40 Hours Devotion . . .

Our 40 Hours Devotion has begun.  We were delighted to welcome Fr Peter Edwards, Parish Priest of St Joseph's, New Malden to our parish last night as he celebrated a beautiful Mass to open our devotion.  I'm very grateful to our altar servers who came to serve Mass after school or work, including one of our younger servers - well done!  Fr Peter also preached a very helpful homily on the Blessed Eucharist.

It was encouraging to see a good number present for the Mass and many stayed behind for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Adoration immediately after Mass. I was also pleased to see a few 'strangers' amongst the congregation also.  All are very welcome to call in at any time.

I always find it very moving to see the steady stream of people coming and going quietly throughout the day . . .  and the night. There is an almost tangible atmosphere of prayer in our simple but beautiful church. We are very blessed here at St Ann's to have so many good and holy parishioners.  God is good indeed!

Adoration continues throughout the day today and throughout the night until the closing Benediction at 9.10am on Thursday morning.  Parish Mass will follow this at 9.30am on Thursday morning.

Changes in the Liturgy during Lent . . .

Every year around this time, I have several questions from parishioners about visible changes to the liturgy that they have noticed during Lent.

First of all, I am delighted that people do notice changes.  There is a reason for everything that we do at Mass and similarly a reason for anything that we do differently at certain times in the liturgical year.

Here is a  very helpful post on this subject. (H/T to Jimmy Akin )

A brief summary of the points made (my comments have been added in blue):

1. Instrumental music with no singing

In some parishes, instrumental music is used at certain points during Mass. A passage will be played on an organ or on another instrument or instruments, even though nobody is singing.

But not in Lent (with a few exceptions).

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states:

313. In Lent the playing of the organ and musical instruments is allowed only in order to support the singing. Exceptions, however, are Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts.

2. Singing or saying the Gloria

Just after Sunday Mass begins, it is common to sing or say the Gloria ("Glory to God in the highest").

But not on the Sundays of Lent.

The General Instruction states:

53. The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) . . . is sung or said on Sundays outside Advent and Lent, and also on Solemnities and Feasts, and at particular celebrations of a more solemn character.

3. Singing or saying the Alleleuia before the Gospel

During most of the year we sing or say the Alleluia before the reading of the Gospel.

But not in Lent.

The General Instruction states:

62. a) The Alleluia is sung in every time of year other than Lent. The verses are taken from the Lectionary or the Graduale.

b) During Lent, instead of the Alleluia, the verse before the Gospel as given in the Lectionary is sung. It is also possible to sing another Psalm or Tract, as found in the Graduale.

 4. Flowers on the altar

It is common for the altar to be decorated with flowers during most of the year (that is, there will be flowers around the altar, though not on top of the altar table itself).

But not in Lent (with a few exceptions).

The General Instruction states:

305. During Lent it is forbidden for the altar to be decorated with flowers. Exceptions, however, are Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts.

In the UK Laetare Sunday also coincides with the celebration of Mothering Sunday or Mother's Day which is a secular celebration.  Whilst we do remember and honour all Mothers on this day, and rightly so; the changes to the liturgy such as the provision of flowers in the sanctuary and the rose-coloured vestments worn by the Priest and Deacon are in celebration of Laetare Sunday rather than Mother's Day.  

5. Emptying holy water fonts

In recent years, some parishes have taken the holy water out of the holy water fonts during Lent. They have even filled them with sand in some cases.

The idea, they say, is to convey the thought that Lent is a time of spiritual dryness--a "desert" experience--that precedes Easter, in which we refrain from using the sacramental of holy water.

Despite its popularity in some places, this practice is not permitted.

It has been the Church's practice to empty the holy water fonts during Triduum, but for a different reason. It is not permitted to have them empty through the whole season of Lent.

The Congregation for Divine Worship has stated:

This Dicastery is able to respond that the removing of Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted, in particular, for two reasons:

1. The liturgical legislation in force does not foresee this innovation, which in addition to being "praeter legem" [i.e., "apart from the law"] is contrary to a balanced understanding of the season of Lent, which though truly being a season of penance, is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism, constantly evoked in liturgical texts.

2. The encouragement of the Church that the faithful avail themselves frequently of the sacraments is to be understood to apply also to the season of Lent. The "fast" and "abstinence" which the faithful embrace in this season does not extend to abstaining from the sacraments or sacramentals of the Church. 

The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday) [3/14/03: Prot. N. 569/00/L].

6. Veiling crosses and statues before the Fifth Sunday of Lent

This practice is permitted beginning with the Fifth Sunday of Lent, but not before.

The Roman Missal states:

In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from this [Fifth] Sunday may be observed.

Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.

Notice that the practice is option (the practice "may be observed" not "is to be observed").

If it is not observed, in a particular parish, from the Fifth Sunday of Lent, there is additional encouragement to do remove or veil crosses after the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.

The rubrics in the Roman Missal for that day state:

At an appropriate time, the altar is stripped and, if possible, the crosses are removed from the church.

It is expedient that any crosses which remain in the church be veiled.

NB. These notes refer to Dioceses in the USA but they also apply to England and Wales.

Probably our Holy Father's last public homily . . .

Although, naturally enough under the circumstances, we didn't have a lot of notice about the Holy Father's last public Mass in St Peter's Basilica yesterday (Ash Wednesday) I hope nonetheless that some of you were able to watch it on television or online; or at least some of it.

It was of course a beautiful Mass and very moving.

You might like to read the Holy Father's homily from the Mass so here is the text for you to read and meditate on in your own time.

As always, whenever Pope Benedict preaches, there is a great deal of spiritual nourishment for us to reflect on.

Let us all prayer for our Holy Father and for his successor.  

Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.

An Excellent Talk on the Holy Mass . . .

Last night about 50 of us gathered in St Ann's parish hall to welcome back Fr James Bradley and to listen to his talk on the Holy Mass.  It was good to see quite a few of our Confirmation candidates present too.  I'm sure they gained a lot from the evening.

I think I can safely say that we were not disappointed.

Fr James gave a detailed explanation and exploration of the Holy Mass, taking us through the liturgy of the Mass beginning at the very beginning with the priest vesting in the sacristy and guiding us through the introductory rite, to the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist and finally to the dismissal at the end of the Mass.

Looking at people's faces, I would say that all present were following Fr James' exposition closely and with great interest.

Fr James also spoke at some length about the reception of Holy Communion at Mass; about the way in which we physically receive Holy Communion, our internal disposition and our state of worthiness.

After speaking for almost an hour, which seemed to fly by, Fr James took some interesting questions from some of those present including a question on the new translation of the Missal and the position of the cross at the centre of the altar, as seen in Masses celebrated by Pope Benedict, and now by many other priests around the world.

We are now looking forward to our third and final talk from Fr James in this series which will be on Tuesday 5th February when the subject will be 'Prayer'.

I do hope to see the hall full once more.  All are welcome.

Greetings from Ireland on the Solemnity of the Epiphany . . .

My little break at home is coming to an end and I thought that I would drop by and let you know that I offered Mass for all in our parish today.

Here in Ireland, the Bishops have decided not to move the Solemnity of the Epiphany to the Sunday which means that the Mass I offered for your intentions was the Mass of the Solemnity.

I'm sure Fr McCarthy has been looking after you all very well in my absence and I look forward to being back with you all again very soon.

O God, who on this day

revealed your Only Begotten Son

to the nations

by the guidance of a star,

grant in your mercy

that we, who know you already

by faith,

may be brought to behold

the beauty of your sublime glory.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ,

your Son,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Collect from the Solemnity of the Epiphany)

It's all going swimmingly here . . . !

I don't know how it's going where you are, but the New Translation is going very well here.

I think introducing the texts gradually over a few weeks earlier in the year with a short explanation in our parish newsletter has helped, and also introducing the New Translation for the weekday Masses during the week leading up to the 'launch' on Sunday 4th September has been beneficial too.

Of course, we still make mistakes from time time, both in the pews and in the sanctuary but that is only to be expected with anything new. I don't think it's my imagination but I feel that the natural 'slips of the tongue' are slowly becoming fewer.

Personally, I'm now impatient to receive the full Missal and look forward to seeing the New Translation of the texts for Advent. It will be good too to have a 'proper Missal' on the altar rather than the rather flimsy interim version.

Thank you to all in the parish who have helped to make the transition from the 'old translation' of the Missal to the new go so smoothly.

The New Translation of the Missal . . .

We at St Ann's are beginning to get quite excited about using the new translation of the Missal.

As we know, the new translation will be used in all parishes in England and Wales from September of this year.

Here at St Ann's we are beginning to look at some of the texts already, concentrating on the people's responses at the moment so that it won't be a big shock to us when we begin using the new translation.

Most of the changes are quite minor but it's surprising what a wealth of meaning can be added to the familiar texts by just a few changes and how much it will enhance our liturgy.

Today, I was looking at an interesting article on the new CTS blog 'Catholic Compass'. (This is definitely a site worth adding to your bookmarks). The item I refer to is a description of the proposed cover for the new Missal and an explanation of the reasons why this particular design has been chosen.

"The cross which is the centrepiece of the design has been designed to communicate the continuity but also the differences with the 1970 translation of the Mass. The cross is the same shape as that used on the previous Liturgical Books but is more complex, laden with symbolism and hopefully more beautiful, encapsulating some of the aims of the new text. The cross also aims to represents something of the ancient character of the texts contained and the liturgy celebrated using the Missal."

You can read about it here.

It certainly is a beautiful Missal and will look very fitting on our altar. I think you could say that we are now eagerly awaiting it's arrival.

Looking at the main CTS website it appears that the new Missal will become available in progressive stages.

Firstly, in June of this year, the Order of Mass will be available in several forms including pew cards so that we can all become familiar with the revised texts.

Then the Altar Missal will be available in two stages. The initial version will contain the texts necessary for the priest to celebrate Mass from September to Advent 2011.

Finally, from Advent 2011 the rest of the texts will be in use and available to all, including people's Missals.

I hope many of you will be including a new Missal on your Christmas list this year!

Lux æterna . . . Requiescant in pace . . .

This evening we have our annual Mass for the repose of the soul of all those parishioners who have died during the past year.

Naturally, it is also very much for the families and friends who are grieving for their loved ones.

We have been doing this for several years now and I have received many positive comments from the bereaved.

We invite people to come into the hall afterwards for a cup of tea and a chat. Many have found it a useful part of the healing process. It can be helpful to talk to others in the same situation. For some their grief will still be very raw whilst for others they may be further down the line in the grieving process.

All are welcome to come along to the Mass at 7.30pm this evening. It is good to see other parishioners who come along to pray for people they may not have known personally and to offer a friendly ear to the bereaved.

Mass for all at St Ann's . . .

My brief visit home is coming to an end. I offered Mass today with my family for all at St Ann's.

The photos are of my parish church of St Asicus, Frenchpark.

I hope you've been enjoying lovely weather as I have here and that it continues for all the tennis fans in our parish now that Wimbledon is just beginning. ( I don't think I ought to mention that other national sport at the moment!)

Mass for your intentions . . .

Here is a photo of the beautiful chapel at Lismullin - the Holy Family Oratory. I offered Mass today for all at St Ann's.

Below is an aerial view of Lismullin. As you can see it is ideally situated for a retreat centre. Surrounded by farmland, it really is possible to 'retreat' from the world for a few days and spend time in prayer and reflection which is so important, not just for clergy but for all of us.

If you've never thought of making a retreat, I do encourage you to seriously consider doing so. It needn't be for a week, just a day or so away from our usual busy every-day lives spent in prayer is so very beneficial to our spiritual growth. There are several retreat centres not too far away and they often offer a day's retreat or 'Quiet Day' for those unable to stay overnight.

Greetings from Ireland . . .

I just thought I'd drop by to let you know that I offered Mass for St Ann's Parish today. The days are flying by and my little break will soon be over.

Parish Pilgrimage - Day 5 . . .

What joy! We prayed for you all at Mass in the Crypt Chapel at St Peter's this morning. Some of the bravest then climbed the 323 steps to the dome!

The day is free for sightseeing today although our guide has made a few suggestions such as the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Also, possibly a walk to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

More later if I manage to take any interesting photos . . .

Lent Talks 2 - The Holy Mass

Last night we had the second of our Lent talks. Fr Marcus Holden, co-author with Fr Andrew Pinsent of Evangelium, a multi-media course on our faith, gave a very interesting presentation on The Holy Mass. I should also mention that Fr Holden and Fr Pinsent have also produced a very good course, Credo, which provides an excellent introduction to the Catholic Faith.

Fr Marcus began by showing us a clip from an advert for the Catholic Church shown on TV in America. Click here to see the clip.

Using material from the successful Evangelium course, Fr Marcus continued talking to us about the Mass; about the Eucharist as Presence, Sacrifice and Food.

We re-present Calvary each time Mass is celebrated but this time in an unbloody manner. Christ is present to us, body, blood, soul and divinity in the consecrated host. Christ's sacrifice takes place on the altar every time Mass is celebrated. When we receive Holy Communion we receive spiritual nourishment which is necessary for our spiritual wellbeing throughout our lives and at the end of life this is given as Viaticum.

Once again, it was disappointing to see so few people attending this very interesting talk. I was delighted, however, to see some of the young people from our Confirmation programme. We plan to be able to have more talks in Advent this year and I do hope that more people will be encouraged to come along and deepen their understanding of our faith.

After the talk we moved into church for the beautiful devotion of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament conferred by Fr Marcus. A fitting end to a very enjoyable evening.

A Very Busy Sunday ...

Today was an especially busy Sunday. The 6pm Mass today was full of young people - marvellous! As well as celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King and National Youth Sunday it was also the 'Inscription Mass' for our new Confirmation candidates when they make a commitment to the programme and to developing in their understanding and practice of their faith.

It was also the time to present Confirmation certificates to our young people who were confirmed with others in our Deanery at Epsom earlier in the year.

Two very joyful 'tasks'.

In addition we also welcomed other local Christians to this Mass as part of our ongoing commitment to cooperation and fellowship with members of the Banstead Five Churches.

Mass at St Anne's School on the First Friday of the month ...

I was delighted to celebrate Mass at our parish primary school of St Anne's this morning, the First Friday of the Month, in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

It was very encouraging to see so many children, parents, members of staff and governors who had come to Mass at 8 O'clock in the morning. What better way to start the school day!

The numbers were so great that sadly some people had to stand outside. Fortunately we were blessed with fine weather today.

I look forward to my return visit to the school for Mass on the First Friday of next month, 5th December.