The Usus Antiquior and the Maryvale Institute

[The following came in from Dr. Andrew Beards, director of philosophy at the Maryvale Institute in the UK.]

"I am very happy to report that last weekend Fr Glen Tattersall, FSSP (from Melbourne), celebrated the TLM at the Maryvale Institute for those students and staff who wished to attend. Students at the weekend residential included those from our BA in Philosophy and MA in Theology programmes.

"It was very moving to attend Fr Tattersall’s Mass on the mornings he was in residence, as these were celebrated at the altar on which Newman celebrated Mass when he and his newly converted group were resident at Maryvale between 1846-48 (Newman gave Maryvale its name).

"The altar was beautifully restored at the time of the restoration of the whole main Chapel under the late Archbishop Couve de Murville. In fact Fr Tattersall celebrated the TLM here on his first visit to Maryvale last September and this coincided, providentially, with the coming into effect of Summorum Pontificum. During that visit the Mass was celebrated in the small upstairs Chapel which is in the Shrine dedicated to the Sacred Heart, the first Shrine of its kind in England .

"Last December we were very pleased to welcome to the Institute Rev. Laurence Paul Hemming who gave staff a lecture on ‘Pope Benedict XVI’s Vision of the Liturgy’.

"In the context of these developments our Director, Fr Paul Watson, wants us to initiate a staff discussion on how the Institute can best respond to Summorum Pontificum.

"Our Director Fr Watson wants us to reflect firstly on how we can facilitate the TLM for staff and students who want it. Clearly Fr Tattersall’s arrangements for Mass worked. He celebrated Mass directly after the main [ordinary form] Institute Mass (which on Sunday included singing Missa de Angelis). A good number of priests who come to us both as lecturers and as post-grad students are already well versed in the TLM (including Oratorians) and no doubt this will increase. So there will be a good supply of celebrants for the TLM I would imagine.

"The second issue, which I am very glad Fr Watson wishes us to discuss, goes beyond ‘permission’ to thinking about how as an Institute we can contribute to educating those of our students who are unfamiliar with the TLM...

"I ask your prayers for our discussions at the Institute so that we can make a genuine contribution to the new liturgical movement."

Dr. Andrew Beards,
Director of Philosophy,
Maryvale Institute,
Birmingham, UK