Deferred ending of EF Mass at St Dominic's

Just been advised that the last EF Mass at St Dominic's Priory in Newcastle has been deferred until 21st July & possibly even 28th. The change is due to Fr Leo Edgar's transfer being slightly delayed.

Extraordinary Form Mass still on Tyneside on Sundays

With the last EF Mass at St Dominic's Priory, Newcastle next Sunday (7th July) it is concerning that many of the attendees have not been made aware that the Sunday EF Mass will continue at St Joseph's in Gateshead. This church has, probably, the best public transport link for the EF in the diocese being directly adjacent to Gateshead Metro Interchange which is also the town bus station. Bishop Cunningham obviously had the needs of the Latin Mass faithful in mind when he moved Fr Michael Brown back to Gateshead when Fr Adrian Dixon begins his sabbatical. The bishop obviously recognised the need to retain the EF Mass on Tyneside following the reassignment of Fr Leo Edgar OP. Of course the other EF Masses in the diocese continue unchanged with Mass at 9am at St Mary's, Barnard Castle and at 9.30am at Sacred Heart and English Martyrs at Thornley. Please pass on this important information.

Changes in the diocese

Fr Adrian Dixon (PP & EF celebrant at St Joseph's, Gateshead) is taking sabbatical leave; Fr Michael Brown (PP & EF celebrant at St Mary's, Forest Hall) is returning as PP at St Joseph's, Gateshead where he introduced the EF Mass during his time previously; Fr David Phillips (PP at Stella who celebrates the monthly EF Mass at Ryhope) is moving to Berwick where he hopes that the EF Mass might be introduced. Fr Phillips intends (weather permitting) to continue celebrating Mass at Ryhope. We also sadly note that due to the Prior, Fr Leo Edgar OP, being reassigned the weekly Missa Cantata at St Dominic's Priory, Newcastle will cease from the beginning of July. We must acknowledge the fact that Bishop Seamus Cunningham has given careful thought to the retention of the EF Mass on central Tyneside by relocating Fr Brown to Gateshead. We thank Fr Dixon for his support at St Joseph's and wish him well on his sabbatical.

Corpus Christi

Missa Cantata was celebrated at St Mary's, Forest Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne on Thursday the true Feast of Corpus Christi by Very Rev Fr Michael Brown, Northern Chaplain of the LMS. The Ordinary & Proper were sung in Plainchant by the Schola Sancti Baedae.

Brinkburn High Mass 2013

Happy to give goodly notice of the 2013 EF Mass at Brinkburn Priory in Northumberland. The priory was once the home of Augustinian canons who chose this idyllic riverside site in the midst of the beautiful countryside of Northumberland. The priory is situated between the towns of Morpeth & Rothbury. It is hoped that the Mass will be a Solemn High Mass and it will be celebrated on Saturday 14th September 2013 at 12noon. Please make a note in your diary as this is a wonderful setting for the EF of the Mass and we are (usually) blessed with lovely sunshine. It is hoped that a polyphonic Mass will be performed together with the Proper from the Liber Usualis.

Decline, Decline, Decline

Research by the Latin Mass Society has demonstrated a range of statistical indications in the health of the Catholic Church in England & Wales in the 1960s & 1970s. Among the findings are: MARRIAGES: Between 1968 & 1978 the number of marriages collapsed by a third from 47,417 to 31,534 and that decline shows no sign of slowing up as it now stands at less than 10,000, a quarter of the 1968 total in absolute terms. Within the Church population the reduction is from 12 per 1,000 to 2.5 per thousand in 2010. BAPTISMS: Halved from 137,673 in 1964 to 68,351 in 1977. At present the number hovers around the 60,000 mark & many of those do not attend Mass regularly. From a peak of nearly 16% of all live births in 1963 we see today fewer than 10%. ORDINATIONS: We saw a drop of more than 50% between 1965 & 1977 (from 233 to 101) and this decline continues unabated. Even using the more optimistic figures supplied by the National Office of Vocations (compared to the Catholic Directory) for the current year, showing an increase on recent years, numbers are scarcely 30% of their 1964 level. (Counting only ordinations to the diocesan clergy, there were 134 in 1964; the NOV predicts 41 this year.) Dr Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the LMS, comments: "Anyone with an interest in the future of the Catholic Church in England & Wales will find these figures illuminating. They show, unambiguously, that something went seriously wrong in the Church in England & Wales in the 1960s & 1970s. Catholics ceased quite suddenly to see the value of getting married, having large families, and having their children baptised. Non-Catholics no longer saw the Church as the ark of salvation, and ceased to seek admission. Young men no longer offered themselves for the priesthood in the same numbers as before. It is not fanciful to connect this catastrophe to the wrenching changes which were taking place in the Church at that time, when the Second Vatican Council was being prepared, discussed and, often erroneously, applied. As Pope Benedict pointed out in the Motu Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum': '..in many places celebrations were not faithful to the prescriptions of the new Missal, but the latter was actually understood as authorising, or even requiring, creativity, which frequently led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear...'

Missa Cantata in Darlington

This evening, 15th May, Fr Paul Tully celebrated his first Missa Cantata in St Augustine's Church in Darlington. The Mass was sprung on local LMS member Carl Watson having been arranged by the parish priest before he went on retreat. There is a regular Wednesday evening Low Mass in the church. The music was Byrd's Mass for 4 Voices with Byrd's Ave Verum at the Offertory. Darlington Choral Society did a splendid job. Carl was MC assisted by his sons as acolytes & a parishioner as thurifer. David O'Neill & Leo Darroch sang the Proper. It should be noted that Carl has never been MC before nor had the thurifer undertaken the task.