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Association for Latin Liturgy

Under the patronage of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
Founded in 1969 to encourage and extend the use of Latin in the liturgy of the Catholic Church.

The Roman Church has special obligations towards Latin . . . and she must manifest them whenever the opportunity presents itself.

EVENTS

Forthcoming Events

Details of the next meeting will be posted on the website shortly.

Recent Meetings

The Association has continued its policy of holding two meetings each year for members and others who may be interested in our work. In addition to the formal Annual General Meeting which is normally held in October, we try to arrange an interesting Spring Meeting in a less familiar part of the country with interesting historical associations. One of the objectives is to provide an opportunity to make available well celebrated Latin liturgy in the new rite for those who are rarely if ever able to experience it. All our meetings begin with Solemn Latin Mass followed by a relaxed lunch and conclude with Latin Vespers and Benediction. Recent events have included:

AGM - Saturday 10 October 2009, the feast of St Paulinus of York - at Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1JR. This meeting marks the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the Association in Cambridge, and Joanna Bogle will speak in the afternoon on 'Celebrating our Catholic heritage'. There will be Solemn Mass in Latin at about 12 noon, and Solemn First Vespers of the 28th Sunday per annum.

FULL REPORT COMING SOON

Spring 2009 - at St Joseph's, Burslem. Solemn Mass in Latin was celebrated by Fr Anton Webb, Cong Orat, assisted by Fr Guy Nicholls, Cong Orat, and Fr Jan Nowotnik. The church, designed by Sidney Brocklesby, has a splendid interior, and was decorated by local people at the suggestion of Burslem's MP in 1927, Andrew MacLaren. They called upon Gordon Forsyth, the Art Director of the Potteries, who designed stained glass windows and the ceiling, and who ran Saturday morning classes at the Wedgwood Institute, Burslem, attended by about 50 young parishioners, where the windows were made, similar in colour and texture to the glass in Chartres Cathedral. Forsyth's daughter, Moira, was commissioned to paint the inside of the dome above the apse. After lunch, Ian Wells gave a fascinating illustrated talk on the life and work of Sidney Brocklesby, and the day concluded with solemn Vespers and Benediction, celebrated by Fr Julian Booth. The choir was the Choir of St Mary's, Moseley, Birmingham, directed by Michael Perrier, and it was a particular pleasure to have this large group with many young singers enhancing the day's liturgy.
			We had the pleasure of their singing a few years ago at Woodchester Priory, and this time they gave us Haydn's delightful Missa Brevis de Sancti Joannis de Deo, with one of those "naughty" Viennese Glorias which telescope the text but as compensation a substantial Benedictus, which their fine soprano soloist sang as a Communion motet.   Organist Ian Biggs coaxed fine sounds out of the church's 1936 Rushworth & Dreaper instrument, concluding Mass with Bach's "Dorian" fugue BWV 538. The choir coped brilliantly with Vespers (a learning curve for almost any choir these days) with a faux-bourdon setting of the Magnificat.   Benediction  featured familiar chants but began with Marcel Dupre's glorious setting of the O Salutaris.   Framing the afternoon service were two more organ pieces, Reger's devout Benedictus and a Praeludium by Buxtehude.

October 2008 AGM at the Cathedral of St Barnabas, Nottingham. Solemn Mass was celebrated in Latin by Fr Adrian Tomlinson of St Theresa's, Sheffield, assisted by Fr Guy Nicholls of the Birmingham Oratory and Rev James Anthony, a Deacon at the Cathedral. The Cathedral choir provided the music for the day, which consisted of Byrd Mass for four voices, Palestrina Exultate Deo, Stanford Justorum Animae, Hymn to St Ignatius arr John Driscoll SJ.  Improvisations before, during and after Mass and Vespers by assistant organist Graeme Vernon;  Choral Scholars of St Barnabas's Cathedral directed by the Assistant Director of Music Chris Burton.

After lunch members enjoyed an illustrated talk on the history of Catholicism in Nottingham given by Ian Wells, one of the Association's Council members who also organised the day's events. The Business Meeting followed, beginning with the Chairman’s annual report from Bernard Marriott. The liturgy continued with Sung Latin Vespers, of the 30th Sunday of the Year, at which the celebrant was Fr Thomas Crean, OP, of Holy Cross Priory, Leicester, and the cantors Fr Nicholls and Fr Anton Guziel of the Birmingham Oratory. The day concluded with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Spring 2008 at Gloucester Cathedral. Solemn Latin Mass was celebrated in the Lady Chapel by the Abbot of Downside, Dom Aidan Bellenger OSB, assisted by Fathers Guy Nicholls, Cong Orat and Anton Guziel. The Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge, directed by Philip Duffy, sang the Gregorian Proper for the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Ordinary was sung to Cum jubilo.

Following lunch, members enjoyed a talk by Dom Aidan on the Benedictines in Gloucestershire.

The day concluded with Solemn Latin Vespers, in the Choir, at which the celebrant was Dom Aidan and the cantors Fr Nicholls and Fr Guziel. The organist for the “Dupré” Vespers was David Cowen with the chant accompaniment provided by Nigel Kerry. (The Schola Gregoriana had recorded the Dupré Vespers at Notre Dame (Paris) in 1995 under its founder, Dr Mary Berry, at whose Requiem the Schola sang only three weeks before our Gloucester meeting.)

   

Thanks are due to the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral for their generous hospitality and to the Cathedral staff for the willing and unstinting assistance which we received.

October 2007 AGM at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, Mayfair. Solemn Latin Mass was celebrated by the Parish Priest, Fr William Pearsall SJ, assisted by Fathers Anton Webb and Guy Nicholls of the Oxford and Birmingham Oratories. The Farm Street Choir, conducted by David Graham, the Director of Music, sang the Gregorian Proper and Byrd’s setting of Mass for Three Voices.

After lunch members enjoyed an illustrated talk on Catholic Church Architecture by Fr Anthony Symondson SJ.  The Business Meeting followed, beginning with the Chairman’s annual report from Bernard Marriott. The liturgy continued with Sung Latin Vespers, of the 27th Sunday of the Year, at which the celebrant was Fr Webb and the cantor Fr Nicholls. The schola comprised of ALL members was directed by Jeremy de Satgé. The day concluded with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and singing of the Salve Regina.

Spring 2007  Yorkshire, at St Austin’s, Wakefield.  Sung Latin Mass for the feast of St Anselm was celebrated by Fr Matthew Habron of St Austin’s, assisted by Fr Guy Nicholls. The choir led the congregation in Mass I Lux et Origo and sang the Gregorian proper. In the afternoon, the Yorkshire Catholic historian, Dr James Hagerty gave an informative talk on “Religion in Ruins”, describing the amazing concentration of religious houses that once existed in the county, only partly revealed by the evidence of the ruins that remain today. The day concluded in the fine setting of Wakefield’s Anglican Cathedral with the singing of Latin Vespers by ALL members led by Mary Halloran for the Third Sunday of Easter, at which Fr Nicholls officiated in the presence of the Bishop of Pontefract who extended a warm welcome to the Association.

October 2006 AGM at the Sacred Heart, Wimbledon. Solemn Latin Mass was celebrated by Fr Kevin Donovan SJ, assisted by Deacon Anton Webb of the Oxford Oratory and Fr Guy Nicholls, Parish Priest of the Birmingham Oratory. Music was provided by the Parish Choir. After lunch Ian Wells, an Old Wimbledonian who had organised the meeting, found himself having to deliver a talk about the founding of the church by Edith Arendrup written by the much respected teacher and historian Richard Milward who was unfortunately too ill to attend and sadly died two months later. After the Business Meeting and tea break, Fr Nicholls celebrated Vespers and Benediction in Wimbledon College Chapel.

Spring 2006 Derbyshire, at locations associated with the Derbyshire martyrs, with Mass at All Saints, Hassop where Derby Cathedral Voluntary Choir sang a Mozart Mass and Mary Halloran conducted the Gregorian Schola. Vespers and Benediction followed at the ancient Padley Chapel.  Ian Wells gave a talk on Robert Hugh Benson and his novel "Come Rack, Come Rope" which concerns the Derbyshire martyrs and set in the area we were visiting.

October 2005  AGM at Our Lady of Dolours, Leigh on Sea, with Mass of St Teresa of Avila. Anthony Bevan directed the Gregorian choir of ALL members who sang the proper and led the congregation in Mass IX Cum jubilo. There followed an interesting talk by Fr Stewart Foster, Diocesan Archivist.

Spring 2005  Gloucestershire, with Solemn Mass for St George’s day in the Church of the Annunciation, Woodchester, a visit to Woodchester Mansion and a drive to Prinknash Abbey for Latin Vespers.

October 2004  AGM at St Mary’s, Chelsea, with Pontifical Mass of the Holy Guardian Angels celebrated by Bishop Alan Hopes. St Mary’s Latin Choir sang Hassler’s Missa Secunda with motets by Michael Haydn and Palestrina.  Mike Withers gave a fascinating talk on the development of Church music entitled ‘Lawmakers and Lawbreakers’.

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