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Latin Mass Society of England and Wales

Latin Mass Society logo
Abbreviation	LMS
Formation	1965 (59 years ago) (1965)
Headquarters	11–13 Macklin Street, London
Chairman	Joseph Shaw
General Manager	Stephen Moseling
Affiliations	Catholic Church

The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales is a Roman Catholic society based in England and Wales which is dedicated to making the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the Traditional Latin Mass or Vetus Ordo, more widely available. It is affiliated to the International Federation Una Voce (FIUV).

The aims of the society as defined in its constitution (as revised in 2012) are "in accordance with the Catholic faith for members of the Catholic faith and the general public, the advancement of":

1. the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church as defined by the Council of Trent in obedience to the Holy See in matters pertaining to the liturgy and to religious observance;
2. the regular and frequent public celebration of Holy Mass, ... in the rite codified by the Council of Trent in the Latin language and in a form no later than that published in A.D.1962 but to include any amendments required by the Holy See. ...
3. the study, appreciation and use in worship of the traditional music of the Church and especially of Gregorian chant;
4. the continued and wider use of the Latin language in the Church’s worship, teaching and administration;
5. a means whereby the laity may communicate to the Hierarchy their needs and desires in matters pertaining to the foregoing objects; and
6. education and training in order to accomplish the preceding objects.

The society publishes a schedule of Extraordinary Form Masses, licitly celebrated in union with 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.

Following a letter in The Catholic Herald (22nd January 1965) by Hugh Byrne, calling for the establishment of 'a national Latin Mass Society', 'which will aim at campaigning for at least one Latin Low Mass in every church on Sundays'. The founding meeting was on 10th April 1965; the first President of the Society was the Catholic apologist and skiing pioneer Sir Arnold Lunn.

In the context of the New Order of Mass being introduced (it was celebrated from the first Sunday of Advent of 1969), the Society had to decide whether to campaign for celebrations of the reformed Mass in Latin, or for celebrations using the older liturgical books. The question was debated at the Annual General Meeting of 1969, with the writer Hugh Ross Williamson speaking against the New Rite, and other speakers, such as the botanist Dr Richard Hook Ritchens, in its favour. Ross Williamson's arguments carried the day, and a group subsequently left the Society to set up the Association for Latin Liturgy in 1970, headed by Dr Ritchens.

Alfred Marnau headed the major project of organising a petition signed by fifty six international cultural figures to seek permission for the continuing use of the older liturgical books. The then Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal John Heenan, presented this to Pope Paul VI who granted this permission, a papal indult, in 1971, under which any bishop in England and Wales could permit celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass for the benefit of a group of the faithful.

Archbishop Annibale Bugnini describes the reception of the petition as follows.

At an audience of October 29, 1971, Cardinal Heenan had told the Pope of the discomfort of groups of converts and of elderly people who wanted to be able to celebrate Mass according to the old rite on special occasions. The next day the Pope wrote to Father Bugnini in his own hand: "...I think, in agreement with the Cardinal Archbishop, that a favourable answer, cast in the proper formulas, should be given to the first request, and to the second as well, wherever special circumstances justify the concession. The Cardinal who is making the petition deserves every resepct and confidence."

This was the first explicit confirmation that the older books could continue in use, not only by older priests celebrating in private, but for the benefit of the lay faithful; however, it applied only to England and Wales.

Under this and later Indults the Society was the principle body negotiating with bishops for Masses to be celebrated, making practical arrangements for these celebrations, and keeping Catholics attached to the older form of the liturgy informed about them.

In 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. This permission was reiterated by Pope John Paul II in 1988 in the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei. In 2007 Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum ruled that explicit permission from local bishops was not necessary for a priest's celebration of the 1962 books, and coined the term "the Extraordinary Form" for these celebrations.

Activities

Throughout its history the Latin Mass Society has facilitated and advertised Extraordinary Form Masses all over England and Wales. Additionally, it has also arranged numerous pilgrimages to shrines in England and Wales and furthermore overseas. It usually holds two special Masses a year in Westminster Cathedral: one for its Annual General Meeting in the spring or summer and another for its Annual Requiem in November.

In anticipation of the promulgation of Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum in 2007, the Society organised its first residential training conferences for priests wanting to learn to celebrate the Extraordinary Form; these have continued at least annually since then in a variety of locations.

Since 2012 the society has organised a biennial one-day conference in London with lay and clerical speakers.

The Society publishes a quarterly magazine, Mass of Ages.

Structure

The management of the society is in the hands of a committee (trustees), who are elected by the membership, with the help of a small paid staff in its London office and its network of representatives. It has one or more representative in each of the dioceses of England and Wales who are responsible for local events.

See also

• Indult Catholic
• International Federation Una Voce
• CIEL UK
• FSSP
• Association for Latin Liturgy

References

1. http://www.lms.org.uk/resources/lms-constitution-as-amended-2012
2. http://www.lms.org.uk/resources/articles-on-the-mass/the_english_indult
3. Annibale Bugnini 'The Reform of the Liturgy 1948-1975' pp297-8
4. http://www.lms.org.uk/about-us

External links

• Latin Mass Society Official website of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales
• LMS Chairman Personal blog of Joseph Shaw, Chairman

• Ecclesia Dei
• Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales