GOD BLESS OUR POPE

Last week I attended a Conference organised by the Latin Mass Society to train priests in the celebration of the Mass and Sacraments according to the Rites of 1962.

As I have been celebrating according to the Missal of 1962 for some time now I decided to attend the classes given on the celebration of Missa Cantata and Missa Solemnis. At these classes we were given instruction on the sung parts of the Mass from Fr. de Melleray FSSP and Fr. John Cahill of the Diocese of Nottingham.

At the end of the Conference we were able to put our singing skills to good effect. Here is a clip of us singing after the toast to HH Pope Benedict XVI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwGowtB25Wg

IN THE WATERS OF BAPTISM

Please keep in your prayers Leon Jack Michelson who was baptised at St Marie's recently. Also remember his parents and godparents.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen

At the Masses on Easter Day there was much rejoicing after our observance of Lent. The Church looked wonderful dressed in flowers and candles. The best vestments worn and there was much festive music. 'We have liturgies so high, you need supplementary oxygen to breathe!!!'

THIS IS THE NIGHT

In union with the rest of the Catholic world we began our 'Mother of all Vigils' at 8:30pm. We gathered first of all outside the church to bless the Paschal Candle and to light it from the New Fire. From there we processed into the darkened church to sing the praises of the Risen Christ in the words of the Exsultet:

Accept this Easter Candle,

fashioned from the work of bees,

a flame divided but undimmed,

a pillar of fire that glows to the honour of God.

Easter Triduum

In union with the rest of the Catholic world we began our Easter Triduum with the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. The pictures in this post show the incensation of the Blessed Sacrament before the procession to the Altar of Repose.

I would like to thank those who have worked so hard over the last few days in preparing the Altar of Repose. I am sure you will agree the results are wonderful and it contributed to a very prayerful atmosphere in the church throughout the Watching.

Happy Anniversary Father

I am grateful to Fr. Timothy Finnigan at his excellent blog The Hermenutic of Continuity for the following post:

I received an email today from a reader who has come up with the idea of marking the "Year for Priests" by marking your local priest's anniversary of ordination. He has put up some ideas for this on his Vocations Guide website (I can't link directly to the page: click the "longer explanation" for parish clergy and then click "Happy Anniversary Father".) The suggestions are very simple - a card, a gift of a spiritual book, perhaps helping children to participate by drawing their own cards etc.This initiative strikes me as good ideas because it helps lay people to celebrate with their priest the most important reason he is there for them - i.e. his priesthood. It is also good for us priests to be reminded of this.

Another suggestion (I can't remember where I read this) is that whenever a priest comes to your home, always ask for his blessing before he leaves. As a priest, I always like to kneel down to receive the blessing of another priest - so don't be shy of doing this. Such things are nothing to do with "human respect" but everything to do with respect for the sacramental character of the priesthood. The priest needs to be reminded of this and accept any external gestures of reverence in humility as acts of reverence for Christ who chooses to work through him despite his sins and failings.

Fr. Francis Wadsworth, your Parish Priest will celebrate the 11th anniversary of his ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ on 13th June - the Feast of St Anthony of Padua. Please spare a prayer for him on that day.

A NICE COMMENT

The other day I was looking at the Latin Mass Society Blog for our Diocese of Salford. www.lmssalford.blogspot.com Many thanks to Neil Walker our diosesan representative for his kind comments about our parish blog and the good work that our parish is doing. I noticed in the comments box one kind person has written the following. I hope they don't mind me reproducing it here:

''Thank you for prayers answered. Since reading 'Sacred then and Sacred now' The return of the old Latin Mass by Pope Benedict XVI, I have yearned for the restoration of the Extraordinary form. It must be understood, that it never did go away The Pope in his previous capacity as Cardinal was a great advocate of freedom for the 1962 Missal. Vatican II may have ordained a 'reform of the liturgical books, but did not forbid the previous books'. I have kept up todate as far as time will allow with developments in the restoration of the classical liturgy by reading Catholic literature sympathetic to it inclusive of my subscriptions to Catholic newspapers, and so developed an interest before reading Pope Benedict's fine literature on it edited by Thomas E. Woods.

Father Wadsworth is indeed doing a fine job and I would encourage others to come along to these Masses on Friday evenings; there they will find a richness and beauty, both peaceful and edifying.'

THE SACRED TRIDUUM

HOLY THURSDAY
There will be NO MORNING MASS TODAY as the only Mass permitted is the Chrism Mass in the Cathedral when the Bishop together with the priests of the diocese will be bless the Oils to be used during the celebration of the Sacraments. The Sacred Triduum begins in the evening.

8:00pm

Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Washing of Feet and Procession of the Blessed Sacrament

and watch at the Altar of Repose.

10:30pm

Compline - Night Prayer of the Church

GOOD FRIDAY
10:00am

Office of Readings and Morning Prayer

3:00pm

Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion,

Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion

7:30pm

Stations of the Cross with Our Blessed Lady

The Maria Desolata Devotion

HOLY SATURDAY
10:00am

Office of Readings and Morning Prayer

8:30pm

Lighting of the Paschal Fire,

The Great Paschal Vigil,

Blessing of the Font,

First Mass of Easter.

EASTER DAY
9:30am Holy Mass
11:15am Holy Mass

PLEASE NOTE
THERE IS NO EVENING MASS ON EASTER DAY

The Great Week Begins

Today we entered into Holy Week or The Great Week as it is sometimes called with the Blessing of Palms. At the early Mass we had the Solemn Entrance, but at the Sung Mass we were able to hold the procession. The pictues show the procession of altar servers and clergy from the church to the place of blessing and the Blessing of Palms.