A High Mass of Requiem and Absolutions were celebrated for Arthur Crumly, a former Senior MC of the Latin Mass Society (LMS), at St Margaret’s Convent Chapel, Canning Town, London, on Friday, May 20.
A congregation of over 50 people joined Mr Crumly’s family and friends to pray for the repose of his soul.
The High Mass was celebrated by Fr Andrew Southwell, the LMS’s national chaplain, assisted by Fr Patrick Hayward as deacon and Fr Stewart Foster as subdeacon. Fr Foster preached the sermon after the Mass and before the Absolutions. The MC was Gordon Dimon, the LMS’s current Senior MC. The plainchant of the Mass was sung by Cantores Missae under the direction of Charles Finch.
In his sermon Fr Foster recalled Mr Crumly’s long devotion to the Traditional Mass, his deep knowledge of its history and rubrics and his generosity in passing on his knowledge to priests and laity alike.
Mr Crumly was a great servant of the usus antiquior and remained constant in his commitment to it through the darkest days of the 1970s and 80s. He lived long enough to see the tide decisively turn under Pope Benedict XVI with the publication of Summorum Pontificum.
The LMS blog said that it now fell to younger generations to take Mr Crumbly’s work forward and “ensure the return of seemly and careful celebrations of the usus antiquior to parish life throughout England and Wales”.
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