Although this evening saw the last public Masses for the time being in Scotland, current advice from several Bishops is that Holy Communion may still be administered upon the request of the faithful.
We have prepared PDFs of the formula for administering Holy Communion outside of Mass in the Traditional Rite. It should be noted that Holy Communion in the Old Rite can only be received kneeling and on the tongue. This is still permitted in some of the Scottish Dioceses.
Click here to download a PDF including the rubrics for priests (2pp, A4)
Click here to download a PDF for servers or communicants (2pp, A4)
Click here to download a PDF for servers or communicants, which can be cut to A5 size.
Please make these sheets available to priests with whom you are in contact, or print it out and take it to a priest if you wish to receive Holy Communion in the Traditional Rite.
I assure you of my daily prayers as Chairman for all our members, friends and priests who offer the Traditional Rites for us.
Over the coming weeks, it is likely that many of us will not be able to attend Mass due to illness.
Should this be the case, we can sanctify the Sabbath by refraining from servile work, undertaking our usual prayers and devotions and by praying through the Mass of the day in our missals.
For those who would like to pray along with the Traditional Latin Mass online, I recommend livemass.net. LiveMass is an apostolate of the FSSP which streams the Latin Mass from several locations in various time zones. At the bottom left of the homepage, there are links to the Breviary and Missal which may be useful.
In Domino
Fraser Pearce
Chairman
Update, our sister organisation, The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales have a list of livestreamed Masses on their homepage.
I am very pleased to share a film of our Mass at St Margaret’s Johnstone. Many thanks to our friend, Vincent MacDonald for filming and producing the video.
If you would like to host or begin the Traditional Latin Mass in your parish, please contact us.
I have recently written about the practical arrangements requested by the bishops of Scotland and their bearing on the Traditional Latin Mass. In addition to the practical measures taken, I write to encourage all priests to add the prayers from the Votive Mass in Time of Pestilence as a spiritual response to the threat of Coronavirus. Votive Masses are not possible in Lent, but the collect, secret and post communion can be added after those of the Mass of the day in the manner of a commemoration.
Although holy water is not to be placed in stoups, I encourage all priests, whether they say the Traditional Latin Mass or not, to make holy water and exorcised salt, blessed with the traditional ritual, available to the faithful who present a container for private use. The prayers are self-explanatory and worthy of consideration.
Brief update: this week we are responding to another priest who would like to learn the Traditional Latin Mass and requires and altar Missal. If you wish to assist us as we continue to provide training and sacred articles for the Latin Mass, please visit our support page to leave a donation or become a member.
Please continue to pray for priests from around Scotland who are discerning how and when to begin learning or saying the old rite.
Thank you for your ongoing support, both material and spiritual. Our February prayer intention was overwhelmingly granted with such a successful Mass in Johnstone. Thanks especially to those who responded to my request for prayer and fasting for this intention.
In March, I ask you to join me in adding the following to your daily Rosary intentions:
1. The growth of the Traditional Latin Mass in Aberdeen
2. The priests who we are sending to the Latin Mass Training Course in April.
Thank you again for supporting us in our work for Jesus, for the Church and for the Traditional Mass.
Coronavirus and Recieving Holy Communion at the Traditional Latin Mass
As some bishops are calling for Communion in the hand as a precaution against the spread of Coronavirus, please bear the following in mind:
Receiving Holy Communion in the hand is illicit at the Latin Mass so priests may decide that Holy Communion will not be administered to the faithful at the TLM. In the past it was common for Holy Communion to be administered after Mass or not at every Mass since the sacrifice is complete when the victim is consumed by the priest. Even when Holy Communion is not received, by attending Holy Mass we assist at the Holy Sacrifice and gain many graces by doing so.
One does not have to receive Holy Communion at any form of the Mass and can make an act of Spiritual Communion instead. This can also be used if one is not in a state to receive.
On the Feast of the Chair of St Peter (22nd February) the Parish of St Margaret of Scotland in Johnstone celebrated with a sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form. At the invitation of Parish Priest Fr Paul Brady, and with encouragement from Bishop Keenan, Una Voce Scotland (UVS) provided this Mass in the ancient form of the Roman Rite. UVS is a Scottish charity that promotes the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and Gregorian Chant.
Around 170 of the faithful from around the Diocese of Paisley (with a few supporters from Glasgow) took shelter from the hail and sleet in this hidden gem of a church. Firstly, the Holy Rosary, led by UVS chairman Fraser Pearce, was offered for the current incumbent of the Chair of St Peter and for Holy Mother Church.
The congregation of parishioners – young and old – prayed in silence before Mass began with a flourish from the organ. The procession of servers and nine priests approached the altar of God, the last of whom was the celebrant of the Mass, Fr Gerard Byrne of St Brigid’s Toryglen.
This Sung Traditional Latin Mass was the first to be offered in St Margaret’s in 50 years. For some, it brought back memories of a Low Mass offered there a few years back for the golden wedding anniversary of a parishioner couple. For others, it was a reminder of Mass before the liturgical changes of the late 1960s. For most however, it was much more than a memory. In line with the global trend, the majority of attendees were those who are too young to remember, and who want the traditional Mass not out of nostalgia, but out of a love for the richness of the prayers, the depth of the silence, the transcendence of the Gregorian Chant and the beauty of the ceremonies.
The music was provided by UVS’ own Schola (choir). In addition to the chant of the Mass, they sang polyphonic pieces by preeminent Catholic composers such as Thomas Luis de Victoria, Hans Leo Hassler and Antonio Lotti with organ music by Buxtehude.
Thanks to the warm hospitality of the parishioners, Mass was followed by refreshments and a time to share in conversation. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many asking for the Traditional Latin Mass to be offered regularly in the area.
Una Voce Scotland works to improve access to the TLM around Scotland. If you would like to see more events like this, pray for us and support our work. If you don’t have a TLM near you, but would like one, let us know!
Thank you for your continued support of Una Voce Scotland. The committee and I continue to work hard behind the scenes to advance our aims and I am sure that your faithfulness in remembering our monthly prayer intentions is meriting the grace needed to move forward.
I am delighted to announce that we will be supporting several new priests (currently five in total) who wish to attend the Latin Mass Training Course down south.
UVS pays the fees for any priest from Scotland who wishes to attend the course, the cost this year being £120 each.
Could you please help us to meet this commitment? You can do this in one of two ways:
1. Become a member of UVS or renew an existing membership
2. Offer a donation
Both of these options can be facilitated through our support page.
Thank you again for your prayers and financial support.
