Cheltenham loses its Traditional Latin Mass

Sadly, Fr Redman of Dursley can no longer offer the monthly Traditional Latin Mass at St Gregory's church in Cheltenham. At present there is no information as to whether another priest could offer the Mass in his place, so we have to assume that this situation will continue for the foreseeable future.

Many thanks to Fr Redman for looking after our little congregation.

"When Paul Corrected Peter"

Next to the daily news report on gloria.tv there is a constantly updated list of news stories and articles, some of which are worthy of much wider dissemination.

Here is one which caught my eye: The American Spectator has published an article by George Neumayr, entitled When Paul Corrected Peter.

I have been hoping for some time that one or more of the Vatican-based Cardinals will speak to Pope Francis as candid friends. Who knows, perhaps they have done so already.

He needs many prayers, offered up in a spirit of love.

Fog and Uncertainty

I'm reluctant to add my two-penn'orth to the swirl of reactions to Pope Francis's recent interview. On both sides, excellent Catholics, both clerical and lay, have made their contributions to the debate.

I have the impression that the work of stressing the positive elements has been rather laboured, relying very much on hope and on interpreting things in the best light. On the other hand, the work of pointing out the negatives, and of drawing worrying conclusions from them, has appeared more analytical and logical.

As for me, I hope the Pope never attempts to put these expressions of his thought into an official, magisterial pronouncement.

Young Catholic Adults: 18-20 October, 2013

During the weekend of the 18-20 October 2013, Young Catholic Adults will be running a national weekend at Cold Ash Retreat Centre just up the road from Douai Abbey (which was booked up this year).

* It will be include the following speakers:- Fr Goddard FSSP, Fr de Malleray, Fr. Pearson O.P. and Br. Gabriel O.S.B..

* There will be a Marian Procession, Rosaries, Sung/HighMass, Low Mass, Confession and socials.

* Gregorian Chant Workshops will also be running, this year led by the Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge

Weekend rates: £99.00 for adults, £69.00 for Students and U/E ( weekends starts on Friday evening with supper and finish on Sunday after lunch.

Saturday night only - £60.00 for adults, £50.00 for Students and U/E Full Board

B & B - £35.00 for adults, £30.00 (for student - U/E) per day

Non - residential and full board - (Friday & Saturday) - £45.00 for adults, £40.00 for (for student - U/E) per day

Non residential (includes meals) - £30.00 for adults, £25.00 (for student - U/E) per day

Non residential & no meals - £20.00 for adults, £15.00 (for student - U/E) per day.

To download a booking form please see :- http://www.youngcatholicadults.co.uk/events.htm

For general enquiries about the weekend please ring Margaret on 07515 805015 or Damian on 07908105787.

How to get to Cold Ash Retreat Centre (near Thatcham, Berkshire)

Car - Roughly halfway between Reading and Newbury, Cold Ash Retreat Centre is within easy reach of these towns as well as London, Oxford, Bracknell, Winchester and Basingstoke. The A4 (Bath Road is a couple of miles and the M4 is just 4 miles away.

Trains - The nearest railway stations are Thatcham and Newbury, with a regular service on the line from Reading to Taunton. It's just c. 45 minutes from London Paddington. The local railway station, Thatcham, is a couple of miles away (and has plenty of taxis available). Timetables and other information are provided by http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/.

Buses - Weavaway operates a bus service from Newbury Town Centre via Thatcham Broadway to Tilehurst, which stops at Cold Ash along the way.

Does Pope Francis have an Identical Twin?

I hope you like the tabloid headline. More about that at the end. First of all, thank you, Pastor Emeritus, for your kind message following my most recent post.

A mixture of technical problems and a draining away of inspiration has prevented me from posting for some time. I’ve found a way round the problems. But as to the lack of inspiration, I think it was due mainly to a reluctance to say what I have been feeling about the new papal regime under which we are living. I’m glad that others have felt able to articulate their views.

Pope Francis says some beautiful, inspiring things, but he also says really awful things which it is pretty clear are emboldening those who reject major elements of the Church’s teaching. This is horrible.

And as for the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Immaculate, and the appointment of the man alleged to have been the chief dissident to the post of Secretary General of the order …. well! In a way, the thing that I found almost more chilling than his appointment, was the statement that for the period of the commissariamento this man would be the sole spokesman of the order. That is grim.

Thank God for the academics who have set out, with such precision, their case against the decision of Pope Francis to forbid these Franciscans to exercise (without permission) their right of offering the Holy Mass in the ancient form. Sandro Magister has the details here.

I think it was the FFI bombshell that “emancipated” me. I know what I think and feel about all this. But I have been searching for a word to describe it that is as little emotionally charged as possible. We need cool heads. I will make do – and, I stress, make do - with the word “exasperated”. The acknowledgment to myself of even this somewhat underpowered expression of my feelings has, rather oddly, liberated me from a sense of oppression. Some people refer to the pope as Francis the Confusing. He has moved on, for me, to Francis the Exasperating. If he continues like this, a stronger adjective may be in order, even from me.

The title of my post comes from those silly, spooky films where Good Twin has an identical Bad Twin, locked away in secret in the attic, but escaping at frequent intervals to cause confusion and mayhem. At last, when all is revealed, everyone starts to wonder: Which Twin was responsible for what? And more to the point, which one is this Twin?

Oh, I think I need to get out more!

A report that Mgr Ricca has resigned

In a comment on Fr Ray Blake’s blog post concerning the Ricca affair, Deacon Augustine refers readers to a report that the Monsignor has resigned from all his posts. The report is publicised by a Swiss Catholic site, the name of which I can’t make out, and the news is said to originate from the French agency I.MEDIA. Here is my translation:


Caught by revelations about his homosexuality, Mgr Ricca is said to have presented his resignation to the Pope.

After the revelations in the Italian weekly I’Espresso about his homosexual activities, Mgr Battista Ricca, recently named prelate of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), is said to have presented his resignation to Pope Francis, the I.MEDIA agency in Rome has learnt.

The Italian prelate, who spoke with the Pope on 20th July, is reported to have given up all his responsibilities at the Vatican, including the management of the guest-houses for priests in Rome. On the 18th July, L’Espresso published many details about the homosexual relationship of the prelate with a former officer of the Swiss army when he was working at the nunciature in Montevideo, from 1999 to 2001. The Vatican responded by asserting that these revelations were “unreliable”.

(I have decided not to translate the final sentence of the report.)

The Bishops, too, are Sheep

This program is from ChurchMilitant.TV

It has been some time since I have been able to compose anything on my blog.  The cursor refused to appear - goodness knows why.  Suddenly it is back again, I'm happy to say.

Supertradmum of Etheldreda's Place has linked to this wonderful video from ChurchMilitant.TV, in which Michael Voris interviews Bishop Athanasius Schneider.  I strongly urge you to set aside the 35 minutes or so, make yourselves a cup of something, and sit down to savour Bishop Schneider’s words. As you will no doubt recall, he is the bishop who has urged that a new kind of Syllabus of Errors be published, formally setting out the correct and incorrect interpretations of certain passages in the documents of Vatican II.

These are some of the gems, with rough timings. I haven't noted the source documents for most of them, but I’m sure most of you will recognise the sources.

7:44 onward: The bishops, like us, are sheep; and Peter is their shepherd as well as ours.

9:14 onward: The government of the Church by the college of cardinals is not continuous, it is extra-ordinary. Continuous government by the college is not the structure Christ gave us. At times, the Church went for some centuries without a council being convened, and the Pope continued to govern the Church during those times.

10:45 onward: The assertion that Christians and Moslems believe in the one God must be clarified. Two substantially different levels of belief are involved: natural faith, which is theirs, and the supernatural faith which comes to us by revelation.

17:00 onward: Lumen Gentium states that the summit of creation is Man. But in fact the summit is God. The idea and practice of anthropocentrism are dangers for humanity and for the Church. The sin of Adam and Eve was anthropocentric.

Just a few notes, but I hope they will whet your appetites.

For the record: Today I heard the P-word.

It may be useful for Catholic bloggers to keep a tally of their sightings - or rather, their hearings - of the Pelagianism word in the wild.  I heard it today, somewhere in deepest Gloucestershire. The speaker was a priest. He was expressing his pleasure at discovering the Vatican Information Service's extracts from the Pope's homilies, delivered at his Masses at the Domus Sanctae Marthae. 

He liked the fact that Francis was inclined to deliver his homilies unscripted.  He had noted the Pope's comment in one of the homilies that the Catholic Church had made mistakes in the past.  He had also been struck by what he understood to be Francis's reservations about meditation.  According to the priest, the Pope had suggested that meditation could be an expression of, or be influenced by, Pelagianism.

I remember Pope Francis's scenting of possible Pelagianism on the part of the kindly Argentinian Catholics who had presented him with a spiritual bouquet of Rosaries.  But I have not heard of any other links made by him, in other contexts.  I'm reluctant to wade through all the homilies since the Pope's election, but I'd be interested to know if any readers have heard the P-word other than relating to the Argentinian incident.  I don't necessarily expect a comment if you don't feel like posting here, but I'll look out for any posts on this subject in the Catholic blogosphere.  I have a feeling that Pelagianism - or some caricature or misrepresentation of it - is going to be the new stick with which to beat the more orthodox or traditionally-minded Catholics.

I suspect the roots may lie deep in the past, in an episode of "Father Ted", when a parishioner said "I hear you're a Pelagian now, Father .... "


Picture from 127project.net, via Google Images

The Thoughts of Pope Francis

Whoever would have thought to see a picture of Chairman Mao's Little Red Book on a Catholic blog?  Our good but somewhat variable Holy Father astonishes us time and again with a pithy phrase which goes to the heart of very important matters.  Such is the case with his recent exhortational homily at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, reported in the Catholic Herald.  In a situation of sin, or even faced with a temptation to it, "Run away and do not look back!"

Repeatedly, the Holy Father's concentrated words offer us spiritual and moral wisdom in a very practical form. This is a pope whose epigrammatic sayings could prove most edifying when gathered together in a little book.  Or do you remember those desk calendars some people used to have on their office desks, with a motto for each day?  People still like a proper calendar: not everything is better for being online.

Catholic Truth Society, over to you!



Picture from Google Images

A busy Sunday afternoon

First, to Prinknash Abbey, where the Traditional Latin Mass is offered by Father Damian at 3pm on the first Sunday of every month.  Beautiful weather for the drive there and back, through the glorious intense greenery of Gloucestershire as spring turns into summer.  The road sweeps in great curves round the scarp-face of the Cotswolds, climbing higher and higher. Thick woods rise up on one side. I looked up at the gap among the trees where the famous Gloucestershire cheese-rollers had churned up the grass last Monday.  On the other side, the ground falls away steeply, to the different beauty of the great Vale of Gloucester.  Beyond that, the Forest of Dean, and even farther away, the hills of Wales.   At last, we turn off and plunge in a series of zig-zags through the grounds of the Abbey.

After Mass, to Cheltenham, and the Holy Hour in union with Pope Francis.  Plenty of people there.  At intervals, Deacon McDonald - top of the range, they are very fortunate to have him - gave uplifting talks, or led us in prayer, or in a hymn.  Then he and the servers processed round the aisles, the thurifers immediately preceding him walking backwards, with great care.  Benediction, chanted in English, and very well, but it made me a little sad, because I know he chants the Latin Benediction with great skill.  However, he must have had his reasons.  O Salutaris Hostia and Tantum Ergo in English too; but as I recall, we sang all the verses, which was good.  Finally, the Salve Regina - in Latin - and the prayer for England.  Altogether a moving and very worthwhile experience, enhanced by the knowledge of others sharing that time with us throughout the world.



Picture of Prinknash Abbey from cotswolds.info, via Google Images.

Pope Francis Calls the World to Adoration

Very sorry not to have posted anything for such a long time. I have felt rather drained for quite a while, beginning with the abdication of Pope Benedict and continuing through the election and the first few months of Pope Francis, a good man who is nevertheless a big change from Benedict XVI.

Once or twice during Pope Benedict’s reign, some of those who loved him dearly will have had a moment now and then in which they thought, “Oh, I wish he hadn’t said that, or done that!” I’m thinking, for example, of the Assisi III gathering, and even more of the interview in which his finely-tuned words on the question of prostitutes and condoms were interpreted as a green light in certain quarters. And yet those who loved him, have continued to love him, and this is just as it should be.

We have a new Pope who is more informal in his style. I am bothered by the tendency to hang on his words, uttered off the cuff in his daily homilies, and to work overtime trying to interpret them.  Some of them are creating more than a few ripples, not to say more serious problems and potential divisions. But he has said some very edifying things, and I think it is impressive that certain governmental decisions (Think of the Scottish hierarchy, and the American nuns of the LCWR) have shown a flash of steel.

Well, that’s a rather long introduction to a post that is in fact about the Pope’s declaration of a Holy Hour throughout the world, on the transferred-to-Sunday feast of Corpus Christi. It will be from 5 to 6pm Rome time, 4 to 5pm British Summer Time.

I am really delighted to see that the website of the Diocese of Clifton (Bristol) has publicised this initiative:

WORLDWIDE EUCHARISTIC ADORATION:

This Sunday afternoon from 4-5pm in Clifton Cathedral we shall have an hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We end with Evening Prayer of the Church at 4.45pm. In response to the Pope's request we are uniting with all Cathedrals round the world, synchronised with Rome as the Pope prays: "For the Church spread throughout the world and united today in the adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist as a sign of unity." The Pope's second intention is: "For those who suffer from slavery, and victims of war, human trafficking, drug running, slave labour and children and women suffering from every kind of violence. This is a historical event, the first of its kind. Please do come along for all or part of this time of prayer which is part of the Year of Faith.

Homing in on the part of the diocese centred on Cheltenham, I am very happy to see that the church of St Gregory the Great, in the centre of the town, will have its own Solemn Exposition and Benediction at the same time.

Eucharistic Adoration - Corpus Christi

Pope Francis is marking the Feast of Corpus Christi during this Year of Faith with a period of Eucharistic Adoration on Sunday, 2nd June. Here at St Gregory‟s Exposition and Benediction will take place between 4-5pm on Sunday.

Cheltenham also has a church on the south-eastern outskirts of the town, The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, but unfortunately this time is already booked for a regular Mass in Polish. So St Gregory’s is the place to go.




Lovely picture from ourcatholicprayers.com, via Google Images.

No Bishops to be Appointed in Scotland, Pending Investigation by Rome

Some of my overseas readers may not be aware that there are three hierarchies in the United Kingdom: one for England and Wales; one for Scotland; and one which embraces the whole of Ireland including Northern Ireland.

I certainly feel for the travails of our neighbouring hierarchies, as I do for the troubles of England and Wales.

An interesting article has appeared on the website of the Scottish newspaper The Herald. I first read it on the Scottish Catholic blog, Spirit of Teuchtar II, and it has also been picked up by GloriaTV. Do read it. There are difficult and stressful times ahead, but it’s good to see that Rome is really getting to grips with the situation.

Just to show that our bishops south of the border have more than a few things to attend to, here is a link to the talk given by Cardinal Ouellet to the Bishops of England and Wales during their Low Week visit to Rome. This will provide a good opportunity for brushing up one’s skills in reading between the lines.

I am beginning to feel rather optimistic.

"How Did the Victim Die?"

Just a thought or two about abortion. 

You can hear the following question in every television detective series:  "How did the victim die?"  Here is a selection of answers:

Completely unable to fend for himself, he was left to die of cold.
She died of starvation (or thirst).*
He was stabbed in the heart.
She was poisoned.
He was dismembered.
She was crushed to death.
He was decapitated.

In the normal course of events, every pregnancy will be terminated, inevitably, whether by childbirth or by miscarriage.  The essential difference with abortion is that its purpose is to bring about the death of the gestating child.  Calling this "termination of pregnancy" is a euphemism to deceive the mind or lull the conscience.  But of course, as we know from the Gosnell case, some minds are perfectly clear, and some consciences are ... well, what they are, God only knows.

All abortionists know that the gestating child is alive. The more honest of them are willing to say as much. Everything an abortionist does to a gestating child to abort him, would be called a method of killing him if it were done to a person after birth.  This is evident from the list above.

I don't think I have anything more to say about it.


*In case some readers wonder why I have included starvation or dehydration, I am thinking in particular of the effect of abortifacient drugs or devices which prevent the implantation or terminate the life of the early embryo.  This, from Wikipedia, sheds some light on the subject:

In molecular biology, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced by the fertilized egg after conception. Later during pregnancy it is made by the developing placenta , and later by the placental component syncytiotrophoblast. [.........] Human chorionic gonadotropin interacts with the LHCG receptor and promotes the maintenance of the corpus luteum during the beginning of pregnancy. This allows the corpus luteum to secrete the hormone progesterone during the first trimester. Progesterone enriches the uterus with a thick lining of blood vessels and capillaries so that it can sustain the growing fetus.

Aid to the Church in Need: A Plea for Syria

Just before Easter the following email arrived from Aid to the Church in Need, asking for an extra effort of giving to help the poor suffering people of Syria:

“If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22)

Dear Friends,

A disaster of biblical proportions is unfolding in the Middle East.

Reports say two million Syrians are destitute in their own country. Another one million have fled their homeland, sparking a refugee crisis that neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan are struggling to cope with.

Amid this awful suffering, bishops in the region have turned once again to you for help. They are ashamed to ask again when you have been so generous, but they are also acutely aware of the urgent need to help their people now.

Thanks to you, we can continue to provide essential food, medicine, shelter and trauma counselling both for people trapped in Syria and those seeking sanctuary in Jordan and Lebanon.

The people are so grateful to you for helping them to carry their cross – and for walking the path that Pope Francis has pledged to walk, the path of brotherhood, love and faith in service of our suffering brothers and sisters. We can but echo their gratitude.

Thank you for all that you do – with your prayers and compassion.

With every blessing for a holy Easter Triduum,

Neville Kyrke-Smith
UK Director

Easter Morning and the Folded Cloth

A very happy Easter to my readers.  May we all experience the return of peace and joy.

If you would like to reflect upon the significance of the folded cloth in Christ’s tomb, a detail described very precisely in St John’s Gospel, please visit this marvellous post entitled Father Ignatius makes a discovery, on Victor Mubarak’s excellent blog, Time for Reflections. Perfect reading for Easter Sunday!



Picture from hope-grace.com, via Google Images.

Revised Papal Coat of Arms

Messa in Latino reports that the Holy See has issued a revision of Pope Francis's coat of arms.  The star has been given eight points instead of the former five, to make it more Marian, and the flower no longer looks like a bunch of grapes.

I am unworthy of this honour ...

Thank you, Ttony of The Muniment Room, for naming me on this Liebster award thing. I am reluctant to print the illustration of the award, since I haven’t complied with all the requirements. In particular, I’m going to refrain from nominating other blogs, because I’m likely to double-nominate with others, and also perhaps nominate bloggers who would prefer not to join in, as happened the last time I did this. However, I thought I would have a go at doing the other things.


Here are a few of the less soporific facts  about myself (or perhaps you have nodded off already):

1. I’m not really Dorothy B.

2. I have a small family and live a very quiet life.

3. Only two or three people in my “real” life know I have a blog.

4. I’m delighted when people visit the blog, and am perfectly happy for them just to read it without commenting.

5. I enjoy doing family history research. I haven’t discovered any famous people, but I have been taken on a fascinating tour of England, Ireland and the Isle of Man, with glimpses of social and industrial life in times gone by.

6. I love Rome, but I don't look forward to going again, because EasyJet have changed the arrival airport for their flights from Bristol. Ciampino is smallish and friendly, and the approach took us low over Rome, with a heart-liftingly beautiful view of St Peter’s. Fiumicino is a nightmare, then a shuttle train, then another nightmare.

7. I dread asking a question in another language because I can hardly ever understand the answer.

8. I can see myself in the audience in this photograph taken at the Latin Mass Society’s excellent conference in London in June last year, but I’m not going to point myself out. Acknowledgments to Dr Shaw’s LMS Chairman’s blog.      

Questions asked by Ben Trovato, the Countercultural Father:

What inspired the title of your blog?
I started the blog at a time when some people (I don’t think they were contributors to the Catholic blogosphere) were talking of being “proud” to be a Catholic. I’ve always felt rather uncomfortable with that idea. It’s an honour – which is reason enough to hold our heads high - and it’s a responsibility.

Why should people read your blog?
Oh, no special reason. It’s only a micro-blog, really. I’m flattered to receive visits.

What is your personal favourite post on your blog?
I’m not sue I can pick a favourite. One of my most heartfelt posts was Forgiveness for the unrepentant, published in 2009.

What has been the most popular (most viewed) post on your blog?
It’s pretty obvious that some of the highest scorers are simply the result of surfers Googling particular keywords. But there is one which I think probably deserves to be here: Summorum Pontificum: Milanese seminarians speak out, dating from 2011.

Which post on your blog has attracted most comments?
My blog attracts hardly any comments, and that’s absolutely fine by me. However, all comments are interesting and welcome, whether short or long. Very few go into the spam box. The post A letter to my MP about SSM, written in January this year, drew some long comments. Not at all surprising, given the topic.

What other hobbies or interests (beyond blogging) are you prepared to admit to?
I’ve included some in the Facts section. I like sewing, and particularly enjoy adapting or mending things. I like to read, but some books bog me down a bit; I am nearing the end of Max Hastings’s Bomber Command, having started it some months ago. I have two internet addictions: Web Sudoku and TheJigsawPuzzles.com.

What are your hopes for the new pontificate?
The truth is illuminated by rays cast from various directions, as we have seen to wonderful effect in various pontificates and in many spiritual writings. Whether or not we are happy with some of Pope Francis’s decisions regarding the external signs of his office, I look forward to hearing the teaching of unchanging eternal truths from a man of his scientific background. It will certainly set out a challenge to those who think that religion and science are incompatible.

Where is your favourite place of pilgrimage, and why?
Rome, because I know it best. I have never been to Lourdes, and would like to go there one day.

Who is your favourite spiritual author, and why?
Apart from the New Testament (a chapter a day) I am too much inclined to coast along on the strength of things I read some time ago. I don’t think I can identify a particular author, other than C S Lewis. I see things on the blogs sometimes, extracts from spiritual writings or from homilies, which go straight to my heart.

Which of these questions did you find it most difficult to answer?
The questions about my blog posts.

Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?
Naturally, I'm assuming that this is a joke.  Or did the question originate from an American blogger? I think British bloggers are possibly a bit more aware that the extreme Left has various faces. This is my opportunity to encourage my American readers to use the word Marxist, rather than Communist. The Marxist views and tactics of Trotskyism are, I think, far more influential than plain Communism.

Pope Francis and an Interesting Absence

Here is a link to Dominus mihi adjutor, the blog of Fr Hugh of Douai Abbey.  Highly recommended!

Specifically, the link takes you to his post of Tuesday 19th March, entitled Francis, the Pope of our Punishment?  The entire post is well worth reading. 

In passing, he draws our attention to an intriguing element - or rather, the lack of it - in Pope Francis's words during these early days .  He does not infer anything from it; but still, it is interesting:

And still no mention of Vatican II…

Tomorrow’s Papal Mass: Good news from Messa in Latino

The heading is in English: Mozzetta back again. A nice picture of Gammarelli’s shop window, as above. Here is my translation, rather rushed and a bit stilted:

A red mozzetta has just been sent to the Vatican, ordered in great haste only this morning, from the famous ecclesiastical tailors, Gammarelli of Rome.

Tomorrow is the date set for the Mass to mark the “beginning of the Petrine ministry of the Bishop of Rome” and in all likelihood (and it is only in this sense that the haste with which the ordinal was prepared can be understood) the one who is being inaugurated will use it, it is being kept for the ceremony in which he will receive the vows of obedience of a representative group of the cardinals.

We are getting excited over very little, some people will think, but on a more substantial level, it comforts us that Mgr Guido Marini has been confirmed in his functions for the ceremony of “inauguration”, coordinating the Franciscan friars of La Verna who have been called up for service at the altar.

The Mass, preceded by the Laudes Regiae, will be in Latin, except for the homily (in Italian), the readings, the responsorial psalm and the prayers of the faithful, all in assorted languages; while the Gospel will be chanted entirely in Greek rather than in the two sacred languages, as would be the custom in the more solemn papal ceremonies; this seems to spring from a desire to shorten the length of the ceremony. With the same intention of synthesis, the offertory procession will be abolished (and this is good, considering what masquerades that rite has given rise to in the past).

During the offertory there will be performed a motet by Palestrina for four voices, written, appropriately, for the coronation of Popes: Tu es pastor ovium.

Finally, the chanting of the Te Deum will close the liturgical part of the proceedings.

Hopeful signs concerning the inaugural Mass and Mgr Marini

After the concern expressed in my last post, I think there is reason to be more hopeful. Chant Café has posted a link to the booklet for the Holy Father’s inauguration Mass. The music has been decided upon, and no doubt rehearsed, well in advance of the occasion, and is of great dignity. Anything else which the Franciscan cerimonieri wish to introduce will, I assume, be additional to this.

It is also cheering to read the comment from Justin, which is worth pasting here in full:

Did anyone watch the Holy Mass this morning at St Ann's though? Mgr Marini and the Holy Father were sharing a joke after the Mass as he was greeting the crowds. 

The monsignor doesn't seem overly perturbed by what news reporters are saying about his and the Holy Father's fractious encounters. He's a professional and very excellent MC and has a doctorate in the psychology of communication - he's worked with prelates as diverse as Tettamanzi and Bertone and Papa Ratzinger; he's taken over a very well run office from Archbishop Marini and gained the loyalty of staff there. It's his *job* to gently guide the Holy Father in the appropriate liturgical actions - even Pope Benedict did not wear the fanon immediately, or carry the ferula immediately. Given time, I'm sure Mgr Marini can discreetly and gently persuade the Holy Father to do things he had probably never thought about before as well.

The only time Mgr Marini looked mildly ruffled during the Mass was when the Holy Father offered him the sign of peace to him as well. In time the Holy Father won't even notice Mgr Marini's presence, and that too will be due to the professionalism on Mgr Marini's part.

Give the Holy Father time and the benefit of the doubt that he is not some vicious hostile dictator - not only is he the Vicar of Christ will all the graces that the Holy Spirit pours out upon him and his office, Jorge Bergoglio is human too, he will have been doing things a certain way for a number of years, and the last thing he wants in a new environment is to suddenly change the way he celebrates Mass - his source of consolation and joy.

If you don't have hope in the Holy Father (!!!), then at least trust Mgr Marini's expertise as an MC. He's a slick operator - he's not going to barge in there and tell the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church that the way he's been celebrating Mass for 40 years has been all wrong! He's going to gently nudge the Holy Father in the right directions, and perhaps during the summer offer him some chant lessons, etc. That's how it's done in parishes all across the world, and that's how it'll be done in the Office of Papal Liturgical Celebrations as well.