I am pleased to report that there was a Solemn Mass sung in Southwark, at the Cathedral of St. George.
There are some very nice photos!
The feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was celebrated in Southwark Cathedral with a Traditional Latin High Mass, by permission of His Grace Archbishop Kevin McDonald and the Dean, Canon James Cronin. The Mass was followed by singing the Te Deum.
It is understood that this is the first time that a High Mass in the Traditional form has been celebrated at the Cathedral since the introduction of the Novus Ordo Mass following the Second Vatican Council.
The clergy were:
Celebrant – Fr Andrew Southwell
Deacon – Fr Patrick Hayward
Subdeacon – Fr Christopher Basden
Canon James Cronin, Dean of the Cathedral, preached.
Fr Anthony Logan was in Choir whilst several other clergy were amongst the congregation which numbered around 800, comfortably filling the nave.
At the risk of asking an off-topic question: can anyone fill me in on the dynamics behind “being in choir”? I’m aware (I think?) that non-presiding clerics wear choir dress during the Mass, but I’ve never been clear on what they *do* when “in choir”. Do such clerics do the same actions as the rest of the congregation, or do they join in with the server responses, or do they follow rubrics specific to them?
(The website mentioned “Fr. Anthony Logan in choir”, and the above comment referenced the bishop who didn’t have choir dress with him; that’s what jogged my memory about the question. I also vaguely remember that Cardinal George, at the installation Mass of Bishop Listecki [La Crosse, WI], was somehow required to be in choir dress, since (if I remember correctly) Cardinals must be either celebrant or in the choir–though I’m vague as to why.)
In Christ,
Brian C.
Fr Z, You might like to know that a missa cantata (with absolutions at the catafalque) was celebrated at Lancaster cathedral on Armistice Day. Please visit the cathedral blog for details. http://cathedrallancaster.blogspot.com/2007/11/we-will-remember-them.html
Approx. 800 people attended this Mass (on a wet Saturday morning). So much for the “no interest” argument against Summorum Pontificum!
I am delighted to confirm the Mass at Lnacaster Cathedral – I put together the Schola, in which my four children sang along with several students (and some staff) from Lancaster University, and members of the Latin Mass Society. We sang the chant from the Liber Usualis for the Missa pro defunctis, except for the gradual and tract, which we sang to a psalm tone. we omitted the Dies Irae as the Mass was not the principal Mass of the day in the Cathedral.
The Mass was celebrated by Canon Stephen Shield, the Dean at the Cathedral – and he is saying a Low Mass there on Christmas Day.