To Hobart

I'm almost better from a nasty cold (or bronchitis almost) that's been plaguing me for eight days.

I didn't make it to Hobart last Sunday, but did manage to MC our special Launceston Mass, which was very well attended, with all present very moved and rapt in the sublime worship, God be praised. All thanks to our visiting priest, Fr Rowe, the marvellous choir – Byrd in three, plus the chant propers and several motets – and servers! I also served his private Low Mass on Monday morning, which was very special.

I head down to Hobart this afternoon, as Fr Rowe will again celebrate Mass for our community at Sacred Heart, New Town, at 10:30 am tomorrow, Sunday the 20th of July, before he concludes his visit to Tasmania and returns to the West on Monday.

As he has recently celebrated his 20th anniversary of ordination, do pray that he be ever more and more a priest after the Heart of Christ. And please offer prayers for Mother Stephanie, at our Launceston Carmel, as she is very frail and aged, and her long life appears to be drawing to that end which we all must face ere long.

Visiting Priest

A friend of mine from the Mainland, recently ordained, came and spent a few days here while on holiday; it was great to – finally – receive his first blessing as a new priest, and to attend his Masses here, which he offered at Carmel each morning, kindly allowing the local priests to have a short respite from their usual duties; and I think it gladdened the hearts of many parishioners to see a young priest, especially when last night he joined us for a dinner in honour of our own beloved Fr Allan, who is just about to retire, aged eighty: it is reassuring to see one generation following another. Of your charity, pray for all priests, that they may well and truly serve God and His holy people.

A New Priest, Deo gratias

Excellent news just to hand: while, sadly, our esteemed parish priest, Fr Allan Hartcher, OFM, is about to retire to Sydney at the end of this year (he is now eighty), our new Archbishop has persuaded Cardinal Pell to release a Sydney priest, Fr Martin Aye Ngwe, to come south and become the new priest administrator of West Tamar parish – so the church won't close as we feared it would, Deo gratias!

Internet searches reveal that Fr Martin is a learned and orthodox priest, proof of which, if aught were needed, is the way the notoriously dreadful Bishop of Broken Bay, of whom I have heard so much that is unpleasant and uncatholic, treated him so badly as to drive him to transfer to Sydney, a part of the Church more happily united to Rome in one faith than the former. (In a better world, Walker would have been deposed just as Morris was, but his time is almost up in any case.)

I am indebted to Jadwiga, a stalwart of the parish, who suggested we make a novena to St Francis to obtain a new parish priest: it's certainly worked, all thanks to "Holy Uncle Frank"! I just said the Te Deum in thanksgiving, and invite all readers to do the same, and to offer up prayers that Fr Martin will prove an ornament to our parish, and a wise shepherd of souls, as I fully expect he will be. Priests who have suffered are always holier and kindlier than those who have not; and no good priest even gets ordained without enduring many crosses.

Congratulations Fr Sia

Please join with me in giving thanks to Almighty God for the ordination to the priesthood of Fr Brennan Sia, in Perth, Western Australia. What David said by the Holy Ghost of Christ now applies to him: Tu es sacerdos in æternum.

I met Fr Sia while I was living in Perth some years ago, and last ran into him in Rome... While I was unable to attend his ordination on Friday night, he very kindly accepted his first Mass stipend from me, and offered Mass for my intentions to-day.

I am sure he will be most grateful for every prayer that he be a wise and holy priest:

O God, who made your Only Begotten Son eternal High Priest, grant that those he has chosen as ministers and stewards of your mysteries may be found faithful in carrying out the ministry they have received.

Lord our God, who in governing your people make use of the ministry of Priests, grant to these men a persevering obedience to your will, so that by their ministry and life they may gain glory for you in Christ. 

O God, who have willed that your Priests should minister at the holy altar and serve your people, grant by the power of that sacrifice, we pray, that their labours may constantly please you and in your Church bear that fruit which lasts for ever. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

—Roman Missal, 'Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions', I. 6., alt.

Novena to St Francis

My old friends the Dominicans liked to refer to St Francis as "Holy Uncle Frank". Clearly, something of the same resonated with a certain Jesuit earlier this year... And as I'm in a Franciscan parish these days, and one whose parish priest is getting on a bit (dear Fr Allan is eighty), I ask readers to join in a Novena to St Francis, with the intention that, when (hopefully none too soon!) our parish priest retires, we be given a new one (not a foregone conclusion, given the local shortage of clergy). An indefatigable parishioner suggested this to me yester-day: the Novena begins today, and concludes on the 3rd of October, the day of the death of St Francis.

What text? I suggest the traditional form of the Transitus: Psalm 141, Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi, which was prayed by St Francis as he lay dying – indeed he gave up the ghost as he recited the last verse, "Bring my soul out of this prison, and then I shall praise thy name" (and how wonderful a memory it is to think that I looked at that very spot when in the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels at Assisi a year or so ago) – with the antiphon O sanctissima anima; five Pater's, Ave's and Gloria's ("cross prayers" said with arms outstretched); the antiphon Salve, sancte Pater (which we sang last night at Compline and Benediction), with versicle and collect; and a final "Lord, hear my prayer" and "Let us bless the Lord", praying that He bless us by granting our request:

******

TRANSITUS S.P.N. FRANCISCI.

Aña. O sanctíssima ánima, in cujus tránsitu cæli cives occúrrunt, Angelórum chorus exsúltat, et gloriósa Trínitas invítat, dicens: Mane nobíscum in ætérnum.

Ps. 141.

Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * voce mea ad Dóminum deprecátus sum.

Effúndo in conspéctu ejus oratiónem meam, * et tribulatiónem meam ante ipsum pronúntio.

In deficiéndo ex me spíritum meum, * et tu cognovísti sémitas meas.

In via hac, qua ambulábam, * abscondérunt láqueum mihi.

Considerábam ad déxteram, et vidébam: * et non erat qui cognósceret me.

Périit fuga a me, * et non est qui requírat ánimam meam.

Clamávi ad te, Dómine, † dixi: Tu es spes mea, * pórtio mea in terra vivéntium.

Inténde ad deprecatiónem meam: * quia humiliátus sum nimis.

Líbera me a persequéntibus me: * quia confortáti sunt super me.

Educ de custódia ánimam meam † ad confiténdum nómini tuo: * me exspéctant justi, donec retríbuas mihi.

Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.

Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.

Aña. O sanctíssima ánima, in cujus tránsitu cæli cives occúrrunt, Angelórum chorus exsúltat, et gloriósa Trínitas invítat, dicens: Mane nobíscum in ætérnum.

Pater noster... (v) Ave María... (v) Glória Patri... (v)

Aña. Salve, sancte Pater, pátriæ lux, forma Minórum: Virtútis spéculum, recti via, régula morum; Carnis ab exsílio duc nos ad regna polórum.

V/. Francíscus pauper et húmilis cælum dives ingréditur.

R/. Hymnis cæléstibus honorátur.

Orémus.

Oratio.

Deus, qui (hodiérna die) ánimæ beáti Patris nostri Francísci ætérnæ beatitúdinis præmia contulísti: † concéde propítius; ut qui ejus migratiónis memóriam piis afféctibus celebrámus, * ad ejúsdem beatitúdinis præmia felíciter perveníre mereámur. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sæcula sæculórum. R/. Amen.

V/. Dóminus vobíscum.

R/. Et cum spíritu tuo.

V/. Benedicámus Dómino.

R/. Deo grátias.

******

The first antiphon and the versicle are, of course, derived from the Office of St Martin of Tours, which itself drew from the Life of St Martin compiled by Sulpicius Severus:

«...O sanctissima anima...» (Aña ad Magn., 11 Nov.)
«... in cujus transitu...» (R/. vii, Brev. Rom. = R/. ix, Brev. Mon., 11 Nov.)
«...exsultant Angeli ...invitat: Mane nobiscum in æternum.» (Aña ad Bened., 11 Nov.)

«...Martinus, hic pauper et modicus, cælum dives ingreditur, hymnis cælestibus honoratur» (Aña. 5. ad Laudes et Vesperis, 11 Nov.)

Pray for a Priest

Of your charity, please pray for a priest whom I know, who has just been diagnosed with cancer and will be undergoing an operation within the week, with chemotherapy and suchlike to follow: the news is not good, alas.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Health of the sick, pray for him.