Two Masses next week

Holy Mass will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday of next week (18th and 20th February) at 7pm in St Therese' church, Somerton Road, Belfast. Tuesday will be a Low Mass with hymns while Thursday will be a Missa cantata. Thanks to Fr McCaughan and Canon Lebocq for offering these Masses.

Two Masses next week

Holy Mass will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday of next week (21st and 23rd January) at 7pm in St Therese' church, Somerton Road, Belfast. Tuesday will be a Low Mass with hymns while Thursday will be a Missa cantata. Thanks to Fr McCaughan and Canon Lebocq for offering these Masses.


The Mass of Tuesday is of St Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

St. Agnes was but twelve years old when she was led to the altar of Minerva at Rome and commanded to obey the persecuting laws of Diocletian by offering incense. In the midst of the idolatrous rites she raised her hands to Christ, her Spouse, and made the sign of the life-giving cross. She did not shrink when she was bound hand and foot, though the gyves slipped from her young hands, and the heathens who stood around were moved to tears. The bonds were not needed for her, and she hastened gladly to the place of her torture. Next, when the judge saw that pain had no terrors for her, he inflicted an insult worse than death: her clothes were stripped off, and she had to stand in the street before a pagan crowd; yet even this did not daunt her. "Christ," she said, "will guard His own." So it was. Christ showed, by a miracle, the value which He sets upon the custody of the eyes. Whilst the crowd turned away their eyes from the spouse of Christ, as she stood exposed to view in the street, there was one young man who dared to gaze at the innocent child with immodest eyes. A flash of light struck him blind, and his companions bore him away half dead with pain and terror.

Lastly, her fidelity to Christ was proved by flattery and offers of marriage. But she answered, "Christ is my Spouse: He chose me first, and His I will be." At length the sentence of death was passed. For a moment she stood erect in prayer, and then bowed her neck to the sword. At one stroke her head was severed from her body, and the angels bore her pure soul to Paradise. (Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints)

The Mass of Thursday is of St Raymond of Pennafort, Confessor

Born A. D. 1175, of a noble Spanish family, Raymund, at the age of twenty, taught philosophy at Barcelona with marvellous success. Ten years later his rare abilities won for him the degree of Doctor in the University of Bologna, and many high dignities.

A tender devotion to our blessed Lady, which had grown up with him from childhood, determined him in middle life to renounce all his honors and to enter her Order of St. Dominic. There, again, a vision of the Mother of Mercy instructed him to cooperate with his penitent St. Peter Nolasco, and with James, King of Aragon, in founding the Order of Our Lady of Ransom for the Redemption of Captives. He began this great work by preaching a crusade against the Moors, and rousing to penance the Christians, enslaved in both soul and body by the infidel. King James of Aragon, a man of great qualities, but held in bond by a ruling passion, was bidden by the Saint to put away the cause of his sin. On his delay, Raymund asked for leave to depart from Majorca, since he could not live with sin. The king refused, and forbade, under pain of death, his conveyance by others. Full of faith, Raymund spread his cloak upon the waters, and, tying one end to his staff as a sail, made the sign of the cross and fearlessly stepped upon it.

In six hours he was borne to Barcelona, where, gathering up his cloak dry, he stole into his monastery. The king, overcome by this miracle, became a sincere penitent and the disciple of the Saint till his death. In 1230, Gregory IX. summoned Raymund to Rome, made him his confessor and grand penitentiary, and directed him to compile "The Decretals," a collection of the scattered decisions of the Popes and Councils. Having refused the archbishopric of Tarragona, Raymund found himself in 1238 chosen third General of his Order; which post he again succeeded in resigning, on the score of his advanced age. His first act when set free was to resume his labors among the infidels, and in 1256 Raymund, then eighty-one, was able to report that ten thousand Saracens had received Baptism. He died A. D. 1275. (Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints)

Et Verbum caro factum est

A Holy and Grace-filled Christmastide to all reading this message. In 2013 the numbers of regular Masses per month in Belfast doubled. An acclaimed schola, the Lassus scholars, came to sing the Mass for the Feast of All the Saints of Ireland and Solemn High Mass was offered for the Feast of St Joseph. A Missa Cantata was offered on the feast of the Assumption of the BVM.

God willing in 2014 we hope to have three Masses per month in Belfast with thanks to Canon Lebocq of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. In addition, a Traditional retreat led by a new missionary order - the missionary servants of the poor - will take place in Dromantine on the 2nd-4th of May 2014.

For these many graces and for our holy priests we give thanks to the Thrice-Holy and Undivided Trinity and implore the intercession of the Mary, mediatrix and consolatrix, St Joseph, Ss Malachy and MacNissi for the growth and unity of the Extraordinary Form in Belfast.

Te Deum Laudamus

Two Masses next week

St Therese' church will host two Masses next week.

On Tuesday 19th, the regular monthly Mass will be offered at 7pm and on Thursday (21st) November Canon Lebocq of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest will offer Holy Mass for the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 7pm

Solemn High Mass on November 6th

Many thanks to all who attended the celebration of the feast of All Saints of Ireland.  The Mass was celebrated by Fr Martin Graham P.P., with Fr Damian McCaughan C.C. as deacon and Fr Conor McGrath C.C. as subdeacon.

The Mass was celebrated in the beautiful surroundings of St Malachy's Church in Alfred Street, the oldest Catholic church in Belfast.

Fr Martin Graham preached on the historical background of the feast and the universal call to holiness from the magnificently restored pulpit.

Holy Communion being distributed at the altar rails.

Victoria's Missa O Quam Gloriosa was sung by the renowned Dublin-based Lassus Scholars, under the direction of Ite O'Donovan.  Special thanks go to the Master of Ceremonies and servers, to the photographer Henry Pidgeon and to Fr McGinnity and the parish of St Malachy's for their warm welcome.

All Saints of Ireland, pray for us!