News Catch-up

Two weekends ago, I went to Sydney for the wedding of Sidney and Tien – a beautiful occasion of course! I ended up attending three Solemn High Masses in succession: the first, in the evening of Friday 3rd October at St Benedict's, Broadway, followed by solemn Benediction (and then dinner with friends old and new);  the second, in the late morning of Saturday the 4th at Maternal Heart, Lewisham, the wedding of the happy couple followed by Mass of St Francis (using the Franciscan propers, as the celebrant was a friar minor), with the nuptial blessing and so forth, followed by a reception that lasted till late evening; and on Sunday the 5th, the usual Sunday Mass at Maternal Heart (followed by lunch with mates at the pub). It was pleasant though rather warm in Sydney – when I walked from Annandale to Circular Quay on Sunday afternoon, it hit 34 degrees, which made my subsequent return trip on the Manly ferry a great relief. Many thanks to a friend who put me up (or rather put up with me) at his place over the weekend.

Sister Mary Stephanie of Divine Providence, OCD,  died at the Launceston Carmel on Sunday morningthe 13th of October, in the 53rd year of her religious life and the 91st year of her age – to whose soul may the Lord grant eternal rest. I attended her first Requiem on Monday, and on Tuesday was privileged, after and during morning Mass at Carmel, to pay my last respects before her open casket, placed just on the other side of their choir screen, which the nuns left open for the occasion. On Friday, I attended her moving funeral Mass, which was followed by her burial in the monastic crypt, out of sight to layfolk, where her mortal remains lie alongside those of her sisters, awaiting the resurrection.

This weekend past, I went to Hobart on Saturday, since our mid-month Sunday Missa cantata was to be at the earlier than usual hour of 9:30 am. Unfortunately, Father was late starting Mass (at 9:45 am) owing to various factors, and he had to rush to get to his flight back to the mainland – which was why Mass was scheduled so early to begin with.

I forebear to comment on the recent synod debacle, or rather, utter shambles, pleasing to the Devil only and not to Christ, since I fear I would not edify my readers. Many layfolk, priests and even bishops have been through a severe trial this past week – I certainly have. I commend Rorate cæli for their fearless and honest reporting, and take the opportunity of publically retracting some of my previous criticisms of that blog, ever since the election of Papa Bergoglio – since they have been proven correct, time and again, much as I would have hoped otherwise.

Thank God for the good bishops and Cardinals who actually know what our holy Faith teaches, and have not given in to relativism. Thank God they were not called upon to do what Scripture suggests in extreme cases ("But when Cephas was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed." – Galatians ii, 11). And thanks to St John Paul II, who worked a miracle, doubtlessly obtained from Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace.

Gaude, Maria Virgo: cunctas hæreses sola interemisti in universo mundo.

Pilgrimage Mementos

Three special blessings of this year's Christus Rex Pilgrimage: the first blessings of two new priests – that of Bendigo's Fr Ashley Caldow on Friday (who was ordained on the 14th of September) and that of Ballarat's Fr James Kerr on Saturday (ordained on the 6th of September) – and the chance to attend what must be a first for this pilgrimage, the wedding on the Monday morning after (that is, yester-day the 28th of October) of two pilgrims, Jacob and Esther.

I say ad multis annos to all of them, and wish for them what my old parish priest, Bp Jarrett, told me ages ago: that happily married couples are the best role models and supports to the vocation of priests, and holy priests happy in their vocation are likewise the best examples and helps to husband and wife.

The two new priests kindly distributed holy cards as mementos of their ordination, seeking prayers; it strikes me that perhaps married couples ought do the same thing, and not merely provide a booklet for the wedding – for prayer is the great underpinning of all.

To Melbourne for a Wedding

A happy day – the wedding of Justin and Lydia at St Aloysius, North Caulfield.  I'm flying over to Melbourne for to attend, and the day has dawned splendid and bright.

Please pray the happy couple every blessing.

Wedding and First Communion

The bride was stunning (as all brides are), her dress complementing her beauty (like a fool, I forgot to take a photo): how blessed John is to have Laura, and she him; and what a wonderful thing to see Mr and Mrs Macaulay united in holy wedlock before the altar, and kneeling side by side for the ensuing Solemn High Mass.  (John told me later on that friends of his unused to the Traditional Liturgy could only stammer to praise this as an "A-grade Mass"!)

I am delighted to see my old mate John make such a match: two persons of such talents, both committed Catholics, gifted by nature and grace, and deservedly praised, as they were at the reception afterwards.  As Laura is Mexican, they had the Cardinal's permission for a Votive Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe yester-day, in anticipation of the feast.  The Irish and the Hispanic get on very well it seems...  I hope readers will join me in hearty prayers for these newly-weds, who are off on a honeymoon cruise to New Caledonia as I write.

Mass this morning at Maternal Heart Lewisham was a pleasure unexpected in one respect: for this Gaudete Sunday, nine youngsters made their First Holy Communion there.  What was notable was that there was no foolish dumbing-down of the liturgy (as too often happens in the Ordinary Form), but rather an uplifting of the children to these holy mysteries clad in such wonder and awe with a full Missa cantata.  (The choir sang the chant splendidly: the Rorate cæli at Offertory and the Tantum ergo in Corsican polyphony at Communion were real gems.)

I will not soon forget Fr Wong's sermon, especially when in its second part he addressed the first communicants in especial – for having explained that at baptism the seed of glory is planted in our souls, then holding up a white flower, he compared our souls to this, plucked off a few petals to illustrate the uglifying effect of venial sin, and, oh woe! destroyed the flower utterly to display the hateful disaster that is mortal sin.  This exhortation to live as becomes saints, flying sin, and hieing oneself to the confessional as need be, was most sobering.

An amusing point: arriving at my accommodation on Friday afternoon, I was amused to note the Great Synagogue directly opposite – then agog to read on the sign outside that my hotel, the Castlereagh, is wholly owned and operated by the Masonic Club of New South Wales!  Heavens!  Talk about conspiracy theories featuring these, ahem, minorities (other friends tell me that they have stayed there, and even prelates of the Church, so I needn't give in to crazed paranoia).

Finally, some news just in: may I congratulate another friend of mine, Justin, who has just announced his engagement to Lydia.  I pray every blessing for this impending union.

To Sydney for a Wedding

This afternoon I'm off to Sydney for the weekend, again – this time for to attend the wedding of John and Laura at St Mary's Cathedral.  Please pray Our Lady of Guadalupe to obtain countless blessings for the happy couple: may they see their children's children and, after long years together, together inherit eternal life.

A Beautiful Wedding

In the end I didn't join the choir for the Nuptial Mass of Tomasz and Kazia, as I hadn't practised, and Mass V (Kyrie magnæ Deus potentiæ) was not familiar to me. However, the Mass setting chosen sounded admirable (kudos to Tony, Tony, Simon &c.), even if Tony - as we haven't ceased reminding him! - managed to sing it before the Pax, thus totally confusing the congregation! The organist played "in the French style" during the Ecce Agnus Dei, but that was the only other little point of criticism: the liturgy, with Fr Popplewell as celebrant of the Missa cantata, was beautiful.

Of course, the bride was radiant, and only ten minutes late... during her entrance, James sang and played the obligatory Schubert contrafactum setting of the Ave Maria, which made for a very pleasing sentimental entry, with her proud father walking arm-in-arm to come and give her away.

It struck me forcibly how arrestingly quickly the couple marry: they quickly state their free consent, and as quickly plight their troth: all thereafter is for the blessing of them as man and wife, and for their thanksgiving to the Almighty; and to do so, the greatest of all prayers, the Mass, follows.

Yours truly was able to make one small but useful contribution to the celebration: I have on file a Word document for the marriage service, with the Latin and an English version partly mine, and partly cribbed from various sources... this I emailed to Kazia a month back, and it turned out to be just what they needed. While it was my compilation, someone - Fr? - has lightly edited it.

One example of lawful mutual enrichment (ad mentem Summorum Pontificum) that I was able to suggest: one of the modern Roman Prefaces for Marriage was used, which is in fact a revision of a text from the Gelasian Sacramentary; here is the Latin (as sung at the altar), with my very literal translation, as supplied to the (perplexed?) faithful:

Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere, Domine, sancte Pater, omnipotens æterne Deus.
Qui fœdera nuptiarum blando concordiæ jugo et insolubili pacis vinculo nexuisti, ut multiplicandis adoptionum filiis sanctorum connubiorum fecunditas pudica serviret. Tua enim, Domine, providentia, tuaque gratia ineffabilibus modis utrumque dispensas, ut, quod generatio ad mundi produxit ornatum, regeneratio ad Ecclesiæ perducat augmentum: per Christum Dominum nostrum.
Per quem, cum Angelis et omnibus Sanctis, hymnum laudis tibi canimus, sine fine dicentes:

Truly worthy and right it is, just and salutary, for us unto Thee always and everywhere to give thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty eternal God:
Who hast bound the covenant of marriage with a sweet yoke of harmony and an indissolvable bond of peace, so that the chaste fruitfulness of holy marriages may serve for multiplying the children of adoption. For it is by Thy providence, Lord, and by Thy grace that Thou dispensest in ineffable ways both that generation produce adornment for the world, and regeneration lead to the increase of the Church: through Christ our Lord.
Through Him, with the Angels and all Saints, a hymn of praise unto Thee we sing, without end saying:

Fr Popplewell preached a short, concise, gentle homily for the happy couple, who were at matching prie-dieux just inside the altar rails over on the Epistle side:

The noble estate of holy wedlock was instituted by God in Paradise, when he blessed the union of our first parents; and Our Blessed Lord (as all men know) raised this institution to the dignity of a sacrament, lifting it to the supernatural level by infusing it with grace. The Apostle teaches that marriage is so exalted that it is comparable only to the mystical union of Christ and His Bride, Holy Church. To live in marriage, receptiveness to grace is the key to growing ever in mutual love and understanding, and to this end devotion to prayer and the Sacraments is vital; bride and groom ought petition Holy Mary and St Joseph to aid them, just as they should take their example of life as a Holy Family to heart.

For this end, the sermon ended with a bidding for all present to say, "Hail, Mary...".

The choir sang the Ave maris stella (at Offertory) and Adoro te (at Communion), and while Fr read the Last Gospel, the newly-weds went and knelt at the Lady altar, entrusting their marriage to the Holy Mother of God, while the solemn Salve was sung in supplication. They processed out to a curious mediæval piece, an ancient Carmelite hymn beginning Salve Mater misericordiæ.

The reception (at the Polish Club) began at 5pm, and was still going strong at 1.30am apparently! But after so enjoyable and happy a day, I had departed a little earlier, at half eleven - which was wise, for by the time I'd driven south out of Hobart, taken a wrong road, retraced my path, and finally arrived at my host's for the night, it was well after midnight.

Before Thine altar throne

This mercy we implore;

As Thou dost knit them, Lord, in one,

So bless them evermore.

– Henry W. Baker, "How welcome was the call", v. 6, HA&M, 1861.