who would doubt his loyalty to Rome and to tradition.

A great and holy man - Bishop Rifan

In a packed church and on a sanctuary jam packed with Canons, Monsignors, Priests and altar servers, the Mass began.
The Manchester Mozart Schola sang Wolfgang's Coronation Mass and it was rich and beautiful to the extreme; indeed, so much so that it actually became a distraction from the all important proceedings. But a magnificent distraction for all of that.

Mrs Linen and 3 of our group 

In his Sermon, the Bishop uttered the immortal words: "It is not our Mass it is the Lord's Mass" Another way of saying "Don't mess with this it is not within your remit". I am sure the LMS will be publishing the full text so I will not attempt to recall the full homily, suffice to say that it was brief and to the point; two essentials for a sermon that few observe.

The mini bus carrying the bulk (13 of us all told) of the Confraternity of the Holy Cross from Menevia Diocese made an arduous journey from the Shrine of Our Lady of the Taper in Cardigan to the Shrine of St Winefride in Holywell. From the West of Wales to the North.

To those unfamiliar with the geography of Wales let me say that it is not a great distance; maybe 130 or possibly, 140 miles. But the route or routes are winding and up hill and down dale and it took us the best part of 6 hours including a break for a most unhealthy intake of junk food.

Destined for greater glory - 2 deacons and 1 seminarian. Ranaldo
from Brazil and Francisco and Gustavo from Mexico

Some five or six other members of the Confraternity travelled independently so our numbers rose to just about 5% of the assembly.

After Mass we processed from the church down the hill towards the medieval holy well and the actual shrine. As we went we recited the Rosary and crammed (those of us in the forefront) into the well house where the shrine is located.

The Rosary procession to the Shrine

There, beneath the shrine we were able to sing a  hymn to St Winefride (a somewhat modern one I believe but none the worse for that) and individually venerate the relic of the holy saint.

And what pilgrimage would be
complete without  white doves?

Then, as we filed past after the veneration we were able to kneel and kiss His Lordship's ring, an act designed to cause any modernist to have an attack of the vapours.

Bishop Rifan chatting to Joe Shaw of the LMS

Some observations on the day: it was well organised by the LMS and full credit to them. It would have been good if the Mass pamphlet that was issued had carried details of the schola and some attention to proof reading would have been worthwhile, especially as "God" was misspelt. But these are niggles viewed within the full framework of the day.

All in all there cannot have been many (or any) who wound their weary way home without feeling that they had taken part in one of the Church's great events and were one step closer to heaven as a result.

I remembered all of you collectively in my prayers and intentions and, as many as my shrinking brain would allow, I remembered by name.

And thank you to Brian of Umblepie blog for the words and music to a slightly more traditional version of a hymn to St Winefride; it would be good to restore it to the hymn sheets for future pilgrimages. When I learn how to save and copy it I will reproduce it.

Afterwards, pilgrims flocked to the healing waters
of the holy well

A step closer to Holywell

And, on our way there, tomorrow,  in our medieval minibus, we shall sing hymns and say the Rosary and indulge in some good Catholic humour (in the manner of medieval pilgrims).
This is a beautiful piece although, I suspect, we shall be more in the 'Faith of Our Fathers' neck of the woods.

I found this hymn to St Winefride in an old Westminster Hymnal....no idea as to the music, but it tells her story rather well:


                                                            ST WINEFRIDE

More fair than all the vernal flowers

Embosom'd in the dales,

St Winefride in beauty bloom'd,

The rose of ancient Wales.

With every loveliest grace adorn'd,

The Lamb's unsullied bride,

Apart from all the world she dwelt

Upon this mountainside.

Caradoc then, with impious love,

Her fleeing steps pursued,

And in her sacred maiden blood

His cruel hands imbrued.

He straight the debt of vengeance paid,

Ingulf'd in yawning flame;

But God a deed of wonder work'd

To her immortal fame.

For where the grassy sward received

The martyr's sever'd head,

This holy fountain upward gush'd,

Of crystal vein'd with red.

Here miracles of might are wrought;

Here all diseases fly;

Here see the blind, and speak the dumb,

Who but in faith draw nigh.

Assist us, glorious Winefride,

Dear virgin, ever blest!

The passions of our hearts appease,

And lull each storm to rest.

How we celebrated the great feast in Wales!

The mother church of the Diocese of Menevia is St Joseph's Cathedral, Swansea where, on the feast of Corpus Christi sung Mass was celebrated with great reverence and piety.

The celebrant was Diocesan Co-ordinator for the EF Mass, Fr Jason Jones and the choir was The Newcastle Emlyn Schola.

Among the altar servers was one seminarian and one prospective candidate for the FSSP - all served beautifully.

Here are some extracts from the Mass; at present in still form, once I discover how to download the videos I will post those.

The Mass itself lived up to Fr Faber's description of the Tridentine Latin Mass as being "the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven".

Good news, and yet more good news!

Firstly, thank all of you who sent us good wishes for our 40th wedding anniversary and also to those who remembered us in your prayers.
We did manage an excellent fish and chip supper on Broadhaven Beach in St Bride's Bay; the sun (albeit a weak one) came out for about 30 minutes before we scooted for home and real warmth!

And then, at Mass yesterday I met the renowned blogger, Chris Gillibrand who has now taken up residence in the Diocese of Menevia - a definite case for a huzzah! Chris's blog is Catholic Church Conservation which is a rather "top of the league" sort of blog.

I cannot help feeling that, when Catholic bloggers meet, there should be some sort of established form of greeting. No, not a masonic handshake and certainly not a high five but, maybe a hearty Ave et vale! Does anyone have any polite suggestions to make?

                                  A good form of greeting for Catholic bloggers?

Of course, the next portion of good news was that the Mass was, as always, wonderful and the singing of the choir......just breathtaking.

We are so fortunate to have The Newcastle Emlyn Schola.
 I got to contemplating what it would be like in this diocese without them and
came to the conclusion that they are the force that binds us together around our priests and the Holy Mass - long may they continue.

And yet more good news, this time from Rome. A priest friend reports that it is now quite hard to celebrate an OF Mass in St Peter's as all the altar servers are up to speed with their Latin and only wish to serve at EF Masses!
That is definitely one for the brick by brick file.

All in all, not a bad start to the week.

Do not despair Menevia!

It is happening all over the world, brick by brick as Fr Z might say.
It may not be happening too much in Menevia (or Westminster or Middlesborough for that matter) but, the light is coming just as it came two thousand years ago in Bethlehem.

The traditional faith is on the march, read about it here

This excellent blog also carries important news for children (as well as some adults)...Santa Claus is real...well of course he is but Philothea on Phire makes a great case for honesty!

291 and still counting!

A massive 'thank you' to all those who have responded to my request for a rosary (or Memorare) to be said for the intercession of Our Lady of the Taper at Cardigan, for the return of the Tridentine Latin Mass to this part of West Wales.

291 rosaries or equivalent have been pledged and these will be laid at the feet of Our Blessed Mother at Cardigan on Sunday 4th December at 3pm - the last Mass to be celebrated here at the National Shrine of Wales - stunning isn't it?

Surely the National Shrine should
have a regular Latin Mass?

Furthermore - the rosaries offered will form a spiritual bouquet that will be presented to the Bishop of Menevia, Bishop Thomas Burns for both his personal intentions and for the return of the Mass.

Brick by brick, rosary by rosary, the Mass will return - but, a few more rosaries would be much appreciated - please email 1 or whatever number you wish to donate (1 is good) to: r.collinsassoc@btinternet.com or, leave a note in my comment box.

We, the members of The Confraternity of the Holy Cross, will have a Mass said for the intentions of all donors - thank you!

A little begging is good for one's soul

On that premise, therefore, here goes.

The Confraternity of the Holy Cross is a group of circa 50 laymen and women and a few priests who strive to support the development of the traditional liturgy and the EF Mass here in wet and windy South & West Wales.

So how do we do that? Well, fairly informally it has to be said. We do not have a structure really other than a priest at the helm appointed by the Bishop to be Diocesan Co-ordinator for the EF.

But we do provide information as to Mass times and locations, we raise funds for Priest Training as organised by the Latin Mass Society and we are in the throes of launching our own blog in order to keep our members supplied with news of global Catholic events. Our members, or some of them, have independently formed a fine choir.

But...we do need a few things such as vestments, especially maniples, bourses and altar veils; in fact we can fruitfully use any materials used at a TLM.

If you can help, please contact me on r.collinsassoc@btinternet.com

In brief.....random notes

The Diocese of Menevia has a new website, very nice...but designed by Blackgoat Visual Communications.....what's in a name?

A new (and young blogger) who needs support....please visit Sean Gough - we need young blood!

Tomorrow we return to abstinence from meat on Fridays...not fasting, abstinence!

At the first Mass in the new translation a certain priest asked for letters from his parishioners stating how dissatisfied they were with it...for sending on to his Bishop

The ads for the post of Headteacher at the Cardinal Vaughan School appear this week, pray that a good, sound, traditionalist is appointed

No EF Masses in Menevia Diocese for the remainder of September (we've only had one anyway)

Daily Telegraph blogger  and teacher, Katherine Birbalsingh, claims that wearing the niqab cuts women off from the world

Orbis Catholicus Secundus blog has carried a series of photos of the Popes who have celebrated the EF Mass. They include, Pius XII, John XXIII and JP II - when will Pope Benedict join the gallery?

Holy Father preaches to Bishops - to observe the sanctity of life and to cherish, in the faithful 'divine filiation'

Mass in Polish is divisive!

And in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog or whatever other tongue is used for the celebration of Mass in Great Britain today - I do not include Latin here as it was and is most definitely inclusive.

 St Paul's letters to the Phillipinos!

My point is really that Mass in Polish, is of course, intended for the Poles. If an Englishman or Englishwoman attends one they are likely to feel about as at home as a pork pie in a synagogue. They will not comprehend much of what is going on; they will not be able to - (wait for the magic word) - participate.

We criticise the Warwick Street Masses because they are tailored for the homosexual Catholic community but we turn a blind eye to all the 'language' Masses that proliferate. A Catholic Mass should be a drawing together of the laity of the parish - as one, in harmony with each other and God. That way a parish builds up its infrastructure of social welfare and charitable works that binds the people together and strengthens them.

When in Madras (Chennai) a few years ago I was told by Catholics there that, since Mass in the vernacular was introduced, the parishes had become divided;  divided by the undercurrent caste system.
When once Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and other language speakers gathered under one roof for Mass in Latin, they are now segmented by race and the caste system has been reinforced by Masses only for Tamils or only for Hindus.

So now, if you live in Slough or Hayes or somewhere equally salubrious, you will not know your fellow parishioner as you will attend separate Masses - you will be poles apart (oh so sorry)

And if you are an unfortunate Chinese type person, the situation becomes even more stupid. If you are a Cantonese speaker (from Hong Kong or Southern China), you will probably find a Mass in Soho celebrated in your language.
But, if you speak one of the 85 other Chinese languages you are well and truly scuppered as they say in Shanghai. My guess is that it would be quite hard to find a Mass celebrated in the main Chinese language of Mandarin (Putonghua).

Tomorrow, (11th September) is  Racial Justice Sunday and while the EWBC warbles on about human slavery it, of course ignores all other racial justice issues. Such as...having Mass in Latin! Encouraging inclusivity rather division.

And please remember that I am part of the ethnic community, I have my rights too, I am an Englishman living in Wales - an endangered species!
Give us a Latin Mass Guv!

No Masses in Menevia Diocese in August!

There's a lotta square miles in Menevia!

Yes, that's right, there are NO Masses in the Diocese of Menevia in August 2011. That's no as in zilch, zero, nil, b------ all!

Amazing huh? Oh, sorry, forgot to say "No EF Masses in Menevia in August"*

EF Masses? Oh, that doesn't matter then!

* Other than the LMS Pilgrimage Mass at the National Shrine at 3pm on 7 August

Ramblings.....(or rantings)

Served at Mass on Corpus Christi but, after Mass the celebrant left the procession to meet with the congregation as they left the church. We servers, complete with 3 non participating priests, proceeded to the Sacristy where we knelt for a blessing. The lead priest looked aghast and I had to explain that we wanted his blessing - he gave it, in English and with a look of shock and concern on his face.
At OF Masses are blessings not extended to the altar servers after Mass?

In correspondence with an Indian seminarian and fellow blogger. I posed the question as to how he regarded the fact that we in Great Britain are now recruiting young Indian priests to plug the lack of vocations gap. He stated that, as we (GB) had helped India over the years with missionaries, legal systems, railway networks etc, he was pleased that his country could reciprocate by sending us missionary priests to support us in our hour of need. Great sentiments but I still believe it to be a poor practice on behalf of the CBEW.

If tobacco commercials are banned on British television - why has the go ahead been given to screen commercials for abortion clinics?

If a 'Red Mass' may be held for Lawyers and a White Mass for Physicians shouldn't the Warwick Street Masses be Pink ones?

Has anyone seen Melanie Lately.....lately? This is The Tablet stringer who wrote on how striking one's chest at the Confiteor equates to child abuse. Can't find her on Google, even Ozzy Google.

Can we just agree that Shakespeare was obviously a Catholic - and move on?

Is Archbishop Nichol's style of management autocratic? (Vaughan School and Catholic Prison Chaplains episodes spring to mind).

Can we just close down the Catholic Church  in Austria and start again with a clean slate?

Just who is going to queue to confess their sins to the Holy Father in Madrid? Must be very brave or completely barking.

When will the LMS tackle Menevia Diocese regarding their website information on availability of EF Masses? - it is wrong on 4 counts (which is a lot when you only have 6 venues to list)

Why are Syro Malabar rite Masses springing up everywhere yet we still struggle to find a Church with a Sunday EF Mass?

Oh, and when will nuns learn that dressing a la British Home Stores marks them out more than a wimple and habit?

Father, Father, wherefore art thou?

We are looking for a priest and, get this, he must be a modern priest, not one who celebrates the Tridentine Latin Mass.



Sorry Romeo, I was actually
looking for a Catholic priest!


The poor old boy has finally cracked I hear you say: He's a few beads short of a decade, but please hear me out.

Here in dry old Menevialand we only have two brace (or less) of priests who are able to celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Now, I don't know the square mileage of the Diocese but it must run into something like a modest 5,000 square miles...that means we only have .00001 of a Latin Mass priest per acre (don't try to check the maths!).

So, in the aftermath of our good Bishop Thomas Burns appointing Fr Jason Jones as EF Mass Coordinator for the Diocese, a most wise move, we now have a lay group called The Confraternity of the Holy Cross whose aim it is in life to support the few priests we have, pray on behalf of the Bishop and to aid the development of the Latin Mass in the Diocese.

Some in the CHC have been very busy and aided the recent and magnificent Corpus Christi Mass and procession, others support with the daily Fraternity prayer (We adore Thee O Christ and we praise Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the World) and some, great souls have even chipped in a few pounds (quite a few in some instances) to a special fund to help priests in the Diocese learn how to celebrate the EF Mass. This does not cut across Latin Mass Society work, in fact, it complements it as we plan to assign priests on to the LMS Training Programme. In fact, LMS members might be more forthcoming with donations to the training fund if they knew that the money they raised would go towards supporting a priest from their own Diocese, but I digress.

So far we have raised the sum of £305 - Huzzah! That means we can send 1.24 priests for training, although we might wait until we have a round £500 and send two whole ones!

Now we hit the rockface - are there any priests out there who wish to put themselves forward? It would be especially good if we had one from the Western boundaries of the Diocese as this is Indian country (literally) as far as the old Mass is concerned. We have Mass in the Syro-Malabar rite and we have it in Polish, Tagalog and even Welsh (attended by 2 people and one sheepdog) - I jest - please don't burn me out! But we do not have, or at least only on a wobbly once a month basis, the Latin Mass.

It is a big problem......some priests just do not wish to go down that route and I respect their wishes but believe them to be wrong; some are too immersed in their Indian or Phillipino culture and some, I suspect, would like to do it but are a bit concerned about how they will be perceived by their fellow priests, Deans (especially the Deans) and, possibly, the Bish.

That leaves us up whatsit creek without a paddle - so please pray that we find a priest who will shoulder the cross and go forward to be trained.
Would you please offer a Rosary for this cause?

It will, as my mother used to say when one of us had to undertake some chore or other: "Put another jewel in your crown in Heaven"

Will the SSPX come to West Wales?

                                                                    

Despite discussions taking place (or, so I am led to believe), I am not certain that the SSPX would find a large enough congregation here in West Wales.
As far as I am concerned, they would be most welcome; I'm afraid that, under Bishop Burns, West Walians struggle to fulfil their Sunday duties with an EF Mass.
There is  a sizeable potential cohort in Aberystwyth, thanks to the University and the same applies to Swansea. But, in between, there's only a handful of the faithful and a few hundred thousand sheep (real sheep, not metaphorical ones).
This must typify the Society's problem really; how to function properly with limited priests and resources. Next Sunday we shall be in South London and the most convenient Mass is at the SSPX HQ in Wimbledon. We shall attend Mass there and wallow in the comfort of a church (chapel, really) that has no plastic posters, no pot plants, no tacky "He has risen" signs, just a simple ad orientum altar, cut flowers and statues - Catholic culture at its best.
But the priest there is likely to rush off immediately after Mass and drive some 100 miles to celebrate Mass elsewhere. So no pastoral care and no chance for spiritual advice, pity -  but that's how it is.


Another problem faced by the Society is their slide towards a more Calvinistic form of Catholicism. Separation from Rome over too many years has caused this bias which has taken place almost imperceptibly. That will not do. I do not want priests haranguing from the pulpit about the length of women's dresses when all present are perfectly modestly attired or grinding on about Catholics who attend EF Masses within the Church are in error, that's not on, but they are slipping into that mode.
And, finally, Bishop Fellay really needs to put and end to the shenanigans of Bishop Williamson; he should be expelled from the Society pdq. Why has he not already been shown the exit? I suspect that the reason is that among the members of the Society are a number of Sedevacantists who will vote with their feet and go with Bishop Richard down the road of extreme Protestantism. Bishop Fellay, currently in talks with Rome, needs as strong a hand as possible and cannot afford to lose 20% of his following. This man deserves our prayers. I have heard him preach and he is the most saintly man that I have met or listened to.


Some time ago the SSPX published their 62 reasons against the (then) Novus Ordo Mass. I do not go along with them in believing that all OF Masses are invalid but I do believe that many of them are not normally (in the UK at any rate) reverent or fitting vehicles for the worship of Almighty God and the celebration of the Supreme Sacrifice and Eucharist.
I cannot feature the 62 reasons due to copywright issues but they may be found here; I do appreciate that, to many they will be disturbing but they do illustrate that the Society of St Pius X has worked hard and logically to produce a very sound argument. I am not trying to sway readers one way or the other, merely to provide a little solid thinking behind what is normally dealt with in a fairly emotional and abrupt manner.

Meanwhile, Menevia languishes and we find ourselves not so much moving forward in 'brick by brick' mode, more like reversing backwards close to the position we were in in 1989.
Such is progress - but we do have prayer on our side!