THURSDAY 31st MARCH - LENTEN EVENING OF RECOLLECTION

The Mid-Lenten Evening of Recollection will this year be held in the Lady Chapel of St James’s Spanish Place, London W1 on Thursday 31st March 2011.

The Evening will be led by the Reverend Nicholas Schofield, Parish Priest of Uxbridge and Archivist of the Archdiocese of Westminster. 

Mass will be at 6.45pm (note the changed time) followed by a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament exposed, which will include a short conference, concluding with Benediction. We are grateful to the Rector of Spanish Place, the Reverend Christopher Colven for allowing us the use of the Lady Chapel.

There will be drinks afterwards, for which a modest contribution will be requested, and further refreshment locally for those who wish. Members of the Order and Companions are extremely welcome to bring guests, especially those who are, or might be, aspirants to the Order.

THE ANNUNCIATION, LADY DAY

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady, a day so deeply engrained in the historical life of this county, that Lady Day still determines the calendars of many state institutions and modern secular organizations.

Today is a day of feasting, not fasting, where by immortal custom of the Church, and by canonical precept, the fast of Lent is suspended.  Every few years it falls on a Friday, and Canon 1251 enjoins us to set aside the abstinence from meat on this day.  It is our duty to honour the Church and Our Lady by availing ourselves of this great privilege.

Holy Mass will be celebrated at 6pm at St James's Church Spanish Place.

Dos tua, Virgo pia, haec est.

TUITIO FIDEI - PUBLIC DISPLAY OF CRUCIFIXES - EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS JUDGEMENT

In a landmark ruling, occasioned by the scandal a few years ago of the proposed removal of crucifixes in Italian state schoolrooms, the European Court of Human Rights has determined, in a final judgement in the case Lautsi and Others v. Italy (application no. 30814/06), that the display of crucifixes in schools presents no violation under the European Convention of Human Rights.

This very welcome ruling will be of relevance not only to those in Education in Britain, but also in Healthcare, and gives support to the display of crucifixes and religious symbols in Catholic hospitals, clinics and care-homes, even those which receive State funding.  It is to be hoped that those responsible for the administration of such institutions will take this opportunity for the practice of Tuitio Fidei, and provide such symbols for the spiritual inspiration and comfort of the patients they serve.

As the text of the ruling quotes (para 15(11.9)) "...in the present-day social reality the crucifix should be regarded not only as a symbol of a historical and cultural development, and therefore of the identity of our people, but also as a symbol of a value system: liberty, equality, human dignity and religious toleration..."

The PRESS RELEASE many be read here, and the text of the FULL JUDGEMENT here.   It merits careful study, not least of all for the underscoring of the influence of the values of Christianity in the foundation of modern society, something the modern political world, and some influential Catholics in the public sphere, sometimes forget.

To members of the Order of Malta, and those who assist in its work, this judgment will be of great help.

"The cross, as the symbol of Christianity, can therefore not exclude anyone without denying itself; it even constitutes in a sense the universal sign of the acceptance of and respect for every human being as such, irrespective of any belief, religious or other, which he or she may hold. ...  "  (para 15 (13.4))

Pope Benedict in procession in the Order's San Giovanni Baptista Hospital in Rome
before saying Mass for the patients and staff in the presence of Grand Master Bertie.

NEXT CONCERT - WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH - Hexachord

Plorans, ploravit

Penitential and Lenten a cappella sacred music from 16th century England, including

WHITE Lamentations à5; Exaudiat te, Domine
TALLIS Miserere nostri; Sancte Deus
TYE Peccavimus
SHEPPARD Media vita
MUNDY Adolescentulus sum ego

performed by HEXACHORD directed by Simon Lillystone
at 7:30pm in the CONVENTUAL CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN OF JERUSALEM

This concert is the last in the St John’s Concert Series for 2010/2011 arranged through the collaboration of St John’s Hospice and the Order of Malta.

The series aims to raise funds and awareness for the only independent Catholic hospice in Central London.

Entry is by free programme available at the door, for which a suggested donation of £15 per audience member is requested, or other donation as generously as you feel able.

Refreshments will be available in the interval, and the church is very easy to reach by bus and tube (St John’s Wood Station).

ARCHBISHOP'S PASTORAL LETTER

Below is the text of the Pastoral letter instructing our Lenten observances, issued by His Grace the Archbishop of Westminster last Sunday.

  

Ninth Sunday of the Year

Our Lenten Journey

My brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,

The season of Lent begins this Wednesday. It is important that we prepare for it now. 

Lent, of course, is a season in which we are called to a renewal of faith. We go back to the foundations of our faith, ensuring that our house is built on rock and not on sand, as today’s Gospel passage reminds us.

The rock, of course, is Christ, he who ‘leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection’ (Heb 12.2). All we do during Lent is aimed at bringing us closer to him.

During Lent we are to learn again all that separates us from Christ. We repent of our sins. We celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confession is a major task for Lent. By taking on a regular act of self-denial during Lent we train ourselves to turn again to Christ. We also come closer to the Lord by an increased practice of prayer, and by an additional generosity towards the poor. So, repentance, self-denial, almsgiving and prayer are the recipe for Lent. 

This pattern of Lenten living prepares us to celebrate afresh the great events of our faith: the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Lord. This we do in the great ceremonies of Holy Week. I ask you now to look at how best you can take part in them. 

In these ceremonies, Good Friday holds a special place. Every Friday during Lent holds a special place, for these Fridays link us to the Lord’s death on the Cross. So I ask you to ensure that you mark each Friday in Lent with an act of self-denial. The ancient tradition of the Church is that we do not eat meat on these Fridays. Let us take up again the practice of abstaining from meat, or another favourite part of our diet, on the Fridays of Lent. 

Prayer, too, is crucial. The Stations of the Cross are a form of prayer well suited to our Lenten journey. Please do try to follow the Stations of the Cross in your church during these coming weeks. By meditating together on the suffering and death of the Lord, undergone for our sake, we come closer to him and renew our love for him. 

So far I have spoken of our Friday abstinence and our prayer as our pathway of preparation for Easter. Now I ask you to add to it a pattern of reflection on your own personal faith. 

This you can do by joining in one of the many parish groups which follow the booklet ‘Faithful Pilgrim’ offered for this season of Lent. This year the themes of the booklet lead each group in a reflection on the message of Pope Benedict to us all during his recent Apostolic Visit. Coming together with a group of others is a marvellous way of deepening faith and encouraging each other. 

There is also a more individual approach to such reflection and prayer. Every parish has been offered the small ‘Walk with Me’ booklets which open up a journey of personal prayer for the weeks of Lent. This, too, focuses on the words of Pope Benedict, concentrating on the wonderful teaching he gave during his homily in Westminster Cathedral. You may well find this helpful and encouraging, too. 

These booklets are readily available. Do make use of them. 

So this is our journey for Lent: a journey marked by self-denial, especially on each Friday. This prepares us to admit and confess our sins. 

It is a journey marked by prayer, in the Stations of the Cross or before the Blessed Sacrament. This helps us to come to the Lord in love and appreciate more deeply his saving love for us. 

Then, do mark your journey of Lent by prayerful reflection on the faith, either in a parish group or individually. 

Please take steps today to make the most of these opportunities. 

I am fully aware of the pressure on time which we all feel as I make these requests. It is difficult to fit more into a busy routine. Yet Lent itself helps us to address this issue. 

Paradoxically, if we can slow down during these weeks of Lent, making space for things which matter very much indeed, then we will find a greater peace and poise in our lives. Creating moments and times of space for prayer and reflection gives us new vitality and focus with which to return to our routine obligations. Try it and see! 

During the Visit of Pope Benedict last September we felt again a certain pride in being Catholics. We rediscovered our identity as members of a great family. He reminded us that our Catholic way of life should have a distinctiveness about it, one that emerges from our relationship with the Lord. During these coming weeks let us renew that relationship by steadfastly observing our Lenten practices and encouraging each other to do so. 

May God bless us all during this precious season of Lent. 

Yours devotedly,

+Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster

IMPORTANT NOTICE OF CHANGES TO MASSES IN LENT

MASSES DURING LENT, AND STATIONS OF THE CROSS

During the current delayed building works in the Hospice, which as the Chairman of the Hospital has explained prohibit the use of the Conventual Church in the evenings, the following revised arrangements will prevail. Additional information will be posted as necessary on this website.

ASH WEDNESDAY

On Ash Wednesday the 6.30pm evening Mass in the Conventual Church will be cancelled, but a Mass will be celebrated, with imposition of ashes, in the Church by the Hospital Chaplain at 5.30pm.

As this time is rather early for many members of the Order, members and Companions are invited to attend the 6pm Mass at St James’s Church, Spanish Place, George Street W1U 3QY, which the professed will attend in choir.

THURSDAY EVENING MASSES

Until further notice the Order’s weekly Conventual Mass will take place in the Lady Chapel of St James’s Church, Spanish Place, at 6.45 pm on Thursday evenings. The Masses will be followed by the customary short drinks reception. The Masses will normally be celebrated by our chaplain Father David Irwin, or other Order chaplains.

As this coincides with the beginning of Lent, this is a good opportunity to avail ourselves of these Masses in this beautiful church, and it is hoped than many members and Companions will attend, so that we may continue to carry out some of our Lenten exercises as a community.

The Feasts of the Order as detailed in the Calendar of Masses 2011 will be celebrated at these Masses as normal.

The 11am Mass on Tuesday will continue to be celebrated as usual in the Conventual Church.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

The Friday evening Stations of the Cross in the Conventual Church will also be cancelled, and members of the Order are encouraged to join in the Stations at St James’s Church Spanish Place on Fridays on Lent at 6.30pm, following the 6 o’clock Mass.

We are very grateful to the Reverend Father Christopher Colven, Rector of St James’s, for his kindness and hospitality over these coming weeks, and to our chaplain, Father David Irwin.

Your continued prayers are asked for our chaplain Canon John McDonald, Chaplain Emeritus of the Hospital, whose health is gradually improving.

The Grand Prior takes this opportunity to wish you all a very holy and fruitful Lent.

CANCELLATION OF THE CONCERT ON 26th FEBRUARY

It is with much regret that we must announce the cancellation of the concert by Schola Baptista "MUSIC FOR SAINT JOHN" which was planned for the Saturday 26th February.

This decision has been made at the instruction of Lord Guthrie, Chairman of the Hospital, to permit the completion of the current Hospice building works which are running well behind programme, and which have been rescheduled at times that is least disruptive to the Hospital and Hospice patients, working at evenings at weekends.

The Hospital has advised us that the completion works involve a large number of workmen, materials and significant noise on Saturday evening.  It is clearly imperative that the work remaining is completed within the revised times, to satisfy Department of Health grant requirements, and it has not now been possible to  accommodate the concert without putting this at risk.  In addition, the Hospital explains that it would not be in anybody’s interests to attend a concert that would be constantly interrupted by loud drilling noise.

We extend the sincere apologies of the Order of Malta to all our generous supporters of Saint John's Hospice, with our thanks for your support in the past, and should be very grateful if you would tell anyone whom you think might be coming of this cancellation.

We very much hope that the next concert, on 23rd March, will continue as normal.

'SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM' - INTERNATIONAL APPEAL

Your attention is drawn to the following urgent Petition for an Appeal to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, Pertaining to the Instruction/Clarification of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. CLICK HERE

Click here and here for some background information.

REMINDER - SATURDAY 26TH FEBRUARY - NEXT CONCERT!

  THIS CONCERT IS NOW CANCELLED, 

  MORE IN A LATER POST.  

The next concert in the series "Saint John's Concerts", in aid of the Hospice, will be given by Schola Baptista, a group founded and run by a knight of Malta, on Saturday 26th February at 7.30 in the evening.

The concert's title is MUSIC FOR SAINT JOHN, and concentrates upon music written for the Order of Saint John during its life in Cyprus, Rhodes and Malta.  The programme will include:

EARLY CENTURIES OF THE KNIGHTS
INFLUENCE ON WESTERN MUSIC


Crusader Kyriale
Chant/Lassus – Ut Queant Laxis
Franco of Cologne or a Franconian Motet
Titelouse – Versets on Ut Queant Laxis (organ)


INSPIRATION OF KNIGHTS' PATRON
Palestrina – Fuit Homo
Ingegneri – Inter Natos
Gallus – Elizabeth Vero Impletum
Palestrina – Misso Herodes Spiculatore
Mozart – Inter Natos


Azzopardi – Pastorale (organ)


THE KNIGHTS ON MALTA
Falusi – Responsory
Isouard – Salve Regina
Grech Sonata (organ)


SUPREMACY OF THE KNIGHTS
Infantas – Cantate Domino (Canticle of Moses)


Anthem of the Order


Entry is by donation for a Programme on the door, suggested at £15.
Refreshments will be served in the interval, for which a modest contribution is also requested.

REPORT - VISIT OF BISHOP HOPES

Last Thursday we were delighted to welcome Bishop Alan Hopes, who came as a Conventual Chaplain of the Order to celebrate the Thursday evening Mass on the feast of Saint Blaise, which in Westminster is celebrated as the feast of Saints Laurence, Dunstan and Theodore, Archbishops of Canterbury.  Mass was celebrated in Latin with plainchant in the Ordinary Form.

The Bishop gave the customary Blessing of Throats of Saint Blaise's Day after the Mass.

To our regret there was no photographer on hand to take pictures.

Following Mass there was a reception in Fortescue House, and a dinner for the Bishop and regulars of the Conventual Church in the Chancellery.

Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver thee from all ailments of the throat and every other evil. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

REQUIEM MASS FOR FRA' RICHARD CHEFFINS

The Funeral of Frater Richard Hamilton Alexander Cheffins was held on Monday morning at the Church of Saint James, Spanish Place, in the presence of the Prince Grand Prior of Bohemia, Fra' Carl Paar; the Grand Prior of England; of Fra' Duncan Gallie, Legate of the Prince and Grand Master; and around 50 members of the Order including a total of 11 professed knights from the Grand Priories of Bohemia and England.

The celebrant was the Reverend Monsignor Antony Conlon, Chaplain of the Grand Priory and Fra' Richard's Spiritual Director.

The Mass was preceded, following the reception of the body, by Lauds of the Dead sung in choir, and the Mass was a plainsong Mass in the Traditional form, following the wishes of the deceased, whose magnificent Mass of profession is still recalled by many members the Order.

Fra' Richard was accorded the dignity of Grand Officer of the Order Pro Merito Melitense a short while before his death, and the insignia were placed upon his coffin by the Prince Grand Prior of Bohemia.

Monsignor Conlon preached a wonderful homily upon the importance of tradition in the life of the human soul, a quality evidenced by Fra' Richard in his many varied academic and cultural interests, and his own spiritual journey within the religious life of the Order. 

May he rest in peace.

At the Absolutions

REPORT - DAY OF RECOLLECTION

The monthly day of Recollection was led by Father Martin Edwards, Parish Priest of St Mary Magdalene, Wandsworth, who gave two most inspiring conferences on St Francis de Sales in the light of the spirituality of Pope Benedict, with an exposition of the teaching of the recent Papal visit.

A sung Requiem Mass was celebrated at midday for the repose of the soul of Fra' Richard Cheffins, with Absolutions at the tumulum, and in the afternoon Solemn Vespers of the Dead were followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the Crib, as this is the last weekend of Christmastide.

REPORT - MUSICA CONTEXTA CONCERT - 'GLORIES OF THE ETON CHOIRBOOK'

Our most generous benefactors the schola MUSICA CONTEXTA, again delighted a large audience of some 70 strong with a concert of English Renaissance music from the Eton Choirbook, with a truly inspired performance.  

We are immensely grateful to the singers for the contribution of their skills to the work of Saint John's Hospice, and also to our audience who are so generous with their donations.

The programme was as follows:

John Browne - O Maria Salvatoris Mater a 8

Chant - Hymn: Hostis Herodes impie

William Cornysh - Gaude virgo Mater Christi a 4

Chant - Antiphon: Baptizat miles regem

John Nesbett - Magnificat a 5

John Browne - Salve Regina a 5

Chant - Hymn: Deus creator omnium

William Cornysh - Ave Maria a 4

Chant - Antiphon: Peccata mea Domine

Robert Fayrfax - Magnificat ‘Regale’ a 5

The Director, Simon Ravens, writes:

When we consider its context and history, one question the Eton Choirbook inadvertently asks of us is whether we tend to see our glass as being half empty or half full. In its own time choirbooks such as this must have been relatively common in England. But, with the religious revolution of the Reformation, such books became redundant, either destroyed or sold to book binders for their valuable parchment.  Only two other choirbooks, both much smaller than Eton, survive today. Nor was the Eton book exempt from neglect: to judge from the index, nearly half of the items in the original choirbook were lost by the 1560s, when the remaining folios were rebound. Amongst the lost items are a number of works by John Browne, a truly great composer whose music survives in no other source. In its incomplete state, until the early music revival of the 20th century, for nearly 400 years the book lay virtually undisturbed on the shelves of the college library. In the light of this, are we inclined to lament what is missing from the Eton Choirbook? And widening our vision, do we lament that the surviving items can only represent a tiny fraction of the music composed by what was very evidently a golden age of English composition? Or do we give thanks that such a treasury survived at all?

Whatever conflicting emotions the history of the Eton Choirbook might arouse in us, the overwhelmingly effervescent and extrovert nature of the actual music firmly encourages us to see our glass as half full. 

FRA' RICHARD CHEFFINS RIP

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Please pray for the Repose of the Soul of

FRA' RICHARD CHEFFINS

KNIGHT OF JUSTICE IN SOLEMN VOWS

one of the most long-standing members of the Grand Priory of England, 

and also a member of the Grand Priory of Bohemia

who died earlier today

fortified by the Rites of Holy Mother Church.

Requiescat in Pace.

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SATURDAY 29th JANUARY - MONTHLY RECOLLECTION

As part of the monthly Grand Priory Day of Recollection, a Sung Mass of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, will be celebrated in the Church at 12 noon.  The celebrant will be Fr Martin Edwards, parish priest of Saint Mary Magdalene, Wansdworth, who will also give the Conferences.

The office of Lauds of the Little Office of Our Lady will be sung at 10am; and Vespers and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at around 3.45pm, to which all are most welcome.

This is the last Recollection of Christmastide, which ends on 2nd February, so this is a good opportunity give thanks again for Our Lord's Nativity.

The two Spiritual Conferences will be held at 10.30 and 3pm in Fortescue House.

On Sunday, Lauds will be sung at 10.15 am before Mass.  There will be Sung Vespers at 4 pm.

NEW ORDO AVAILABLE

The new liturgical Ordo for the Grand Priory of England is now available HERE, and in the "Downloads" box in the sidebar. This includes all the Feasts of the Order and celebration particular to England for the Extraordinary Form. This new edition also contains notes on the necessary variations in the Celebration of the Divine Office. Comments and further suggestions may be made by post to the Chancellery of the Grand Priory at Fortescue House in London.

The Ordinary Form calendar is available, courtesy of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, HERE. The dates of Feasts of the Order are the same in both Forms of the Roman Rite.

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Blessed Adrian Fortescue, pray for us.

PERSONAL ORDINARIATE OF OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM

Yesterday morning, Saturday 16th January, the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, several members of BASMOM and of the Grand Priory, including the Chancellor, Fra' Duncan Gallie, attended the priestly ordination in Westminster Cathedral of the three former Anglican bishops, the Reverends Andrew Burnham, John Broadhurst and Keith Newton, and the establishment of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, which, at the order of the Sovereign Pontiff, is dedicated to the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman.

Father Newton is appointed as the first Ordinary; we offer our congratulations him and to Fathers Burnham and Broadhurst, as also the assurance of our prayers, both for themselves at this historic time and for work of the Ordinariate and its eventual members.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for us.

Blessed John-Henry, pray for us.

FISH FIGHT CAMPAIGN

It is neither the purpose of this blog to enter into political dispute, nor to promote causes which do not directly impinge upon the life of the Order of Malta in Britain.

Nevertheless occasionally we raise ethical questions, and we have a joint concern within the life of the Order, as part of Tuitio Fidei, for the promotion of the teachings of Holy Mother Church, and to caution against behaviour which may depart from the precepts of the Gospel. Among such is Respect for the integrity of Creation (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2415-8), which requires of us worthy stewardship of the blessings we have received for our benefit, support and pleasure.

"It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly." (CCC 2418)

Many will be aware of the current European legislation (the Common Fisheries System) which requires the 'discarding' of fish caught in European waters which exceed the Quota system, but are nevertheless still caught by our fishermen. Half of all fish caught is discarded in this way. Dead. Despite its Divine purpose, it is destined never to provide food for humanity, and serves only to pollute the breeding-grounds for other fish.  Most children would regard this as sinful.

A campaign has been promoted to stop this practice, and its website is HERE. You are encouraged to support it.  It is promoted by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, a television chef, and supported by many other personalities and organisations, including the Marine Conservation Society under the patronage of the Prince of Wales, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) [click for link] whose longstanding founding Patron is the Duke of Edinburgh, and who are also running a Petition on this page.  It is important that Catholics do not stand idly by.

Specifically you are encouraged to sign the Fish Fight PETITION on the homepage of their website, and to lobby your Member of Parliament, either at: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA, or get the address here: Directory of MPs.

This video provides some chilling information:

CONCERT - NEXT WEDNESDAY 26th JAN - 'GLORIES OF THE ETON CHOIRBOOK'

'Musica Contexta' will perform

GLORIES OF THE ETON CHOIRBOOK

One of the greatest flowerings of late medieval art

Magnificats, motets and Marian antiphons by Browne, Fayrfax, Cornysh, Nesbett, and others; 

all taken from the most important contemporary collection of late 15th century English choral music.

Wednesday 26 January 2011 AT 7:30pm
Suggested donation: £15

Saint John’s Concerts in aid of 

SAINT JOHN’S HOSPICE

Refreshments available in the interval

REPORT - FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

The Conventual Church celebrated the Feast of the coming of the Magi with a Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form, celebrated by our Chaplain, Fr David Irwin.  After the Gospel the Solemn proclamation of the moveable feasts for 2011 was sung, to the traditional 'Exultet' tone.

Noveritis, fratres carissimi, quod annuente Dei misericordia, sicut de Nativitate Domini nostri Jesu Christi gavisi sumus, ita et de Resurrectione ejusdem Salvatoris nostri gaudium vobis annuntiamus. Die vigesima Februarii erit Dominica in Septuagesima. Nona Martii dies Cinerum, et initium jejunii sacratissimae Quadragesimae. Vigesima quarta Aprilis sanctum Pascha Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum gaudio celebrabitis. Secunda Junii erit Ascensio Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Duodecima ejusdem Festum Pentecostes. Vigesima tertia ejusdem Festum sacratissimi Corporis Christi. Vigesima septima Novembris Dominica prima Adventus Domini nostri Jesu Christi, cui est honor et gloria, in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

After the Mass, Fortescue House was blessed with the Epiphany Blessing, and the traditional inscription in chalk marked on the doorpost, 20+C+M+B+11, in honour of the visit of the The Kings to Our Lord's home.

MAGNIFICAT ANTIPHON FOR THE HOUSE BLESSING
Ant.: Magi from the East came to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasure chests they presented Him with precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Alleluia.

THE BLESSING OF CHALK

V. Adiutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.

R. Qui fecit caelum et terram.

V. Dominus vobiscum.

R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

Bene+dic, Domine Deus, creaturam istam cretae: ut sit salutaris humano generi; et praesta per invocationem nominis tui sanctissimi, ut, quicumque ex ea sumpserint, vel ea in domus suae portis scripserint nomina sanctorum tuorum Gasparis, Melchioris et Baltassar, per eorum intercessionem et merita, corporis sanitatem, et animae tutelam, percipiant. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

We have, in the last post, already conveyed the Christmas greetings of the Grand Prior, who is recovering well from his illness in Edinburgh, and who holds all those who participate in the life of the Conventual Church, and the readers of this blog, especially in his prayers at this Holy Season.

We could not now do better than to pass on (in common, it seems, with most traditional English language blogs, but it is possible some of our international readership may not have seen it elsewhere) the Holy Father's Christmas broadcast to the people of these islands, given in the BBC's Radio 4 "Thought for the Day."  This is a development which would have been unthinkable only a short while ago, and an extraordinary testimony to the humility and faithfulness with which Pope Benedict exercises his sacred office.

In it he presents the Christmas message in all its theological clarity and joy, and ends, as we must too, with a prayer for the sick and those who suffer, the elderly and the dying - Our Lords the Poor and the Sick. May God grant them the joys of his eternal Salvation, brought by the Child in the manger.

Click the link here to hear the Pope's message on the BBC or here to watch the video on the Vatican YouTube channel.

Hodie scietis, quia veniet Dominus,
et salvabit nos: et mane videbitis gloriam eius.

CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES

THURSDAY 23rd DECEMBER

Thursday evening Mass at 6.30pm will exceptionally be cancelled.

+

CHRISTMAS EVE

Sung ‘Midnight’ Mass (Missa in Nocte) at 9.00pm,

preceded by Carols and Readings at 8.30pm

+

CHRISTMAS DAY

Sung Mass with Carols at 11 am.

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SUNDAY 26th (THE HOLY FAMILY)

Mass at 11 am.

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TUESDAY 28th DECEMBER

Tuesday morning Mass at 11 am is cancelled.

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Thereafter Mass times return to normal.

The Grand Prior and the Chaplain of the Hospital wish you all, and all your families, a very happy and blessed Christmas.

REPORT - ARNOLD HOUSE SCHOOL CONCERT AND CAROL SERVICE

A rather belated report on the wonderful concert given in November given by the boys of Arnold House School. To a full church the the boys performed a mix of modern and traditional choral music. We are very grateful to them indeed for their skills and efforts, and to the audience who were so generous. The concert raised over £600 for St John's Hospice.  It is very good to be able to renew the historic links between Arnold House and the Hospital.

This month the Annual Order of Malta Carol Service was a great success, with splendid music provided by Cantores Missae under the Direction of Mr Charles Finch, and the congregation of nearly 90 people again provided a very generous collection for the aid of the Hospice.

Please support the future concerts, which offer many musical delights and the opportunity to support the Hospice, programmes of which are provided here.  The next concert is given by Hexachord - "Glories of the Eton Choirbook"on 26th January.

ADVENT RECOLLECTION ON OUR LADY

On the Feast of Our Lady of Liesse, Thursday 2nd December, Father John Hemer, a Mill Hill Missionary who is Scripture Professor at Allen Hall, delivered the following very inspiring mediation on the role of Our Lady in Salvation.  We are deeply grateful to Father Hemer, and commend this text to all readers of this site as part of their Advent Preparation. It merits frequent revisiting. (Click on the "Read More" link at the end for the full text.)

MARY IN ADVENT

Mary in the New Testament

In addition to Mary, St Matthew includes four women in his Gospel narrative. This is most unusual, indeed unique in a Biblical genealogy.  Each of them has these two things in common with Mary: a) that there is something strange or irregular about their union with their partners, which may have been scandalous to outsiders and b) they showed initiative and thus played an important role in God's plan.

Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah; she obtained children from him by deception, pretending to be a harlot. Rahab had been a harlot, but it was her initiative that enabled Israel to enter the Promised and. Ruth was a pagan, a Moabitess and she brought about her union with Boaz by her own initiative which was scandalous in itself (although she displayed rare love and devotion to her mother-in-law Naomi).  Without her, the Davidic line might never have come into being. Uriah's wife, (Bathsheba) had an adulterous union with David, but through her intervention, Solomon, their son, succeeded David. All this shows how God uses the most unusual, indeed scandalous circumstances and intervenes on behalf of the Messiah to bring about his plan. Each one of these women has had the courage to step outside of the accepted ways and standards of her own society in order to continue God’s line – (although they were not always conscious that this is what they were doing). Here is a hint of what we will meet later in the Gospel. If people are to do God’s will, if people are really going to live out their following of Christ, they will have to do similar unexpected or unusual things.

BBC PROGRAMMES ON CATHOLIC WOMEN TODAY

The British Broadcasting Corporation, about the impartiality of whose views on the Catholic Church we are all free to hold our own opinion, is preparing three one-hour-long television programmes on "the experience of being a Roman Catholic woman in Britain today."

The Corporation is seeking women of all stations in life to volunteer to have 'off the record' conversations with an interviewer about their lives as Catholics.

The invitation continues: "Guilt, sex, male priesthood, moral teaching: do you recognise these media preoccupations as forces in your lives?"  You get the idea...  It is important that loyal and active Catholics get involved to give a balanced perspective to this research.

Female readers of this blog, and particularly dames of the Order and Companions, who may be regarded as sound and committed, are warmly encouraged to get involved – Catholic apologetics are an important part of our lives in the public realm, as the Holy Father keeps reminding us.  For us in the Order they are part of the duty of Tuitio Fidei, to complement our hospitaller work of Obsequium Pauperum.

The link is HERE.  It looks quite easy to sign up.

Dos Tua, Virgo pia, haec est.

REMINDER - CAROL SERVICE - 15th DECEMBER

The Annual Advent Carol Service in aid of Saint John's Hospice, takes place this Wednesday, 15th December at 6.30pm.

It will be followed by mulled wine and mince pies in Fortescue House, to which all are welcome.

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Today is the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Lady.

A Mass will be sung in the Conventual Church at 6.30 pm.

O MARIA sine labe concepta, ora pro nobis, qui confugimus ad te!

REPORT - ANNUAL REQUIEM OF THE ORDER OF MALTA

Last Thursday the Requiem for deceased members of the Grand Priory and British Association took place in the Conventual Church.  A High Mass of Requiem in the Extraordinary Form, celebrated by the Chaplain of the Grand Priory, Monsignor Antony Conlon, assisted by Fr Creighton-Jobe of the London Oratory and Fr David Irwin, was well attended by Members of the Order, Companions, and aspirants who had attended the Formation day.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

COLONEL PACE FUNERAL

The Funeral Mass for Colonel Pace will be held at Saint James's Spanish Place, George Street, London W1U 3QY, at 10 am on Friday 3rd December. See map here. It will be followed by a Reception, and private cremation at Golders Green.

The body will be received into St James's at 5 pm on Thursday, followed by sung Vespers of the Dead.

A Mass, for the Feast of Our Lady of Liesse which occurs this day, will be sung in the Conventual Church for the Colonel's intention at 6.30pm, by Father John Hemer MHM.  This forms part of the Advent Recollection previously announced.  This Marian devotion, whose shrine is in Grand Harbour in Valetta, was always very close to the Colonel's heart from his youth.  See further information here.

COLONEL THOMAS PACE RIP

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Please pray for the repose of the Soul of

Colonel THOMAS ANASTASI PACE 

OBE MD RAMC

Knight of Magistral Grace

onetime Sacristan of the Conventual Church

who died on 22nd November 2010

aged 96 years

REQUIESCAT IN PACE

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Colonel 'Tommy' Pace was immensely proud to have been invested a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in June 2009 and described himself as the newest, oldest member. Born in Malta, where he studied medicine before the War, he was commissioned in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and served with distinction during the War in India and in Burma where he won a military OBE. After the war, he served in Singapore, Kenya and Cyprus before going to Paris as Chief of NATO Medical Services. His last posting was to Brussels where he served at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) as chairman of the NATO Emergency War Surgery Handbook Revision Committee.  

After retirement he moved to St John's Wood, to be close to Lord's Cricket Ground, and was a life-long member of the MCC. He was also a keen follower of rugby. He had been Sacristan of the Conventual Church for thirty years and continued regularly to attend Mass there until a few weeks before his death. The last few months of his life were a valiant struggle with advancing cancer, during which time he was an example to all his friends of patient forbearance and piety.  His wife predeceased him by about fifteen years.  He is survived by his four nieces.

The funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.