First Mass of Fr Marek Grabowski FSSP

by Dr Joseph Shaw

Fr Marek Grabowski FSSP made news with his ordination in Poland, this being the first traditional ordination since 1970. He is well known to the English Traditional Catholic community, as he has often visited Reading and was a member of staff at the St Catherine's Trust Summer School in 2007. It was wonderful to see him back here again as a priest. He celebrated Mass with the assistance of Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP as deacon, and Fr Simon Leeworthy FSSP as subdeacon.)

I have never seen St William of York so full. There were people crowded at the back, the extension had about 30 people in it, and of course there was the choir in the choir loft. In all about 120 people. (No, Paul Inwood, not the 'same 30 people' in Portsmouth diocese people going to more Masses than before, but four times that number at St William of York alone.

Afterwards Fr Grabowski gave 'first blessings'.

More photos here.

(reposted from LMS Chairman blog)

First Mass of New FSSP Priests

by Gregor Kollmorgen

On Sunday (July 18th) I was blessed to attend here in Berlin the First Mass (in German Primiz; you can read about that term and customs surrounding it in the posts about our Holy Father's First Mass which I wrote a while ago here and here) of two of the new priests who were ordained for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter on 3 July in Wigratzbad by His Eminence Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera (cf. here). The Mass was celebrated as a Solemn High Mass by Fr Jérôme Bücker FSSP, the other newly ordained, Fr Gerald Gesch, acting as deacon, and Fr Sven Conrad FSSP as subdeacon. Both new priests hail from the parish of St. Matthias in Berlin, where Blessed Count Clement Augustus Cardinal Galen was parish priest from 1919 to 1929. This parish has always been known for a dignified celebration of the liturgy, and has an Ordinary Form Latin Sung Mass every second Sunday. The parish priest had traveled to Wigratzbad for the ordination, acted as presbyter assistens for today's High Mass, and also gave the sermon (in which he mentioned that what most struck him at the ordination at Wigratzbad was the exalted prince of the Church kissing the newly ordaineds' hands, a custom he did not recall from his own ordination, even though that was still according to the usus antiquior books). The Mass replaced the regular 11 am Sunday High Mass, and a good number of faithful filling the church belonged to the parish without having prior familiarity with the usus antiquior, as was evidenced when they sung the entire Pater noster, as is the norm in the Ordinary Form. It was a wonderful occasion, and a very good sign of unity, as well as for the Extraordinary Form taking its rightful place at the centre of the Church, fruitfully co-existing with the Ordinary Form. Another son of the parish celebrated his First Mass in the Ordinary Form there last year, another will be ordained transitional deacon next year, and yet another is a seminarian with the Servi Jesu et Mariæ. Congratulations again to the newly ordained, and to the parish!

Since I did not want to take pictures during Mass, here are some from the German site www.summorum-pontificum.de:

First Mass of Fr Simon Harkins

reposted from Transalpine Redemptorists at Home

Today in Edinburgh Cathedral, Father Simon Harkins, F.S.S.P. celebrated his first Mass in his home country and home town. The Mass was celebrated in the presence of His Eminence Keith Cardinal O'Brien, who also preached at the Mass. It is the first time a Cardinal has assisted at a first Mass in the extraordinary form in his own cathedral. Below are lots of photos - too many to caption - but they are fairly self explanatory:

Father Harkins before Mass.




Very Rev. Fr Josef Bisig, F.S.S.P was assistant priest.


















































Rev. Fr. Anthony Mary, F.SS.R. meets the Cardinal.

(source)