RC Diocese of Argyll & the Isles

Diaconate Ordination
 
It was a privilege to do the diaconate ordinations last week of Rev John Deighan and Rev Stanislaw Pamula in the Scots College in Rome. Stanislaw's family, his mother and father, brother and sister travelled to Rome for his ordination, as did Fr Andrew Barrett, Arisaig, and Anne and Bert Alexander, parishioners of St. Andrew's, Rothesay. We offer Stanislaw our congratulations and our prayers as he begins his ministry as a deacon. Stanislaw will soon finish the first year of his licence course in Rome and will come to the Diocese to work as a deacon during the summer. He will spend the month of July in Oban and the month of August in Fort William. He will have a particular remit in that time to make contact with the Polish families in these areas and to start sacramental preparation for the children or teenagers who have missed being confirmed
 
I also met Tony Wood at the ordination. He will be doing his pastoral placement in the Diocese also doing the summer. One of the deacons in the Beda College, Graham Turner from Edinburgh Archdiocese, is seriously ill in hospital in Rome. Your prayers are asked for his recovery. Graham is due to be ordained a priest at the end of June.

The New Roman Missal
 
The brochure from CTS Publications about the new English translation of the Roman MIssal is now in circulation. You should examine the brochure thoroughly and decide what yiou are going to order for your parish. There is advantage in doing this promptly as some discounts are available. I expect that all the parish churches should get the Altar edition, and in order to avoid moving it back and forward to the chair for the introductory rites and the post-communion rite it would be advisable to get the Chapel edition also. For your chapels of Ease or other places where Mass is celebrated you need to decide what is the edition you will require. There might be parishioners willing to make donations to buy the beautiful Altar edition for your other churches also. I don't think we should skimp on what we spend on the MIssal as we need to give a clear sign of its importance in the Liturgy and the treasure and beauty of prayers of the Roman Rite.
 
It will be important to have Order of Mass Cards or small booklets available for the faithful when we start using the Order of Mass at the beginning of September. Some of the priests may wish to start using the new texts for the Eucharistic prayers during the introductory period from September to 1st Sunday in Advent.
 
The Missal Music CD, "And With Your Spirit", would seem a very helpful tool also in getting to know the musical settings offered in the Missal itself. I would recommend the Missal settings as the first option we should try to learn for singing the Mass - for both the faithful and the celebrants.

I was thinking also that we should make a start on using the Ordinary of the Mass when we are gathered for the Priests' Assembly. So the Mass we will celebrate in the Cathedral on Wednesday 31st August will be official first use of the new texts for the Ordinary of the Mass in the Diocese - it is the Feast that day of St. Aidan, a diocesan saint.
 
Instruction on the Application of the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI
 
An instruction was released today by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei on the application of "Summorum Pontificum".  It can be downloaded from the Vatican Website or other sites. THe accompanying letter to Bishops explains that "This instruction enacts certain specific norms aimed at guaranteeing a correct interpretation and application of the Motu Proprio."  

It wishes to bring to Bishops' attention certain key points as follows:

" As the Motu Propio "Summorum Pontificum" itself states, the "ordinary" and the "extraordinary" forms are two forms of the one Roman Rite which are in  no way antithetical nor contrary to each other, but are mutually enriching.

What should be underlined therefore is the unity of the Liturgy, a sign of the Church's unity, thus avoiding antagonisms and divisions within the ecclesial community, and the marginalisation and isolation of the faithful  who are attached to the "forma extraordinaria" on the one hand, or protets against the "forma ordinaria" resulting from a presumed fidelity to Tradition on the other.

Moreover, this Pontifical Commission wishes to recall the necessity of continuing the work of the formation and education of the clergy and the faithful  in order to ensure a correct understanding of the Roman Rite, and respect for both. In this way unity and reconciliation within the Church can be promoted." 

Cardinal William Levada, President of Ecclesia Dei.