Latin Mass Society of England and Wales
Encyclopedia
The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales is a Roman Catholic society based in England
and Wales
that is dedicated to making the Traditional Latin Mass more widely available. It is affiliated to the international organisation Una Voce
.
The aims of the Society as defined in its Constitution are:
The Society publishes a schedule of Tridentine Masses approved by the bishops throughout England and Wales.
After the New Order of Mass was introduced in 1970, the late John Cardinal Heenan obtained in November 1971 a Papal Indult
, under which any Bishop in England
and Wales
could permit celebration of the Old Mass
for the benefit of a group of the faithful and, in October 1984, Pope John Paul II granted an Indult to every Bishop in the world allowing the celebration of the Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962.
In 1974, following an appeal to Cardinal Heenan, the Hierarchy of England and Wales "recognised the right of Catholics to leave instructions regarding the rite to be used at their Requiem Mass", and they accordingly so informed the clergy. Small cards bearing this statement are issued to all members on enrolment.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
that is dedicated to making the Traditional Latin Mass more widely available. It is affiliated to the international organisation Una Voce
Una Voce
Una Voce is an international federation of Catholic lay organizations attached to the Tridentine Mass....
.
The aims of the Society as defined in its Constitution are:
- To uphold the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church as defined by the Council of TrentCouncil of TrentThe Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
in matters pertaining to the liturgy and to religious observance. - To promote the regular and frequent public celebration of Holy Mass in accordance with the rite established by the Council of Trent and in the Latin language.
- To encourage the study, appreciation and use in worship of the traditional music of the Church and especially Gregorian ChantGregorian chantGregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
. - To work for the continued and wider use of the Latin language in the Church's worship, teaching and administration.
- To provide a means whereby the laity may communicate to the Hierarchy their need and desires in matters pertaining to the foregoing objects.
The Society publishes a schedule of Tridentine Masses approved by the bishops throughout England and Wales.
History
The Latin Mass Society was founded in 1965 to seek the preservation of the Immemorial Rites of Worship and the use of Latin, continuing the practice of the Church from very early times.After the New Order of Mass was introduced in 1970, the late John Cardinal Heenan obtained in November 1971 a Papal Indult
Indult
An indult in Catholic canon law is a permission, or privilege, granted by the competent church authority – the Holy See or the diocesan bishop, as the case may be – for an exception from a particular norm of church law in an individual case, for example, members of the consecrated life seeking to...
, under which any Bishop in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
could permit celebration of the Old Mass
Tridentine
The adjective Tridentine refers to any thing or person pertaining to the city of Trent, Italy .It is applied in particular to:*The Council of Trent, one of the ecumenical councils recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held in that city in the 16th century, and to the teachings emphasized by it...
for the benefit of a group of the faithful and, in October 1984, Pope John Paul II granted an Indult to every Bishop in the world allowing the celebration of the Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962.
In 1974, following an appeal to Cardinal Heenan, the Hierarchy of England and Wales "recognised the right of Catholics to leave instructions regarding the rite to be used at their Requiem Mass", and they accordingly so informed the clergy. Small cards bearing this statement are issued to all members on enrolment.
Structure
The Latin Mass Society is structured on a diocesan basis with a representative in each of the diocese of England and Wales. The headquarters of the society is based at its office in London.See also
- Indult CatholicIndult CatholicIndult Catholic was a term used to denote a traditionalist Catholic who preferred to attend the older Tridentine form of Mass instead of the ordinary present-day form of the Roman-rite liturgy, the Mass of Paul VI, but who attended only those celebrations that had the explicit approval of the...
- Una VoceUna VoceUna Voce is an international federation of Catholic lay organizations attached to the Tridentine Mass....
- CIEL UKCIEL UKCIEL UK is the British branch of CIEL, an international Roman Catholic society that is dedicated to scholarly analysis and pastoral familiarity of the traditional liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church within the English-speaking world, in collaboration with CIEL.Each year CIEL UK organises an...
- FSSPPriestly Fraternity of St. PeterThe Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a traditionalist Catholic Society of Apostolic Life of priests and seminarians in good standing with the Holy See.-Canonical status:...
- Association for Latin LiturgyAssociation for Latin LiturgyThe Association for Latin Liturgy is a British lay Catholic organisation which promotes greater use of Latin in the Mass. It was founded in 1969 by Dick Richens who was formerly a member of the Latin Mass Society. Unlike the Latin Mass Society, the Association for Latin Liturgy does not insist on...