The Golden Jubilee of the Cathedral of Christ the King: The preparations

Regular readers will recall that the big event for us in 2010 was the 5oth Annivesary of the Consecration of the Cathedral.

This is the first in a series of three posts dedicated to the event.

Part 1: The preparations

Tomorrow is the big day. When you smallest action can make a difference you better pray!!

Thurifer gets into the swing of things.

Some altar boys move faster than light.

Jube Domne Benedicere and a few last minute instructions

Fr. Shaun commissioned some beautiful new cloths for the Altar rail.

Constance Kayombo, Sacristan, gives the flowers one last look over.

Not quite the orginal six giant brass candlesticks commissioned for the consecration in 1950. But an attractive substitute. Of the original six only three are left. Our fondest wish to have the missing three candlesticks re-cast.

While last minute rehearsals are going on in the Cathedral and preparations are taking place

in the sacristy .... the ladies tackle the hall for the luncheon

When you have dozens of tables to prepare even the smallest pair of hands can help lighten the load.

As the luncheon was a fund-raiser we needed lots of prizes.

The cakes have arrived!! The cakes have arrived!!!

Dozens of cakes were baked for the luncheon after the mass.

Each cake had a picture of the Cathedral on it.

Folding hundreds of Proper sheets requires quite a few hands.

Thank You, Una Voce Orange County without your on-line propers we wouldn't know what to do.

Many thanks to all for your hard work.

Photo Credits: (as usual) Catherine Cordeiro

TLM in the presence of the Relics of St Therese of Lisieux

On the Saturday morning (of the 9th July 2010) prior to the all-night Vigil in the presence of the Relics of St Therese a Traditional Latin Mass was celebrated.

The Relics in front of the Altar

Fr. Shaun Mary von Lillienfeld preaching on the virtues of St. Therese

The Canon of the Mass

Young and old attended Mass on a cold Winter's morning

Wishing you a Blessed and Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

You will see that I have got quite a few new articles up on the blog that cover the last six months of the year.

The TLM at the cathedral continues to grow under the guidance of Fr. Shaun Von Lillienfeld.

Our biggest challenge in the last half of 2010 was preparing a large cadre of servers to be able to serve the Missa Cantata in the more solemn form.

The hectic training schedule has meant that I have had little time to dedicate to the blog and efforts to promote the Mass other than at the cathedral.

The one disappointment of 2010 has been the difficulty of organizing masses in locations other than the three locations (Jhb, PE and Lamberts Bay) that we started 2010 with.

In 2011 we are hoping, on a country-wide basis, to increase the general awareness of the TLM both among the clergy and the laity.

It is my hope that this will lay a foundation, that in subsequent years, will lead to us having the TLM offered in more locations.

A number of projects are being planned for 2011 and I am hoping that everyone who supports the TLM will help us to ensure the success of these initiatives.

God Bless and all the best for 2011.

Photos for the Pope - Mass July 29th

"Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight; the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." (Ps. 140).

In July, Leo Darroch (President of Una Voce) asked us to take some photos that could be included in the annual report that Una Voce submits to the Vatican and that is handed to the Holy Father.

Leo informed me that he had used some pictures from this blog for the 2009 report and that these were well received by the staff in the various departments of the Vatican.

A few of the 2010 photos below.

Prayers at the foot of the Altar

Incensation of the faithful.

Elevation of the Host

A packed Cathedral, part of the crowd of up to 1200 people who attend Sunday Mass.

With between 600 and 1200 people receiving Communion at the Mass we have additional priests to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion.

Clergy, Servers, Choir Director/organist and a soloist

The judicious application of a surplice turns a server's red garment from the Ordinary Form into a cassock for the Extraordinary Form. The idea of our sacristan, Constance Kayombo.

We have many needs to allow us to celebrate the TLM in the most fitting way possible. Please consider helping us.

Photo Credits: Catherine Cordeiro

Some additional photos here.

Mea Culpa!!

I was a bit shocked when I realised that I had last posted news on this blog in February.

The reason for this is not that nothing is happening with the TLM in SA but that I have been so busy working to make things happen that I haven't had time to update the readers. I am going to try and catch up over the next week or so.

One postive development that has kept me very busy has been a change in the mass schedule at the Cathedral of Christ the King. Sunday Mass has now been moved to the last Sunday of every month at 9:30am. This is the Cathedral's main Sunday Mass with anything between 600 and a 1000 mass goers.

Fr. Sean von Lillienfeld is celebrating the Missa Cantata in the more solemn form. That means I have been busily training thurifers, acolytes and torch bearers.

But training is not all we have been doing. Over 500 missalettes have had to be printed and instructional material written, printed and collated.

We are also lucky to have the Cathedral choir singing at all these masses.

Pictures of the Mass to follow in a subsequent report.

Sung Mass for Candlemas in Port Elizabeth

On 2 February, the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (as the day is known in the traditional, 1962 calendar), or Candlemas, a Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form was offered by Father Gregory Mitchell, CO, of the Port Elizabeth Oratory, at St Bernadette's Church in 8th Avenue, Walmer.

This was the first occasion that a Sung Mass, as opposed to a Low Mass, was offered in the traditional rite, in a diocesan parish in Port Elizabeth, since the issue in 2007 of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

The Mass was offered at the parish's usual 5:30pm Mass time, and was attended by between 30 and 40 people, mainly parishioners of St Bernadette's, but also a few from further afield.

The ceremonial of the Candlemas blessing of candles and procession was followed completely (as completely as possible in the absence of deacon and subdeacon). The small schola consisting of two accomplished adult men, rendered Missa de Angelis, as well as all the Propers very professionally indeed. Members of the congregation also joined in the singing of the Ordinary and the responses.

Grateful thanks must be given to the Oratory Fathers, and in particular Fr Gregory, for this Mass, as well as the faithful server and schola, for a moving experience. We hope and pray that this will be only the first of many such sung, and eventually High, Masses, offered in the Extraordinary Form in Port Elizabeth, and that the people exposed to the traditional Mass for the first time, or the first time in many years, will be encouraged to attend these Masses regularly.

Another step forward for the implementation of Summorum Pontificum!

News concerning Mass in Pta

The following is the text of an e-mail I sent to those on the Una Voce mailing list this afternoon (6th February 2010)

It has come to my attention through our Pretoria Co-ordinator that the Mass being offered on Sunday (7th February) in Pretoria will include the option for the faithful to receive communion in the hand and will also include the use of the new lectionary rather than the readings proper to the 1962 Missal i.e The Traditional Latin Mass.

It is the policy of International Federation Una Voce and Una Voce SA to only offer official support to those masses that respect the full integrity of the Traditional Latin Mass. Our mission is the promotion of the Traditional Latin Mass and therefore we cannot dedicate our resources to support other efforts or initiatives.

It is my personal conviction that if the Traditional Latin Mass is not to be offered in its full integrity it is wiser to offer the New Mass (Mass of Paul VI, Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite) in Latin, facing the Altar, with Gregorian Chant all of which are allowable and salutary practices within the Ordinary Rite.

I personally apologise that you are being informed of this at the last minute. Unfortunately, it was not possible for me to meet Msgr. Hill in person, and also our Pretoria co-ordinator, Mr. Jacques Carbonell, was incapacitated this last month and was only made aware of the abovementioned this afternoon.

I can assure you that in future I willl personally investigate all the circumstances around a particular Mass prior to publicising it under the auspices of Una Voce SA.

Should you have any questions and queries feel free to e-mail me.

Once again my apologies.

Kindly keep Una Voce SA and our (often difficult) mission in your prayers.