Alma Redemptoris Mater

From Advent until the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is customary in some places to sing the 11th-century antiphon, 'Alma Redemptoris Mater' instead of the 'Salve Regina'. The Dominican chant tone heard on this recording is somewhat different from the solemn Roman version that is perhaps more well-known. It was recorded by a group of Dominican students in Blackfriars, Oxford.

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

"Kindly Mother of the Redeemer, who art ever of heaven
The open gate, and the star of the sea, aid a fallen people,
Which is trying to rise again; thou who didst give birth,
While Nature marvelled how, to thy Holy Creator,
Virgin both before and after, from Gabriel's mouth
Accepting the All hail, be merciful towards sinners."

(translated by Cardinal Newman)

Missa Et ecce terrae motus

One listen to the "Earthquake Mass" of Antoine Brumel might lead you to believe it is a 20th century composition--perhaps something modern that looks back but nonetheless employs modern harmonies and musical patterns of our age. So it can be disconcerting to discover that Brumel (1460-1512) was actually a contemporary of Josquin, a pre-Reformation composer who had achieved stunning heights of sophistication.

It is the kind of piece that causes you to seriously wonder about the conventional version of history itself, that somehow we became ever more sophisticated from the 16th century and beyond, marching forward into the light. In fact, what we here in this stunning work is the musical equivalent of the most elaborate and majestic cathedral. It suggests a time of advancement in civilization in every way. But what makes this piece different from other signs of advancement in, say, science or technology, is that focus, which is so clearly on transcendence. Every note, every phrase, reaches and stretches, sometimes painfully, to touch a timeless reality.

I'm blogging on this piece and CD in particular since it is common for those who are newly interested in sacred music to focus on and even get stuck in one mode: Palestrina, Victoria, and other Italians of the counter-reformation period. If we get on this path, we can easily overlook the music of people like Brumel, which shows no sign of intimidation by the didactic demands of reformation ideology. We find here a freer and more completely unleashed search for God, with the result of sounds and styles that are, to my ears, astoundingly fresh and even mold-breaking. If you were to compare this 12-part Mass to a more familiar piece, imagine a Mass-length Spem in Alium, with towers of part writing that are built ever higher until the overwhelm you with grandeur.

I think Amazon may allow some previews of this, but you might consider just surprising yourself. This is music that inspires awe. It must have in Brumel's time and it remains so in ours.

One More Image from the First Vespers of Advent

We already covered papal vespers for the beginning of Advent yesterday, but there was one more image I recently saw thanks to reader "SMJ" that simply seems too nice to not be shown and shared. I am sure many will likely want to save it. Enjoy.

The Works of Guido d'Arezzo

One of the most spectacular yet least appreciated contributions to the development of civilization was the invention of staff lines for writing music. If that seems like no big deal, imagine a world in which there was no written music and you had to come up with a way to transmit these floating abstractions called notes onto a page in a manner that would permit the melody to be inaudibly transmitted over space and time. It is no wonder it took several thousand years for a system to be put together, and one man made the great breakthrough: Guido d'Arezzo, who lived from 990 to 1033 or thereabouts.

Now his writings have been put together in this in book in Italian. Here is an English translation of the page. As the ad points out, one of the paradoxes is that Guido was a "conservative" by any standard. He favored the chant, and the preservation of the chant, and didn't have much affection even for part writing. Yet in order to accomplish the end of preserving and continuing tradition, he used the most modern innovations he could. In this sense, he has much in common with today's Catholic bloggers, attempting to preserve and education on behalf of tradition.

The book includes notes and analysis by Angelo Rusconi, who appears to be the foremost expert in the world. Guido himself was certainly a hinge of history, super controversial in his time, so much so that he was tossed out of his monastery and forced to appeal to the Pope to find another. He was a monopoly breaker who loathed the cult of the experts and hoped to democratize the chant experience. Interesting, he also wrote a tract against simony, which is also included here.

Times haven't changed much in 1000 years!

Pope Celebrates Mass in the Roman Basilica of St. Lawrence on the Occasion of the 1750th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence [UPDATED]

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass today at the Roman basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls on the occasion of the 1750th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence.

It is always both gratifying and interesting to watch papal masses from these ancient Roman basilicas.

First a few images of the Basilica itself from our own Fra Lawrence Lew:

(The Cloister)


(Beneath the high altar is the confessio where we find the tomb of St. Lawrence. You may wish to refer back to the first part of the NLM's piece on the history and development of the Christian altar which discusses this feature of Roman basilicas.)




(The ancient Ambo. The reason for the two sets of steps is explained by the Catholic Encyclopedia this way: "Originally there was only one ambo in a church, placed in the nave, and provided with two flights of steps; one from the east, the side towards the altar; and the other from the west. From the eastern steps the subdeacon, with his face to the altar, read the Epistles; and from the western steps the deacon, facing the people, read the Gospels.")




(Looking toward the Nave)

Here now, a few photographs from today's papal liturgy in the basilica:












(Outside the Basilica following the Mass)

UPDATE:

Thanks to reader SMJ for finding these additional images.

The Beginning of Advent: Veni, Veni Emmanuel

With the beginning of Advent with 1st Vespers this evening in the Roman rite (it is worth recalling that in traditions such as the Ambrosian rite, Advent has 6 weeks and thus began 2 weeks ago), it seems fitting to mark our shift into this season with an Advent hymn, "Veni, Veni Emmanuel" -- a hymn that is based upon the famous Advent "O" Antiphons.

A Lost Work of Amalarius of Metz: A Title of the Henry Bradshaw Society

The Henry Bradshaw Society (HBS) has been providing extraordinarily useful and interesting scholarly liturgical studies and critical editions since the 19th century and, as was reported here some time ago, we can be thankful that they have partnered with Boydell and Brewer and are looking to reprint all of the out of print works of that society.

A few months ago representatives of that publishing house sent me a copy of A Lost Work by Amalarius of Metz and so I wished to say a word or two about it.

The title is a part of the Subsidia series of that imprint -- which, incidentally, is one of the most generally useful series of this imprint, and which will appeal to the widest audience since they amount to histories and commentaries. Titles in that series include such interesting topics as papal ceremonial in the 12th century, Anglo-Saxon liturgy, or, as in the case of this particular work, an older liturgical commentary that gives us some insights into the Latin liturgy and its ceremonial as it stood at a particular time in history. Those interested in liturgical history, development and the like will no doubt find these sorts of references quite invaluable and useful.

Amalarius of Metz lived around the 8th-9th century thereby putting him in potential view of one of the most intriguing times in Western liturgical history; that of the Frankish liturgical projects of Charlemagne. Many believe he was a disciple of the famed liturgist, Alcuin of York and he often wrote upon liturgical subjects, being known for his allegorical interpretation of the sacred liturgy -- which aren't without some controversy of course.

The "Lost Work" which is presented in this book is a portion of a larger work, with these particular texts focusing upon the Divine Office and the Sacred Triduum. The volume includes the Latin text of these as well as an English translation, and also includes a comprehensive introduction which analyzes the contents of the lost work and also gives an introduction to Amalarius himself.

An excerpt may be what best gives a sense of what one might find within the texts in question:

It has been said in the aforesaid ordo: 'On the morning of Holy Saturday, the archdeacon assigned to St. John Lateran comes to the church, and he pours wax into a larger, clean vessel and mixes in oil. Once the wax has been blessed, he pours it out in the forms of lambs and safeguards them in a clean place' and so on. As you know, dearest brother, by the sacramental work of our redeemer two actual things are consecrated today, namely water and wax. But before we go knocking to enquire why water, why wax, we should say, by the Lord's mercy, why those things are blessed on the same day, since almost all our acts of consecration take place on this day of the week, such as the ordination of doorkeepers, lectors and so on, all the way up to the priesthood.

Now it should be mentioned that the "Lost Work" itself comprises only 37 pages of translated text, but within those pages, there is a great deal of interest as I believe this one paragraph alone demonstrates.

For those who are interested in our earlier liturgical history and an insight into some of the customs and ceremonies of the Roman church, this work, while expensive, will no doubt prove to be of interest.

If you are interested in purchasing this text, see here: A Lost Work by Amalarius of Metz

1st Vespers of Advent: St. Peter's Basilica

As was recently discussed upon here in relation to the "Benedictine arrangement", papal liturgical practice is a very important testimony which many clergy take careful note of, and which can often inspire their own liturgical practice, and so the NLM always tries to bring you coverage of papal liturgical events when it can.

For that reason, and also to bring us into Advent and to help inaugurate the new ecclesiastica year, the NLM is pleased to provide some coverage of the the 1st Vespers of the 1st Sunday of Advent from St. Peter's Basilica.

The Throne of Leo XIII is again being used






Latin and chant is quite prominent within the Vespers service as we have become accustomed to in the papal liturgies under Pope Benedict XVI


This picture shows the positioning of the papal throne


The Pope delivering his discourse




The Pope imposes incense at the Magnificat




The use of two deacons to incense at Vespers services continues

French Priest Friendly toward Usus Antiquior Appointed Bishop by Benedict XVI

Some very interesting news is coming out of France today by way of the Schola Sainte Cecile -- and the NLM's own Philippe Guy may be able to give us more insight into this. They are reporting that their pastor, the pastor of the parish church of St-Eugene-Ste-Cecile, has been appointed a bishop by the Holy Father:

Our Priest named Bishop!

The Holy Father has appointed M. l’abbé Batut, pastor of St-Eugene-Sainte-Cecile (Paris IX), auxiliary Bishop of Lyon.

Bishop-[elect] Batut was pastor for a year at St. Eugene, having arrived there on September 2 2007.

In particular, he celebrated the traditional Mass several times outside his parish church during pilgrimages, which met with great success...

His episcopal coronation is expected on January 10 next.

[...]

It is with sadness that we lose a good shepherd, but this sacrifice is offset by the joy of what he can work for the Church of France.

The parish of St. Eugene-St. Cecile has been featured a number of times upon the NLM. M. l’abbé Batut on the other hand may not be known by name to many NLM readers, but some of the Masses he has celebrated will be familiar, most particularly the recent June 2008 usus antiquior Mass held in the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris and the January 2008 Mass at Notre-Dame des Victoires.


Bishop-elect Batut at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris


Bishop-elect Batut at Notre-Dame des Victoires

The official announcement of the appointment is referenced upon the website of the Archdiocese of Lyon.

Suffice it to say, it is good to see more episcopal appointments under Benedict XVI of men who are open and friendly toward the usus antiquior and to the Pope's programme of liturgical reform and re-enchantment generally.

Report on Day 2 of the Usus Antiquior Conference, Spain

The Fraternity of Christ the Priest have given us a report of the second day of their four day conference.

The day began with various private Masses we are told.

On Tuesday morning, Father Gabriel Diaz gave a conference to the gathered diocesan priests, "The contribution of Pope Benedict XVI to the ars celebrandi."

In the afternoon a Missa Cantata was offered in the parish of Briallos and the Fraternity of Christ the Priest report a very good attendance at this Mass on the part of the faithful. The Mass was offered by Don Eduardo Montes, a priest of the diocese of Toledo.







More photos are available on the site of the Fraternity of Christ the Priest.

ICRSS in Rome

ICRSS Apostolate in Rome

Cardinal Zen's Altar Arrangement

It is always interesting to observe how influential papal practice is. A few years ago, the use of six altar candlesticks upon the altar was barely seen, let alone the altar cross or a seventh candle for the Ordinary, but since the Pope has begun to renew these practices in his own liturgies, many have taken his lead. Be it small parish churches or pontifical liturgies, ever more frequently is it being found, all lending itself to a re-orientation of our focus within the Mass, and seeding the ground for a renewal of our tradition of ad orientem liturgicum.

Recently for the Feast of Christ the King, Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong held an outdoor Mass where this arrangement was seen.

While there are a couple of minor adjustments that could be made to enhance this particular arrangement even moreso, it is a good start, particularly in temporary circumstances, and very encouraging to see these developments continue to spread.

Usus Antiquior returns to Johannesburg Cathedral

From a reader in South Africa:

...after many years the TLM is returning to the Cathedral of our largest city, Johannesburg.

[...]

The Traditional Latin Mass will begin to be offered at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Saratoga Ave and End Street, Johannesburg from December 2008.

The celebrant will be the cathedral administrator, Rev Fr. Shaun Mary von Lillienfeld.

The Traditional Latin Mass schedule for the first week in December is as follows:

Tuesday (2nd December) 17:30
Thursday (4th December) 17:30
Saturday (6th December) 7:30

These will all be low masses.

This is likely to to be the schedule throughout December. In addition, we are hoping to have mass on one Sunday. Changes to the schedule and any additions can be found at http://unavocesa.blogspot.com/

When will we be allowed to release new Mass settings?

Here is an interesting story from Australia: "The Bishops Commission for Liturgy is inviting Australian composers to submit new compositions or adapted settings that they have already composed to the new translation of the Roman Missal. The call comes after the Holy See granted official recognition to the Order of the Mass in the new translation. The Order of the Mass includes the parts of the Mass most frequently sung at celebrations of the Eucharist, the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Agnus Dei."

It raises a question in my own mind. Musicasacra.com has a huge collection of settings already prepared, in English, based on chant, with the new English words. They are free for the downloading and use in every parish in the English speaking world. You can sing them as soon as the translation is approved for use.

But you can't download them. You can't even look at them. Why? Because ICEL demands that they stay behind bars until all commercial, for-profit publishers can release theirs at the same time. So there they sit, unused and unviewed, kept from you by the force of law that implicitly backs ICEL's demand.

I think it is about time that ICEL permit them to at least be examined, don't you?

The "Benedictine Arrangement" in Quebec

A couple of photos to show another example of the "Benedictine arrangement" come in from a priestly friend, from the parish of St-Alphonse-de-Liguori in Chapeau, Quebec.

(An English style frontal for the freestanding altar would also be wonderful. Something Father is considering I think.)

NLM Interview with Julian Chadwick, Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales

This past summer, I had the pleasure to visit England again, with the specific purpose of renewing liturgical contacts there and developing new one's. One such enterprise was an evening with Mr. Julian Chadwick, the Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales. One of the fruits coming from that meeting was an interview that has been in the works now for some while and which I am pleased to finally be able to present.

NLM: As Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, can you give us a sense of your own background with regard to the movement to promote the usus antiquior?

Julian Chadwick: I was bought up in southern England by Anglican parents, but through my late mother I also have strong roots in Welsh non-conformity. In spite of this, I was always attracted by the Anglo-Catholic wing of the Church of England. Many churches I used to frequent used the English translation of the Roman Missal and the ceremonies that went with the missal, and I remember a sense of loss when many such churches converted to a more contemporary form of worship. I had not realized that deconstructive liturgy was undermining the faith of my friends and I started to become interested in the complexities of the liturgical reform at the same time as I started to move towards the Church. In fact I visited the Institute of Christ the King at Gricigliano just before my conversion!

It is, of course, simplistic to blame all the problems of the modern church on the liturgical crisis, but I have no doubt that the new liturgy has done much to undermine the church in Western Europe.

It was a great honour for me when David Lloyd and Michael Davies approached me to ask if I would be willing to become Chairman of the Latin Mass Society. I hesitated through a sense of my own unworthiness, and I wondered whether I would be equal to the job, given my professional responsibilities as a solicitor, but it was a privilege to undertake the role in which I have now served for over 4 years.

NLM: The Latin Mass Society has had a very active role within England and Wales in promoting the usus antiquior of the Roman rite. For the benefit of those newer to their interest in the usus antiquior, or for those who operate in North America or other parts of the world, can you give a quick summary of the history and activities of the Latin Mass Society?

Julian Chadwick: The LMS was set up at a time when there was great liturgical turmoil in the Church. In the early days of post-conciliar reform, the stress was less on changing the form of the liturgy than in having parts of the liturgy in the vernacular. It could be said that the Society was originally founded as much as anything else to encourage the correct application of the Council’s Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium – in which the Council Fathers declared that Latin was to be preserved as the normative language of the Roman rite.

There was also deep concern at the beginning of the history of the Society that the great musical traditions of the western church would disappear in the rush towards vernacular worship.

But as the form of the Mass was changed, the Society moved increasingly towards the position of promoting the celebration of what we now call the usus antiquior. Members of the Society who were more concerned with preserving the new form of the Mass in Latin formed their own association. One of the principal objects of the LMS (which is registered as a charity under English law) is “to promote the regular and frequent celebration of Holy Mass…in the Latin language and in the form no later than that published in AD1962”. The Society has been clear that it supports liturgical rites “celebrated by priests with faculties from a Bishop or superior in communion with the Holy See”. In our constitution we make it very clear that we are always to be in obedience to the Holy See.

We were always very fortunate in England because in the early 1970’s the late Cardinal Heenan obtained the so-called Heenan Indult from Pope Paul VI at a very early stage. The history of this is well documented, but it is worth recording that many non-Catholics as well as Catholics realized at the time the importance of the preservation of the usus antiquior to European civilization.

The Latin Mass Society has about four thousand members including over 250 priests. We have consistently lobbied individual bishops for regular celebrations of the Mass and sacraments, and for Bishops to honour the wishes of the late Holy Father John Paul II in this respect, as well as that of the present Holy Father.

NLM: What impact has Summorum Pontificum had on the Latin Mass Society?

Julian Chadwick: This is a whole new world! We were able to celebrate the coming into force of this motu proprio with a most splendid solemn Mass in the London Oratory. September 14th 2007 was a great day for the Church, and in a way it was an important day in the history of the LMS, for it marked a decisive shift in the way we can serve the Church.

Up until then most celebrations of the older form of the Mass in the dioceses were organized by the LMS with (the, at times, hard-won!) permission of the local bishop. But of course this is no longer the case. It is not a question of us lobbying a Bishop for “permission” any more. The Holy Father has given priests the direct responsibility of deciding when the older rites are to be celebrated, and he has given all the faithful the right to their celebration.

Now, in some cases we are only barely aware where and when priests are offering the usus antiquior on a regular basis. This, of course, is a return to a more normal situation in the Church. We are a lay society and it is extraordinary indeed for laity to be ‘in charge’ of liturgical celebrations.

We have lived through some very extraordinary years, and our forebears in the LMS – many of them already dead – did a splendid job and suffered much in difficult times; but today it is clear that we must move away from the old culture, where Masses were held in inconvenient locations and at odd hours, to a situation where the usus antiquior is part of the regular pattern of parish Masses. The LMS is at the service of the clergy in realizing this return to normality. It is a big change for us, and some of us haven’t quite realized it yet, but in the long run I’m confident that the spirit of generosity, sacrifice and love for the Church and indeed for the Holy Father that is so tangible every time I meet our members, will help us move on and to find new ways of serving the Church in this exciting post-Summorum Pontificum world.

NLM: This past June you hosted Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos in London. Would you care to comment on his visit and on its impact?

Julian Chadwick: We were honoured that Cardinal Castrillon accepted the invitation of the Society to visit London for what was an all-too-brief visit. His Eminence arrived on Friday evening, and then, together with the LMS Committee and invited guests, attended the dinner that I hosted at The Travellers Club. The following morning, after a press conference, he was able to address the AGM of the LMS and then, after being welcomed privately by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, to celebrate Pontifical Mass in Westminster Cathedral. To see the Cathedral so full was a remarkable testimony to the popularity of the ancient liturgy, especially amongst the young. What was even more remarkable was the strength of emotion of many of so many of the faithful on that occasion. I think his visit was a clear statement that Summorum Pontificum is for the whole Church, not just for some peculiar old-fashioned Catholics. Also, I think there is a clear message here from the Holy Father, that his reform of the liturgy cannot be ignored.

NLM: One of the most significant and prominent activities that the Latin Mass Society has undertaken lately has been the training conference for Priests and clerics generally interested in learning to celebrate the usus antiquior which has occurred the past two years at Merton College, Oxford. This is an event which has gained international interest and attention and has surely become the gold standard for training conferences, putting forward the very best foot of the usus antiquior, both in terms of the quality of the training and the liturgies themselves. What can you tell us about this initiative? How did it begin?

Julian Chadwick: It is clear that now there need to be more priests who are properly trained in the celebration in the usus antiquior. Sometimes in the past we have been aware of one or two priests who have been “put up” or asked to offer the older Mass but who have either been poorly trained or do not particularly feel at home with celebrating it.

Paul Waddington, who is one of our committee members, had the providential idea of a training conference for priests. The first one, in August 2007, was arranged quite quickly and took place at Merton College, Oxford. We had no idea how many priests would be interested and in the end nearly 40 came. This was a short conference, but in the course of a few days training was provided towards the celebration of the low Mass. We were deeply heartened by the generosity shown by the Archbishop of Birmingham in his encouragement for the conference to go ahead - he attended the first day and offered clear words of support. Bishop Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Bishop Rifan of Campos were our honoured guests also. Bishop Slattery celebrated Pontifical Mass and Bishop Rifan celebrated Pontifical Vespers.

This last July a much longer conference was arranged – a week in length – again with the generous support of the Archbishop of Birmingham. We were graced with the presence of Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP of Nottingham, and Bishop David McGough, one of the Birmingham auxiliaries, was due to attend but most unfortunately he could not do so because of a family bereavement. Pontifical Mass was offered in his place by the Abbot of Lagrasse (with the appropriate permissions) in what was undoubtedly one of the most splendid Pontifical ceremonies ever to take place in this country.

This year’s conference encompassed far more than low Mass. An expanded team of priest-instructors offered tuition in the celebration of the sacraments, the breviary, solemn and sung Mass, as well as in the basics of low Mass. Tuition was also available for those new to Latin. All the participants were offered the opportunity to celebrate a low Mass (or to go through a ‘dry’ Mass) with the assistance of an experienced priest. This wider scope attracted our maximum possible number of registrations, 60, including priests from the USA, South Africa, Australia, and beyond.

The amount of work the whole conference involved was enormous. But the LMS has been hugely blessed with the dedicated and professional input of Father Andrew Wadsworth, Catholic Chaplain of Harrow School, our Director of Tuition, and of Dr Alcuin Reid, the world-famous liturgist and scholar, our Director of Liturgy. Through months of effort they assembled a teaching staff and a liturgical team respectively which delivered, as you so kindly remarked, a “gold standard” for conferences.

Apart from the practical tuition, three more academic lectures were arranged by Dr Laurence Hemming, a leading voice in the academic study of the liturgy. Under his expertise the priests were led to consider aspects of liturgical theology, the pastoral use of the usus antiquior in a parish, and of the implications of Summorum Pontificum.

The generosity of Dr Simon Jones, the chaplain of Merton College, has been wonderful. He kindly gave permission for each conference to have the full use of its medieval chapel and all its resources, something which we have not always found offered to us in Catholic institutions!

No reflections on Merton would be complete without recording the generosity of the faithful. In both cases the conference was entirely paid for by an appeal to members and benefactors.

As in the famous comment about the effects of the French Revolution, it is too early to tell what effects these conferences have had, and continue to have, on all those participating in them, as well as on the wider Church; and we have to guard against simplistic attempts to analyze their benefits. But after both conferences I received numerous letters of support and gratitude from the priest-delegates and I know that, as a result, many of these are now saying the usus antiquior regularly. To receive one such letter makes the time and effort worthwhile.

NLM: As was noted, this event has occurred each summer the past two years. Can we look forward to another such event this summer, and what details can you give readers, particularly priests, who may be interested in attending?

Julian Chadwick: Building on the tremendous success of the past two years, our committee has decided to continue and even expand its opportunities for training in the older rites. The third summer conference will take place at Merton College, Oxford, from August 24th – 28th 2009, with the same experienced organizing team. And Paul Waddington is working hard to organize a conference for training priests in the North of England earlier in 2009. More information on these can be had as it becomes available from our website or by emailing our office.

NLM: What does the future hold for the Latin Mass Society?

Julian Chadwick: Life after Summorum Pontificum is very different and I know that some of our members do not find this altogether easy. We are now part of the mainstream of the church and it is crucial that, without surrendering any of our principles, we integrate into the life of the parishes where we worship, and not either be regarded or regard ourselves as a kind of sect within the Church. It seems to me that the role of the Society will change: although we will and must continue to promote the usus antiquior to all, the days of the laity fulfilling an organizing role that is properly that of the clergy must soon, we hope, be regarded as over. So we shall find our role being more one of providing support to priests and bishops, through training and through supplying practical and financial help at a local level.

So the work of our Society is by no means finished. We have much to offer, as the past two years have shown, as indeed has the traditional movement. But we must be careful not to isolate ourselves or to seek or demand the impossible. We also have to realize that many Catholics don’t understand our position – they know nothing other than the newer rites. In being of further service to priests, as they apply Summorum Pontificum in the coming years, we can surely help to bring about a situation where the Mass our founders thought was lost is once again known by and available to all Catholics up and down the land.

NLM: Thank you Mr. Chadwick.