LA VIRGEN DEL ROSARIO

Many of our readers will have seen articles on this elsewhere in recent days, we make no apologies, however, for posting something so relevant to our shared Faith and to the glorious history of our beloved Order.

The image above is of a recently rediscovered statue of the Virgin of the Rosary, which was borne upon his flagship, the Galera Real, by Don John of Austria, Admiral of the Fleet at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

It is upon this beautiful face, now scarred by time and the weather, that many of our brethren in the Order of Malta would have looked on the last day of their life and work for the Order, and before whom they uttered their last prayers. For them and for countless others, it was this sacred image which inspired them to one of the greatest naval victories against the mohammedan forces. The Victory was attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the feast instituted by Pope St Pius V that same year in commemoration.

For many recent years this statue has been lost, but has now been found, and is displayed in the Spanish Naval Museum. Now she is to be restored.  See the article in Spanish HERE.

The statue, of exquisite craftsmanship, delicately painted, with glass eyes, in the finest tradition of the high period of Spanish religious statuary (as seen in the London National Gallery exhibition last year), was almost certainly made in Spain, and was the gift to Don John by the Venetian Republic, as a votive offering. After the battle she was in the care of the Brotherhood of the Galleys in the church of St John de Lebron in Puerto de Santa Maria near Cadiz in southern Spain. Later she was in the possession of the  Spanish Royal Naval College, where the weather took a further toll.

For over four hundred years, her sad expression has retained the awful memories of the dreadful battle; the single glass eye which now stares out at us once surveyed all the bloody horror of war. May her pious regard continue to inspire all Christians in our own generation in our battle for the Catholic Faith.

The Battle of Lepanto.  The Admiral's galley is in the centre foreground, one row back.
It is on the quarterdeck that the statue stood during the battle, sadly unseen in this painting.
(Click to enlarge painting)

HOLY VIRGIN OF THE ROSARY, PRAY FOR US

(H/T to WDTPRS and Hermeneutic of Continuity)

REPORT - WEDNESDAY'S CONVENTUAL MASS

The Conventual Mass on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul was celebrated by Father David Irwin as a sung Mass in the (rather crowded) Lady Chapel of St James's Spanish Place, in the presence of the Grand Prior. A schola of members of the Order and Companions was led by the Chancellor, Fra' Duncan Gallie. 

The Mass was said for the intention of the repose of the soul of Fra' Richard Cheffins, and the intention for the living for a friend of a member of the Order in great distress. Your prayers are requested for both.

As this feast closes the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity, a cause so very dear to the heart of the Sovereign Pontiff, the Octave prayers for all those Christians outside Holy Mother Church were said after the Mass, before the singing of the Inviolata.

In the oecumenical spirit which befits this glorious Feast, it is worth recording that at the customary Papal Vespers on this day at the basilica of St Paul without the Walls, the Anglican representative was a member of our separated brothers in the Venerable Order of Saint John, Canon Richardson, who attended in his Order choir dress, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury. Vatican television has a recording of Vespers available HERE.

Canon Richardson sits below the papal throne at the left, while on the far right is
His Eminence Metropolitan Gennadios, representing the Oecumenical Patriarch.

It is worth noting that Vespers was sung entirely to the traditional gregorian chant, and the Faithful joined in throughout singing alternatim with the choir. No patronising concessions were made to congregational singing, for instance the very complex tone of the office hymn was sung by everyone, and it was thus proven how well the Faithful will sing even unfamiliar tones when encouraged to do so. It is a joy for the Grand Priory of England to have such a noble lead to follow in the excellence of the Sacred Liturgy and music!

 FOR UNITY

Let us pray: O God, in Thy mercy thou dost set aright those who have gone astray and Thou dost save those whom Thou hast gathered together. We beseech Thee to pour down upon all Christian people the grace of union with Thee, so that putting aside disunion and attaching themselves to the true shepherd of Thy Church, they may be able to serve Thee humbly and lovingly. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

FRA' RICHARD CHEFFINS RIP - YEAR'S MIND

The Mass at Spanish Place this Wednesday 25th January at 6.45pm will be celebrated for the intention of Fra' Richard Cheffins, who died on the 26th January, 2011. Please pray for the repose of his soul. Even if you are unable to attend the Mass, please remember him in your prayer intentions on that day.

Requiescat in Pace

NEXT WEDNESDAY 25TH JAN - CHANGE TO MONTHLY MASSES

The Conventual Masses of the Order in London, which have recently been taking place weekly at St James’s Spanish Place on Thursdays, will be replaced with a monthly Mass on the last Wednesday of the Month, at Spanish Place, starting next Wednesday, the 25th January 2012.


The Masses will begin at 6.45pm.  They will be a sung Mass, and will be followed by a short drinks reception in the Presbytery, by courtesy of the Rector.

The dates for the Year 2012 are as follows:

January 25th – Conversion of St Paul

February 29th – Feria of Lent

March 28th – Wednesday in Passion Week

April 25h – St Mark the Evangelist 

May 30th – Wednesday in the Octave of Pentecost 

June 27th – Votive Mass “Contra Paganos”

July 25th – The Feast of St James. As this is the Patronal Feast of the Parish we shall join their Mass at 6pm.

August 29th – Beheading of St John the Baptist

September 26th – SS Zachary and Elizabeth, Parents of St John the Baptist (anticipated) 

October 31st – Votive Mass for Vocations

November 28th – Votive Mass for the intentions of the Grand Master 

December 26th – St Stephen (Boxing Day) No Mass 

EPIPHANY HOUSE BLESSING

The Church offers us many means to acquire the graces we need for our salvation, among these today is the blessing of our houses on the Epiphany.

This blessing is recommended for all Catholic houses, to help resist all the usual temptations under which we live, but particularly for those which are the family home of children and young people, who can benefit from these additional aids to combat the difficulties of growing up. It is also a fun way of teaching the young children.

The traditional prayers may be found HERE in English, or in a copy of the Roman Ritual, or in some old hand-missals. These blessings do not need a priest, but are frequently and traditionally said by the father of the household.  If you have holy water at home, this may be sprinkled by him on his family and in the main rooms. 

After the blessing, the doorpost or lintol of the front door is marked as below, without additional words, with a piece of ordinary white chalk.  In some countries of central Europe and in parts of the USA, it is customary for the chalk to be blessed by the Parish Priest at the morning Mass, but unblessed chalk may be used just as well if none other is available.

20+C+M+B+12

Between the numerals of the year, the letters stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat (Christ bless this house) and correspond happily with the traditional names of the Magi: Caspar, Melchior and Baltahzar, who visited the dwelling of the Holy Family on this day.

As this Feast is transferred to Sunday in many countries, and now also for the time being in England, this Blessing could sensibly be done after Mass this Sunday. For those who visit our houses and see it, it is also a simple piece of Tuitio Fidei, and Catholic witness.

TUITIO FIDEI - POVERTY CHASTITY AND OBEDIENCE - THE TRUE FREEDOM

For the benefit of members of the Order we post below a short interview with a monk of the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte Madeleine at Le Barroux in southern France, in which he explains the three evangelical cousels of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience which constitute the vows of life of most of the religious orders and societies in the Catholic Church.  They are called 'evangelical counsels' or the 'counsels of Perfection' as these precepts come from our Our Lord's own teaching in the Gospels.

We should not forget that all Christians are called by Him to this way of living as often as they can, not just those formally set apart as 'religious'. Each counsel opposes one of the three great hindrances to the spiritual life: the love of material goods, the pleasures of the flesh, and the desire for worldly honour and power.  These counsels are not of merit or virtue in themselves, but only when they are practiced for the love of God, and in perfect submission to His will for us.

Within the Order of Malta, the professed knights (knights of Justice) take these three vows, in common with all the ancient religious orders, for whom they form a perpetual obligation.

As in the modern age knights live within the material world, and not in community as once they did, it is helpful to understand the Order's interpretation of the vow of Poverty in this context, which differs from that of  the enclosed monk or priest in community who literally owns neither his clothes nor his books. By ancient tradition it is also known as the vow of 'perfect Charity', and it is in this understanding that it is best understood for the knight of Malta. It is fulfilled by using only that minimum which is necessarily to maintaining our life in the world, without causing scandal of ostentatious denial or of excessive consumption, and submitting obediently to one's superior's will for the use of the surplus for charitable purposes. Each knight will determine the balance with his superior and his spiritual director. Canonically, regardless of how this may be interpreted in practice of local fiscal laws, all the goods of the solemnly professed knight are the property of his priory for his lifetime. 

The other two vows of Chastity and Obedience are much more clearly understood for the knight within their context in the monastic life, and are very beautifully expounded by the monk in this video.

For those not living in a life of celibacy, the life of Chastity is still required of all of us. Especially for those of us living in Marriage, we should not forget that if forms part of the marriage vows. Secular priests too take the vows of Chasity and Obedience, but not of Poverty. It is wrong, as is so often done, to see these three states of life as being somehow in opposition, but rather they are different ways for us each to follow the same goal of personal sanctification, within fidelity to our chosen life. Christian Charity requires us to support and pray for each other's vocation.

Obedience, as we know, has a very special, and indeed unusual, place within the life of the Order of Malta, and our monk's explanation cannot be bettered for the knight in Obedience, uncomfortable as it may sound to many ears.

This video will be of benefit to all Christians in all walks of life.  They are not easy paths, but their rewards are beyond our imagination.

Please pray for this monk and his community.

(H/T : NLM)

TUITIO FIDEI - H. M. THE QUEEN'S CHRISTMAS BROADCAST

Our Christian Sovereign meditates upon our charitable duty to our neighbour, on tolerance, on  bonds of fraternity, family and community, on Christian love and hope, and on examination of conscience and forgiveness, both on the world stage and also in our lives together, as a response to the Nativity of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour.

With her, we pray:

"O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today.

"It is my prayer that on this Christmas Day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God,  through Christ our Lord."

Elizabeth R .

CHRISTMAS PRESENT!

For those who still have last minute presents to buy, this collection of Maltese sacred music from the archives of the cathedral in Mdina may be ordered online from New College Oxford.  Click anywhere.

THE GREATER O ANTIPHONS

Today the Church gives us the beginning of the final preparation for Christmas, in the greater O Antiphons of the Magnificat, the gospel canticle at Vespers.

Each one highlights a title for the Messiah; also, each refers to the one of the prophecies of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah.

O Sapientia: “O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.”  

O Adonai: “O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.”  

O Radix Jesse: “O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.” 

O Clavis David: “O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.”  

O Oriens: “O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”  

O Rex Gentium: “O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.” 

O Emmanuel: “O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Saviour of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.”

The words of the antiphons are an acrostic, the initial letter of each name, starting with the last, spell:

ERO CRAS - "Tomorrow I shall be here!"


The combox is open to allow pedantic corrections of the translation of "ero cras", together with other contributions and spiritual reflections on these sacred days.

JOHN RALEIGH CHICHESTER-CONSTABLE RIP

______________________________________________________________________________

The Conventual Mass at Spanish Place this evening was offered by Father David Irwin for the repose of the soul of John Raleigh Chichester-Constable, knight of Honour and Devotion, who died on 7th December, at the age of 84.

John Chichester-Constable joined the Order in 1981, a man of deep and private piety and committed to charitable work, he was a very good friend and an amiable and unassuming host to many members of the Order at Burton Constable, his family house in Yorkshire which he spent much of his life restoring with his late wife Gay.  He will be much missed.  He is survived by his daughter Rodrica, dame of Honour and devotion of the Order, and grandson Jack.

Requiescat in Pace

______________________________________________________________________________

FATHER HEMER'S ADVENT RECOLLECTION

We are deeply grateful to Father John Hemer MHM for his most inspiring talks, and for allowing us the reproduce his notes here.

Click the "read more" link below for the full texts.  These are lecture notes, rather than finished texts to be read aloud, and are thus useful aids for private study and mediation.

There are two talks, both of which were nearly an hour long, so we are attaching below links to two PDF files, so they may conveniently be downloaded and printed for leisurely study.

Click here for PDF of first talk on St John the Baptist.   
Click here for PDF of second talk on the Prologue of St John's Gospel.

John The Baptist.

In Mt. 311-12 John presents a picture of the coming Messiah – for him Jesus - where the lines are very sharply drawn: His winnowing fan is in his hand, he will clear the threshing floor his wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that never goes out.

A popular idea at his time. This is what it will be like. Once we thought all of us were the chosen people but some of us behave so badly that they must have to face retribution. And there were different definitions of who was right and wrong. People haven’t stopped being moralistic, they are just moralistic in a different way.

John’s God is not harsh or angry but just and consistent. He will not  leave goodness unrewarded nor wickedness punished. He expects Jesus to follow on from here. He also believes that the ‘Day of the Lord’ has arrived, that God is intervening in a special way.

Because of the manifest evil around him John does expect something frightening, dramatic like fundamentalists, Catholic; Protestant who wait for great portents and signs and disasters which will make everybody believe.

Perhaps Jesus’ coming gives him the courage to finally face Herod, the collaborator, fox, and that leads very quickly to his arrest. John Baptises Jesus, Jesus goes off into the desert for 40 days. John thinks “well it’s only a matter of time before Herod and all his party get their come-uppance so I can say what I want to say”. He’s not too worried when he gets arrested, Jesus the Messiah will soon sort things out. He’s spent plenty of time as a hermit in the desert so apart from the confinement prison is probably no harder and possibly easier than the life he’s led. He just sits and waits for the fireworks to begin. But they don’t.

REPORT - DAY OF RECOLLECTION - ST EDMUND'S COLLEGE, WARE

Last Saturday some 30 members of the Grand Priory, BASMOM and Companions attended the Day of recollection in the glorious setting of St Edmund's College.  Sung Mass (in the Ordinary Form) and the Offices were celebrated in Pugin's glorious chapel, and the talks given by Father John Hemer MHM in the Shrine Chapel of St Edmund.

The texts of Fr Hemers talks will follow in the next post.  These are given for the benefit of those unable to attend, but there was much to take in, and those present will surely welcome the opportunity to study them more closely.

Before Mass, Richard Berkley-Matthews made his Promise of Obedience to the Grand Prior, Fra’ Ian Scott of Ardross, supported by Fra’ Julian Chadwick and the Lady Talbot of Malahide (Vice-President of BASMOM); and during Mass the Grand Prior renewed his own vows, supported by Fra’ John Eidinow and Fra’ Paul Sutherland.  We offer them both, on behalf of all members of the Order, the assurance of our prayers.

Fra' Duncan Gallie gave a most inspiring tour of the College and the quite wonderful Douai museum of recusant history, and the day concluded with veneration of the relic of Saint Edmund, the miraculous power of which had been described to us by Fra' Duncan, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

BLESSING OF THE SCAPULAR FOR THE HABIT OF OBEDIENCE

Lord Jesus Christ, who in becoming man for our salvation deigned to assume our vesture of flesh, bless + this scapular, for your servant is to wear it in thanksgiving to you and in veneration of the blessed Virgin Mary and of Saint John the Baptist. Pour out on him, we pray, your holy blessing, so that when he first puts on this vesture, which is like unto a religious habit, he may obtain, through the prayers of the blessed Virgin Mary and of Saint John the Baptist, your grace to protect him from every evil of mind or body. We ask this of you who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

THE PROMISE OF OBEDIENCE

I, NN, calling on the name of God, promise faithfully to observe the laws of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta; to carry our the duties proper to Knights and Dames in Obedience; and to render due obedience to whichever superior may be given to me. So help me God, the Immaculate Virgin, Saint John the Baptist our glorious patron, Blessed Fra’ Gerard our holy founder and all the Saints of the Order.

REPORT - FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Members of the Order sat in choir for the sung Mass of this Feast at St James's Spanish Place.  The celebrant was our Chaplain, Father David Irwin.

The music at Mass was: Missa Quarti toni by Victoria, Ave Maria by Victoria, Fuga supra il Magnificat (BWV 733) by J.S. Bach

The Grand Priory's new Marian chasuble, the gift of a generous benefactor, was worn at this Mass for the first time, and can be seen in the above photograph.

MISSAL FOR ST JAMES'S SPANISH PLACE

Before Mass last Friday, the feast of Our Lady of Liesse, the Grand Prior, Fra' Ian Scott of Ardross, along with members of the Grand Priory and our Chaplain Father David Irwin, presented a copy of the new English translation of the altar Missal to The Rector of Spanish Place, Father Christopher Colven, on behalf of the Grand Priory. This book was given in gratitude for the hospitality and support offered to the Order over the last year. This donation had been the wish of the late Grand Prior, Fra' Fredrik Crichton-Stuart, at whose instruction the book had been ordered, and in whose memory it was made.

REPORT - ADVENT RECOLLECTION - MEDITATION BY FATHER DOMINIC ROBINSON SJ

We are greatly privileged to be able to publish the meditation given by Fr Robinson, for the benefit of members of the Order unable to attend last Friday's evening on the feast of our Lady of Liesse.  The evening began with sung Mass in Latin in the Ordinary Form, in the presence of the Grand Prior, and finished with Last Friday devotions and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

‘A favourable time for the rediscovery of a hope that is not vague and deceptive but certain and reliable, because it is "anchored" in Christ’.  Pope Benedict at his homily for 1st Vespers of the 1st Sunday of Advent in 2007.  For me it encapsulates what Advent is all about.  Advent, explains the Pope as he goes on in the Homily, is a time of expectation, characterised by ‘a movement of the human heart reaching out to the God who responds in the incarnation with that incomparable gift of which we are certain, the gift of hope itself fulfilled in the coming of Christ’.

  

What did the Pope mean?   The Pope’s inspiring words reflected the message of his recently released Spe Salvi (‘Saved by Hope’), Benedict’s second Encyclical, in which he called us back to recognize the treasure we have in the gift of Christian hope.  Here he called Christian hope the virtue of all virtues. Without it, said Pope Benedict, the Christian cannot move anywhere.    

It is, however, in his first seminal encyclical Deus Caritas Est, on Christian love, that we find the basis for his vision of hope.  The hope of the Christian is grounded in the relationship between God and us.  And what does this mean? In the incarnation the God-man beckons us out of our longing to find our hope completed in the gift of the Son.  It is where our desire – what the Pope calls eros love and God’s agape love meet.   

Let’s place these theological ideas in the context of our current liturgical season.  As we recommence the liturgical narrative at Advent we are embarking also on a theological journey and cycle.  The opening acts are played out on a stage which connects with humanity’s original quest and God’s definitive answer to this.  We are reliving the drama of human desire and of unconditional love, or as the Pope terms it in Deus Caritas Est of eros and agape.  This is why Advent for Pope Benedict is ‘the primordial season of the human heart’.   

Reflecting on this we might wonder too at the overall gift of a fresh Liturgical Year.  Advent gives us a fresh start as our hearts set out on a new journey.  Once again, although we know for certain that God will come, will die for us, and rise again at Easter, we are called to see our need of God, to long for our salvation, and to celebrate that as a free gift which not only completes who we are as human beings, but also tells us all about the longing of God to reveal himself to us.   

In Deus Caritas Est Benedict reflects on the nature of our eros love, of our longing, of desire for God’s coming as Beloved.  The Pope plays with this word eros and places it in a drama of Christian love which is completed in the Easter event, the culmination of the drama of human hope, expressed infinitely in the agape love with which the Christ we long for gifts our world which in all its raggedness yearns for the embrace of such a God.   

In Deus Caritas Est agape and eros come together in a new way.  We might think that eros is egoistical, a selfish grasping loving.  Benedict, however, rehabilitates eros as part of the God-human dynamic as he speaks of how this love of ardent desire is also, in a certain sense, within the very being of God himself in Christ.  The love of desire, says the Pope, is the love of the Logos, ‘a lover with all the passion of a true love’, yet this love, finding its fulfilment in God’s becoming one like us in Jesus Christ, ‘is so purified as to become one with agape’.   

God in Christ knows the yearnings of the human heart, of our desire for completion. Our Advent hope is thus assured and joyful.  It is a favourable season of true hope because Christ is truly to be one with us.  For the Pope this graced time when we celebrate our human yearning for God’s coming is integral to life’s Christian pilgrimage.  Perhaps, we might say, this liturgical time which might seem to celebrate more eros than agape is, through God’s definitive answer to our quest in the gift of the incarnation which will be sealed in the sacrificial feast of the Lamb at Easter, a lived expression of the mutuality of agape and eros love.  Both eros and agape, says Pope Benedict, ‘-ascending love and descending love- can never be completely separated.  The more the two, in their different aspects, find a proper unity in the one reality of love, the more the nature of love in general is realized.’   

These reflections, however, are not just for Advent.  For the Pope this theme of agape and eros is clearly chosen as one which can speak profoundly to the contemporary world of what is at the very heart of a proper understanding and living out of the dignity of the human vocation rooted in Christ.  He intends to bring us back to Christ’s love for us so we may look at ourselves, loved infinitely by him, and called forward to reconnect with our desire for what is on our infinite horizon, the hope of glory.   

As we turn our hearts and minds once more to the God who will come again as one of us and as we set out again on our liturgical pilgrimage towards Christmas and Easter we might reflect on how the grand narrative of desire and gift, of ascent and descent, of nature and grace, which the Liturgical Year expresses with such eternal beauty, is a vibrant treasure of our Catholic life.  Moreover, contemporary theological discourse needs a similar dynamic to be played out in its own theatres.  The narrative of hope, the incarnation, and journey towards the point of it all – the cross, the tomb, and the resurrection, show us in itself how the lover and the beloved are called to be in a mutual relationship in which the beloved is called to be actively engaged and so gradually discover his true destiny.   

So in Advent we place ourselves in the drama played out in the encounter of our desire for transcendence with Christ who meets us and gives to us the inestimable gift of certain hope.  As Pope Benedict assures us ‘[R]edemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey’ (Spe Salvi, Introduction).  

[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at Solemn Vespers for the First Sunday of Advent 2007.
[1] Ibid.
[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2007).
[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2006).
[1] Ibid., # 26.
[1] Ibid., # 7.

NOTICE - FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Members of the Grand Priory and BASMOM will be attending the Parish Mass at St James's, Spanish Place at 6pm on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, by kind invitation of the Rector.  Knights are invited to robe and sit in choir.

All members and Companions are very warmly invited to attend on this great Feast of our Blessed Lady.

NOTICE - SATURDAY 10th DECEMBER - MONTHLY DAY OF RECOLLECTION - ST EDMUND'S COLLEGE WARE

The next day of recollection will take place on Saturday 10th December. We are fortunate that this will take place at St Edmund’s College, Old Hall Green, Ware, SG11 1DS. The Conferences will be given by Father John Hemer MHM of Allen Hall, the Westminster Diocesan Seminary. During the Mass, Richard Berkley-Matthews will be making the Promise of Obedience.  Mass will be sung in the fine Pugin chapel.

The day will include a visit to the College's museum of recusant Catholic history.

A charge of £20 per head will be made, payable in cash on the day, to cover the costs including a three-course lunch in the College. Those attending are asked, please, to park near the front door of the College.

Please notify the Chancellery if you are able to attend: BASMOM@btconnect.com. As ever, everyone is welcome: ALL members of the Grand Priory and BASMOM, other members of the Order in Britain, Companions and guests.

HORARIUM

SATURDAY, 10^th December 2011

10.00am           Arrival, coffee and introductory talk

10.30am           Lauds

11.00am           First Conference-followed by opportunity for Confession/recitation of the Rosary

12.00noon       Holy Mass

1.15pm            Lunch

        

2.30pm            Tour of the College and the Douay Museum 

3.15pm            Second Conference

4.00pm            Vespers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

4.45pm            Tea and departure

ADVENT PREPARATION - ABSTINENCE FROM MEAT ON FRIDAYS!

We are reminded, during this season of preparation for the coming of Our Lord and Saviour to earth, in the humility of the Manger in Bethlehem, when the secular and materialist world feasts and carouses at every turn, that we, as Catholics, are called upon by the Church, and particularly here in England and Wales by our Bishops, to observe this as a season of joyful preparation.

We are reminded particularly of the obligation to abstain from meat on Fridays (see here). This obligation, of course, walks with us every week of the year, and should be a joy as we avail ourselves of the graces it offers, but at this holy time, when social pressures are so great to join the party and to set aside our duties to God and to our own dignity as Catholic souls, we should not be afraid to stand out from the crowd.

As Pope Benedict teaches us, we have a duty to make present the Church in the secular world:

"Despite attempts to still the Church’s voice in the public square, many people of good will continue to look to her for wisdom, insight and sound guidance." (Address to US Bishops' "Ad limina" November 2011)

To those of us in the Order this is part of our Tuitio Fidei, a part of our charism which we should learn to practice daily, just as we do with Osequium Pauperum. Our Lords the Poor and Sick need both.

HOMILY FOR THE REQUIEM OF THE LATE GRAND PRIOR

We are privileged to be able to publish below the very moving homily delivered at the Brompton Oratory by Father Ronald Creighton-Jobe, Conventual Chaplain ad honorem of the British Association, at the Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of Fra' Fredrick Crichton-Stuart on 12th October.

Most of you will have your own particular memories of Fra' Freddy. Mine is one that somehow captures the very essence of Freddy’s life. The last time he came to Lourdes, Freddy was not well, but, as always, he had served my Mass with great devotion and aplomb. When I left the sacristy I found him seated with his eyes closed with no apparent movement at all. I am afraid that my first thought was:

“Good heavens, Freddy has died!”

and my second thought was:

“What a nuisance it will be, since no one is meant to die in Lourdes because it is a bad advertisement.”

At that moment Freddy opened his eyes, looked at the tabernacle and the statue of Our Lady and said:

“THAT is what it is all about. THAT is why we are here in Lourdes.”

He was right, of course. All of us must live each day in God’s presence, aware that prayer is not a thing of the moment but an habitual attitude of the mind and the heart. Freddy was pre-eminently a man of prayer and an example to us all of our primary duty, as members of the Order, to give glory to God by acknowledging his loving and sustaining presence. 

But we must remember that Fra' Freddy Crichton-Stuart was also a man of practical, charitable, action. His work for the sick, the poor and the elderly, often done almost secretly, was a hallmark of his dedication to our secondary task in the Order of obsequium pauperum – tuitio fidei and obsequium pauperum always go together. Freddy also had a charming sense of humour. Who else would always greet me with “Cher cousin”? 

After his love for his natural family, to whom we express our deepest sympathy at their loss, Freddy loved the Order of Malta. It was his second family, and his fatherly concern for the Professed was a moving tribute to his devotion to the Order. 

Freddy’s manner of living his Profession was very much his own. It was not everyone’s way, but he gave an example of poverty of spirit that was notable: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God.” We must never forget that, as Christians, and particularly as members of the Order of Malta, the beatitudes are our indispensible charter of life. Freddy worked untiringly to create a sense of family in the Grand Priory based upon the Sermon on the Mount. That is what our cross reminds us. Freddy’s life is also a reminder, and a challenge, to live our lives of faith with greater integrity, to give us peace and serenity before God. 

At this Requiem Mass, we are praying for the eternal rest of, and peace for, his soul; and may I use this opportunity to make a heartfelt plea. Let this Mass mark a moment of healing and peace in the life of the Order in this country, so that we can go forward to discharge our twin duties of safeguarding the Faith and service of Our Lord’s the poor and the sick with greater efficacy. This would be a most suitable monument to Freddy’s memory and one for which he fervently prayed. 

The day he called the ambulance, Freddy did die. He died as he lived, praying. May we all be given such a grace. 

Some have said how sad it is that Freddy died alone. No one dies alone, we all die when God calls us and at the moment when He wills it. There is a pious belief that the angel who is given to look after us in this world – and Freddy’s Guardian Angel sometimes had to work overtime – takes us into the presence of our Saviour. If we are as prepared as Freddy was to meet his Maker we might consider ourselves fortunate indeed. 

Cher cousin, beloved Confrere, dear Freddy, may the angels lead you into Paradise; may Our Lady under her titles of Our Lady of Lourdes and of Philermo, take you by the hand to her Divine Son. 

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. 

“Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

NOTICE - ADVENT EVENING OF RECOLLECTION - FRIDAY 2nd DECEMBER

As in previous years, there will be an Advent Evening of Recollection, which this year will be on Friday 2nd December at St James’s Church Spanish Place, London W1. It is the Feast of Our Lady of Liesse (Causa nostrae laetitiae - Cause of our joy), the primary Marian shrine in Valetta, and the second Marian devotion of the Order after Our Lady of Philermo.

The Evening will begin with Mass at 6.45pm in the Lady Chapel followed by a conference and First-Friday Devotions concluding with Benediction. The Evening will be led by our good friend Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, presently resident at Farm Street and a teacher at Heythrop College.

There will be refreshments afterwards for which a charge of £5 will be made and taken up on the night. Confreres are extremely welcome to bring guests. Companions are also warmly encouraged to attend.

If you intend to come, please could you contact the Chancellery - e-mail: basmom@btconnect.com; telephone: 020 7286 1414. It would be helpful if replies could be received by Thursday 1st December.

ANNE TUNNEY RIP

______________________________________________________________________________

It is with great sadness that we report the recent death of Anne Tunney, who was for a long period assistant sacristan of the Conventual Church in the days of Matron Ann Fagan, and an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion until only a few years ago, when her health forced her to retire.  A woman of deep and unassuming Faith, she had attended Mass in the Conventual Church, and been involved with the Hospital, for much of adult her life.

Please pray for the repose of her soul, and for her daughter, who cared for her so lovingly in her years of illness since her stroke.

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

Requiescat in pace.

______________________________________________________________________________

REPORT - ANNUAL REQUIEM OF THE ORDER OF MALTA

This evening, Thursday 24th November, the Grand Priory and British Association annual Mass of Requiem for deceased members of the Order took place in the Conventual Church of Saint John of Jerusalem.

This has been particularly poignant year, with the tragic loss of the late Grand Prior, Fra' Fredrik Crichton-Stuart, which followed shortly after the untimely death of Henry Lorimer, Delegate for Scotland and the Northern Marches.  Earlier in the year we lost Fra' Richard Cheffins, among many other much beloved members.

This evening we were joined by members of the family of Thomas Anthony Ely, a founder member of the Saint John Care Home Trust, who died on All Saint's Day this year.

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

The very moving homily was preached by Monsignor Antony Conlon, Chaplain of the Grand Priory.  The text is given below.

REQUIESCANT IN PACE

"One of the principal signs of genuine religion is charity. The very last command that Our Lord gave to His disciples on the night before his death on the cross was “Love one another as I have loved you… By this love you have for one another everyone will know that you are my disciples”. (John 13: 34-35). Regarding charity shown to those most in need Christ also said “…insofar as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me” (Matt. 25: 40). The basis of God’s judgement of us and the measure of our reward will be decided upon our response to these words of our Saviour. That is what He has told us. This is one reason why Christians have sought and found ways through the centuries to put this teaching into practice. It can be seen in individuals and in groups where the love of God is the primary motive for working with and for others to bring about the relief of suffering and to see Christ especially in those who are most vulnerable and in need. Our service to them will be what mostly counts to our credit at the end of our lives. This kindness extends not only to the material help we give to others but also to the spiritual support of our prayers, through life and in death.

17th NOVEMBER - FEAST OF ST ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PATRONESS OF THE HOSPITAL

Today was the feast of of our holy Patroness of the Hospital, Saint Elizabeth, widow, and Queen of Hungary.

Holy Mass was offered in the Lady Chapel of St James's Spanish Place this evening for the medical work of the Hospital, and the intentions of the all the Patients and Staff.

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for Our Lords the Sick

PROGRESS ON LIBEL REFORM

Following our post of last November on this subject (see here) we can now report further on this issue, below is an extract from the publicity issued earlier by the Libel reform Campaign.

Today a prestigious Parliamentary committee endorsed our call that the libel laws need to be redrawn. Their voice adds to the condemnation of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, and President Barack Obama who signed into law the US Speech Act to protect Americans from the effects of our archaic libel laws.

Now – just one click from you, HERE, will tell your MP to make sure the government acts on libel reform as soon as possible.

Campaigners will be lobbing Parliament on Wednesday 9th November at 6 pm. There are more details about this meeting on www.libelreform.org. 

It has been the incredible level of support that has got the campaign to where we are now. 

Today the Parliamentary committee outlined what they think needs to be done to get the laws into shape. They took on board many of Libel Reform Campaign's recommendations but we still need a stronger public interest defense and to make these concerns and act – you can see what we think about the committee’s report here. 

Over the last two years libel reform has risen to the top of the political agenda. Now it is time to tell the government that a bill must go through parliament as soon as possible. Lord Lester's draft bill may be seen here.

NOTICE - 29th OCTOBER - DAY OF RECOLLECTION - NEW ENGLISH MISSAL

The tomb of Cardinal Wiseman, founder of our Hospital,
in the crypt of the Cathedral

The next Day of Recollection will take place on Saturday 29th October, 2011. Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth, Magistral Chaplain, who is the Executive Director of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL) will be leading a Study Day about the new English translations of the Missal. We could have no one better to lead us in this, as Monsignor Wadsworth has been responsible for overseeing the introduction of the new ICEL translation throughout the world. The Sung Mass will be celebrated using texts and chants from the new translation.

By kind permission of the Administrator of the Cathedral, this event will be held at Westminster Cathedral, using the Crypt Chapel and the Hinsley Meeting Room. Participants should gather in the Crypt Chapel before 9.30am – entrance is via Ambrosden Avenue, by going through the gates leading into the Choir School at the back of the Cathedral. (Ambrosden Avenue is the street which runs down the side of the Cathedral.)

If you wish to attend, please let e-mail BASMOM@btconnect.com, and please state "DAY OF RECOLLECTION" in the subject box, by Wednesday 26th October. We have reserved places at a local Italian restaurant for lunch.

Members of the Order are welcome to bring friends. Companions and members of OMV are also welcome.

HORARIUM

Participants gather in the Crypt Chapel of Westminster Cathedral for:

9.30am     Lauds

After this:  First Conference, in the Hinsley Meeting Room

11.30am      Sung Mass in English, for the Feast of the Douay Martyrs

       followed by lunch in local Italian Restaurant

        

After lunch:  Second Conference in the Hinsley Meeting Room

Then:     Vespers, Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, in the Crypt. 

       Tea and departure.

                       

For those who wish to do a bit of background study, Monsignor Wadsworth has recorded a lecture as a podcast on the subject of the new translations for Christendom College, which may be heard on iTunes (free).  Click HERE, then just click on the track called "The making of the Missal", and it will begin.  For some reason it cannot be embedded.  If you do not yet have iTunes, click HERE instead.

REPORT - REQUIEM FOR THE LATE GRAND PRIOR

On Wednesday 12th October, the whole of the British Association of the Order and Grand Priory of England came together with the family of Fra' Fredrik Crichton-Stuart at the Brompton Oratory in London for a Mass of Requiem for the soul of the late Grand Prior.

It was attended by Fra' Freddy's wife and children; by the Marquess of Bute; representatives of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the Papal knights; the President of the British Association HE Mr Charles Weld; Vice-President the Lady Talbot of Malahide; the Grand Prior elect Ian Scott of Ardross; the Chancellor of the Grand Priory; and Bishop Alan Hopes, Conventual Chaplain, among other dignitaries. 

The Mass was celebrated, following the wishes of the late Grand Prior, in the Extraordinary Form by Monsignor Antony Conlon, Chaplain of the Grand Priory, and the majestic homily was preached by Father Ronald Creighton-Jobe of the London Oratory, a copy of which we have been promised for later publication here. The Oratory Choir sang the Requiem by Tomás Luis de Victoria.

A reception organised by the British Association was held in Saint Wilfrid's Hall after the Mass, which allowed the conviviality and meeting of friends which the late Grand Prior had so encouraged as part of the fraternal life of the Order.

It was very fitting that this Requiem should take place on the eve of the installation of Fra' Freddy's successor as Grand Prior, of which joyous occasion a report will be posted on these pages in due course.

Further photographs of the Mass may be seen here.

The Grand Prior elect leads the Prayers of the Order