More than 30 clerics and lay men attended the Latin Mass Society’s seventh conference for the training of priests in the 1962 Roman Missal, writes John Medlin.
The conference took place from Tuesday May 3 to Friday May 6 at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, courtesy of Abbot David Charlesworth and the Benedictine community.
The programme also provided for the training of altar servers, and 15 servers were trained, including a number of young men, three of whom are considering vocations to the priesthood.
The 12 priests who attended came from across Britain: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were all represented. Two of the priests were Polish and one was an Army chaplain who had recently seen active service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Training was given at various levels under the leadership of Fr Andrew Southwell, the national chaplain to the LMS.
The training given at the conference included basic instruction, including Latin pronunciation where required, intermediate training and instruction in the celebration of High Mass.
The servers followed a similar progression, learning to assist at celebrations up to High Mass.
Each day sung Mass was celebrated in the abbey church using polyphonic and plainchant Mass settings in Latin. The choir and schola were led by Michael Vian Clark. Abbot David Charlesworth presided in choir at the closing Votive Mass of the Holy Cross on the Friday and led the veneration of the relic of the True Cross kept at the abbey.
An LMS spokesman expressed his profound gratitude for the welcome and ready assistance given by the monks at Buckfast Abbey.
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