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Statement on the Moto Proprio ‘Traditionis Custodes’

In 1965, before the promulgation of the Missal of Pope St Paul VI, the International Federation Una Voce was founded for the preservation of the venerable and ancient liturgy of the Catholic Church.

The work of Una Voce has always been characterised by fidelity to the papacy, a deep love of Holy Mother Church, the desire to work in partnership with the legitimate leadership of the Church and to do so with charity and dignity. In this manner, the FIUV, of which UVS is a founding member, obtained the liberalisation of the use of the Traditional Latin Mass which increased its availability to the faithful. From the ‘Agatha Christie’ indult to Ecclesia Dei, the FIUV persevered in making a case for the rite of Mass that served the church for twenty centuries. Noting the appeal of the Traditional Latin Mass to young people as well as those who had known it before the Missal of 1970 was introduced, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed that it had never been abrogated and granted universal permission to all priests of the Latin Rite to offer the Sacraments according to the liturgical books of 1962.  During the era of Summorum Pontificum, Una Voce Scotland worked tirelessly to fulfill our constitutional aims of

1. Promoting the Traditional Latin Mass

2. Promoting Gregorian Chant and polyphony

3. Preserving Catholic sanctuaries and

4. Representing the faithful to the hierarchy in Scotland and Rome.

The result has been a flourishing of the liturgy and the communities that have formed around it, a vibrant part of the life of the church in Scotland.

On the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 2021, Pope Francis issued a Moto Proprio “Traditionis Custodes’ which imposes restrictions on the celebration of of the Liturgy according to the ancient form. This has been a cause of great sorrow to those faithful who, constituting a passionate and devoted part of the church in the modern world and motivated by an impulse of evangelisation, have found nourishment, clarity and transcendence in the prayers and ceremonies or the older form of the Latin Rite. Una Voce Scotland will not be offering commentary on the document as this is already being comprehensively provided by those who are more qualified to do so. We do however, restate our commitment to fulfill the aims of UVS as set above in all prayerfulness and fidelity to the one Church of Jesus Christ and his Vicar. Although restrictions have been imposed, the Traditional Latin Mass has not been abrogated by Pope Francis and UVS will continue to support all priests and faithful who offer and assist at such liturgies with the blessing of their bishop and will continue to work with the hierarchy, who are the custodians of tradition and chief pastors of the flock of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

In these unsettling times, we encourage you to continue to pray for Pope Francis and for the Church, outside which there is no salvation.

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”  Benedict XVI, 7 July 2007

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Statement from Una Voce International on Summorum Pontificum

In recent months there have been many rumours about the status of Summorum Pontificum in the Church. The work of the International Federation Una Voce in collaboration with the proper ecclesial authorities led to Pope Benedict’s document which opened up the Extraordinary Form of the Mass for the whole church.

Continuing in our role of representing the faithful attached to the Usus Antiquior to the hierarchy, FIUV have produced the following statement in response to the rumours that have been circulating.

 

Living the faith, living the future:
The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite
Declaration of the International Federation Una Voce
 

The International Federation Una Voce (FIUV), founded in 1965, brings together associations of the lay faithful attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite (the Traditional Latin Mass).

In 2007, the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum recognised the vitality of the traditional liturgy, the freedom of priests to celebrate it, and of the faithful to request it. This has led to an ongoing increase in the number of celebrations of the ancient Latin Mass, and of its spiritual fruits.

During 2020 the FIUV conducted a worldwide survey of the faithful on the implementation of Summorum Pontificum. From this survey, which included results from 364 dioceses in 52 countries, we found:

•    The ancient Latin Mass is deeply appreciated by groups of faithful of all ages, especially families with children, young people and converts, found in all social and cultural environments, on all continents and in an ever increasing number of countries.

• In many areas the increased availability of this Mass has favoured the normalisation of relations between the faithful attached to it and their bishops, relations increasingly characterised by mutual understanding and respect.

Nevertheless, we have noticed that, contrary to the previous policy of the Holy See, there are still people within the Church, including some bishops, who would like to see the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite explicitly suppressed, or subject to further restrictions. For this reason, the FIUV, in view of the faithful who adhere to the Latin Mass, feels the duty to express its opinion, encouraged by Pope Francis’ exhortations to the members of the Church to use parrhesia with the necessary humility.

The growth of interest in the traditional liturgy is not due to nostalgia for a time we do not remember, or a desire for rigidity: it is rather a matter of opening ourselves to the value of something that for most of us is new, and inspires hope. Pope Francis has characterised the ancient liturgy in terms of a “sense of adoration” (Press conference of 28 July 2013), we can also apply his words to it: a “living history that welcomes us and pushes us forward” (Evangelii Gaudium 13).

Today we only wish to be part of that “great orchestra” of “unity in variety” which, as Pope Francis said (General Audience of 9 October 2013), reflects the true catholicity of the Church. The Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum continues to transform the conflicts of the past into harmony: long may it to continue to do so.

Felipe Alanis Suarez, President                                                                                        www.fiuv.org

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Carfin Feedback

We have received so much positive feedback from those who attended our Mass at Carfin Grotto. From well seasoned regulars to those who experienced the Extraordinary Form for the first time, the overwhelming impression was how beautiful the liturgy is and a desire that it be made available for all.

Many people had a very profound encounter with the Lord through the Mass, some moved to tears. The following comments are just a few that we have gathered and wanted to share.

 

I was blown away by the Mass on Friday night. I found that instead of everything being read out loud, the silence and the stunning music helped me to pray more deeply. I followed the prayers on my phone and just soaked it all in. It was amazing.

I noticed that there wasn’t a stereotype of the ‘kind’ of people who attended this beautiful Mass. It was just normal people who love their faith. It was lovely to see so many other young people who are into their faith too.

“It was a first time for me at Carfin Grotto and what a great introduction it was! I’m glad I was part of the choir so I wasn’t kneeling on the gravel, I must say! But what a fantastic way to defrost Church life after such a long and tedious time. Beautiful music, awesome liturgy and marvellous people, more of these events are needed!”

“I discovered the Indult Mass, as it was then known, when I was 18 years old. I was immediately enthralled by its sense of mystery and reverence and began to attend regularly and to serve at Mass. I never expected that I would ever be able to celebrate it as a priest, but thanks to the pastoral sensitivity and wisdom of Pope Benedict XVI, not only do I have the joy of celebrating this form of the Mass which had nourished me greatly, but I have seen how it has enriched the spiritual lives of other Catholics, both young and old, too. A plant can only bear fruit in so far as it is nourished by its roots; the celebration of the Extraordinary Form has put me – and countless others – in touch with their spiritual roots which run deep in the soil of centuries of Tradition, and it is little wonder that much fruit has been borne for the Church as a result. To quote Pope Benedict, ‘What earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred and great for us too.’ Over the years, I have discovered the truth of that proposition for myself. How could it be otherwise?”

“The provision of confessions, five priests hearing them for a solid hour united with the Missa Cantata; it was the Divine Mercy of the Sacred Heart made manifest on the holy altar and in the sacred tribunal. I look forward to this being a regular Mass at the National Shrine”

I started going to Latin mass less than a year ago. If the liturgy is still new for me, I really enjoyed the mass at Carfin for its beauty and profoundness.

I have been attending Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form for a few years now, but each time I am struck anew by the beauty of this ancient form of the liturgy. It is full of mystery and yet so familiar; rich in tradition and symbolism and yet at its centre is a humble God who comes to us in the form of bread and wine. This is a liturgy that draws us in and stands counter to the world.

I am sure I won’t be alone in saying that at Carfin Grotto, under the gaze of Our Lady of Lourdes, and surrounded by statues of the great Saints of our Faith who were shaped by this form of the liturgy, we were given a small glimpse into Heaven by the Heart that has so loved men.

“It is heartening that the Catholic faithful in Scotland are able to experience and participate fully and more readily in the ‘Mass of Ages’ . The Votive Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus at Scotland’s National Marian Shrine, Carfin, was simply beautiful – everything from the reverence of the mass to the angelic voices of Schola Una Voce. It was encouraging to see many new and young faces at the celebration of Holy Mass, and to hear just how positively it was received across the spectrum of age groups.

I was privileged to sing with the Una Voce Schola at the Carfin Mass. I felt blessed to be able to assist at Mass through singing the beautiful music. After a year where Mass has been restricted, it was a real gift to attend a Mass in such a peaceful and beautiful setting, with so many other young people in attendance. It was particularly special to attend a Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Carfin, as I felt joined in prayer with the saints whose relics are situated there, because I assisted at Mass in the form these saints would have known.

“A beautiful mass on a beautiful evening. The congregation highlighted the diversity of the Catholic population, coming together as one to worship using the universal language of the Church. More please!”

I had never seen a mass like it. I thought it was so beautiful!

I haven’t been to a TLM since the 1960s, the sense of awe and reverence was tangible. A big ‘well done’ to all concerned, I was truly privileged just to be there ☺️

The whole event was wonderful, lovely Priests hearing Confessions, Rosary, then beautiful Mass, and so many young people 💕🙏Thank you to all who organised.

It is a beautiful mass. As Fr Grant passed the crowds with the Blessed Sacrament and the crowds began to kneel in waves, on stones, grass and pavements , it was very moving to witness such love and reverence . I explained to my boys this is how we (my siblings and I) were raised in our faith, I hope this returns in our youth 🙏

it was beautiful and I too was impressed with the amount of young folk ❤️🙏🏼

I can honestly say I’ve never seen as many young people at a Mass in Scotland as I did tonight at the Latin Mass at Carfin Grotto. The fact that on a warm Friday night so many choose to come and participate in a Mass speaks volumes.
We have the tools before us for the renewal of the faith, I believe Summorum Pontificum was prompted by the Spirit and its fruits are evident. The dignity, the prayerful silence, the beautiful Schola. Heaven felt like it was in our grasps tonight, we only need to reach out our hands. Do not be afraid!

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And different. Viva le difference 🙏

I thought it was beautiful and I was privileged to be able to take part , Thanks Ryan I loved the reverence for the Eucharist also 🙏

I haven’t been to a TLM since the 1960s, the sense of awe and reverence was tangible. A big ‘well done’ to all concerned, I was truly privileged just to be there ☺️

The sung mass is so beautiful we have this every Sunday, well done Carfin Grotto for giving people the opportunity to experience this.

Was such a lovely Mass, so glad I went along to it. Even managed to drag my hubby along as well(a lapsed Catholic) and he found the whole thing quite moving. Had never been to anything like that before. The prayers, music, so spiritual and uplifting and reverent. And to receive Holy Communion on the tongue on the kneeler, so moving. Wish our Churches would bring back Alter Rails. Thank you Fathers and all involved in this beautiful Mass.

I was transported back to childhood days, when Mass was always celebrated in this way! The ground beneath me was rough and rocky, but I knelt out of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and didn’t feel a thing! I also loved kneeling to receive Jesus on my tongue, Oh how I wish we could always receive that way. Copious tears flowed at the beauty of the Schola singing Anima Christi just wonderful. Please God this could be a regular occurrence? God bless all the priests hearing confessions before Mass, and thank you to ALL who made this evening such a special occasion!

So Devotional & Reminded Me Of when I was Taken to Mass with The Cathedral school &. Mass was Said in Latin & we Children all knelt at the Altar Rails To receive The HOLY EUCHARIST & Wish it was still like That . Thank you So Much Father & All Who Made this worship Possible

My husband was so moved he knelt on the stones …… it was divine ..🕊🍃
Canon Taylor must have been smiling 🌹
Our lady of Lourdes pray for us 🌹
Saint Therese pray for us 🌹

Thank you to all who organised this beautiful Mass, all at Una Voce, The lovely Priests hearing Confessions, and Fr Grant for holding it at the lovely Shrine at Carfin, it was a special evening, that I will never forget. 💕🙏

Beautiful holy mass, choir were fantastic !!

Beautiful and so Spiritual,feeling very blessed. Thankyou all. God bless you 🙏

I watched online, was beautiful, thank you Una Voce Scotland for all you do to bring us this beautiful Mass, God Bless all involved 🙏❤️

When is the next one? Need to organise in advance for diary. Well done.

Just to say a huge thank you for tonight, it was amazing, as a 16 year old I thoroughly enjoyed the mass. Yous are doing such a fantastic job. Also your music was excellent.

It was genuinely refreshing to see such reverence and that many youth in the Grotto. The queue for the confessions with 5 priests was quite astonishing with one asking me, is that the queue to get in? No! That’s the confession queue! The silence and prayerfulness of the Mass was really moving added to by the wonderful schola. The most moving moment for me personally was at the end when Fr Grant was taking the Blessed Sacrament up to the church. Instinctively an entire crowd of people fell to their knees as he walked by. This is something I hardly see anymore and it gave me real hope that there are people who believe still in the Real Presence.

The prayers are beautiful, as are the Gregorian chants. It’s very reverent and a deep connection is there between man and God

The thing that attracts me to a Latin mass is the beauty, but also the mystery. It’s a mysterious service. As someone who knows some, but hasn’t quite mastered all of Latin, it’s totally different to see it.

The evening was organised by ‘Una Voce Scotland’ which is an organisation dedicated to promoting the traditional Latin Mass in Scotland. This is a growing movement. What was very fascinating and positive was the amount of young people in attendance. The stereotype is that only old people attend mass but that isn’t true, given the dedicated and passionate followers who are youngsters, who are the future of the Church. They’ve grown up in a world of sin, depravity and immorality and saw that it’s time to have a Church which is consistent in standing against all of that.

I felt a very close and emotional connection to Jesus Christ. Not that I wouldn’t normally when attending an English mass, but the Latin mass just goes that one step further. It puts so much preparation into the devotion of Our Lord, and it truly is a magnificent sight.

Even uninterested semi-agnostic young people, will be more attracted to authentic Catholicism than watered down… Catholicism. If the Church took a conservative approach of reverting back to tradition and making these masses more commonplace, I think many more would be interested.

The Extraordinary Form is ‘about connecting directly with God. Hence why the Priest has his back to the congregation. The only part of the mass where we saw the Priest’s face, and where he spoke English was the sermon. A sermon is aimed to the people, prayers are for God.’

The minute the procession of Priests and deacons came around, I knew it would be a mass unlike anything I’d ever witnessed. I have watched Latin masses via YouTube… However, until Friday evening I had never actually attended one in person. There was a lot of small whispers from the Priest, as well as chants from the choir in the glass chapel. Less interaction with the congregation and although some might disagree with this doctrine, it’s right. My brother and I are used to English masses, we stood in awe at the beauty of what we witnessed. A new experience, one to remember and repeat again.

 

Sancta Familia also captured reactions from the faithful after the Mass.

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Media Post: Extraordinary Form at Carfin Grotto

On the 4th of June 2021, Una Voce Scotland hosted a Missa Cantata at Scotland’s National Marian Shrine. The Sung Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart was offered by Fr Liam O’Connor who offers the Extraordinary Form in his parish, St Mary’s Cleland and was assisted by servers from St Mary’s, St Brigid’s Toryglen and the FSSP in Edinburgh. The MC was Tommy Thomson and the music was provided by our own Schola Una Voce, directed by our chairman and director of music, Fraser Pearce.

Our prayers for good weather were answered, allowing the Mass to be held outdoors. This resulted in no restrictions on numbers. Holy Mass was preceded by the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary led by a member of the congregation at Cleland, author and teacher, Mike Hughes. Mike will be providing a fuller article on the evening in our next newsletter. During the rosary, five priests heard confessions and although confessions continued during the liturgy, Mass was delayed a little in order to facilitate the great numbers who queued for the sacrament.

The Mass was attended by around 300 people and while there were familiar faces, the vast majority were experiencing the beauty and depth of the Extraordinary Form for the first time. The event was live-streamed by Sancta Familia Media but this didn’t put off those who travelled from all over – from as far as Eriskay and Stranraer! Many local people too, came along to experience the liturgy and to make First Friday devotions. The notably high proportion of young people who were present adds to our claim that the Extraordinary Form has an important role to play in the New Evangelisation-drawing all people to the unchanging truth and goodness of the Catholic Faith which is presented in a particularly clear way in the Usus Antiqior.

The outdoor altar at the Massabielle Grotto was the perfect setting and the altar was bedecked with first class relics of St Pius X, St Jean Vianney, St Francis Xavier and St Maria Goretti from Carfin’s extensive collection of relics- the largest outside of the Vatican!

Sancta Familia Media live-streamed the Mass for those who live too far away to be there in person (you can watch the FULL VIDEO here) and were on hand to speak with the congregation afterwards. The feedback online and in person has been extremely positive with many asking for the Extraordinary Form to be offered more often.

 

Our thanks go to Fr Grant and the team at Carfin who, through the planning process and on the evening, gave us a very warm welcome. It is clear that they are passionate about making the National Shrine a home to all.

We look forward to sharing more about this Mass and hope that regaining the momentum that we built up before Covid will enable us to continue to evangelise through the sacred liturgy.

If you would like to find an Extraordinary Form Mass near you, view our Latin Mass Map here.

If you would like to join UVS or sign up to our mailing list, please click here.

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Scan for Carfin Prayers!

Don’t want to have to print out the prayers for our Mass at Cafin?

Scan this QR code to view a continuous scroll version! This will be available on the night so you can scan and view the prayers of the Mass on your device!

7pm Rosary and Confessions, 7,30pm Sung Mass.

As long as it is not raining, anyone can come without a booking!

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Countdown to Carfin!

Dear Members and Friends,
We are now less than two weeks from our Sung Mass at Carfin Grotto and preparations are well underway.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the music the Schola are preparing:
Tickets are now sold out, but tickets are only required for reserved places indoors in case of inclement weather.

If the weather is dry, the Mass will be outside and there will be no limit on places, and you will not require a ticket to attend.

Rosary & Confessions: 7.00pm
Sung Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart: 7.30pm

Mass booklets available HERE
Yours

In Domino

Fraser Pearce
Chairman
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Carfin Mass- Printable Booklets

Dear friends,

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to  our Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Carfin Grotto on the 4th of June. Rosary and Confessions at 7pm, Mass at 7.30pm.

Due to Covid restrictions, we are unable to hand out reusable booklets. To help you follow the prayers of the Mass, we recommend the following .

  1. UVS Carfin Proper Prayers– The translations of the chants and readings for this specific Mass.  Copies of this booklet will be available on the night.
  2. A booklet of the unchanging prayers of the Extraordinary Form can be seen HERE.  Copies of this booklet will not be available on the night but you can print it or have it on a device.

The Music for the Mass is as follows:

Schola Una Voce. Organist and Director, Fraser Pearce.

Before Mass, organ music by Langlais and Dubois
Chant : Cogitationes & Mass III
Ubi Caritas, Ola Gjeilo
Tantum Ergo, Louis Vierne
Preabmbule, Louis Vierne
Anima Christi, Marco Frisina
Toccata in D Minor, Gaston Belier

If this Mass is the first time you have attended Mass in the Extraordinary Form, don’t worry about following every word! The most important thing is to pray. You may want to look at the booklet some of the time or just let the prayers, ceremonies and sacred music wash over you.

Remember, there will be no limit on numbers if it is not raining so anyone can attend the Mass at the Glass Chapel. 

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EF@ Carfin- Booking Now Open

Dear Members and Friends,

Una Voce Scotland is delighted to be hosting a Sung Mass in the Extraordinary From at Carfin Grotto on the 4th of June 2021.

The evening will begin with Holy Rosary and Confessions at 7pm followed by a Sung Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart at 7.30 pm. The Mass will be offered outdoors at the Glass Chapel (No cap on numbers) or in the parish church in the case of inclement weather (cap of 120).

Tickets can be reserved HERE
Please complete a separate booking for each separate household

We look forward to welcoming you at Carfin.

Yours

In Domino

Fraser Pearce
Chairman

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UVS Promotional Video

Dear Members And Friends,

I am delighted to share our new promotional video, which has been expertly produced by Sancta Familia Media. This is a significant step in our work of promoting the Extraordinary Form across Scotland.

Now it’s over to you! Please share this widely to encourage others to discover the beauty and depth of the Traditional Latin Mass.

Please also spread the word about our Mass at Carfin Grotto. Having a Mass at a national shrine will provide the ideal opportunity for people to discover the Usus Antiquior in a familiar setting. Our “save the date” poster can be found here and more details will follow soon.

Yours

In Domino

Fraser Pearce

Chairman