Latin Mass Provision in Glasgow Reduced…Again. Are We Really Going to Roll Over & Accept This?
Editor writes…
News started to come through to me earlier this evening that Archbishop Nolan has further reduced the TLMs in Glasgow, by suppressing the Mass in the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Balornock. I asked around to see if it really was “news” or simply rumours. Sources, Sources, Sources, was the theme of my enquiries.
Well, I now have confirmation from a reliable source that “The rumours are true although the Archbishop has not confirmed when it will take effect. It may be in 2/3 weeks or could be as soon as this Sunday. The Parish Priest is awaiting written confirmation from him.”
So, there we have it: Archbishop Nolan strikes again. Traditionist Custodes has come for Balornock.
We surely cannot just roll over and accept this? Many of us – myself included – will be unable to attend Mass now. Toryglen is far too early (I have a lot of driving to do on Sundays!) and there are other people who travel long distances to get to the TLMs in Balornock. Toryglen won’t suit the majority. This is totally scandalous.
Your thoughts.
Comments (148)
Is it not laughable that this same archbishop is throwing £1 million at some project to “evangelise” Glasgow? Talk about carts before horses. Talk about utter confusion! Talk about total spiritual blindness!
Yes, Archbishop Nolan, if you are reading this, I’m talking about – and directly TO – you.
If you think the lay people who are left spiritually deprived as a result of your evil action in taking away our Mass are going to roll over and accept this diktat, please think again. Fast.
Oh and for those of you telling me that this will send lots of people to the SSPX – yeah right. Thanks to the short-sightedness of the Society priests over the years, their little Glasgow chapel couldn’t hold the congregation of even ONE of the Balornock Masses. Those are large congregations and there’s no way they would be able to be accommodated in the tiny Glasgow SSPX chapel. Talk about chickens coming home to roost, alongside the carts and horses, so to speak.
Laugh? I thought I’d never start…
Editor,
No, we cannot simply accept this. I’m happy to support some sort of action.
Petrus,
I’m in touch with various non-internet people offline and we are thinking about this – seriously.
Unfortunately, this is a particularly busy week for me but hopefully things will clarify next Sunday when – I assume – Father will make an announcement about this shocking news, and thereafter, once it is officially confirmed, we will be organising some sort of meaningful protest.
In the meantime, don’t forget this intention in our rosaries and maybe pray more and more and more – these attacks on both the Sacred Heart & Immaculate Heart parishes are diabolical. Remember, the very first parish in Glasgow to close down was the parish of Our Lady of Fatima…
Coincidence? I do not think so. The Devil has come for Glasgow – and he seems to be winning, so far. We need to change that. So keep calm, pray hard and put on your thinking caps, folks, to help us to do something that will make a difference – preferably to the mindset of the Archbishop. If he has a change of heart, we will be relieved, not gloating.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Editor, Our Lady of Fatima was actually the tenth parish to close down in Glasgow. The first was St Vincent de Paul in Duke Street which closed in 1902. Obviously Vatican II can’t be blamed for that one. The Good Shepherd closed in 1975, St Nicholas in 1979, St Joseph Woodside in1984, Our Lady, Queen of Peace in1987, St Bonaventure in 1992, St Francis in 1993, St Stephen in 1999 and St Pius X in 2004. Obviously the rot started setting in and has kept spreading.
littlecharie,
Sugar Plum! I was only quoting something I’d read quite a long time back, so forgive my unforgiveable misteak. I don’t often make them. Steaks, I mean. Can’t afford. Can’t cook.
Your contributions are valued here. I hope I’m not wrong, though, in saying that they appear to always be to correct errors of fact which don’t really change the substance of the issue. Trying to remember if you’ve ever expressed any agreement with anything we’ve published here. Not that you are obliged to agree with us here, of course, perish the thought. We live in a Church of accompaniment, for goodness sake, so your company is valued, whatever you believe, or don’t believe. Still do you agree with me that the Devil has come for Glasgow? Just curious… (And I’m assuming you believe in the existence of the Devil!)
I do admire, of course, the way you are able to quote those parishes/closures almost with a snap of the fingers. Even after trying hard to remember the source of my [mistaken] information about Our Lady of Fatima parish being first to close (could it have been the first to close under a particular archbishop? She asked, clutching at the proverbial straw) but, whatever, as I was saying (or rather writing, to be precise 😀 ) even after trying hard to remember the source, I couldn’t recall it, so your memory is either razor sharp or… there is another explanation (drum roll) 😀
Editor,
It is ludicrous to think the archbishop is spending a million quid on so called evangelisation, more talk shops if I remember correctly from the previous thread on this, and, at the same time, is trying to destroy the Mass of the Ages. He won’t succeed, though. That is the frustrating thing for the enemies of the Mass, it just will not die, much as they try to kill it off.
Editor
I think if that church in Renfrew Street collapsed into a pile of rubble, which it may very well do in the not too distant future, given the damp rot, the Mass would probably continue there amidst the rubble. The additional problem we have now is that the parking laws have changed and it’s now £11.60 to park on the street for 2 hours. The average person cannot aford that kind of money every week. Before we get a new church, we need to see a new holy zeal manifest. A lot of souls, not to mention a few priests, are looking to see if the SSPX will come to their rescue with the onset of this new persecution. I wonder if they will be left orphans?
Athanasius,
They will be left orphans, if you are asking for my humble opinion.
The SSPX see other routes to the TLM, other priests, as a threat, incredible as that must seem to any right thinking person. It’s a worldly mentality, a competitive, consumerist mentality.
Athanasius & Editor,
(Actually replying to this by Editor: “The SSPX see other routes to the TLM, other priests, as a threat…”) That has been my past experience with the SSPX as well – for example, when their seminarians go home for the holidays, they are warned not to attend any other TLM’s besides those offered by the Society. Their reasoning, if I remember correctly, is something like this: “non-SSPX priests offering the TLM are compromised because they either say the Novus Ordo as well, or because they are under a Novus Ordo bishop.”
In my opinion, this is rather cult-like. One wonders what sort of “threat” is being imagined here. A spiritual threat seems to be a complete hallucination; a competitive threat more likely.
Editor & RCAVictor
It’s interesting that you mention this about SSPX priests seeing others as a threat. I know that it certainly wasn’t a threat under the previous superiors. In fact, if I recall correctly it was SSPX priests who taught interested parish priests in Glasgow how to celebrate the old Mass. I can also say that a few requiems were celebrated in parish churches by SSPX priests, so this is a new development and a worrying one.
I wrote last Sunday to one of our SSPX priests asking him to clarify what sounded to me like a schismatic homily. What he appeared to be saying was that priests who come through Novus Ordo seminaries cannot be considered as canonically fit for ordination, since they lack the proper formation customery in Tridentine seminaries. He then seemed to say that bishops who ordain such priests are guilty of mortal sin and Novus Ordo priests who learn and celebrate the TLM are “playing dress up”. I did ask the priest to clarify what he meant by this but 5 days on he has not responded. It’s extremely concerning.
Editor
There is now no question in my mind that Archbishop Nolan is an evil man, very far removed from Our Lord Jesus Christ. He hates the Mass that sanctified the saints and martyrs and cannot wait to suppress it. This is straight from Hell and it threatens the health of souls. Every Catholic worthy of the name, whether Traditional minded or not, should see the evil despotism taking over the hierarchy of Holy Mother Church and take appropriate steps. I suggest we gather volunteers to march to Clyde Street to demand the removal of this prelate, whose recent letter on evangelisation, as I amply demonstrated in a comment on this blog recently, shows him to be a dangerous heretic. Any Catholic ignoring this serious assault on the Mass and on our Catholic Faith will face a very serious judgment. They will be failing in their Confirmation duty. As the adage goes: “Evil abounds because good men do nothing.” Let the doing nothing come to an end because indifference on the part of the faithful is what empowers these internal enemies of Christ and Catholicism.
Athanasius,
Count me in! I would come.
Petrus
Yes, I’m in as well. There’s no way we can allow Nolan to get away with this evil. Our Lord fully expects all of us to rise up and reject this man and his evil.
Athanasius,
I certainly would come too. I am thinking also of the martyrs who died during the Reformation for the Faith.
I suggested earlier in another place, hire an Orange band to March on Archbishops house he might enjoy a bit of ecumenism with his corn flakes.
Attacked firstly, The Sacred Heart of Jesus and now the Immaculate of Mary.
The Father’s Son’s Sacred Heart lanced on the cross for the forgiveness of sin.
The Immaculate Heart, the Father’s chosen plan to bring His son into the world for the salvation of souls.
Bill, wonder what you will answer to the Father at your judgement?
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt looses its taste how can it be retrieved? It is good for nothing except to be thrown out and trod under foot by men.”
But whatever you do Bill, don’t let this cause you stress – having already had one heart attack you don’t need another. . . . . . . . but maybe Glasgow does?
Scots Padre,
That’s interesting – he took away the Mass in Sacred Heart and now in the Immaculate Heart of Mary. That speaks volumes – you’d think the very names of those parishes would make him sit up and think twice. He’s obviously lost the Catholic faith.
This is shocking news, and not just for those who attend the Latin Mass. It’s shocking for us all because it is unthinkable that any bishop would detest the Mass which the saints attended and the martyrs died for. That is chilling, to me.
That’s what I can’t get over – that any bishop would hate the old Mass so much, the Mass of the saints and martyrs, that he would ban it. It’s incredible. Anybody who hates the Mass that much is needing a lot of prayers. This is a man who is heading for Hell.
Josephine
Absolutely! There is no doubt whatever that hatred of the very Mass that sanctified the saints and martyrs is diabolic. It’s not a mere human failing or a human sin, it is a manifestation of real and substantial evil in the soul.
Scots Padre
It’s very interesting that you have rightly noted that it’s the parishes of the Sacred & and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus & Mary that Nolan has attacked. This should tell us something about Nolan’s disposition. He’s more to be pitied than scorned because he has a terrible judgment awaiting him in eternity. He’ll have his way now, but woe betide him when He appears before the divine judge.
This will also be a test of the zeal of the SSPX in Glasgow. A larger, more accommodating, church has long been required in Renfrew Street and now would appear to be the time to make the move to a larger church. There will be hundreds of Catholic souls impacted by this evil action of Archbishop Nolan and the SSPX has a duty to counter it by providing the Traditional Mass and sacraments to these orphans. Archbishop Lefebvre would not have hesitated to counter this wicked action of Nolan by providing a suitable church to hold a hundred or so more souls. Modernist haters of Tradition are not slow in their dirty business of destroying the faith. I would like to think the SSPX will equal that their bitter zeal with holy zeal in the spirit of Our Lord. It will be interesting to see if the fight is still there or if indifference reigns.
Athanasius,
From what I hear, there would need to be a much larger church, not just big enough for an extra hundred people – I hear that every one of the Sunday Masses in Balornock is quite full, and there are three of them, two in the morning, one in the evening so the SSPX would need to get a fairly big church, unless they are prepared to have several Masses of course. From what I hear though, the priests there are too busy travelling all over the place to offer more Masses for Glasgow, i.e. one has to go to an SSPX chapel in England and they have a priest on one of the Scottish islands (Skye?) evangelising the sheep, LOL! We do live in strange times!
I spoke to a friend who attends the evening Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary and he says that it doesn’t have a large attendance and that the morning Masses are better attended. Also, the SSPX have two priests in Scotland and both are on the mainland. Skye is a predominantly Presbyterian island and only has two Catholic churches. There are a few Traditional Catholics there but they have to watch Mass by live stream, with the very occasional trip south to attend in Edinburgh.
littlecharie,
I don’t think I’ve ever attended the evening Mass in Balornock, so I can’t comment on the size of the congregation but the fact that there is a sufficient number to warrant an evening Mass, given that there are two Masses in the morning, speaks for itself.
There is no SSPX priest on Skye. There is one priest on the island of Stronsay, so different sheep altogether – take note, Michaela 😀
I must say, littlecharie, you seem to be remarkably well informed about places and people connected to the Church in Scotland, if apparently indifferent to the various grave issues confronting said people and places – I mean, remarkably well informed for someone sporting a cat (or is that a kitten?) avatar. Interesting…
littlecharlie
My sister and her family attend the evening Mass at Immaculate Heart and she says there are a round 70 souls there each week. That’s not a bad number considering the vast numbers who attend the two earlier masses on Sundays. In fact, 70 souls in the evening is more than some Novus Ordo parishes get in total on a Sunday.
Besides that, these larger numbers are despite episcopal attempts to silence and suppress the ancient Mass of the saints and martyrs. Imagine how many would return to their birthright if the bishops encouraged it!
But no, that’s not what these Modernists are about at all. They have overseen the destruction of the faith for 60 years with their Modernist heresies, including the closure of all 5 seminaries in Scotland. The parishes have dwindled to such low numbers that they are now forced to sell off church after church, partly to pay compensation for clerical sexual abuse. They are so set on the wilful destruction of the Catholic Faith in pursuit of their false new religion, their humanist church, that they have even lied to the faithful in such essential matters as Eucharistic doctrine. They have led the faithful into receiving Communion in the hand, as though it were the correct method of receiving, while suppressing the truth that kneeling to receive on the tongue is still the practice mandated by the Church. Pope Paul VI made this clear in Memoriale Domine. Communion in the hand remains an indult, yet one would never know this because of the lying duplicity of bishops.
We can now see, 60 years on, the rotten fruits of these episcopal deviances from the true religion in a Church which is a shadow of its former beauty. There is practically nothing left on a human level and very little faith left in the people. Nolan is now so arrogant that he thinks nothing of bringing his heresy into full public view and issuing a suppression of the ancient Mass which is nothing short of Luciferian.
Michaela
Yes, the SSPX would need to purchase a much larger church than the one they presently have in Glasgow. You’re wrong though to suppose that the two priests in Scotland have lots of travelling to do. Until recently, they only had the usual masses in Glasgow and Edinburgh. There were weekday masses but these largely been stopped. The priest who serves Glasgow now has to travel once a week to offer Mass in Gateshead, a 3-hour journey down the A1 or M74/A66. I’ve done longer journeys than that in my job for decades.
So no, they have very little to do through the week or on Sundays from what I can tell. We used to have just one priest covering Sunday masses in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Gateshead. That was heavy going, I admit, but not now. It would be very easy for the SSPX priests up here to get a larger church and put on more Sunday masses to accommodate a larger congregation. But do they have the will or the zeal? We’ll soon find out.
I believe there’s another aspect to all of this that may prevent any action that would arouse the ire of Francis. There’s talk in the grapevine about names of SSPX priests being submitted to Francis for possible episcopal consecrations, bishops to replace the present ageing and ill bishops of the SSPX. If the SSPX were to be seen to counter Francis’s brutal suppression of the Mass by providing extra masses for the souls Nolan is persecuting, then perhaps Francis wouldn’t be disposed to giving permission for new SSPX bishops. To be honest, I have no idea what’s going on between Rome and Menzingen right now. What I do know is that this Pope is committing evil against the Mass of the saints and martyrs, wilful evil, but that the SSPX seems to be maintaining a friendly association with him. It doesn’t add up, either from the SSPX perspective or the Francis perspective. How can a Pope who hates the old Mass and faith so much possibly have favourable dispositions towards the SSPX. Something is wrong there!
Scots Padre
I’m afraid Nolan has already lost his salty savour, as I pointed out in a recent comment on this blog. He declared that the Church is not Jesus Christ and that the Church and the laity have been guilty in the past of being a counter sign to non-Catholics. He may be right about certain laity but never the Church, which is the spotless bride of Christ. To say that the Church is, or has been, a counter sign to Christ is rank heresy because it fundamentally rejects the promise of Our Lord to His Church. Effectively, he called Our Lord Jesus Christ a liar. So yes, he has lost the faith and that’s why he hates the Traditional Mass.
Athanasius,
I think you’ll find that It’s been mostly the clergy who have been a counter sign, not the laity. The laity have always been the ones to fight the heresies taught by the priests. That’s the sad history of the Church but it’s not the Church itself to blame, as you say, and you are right. People within the Church, mostly the priests as history shows, have damaged how non-Catholics see the Church but the Church herself is the spotless bride of Christ.
Michaela
You’re right about the clergy, of course. Every heresy that has afflicted the Church over 2000 years has been introduced and/or promoted by the ordained. You rightly mention that the faithful have largely been the ones to react against heresies, but I’m afraid that doesn’t apply to this generation. You have to remember that the last 60 years of Modernism has robbed the greater number of faithful of any real understanding of their faith and the will to defend it. Most are now content to go along with false obedience to superiors because they neither know nor love the faith.
This is why Nolan feels empowered to act as he is acting presently. He knows the people are largely indifferent, as are most of the priests, so he tramples the sacred with impunity. In the great days of faith a huge number of faithful, together with their priests, would have marched to Nolan’s residence demanding his removal as a heretic and a danger to souls. Indeed, they would have demanded that this enemy of God and souls be laicised. There isn’t that kind of supernatural love for God and the true faith any more, it’s gone. The vast majority are quite happy to let Francis and his wicked sidekick commit what is evidently a manifest act of evil against the Church and souls. They’re being led to hell in a handcart through blind obedience to men and disobedience to God.
Editor
We did discuss this issue of Nolan closing down Traditional Masses in Glasgow. If you recall, he said he would allow one venue for the Mass and close the others down. He began by trumping up false charges against Fr. Dunn, which effectively ended Mass provision at Sacred Heart. We wondered which of the two venues left would survive. I said at the time that since Fr. Morris provided more masses at Immaculate Heart, he would likely target that church to bring everything to an end. I was right. He has left St. Brigids with its one Sunday Mass for now, although I hear that he has already told the parish priest that there are to be no further Traditional ceremonies of any kind, requiems, baptisms, etc. How long before he closes down that last church to Traditional Catholics? In my view, not long. He is driven with hatred for so expresly Catholic a sacrifice!
Athanasius,
Another case of “great minds thinking alike”. I said that many times as well, to various people and probably, too on the blog, that it was the obvious thing to do. If he hates the Mass so much, then why (A) close down Toryglen, which is one Mass only, offered very early in the morning, and not the easiest location to reach, when he can (B) suppress several Sunday Masses in one fatal blow, plus several weekday Masses as well. It’s as clear as crystal that any enemy of the Mass would choose Plan B and voila – as we foresaw, that is precisely what he did.
And he won’t be able to whinge “I had to obey the Pope”: that’s rubbish. If he can’t distinguish true from false obedience at his age and stage in life, he should not be holding such high office in the Church. After all, did he rush to obey Pope John Paul II when he told the bishops to be generous in their provision of the TLM or Pope Benedict who made clear that he wished the TLM to be spread far and wide? Get it now, folks?
It’s not about obedience – not even false obedience – it’s about hatred of the Mass, and the Pope has given him and his ilk the excuse to destroy it. Except they won’t, of course. But it is taking time for that truth to penetrate their rather dull of intellect – and faithless – minds. Listening, Archbishop? Taking it all in, Archbishop? Listen closely, Archbishop: you are not going to take the Mass away from us. Never.
I really do need to book that Assertiveness Course 😀
Editor
I think Archbishop Lefebvre was right when he said “Satan’s masterstroke has been to sow disobedience through obedience.” It is a matter of obedience, ultimately. A lot of priests are under the illusion that they are bound in obedience to religious superiors as though they were God. That has never been the teaching of the Church and Archbishop Lefebvre knew it.
In order to warrant obedience, religious superiors must themselves demonstrate obedience to God in upholding the faith (and Mass) handed down through Tradition. Whenever they depart from this fidelity they become disobedient to God and lose the right to obedience from subordinates. Indeed, it is a dty to disobey Popes, prelates or priests who do harm to the faith and/or Mass handed down. To go along with it is to share their evil and their eternal judgment.
The Archbishop gave us the guiding principal when he said “if it is not against faith, we must obey”. This naturally means that when it is against faith, we must NOT obey. The distinction is very easy to make for those who know their faith, as they must for salvation. Alas, there is so much ignorance of the faith now that the masses just go along and help their bishops to destroy the Church.
Athanasius,
That is a crystal clear explanation of obedience and I hope it gets through to any priests reading this blog. They can’t go on hiding behind the excuse of having to obey. We never have to obey a bad law or command. I wish they would all grow spines.
Lily
I’m glad you find it a clear explanation of true vs false obedience. It is so crucial a distinction, especially for the ordained.
Archbishop Lefebvre was once asked why he was doing what he did, ie., taking the stance he took for the faith. His response, and I paraphrase from memory, was: “When I stand before Our Lord at my judgement and He asks me what I have done with my priesthood, I do not want to hear from Him those terrible words “you have destroyed my Church along with the rest of them”.
These sobering words of the Archbishop, a saintly prelate and true servant of God, should be a wakeup call for all priests and bishops in the midst of the present war against evil in the Church. Modernism is a Luciferian ruse that has won many of the ordained to the cause of eradicating the Traditional Mass and faith of the Church. The persecution has now stepped up under this horrendous Pope. He has taken us back to the 1970s and 80s when persecution of the true Mass was rampant amongst the high clergy.
When Benedict issued Summorum Pontificum suddenly hundreds of young priests were drawn to it, as well as many thousands of young Catholic families. From 2007 to present, Tradition has been on the increase in the Church while the Luciferian revolution of Modernism has been dying. That had to be stopped by the Modernists by any and all means, including the wicked edicts Traditionis Custodes. The evil is now out in the open for all to see. Hell is raging over the success of the Traditional Mass and the mask has fallen from the so-called “new evangelisation” “Synodal Way”people. Now the mask has slipped and we see them for what they truly are. The fury of Hell has been unleashed against the Mass of the saints and martyrs once again.
And let me make this prediction: The Toryglen Mass at St. Brigids is also doomed. It has been allowed to remain temporarily but it will never be permitted to continue indefinitely.
All now depends on God and on Traditional priests outwith the control of wicked bishops like Nolan. What will they do in response to this attack on the Mass? Will they do nothing or will they meet it head on with greater Catholic zeal than the bitter zeal of the servants of Lucifer. This is Our Lord’s test for them.
I too support a March to show Archbishop Nolan he can’t get away with this. I’m going to forward this to my WhatsApp contacts. I’m going to make it my mission to tell all and sundry about this. We won’t accept this lying down, Archbishop Nolan. You have a lot to answer to. You won’t get away with this in this world or the next. Do the right thing before it’s too late.
I’ve probably mentioned this on the blog before but I think it’s relevant here. Years ago I was on pilgrimage in Rome and was staying at the Scots College. I had arranged a taxi to take me to the airport to catch my flight home. I was asked by the then Spiritual Director of the College, Fr Stephen Robson (now Bishop Robson) if I would mind sharing a taxi with a priest who was leaving Rome on the same day. Of course, I said I’d be happy to have the company of a priest on the journey.
Well, I have met some strange priests in my time, but this priest took the biscuit. He was as cold as ice. It felt like he had a heart of stone. There was absolutely no small talk with this man. I had never met a priest like him then and I still have to this day. The priest was the parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes in East Kilbride – Fr William Nolan! It was a chilling experience.
Petrus,
I remember that story – very interesting, and telling of the character of someone who is not interested in the “little people”. Unless they’re on a picket line with the media cameras rolling…
Petrus
I think your guardian angel was giving you a foretaste of what was coming, even though you didn’t know it at the time.
The Society need a bigger church and Archbishop Nolan wants to destroy the Immaculate Heart of Mary parish.
Then let’s help them. Let’s take the example of Mgs Bourget and the church of St Nicholas du Chardonet in Paris. The Archbishop of Paris was going to shut down that parish, Mgs Bourget led a group of concerned Parishioners in to the church in 1977… they are still there… assisted by the SSPX
Crouchback
Yes, they have peculiar property laws in France that allowed the SSPX to take control of St. Nicholas and keep it. But they always have to keep someone in the building in order to keep possession, so I’m told. Over in Scotland the hierarchy just sell the good churches off or demolish them. They’ve so destroyed the faith since Vatican II that all those wonderful churches from the pre-Council days of the Tridentine Mass are now empty and crumbling.
Petrus
That’s very interesting about Archbishop Nolan and it fits perfectly with his ruthlessness towards the faithful. It’s not a surprise though because he’s in the priesthood for career reasons, not to serve Our Lord and the souls entrusted to his care.
Crouchback.. Should that be.. not so blond, more grey?
Lol
Hi Petrus, the names Blond, James Blond….can’t say too much I’m going under cover and might just pop up right under Archbishop Nolans snout later on…. keep it quiet don’t tell anyone.
Crouchback,
If you do go it alone, keep calm and – in case they try to have you arrested – wear a Just Stop Oil T shirt; that way, the cops will arrest anyone who objects to your presence 😀
Oh, and remember to report back here…
Crouchback,
Are you double-0-seven, or double-0-eight?
My email to the Archdiocese of Glasgow:
I write to you today to express my outrage at Archbishop Nolan’s suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass celebrated by Fr Mark Morris, parish priest of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Balornock.
Although I regularly attend Saint Andrew’s Catholic Church on Renfrew Street, run by the priests of the SSPX, I have, over many years, also attended Mass at IHOM, Balornock. I know this to be a thriving parish, where Sunday Latin Masses are very well attended. Indeed, comparing this parish to most other parishes in Glasgow, it certainly appears to buck the trend of decline. I know this parish to be one that serves a genuine pastoral need in the city of Glasgow and beyond.
This decision by Archbishop Nolan, which follows hot on the heels of his suppression of the Traditional Mass in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Bridgeton, displays an utter contempt on his behalf for the good of souls and an outright hatred of the Traditional Latin Mass.
I am aware that the Archbishop may claim that he is merely implementing the wishes of Pope Francis, outlined in the insidious Motu Proprio “Traditiones Custodes”. However, Archbishop Nolan should note that “I was only following orders” did not wash at the Nuremberg Trials and will not wash now.
Please note that the People of God will not allow this to happen without putting up a fight.
Petrus,
Thank you for posting that excellent letter to the Archbishop. Here’s mine, for the record – just sent to
chancellor@rcag.org.uk
FOR THE ATTENTION OF ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM NOLAN…
Dear Archbishop Nolan,
I write to express my shock at your decision to suppress the Traditional Latin Masses at the parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – Masses which I attend every week.
We are discussing your manifest hatred of the Mass which nourished the saints for centuries and which the martyrs – including our own St John Ogilvie SJ – died to defend. He did NOT die in the cause of so-called religious freedom: that is a nonsense – he died to defend the Mass.
With the respect due to your high office, I must remind you that you have an obligation to provide for our spiritual needs and there are many of us who cannot – and will not – attend the new Mass, described by Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI as “a banal on the spot production” (see Preface to Monsignor Klaus Gamber: The Reform of the Roman Liturgy – French edition)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reform-Roman-Liturgy-Problems-Background/dp/0912141050
You may wish to follow the discussion on our blog – and, hopefully, reverse this appalling, cruel even, decision. It is an injustice, not only to those of us who are being denied our right to the Church’s ancient liturgy, but, above all, an injustice to God Who demands true worship – not a “banal on-the-spot production”.
[link to this thread provided here.]
I will publish this email – and any reply from you – on our blog.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Signed…
Petrus & Editor
Excellent letters, but they will have no effect. We live in a time of great clerical pride, a time in which many priests and prelates are filled with arrogance and pride. These types have no love for souls and no grasp of the truth that the faithful are the free children of God in the Church. What they want is full and complete subservience to their whims and passions or they will use their authority to punish. This is not Catholic, it’s Luciferian. Nolan has committed a wilful evil act against Traditional Catholics. He has suppressed a venerable rite of Mass he has no authority to suppress. Even the Pope cannot suppress such a venerable rite of Mass. They know this, but their hatred for that rite is so great, and they fear it so much, that they have to vent their rage. Unless Francis, Nolan and others like him repent of so great an evil and seek to redress the damage, I assure you they will perish in Hell for all eternity, where all haters of the true sacrifice of Our Lord presently and forever languish.
Athanasius,
Regarding letters having no effect, I agree. In my own diocese, our traditional parish was recently denied the right of traditional Confirmation – irony of ironies, by our fairly new bishop who is in the midst of a “Disciple-Maker” process to presumably reinvigorate the faith in his diocese.
In response, I wrote a letter to the bishop attempting to make him think, but ran it by our PP first to make sure I wasn’t being inflammatory (me, inflammatory??). Our PP’s reply was that the bishop had already made up his mind, so I discarded the letter. Our PP, meanwhile, has adopted a certain tactic.
I might still reconsider and send another version, however, in which I would be sure to quote this gem from the “Letter Accompanying Summorum Pontificum“:
“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”
(That quote, good as it is, is faulty. The Pope should have begun with “What the Church has always held as sacred, remains sacred” etc.) That Letter, in fact, exposes in its entirely the irrationality and wickedness of this entire “exterminate Tradition” project:
https://zelanti.org/documents/summorum-pontificum/letter-accompanying-summorum-pontificum/
RCAVictor
It seems to be a common theme with Francis. He installs yes men as bishops to do his bidding to rid the Church of the Mass of the saints and martyrs. I know that a good number of established bishops have already dismissed his wicked order to suppress the Mass, so he now turns to the tactic of installing his own automatons.
You are all correct but Athanasius I believe you really say it well and let’s say it the way it really is . People Like Bergoglio. Roche . Nolan. Toal .
Etc . Etc . If they ever have been Catholics that is long lost . As for the little Cherub will She have a Stat about when the N.O. Masses will meet the requirements to keep Heat on .
Also as been said Nolans waste of £1Milion should first of all be sent to the Main Stream Media. We know the Hate that they have for Catholicism and probably wouldn’t know the difference between the T.L.Mass and the N.O. I know that you and the ED especially could write a good Letter or even an Essay that the M.S.M. would love. A headline like .
Archbishop Nolan Wastes £1Millon Of Churches Money That Could Be Given To The Poor.
After all they all love a story about the poor . Even Monty Python loved the poor not enough to donate money to of course. If going by your Stats Nolan will stop Approximately
200 or 300 from going to Sunday Mass . And if He thinks that IF those who go to the N.O. will make up the Money lost in N.O. collections He is deluded indeed. Of course Nolan has already put out to M.S.M. a Lie about How Frugally he supposedly lives. A Good Letter to the M.S.M. if it’s Published will do the World of Good.
I forgot to mention that the chief architect of the Novus Ordo “banal on the spot fabrication”, Fr. Annibale Bugnini, felt sufficiently arrogant to declare in L’osservatore Romano in 1974 that “the new Mass is a conquest of the Catholic Church.” How tragic that so many priests and laity have gone along with so public an attack on the Mass and faith of the Church!
Even though I know it to be a waste of time, I still had to send the following to Archbishop Nolan as per my Confirmation duty.
Dear Archbishop Nolan,
Given your office, I would normally write in a manner that extends to you the benefit of the doubt.
On this occasion, however, it is perfectly clear to me that your action to suppress the Traditional Latin Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary church in Balornock is one of deliberate wickedness. No Pope or prelate, as you well know, has the authority to suppress so venerable a rite; the very Mass that sanctified the faithful for almost 2000 years.
Pope Benedict XVI confirmed this truth in Summorum Pontificum, yet you attempt to dupe the faithful into believing that you have such authority when you do not.It is the duty of Popes and prelates to sanctify the faithful by holding and teaching faithfully what has been handed down, not by continuing to force a Modernist new vision (humanist) whose bitter fruits are clear to see in a post-conciliar Church in ruins.
Indeed, in Glasgow alone this conciliar revolution has seen the closure of all 5 seminaries and the demise of countless parishes. The chief architect of the Novus Ordo Mass, which you impose on the faithful today in ruthless fashion, was the infamous Father (later Archbishop) Annibale Bugnini, long suspected of association with a Masonic order, whose stated aim for several centuries has been the destruction of the Catholic Church.
Prior to his construction of the Novus Ordo, Bugnini declared publicly in L’Osservatore Romano: “We must remove from our Catholic Mass and prayers anything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren, that is, for the Protestants…” In 1974, Bugnini felt sufficiently triumphant in his dastardly task to declare again in L’Osservatore Romano: “The New Mass is a conquest of the Catholic Church.” It is little wonder then that Cardinal Ratzinger called the New Mass “a banal on the spot fabrication.”
This is now the Mass you seek to impose on all Traditional Catholics, whose conscience balks at what Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci, writing on behalf of themselves and many other theologians, declared to Paul VI to be “a grave departure from the Catholic theology of the Mass as codified in Session XXII of the Council of Trent…” Perhaps this thoroughly Catholic assessment was on the mind of Paul VI when he announced publicly in 1976 that “through some fissure in the walls, the smoke of Satan has entered the Church and set her on a path of auto-destruction.”
For many decades you and your brother bishops have led the faithful to believe that Popes have the authority to impose any doctrinal and liturgical changes that take their fancy. This is manifestly false. No Pope or prelate has the authority to alter the faith handed down by one iota, yet this is precisely what has been happening. Ecumenism, for example, is well condemned by a series of Traditional Popes as a heresy. Indeed, Pope Gregory called it “insanity.” It is insanity that would not have been possible but for a new Mass by which to inject the poison of Modernism into Catholic souls and minds.
Pope St. Pius X knew this only too well, which is why, in Pascendi, when speaking of the actions of Modernists within the Church, he declared that they are the most dangerous because of their closeness to the heart and veins of the faith.
The same applies to the heresy of religious syncretism, today disguised as inter-religious initiatives. We saw one very grave example of this heresy recently in Pope Francis’s reverent reception of the pagan Pachamama into St. Peter’s Basilica, an outrage against the faith which just 50 years ago would have been unthinkable.
We have also witnessed over the years many other condemned errors creeping in to poison the faith under you Modernist hierarchs, such as Communion in the hand which you impose as though it were the normal practice of the Church. Pope Paul VI, however, made it perfectly clear in Memoriale Domine that it is not the normal practice of the Church but rather an illicit abuse which he termed “the contrary usage.”
This abuse of the Blessed Sacrament was instituted by Cardinal Suenens in Belgium and Holland without papal knowledge or permission. The mistake Paul VI made was in granting his great friend, Suenens, a papal indult for the abuse to continue instead of stamping it out. The result is that that indult is now everywhere in the Church leading the faithful to believe that it’s the normal practice when, in fact, it remains a dangerous abuse and subject to papal indult.
How many of the faithful have lost their belief in the Real Presence or at the very least the reverence due to the Blessed Sacrament as a consequence of this horrendous abuse? How many millions of particles of the Sacred Host have fallen to the ground from the hands of communicants, each particle the full body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Saviour, to be trodden underfoot as a result of this horrendous practice? How many sacrileges committed by people who have misused the sacred species through easy access because of this horrendous practice?
Yes, the Church had a very good reason for banning this practice around 1500 years ago, and it was a far more reverent and controlled practice back then than the Protestant version introduced by Suenens and now widespread in every parish. The ancient Mass in Latin codified IN PERPETUITY by Pope St. Pius V would never have admitted such abuses as these, which is why Modernists in the Church are so anxious to eradicate this venerable rite from the face of the earth.
What you are doing now is a manifest act of grave public evil for which you will answer to the divine judge. You think nothing of trampling on Catholic consciences and exposing Catholic souls to serious doctrinal and liturgical error to satisfy your desire to please this present erring Pontiff. Many of your brother bishops around the world have already dismissed this wicked command of Francis as contrary to Christian charity and justice, yet you aim to please!
I urge you now to repent of this sin against faith and to do what is necessary to repair the supernatural damage you have caused by your abuse of authority. You have no right or power to take the Mass of the saints and martyrs from any priest or layperson and you will answer for this usurpation at your judgement, which, unless you repent of the evil, will assuredly be severe and eternal.
In the meantime, be assured that many hundreds of Catholics will not be forced into the Novus Ordo Mass as a result of this appalling abuse of authority. Rather, they will find alternative venues by God’s grace, just as persecuted Catholics in times past found ways to continue sanctifying themselves with the hallowed ancient rite despite all the wiles of the enemy of souls.
Sincerely in Christ, Our Lord.
For clarity. The spacing issue between words in this letter only appeared when I posted it on the blog. They are not in the original sent to Archbshop Nolan.
Athanasius,
Fixed! Bill in the post (er… so to speak 😀 )
PS – lest the archbishop read this and write us off as a bunch of nutters (I mean, really? Me? Moi?) be advised that I’m hearing from friends and relatives that they have friends who are NOT bloggers, but who are reading this news on this blog, with utter dismay. Some who travel a long distance to get to Mass in Balornock are horrified, so the feeling is strong everywhere – not just on this blog, Deo gratias.
Editor
Many thanks. You’re a star – though I wouldn’t say that publicly!!!
Editor
I can testify to the truth of what you say, for my own sister and family are scandalised by the action of this nasty Archbishop. He is showing himself up in public as a “useful idiot” of Pope Francis (to borrow the Communist phrase). That’s probably why he was appointed Archbishop of Glasgow. It certainly wasn’t because he is in any way noted as outstanding in learning, much less in Catholic faith and virtue!
It is worth reiterating here that the two churches in Glasgow where he has targetted the ancient Mass of the Church for eradication are Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart. No one will convince me that there’s not something very telling about that.
Nolan is laughing at this – CTS as he doesn’t give a fig about it. It’s a nigh possibility that he was to spite you or following Frankie’s orders. He doesn’t care as he thinks that he’s more Catholic than the rest of us. He was an emperor with no clothes.
Here we have only TLM mass a week on every Sunday. Prior to TC, We had TLM masses every day. Now it’s 1 TLM mass then I would reasonably expect TLM to be scrapped or discarded sooner or later by new [modernist] Bishop. The only route available apart from this is sppx.
Now Im re – reading Fr Despard book cos I recalled Nolan’s name somewhere in that book if memory serves me correctly. It’s still available freely.
Here is the predictable response to fierce criticism on the Archdiocese of Glasgow’s Facebook page:
It should be noted that the Archdiocese is not autonomous, and must follow the rules and provisions of the Universal Church. The Holy Father has made it clear that the Tridentine Mass is no longer to be celebrated in parish churches. The Archdiocese has been successful in obtaining permission for the continued celebration in one parish. As Catholics we cannot disregard the decrees of the Pope.
Petrus
This sums up their false belief that Popes are divine beings who cannot err. Francis is heretical and this act against the TLM is evil. The duty of the faithful is precisely to disobey. Nolan is trying to pretend that he’s the good guy trying to secure at least one venue in Glasgow for the TLM to continue when in fact he’s up to his neck in this wickedness.
I note that they don’t say that the Holy Father (Benedict XVI) said the Mass was to be made readily available in churches without permission. Now Francis says no. So who do Catholics obey? Silly question, but it does highlight the absurdity of what these people try to promote, the absurdity of divine Popes.
Athanasius,
I commented and said this new found loyalty was not manifest when they disobeyed the Holy See on things like General Absolution and Extraordinary Ministers!
Petrus
It was a good comment to make, but these poor souls have no clue about obedience. They actually think that each Pope is a divine being upon whose every word and action the faith depends. It is really pathetic ignorance of Church teaching on the limits of papal (and episcopal) authority. The most pertinent thing is that Pope Francis acted in an evil manner when he set out to eradicate the Mass of the saints and martyrs. Every bishop who obeys him also commits an evil act and the faithful who nod in approval, nod in approval of their evil acts. They are all nodding each other to Hell in a handcart!
Petrus,
I couldn’t find that comment from you about General Absolution etc, but I did read your comment pointing out that there was no such devotion to obedience when Pope Benedict published Summorum Pontificum. Well said.
Petrus
I had a look at that Facebbok page but decided not to comment. It’s a site in the control of heretics and no amount of evidence will ever convince them of their error. I did notice a video of Nolan, whose countenance is completely absent of any kind of sacerdotal grace, sitting there in his white tunic talking like an old Protestant about evangelisation. He was reading off a prepared script and you can tell that there is absolutely no convicition in his words, which are hollow and relatively meaningless to most. How did Glasgow ever end up with someone like that for their Archbishop. He looks like he’s just climbed out of bed after a night on the booze. God preserve us!
https://www.facebook.com/ArchdioceseofGlasgow/ – 1 hour ago
Hasn’t allowed piests to inform their parish/flock personally – speaks volumes of the relationship he has with his priests. Can well understand why 5 priests in Galloway had a celebration dinner on his appointment to Glasgow – Glasgow’s loss is our gain! How true.
Scots Padre,
Many thanks for providing the link to the Archdiocesan Facebook page – highly informative.
I’ve just read through the comments and it is quite heartening to see so many people expressing their disapproval of the Archbishop’s unconscionable action, some of the people seeming to be genuinely puzzled.
One of the contributors used to comment here from time to time, although not a friend of Catholic Truth at all – far from it: one, Eileen McBride. It is interesting to see that she picked up on the Archbishop’s heretical statement about evangelisation not being about the Catholic Church but about Jesus Christ – she realises the error in this and points out that the two cannot be separated.
Scots Padre,
“Can well understand why 5 priests in Galloway had a celebration dinner on his appointment to Glasgow – Glasgow’s loss is our gain! How true.”
LOL!
I understand for one source that Fr. Morris has been instructed to celebrate his final TLM on Saturday morning. There is to be no grace period allowed to the faithful.
Athanasius,
Surely not… How are people supposed to know about this ruling. Many older people are not online and will travel – often some distance – to get to the 10.30am or the 11.30am Masses. It is utterly scandalous if there will be no Mass available. I will attend as usual, and if it is, as you say, that there is no Mass provided on Sunday, well – let’s wait and see. Powder dry for the moment.
Well folks, the evil in the high clergy is now manifest to all in this Satanic edict of Francis and his minions. It’s just as the Third Secret of Fatima declares, the apsotasy in the Church from the top down.
Athanasius,
You refer to the words of Cardinal Ciappi…
…This calls to mind the now famous statement of Cardinal Mario Ciappi, who read the Third Secret and who was personal papal theologian to Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. In a personal communication to a professor Baumgartner of Salzburg, Ciappi said:
“In the Third Secret it is foretold, among other things, that the great apostasy in the Church will begin at the top”
https://fatima.org/news-views/timely-reflections-on-the-third-secret/
Editor
I was very dubious about this prediction of Cardinal Ciappi when I first read it many years ago, but not any more. He was absolutely spot on and it is clear that he read the Third Secret. Francis is trying to divert the Church away from her divine mission. His intention is to make it a human Church in which dogma, doctrine, liturgy, morals, etc., are fluid and subject to the whims of the world, which he calls “our common home”. Of course, Traditional Catholic teaching is that this world is our common exile and that our common home is heaven. This together with the brutal suppression of the true Mass suggests that Cardinal Ciappi was absolutely right. God have mercy on us all!
Athanasius,
Well, I can truthfully say that I wasn’t at all dubious about Cardinal Ciappi’s comment about the apostasy in the Church beginning at the top. He had read the Third Secret and since we were already witnessing what we at that time called the “crisis” in the Church, there was already evidence that full blown apostasy was to come. And that the post Vatican II popes were failing to exercise the authority of the papal office to extinguish dissent. Pope John Paul II, in his final book, admitted that he had failed in his duty to discipline dissenting clergy. So, it’s been evident for quite a while now, that Cardinal Ciappi was on to something!
Anyway, there is clearly no room for any doubt now – the apostasy in the Church HAS begun at the top. Clear as crystal. Sadly.
Editor
Agreed. There is no question now that the faith is being deliberately eroded from within by those in high office. Our Lord is still in charge though and He will deal with these treacherous men in His own time. The gates of hell will not prevail, we have Our Saviour’s promise.
Editor
I have just had the idea that we should arrange to have a Tridentine Mass celebrated outside the doors of St. Andrews Cathedral (on the street) every Sunday until Archbishop Nolan reinstates the Mass at Balornock. It would be relatively easy to arrange and perfectly lawful since it is peaceful protest. I’m absolutely certain it would be very well attended and we could invite the press to cover the story. I think this is the way ahead – to take the Mass of the saints and martyrs right to Nolan’s front door and remain there weekly for however long it takes. What do you think?
Athanasius,
Great idea. But who is the priest who would offer the TLM – as it is meant to be offered, faithful, absolutely, to the rubrics and with dignity? And not be fretting about being “disobedient”?
Editor
Yes, that is the big question. Who indeed would be that brave? I think maybe we should leave that one to God’s grace and divine inspiration. Let’s face it, the priests who have just been forbidden their God-given right as priests to celebrate a perfectly legitimate and venerable rite of Mass may think they have nothing now to lose. I cannot see these priests returning to the Novus Ordo, “a banal on the spot fabrication,” having celebrated the beautiful liturgy of the Church and their forefathers.
I forgot to mention that this happened recently in France when a wicked bishop tried to stop the Mass in accordance with Traditionis Custodes. He wasn’t long in backtracking when he saw that the faithful were up for the fight against his evil action. These people live in terror of confrontation, so let’s confront them right on their doorstep and let the world know exactly what they are.
What a sad, sad day for Glasgow and beyond ( I am very much aware of the efforts made by the many who travelled great distances to assist at the Holy Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Balornock.)
Very well done Editor, Athanasius, Petrus and RCA Victor, you have all excelled yourselves with the wonderful contributions to this thread. I am extremely proud of all of you for your steadfast Faith and clarity of thinking and the simplicity of explaining the complications of this massive subject.
I have just visited the Facebook page of the Archdiocese and was horrified at the uncharitable comments exchanged by these mostly Novus Ordo Catholics and appalled at the sheer ignorance of most of the contributors. ( I know earlier today there were some comments verging on the uncharitable on this blog too! But I think that was entirely understandable at the shock of this announcement.) I have struggled all day myself to try to be calm and clear and charitable. But the lack of understanding in the comments on Facebook is the result of the lack of Truth which has been with-held from these poor souls for the past sixty years. Well done to Petrus for valiant efforts in trying to insert some facts into the mix! It can only be described as Babel. It also made me think of all these lost sheep, wandering about, longing for the love of the Good Shepherd in vain. This has been Novus Ordo Land for the past sixty years, a very sorrowful wasteland.
It made me think what a task we have, we must reach out to those who have never been taught the Truth, telling them what they have missed. It is obvious from some of the surprised comments asking what we are on about that some of them don’t have a clue. That is why I was complimenting our bloggers on their clear explanations of the situation. It is even harder than trying to Evangelise Protestants of old who had at least been taught the basics of Christianity. Today some Catholics in name only don’t even know these basics.
I remember in the early days of the Catholic Truth Newsletter, long before we had even heard of “blogs” .groups of us used to stand outside churches after Mass, distributing the Newsletter, until someone usually reported us to the priest. Then we would attempt to speak to him, but most of the time we were told unceremoniously to leave the premises. Ho Hum, but sometimes we would get requests from parishioners to be added to the mailing list!
I think we will have to put our heads together to see how we can spread the “Good News” now that our days of the blog are numbered, And we now don’t have Church premises to congregate. We must try somehow to reach these poor sheep searching for the Shepherd.
Again I am reminded of how Our Blessed Lord wept over the city of Jerusalem, How He wanted to comfort His people. Only Our Blessed Lady understood Him fully, She understands our suffering now. We can turn to her in this coming month dedicated to her and plead for her help while we wait patiently for help and guidance from above.
littlebellsofgold,
There was a lot of ignorance on the archdiocese Facebook page, that’s true, but some people were making very good comments. Someone called Ryan Petrie was very good and made great points about why the archbishop is wrong to have taken away the Mass in IHOM.
If you don’t mind me disagreeing a bit with what you say about some of the earlier comments on this blog, because I think there is a difference between uncharity and rightful anger. We have every right to be angry, some would say a duty to be angry because putting barriers in the way of true worship to God is a serious sin.
Your final paragraph is lovely and it touched me a lot. We need to pray hard for guidance in the months ahead, you are so right. This is devastating news. The archbishop has done a terrible thing.
Can you not just go SSPX?
Aristotle’s Cove
If you read all the comments above you will see that the problem with the SSPX is its tiny church, not remotely large enough to hold the many souls now left orphans. The SSPX would have to purchase a larger church to send a message to Archbishop Nolan that it will provide for the sanctification of the souls he hates so intensely. The question is whether the will and zeal exist to act as Archbishop Lefebvre would most certainly have acted. It all comes down to love for God and souls and trust in divine providence. I really do hope it shines through on this occasion. Bad prelates like Nolan need to see that Our Lord always provides for His persecuted children.
Everyone should just come anyway. Then more Masses will be said if need be; or if there is an increase in tithes then the Society can afford to get a larger church. At present the 2 Sunday Masses are only about half full each. So a good chunk could definitely go with the current arrangements.
(Also my original question was primarily due to the Editor because she said that she used to go to the SSPX, but stopped going. She then said that she wouldn’t be able to attend Mass anymore due to the Immaculate Heart TLM being cancelled. So I was wondering why she wouldn’t just go back to the Society chapel.)
Aristotle’s Cove,
I am not permitted to attend any SSPX chapels. You can read all about it in my talk delivered at a recent Conference in Glasgow, which is published on page 6 of the current (May) newsletter here
I do encourage others to attend, though, and I was taken aback when a young man told me on Sunday at Balornock that he couldn’t do that because he “wanted to remain inside the Church.” Tragic that such ignorance still exists.
I did not realise you were barred from the SSPX, I am very sorry to hear that. Obviously I do not know the whole situation but I hope you can work things out. Is there a link where I can read the article by Mr. Martin Blackshaw about Fr. Wall’s Trinity sermon?
Editor: there is no link available. If you give me permission to email it to you, by Word document attachment, on the understanding that I cannot, thereafter, enter into correspondence, I will do that shortly.
This is a move of such base stupidity, such resounding idiocy, such counter-productive incompetence that it could only have been made by a modern Prelate(s) of the Catholic Church.
Perhaps the saddest thing about it is how completely unsurprising it is.
I feel for Fr Morris at Immaculate Heart, who is one of the most dedicated priests in the Diocese and who had made a real success out of his Parish. He deserves so much better than being treated like this by no-marks such as William Nolan and Jorge Bergoglio. Deprived of the Latin Mass donations on which it depended, the Parish will no doubt now sharply decline to become a (financially) Assisted Parish once again.
I also feel for the many parishioners at Immaculate Heart who, over years, had daily given selflessly of their time and efforts to support the parish. I think of the pass keepers who would always greet my daughters and I on arrival. I know of one man who moved considerable distance in order to live near the Parish and support Father as a server. Another who had learned to serve the Mass along with his young son. I think of the many people who helped Father administratively, or by running the small cafe, or helping to manage the grounds and building cleaning.
Father Morris’ efforts had built a genuine community. Perhaps the finest moment of the Parish came when it was full to bursting point for a visit of Cardinal Burke. The contrast between that happy occasion and now is very sad and perfectly highlights the effect of good (Burke) versus bad (Nolan) Prelates.
William Nolan has shown himself up to be a callous individual and an idiot to boot. Typical of modern Bishops in that he has no decency, compassion, Catholicity or even brain in his head. A clown. An unremarkable “place man”, he could be replaced equally effectively by a stuffed gonk and the Diocese could save a few pounds from not having to feed him.
He claims he is interested in evangelisation and growing the Church. Yet – along with his fellow episcopal oaf, Joseph Toal of Motherwell – he has rushed to shut down the only successes and signs of growth that his Diocese has experienced in very many decades. His actions starkly contradict what he claims to be concerned with. Judge by their actions, not their weasel words.
Clearly, men like Nolan understand their role as being to manage the decline of a Diocese for a set period. They are unused to any kind of success or growth (not to mention Catholicity) and find it deeply unsettling. Failure and decline is all they know and are comfortable with.
Absolutely no good whatsoever will come of this move, in that sense it is perfectly symbolic of the current Pontificate. The move:
– is a slap in the face for motivated Priests
– is disheartening cruelty for many lay people
– seeks to mess people about and cause them the maximum of inconvenience
– will alienate many from the Diocese / Church
– will actually damage the Diocese, by financially hamstringing Parishes and driving people away
And all of it is completely needless, born of the petty infantile spite which charaterises both Bergoglio and so many Novus Ordo Prelates.
The Toryglen location has clearly been chosen as it offers only a single Mass and (like the South Side of Glasgow generally) is not very accessible. If, as seems likely, the TLM attendance now tails off, no doubt that will be used as evidence that “there is no demand for the TLM” and so to shutdown Toryglen too.
And now, having wounded some of the most faithful and dedicated Catholics in his Diocese, Nolan will now move to fritter away his vaunted evangelisation fund on absolute rubbish like Net Ministries, Ecumenism and various other kinds of Protestant slop.
The modern Church is a deeply sick, disorientated and dysfunctional organisation. Under this Pontificate, I have at times even regretted returning to the faith, as the Institutional Church brings nothing but stress, confusion, hurt, division and resentment. It is only the treaure and goodness of Catholic tradition which keeps one sane.
This Episcopal cruelty will have negative effects lasting many years. Even if this policy was reversed in future, who would be keen to return to the Diocesan fold, having already been treated like this?
I take my 3 small daughters to Church and they always enjoyed visiting Immaculate Heart. The pass keepers would make a fuss of them and the Parish was always very generous with chocolate for kids at special occasions. The girls used to enjoy playing on the ramp outside the Church door – indeed, they refer to the Parish as “Ramp Church”.
Now it seems the girls will grow up with little or no contact with the Diocese whatsoever. That is very much the Diocese’s loss. Don’t get me wrong, the former TLM communities aside, the Diocese offers practically nothing of use to me as a parent trying to raise Catholic children, but even still you would prefer to be “in touch” – for what its worth.
I hope that some priests may decide to simply keep their Mass(es) going. After all, what is William Nolan going to go about it? Come around and physically restrain priests from offering Mass? I do not think so.
I expect and hope the SSPX will benefit from this, although it is true the building does not have much capacity, even with two Masses. There are two large Churches available in Glasgow City Centre presently, however it seems clear that all of the Districts funding is aligned to the building of the new Church at its School in Berkshire.
Great comment Sir I tried to Email Nolan but it seems one of His Servers is down. How convenient. What ad like to ask Here is what Authority does Nolan now actually have as He has gone against not only the Will of The People but of course the Will of God . When Nolan was appointed by The Horrible Swish Arthur Roche and Bergoglio was His appointment really Legal as neither Roche nor Bergoglio are Catholics . Nolan DOES NOT OWN OUR CHURCHES. They were built by our Fathers for us not for Nolan or for Toal or for any other Protestant Bishop masquerading as a Catholic.
Surely first and foremost for decisions to be made in Our Catholic Church and Faith those who make them should be Catholics. The names of those above don’t qualify.
FOOF
I can tell you with absolute certainty that neither Roche, Nolan, bergolio or any other human prelate in the Church, however exalted, has authority to suppress the venerable Tridentine rite of Mass. Benedict XVI reiterarted this truth in Summorum Pontificum back in 2007, although it was already well known to all. They have absolutely no authority to suppress it, which is why we must resist them when they try. To obey this Pope’s evil edict would be to betray the Catholic Faith handed down. No Catholic who values his eternal salvation could ever bend to such wickedness in the name of obedience.
Remember the words of the saintly Archbishop, which sums up the tactic of these destructive Modernists in the Church: “Satan’s masterstroke has been to sow disobedience through obedience.” They demand obedience to men while they disobey and insult God. To obey, then, would be to support their treachery.
Gabriel Syme.
Superb posting. You absolutely nailed it.
Gabriel Syme
Very eloquently put and absolutely spot on. I just hope Fr. Morris takes note of your suggestion and tells Nolan that he will not obey his wicked command. To obey so evil an order would be to betray all those souls who depend on the Mass. I know it’s very difficult for Fr. Morris but he has to say no to Nolan and continue to celebrate that rite of Mass which Nolan has absolutely no authority to suppress.
Does he have the spittle for it? I think Fr. Morris is a fighter and I think he has the grace of God about him. I hope Father also gets the support of the parish if and when he tells this godless prelate where to go – respectufully of course.
My sister is absolutely raging about this. She has a lot of time for Fr. Morris, a selfless, devoted and extremely pastoral priest. I wonder how many priests Nolan knows about who are living private scandalous lives in the Archdiocese, yet he targets this good servant of God to spew his bile at. Not on!
Athanasius,
You wonder how many priests the archbishop knows who are living immoral private lives? Let me tell you that I sent him a list, and it wasn’t a list of three or four, which he tore it up, if my (priest) sources are to be believed. And this at a meeting of his clergy not so long ago. Further, instead of exhorting his clergy to live faithful lives in the light of that list, he warned his priests against having anything to do with Catholic Truth. Don’t engage in “gossip” was the sum and substance of his ridiculous response. Imagine sending the CEO of any big Company – say Marks & Spencer in Sauchiehall Street* – a list of staff who were thieving. Do you think for a second that said thieves would be left in peace to go on stealing, and the informant told to be more charitable? Gimme a break.
I know the archbishop is going about the place identifying as a Catholic, so allow me to introduce my new identity – as the first ever female pontiff, and I authorise Father Morris to do as others have suggested and ignore this unlawful command. Keep offering the TLM. Please. And thank you!
*to save littlecharie the research time, I’ve just checked, and M & S in Sauchiehall Street is now closed. 😀
Editor
Yes, it demonstrates the hypocrisy of these fallen prelates.
As for Fr. Morris, he cannot obey lest by obeying this wicked command he shares in Nolan’s attack on the holy Mass and the souls who depend on it. Any prelate who threatens harm to the Church and souls by his evil actions and commands absolutely must be resisted. Fr. Morris has no choice in the matter if he is to remain faithful to God and the souls under his care.
What he needs to do is give a respectfuly two-finger salute to his rogue Archbishop by continuing to celebrate the Mass at IHOM church. Of course, the wicked one will respond with illicit suspension of faculties and possibly even false excommunication, but so long as Fr. Morris holds out with the support of his flock, Nolan will be shown up for what he is. I would suggest that Fr. Morris involve the press as well and give Nolan a run for his money. He can also claim squatters rights at the church and refuse to budge. They may be able to dislodge him at some point but by then the whole world will know that the “new evangelisation” touted by Francis and his nasty sidekicks is all an illusion and the Pope who speaks of smelling of the sheep will be left smelling of something a little less pleasant.
They have declared war on the Mass of the saints, the Mass of the Church, the Mass of the ages, so let us give them a battle they will never forget!
Athanasius,
Brilliant! I endorse every single word of that fantastic post without a second’s hesitation. I will now give serious thought to promoting you to Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) an appointment which will take effect right after my coronation. And, for the record, I’d like some diamonds in my crown, I mean mitre 😀
I will be present tomorrow morning for the 10.30 Mass in Balornock as usual and – please God – I will be able to pray for Archbishop Nolan and Pope Francis at the appointed moment in the Mass as well as at the foot of Our Lady of Fatima’s statue before, and if they’re really lucky, afterwards as well. Call me a heavenly pest if you will – beats what I’m usually called 😀
If that doesn’t change things and bring a reversal of this decision to suppress the Mass in Balornock, then it will be time for that battle which, as you say, they will never forget. Not me, though, my memory is atrocious these days. And did I mention that my memory is very bad these days? 😀
Seriously, a wonderful post from you, and I pray that Father Morris, if not the archbishop himself, is rightfully moved by it.
Editor
Going by what you said in the comments above, should it not be me who goes forward for the coronation? Just asking!
Seriously though, we really have to pray for Fr. Morris and hope he can stand up to the undoubted stress and pressure Nolan is putting him under. Please God, we’ll have a change of Pope in the not too distant future and be rid of that worldling who is presently disgracing the office and harming the Church.
My predominant thought after surveying this wreckage, and the wreckage of this pontificate, is that Francis is trying to create a schism. To what purpose I can’t say or fathom.
RCAVictor
He is already personally in schism with the Church, confirmed by his evil edict Traditionis Custodes. No Pope aligned with the teaching of the Church and in union with the faith handed down could attempt to illicitly suppress a perfectly valid rite of Mass. He entered into schism the moment he embarked on that process. But then, the Pachamama scandal raises questions as to whether he had already renounced the Catholic Faith in her dogma “extra ecclesiam nulla salus”. The Church in the future will judge this man’s actionsm for she alone is qualified to pass judgement. But yes, it is clear to anyone who has the true faith that Francis is not fully Catholic. In his personal ideology, he’s absolutely Communist.
What a dreadful situation! I really feel for all the faithful parishioners who must be heartbroken by this cruel decision. And a totally unnecessary one too. Who is pulling Nolan’s strings I wonder or did he dream this up himself in the hope of glory. Not heavenly glory for sure. I hope your priest can gather the courage to defy him. I suppose he would end up cancelled or homeless if he did but no doubt the laity could support him between them. Whatever I will pray for a good outcome and especially enlist the help of St Catherineof Siena whose feast it is. She would stand up to these dreadful prelates, no doubt about it.
Elizabeth,
It is a truly dreadful situation when there are priests living in sinful situations in the archdiocese of Glasgow yet the archbishop targets a priest who is faithful to his vocation and working round the clock, by the sounds of it, to serve his parishioners. Someone further up says Fr M even runs a foodbank, in addition to the several traditional Masses which are now being suppressed. It can only be described as demonic. No bishop with an ounce of true Catholic faith would do this.
I don’t think anyone is pulling Nolan’s strings, he’s a career cleric, sucking up to his boss and while Francis is saying get rid of these Masses, Nolan will obey. If the next pope reverses TC, Nolan will obey that, too. There’s just no integrity in these men at all.
I do agree that Fr Morris should not obey this unlawful command. He’s in the same situation as a doctor being required to say he will perform abortions in order to get a medical post. The doc has to say no, as there is a higher law to obey than the orders from the head of hospital and Fr Morris is in the same position. He will then, no doubt, be suspended but that’s where trust in divine providence comes into its own. God is never outdone in generosity. I think we’re all praying for Fr Morris to have the courage to refuse to obey this unjust command.
Michaela,
“… we’re all praying for Fr Morris to have the courage to refuse to obey this unjust command.”
Yes, indeed, we must all pray for that intention.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for him.
Editor,
Was there a Mass in Balornock today? Any news?
Marjory,
Yes, I was present at the 10.30am Mass as usual and it was a very subdued congregation. Unlike the Sacred Heart, when the letter from the archbishop came as a surprise to the congregation and brought angry shouts from some people, there was nothing like that in Balornock because I believe most if not all of the people had heard this news in the past few days, some, at least, had learned of it from this blog. Thus, there wasn’t the same immediate “shock” effect although I think everyone was shocked to the core, if you get my drift.
We finished by singing every verse of Faith of our Fathers, with some of us very close to tears.
I was reminded by a friend that the Archbishop’s predecessor died suddenly so let’s hope and pray that an unprovided death does not befall Archbishop Nolan, who will face a very severe judgement for this crime against the Faith.
And isn’t it ironic that today is Good Shepherd Sunday?!
Is there TLM there tonight 6pm?
Joanne,
I assume there is an evening Mass as usual. Father said this morning that today’s Masses were to be the final Masses, so I assume that includes the evening Mass.
Marjory
Yes, there was a Mass as usual at Balornock. My brother was there and told me that Fr. Morris didn’t say too much about the ban other than that he was trying hard to have it reversed. He has absolutely no chance of success there because he is not dealing with holy Churchmen who have a Catholic conscience. I just hope Father has the strength of character ultimately to defy this evil edict if all else fails. He is obliged before God to defy it because it represents an attack on the Church and the faith that will assuredly harm souls. If he buckles under and obeys then he shares the sin of the Archbishop.
Athanasius,
Discussing this with some friends this morning, the point was made that although a priest like Fr Morris might be willing to defy such an unjust order, if, say, he had announced that he would continue with the Masses despite this ban, the Archbishop would suspend him tomorrow. No question about it, and although we all know that such a suspension holds no authority before God, the priest has to think of practical matters, how and where to live, notwithstanding his trust and faith in Divine Providence.
It was suggested that perhaps we could launch a fund-raising project to provide for such priests in these circumstances. Money is not my area of expertise (just ask my bank manager – even the local ATM starts to cough when it sees me coming) but I’m happy to advertise such an enterprise and help in whatever way I can. Someone would need to volunteer to set it up though, and oversee it. Not me, not moi.
Any volunteers, folks?
I forgot to say that although there was no disturbance in the church as happened at Sacred Heart in the same circumstances, there was, indeed, anger expressed before and after Mass with more than one person saying to me that they would not give a single penny to the archdiocese again. I withheld my contribution because a slice goes to the archdiocese and others did the same, expressing the view that they would rather give Fr Morris a small personal financial gift than contribute to the £1 million evangelisation aka talking shop fund. Spot on. Poor Father will be sure to need to good few swigs of Irn Bru after this week’s shocking news.
Then there was a woman who had us all laughing heartily outside when she said she will be phoning the archbishop to ask if he plans to organise a bus to take us all to Toryglen – brilliant! 😀
Editor
I have always remembered a very poignant observation made by Archbishop Lefebvre, which is so absolutely true. He said: “The martyrs sacrificed their lives for the faith. Now they sacrifice the faith.”
No one suffered more under these Modernist hierarchs than Archbishop Lefebvre. They lied about him, tried to deceive him, falsely excommunicated him and removed permission for his Econe seminary without explanation. Yes, he knew all about their tactics, yet he would not sacrifice one iota of the truth to placate them. This is how every priest and lay person attached to Tradition must behave.
I know things are difficult for Fr. Morris, really difficult. But if the martyrs were prepared to give their lives for the faith, refusing to burn even a grain of incense before the false deities of the pagans – the pantheists and ecumenists of the old world, then Fr. Morris really does not have a choice. If this persecution of Nolan was restricted to just a personal suffering for Fr. Morris, then he could bear it silently as a penance. But this touches on the faith itself and threatens the sanctification of hundreds of souls, hence Fr. Morris has no choice but ot defy this wicked Archbishop. If he obeys his evil edict, he disobeys God as a consequence. This is what Archbishop Lefebvre meant when he said “Satan’s masterstroke has been to sow disobedience through obedience.”
When it threatens the faith, we are obliged to disobey without compromise. I know it’s hard for Fr. Morris and I feel for him in this dreadful situation, but he cannot acquiesce with Nolan in this matter. What Nolan is doing is patent evil and must be resisted. Everyone should be up in arms about it and should let Nolan know in definite terms.
As for a fund to support such priests, I’m all for it. Like you, however, I’m not much good at managing money. It surprises me that your ATM only coughs when you try to withdraw cash. When I try I get two words on the screen – the second one being “off”!
Editor,
Surely a question everyone should be asking is where is Una Voce in all of this? Have they expressed their outrage at the scandalous decision?
I’ve always thought it was a useless organisation but it seems to have become even more useless in recent times. It got better under the previous chairman but since the young man in Edinburgh took over the website is out of date and the presence on social media has vanished. I mean what IS the POINT of Una Voce??
Petrus
Una Voce has always been a pawn in the pocket of a Modernist hierarchy. They are permitted to exist so long as they toe the party line and keep the local ordinary up to date with goings-on within Tradition. That’s my understanding of this organisation anyway. They want the best of both worlds and that means forbidden compromise!
It’s just gone 9 years since I ceased to be Catholic in any meaningful sense. In that time I have had vanishingly little to do with the Church and her affairs, including the liturgy, which has brought me some peace of mind. I appreciate that statement will be viewed here askance, to say the least, but that’s the truth of it.
But this decision by the Archbishop has upset me more than I could have predicted. The impotent anger I often felt towards the Catholic hierarchy and their destruction of the Church disguised with platitudes and faux piety still lives on in me it seems. Or perhaps it’s more disgust now than rage, since, as a former Catholic, it will not as such affect me directly.
But I do feel great anger for Fr Morris, who for many years was my parish priest and who can truly be described as a man “in whom there is no guile”. This will be a tremendous blow for him, possessing as he does a great love of the traditional liturgy of the church and having seen that liturgy breathe new life in what had been yet another declining Glasgow parish.
Augustine
I agree with you in the matter of Fr. Morris, but he really does have to show a different side to his character when the faith is threatened. I’m not seeing in him the reaction I expected and it’s very disappointing.
As regards your own situation, I suspect there’s still an ember of faith burning deep down in your soul. It saddens me to read about your disillusionment, which is so common in our time. But please remember Our Lord’s warning for the last times when, said He, “the charity of many will grow cold as they see wickedness abound everywhere”.
That’s a frightening thought, as is the mantra of the Redemptorists “you have one life to live and one soul save. Deaht will come soon, then heaven or hell for all eternity”.
This short existence really does pass very quickly and then we will all face that dreaded eternal judgment. I’ve read that the damned in hell would give anything for the opportunity to re-live their lives on earth so that they could change that everlasting torment they now suffer. It’s not possible for them but it is still possible for us. As the saint says: “God promises to forgive us our sins if we are truly sorry, but He does not promise us tomorrow.” In other words, don’t put it off any longer. I’ll pray for you.
Archbishop Nolan`s ancestors, as well as my own and Bishop Toal`s of Motherwell, would no doubt have defied the British occupiers of the time to attend Masses (TLMs) celebrated on Mass Rocks during the times of religious suppression in Ireland so it is a bit hypocritical of someone of Irish descent to emulate the persecutors in this day and age.
I wonder how they would react if permission for a commemorative (Latin) Mass was requested for, say, the victims of the Irish Famine at the Mass Rock in Carfin Grotto or St Mary`s church in the Calton where an Irish Famine memorial stands.
It would hardly be the real thing with a NO Mass.
The Archbishop is succeeding to do over a weekend a wicked act that the might of the British Empire failed to do in Ireland over many years.
Frankier
You’re assuming these are Churchmen who have the Catholic Faith. They don’t! They’ve lost the faith completely and are now, to quote St. Paul, “turned unto fables”. That’s what happens to Modernists with “itiching ears” who no longer wish “to endure sound doctrine”. They have no Catholic conscience now, which is why they can ruthlessly remove the means of sanctification from hundreds of Catholic souls without the least concern. God have mercy on their apostate souls.
Here’s alink to a very enlightening read telling the real hidden story behind Traditionis Custodes. The same enemies of Our Lord were hard at work in this matter as their colleagues were back at the time of Vatican II. There is real evil inside the Vatican.
https://insidethevatican.com/magazine/the-hidden-story-behind-traditionis-custodes/
First let me quote the Penny Catechism:
220. What does the eighth Commandment forbid?
The eighth Commandment forbids all false testimony, rash judgment, and lies.
221. Are calumny and detraction forbidden by the eighth Commandment?
Calumny and detraction are forbidden by the eighth Commandment, and also tale-bearing, and any words which injure our neighbour’s character.
222. If you have injured your neighbour by speaking ill of him, what are you bound to do?
If I have injured my neighbour by speaking ill of him, I am bound to make him satisfaction by restoring his good name as far as I can.
I quote the Penny Catechism because it is a source that is favoured by people commenting on this website.
Note: “rash judgement”, “detraction”, “any words which injure our neighbour’s character”.
Perhaps those words might be thought about before making comments about Archbishop Nolan.
And some people being uncharitable does not justify other people being uncharitable.
Yes, Catholicism is a difficult religion to follow, isn’t it? We have to keep our mouths shut when we are strongly tempted by the devil to express our unworthy thoughts. And the devil is very good at persuading us that we have special dispensation from the 8th Commandment.
Now let us examine the text of the communication from the Archbishop.
“Though his decree states that such celebrations should not take place in a parish church, the authorities in Rome have now given permission to the Archdiocese for the 1962 Latin Mass to be celebrated in St Brigid’s, Toryglen. St Brigid’s will now be the sole venue for such Masses within the Archdiocese. Mass in St Brigid’s is celebrated at 9.30 am on Sundays. This means that from 1st May 2023 the 1962 Latin Mass will no longer be celebrated in Immaculate Heart of Mary, Balornock.”
From those words it appears that Archbishop Nolan applied to the Vatican authorities, as he is required to do, for permission to provide the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass within his archdiocese. The Vatican authorities then decided that in future the TLM could only be celebrated at St Brigid’s. The corollary to that is that it could no longer be provided at Immaculate Heart of Mary. That was the decision of the Vatican authorities, not the decision of Archbishop Nolan. To make comments about what Archbishop Nolan favours in the matter is rash judgement.
To make personal comments on me as a result of this comment might also be ‘rash judgement’ or ‘detraction’. But I would like to point out that I have been a regular attender of the TLM at IHOM and I am bitterly disappointed by the decision of the Vatican authorities.
As to the suggestion that Fr Morris should just ignore the decision, does anybody seriously think that the Archbishop would not immediately do the same to Fr Morris as he did to Fr Dunn?
Mike Ryan
You seem to have missed the point entirely, which is that no Pope or Bishop has the authority to suppress the TLM, much less pretend that some kind of permission from them is required for its celebration. You may also like to know that the Vatican II Liturgy Constitution declares: “In faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognised rites to be of equal right and dignity, that she wishes to preserve them in future and foster them in every way.”
Pope Benedict XVI confirmed this in Summorum Pontificum, reminding everyone that the Mass of the saints and martyrs, the TLM, has never been abrogated by any Pope, nor could be, and that every priest is free to celebrate it.
So you see, it is neither rash judgment nor detraction to call out, as evil, any attempt by a Pope or bishop to suppress this venerable rite of Mass under any pretext. Furthermore, it is a sin against faith to obey superiors, however exalted, who manifestly harm the faith, which is what we are witnessing presently through the sophistry of Pope Francis and certain bishops who pretend fidelity to Vatican II reform when in fact they are contradicting Vatican II by attempting to eradicate a venerable and lawful liturgical rite of the Church.
For your information, there are many bishops in the world who have rejected Pope Francis’s call to ban the TLM because they recognise the vindictive and damaging nature of this Pontiff’s actions. So Archbishop Nolan is not, as you suggest, obliged to obey “vatican authorities”. He has chosen to obey because he shares with Francis a fear and dislike for the Traditional Mass handed down.
It seems also that Pope Francis was not particularly honest when he wrote Traditionis Custodes. He led all to belief that he was shocked to the very core by “disturbing” reports he had received back from the bishops of the world about those who attend the TLM. In fact, the majority of bishops reported back very favourably on those who attend the TLM, which is why the Vatican has never released the report for public scrutiny. What actually happened is that a separate report was drawn up by a Vatican clique of Churchmen who detest the TLM, such as Roche. That report spoke of the large numbers of young priests and families who were being attracted to the TLM.
IHOM church is a typical example of the flourishing parishes whereever the TLM is to be found, a trend that stands in stark contrast to the collapsing and dwindling Novus Ordo parishes. That would not suit the “New Evangelisation” at all. They want more of the same banality they’ve been feeding souls with for 60 years or more, the same humanist trash which has caused millions to abandon the faith, so the TLM had to be stopped, quickly. This is what we are witnessing now, a diabolic attempt to eradicate our liturgical birthright in the name of obedience to “Vatican authority”.
Yes, it is evil and it can be very easily proven in fact by those who do their research instead of re-echoing the call to false obedience while levelling false claims of rash judgment and detraction against those who are justifiably angry and faithful to their Confirmation duty. Our Lord drove the money changers from the temple, remember, in a rare act of justifiable anger at those who sought to turn the house of God into a den of thieves. You need to open your eyes and realise that Popes and bishops are only worthy of our obedience insofar as they remain obedient to God. As soon as they act against the faith handed down, or seek to destroy the Church, then we are obliged to speak out forcefully, as did St. Paul with St. Peter “because he was to be blamed”.
Don’t be so naive, Mike, these Churchmen in exalted office know precisely what they are doing. They are Modernists who detest the Traditional Mass and teaching of the Church handed down, which Francis himself has referenced more than once as “a Church closed in on itself”. In the meantime, Archbishop Nolan touts a “New Evangelisation” by which “we do not preach the Catholic Church, we preach Christ”. I mean, come on, do you really believe these are men who hold the fulness of the Catholic Faith and have the sanctification of Catholic souls as their first priority? Don’t get me started or I may really end up sinning my soul! They get away with it because too many people like you, who should know the teaching of the Church, are prepared to jump to their defence with cries of rash judgment and detraction against those who see what they’re doing and call it out. The must smile a wry smile every time they read a comment like yours.
Athanasius,
Yet again, you hit every nail on every head.
Something else that Mike and his ilk don’t seem to see is the utter nonsense of Archbishop Nolan’s decision to fork out £1 million on “evangelisation” – giving the impression that the talk shops he is setting up are for the purpose of bringing back the lapsed. Yet, with typically forked tongue, he is saying, at one and the same time, “let’s evangelise” (bring people back to the Church) but don’t speak about the Church, speak about Jesus.
Apart from the clear heresy there, how will such “evangelisation” bring people back to the Church? Is he really meaning that we should all go out and talk about Our Lord as such a kind man who would want us to create more food banks, but don’t worry about worshipping Him – at least not in the Catholic Church? Is he OK with an evangelisation” that fills the pews in the nearest Church of Scotland, Methodist, Baptist, you-name-it, “Church”?
Heresy and illogicality in one fell swoop.
Editor
Absolutely. I would like to get Mike’s opinion on what Commandment Pope Francis broke when he reverently received a pagan fertility deity (Pachamama) into St. Peter’s basilica, or when he used the Mandatum on Holy Thursday to wash the feet of a Muslim woman, or when he tried to impose the abortion-tainted vaccines on Vatican employees with threats of being sacked if they refused, or when he received with smiles into the Vatican a transgender “married” couple, etc., etc.
I would also like to know his opinion on Archbishop Nolan’s clearly heretical statement that the Catholic Church is not synonymous with Our Lord Jesus Christ and that the Church, “the spotless bride of Christ”, has often been “a counter sign” to non Catholics.
I’m quite certain he’ll find the answer in the penny Catechism under the First Commandment. It’s also to be found in the infallable dogma “extra ecclesiam nulla salus” (outside the Church no salvation).
Well Mike, what do you think?
Mike all of us on here would be no more delighted in this wonderful World of Ours but polluted by Evil Men if this Pope would convert to Catholicism.
As He is NOT a Catholic ,and if you can give me ONE just ONE of His Intentions which is inline with our Faith since He became Pope I will retract my animosity and Righteous Anger . As He is not a Catholic then He has NO authority to make decisions within our Catholic Faith. Jorge Bergoglios Job if He were a Catholic is to save souls to be the Vicar of Christ on Earth a position He declared He did not want and is it any wonder. In Fact that is the only Decent Catholic act from Him since 2013 He is a Terrible and wicked Man . And as such We have no right to obey Him but as it’s been stated to resist Him and also His Hatchet Men as William Nolan is one. I know that you mean well and pray the best for our Catholic Faith. These wicked Men do not .
What Father would Give His Children Stones when they ask For Bread.
Also William Nolan is in great error ( and if He’s not a Stupid Man He should know) by taking and wasting £1Million of good Catholics donated Money to the Church and for what. Al tell you what . It is for His Pride and His Pride alone. Put 1000 Glasgow Catholics in a Hall and ask who would Vote for this Sinful waste of Money and again if 1% Voted for it I would retract my opinion of Nolan. In finishing one final thing has to be added. Human Beings myself First and Foremost have to earn respect. It is not given freely especially when it goes against God’s Will.
We are not on Here to abuse but to debate. If you believe that my comments are wrong I would like to hear from you.
Faith of our Fathers,
I must take exception to your claim that Pope Francis has “no authority to make decisions”. That’s not true. Certainly he has no authority to suppress the Mass of All Time, but he DOES have authority to make decision.
FOOF
I agree entirely with Petrus. You cannot say that Pope Francis has no authority to make decisions, which is another way of saying he is not the Pope.
He has every right to command out obedience when he makes decisions so long as his decisions are, as Petrus rightly points out, in line with tradition. As Archbsihop Lefebvre admonished in this regard “if it’s not against faith then we MUST obey”. In other words, only when the Pope says or does something harmful to faith, which, sadly, is quite frequently, then we have a duty to disobey him because he disobeys God, the highest authority, and places souls in danger. So there’s the distinction which we all have to observe if we are to remain Catholic ourselves.
As for the justified anger, I can perfectly understand that.
Athanasius we all know that Jorge Bergoglio is a Phoney not only him but the other Usurpers who follow him [ i certainly dont mean you ] .We also know that He was chosen certainly NO to help Our Catholic Church not his, but to cause as much damage before He goes to His appointed place . I asked Mike to name ONE just ONE good thing He has done in 10 years . No answer was the loud reply, because their are none. He had NO Authority for example to tell all in Vatican City to take Poisonous Vaccines, but used exactly the same wickedness Nolan is using against Fr Morris and Co . Obey me or your out on the Street . Also Fr Morris [ i pray ] is using the wait and see policy as things change quickly in this World of ours . I agree with everything you say about dressing up a Pig but do we want to see another good Priest cancelled by wicked men. I do hope that the MSM pick up on Nolans waste of £1Million . The old saying Pride Comes Before A Fall may just apply to him. Also we know that this Pope is a Bully and probably a coward as He surrounds Himself with likewise Anti Catholic Clergymen. He wont even have a discussion with anyone in our Catholic Faith who disagrees with Him and promotes those like Nolan who [ if i am wrong God Forgive me ] has nothing that qualifies Him to be an Archbishop. As it was said in a earlier Topic by the Ed, Nolan is a company man a career Clergyman, who certainly has nothing in common with the ordinary Priest. Maybe just maybe as Priests obviously were glad to be rid of Him in Galloway the same may just happen in Glasgow. I know without a doubt that in the collection plate at our Sunday TLMass their were no coins it was all paper. Av no doubt the financial situation at your TLMasses were the same. Ad like to ask you how much Money do you think will be lost by Nolan cancelling Glasgow Latin Masses ,as Money talks especially when your throwing away £1Million on a Pet Project .
I have heard now from two sources that Fr. Morris intends to return to celebrating just the Novus Ordo Mass, albeit in Latin, which, as a friend rightly observed, is the liturgical equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.
I expected more of a fight from Fr. Morris on behalf of the Traditional holy Mass that he has every right to celebrate and upon which so many souls under his care depended for their sanctification. I cannot express sufficiently my disappointment at seeing him acquiesce so easily to an evil command. I have prayed to St. Joseph for his priestly soul today because I know he means well. But it has to be said, the difference is between one who naturally likes the Traditional Mass of the saints and martyrs and one supernaturally who loves it. The latter, such as Archbsihop Lefebvre, are prepared to lose everything in its defence whereas the former are not.
We all need to pray for Fr. Morris because he has taken the easier road of false obedience, the same road many of his priestly confreres have taken since Vatican II which has led to the near destruction of the Church and so great a loss of faith in so many souls.
Just a remonder again of those three hugely significant statements of Archbishop Lefebvre.
“The martyrs sacrificed their lives for the faith. Now they sacrifice the faith.”
When asked why he embraced all the persecution he suffered in defence of the Mass instead of just obeying his Novus Ordo superiors, he said: “When I stand before the divine judge and He asks me what I did with my priesthood, I do not want to hear from Him those terrible words “you helped destroy my Church along with the rest of them“.
Referencing those who exaggerate obedience to the Pope and bishops, when these harm the faith and seek to eradicate the Mass of the ages, he said: “Satan’s masterstroke has been to sow disobedience through obedience.”
I hope Fr. Morris will yet reflect on these wise words of Archbishop Lefebvre and alter course, as much for his own salvation as that of the Traditional souls he now seems willing to abandon. By obeying an evil command of superiors, he effectively shares in their sin and will answer with them in eternity. I know it’s hard for him, but he has no choice but to refuse compliance with evil.
A Novus Ordo in Latin does not alter the Protestant theology underlying the Novus Ordo Mass. Lucifer himself will be content with a Latin Novus Ordo.
Athanasius,
I’m very disappointed in Fr Morris and I keep thinking, what is Our Lord going to say to him. He’s not showing faith. He needs to lead by example and everything will be all right for him, without a shadow of a doubt.
Athanasius and Catherine,
You are both spot on. Well said. Fr Morris should continue and refuse to budge. Would the Archbishop really send in the police to remove him from the church? Perhaps, but I’d get the press involved and show the world just how merciful these rogue henchmen of Pope Francis really are!
Catherine & Petrus
It’s a real shame about Fr. Morris. He obviously finds it difficult to confront error head on when it involves his superiors, a weakness in his nature no doubt. But he has to on this occasion. At the very least, he must refuse point blank to further celebrate the Novus Ordo at IHOM or anywhere else. He couldn’t continue celebrating both rites anyway given the nature of the Novus Ordo, so it seems Our Lord is forcing him to choose and he appears to be making the wrong choice because it’s the easy one. We need to pray hard for him.
Augustine,
I am very sad to read your comment. If I remember correctly you and your lovely wife and child used to come to the church I attend for a while. I always wondered where you disappeared to. Of course, I could be completely wrong so feel free to ignore me.
Anyway, I hope that you listen to that feeling in your soul, which shows you still have the Faith. Your Guardian Angel is nudging you! Allow Our Lady to be your guide.
As luck would have it I was invited months ago to a Knights of St Columba dinner in Glasgow on Friday 28th April 2023….
( The Knights of St Columba, I know… bunch of Catholic lite snowflakes ) paid £ 50 for two tickets so I’m not bitting the hand that feeds me…!!!
Anyway who’d have thunk Archbishop Nolan would have thrown a large spanner in to Fr Morris’s parish the day before the Knights dinner.
So I being your humble reporter on the ground had some words ( harsh words ) straight to Archbishop Nolan in person.
I told him that what he was doing was… “an absolute disgrace”… this phrase was repeated 3 or 4 times in the short conversation. He countered by saying he was obeying the Pope and asked had I read Traditiones Custodies, I replied that I had and I also read Quo Primum. He was completely wrong footed, defensive, folded arms tight around his chest, backing away.
Then he said it was terrible that a Knight of St Columba should address him in such terms. I said that I’d been slung out of the Knights before I got past the probationary period for being too outspoken….. I’m not surprised he exclaimed.
I actually feel sorry for him, he has not our advantages. He is the establishment, he takes the establishments points of view as Gospel truth, as far as I can see. He’s4 years older than me, but has been taught all the dogmas of the establishment, new Mass, new spring time and all the rest. Nobody with that background can shrug it off without a struggle. If you can’t be bothered to look over the fence… Read Christian order rather than the Tablet…. attend an SSPX retreat rather than visit Medjugorje…. then I doesn’t feel like a disgrace full act to ban the Traditional Mass…. after all we have the novus ordo…. thats just as good or even better than all that old stuff…. right….???
Wrong…. a big old chap kept butting in saying “Brother, brother that’s no way to speak to the Archbishop”…. I had to deal with this guy as well, reminding him that I’m not his brother…..
Anyway, that’s how I managed to speak to the Archbishop. The ” priesthood of the laity” who attend Fr Morris’s traditional masses should fight back.
I have suggested they request use of the parish hall on a Sunday morning for a private function….( of a religious nature, a Traditional Latin Mass perhaps. Remember we have the right of assembly, and the right to religious freedom written in to UN basic human rights ) …followed by a nice cup of tea.
I can’t see how the establishment could counter that.
I look forward to your views. Or a good kicking…..over to you.
Crouchback
You’re some man! I’ll bet Archbishop Nolan won’t forget that discussion in a hurry, though it won’t budge him in the slightest. As you rightly point out, the blindness of the Modernist party line has descended on him and it seems unlikely that he will be delivered from it. He simply cannot see the evil. At least I hope for his sake that he can’t see it! What he has done to Fr. Morris and those Catholic souls is wicked beyond words.
As regards your suggestion, the Church’s authorities would simply tell the U.N. to keep its nose out of Church affairs. The U.N. wouldn’t get involved anyway, not when it has the Vatican in its back pocket. Just look at what;s been happening to the persucuted underground Catholics in China. Cardinal Zen was arrested and placed on trial by the Communist government and there’s not a word from Francis is his defence. It really is beyond comprehension.
Crouchback,
I was a member of the Knights of St Columba too. I was not a member for long, but definitely thought the organisation made The Keystone Cops look like a highly trained, crack outfit of professionals.
Well done for making your mark upon the dinner – that will have woken them up!
I had a few brief words with Fr Morris…. I think he will fight this.
The laity should be the ones leading this fight.
I was heartened by the people I seen yesterday at Fr Morris’s mass. A lot of these people have only recently discovered the traditional mass. They are not “experienced” long time SSPX mass attenders. They are not steeped in Michael Davies or Hamish Frazer. We should be doing all we can to help these guys. We don’t live in an ideal world, the return to tradition can’t happen over night. Let’s hope the SSPX get new bishops that would be the final nail in the coffin of the so called schism mentality. It would also encourage Fr Morris’s perhaps reluctant parishioners to come to us…. as we can already come to him.
Crouchback,
Guys? Are there no gals in Balornock? More to the point, are there no words in UK English to describe men and/or women? This increasing Americanisation of the language is really …er… interesting. No offence RCA Victor or Margaret USA – no offence whatsoever 😀
It is time to look for premises. Perhaps a community hall or Episcopal church you could hire. I’m sure you’d find a priest. Just offer them the collection money (minus rent fee). Money talks
Barry
You’d be lucky to find a priest who cares enough, and even you did the Archbishop would simply take away his priestly faculties. If money motivated a priest then he wouldn’t be worthy of the Mass. No, that’s not the answer. Besides, why should Catholics run to the catacombs when they have a right to the Mass in any parish where the priest is prepared to celebrate it? It’s Archbishop Nolan and his ilk who should be forced to run for cover!
We don’t need the UN involved….
Did I tell you about me driving up Hope Street in the bus lane….???
I sent them a Conditional Notice of Acceptance…. which is a legal document ….written by …. ME….!!!
Of course they couldn’t answer so the matter is now closed, I didn’t pay the £ 30 fine… but my legal notice cost £2.60 to send by registered post.
By banning people from going to their preferred religious service they are discriminating in the grossest way possible.
Find a loop hole…. ( Flywheel, Flywheel and Shyster my very own law firm will advise) write a very polite letter asking why they are discriminating against cradle catholics…. ask questions…. don’t make statements…. write it as a conditional notice….. they have to reply by law…!!!
If they can’t answer then as my Buckfast drinking brother is want to say…..”They are gubbed”
This is a tongue in cheap reply….
But with a deadly serious kick up the pants for the establishment.
We have nothing to loose in trying.
Crouchback,
This arbitrary decision to suppress the Traditional Latin Mass at a thriving parish is contrary to the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 18). Freedom of religion and belief is (allegedly) far-reaching and profound. It encompasses not just the freedom to hold personal thoughts and convictions, but also being able to manifest them individually, alone in private and in public with others (so they claim). It also includes the freedom to subscribe to different schools of thought within a religion. As with all human rights, these belong to individuals (allegedly ), whether alone, or as members of a group and not to the religion itself. Therefore, I believe the Archbishop is impinging on the human rights of the faithful to deny them the right to attend the Traditional Latin Mass with Rev. Fr Mark Morris at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Balornock.
Petrus my learned friend you are exactly right…. I think…???
We at Flywheel, Flywheel and Shyster are not all that well versed in matters legal…. in fact we didn’t even get as far as polishing the handle on the big front door…. if you get my brief…!!!
Bit it might just be the case that these last 50 odd years we’ve been barking up the wrong tree.
Because all the churches in France over a certain vintage are property of the state, this was the eye of the needle that allowed the laity under the leadership of the great Mgr Bourget to commandeer St Nicholas du Chardonet Church in Paris and install the SSPX in there in a kind of squatters rights action.
The law is different here but as advocate Flywheel just whipered to me that doesn’t mean it can’t be worked around.
For instance contract law…. as a complete Shyster I have to admit to you that I know absolutely nothing about contract law… ( keep that under you hat )…. but if you pay money to a corporation or company or individual then you are entitled to a service. Now if your old granny contributed to the parish building fund and all of a sudden an Archbishop let’s call him Nolan turned up 70 years later and wants to throw your old grannies hard earned penny’s on the scrap heap, it would be understandable that you’d be a touch less than saguine…. thats a legal term we lawyers use to impart displeasure.
It would also be understandable that the new Archbishop, befuddled by the falling revenue that their new fangled novus ordo mass has caused would seek to cut his cloth to suit his budget.
In-between all this is the ground we should be fighting on. Sad that it is, that some or maybe even most parish churches might need to go. We have to detach our selves from the bricks and mortar. It could be that a simple solution was under our noses all the time.
Near where I live a shool caretaker was telling me last week, he had to complete a DBS security clearance form so he could work along side children. I’ve had these forms for working on nuclear and other sensitive places in the past. Anyway this guy tells me they have expanded the… “gender”… part of the form. No longer does it ask are you male or female…. the range of genders to choose from is to be seen to be believed.
Forget for a minute the gender bit….. do that and you can see that their are all sorts…”angles”… that can be worked against discrimination of traditional catholics.
If the women priest lobby have taken over the Tablet, what is to stop us from being pro – active in favour of traditionalist Catholicism.
I think it can be done if there are any real Shyster lawyers reading this… we need you.
Eureka….. I think I’ve got it…..!!!
Section 28 of the Local government act……
Remember that back in Maggie Thatchers time. Section 28 forbade the promotion of homosexuality in public libraries , schools etc. A campaign was launched and eventually section 28 was binned. Seen as a great Liberal victory now.
Well what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander…. Catholic churches are not public buildings in the same way that libraries are but the precedent has been set. There is no reason that a traditional mass should be banned from catholic premises on the say so of one person or group against another person or group who probably contributed to the building or upkeep of that church or group of churches. You put your pennies in the place…. your entitled to your services….. simple.
Now the SSPX have never been in schism, every reasonably informed person knows this.
Taking the Section 28 angle why shouldn’t reasonably informed and respectful people turn up at St Andrews Cathedral, Clyde Street Glasgow this coming Sunday and request a Traditional Latin Mass for all the people like me who have spent a small fortune on candles and other stuff for more than 40 years. I think they would be open to discrimination charges if they refused. Obviously the request would have to be properly worded to give them as little wriggle room as possible
Also remember the Anglicans who said…”mass” at St John Lateran a few weeks ago… apparently due to communication problems.
No need for communication problems when the SSPX turn up for Latin Mass at Glasgow Cathedral…. we should shout it from the roof tops…. let’s see the Archbishop shout his discrimination from the roof tops….!!!
I’d pay good money to see that.
As Athanasius requested on the other thread, (“FSSP priest wages war on SSPX”), I am now re-posting this video here:
The recent (~7 days ago) video is from Bishop Vitus Huonder, the Swiss former Bishop of Chur. He retired to an SSPX community, with the encouragement of both Pope Francis and Ecclesia Dei.
We previously discussed the Bishop’s retirement and move to the SSPX community in 2019:
https://catholictruthscotland.com/2019/01/22/sspx-building-up-vs-pulling-down/
His video (to be one of a series) is remarkable, in that he essentially says that +Lefebvre and the SSPX have been right all along – and have been treated disgracefully.
The video – “My journey to the SSPX” is in the German language, but with English subtitles. 16 mins long and well worth a watch:
Gabriel Syme
Thank you for re-posting the video here as I requested. I think it is equally important on this thread, which is doubtless being read by many who don’t post comments. Thanks again.
I forgot to say, one of the Bishop’s revelations was that Pope Francis stated to him personally that the SSPX are not schismatic.
Thanks Gabriel for reminding us all what we have known for decades, but people like Archbishop Nolan seem to have “overlooked”.
So now that is as plain as a pike staff.
When are we going to pick up our pike staffs, March on St Andrews Cathedral, Clyde Street and demand our basic religious rights, Traditional Mass starting next Sunday at a convenient time in the morning.
Let’s say between the 10 o clock novus ordo mass and the 12 o clock novus ordo mass…. I’m sure we could wriggle a low mass between 10 and 12…. especially if the Archbishop showed a bit of goodwill and wriggled the 10 o clock mass back to 9.30 am…..!!!
The disgraceful treatment of Fr Mark and Immaculate Heart Parish has made the papers:
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23495836.glasgow-decision-cancel-thriving-latin-mass-sparks-fury/
Tonight when I spoke to a close person to Fr Byrne she informed me that he was a genuine close associate with Fr Dunn who he spoke out on as the wishes of Archbishop Nolan effectively suspending him for what she said he made reference to the ‘ chain ‘ something about ‘ Daisy ‘ in one of his sermons ??? Really ???
Editor: there’s no evidence for such a claim.
I thought it was more content about Papa Pachamama Francis ..
The conversation then went onto Fr Byrne…
Editor: the rest of this paragraph removed – unsubstantiated allegations.
Editor: another “opinion” paragraph removed. Stick to hard facts here. Please and thank you. We don’t speculate or gossip.
Editor: this paragraph deleted – I can’t work out whether you are referring to Fr Byrne or Archbishop Nolan. Either way, facts, facts, facts, Sir, nothing but facts (to quote Charles Dickens…)
We embrace our brothers and sisters in the new mass and welcome you to taking things to a new level in Christ after all I’m born into V 2 and know it’s errors … Join us in Our Blessed Lord and stand against the lies of the hijacker’s of our true Church our inheritance …
Editor: well said…
Gabriel Syme
What really grates with me is the hypocrisy of Archbishop Nolan; trying to pretend he has been a Father in the Faith to Traditional Catholics by forcing permission from the Vatican to keep the Mass going in Toryglen. He trumped up charges against Fr. Dunn in order to eradicate the Mass at Sacred Heart and then selected Immaculate Heart rather than St. Brigids as his next target because it had many more Latin Masses and a far greater congregation to wipe out. Never mind, he has Our Lord to meet at his judgment and I sincerely hope he thinks carefully about that. There is no guile in Our Lord, which does not bode well for Archbishop Nolan and his party line.
Athanasius,
What really stuck in my throat was the parting line (shot?) in the Archdiocesan announcement, saying (of the Immaculate Heart faithful left bereft) “I hope that they will be reassured that Mass according to the 1962 Missal is still available in the Archdiocese.”
It would really have been better to say nothing at all. Tone deaf. Like an armed robber leaving with your wallet and saying “I hope you are reassured that I didn’t take your watch”.
In better news, Bishop Vitus Huonder has now released part 2 in his video series “The Great Wound”.
This episode concerns the Novus Ordo Missae and is again of ~15 mins length.
This evening, I took the opportunity to go to Confession at the Parish which Archbishop Nolan has recently gutted by taking away its Latin Masses.
As I was leaving, the Novus Ordo vigil Mass was about to commence. The entire congregation numbered…………4 old ladies and 2 old men. All of whom, for some reason, sat at the very back of the Church.
No doubt wicked Archbishop Nolan will be well satisfied by this. Failure and decline are all clergy of his generation are familiar with and comfortable with.
They prefer empty churches, than to admit that the decades the have spent pushing the Novus Ordo have been a total failure. I suppose such arrogance is only human nature. It enrages them to see people trying to seek out a more authentic and substantial Catholicism, than the slop they champion in their quest to boil the Church down to a kind of non-denominational Christianity.
I am sure this time of persecution will pass however, as they have in the past. Catholics will weather the storm once again.
I hear Pope Francis is ill in hospital again. I hope he doesnt die or anything, that would be terrible, eh?