Church Choir blog

A parishioner has set up a new blog to provide information on the music at the 10.30 Missa Cantata on Sundays in the parish. See: Our Lady of the Rosary Church Choir.

This is for the Choir, the congregation and anyone else interested in music for the Latin Mass in the older form. There are links to copies of music and there will be links to video clips showing examples of people singing the various musical texts.

Missa Cantata this Saturday

This Saturday, 6 June, our visiting schola will be here on Saturday for our solemn Missa Cantata in the Traditional Roman Rite The texts of the Mass will be sung in Gregorian chant according to the Roman Gradual.

Since the Mass will take longer than the usual Low Mass, it will be followed by a short service of Benediction and the Marian anthem. There will be a priest available from 11am to hear Confessions during Mass and Benediction.

Feast of Corpus Christi

The bishops have transferred the feast of Corpus Christi to Sunday 14 June.
However, there will also be a sung Latin Mass (older form) for the traditional feast of Corpus Christi on Thursday 11 June at 8pm for those who wish to come. (It is not a holyday of obligation.)

Feast of the Ascension

The bishops of England and Wales have transferred the feast of the Ascension to Sunday 24 May in the ordinary form of the Roman Rite.

However, there will also be a sung Mass in the usus antiquior for the traditional feast of the Ascension on Thursday 21 May at 8pm for those who wish to come. (It is not a holyday of obligation.)

Missa Cantata on Saturday

This coming Saturday, 4 April, our visiting schola will be here for our solemn Missa Cantata in the older form of the Roman Rite The texts of the Mass will be sung in Gregorian chant according to the Roman Gradual.
Since the Mass will take longer than the usual Low Mass, it will be followed by a short service of Benediction and the Marian anthem. There will be a priest available from 11am to hear Confessions during Mass and Benediction.

Year 6 Mass, Wednesday

This Wednesday, 11 March, Year 6 from our Lady of the Rosary School will be coming to Church for the 10am Mass. Parents and Grandparents are warmly invited to join us.

(For those unfamiliar with modern school year numbering, the children in Year 6 are aged 10-11 and will be starting in secondary school in September.)

Altar Servers' Mass

Friday 26 December is the feast of St Stephen, the patron of our Altar Servers. All servers are asked to come if possible to the 10am Mass on that day. Those servers who have been serving regularly and have not yet received their St Stephen’s medal are invited to participate in the enrolment ceremony which will be held at the Mass.

Christmas Masses

The Masses for Christmas Day are celebrated as follows:

Midnight Mass
(preceded by carols from 11.20pm)
Solemn High Latin Mass sung in the older form of the Roman Rite

9am Dawn Mass
10.30am Day Mass
English Masses with carols in the ordinary, newer form of the Roman Rite.
At the 9am Mass, after Holy Communion, the children are invited to gather round the crib to sing the carol Away in a Manger.

Traditional Children’s Mass

Last year at Lourdes, one of our Masses was a traditional (Latin) Low Mass with hymns, especially geared for children. Parents have requested a similar Mass occasionally in the parish. On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Monday 8 December, at 4.30pm, Fr Charles Briggs will come to say Mass and Fr Finigan will help the children to participate prayerfully at the Mass. All are welcome, including children of all ages.

Stan Colyer RIP

The Knights of St Columba will be having a Memorial Mass for Stan Colyer on Tuesday 16 September at 8pm at Our Lady of the Rosary

Sung Latin Requiem Sat 6 September

Our next scheduled Missa Cantata (sung Latin Mass in the older form of the Roman Rite) is on Saturday 6 September at 10.30am. This day is the anniversary of the death of Fr Patrick Bailey, a former Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Rosary, and so, at the suggestion of the MC and Schola, I will celebrate this Mass as a Requiem for Fr Bailey and after Mass, there will be the traditional absolutions at the catafalque.

Requiem aeternam dona ei Domine et lux perpetua luceat ei.

Missa Cantata next Saturday

On Saturday 5 July, the 10.30am Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen will be a Missa Cantata, Mass sung in the older form of the Roman Rite, followed by Benediction. Confessions will be heard during Mass from 11am.

Explaining traditional Liturgy

Following several requests, Fr Finigan will give two talks on the traditional Latin liturgy explaining some of its elements and structure and giving some advice on how to participate in the liturgy. All are welcome. (It is not necessary to know any Latin!)

4 July 8pm - Understanding what is going on
Pope Benedict’s letter and Vatican II. The use of Latin. Facing Eastwards. Silence. Low Mass and High Mass.

11 July 8pm - How to participate at Mass
The teaching of the Popes about participation in the Liturgy. The different parts of the Mass. Interior and exterior participation. Holy Communion. The recovery of the sacred.

The talks will be given by Fr Timothy Finigan in the small hall at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen. Light refreshments will be served and there will be an opportunity for questions. The talks will not assume any knowledge of Latin or of traditional liturgy. All are welcome.

Pope Benedict speaks

“It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Liturgy of the Church.”
Pope Benedict XVI Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum” art.1

“In the history of the liturgy there is growth and progress, but no rupture. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.”
Pope Benedict XVI. Letter to the Bishops of the World 7 July 2007

Missa Cantata this Saturday

Just a reminder that we have a Missa Cantata this Saturday at 10.30am at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, followed by Benediction and the Marian Anthem.

For those coming from elsewhere, here is a link to help you in getting to Blackfen.

High Mass, Thursday (Corpus Christi)

This Thursday 22 May, there will be a solemn High Mass (Latin) in the older form of the Roman Rite at 8pm in the Church, sung with Gregorian chant according to the Roman Gradual. The Mass will be followed by a procession of the Blessed Sacrament within the Church grounds.

(Thursday is not a Holyday of Obligation and our English Masses on Sunday will be the Mass of Corpus Christi.)

Missa Cantata - 1 March

Every week at Blackfen, our Mass on Saturday morning at 10.30am is celebrated in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass). On the first Saturday of each month, a small Schola of men kindly comes to us so that the Mass can be a sung Mass with the chants from the Roman Gradual.

The next occasion will be this coming Saturday, 1 March.

(Fr Robinson will be available to hear Confessions during the Mass from 11am to 12noon.)

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

This Sunday, 7 October, is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary: our parish patronal feast day.

We have Mass at our usual times (6pm Saturday, 9am, 10.30am and 6pm Sunday). Our 10.30am Mass will be sung in Latin.

In the afternoon, at 3pm we have the Rosary, an indoor procession of the statue of Our Lady, and Benediction.

High Mass Friday 12noon

This Friday 14 September, at 12noon, there will be a Solemn High Mass in the older form of the Roman Rite. The Mass will be the Mass of the Feast Day (The Exaltation of the Holy Cross).

Celebrant: Fr Timothy Finigan (parish priest)
Deacon: Fr Nicholas Schofield
Subdeacon: Fr Richard Whinder.

The Mass will be sung in Gregorian Chant according to the Roman Gradual. The Te Deum will be sung after Mass in thanksgiving for the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI.

Fr John Zuhlsdorf, author of the blog "What does the prayer really say?" will be preaching at the Mass.

A buffet will be served in the parish's Large Hall after the Mass. All are welcome.

Directions to the Church.

Extra Masses this week

Monday 3 September
Fr Finigan will also be saying a private Mass this Monday morning at 7am in the older form of the Roman Rite. Anyone who wishes is welcome to attend.

Tuesday 4 September
A Requiem Mass for Joyce Elizabeth Robson and James Alexander Robson RIP will be celebrated In Latin, in the older form of the Roman Rite on Tuesday 4 September at 4pm.

Wednesday 5 September
A requiem Mass will be celebrated for Ita Short Timon in English, in the ordinary form of the rite, on Wednesday 5 September at 12noon.

Usus antiquior Mass on Monday

Fr Finigan will be celebrating a private Mass at 11.30am on Monday 27 August, using the usus antiquior, the older form of the Roman Rite. All are welcome to attend this Mass.

(Mass is celebrated in the older form of the Roman Rite every Saturday in the Church at 10.30am, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the opportunity for confession. Adoration concludes with Benediction at noon, followed by the singing of the Marian anthem as appropriate for the season (currently the Salve Regina.)