TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS

Here in St Mary's, Bishop Kevin has kindly given Father Elkin permission under the papal indult Ecclesia Dei adflicta to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass according to the Missal of 1962 on Sundays, Holydays and some other occasions.  The TLM is the Mass which was celebrated throughout the whole Church in every country until the New Order of Mass was introduced in 1970.  The TLM had developed gradually over nearly two thousand years, and the central part, the Canon of the Mass, (the Eucharistic Prayer), is identical to the Canon of the Mass said in the sixth century in Rome and is very nearly the same as that said in the fourth century.When the New Order of Mass was introduced, every effort was made by certain experts to remove the Old Mass from the Church's worship.  Exceptions were made for elderly priests, but a number of lay people took up the cause of the Old Mass, and through Cardinal Heenan approached Pope Paul VI with a petition signed by a number of celebs, Catholic and non-Catholic. Pope Paul, looking through the list of names, recognized only one – Agatha Christie – and hence granted what became known as the Agatha Christie Indult, by which the TLM was to be allowed in England and Wales in limited circumstances. Pope John Paul II  widened the indult to the whole world and gave greater freedom to bishops to allow the TLM and asked bishops to be generous in granting permission. 

The Traditional Latin Mass is said in Barnard Castle each Sunday at 9 am, on Holydays of Obligation at 12 noon, on the first Tuesday of each month at 7.30 pm, and on certain other important feast days of Our Lord and Our Lady. Anyone wishing for further information should go to www.latin-mass-society.org/whateverhappened.html  You will also find information about local TLMs in our diocese here: www.communigate.co.uk/ne/lolc/index.phtml