RECENT HIGH SOLEMN MASS
ON THE FEAST DAY OF POPE SAINT
PIUS X
ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC
CHURCH,
LOUTH
3rd
September
Photography: John Aron
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Original article in
the LMS Mass of Ages Magazine
The 3rd September saw St. Mary’s Catholic Church,
Louth celebrate High Solemn Mass on the feast day of Pope Saint Pius X. Louth
is the birth place of St. Eustace White, one of the 40 Martyrs of England and
Wales, and also the home of the Lincolnshire Uprising, which significantly
became the inspiration for the Pilgrimage of Grace in other parts of the North
of England. This Mass had particular historic significance because it was the
first time that any Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form of Mass had been
celebrated for over 50 years in mid-Lincolnshire. 
The Mass was celebrated by Fr. Dominic O'Connor from St. Mary’s
Brigg, whilst Deacon James Hunter from a neighbouring parish of Woodhall Spar,
served as deacon. Fr. John Cahill, who acted as sub-deacon, travelled from St.
Peter’s in Leicester. 
Louth was also very pleased to be able to extend a warm welcome
to Mr. Richard Hawker who had travelled a great distance from London
to serve as Master of Ceremonies. 
They were joined on the sanctuary by Mr. Nicholas Iannicelli of
the Juventutem Nottingham Chapter who acted as thurifer. The acolytes were
Mr. David Jenkinson from East
Yorkshire,
and Mr. Paul Waddington, the LMS representative for Middlesbrough
who had journeyed from York.
A comment must also be reserved for Mr. Ray Hart of Market
Rasen, Lincolnshire
who also served on the sanctuary. It only became apparent afterward that Mr.
Hart was 96 and had been serving on the sanctuary from the age of 8 years old.
A combined total of 88 years service to the Church and everyone was delighted
that he could be there. It is believed that he may very well be the oldest
server in the country. St. Mary’s was able to also welcome younger members from
the Juventutem Nottingham Chapter.
The organ was played by Mr. Robert O'Farrell, and a schola
consisting of Mr. Jeremy Boot, Dr. Donal Staunton, and his son Mr. Padraig
Staunton sang the Gregorian Mass with the propers for the feast day of St. Pius
X and the Ordinary was Mass IV Cunctipotens Genitor Deus. During Communion the
choir sang Iste Confessor and the Mass was concluded with the singing of the Salve
Regina
and Faith of our Fathers. Mr. O’Farrell concluded with the Toccata from the
Suite Gothique by Leon Boellmann.
St.Mary’s
offers a great debt of gratitude and is humbled by all those who travelled so
far and served this church, as without them this High Solemn Mass would have
not been possible. This service becomes even more significant as Lincolnshire
as a county has almost no provision for the Traditional Latin Mass, with the
exception of Low Mass at St. Mary’s Brigg every Sunday at 5pm.
The last High Solemn Mass in Lincolnshire
had been at St. Mary’s, Brigg four years previously.
Mr Paul Waddington later commented that “The interesting thing
for me was that this particular church would seem a very unlikely place
for a solemn Mass.
Not only is it a very small rural parish, but it has a reputation as being
modernist and hostile to the traditional Mass. However,
there is evidently a small group within the parish which does appreciate Latin
and the usus antiquior. They have managed to reintroduce sung
plainchant kyrie, Gloria and the agnus dei into the regular parish Mass on one
Sunday each month. Now they have gone further and arranged for a solemn
Mass, and this is something that they wish to repeat from time to time”.
He went on
to say that ”What has happened in Louth seems to me to be a perfect example of
the way that Pope Benedict expected summorum pontificum to
work. It is up to any small group to request the usus antiquior and it is
the duty of the parish priest to do what he can to provide it. In this
case he was happy to allow clergy in from outside who were willing to
help. The group then went on to make the arrangements. Let
us hope that more groups emerge like the one in Louth”.
Profuse thanks is given to Fr. John Younger, the parish priest,
who agreed to the celebration of Mass being sung in the extra-ordinary form.
The Mass was also made possible by a small group of faithful Catholic
parishioners who have worked extremely hard over the past year to bring back a
sense of genuine Catholicism, tradition, and community back to the church after
many years.
It is
worthy of note that the Crowning of Mary also returned to this parish for the
first time in fifty years last May, to the delight of many. The feast day of
Pope Saint Pius X was specifically chosen and the Solemn Mass itself was organised
by a parishioner Mr. Michael Carroll, Mr. Robert O’ Farrell, and Mr. Jeremy
Boot, the LMS representative for the East Midlands. Professional photography
was provided by Mr. John Aron of Horncastle who is associated both with the
Latin Mass Society and Juventutem.
The backdrop for High Solemn Mass
The
backdrop for High Solemn Mass was a recent Georgian restoration by the Gillick
Brothers, James and Gabriel. The Gillicks are a family of artisans and
craftsmen who reside in Lincolnshire.
Other recent Gillick Brother’s works have included a painted altar frontal and
reredos which was recently unveiled at SS Gregory & Augustine's in Oxford.
James Gillick is also well known for his portrait of His Holiness Pope John
Paul II elevating the Blessed Sacrament.
In the
past three years St. Mary's Louth has literally been resurrected and
returned back to its Catholic splendour. Not only have seven new
traditional stained glass windows been installed, including the first to
portray St. Eustace White, but the interior has been adorned in greens and reds
and canopied with a blue ceiling. These colours not only reflect
the original Georgian heritage of this building, but also authentic
traditional Catholic liturgical colours. The font has been moved to the
correct position at the entrance and a new narthex has also been designed and
built.
The Gillick brothers, James & Gabriel, who undertook the
restoration, have previously stated in The Catholic Herald that they believe
strongly in the catechetical aspects of liturgical works and the ability of
things beautifully made to raise the mind to God in the context of the Mass.
Of course, one of the lost, but most important
teachings of the Catholic Church is that every aspect of Catholicism, from the
liturgy, the colours, the statues, architectural features, the music,
plainchant, incense, and vestments are all present to draw us towards the
ultimate truths of Christ.
Catholicism
needs all of these aspects to draw us into the sacred and spiritual, so
that people are led, using all of the human senses, into the inner truths of
Christ's Holy Catholic Church and the Mystery of Faith. After this
truly excellent restoration St. Mary’s Louth is now fit for purpose.
History
and Future
Of course, Louth is best remembered for the Lincolnshire Uprising
which was lead by Rev. Thomas Kendall and Nicholas Melton, also known as
Captain Cobbler. The Lincolnshire Uprising was a righteous stand by Roman
Catholics against the establishment of the Church of England by Henry VIII and
the dissolution of the monasteries set in motion by Thomas Cromwell's suggested
plan of asserting the nation's religious autonomy and the king's supremacy over
religious matters.
This uprising ultimately lead to the more widespread Pilgrimage
of Grace. Louth is also known for St. Eustace White, one of the 40 Martyrs of England
and Wales, who is famous for his proclamation, whilst being tortured, "Lord, more pain if Thou pleasest, and more
patience". It is hoped that both of these important pieces of
Catholic Heritage will be honoured in fitting fashion at St. Mary’s Catholic
Church, Louth in the future.
As for the Latin Mass, in Lincolnshire,
it has become apparent that there are some gifted individuals in the area whom
can now create a home grown schola. Beyond this, Fr. Dominic O’Connor has
already stated that a new set of vestments, books and items pertaining to the
Traditional Latin Mass will be acquired so that there will be similar and more
regular home grown occasions now that it has become apparent, from this High
Solemn Mass, that there is still a desire to follow the usus antiquior in the
local area.
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