Thursday, 23 December 2010

Westminster Diocese - hang your head in shame!

My daughter wants to go to Midnight Mass (Extraordinary Form) on Christmas Eve, but according to the LMS listing there are only two choices, 6pm at Corpus Christi Maiden Lane or 6.30pm at St Mary Moorfields, EC2.
As she is working up until 8pm (ministering to the medical needs of the homeless and destitute), she will not be able to go.



"It's true, Holiness, only two EF Masses on Christmas Eve!"
Westminster, as lead British Diocese, does not do very much in accord with Summorum Pontificum, even on a normal Sunday. There's the little Oratory and Spanish Place, one in four Sundays at St Mary Moorfields and that is it. London, capital city, population of c. 7.8 million souls, just has 2.25 EF Masses on a Sunday. Abysmal! 7.8 million folk, over 200 parishes! Over 300 priests! 500,000 Catholics!

And all they provide are 2 'Midnight' Masses on Christmas Eve. Words fail me.

You would have thought that Archbishop Nichols could muster up the troops to provide a 10pm EF Mass in a side chapel, there must be some priests at the Cathedral who know how to celebrate it? Surely?

Ah, the penny has dropped, I now know why there isn't one at a respectable hour - it would be packed to overflowing and that would be a sore sight for Westminster eyes!
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6 comments:

  1. SethDecember 23, 2010 11:02 am

    All very true - BUT this is still a better provision than any other diocese in the country! So it is not so much Westminster that should be ashamed as the entire country. By the way, add St Bede's Clapham for your list of regular Sunday masses...

    Can you daughter make it as far as Reading? The FSSP have a proper midnight EF Mass if so.

    Have heart - things are changing, slowly!

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  2. Richard CollinsDecember 23, 2010 1:48 pm

    Thanks Seth, I agree, I was just having a go at Westminster because I think they should be leading.
    I do know about St Bede's, thanks again, she is reliant on public transport.
    Brick by brick, as you say!

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  3. Webmaster GarethDecember 23, 2010 3:31 pm

    It may be unpopular to suggest it - but do the FSSPX have a midnight Mass in the capital?

    ReplyDelete
  4. jangojingoDecember 23, 2010 7:47 pm

    As I read your post I felt my heart go out to you. I hang my head low. It is shameful when the shepherds do not feed their flock. O curas hominum! O quantum est in rebus inane!

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  5. Richard CollinsDecember 23, 2010 9:48 pm

    Thanks Gareth, there have been problems with the SSPX Masses at Holloway. I will go into them in a later post. I think the main problem is just getting across London at midnight...public transport not safe etc.

    Thank you Paul. We are all in this together until the Bishops get moving in accord with Rome.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mulier FortisDecember 23, 2010 11:43 pm

    We have midnight Mass in the EF at Midnight... but then, public transport isn't an option!

    ReplyDelete

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