Gaudete Sunday in Reading

Yesterday I travelled over to Reading for the Mass of Gaudete Sunday at the church of St William of York offered by a priest of FSSP who run the traditional rlte parish based in the church.  I went with a friend who regularly makes the journey to attend EF Masses there.

The train and bus got us there in good time to witness the transformation of the altar from the novus ordo to the traditional arrangement with the very handsome cross and big six which appear on these occasions.

The Mass itself, celebrated in a beautiful rose coloured set of vestments of traditional cut and modern French manufacture, was accompanied by good singing from the voluntary choir and very well attended. More so than on previous visits to St William's was I struck by the wide age range of worshippers.

Afterwards we went, as is our wont on these occasions, with another friend to his home for a fine lunch in very civilised surroundings before returning to Oxford for Vespers at the Oratory.

Septuagesima at St William of York in Reading

Today I travelled with a friend who, as a regular worshipped there, makes the journey most Sundays to Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the church of St William of York in Reading. We had an easy journey by train and bus from Oxford to Reading and on to the church.

St William of York was built in 1909, and designed to be enlarged if need arose. The modern extension is to a different plan and the Edwardian intention is still clear.

Today it is a part of a diocesan parish, and also used by the University chaplaincy, the FSSP and the Ordinariate.

We were going to the FSSP 11am Mass for Septuagesima in the Extraordinary Form, the 1962 Missal being their essential Rite. Their website can be seen a Facebook page accessible to all which can be viewed at https://m.facebook.com/fssp.england

The Fraternity celebrant was Fr Matthew Goddard.

As we had arrived early I had a good view of the Altar's transformation from its novus ordo style to a more traditional one, as the additional altar cloths were put on, then a violet frontal and finally the very handsome crucifix and set of six candles.

For the celebration of the Mass Fr Goddard had a particularly handsome Roman chasuble and matching stole and chalice veil in violet fabric with gold and blue decoration, which looked quite new.

The Mass was entirely traditional, beginning with the Asperges and with the Second ( Third ) Confiteor before Communion.

There was an excellent team of young servers and the choir in the west gallery sang the Propers.

All in all this was a prayerful and beautiful liturgy, one that was eloquent of 'otherness' and sacrifice, one that was thoughtful and serious. There was a good congregation, with a good number of children in addition to the servers.

Afterwards we went with another friend who sings in the choir at these FSSP Sunday Masses for lunch at his flat. This was an opportunity to see something of the converted country house in which he lives and to enjoy a series of tasty courses accompanied by fine wines.

After that it was back to Oxford for the three of us to go to Vespers at the Oratory.

The FSSP at St William of York in Reading

Fr Blake has a post today about the FSSP community at the church of St William of York in Reading which can be seen at at Growth in Reading.

The clergy and congregation at St William of York

Image: Fr Ray Blake's Blog

The group photograph marked not only their tenth anniversary but also their farewell to Fr Armand de Malleray who is moving to establish a new FSSP centre in Warrington, but leaving the St William community in good hands. So growth in Reading is leading hopefully also to growth in Warrington.

I have not so far managed to get to the church but a good friend who travels there each Sunday always speaks very highly of its devotional life and friendliness, as well as of it being very much a normal parish community, and lacking that touchiness which sometimes is an unfortunate attribute of Traditionalism.

The Facebook page for the church and the wider work of FSSP can be seen at https://www.facebook.com/fssp.england, and back copies of their excellent magazine Dowry can be accessed online at FSSP U.K.

FSSP Newman Pilgrimage

Earlier today I had the pleasure and privilege of guiding some 40 US and Canadian pilgrims around sites in Oxford and Littlemore associated with Bl.John Henry Newman, as well as other places of Catholic and historic interest. This was part of a week long pilgrimage to England organised by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, whose website can be seen here.

I admire the energy of the party - so far this week they have visited Walsingham, York, the Birmingham Oratory and Stratford, and have certainly London and Ramsgate to follow.

We began from the Oxford Oratory, going to Trinity where Newman was an undergraduate from 1817 to 1821, to St Mary's, where he was vicar from 1828 until 1843 and to Oriel where he was a Fellow from 1822 until 1845 and his reception into the Catholic Church.

Bl. John Henry Newman about the time of his reception - a portrait at Keble College

Image: Oriel College website

After a pause for tourist shopping we returned to the Oratory for Mass celebrated by their chaplain, Fr Michael Stinson FSSP. With him, and acting as the server, was one of the Fraternity's seminarians, James Mawdsley, whom readers may recall from his activities as a campaigner for human rights in Burma - there is something about that here. He hopes to be ordained as a deacon next year.

For the Mass and for lunch at a nearby restaurant we were joined by theChairman of the Latin Mass Society, Dr Joe Shaw, who had helped arrange the programme for the group, and indeed suggested me as a tour guide to them.

In the afternoon we travelled down to Littlemore, where Newman built the parish church and school for this outlying part of the parish of St Mary's, and where he largely based himself in the College, which he acquired in April 1842 until he left Oxford early in 1846, and where he was received on October 9th 1845.

The College Littlemore

Image: newmanfriendsinternational.org 

At the College we were welcomed by the Sisters of the Work who administer it on behalf of the Birmingham Oratory.

The garden inside the College

Image: newmanfriendsinternational.org

We had a tour of the library where Newman worked and where he met Bl.Dominic Barberi on the night of October 8th 1845, and the pilgrims were able to receive Benediction in the restored chapel.

This was a particularly appropriate day on which to visit Littlemore as it was the 165th anniversary of the death of Bl.Dominic at Reading in 1849 - his feast day is assigned to yesterday.

Bl. Dominic Barberi

Image:southwarkvocations.blogspot.co.uk

I bade the pilgrims God speed at littlemore and wish them well for the remainder of their stay here in England, and their continuing Christian pilgrimage.

Celebrating Candlemas

With Candlemas falling at the weekend I, and indeed all the faithful,  had more opportunity than usual to join in celebrations of this lovely feast.

The collects and other prayers as well as the antiphons and other propers are particularly rich and apposite in symbolism - a re-statement of the themes of Christmas and Epiphany at the end of the season of forty days, and full of things to reflect upon.

On Saturday evening I went to the vigil Mass of the Oxford Ordinariate group at Holy Rood. We began with the blessing of candle sin the vestibule - narthex if you will -  of the church and then entered the darkened building in procession as the Newman Consort sang. The Mass was in the Ordinariate Use, which the community here are using at all these Masses until Easter preparatory to an assessment of which forms of the Rite to use on a regular basis.

Talking afterwards some of use reflected whether the ceremonies of Candlemas originate in a dawn

liturgy following a vigil - this would make sense of the bearing of lights, although this was done as a mark of honour at all times in the ancient world. Something I ought to look up in the expert literature.

On Sunday I was at the Oxford Oratory for the 11 am Solemn Mass. This is a special day for the Oratory in that in addition to being Candlemas it is also the anniversary of the foundation in 1848 by Bl. John Henry Newman of the English Oratory. As the Provost, Fr Daniel, and I were agreeing after the Mass it looks as if  Newman chose this feast as it was also the feast day of Oriel, his former college, and he had chosen the Oratorian model as being close in structure to the life of an SCR in an Oxford college.

Following the blessing of the candles we went in procession round the inside of the  church, which was a bit difficult as there was briefly a traffic-jam of the altar party and the faithful at the back of church for a period - the church is not big enough for us all - which is a good sign really.

In the evening we had Solemn Vespers sung by the choir, and more processing - although this time by the officiants and servers only - to have the incensing of the Lady Altar. This was followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

Afterwards I was talking to two friends who had been to the FSSP Mass at St William of York in Reading in the morning. There they had enjoyed a celebration of Candlemas according to the 1962 Missal with all the ceremonies, including a procession round the outside of the church. As Fr Armand de Malleray had pointed to in his sermon - when the candles had guttered or blown out it was like our difficulties in attempting to live the Christian life, but that the important thing was to continue to do so through the adverse times. A good image of the pilgrim Church. 

All in all this was a very good celebration of Candlemas, rounded off by dinner with a fellow Orielensis and saying the College grace together. 

FSSP Mass in Amsterdam

A friend has sent me the link to a blog post on the Daily Telegraph website by the composer James MacMillan which may be of interest.

Mass at the Sint-Agneskerk

He recently attended an Extraordinary Form Mass at the FSSP church of Sint-Agneskerk in Amsterdam, and writes enthusiastically about the experience here. The FSSP community there has recently been given full recognition as a community by the diocesan Bishop. The development of the Fraternity foundation there has been covered by the New Liturgical Movement, and they have several posts about the church in their archives. This definitely looks to be the church to attend if one is in Amsterdam.

You can read James MacMillan's account here.