The above is a photograph of the Calendar page from the June 1981 newsletter of the $$PX British District. It is interesting to compare then and now. Below is a screen- capture from the current newsletter of the $$PX District of Great Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia showing the calendar for the month of June.
One sees the difference in the liturgical books in use. The newsletter from 1981 clearly shows the use of the pre-1962 books in the British district. The Octaves of the Ascension, Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart are all there. Notice too the traditional classification of the liturgical days as Doubles of the First Class, greater-doubles, doubles, semi-doubles and simples. One can also see three different grades of Octave.
It is interesting too to see that some of the Horae Minores, namely Prime, Sext and Compline, were publicly celebrated on week-days too back in those days.
Is there a reason you refer to the SSPX as the $$PX? I don't have a horse in this race, I merely ask to better understand the subtext.
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
ReplyDelete1. It would be interesting to know when this change was made. I've got some newsletters from the late 1980s somewhere - not easily at hand - but I suspect that by then there was a 'mixed' calendar being used.
2. There must have been at least three priests resident at Highclere at the time, if there were three advertised daily masses. I wonder who they were.
3. I believe it used to be the practice - perhaps still is - in SSPX priories that Prime, Sext and Compline were said in common where more than one person was present capable of this. But I didn't expect to see it in the Newsletter, since that creates the expectation that it will happen every day - which at the time, it must have done at Highclere, I suppose.
Joshua,
ReplyDeleteLike any other multi-national organisation revenue streams are the top priority.
David,
1. 1983 was the date of the change but the non-$$PX clergy - the majority at the time - were encouraged to carry on with the established praxis.
2. At one time there were almost a dozen clergy resident at Highclere. The number dwindled with the departure of Fr. PJM.
3. I understand that the driving force behind the Office at the time was a highly liturgically competent lady who has long since disassociated herself with the group.
Fr Silk, Fr Gordon Banckes, Fr Chadwick, Fr Crowdy,Fr Lessiter,Fr Enright S.J.there must have been others.There is a photograph in The Living Flame by Ronald Warwick of an early group of priests. I think that the old regime offered sympathetic priests a loose rein: almost Third Order/Associate status, done as a gentleman's agreement. But others wanted tighten things up and preferred dur et pur Econe trained young priests.
ReplyDelete