On the afternoon of 21st October 2000 we pilgrims of The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales set out for Rome. Ours was the centuries-old quest to obtain graces, amend our lives and pray for those who could not be with us. Gathering that afternoon, seventy miles West of Canterbury where, in the sixth century, the Benedictine monk St. Augustine had started his task of the conversion of the Angles at the behest of the Benedictine Pope St. Gregory, fourteen hundred years later we pilgrims set off from the neighbouring county of Sussex. For those in the airport who caught a glimpse of our priests dressed in cassocks and long black overcoats, some might have known what we were about. For we were independent-minded pilgrims demonstrating our loyalty to the Holy See. Throughout the nine days that lay ahead we were intent on reclaiming our liturgical heritage which, temporarily, remains hidden. We were setting out to hear Mass in the Roman Rite in three of the four basilica of the Holy City; in St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. Future pilgrims, it is hoped, would be able to hear the Roman Rite inside St. Peter's itself. But we were to make our historic start. As Dom Andrew Southwell noted at the outset: "To be able to offer the classical Roman Rite in the city of its origin, surrounded by the ancient sites and sacred relics connected with the earliest Roman martyrs whose names are contained in the Canon of the Mass, cannot but help bring us closer to a deeper appreciation and love for the great treasure we have in the traditional Mass." On the morning of Thursday 26th October Dom Andrew Southwell, OSB, celebrated the Votivé Mass of the Blessed Sacrament in a chapel inside the Benedictine Abbey of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. So it was that in this Jubilee Year the ancient and early Benedictine connection between England and Rome was re-established. Inside the ancient basilica, Gregorian chant was heard once again. And this historic Mass was arranged thanks to the Sacristan in the Basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls, who had once spent some time in Farnborough Abbey learning English.
We 70 pilgrims, like the 70 Apostles before us, we each in our own mysterious way setting out through the grace of Almighty God to regain our lost inheritance. We were setting out, along with the slow-moving thousands who made their way, step by crowded step, up towards St. Peter's on that hot afternoon of Sunday 22nd October, to enter the Holy Door. Some of our number had gained a Jubilee Indulgence and entered that same Holy Door when it was opened in 1950. Of all ages, we 70 pilgrims were united in our devotion to the Mass and the Church. We were united in a gloriously joyful and above all straightforward way. Whether we were from Glasgow, Cork, the Philippines or the Home Counties, whether we were from the East End of London, Gloucestershire, Norfolk or Nottingham, we were Catholics of a similar mind and outlook. We could say what we liked, knowing that others would agree. This was Church Unity. And we demonstrated our Unity with the Holy Father at a particular moment on Sunday 22nd October when, from outside St. Peter's Basilica, His Holiness led the Angelus in Latin. Looking around the sea of thousands, I realised that we English-speaking pilgrims were the only ones who knew how to respond. Of all the thousands of young and old gathered in the Piazza of St. Peter's on that beautifully tranquil morning in October, we English-speaking pilgrims were the only ones to kneel at the words "Et Incarnatus Est". That moment alone demonstrated the crisis in the Church. How glorious it would have been if every person had knelt at that moment. It was left only to us. There is a great deal of work to be done.
Perhaps the Church could simply begin again at the beginning and start by teaching the simple phrases of the Angelus in Latin. A simple step but a profoundly important one. Because when, on the first Friday in the month, the Holy Father leads the rosary on Vatican Radio, it is in Latin. The universal language of the Church has not quite been lost. It is our mission to have it restored. We were fortunate therefore that on our meeting on Monday 23rd October with His Eminence Cardinal Ratzinger, his English was good enough to appreciate Francis Carey's words of congratulation on his "Dominus Jesus" statement of only a few weeks before. The Cardinal seemed genuinely pleased to encounter such solid support. The Cardinal fully understood also the forthright message of Dr. Dunn, representing Una Voce Scotland, when told that in Scotland the Old Mass is not even allowed to be advertised. And he seemed genuinely interested when, on the presentation of a print of a picture of Our Lady of Walsingham, it was pointed out that the Slipper Chapel at Walsingham, a shrine which dates back to the eleventh century, is dedicated to St. Catharine of Alexandria, the Patron Saint of Pilgrims. He was also reminded that St. Catharine of Alexandria was cruelly dropped from the Calendar in 1969. It was indeed a privilege to be received by this most eminent Cardinal in the courtyard of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and for us all to receive his blessing. Soon afterwards we visited the ancient church of San Clemente. Inside that church our Irish Dominican guide drew our attention to the large chapel filled with frescoes at the back of the church. The frescoes depicted the life of St. Catharine of Alexandria, the fourth century saint who defended the Faith and suffered cruel torture for doing so. That same morning we had been reminded of the early martyrs when Mass in the Roman Rite was celebrated in the Catacombs of San Callixtus; incorporated into the walls were depictions and writings of those who suffered and died for the Church in its earliest days.
We stayed at a modern Retreat House on the other side of Lake Albano overlooking Castel Gandolfo. Large numbers of other pilgrims came and went, from Korea, Slovenia and South America. Each evening, in the large circular chapel, there was Compline. Our Chaplains,Dom Andrew Southwell, Father Christopher Basden and Father Anton, led these prayers. Compline every evening was an unforgettable reassertion of the timeless and ever-consoling psalms beautifully sung by our priests. Every evening, after a long day, such a soothing and yet uplifting devotion was central to the pilgrimage. A chance to give thanks, a chance for recollection and calm in preparation for sleep. Such is the kind wisdom of Holy Mother Church. And in every church and basilica we visited we sang the Creed in Latin. Seventy voices singing the Creed were heard in St. Peter's, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran, St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. We sang the Creed too when, in the early evening, we entered the church of San Lorenzo where, in the Crypt, we venerated the tomb of the recently beatified Pope Pius IX, whose body remains incorrupt.
During our nine days we made two excursions beyond the Holy City. On 24th October, the Feast of St. Raphael, we visited Assisi and there heard Mass in the Crypt chapel. The day was sunny and light, we saw the restored basilica, resurrected after the earthquake. Perhaps we Catholics devoted to the Old Mass can gain some comfort from such meticulous restoration in the face of apparent disaster. Inside the basilica in the afternoon a large gathering from La Crosse, Wisconsin were at Mass. Observing the New Mass from a distance, I had never been so conscious of so much noise. The sheer volume of English with an American accent in loud, loud unison. Participation was concentrated on the nave rather than the sanctuary. In Assisi I had never been so aware of the profound cultural difference between the Old Rite and the New. Soon afterwards we visited the basilica of St. Mary of the Angles whose dome in the heavenly Tuscan valley can be seen from Assisi. This church contains within it the tiny chapel from which the Franciscan Order started. This jewel-like edifice, with its glorious paintings in rich, warm colours was an unexpected revelation. And kneeling inside this chapel it was so fitting to hear the Latin Mass Society pilgrims singing the Gloria, their voices resonating in the large basilica which encases the tiny chapel. And if one felt disconsolate at the seeming magnitude of the task of restoring the liturgy, Francis Carey pointed out that the tiny chapel of his Patron Saint gave him hope. St. Francis founded his worldwide Order from such small beginnings. Mr. Carey is convinced that the Mass of Ages shall one day again be celebrated at every altar in the world.
So too when visiting Subiaco, high up in the heavenly hills, who would have thought that from one small cave the worldwide Benedictine Order would one day be established? How appropriate and what a blessing it was, therefore, to attend Mass celebrated by our Benedictine Chaplain here in the monastery of Subiaco, with its gloriously simple frescoes depicting scenes from the life of St. Benedict and so many other saints, including St Francis of Assisi. Following in the footsteps of St. Benedict we then made the long journey to Monte Cassino, whose startling setting made it a tragic target for Allied bombers in 1944. We stopped to visit the Polish cemetery. Each with our own thoughts, we pilgrims visited the innumerable graves of the fallen. The Holy Cards, the individual flowers were moving testimonials to so much that was lost in that terrible battle. Father Anton, of Polish ancestry, said a prayer of Requiem for his loyal and brave countrymen. We were here as pilgrims to pray for the living and for the dead. Having climbed the long steps to the Abbey of Monte Cassino we had arrived in time for Vespers. Departing this historic and holy place the gentle evening sun shone directly at us. Whether pilgrims or war veterans, Monte Cassino symbolises both triumph and tragedy.
The following morning we were present at a Papal audience. The facade of St. Peter's basilica, built in the time of St. Pius V, has been magnificently restored for this Holy Year. In the Piazza of St. Peter's, modern technology came to the fore with large cinema screens, amplified music and staged speeches in four languages. The Holy Father's voice was as strong as ever as he bent over and read his script. He mentioned in somewhat glowing terms the Second Vatican Council. I read the introduction to our pilgrim's booklet, prepared for us with all the Masses of our nine days in Rome, Assisi and Subiaco. I read the opening page.
"This pilgrimage has, at its centre, the Traditional Latin Mass. This is the Mass instituted by Our Lord and faithfully carried forward by the Apostles. Begun on Calvary, it assumed, in the West, the tongue of the Roman Empire. Based originally on the Psalms and ritual of the synagogue, it developed organically through the centuries, until the time of Gregory the Great in the sixth century, when the Canon became fixed. At this time it was introduced into England by St. Augustine .Prayers continued to be added until the Middle Ages when, as a reaction to the attacks by the Protestant revolutionaries, they were codified by St. Pius V in 1570. As the Roman Rite was accepted by the English College at Douai, it was introduced back into England secretly, gradually replacing the native Sarum usage as the original priests who remained faithful to the True Faith died out. Until the advent of the Second Vatican Council it largely remained untouched. It remained, and remains, a crystallisation of the epitome of European Catholic culture. Assuredly, a pearl of great price and the most venerable of all the church's liturgies. We truly see, in the Traditional Latin Mass, the Rome of the Apostles, and the Rome of the Middle Ages."
On Sunday 29th October we seventy pilgrims made our way, under considerable difficulty, to the small church of Santa Maria della Luce where the only High Mass in Rome that day was celebrated. It was a long, difficult and fast walk. After many days of walking it was our last chance on this pilgrimage to attend the Mass of Ages in Rome. That we had to walk so far for so long to a Mass which only thirty years before would have been celebrated in every church in Rome, was a profound indication of the real crisis in the Church. On arrival, Santa Maria della Luce, its choir and the Mass were all beautiful. It was our last Mass of a pilgrimage during which the liturgy had sunk so deep into our consciousness that these nine days in this Holy Year would remain ever with us. Then, as was inevitable, the Devil struck and un-nerved everyone as only he knows how. After the Mass a handbag was cruelly and cleverly snatched, containing passport, driving licence, money, address book, holy medals, a beautiful mantilla. All suddenly gone. Then there was confusion about which coaches we were on; we each discovered that all our possessions had been deposited away for safekeeping. Time was running short to get to the airport. We landed back in London to the worst storms for many years.
How hard it was to come back to so-called normality after nine such heavenly days in the calm and tranquil air of Rome. How much the joyful voices of our companions resonate with us still. One can still hear the sound of Compline accompanied by the young Organist Paul Marshall, who so skilfully played at all our Masses. One can still hear the sound of the Litany of the Saints sung in the late afternoon outside the Colosseum by Father Anton. One can still recall the recitation of the rosary on our many coach journeys, each mystery prayerfully introduced by each of our priests. One remembers the sound of the Litany of Loreto sung in Latin. One remembers the sound of laughter and the joyful voices when we gathered each evening for supper.
Some of us met again at the Requiem Mass in Portsmouth Cathedral on the wet afternoon of Sunday 21st November, the second such mass for some thirty years. It was celebrated by Dom Andrew Southwell, who in his sermon referred to this historic pilgrimage. And in early December at Parkminster in Sussex, following the mass celebrated in the Carthusian Rite, there was a chance encounter with the pilgrim who had had her possessions taken from her on that last day. She related a miraculous outcome. The Police had found the bag; the thief had taken only money. Inside the bag the name and address of our guide in Rome, the one priest in Rome who every Sunday celebrates High Mass in the church of Santa Maria della Luce in Trastevere, the name and address of this priest had remained untouched. The stolen possessions were restored. We must take hope and comfort from the fact that as Our Lady watched over all the practical details of such an incident, initially distressing, at last resolved, she watches over us all. She is waiting to be implored that through her intercession the One True Faith shall be restored in its teaching and in its liturgy in the Church her Son founded.
Let us in our quest to restore the Mass of Ages always have in mind the Divine Motherhood of Mary, whose Feast Day on 11th October was instituted to commemorate 1500 years since her declaration as Mother of God at the Council of Ephesus in 431. Instituted in 1931, this Feast Day was dropped from the Calendar in 1969. So much needs to be restored. For English pilgrims, we draw comfort from the shrine dedicated to the Mother of God at Walsingham in Norfolk. We English pilgrims know that through the prayers of Our Lady of Walsingham, through our determination to travel to find the Old Mass, however difficult, however inconvenient, through our pilgrimages and our penances, we shall one day, through the grace of Almighty God, be rewarded, hoping to have played our part in the restoration of the One True Faith in England and throughout the world.
Madeleine Beard
[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's February 2001 Newsletter.]