Looking back at three crises in Church history can help us overcome the current one: 1) The Arian crisis, when many bishops said Christ is not God; 2) The Clergy immorality crisis, when St Peter Damian had to tell the pope about widespread homosexuality; 3) The Rival Popes crisis, when good Catholics were made to choose between two or even three popes at a time.
Talk given by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP for Juventutem London at St Mary Magdalene, Wandsworth, on 12th February 2022.
SUNG MASS Sunday 6th March at 8.30 am is a sung Mass, with a practice tomorrow from 3 pm—5 pm. Please contact Katherine if interested: 07985 214854 / katie DOT peddie AT gmail.com.
FSSP SUMMER CAMPS
After two years of absence, these will take place at Savio House, in Bollington (near Macclesfield, Cheshire). St Peter’s Summer Camp for Boys runs 1-6 August; St Petronilla Summer Camp for Girls runs 8-13 August. Booking forms will be made available very soon. Please contact Fr Phipps for more information.
UKRAINE
There’s an event on 19th/20th March at which people will be collecting various items to send in a lorry down to Ukraine. If anyone would like to donate clothes / toiletries / baby products etc and hasn’t had a chance to drop something off at a local pickup point, do please feel free to bring them to Mass and someone can take them
His Holiness Pope Francis has confirmed the liturgical identity of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (see below). Deo gratias for such a response from heaven to your prayers! We note that:
The meeting of the FSSP superiors with the Holy Father took place during our Novena of Preparation of Worldwide Solemn Consecration of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Further, the Decree confirming our liturgical identity is dated 11th February, the Feast of the Apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes, and the day of the Worldwide Solemn Consecration of the FSSP. Therefore, after God almighty our gratitude goes to the Immaculate Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The news was released on 21st February when First Vespers of the Feast of the Chair of Peter occur, it being a First Class Feast in our Fraternity. Thus we also must express our gratitude to our Patron St Peter the Apostle, and must pray further for his successor Pope Francis.
In thanksgiving therefore, we invite you to attend Holy Mass tomorrow, especially if you live near an FSSP Mass centre. At St Mary’s Warrington Holy Mass will be sung tomorrow on Tuesday 22nd February at 12:10pm, followed by a sung Te Deum. We invite all who live at a distance to pray with us via LiveMass.net. Reminder for members of the Confraternity of Saint Peter: plenary indulgence tomorrow at the usual conditions. Although we all must pray further for any clergy and laity to benefit from the riches of the Roman traditions of the Church, the communiqué below must strengthen the hopes of all loyal Catholics.
Official communiqué of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Published
Fribourg, February 21, 2022
On Friday, February 4, 2022, two members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, Fr. Benoît Paul-Joseph, Superior of the District of France, and Fr. Vincent Ribeton, Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary in Wigratzbad, were received in private audience by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for nearly an hour.
During the very cordial meeting, they recalled the origins of the Fraternity in 1988, the Pope expressed that he was very impressed by the approach taken by its founders, their desire to remain faithful to the Roman Pontiff and their trust in the Church. He said that this gesture should be “preserved, protected and encouraged”.
In the course of the audience, the Pope made it clear that institutes such as the Fraternity of St. Peter are not affected by the general provisions of the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes, since the use of the ancient liturgical books was at the origin of their existence and is provided for in their constitutions.
The Holy Father subsequently sent a decree signed by him and dated February 11, the day the Fraternity was solemnly consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, confirming for the members of the Fraternity the right to use the liturgical books in force in 1962, namely: the Missal, the Ritual, the Pontifical and the Roman Breviary.
Grateful to the Holy Father, the members of the Fraternity of St. Peter are in thanksgiving for this confirmation of their mission. They invite all the faithful who feel close to them as a spiritual family to attend or join them in prayer at the Mass tomorrow, on the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, and to pray for the Supreme Pontiff.
Decree of Pope Francis confirming the use of the 1962 liturgical books
The Holy Father Francis, grants to each and every member of the Society of Apostolic Life “Fraternity of Saint Peter”, founded on July 18, 1988 and declared of “Pontifical Right” by the Holy See, the faculty to celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass, and to carry out the sacraments and other sacred rites, as well as to fulfill the Divine Office, according to the typical editions of the liturgical books, namely the Missal, the Ritual, the Pontifical and the Roman Breviary, in force in the year 1962.
They may use this faculty in their own churches or oratories; otherwise it may only be used with the consent of the Ordinary of the place, except for the celebration of private Masses. Without prejudice to what has been said above, the Holy Father suggests that, as far as possible, the provisions of the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes be taken into account as well. Given in Rome, near St. Peter’s, on February 11, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, in the year 2022, the ninth year of my Pontificate.
20th February 2022—Sexagesima MASS INTENTIONS Sunday 20th February 8.30 am Nicholas and Ruth Dyson 20th Wedding Anniversary 12.30 pm Private intention CONFESSIONS Saturdays 3 pm—5 pm.
ASH WEDNESDAY There will be a Low Mass and imposition of ashes on Wednesday 2nd March at 7.30 pm.
NEXT SUNG MASS Sunday 6th March at 8.30 am with a practice on Saturday 5th March 3 pm—5 pm led by Dominic Bevan, who is a professional singer and choir trainer sponsored by the Latin Mass Society. Please contact Katherine Smith if interested: 07985 214854/katie.peddie AT gmail.com. New singers welcome, experience not required!
MASS OF AGES The Spring edition is available free of charge on the table by the door as you leave today.
A very warm welcome to St Mary’s Shrine and Academy. How did this all start…
St Mary’s Academy is very much a grass roots academy inspired by an article written in the Dowry called ‘The Villiage Option’. Click here to read the whole article. A few Homeschooling families from the Parish got together once a week on Wednesday to learn, pray and socialise. We decided that we would like more of the same thing and therefore wanted to increase it to two, then three days a week. We also realised that it needed to be more structured, so we created a curriculum and a number of resources. So essentially it has become a Catholic classical homeschooling-hybrid academy. We are a growing academy and are currently have reached year 5. We intend to grow up to GCSE and maybe beyond.
Background
At Saint Mary’s Academy we are not trying to do something new or innovative with the Curriculum. In fact quite the opposite we are doing something old, or to put it another way something Classical. Every young person has a desire to be great, and often this is either subdued or misdirected in the modern world towards vice. However, what would this desire look like if it where nurtured into the greatness that God has planned for us. Well we have to look no further than the Saints to see what true greatness looks like. So by classical education we mean an education fitting for saints in the making. In doing so we are standing on the shoulders of giants like Aristotle, St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas.
I have taught in OFSED judged ‘Good’ or ‘outstanding’ state schools for over 20 years and could honestly say that good or outstanding are certainly not words that I would use to describe them, despite some of their good exam results.
Soon into my teaching career I began to notice something was fundamentally wrong with modern schools. I am not saying the teachers were not good, in fact some of them were outstanding, virtuous and inspirational. It was not for lack of effort, often we would work 70 hour weeks and still take work home. In my opinion the reason modern schools have lost their way is because they have lost sight of what education is for. So it has become for whatever the most dominant force decides it is for, and today that is Modernism in its many guises ie; cultural marxism, moral relativism, and materialism. It is as if the value of the child is only recognised through what they achieve. This is not what the Classical thinkers taught us.
According to Aristotle the aim of all education is Eudaimonia which is human happiness or human flourishing through mastering of the virtues. As the Angelic doctor, St Thomas Aquinas reminds us, True education not only works towards what we must know and do in this life, but always keeps in view man’s ultimate end in God…
MASS INTENTIONS Sunday 13th February 8.30 am Ondine Marie reversion and confirmation 12.30 pm Private intention
CONFESSIONS Today 3 pm—5 pm.
Holy Water Stoups back!
You will notice that the holy water stoups have been filled once again for your use. Please make good use of this beautiful sacramental which we have not had for many months.
Puppet Show
There will be a puppet show in the Patrick Donegan Room next to the hall after the 8.30 am Mass today. Children of all ages are welcome, as are parents of the younger ones.
Mass of Ages
The Spring edition is available on the table by the door as you leave today.
Westerners in 2022 can learn from the heroic fidelity demonstrated by Catholic Poland during WWII and later. Hoping against hope, a generation of young Catholic men and women stood up for their faith and country both at home and abroad. We British and Irish Catholics must love deeper Christ, Our Lady, Holy Church and the saints; and gather together in order to save our souls in the present and forthcoming trials. At the heart of the current battle is the education of our little ones as God’s children.
Click on picture to open magazine
Editorial: It Is Happening – St Mary’s Academy
Fr de Malleray explains why education is central to his Fraternity’s mission, now implemented through the hybrid Regina Caeli Academies in Bedford and Warrington. Four years after it was indicated as the aim of the successful Priory Campaign, the “Village Option” has become a necessity for families to survive and pass on the faith to their children.
Educating the Saints of Tomorrow
Justin Bozzino presents the hybrid model of the Regina Caeli academies, successfully adapted from America for UK families. He invites families to register for the Warrington Open Day on Saturday 5th March (11am-2pm): www.rcahybrid.org.uk/info.
Heroic Poles in the Battle of Britain
Richard Kornicki reminds us of the crucial role of Polish pilots in the Battle of Britain. Air Officer Commanding RAF Fighter Command Hugh Dowding said: “Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish Squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say the outcome of Battle would have been the same”.
Young Women reflect on the Warsaw Uprising
Dowry asks two Polish young women settled in England how they relate to the heroism of a late fellow-Pole Cecylia Wolkowinska portrayed in her autobiography When the Summer Ended (written in collaboration with Joanna Bogle), from her youth in free Poland after WWI until the Nazi invasion of her country and the heroic uprising against the occupier in 1944. What inspiration, what lessons can young people in 2022 Britain learn from their heroic forebears fighting for freedom?
A Polish Army liberates Monte Cassino
Mark Kudlowski pays tribute to the determination of the Polish units who first reached the world-famous Abbey of Monte-Cassino eventually freed from Nazi occupation. Since Europe was civilised largely by the Benedictines stemming from Monte-Cassino, this victory over the anti-Christian forces of Adolf Hitler can inspire us in our third-millennium struggle for the Christian civilisation.
Elizabeth Prout, Mother Teresa of Manchester
Rosalind Starkie reviews Edna Hamer’s book on the Venerable Elizabeth Prout (1820–1864), Foundress of the female branch of the Passionist Order in Victorian England. A convert, Elizabeth Prout brought solace, education and hope to many women, girls and families suffering under inhuman conditions in the slums of Manchester during the Industrial Revolution.
A Bigger God
James Gillick shows that modern telescopes have given men a better idea of the magnitude of the cosmos. This humbles the wise, but terrifies the proud. They react with violence and manic ambition at the expense of true culture and spirituality. Christian artists and thinkers must depict anew the splendour of the Saviour for the benefit of mankind.
Meditations on the Stabat Mater
Religious superiors and theologians express their interest for the medieval liturgical sequence displaying the sufferings of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross on Good Friday. A commentary on the Stabat Mater just released by CTS can be a good companion for the forthcoming Lent.
Dowry is the quarterly magazine of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in the UK & Ireland. Since its inception in 2008, the magazine has published dozens of articles on topics as diverse as theology, family life, education, the sacraments, Church Magisterium, art, politics, literature, cinema, spirituality, liturgy and more.
We welcome submissions of articles, poetry, pictures and drawings if deemed compatible with our traditional Catholic scope. Any submission must be by email to malleray@fssp.org with (small) attachments in digital format. We cannot guarantee to answer, let alone publish, each and all submission. Thank you for your interest. Contact us to be sent bulk quantities of Dowry for dispatching among your friends and acquaintances, especially if you are part of a parish, or a community or some other institution.
Dowry belongs to FSSP England, a registered charity no.1129964 (Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri Ltd).
Sunday 6th February 8.30 am (sung) FSSP Seminarians
12.30 pm FSSP and Traditional Mass
Choir practise was a great success, with tomorrow’s Mass being the first Sunday, it will be a sung Mass
PUPPET SHOW!
There will be a puppet show in the Patrick Donegan Room next to the hall after the 8.30 am Mass next week. Subject to space, children of all ages are welcome, as are parents of the younger ones.
SACRAMENTS
If there is the need for sacraments — baptism, confirmation, sick calls etc — please contact Fr Goddard as the priest in charge of the Chaplaincy Masses at Christ the King on telephone number 0118 966 5284 or by email: goddard AT fssp.org.
To seek Our Lady’s increased protection, there will be a worldwide consecration of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter and all those entrusted to our care, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 11 February, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
In these times of trial within the Church and the world, we are impelled to make this solemn act. Let us strive to prepare ourselves and our apostolates to make this consecration with a generous and trusting heart, praying that this step will obtain for us the graces that we need so much, and that Our Heavenly Mother will look upon us with kindness and gentleness.
Every day, 2-10 of February, we will pray a novena for the FSSP in preparation for this consecration. Please can we ask all members of the Confraternity of St Peter and all our faithful to join in this novena, which we will also be saying at the end of Masses. It will comprise:
One decade of the Rosary
The Memorare:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
On 11th February, the following prayer should be said:
Act of Consecration of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11, 2022
This consecration must be recited on Friday, February 11, 2022 by all the members of the Fraternity; the faithful who wish to do so may join in (same remarks as above for the novena).
O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Help of Christians, behold this day before thy feet, the priests and seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, together with all those who, united with us as a spiritual family, place their hope and trust in thee.
O Queen and Mother of all priests, it was by thee that Jesus, the High Priest and Victim, was given unto the world, and He in turn has given thee as Mother to us.
Intercede, therefore, we implore thee, for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross. Look with favor upon the work we seek to do for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Obtain for us by thy prayers the graces we need as members of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, to be instructed and enlightened by her Magisterium, to be devoutly zealous for the graces of her Sacraments, and to be unfailingly loyal in our unity with the Vicar of thy Son.
The rest of the text is recited only by priests and seminarians of the Fraternity: Conscious of our own frailty, and of the hatred of the world for the works of light, we offer this day to thy Immaculate Heart our Priestly Fraternity and beg thee to take it under thy patronage. We chose thee, this day and evermore, as our advocate and Queen, and devote ourselves and all those souls who seek our priestly care, together with all our works and all we have and are, to thy loving protection.
To thee and to thy Immaculate Heart, we entrust and consecrate ourselves. Assist us in our endeavors to spread the Kingdom of thy Son, so that those who have strayed from the truth may once more attend to the teaching of the Church; those separated from her unity may return to the one true fold; those in sin may be restored to a state of grace; and those who have abandoned the Sacraments may return with fervor to receive them.
O Virgin Most Pure, do thou, together with Saint Peter, and all the angels and saints, pray for us all in these times of trial. May thy love and protection be ever upon our Fraternity, so that we may faithfully proclaim the Holy Gospel and bring the Sacraments to ever more souls. Obtain for us by thy prayers that we may persevere in grace until death, when we may be united with thee, our loving Mother, in the house of the Father. Amen.
To seek Our Lady’s increased protection on the Fraternity of St Peter and all those entrusted to our care, there will be a wordwide Marian consecration on 11 February, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Every day after Mass, 2-10 of February, we will pray a novena for the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in preparation for this consecration. All members of the Confraternity of St Peter, and any faithful in our apostolates are invited to join in this novena, as follows:
Decade of the Rosary Memorare:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Act of Consecration on Friday 11 February:
O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Help of Christians, behold this day before thy feet, the priests and seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, together with all those who, united with us as a spiritual family, place their hope and trust in thee. O Queen and Mother of all priests, it was by thee that Jesus, the High Priest and Victim, was given unto the world, and He in turn has given thee as Mother to us. Intercede, therefore, we implore thee, for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross. Look with favor upon the work we seek to do for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Obtain for us by thy prayers the graces we need as members of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, to be instructed and enlightened by her Magisterium, to be devoutly zealous for the graces of her Sacraments, and to be unfailingly loyal in our unity with the Vicar of thy Son.
The rest of the text is recited only by priests and seminarians of the Fraternity:
Conscious of our own frailty, and of the hatred of the world for the works of light, we offer this day to thy Immaculate Heart our Priestly Fraternity and beg thee to take it under thy patronage. We chose thee, this day and evermore, as our advocate and Queen, and devote ourselves and all those souls who seek our priestly care, together with all our works and all we have and are, to thy loving protection. To thee and to thy Immaculate Heart, we entrust and consecrate ourselves. Assist us in our endeavours to spread the Kingdom of thy Son, so that those who have strayed from the truth may once more attend to the teaching of the Church; those separated from her unity may return to the one true fold; those in sin may be restored to a state of grace; and those who have abandoned the Sacraments may return with fervor to receive them. O Virgin Most Pure, do thou, together with Saint Peter, and all the angels and saints, pray for us all in these times of trial. May thy love and protection be ever upon our Fraternity, so that we may faithfully proclaim the Holy Gospel and bring the Sacraments to ever more souls. Obtain for us by thy prayers that we may persevere in grace until death, when we may be united with thee, our loving Mother, in the house of the Father. Amen.
