The Latin Mass Society of New Zealand
Latin Mass Society of New Zealand – Newsletter
Latin Mass Society of New Zealand
(Affiliated with FIUV International Federation Una Voce)
“The cross of Christ will never be emptied of its power” (1 Corinthians 1:17) |
“Crux Christi nunquam evacuabitur” |
Newsletter May 2023
CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
Greetings everyone and wishing you every blessing as we bask in the remaining rays of Pentecost!
I am pleased to report we now have two new Council members James Ackroyd (Wellington) and Nick Robertson (Auckland) who have replaced two retired members, Jo Donovan and Louise Dowman, both of whom were Council members for many years and Jo of course distributed the Latin Mass Magazine during that time. We thank Jo and Louise again for their hard work and many years of devotion to the promotion of the Traditional Latin Mass.
Members may recall that in May 2020, our National Secretary, Melda Townsley, attended a meeting with Bishop Stephen Lowe of Hamilton Diocese, along with Hamilton members of the Society, at which she requested provision of a Sunday Latin Mass in Hamilton. At that time Bishop Lowe said that when he had a priest available he would facilitate this. I am delighted to advise that since 5 February this year, a weekly TLM is being offered at 5.00 pm every Sunday in Hamilton. The TLM was also offered in Hamilton on Ash Wednesday.
This follows the very good meeting I had with the Bishops Conference in October last year, accompanied by James Ackroyd and Nick Robertson. We have since also been advised that a fortnightly Sunday Mass in Rangiora has been approved by Bishop Gielen of Christchurch Diocese. This is very encouraging and we are grateful to Bishop Lowe and Bishop Gielen for facilitating these Sunday Masses. However, we ask for your continued prayers for the restoration of a Sunday TLM in Wellington and Palmerston North.
Another cause for gratitude is the assistance being generously offered to the Dunedin Diocese by the Sons of The Most Holy Redeemer (Transalpine Redemptorists – FSSR) who are based in Christchurch. Since last year, with the agreement of Bishop Dooley, Father Anthony Mary accompanied by other monks from the Congregation have visited usually once per month, to provide relief for Fr David Hercus in offering the weekly Mass. On these occasions they offer the TLM on Saturday evening and Sunday morning preceded by confession.
Since the start of the pandemic we have been holding our Council and AGM meetings over Zoom. We have found it so worthwhile that we have taken out a yearly subscription to Zoom, which means there is no cost to Councillors or the Society for attendance at Council and AGM meetings and we have been able to hold more frequent Council meetings as a result.
On New Years Eve we arranged an Afternoon of Recollection in Ashhurst, which was attended by people from Wellington and Palmerston North (report below), and have been working on arrangements for the AGM and Annual Retreat for 2023.
The AGM will be held on Saturday 01 July at 3:00pm by Zoom. The Agenda, Minutes of the last meeting and Zoom link will be forwarded by email prior to the AGM.
This year our Annual Retreat is to be held from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 October at the St Mary MacKillop Centre, 30 Holgate Road, Kohimarama, Auckland. It will be conducted by Father Robert Sharplin of Hamilton and a summary of the Retreat Program with associated costs are set out further in the newsletter.
The following are a reminder of the Society’s regular activities:
Mass for deceased members: Each year we arrange for one or two Traditional Latin Masses to be offered for deceased members of the Society.
Latin Mass Magazine: We receive the magazine quarterly from the United States. It contains a lot of excellent articles on the Traditional Latin Mass and topical issues on the Faith. We provide a copy of the magazine gratis to all priests who offer the TLM in New Zealand.
Financial, material and other support for:
The seminary education of aspirants who desire to carry out their priestly service in institutes of consecrated life or societies of apostolic life mandated to use the traditional Latin liturgical forms.
Local ordinaries sending priests to be trained in the traditional Latin liturgical forms. Each year we donate between $1,000 to $2,000 to traditional orders for the formation of seminarians. This is due to the ongoing generosity of our members and we encourage you to donate to our seminary fund if you are able to do so.
Individual priests, institutes, or societies mandated to use the traditional Latin liturgy, including:
Furnishing altars and churches in a manner suitable for the celebration of the venerable liturgy
Providing vestments suitable for the celebration of the venerable liturgy
Providing training, instruments and music to choirs in order that the venerable rites be celebrated with the traditional music of the church, especially the Gregorian chant.
International Federation Una Voce (FIUV): We are affiliated to FIUV the lay organisation which has been working for the provision of the Traditional Latin Mass since 1967. We recommend their publication Gregorius Magnus, which can be downloaded from their website: http://www.fiuv.org/
Latin Mass Directory: We have donated to support the Latin Mass Directory which details all Traditional Latin Masses offered around the world (including New Zealand). https://www.latinmassdir.org/country/nz/
Website: The Society’s website has some interesting articles and provides details of Latin Mass venues throughout New Zealand and through that we are able to advertise our retreat and AGM. Costs for the website are kept to a minimum as it is hosted by one of our members, Tim Watanabe, who designed the site. We are grateful to Tim for all the work he has put into the site through his own website, The Popularizer at https://thepopularizer.com/
We would like to hold more days of recollection and evenings to promote the TLM, but it goes without saying that to do that and all of the above support requires funds, so we hope you will respond to the attached subscription notice as soon as you’re able!
Thank you and God Bless
Peter Sinclair
National Chairman
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Imagine the stupendous Ascension of Jesus into heaven. As Our Blessed Lord prepares to leave his beloved friends and apostles behind He consoles them, “I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also”.
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the ages”.
Then a dramatic change comes over His Countenance, light shines from deep within and His body begins to slowly rise away as He blesses those poor men for the last time on earth and is taken into the cloud departing from their sight. But NOW see the other side of that cloud! He leads a countless throng of the Just in His wake, in an unspeakably majestic and beautiful march to the throne of The Ancient of Days.
The solemn liturgical procession of The Word Made Flesh returning to the Eternal Father, welcomed by the first choir of angels and one by one by all nine. Their astonished joy cannot be described as He ascends through each choir accompanied by increasingly glorious praise with deafening, eternal beautiful music! The light of Heaven is newly increased to supreme brilliance by blindingly gorgeous light emanating from the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, the battle trophies of the Son Incarnate returning to take His throne at God’s right hand as King of all!
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ASHHURST AFTERNOON OF RECOLLECTION
Fr Matthew Gibson led the afternoon of recollection which was held on New Year’s Eve in Ashhurst. Sharon Crooks and Chris Le Lievre attended along with 14 of our members from Wellington and Palmerston North, which they thought was a good number considering it was New Year’s Eve. The rosary was recited, followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with private prayer and Benediction. Father Gibson gave an excellent talk on the Blessed Trinity, which was followed by afternoon tea in the hall. Father Gibson resumed his talk on the Blessed Trinity in the hall following that. Sharon and Chris enjoyed the catch up with some of the Ashhurst Latin Mass Community. We thank Sharon for organising the afternoon and Fr Gibson who left Hearts Aflame in Marton to lead the prayer-filled afternoon for us. It was a very prayerful way to end the year.
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ANNUAL RETREAT
20 to 22 October 2023
Venue: St Mary MacKillop Centre, 30 Holgate Road, Kohimarama, Auckland
Retreat Director: Fr Robert Sharplin
Programme:
The programme will include:
- Daily Traditional Latin Mass
- Devotional talks by Fr Sharplin
- Daily Rosary
- Exposition and Benediction
- Litanies, Chaplet of Divine Mercy and other devotions
- Time for personal prayer and reflection
- Meals as required per the below schedule.
Costs
Live in: $200.00 (including two nights’ accommodation, all meals, retreat costs).
Day attendance: $50.00 per day (including lunch, morning and afternoon tea, retreat costs). $100 for the full weekend. If supper required on Saturday evening this will be an additional cost.
Day attendance without meals: $20 for Saturday (retreat costs) $40 for the full weekend Friday to Sunday.
For full details and registration, please contact latinmass.secretariat@xtra.co.nz
Telephone: Janet Curran 07 8382646, Sharon Crooks 027 5775223, Chris Le Lievre 06 3536173
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CHRISTUS REX PILRIMAGE
This year marks the 31st year of the Christus Rex Pilgrimage in Victoria. Commencing in 1991, pilgrims have gathered from around the world to make a spiritual journey through the Australian countryside from St Patrick’s Cathedral, Ballarat to Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo.
It remains the only pilgrimage of its kind in Australia and the Traditional Latin Mass is offered throughout. It will take place this year from Friday 27th October to Sunday 29th October ending on the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Registrations will open on Pentecost Sunday – 28 May 2023, please refer to the website for further details.
https://christusrexpilgrimage.com/
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Latin Mass Society of New Zealand
Contact Details:
By Post: P O Box 27124, Garnett Avenue, Hamilton, 3257
National Chairman: nationalchair@latinmass.nz
Admin: latinmass.secretariat@xtra.co.nz
Latin Mass Magazine: lelievrec23@gmail.com
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PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND HELP US TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS IN NEW ZEALAND
LATIN MASS SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND
Secretariat: P O Box 27124, Garnett Avenue, 3257
SUBSCRIPTION: 1 JUNE 2023 – 31 MAY 2024
NAME: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………..
ADDRESS: …………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………..…….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………
SUBSCRIPTION: (please circle the subscription that applies)
Waged $25.00 |
Unwaged $15.00 |
Junior member $10.00 |
Latin Mass Magazine Subscription $60.00 |
DONATION: (please indicate how you would like the donation allocated)
- General purposes: $
- Seminary Fund: $
- Priests’ Fund: $
Please make payment to the Latin Mass Society of New Zealand ANZ bank a/c no. 11-5438-0112907-11. (If paying by Internet Banking please insert your name and if payment is for subs/donation/Latin Mass Magazine).
All donations to the Society for $5 or over are tax deductible on the issue of our official receipt. For donation receipts could you forward this notice to J Curran, P O Box 27124, Garnett Avenue, Hamilton, 3257 or email your details to latinmass.secretariat@xtra.co.nz