James MacMillan (with Rutter and Taverner)

I love James MacMillans orchestral music, all that crashing percussion and grinding brass, I am less familiar with his Church music, I thought the music he wrote for Arcbishop Nichols' installation was incredibly moving. He is writing music for the Papal Visit, I am looking forward to that.
I discovered this on BBC iPlayer, it is the last of the series Sacred Music, he appears along with Rutter and Taverner. Enjoy it, it is really is wonderful stuff.

Why don't the Orthodox and Copts do it?

In a discussion earlier on this blog someone asked the question: why don't the Orthodox who broke from us in eleventh century to give Holy Communion in the hand and why don't the Copts who broke away in the first millenium give it in the hand either?

Why is it that only the Protestant groups who broke away in the 16th who do it?

What lead all the ancient Churches to abandon the reception of Communion in the hand?

Just asking!

Priests Open Letter in Support of Pope Benedict's Visit

We, priests of England and Wales, wish to express our joy at the forthcoming visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Britain.
We welcome the many wise things the Holy Father said to us through our Bishops on their ad limina visit earlier this year which are of particular significance to the health of the Church in England and Wales, such as "the Catholic community in your country needs to speak with a united voice" and the need "to be attentive to the promptings of the Spirit, who guides the whole Church into the truth, gathers her into unity and inspires her with missionary zeal".


More than ever, with the proximity of the Papal visit and anxious for its success we recognise especially the need "to draw on the considerable gifts of the lay faithful in England and Wales". Concerned for the Church's mission we to see a great need in England and Wales to ensure "that they [not only the lay faithful but we priests] are equipped to hand on the faith to new generations comprehensively, accurately, and with a keen awareness that in so doing they are playing their part in the Church’s mission". We also acknowledge the importance within our national context of what His Holiness said about the Magisterium, "In a social milieu that encourages the expression of a variety of opinions on every question that arises, it is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate. It is the truth revealed through Scripture and Tradition and articulated by the Church’s Magisterium that sets us free."


We wish to thank His Holiness for encouraging our Bishops to hold up to us "an example of dedication to prayer, pastoral sensitivity towards the needs of his flock, and passion for preaching the Gospel", and also for urging them to encourage the faithful "to avoid any temptation to view the clergy as mere functionaries but rather to rejoice in the gift of priestly ministry".
 
Fr Raymond Blake
Fr. Stephen Brown
Very Rev Fr Leon Pereira, O.P.
Fr. Francis Wadsworth
Fr Timothy Finigan
Fr J M Taylor Lanherne
Fr. John Abberton
Mgr Andrew Wadsworth
Fr John Boyle
Fr Francis Marsden VF
Fr Christopher Back
Fr. Gary Patrick Walsh S.S.S.
Fr David B Barrett
Fr William R Young
Fr Stephen Willis
Fr Paul Harrison
Fr Tim Edgar
Fr Ian O'Shea
Fr Tim Whiley
Fr John Osman
Fr Anthony Dykes
Fr John Cahil
Fr John Saward
Fr. David Evans
Fr Thomas Wood
Fr. Mark Naughton
Fr. Peter Charles Crowther
Fr Wilfrid Elkin
Fr Gary Dickson
Fr Hugh Somerville-Knapman OSB
Fr Jean-Claude Selvini
Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP
Fr Seán Finnegan
Fr Seán Patrick Riley
Fr.Aidan Doyle O.S.B
Fr Francis Coveney
Fr Gerald Anders
Fr Michael Sellers
Fr Michael Hall
Fr Hugh Mackenzie
Fr Michael Clifton
Fr. Philip Egan
Fr.Pius Mathew CMI
Fr Martin Thompson
Fr Ian Farrell
Fr Mark Vickers
Fr Jonathan Hill
Fr Simon Henry
Fr Thomas Regan OSB
Fr Michael Brown
Fr Nigel Griffin




If you are a priest in England and Wales and you wish to sign this "open letter", enter your name and address in the comments box and once I have checked the Catholic Directory I will add it to the letter.
The quotes in the letter are the Pope's own words to our bishops.

Year of the Eucharist in Colombo

Archbishop Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka who until last year was the number two at the Congregation for Worship in practical terms was the closest co-operator with Pope Benedict on matters liturgical.
A friend recently travelled to his diocese and was struck by the reverence of those who were at Mass. He also had a fifteen minute interview with the Archbishop which turned into an hour long chat ending with my friend, a doctor, being invited to return to Sri Lanka to address the Episcopal Conference on Justice and Health issues.
The two poles of the Archbishop's ministry are very definitely liturgy and justice. Rorate Caeli reports that the Archbishop has announced a Year of Liturgy, the article is entitled "We cannot tolerate liturgical errors." The exciting thing is that the Archbishop begins his letter by speaking of the liturgy in terms of a fount of charity and service.

[W]e need to break ourselves for others, and be pressed and crushed for justice and peace simultaneously as we believe and celebrate this most holy Sacrament. Hence, I very earnestly request all priests, religious and the laity to combine devotion with animation to show our love for the poor and the less fortunate people in our society by engaging in works of corporal mercy. Let our love extend not only to the poor people, but also towards mother nature so that our Eucharistic spirituality would incorporate also an eco-spirituality.

In a society recovering from the dis-communion of an ethically based civil war, re-establishing the centrality of Christ and the Tradition of his Church to the prayer life of the Church seems very important.

Every Photograph of St Bernardette

I found this my Facebook wall, I don't normally "do" Facebook, my thanks to Philip Andrews.

I am having dinner with Bishop Athansius Schneider

I am having dinner with Bishop Athansius Schneider who is coming to the Latin Mass Society's course at Downside

LMS Press release:

LMS Residential Training Conference for Priests Wishing to Learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass) at Downside Abbey, Somerset.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider to attend Conference

The Latin Mass Society has announced that Bishop Athanasius Schneider ORC, Auxiliary Bishop of Karaganga in Kazakhstan, will be attending the forthcoming priests’ training conference to be held at Downside Abbey from Tuesday 10th to Friday 13th August. Bishop Schneider will celebrate a Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form in the Abbey Church at Downside on Thursday 12th August at 11.00am. He will also deliver a lecture as part of the conference.

Around 30 priests are expected to attend the conference where tuition will be given in the celebration of Mass in the older form. Some will be beginners, and will be studying Low Mass; whilst others with more experience will be expanding their skills to include Missa Cantata and Missa Solemnis. Tuition will also be provided for altar servers.

Bishop Schneider is best known for his defence of the traditional practice of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling. His book, Dominus Est, originally written in Italian but now available in English, deals with this subject in some detail.

The public will be able to attend the 11.00 am Mass in the Abbey Church each day of the conference, but will be particularly welcome at the Pontifical Mass on the Thursday.

There are a few last minute places available at the Downside conference. Priests and potential servers interested in attending should contact the Latin Mass Society by telephoning 020 7404 7284 for further information and an application form.

Does the Day for Life Collection go to fund abortions?

Today in England and Wales is "A Day for Life" and we are asked to take a second collection for "associated charities".
Does the "Day for Life" collection go to fund abortions? This is a question raised by Caritas in Veritate. Some of the money raised  apparently goes to the "non-values based" City Pregnancy Counselling and Psychotherapy. "Non-values based" generally is a euphemism for pro-abortion.
As Fr John says he is sure this is not at the behest of one of our bishops but someone at Eccleston Square but that raises a further questions: to what extent are those who work there sympathetic to the Catholic faith? Who is catechising them? Who will sack them? "A Day for Life" is I understand Archbishop Bernard Longley's brief.
It could well be the CPCP is pro-life but the contrary is suggested by their site and since the farce over the Papal visit I expect the worse from the Square.