Mass of Ages Print Edition - Spring 2017
Mass of Ages is the quarterly magazine of the Latin Mass Society. It contains reports on our many activities across the country, national and international news of Traditional Catholic events, feature articles on different aspects of traditional Faith and culture, and opinions and views on developments in the Catholic Church.
The spring 2017 edition is now available. Leading articles feature Buckfast Abbey, The Old Mass and Children, a round-up of an extraordinary Christmas for the Traditional Mass and Gregory Hogan reports on plans to open a new Catholic academy in the Diocese of Portsmouth. These, together with the usual features, a wealth of news, reviews and reports all show how love of the Traditional Mass is growing around the country.
As Buckfast Abbey is preparing to celebrate a thousand years of monasticism on the site, Maurice Quinn, (LMS Local Representative for Devon) looks at its history and current work.
“…from 1018 until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, a Cistercian community of monks lived here, and, like their modern counterparts, were important for the livelihood of the local people.”
“There are many gems in the abbey, and the statue of Mary, known lovingly as Our Lady of Buckfast, is one of the most visited. Situated in the Lady Chapel, this statue links us with the original abbey that stood on this spot prior to its 16th Century destruction. The statue was restored using a piece of the original medieval statue (everything below the knee – see this month’s cover), that was discovered in a wall near here during the rebuilding. The whole is based upon the ancient seal of the original abbey, now kept in the British Museum.”
The Chairman, Dr Joseph Shaw, shows how children are far better at accepting and enjoying the atmosphere of the Old Mass than progressive liturgists would have us believe.
“Children, particularly small children, are not good at assimilating large numbers of words, especially words lacking musical or poetic resonance, for the simple reason that they haven’t finished learning their own language. The likely result is that children will be bored: and this is exactly what we find.
If we consider the Traditional Mass, verbal communication is obviously not what it is all about. Not only is it in Latin, but the most important bit is actually said silently. If it is not said aloud, then children, even those who can’t speak, are no worse off than adults in terms of being able to pick up the significance of what is going on. And while adults, or older children who have been appropriately catechised, may be able to understand the theological significance of more of the ceremonies, the overall effect is one of atmosphere, and in picking up atmosphere children often seem to have the edge over the grown-ups.”
“It is important that Mass appears to them as indeed a part of the adult world, the world they aspire to join, not the world which in a few years they will leave behind them.”
Gregory Hogan writes about an exciting new venture planned in the Diocese of Portsmouth – the opening of a Catholic Free School Academy.
“The school would seek to develop habits of spirit, mind and action to prepare students for future leadership in vocations and civic life. The faith and morals taught by the new Catholic school would be faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and would provide for the firm foundation for training in the classical arts and sciences.
As this would be a Catholic school in the classical tradition, Mass and prayer will serve as the foundation of the school’s curriculum. Religious formation will be fostered among the students with a daily Mass supported by parish priests from the local area. There will be an emphasis on the
traditional Latin liturgy.
Authentic Catholic education is ordered toward the only source of true happiness, fostering the intellectual, moral, and theological virtues that make us fully human because they lead us to grow increasingly like Christ.
The three primary pillars of classical education, sometimes called the trivium, are grammar, logic and
rhetoric. Furthermore, the study of Latin, art and music is integral to classical education. In the early grades, exploration and memorization are encouraged, and as students’ progress to higher grades, they move from memorising to engaging in learning activities that stress synthesising ideas across academic subjects.”
Also in this issue of Mass of Ages, Peter Clarke, LMS Local Representative for the Isle of Wight, reports on a very successful Day of Recollection held at St Mary’s Ryde in early January.
Paul Waddington visits a landmark on the Wirral – the 1930s Shrine Church of SS Peter & Paul and St Philomena.
Alberto Carosa reports on the Holy Father’s recent visit to Sweden.
Our regular columnists:
• Lone Veiler looks at science fiction
• Caroline Shaw provides a meditation on the Mass in her reflection on the Ghent Masterpiece
• Mary O’Regan reflects on marriage
• Fr Bede Row asks, “Do we still believe in theologians?”
Thanks to the cooperation of priests in whose parishes the Traditional Mass is celebrated, Mass of Ages is available from more than ninety cathedrals and churches around the country. If you do not live near one of these but would like a copy of the magazine, we would be very happy to send one from the office. However, due to the high cost of postage, we do ask that you cover the cost of postage.
