20 For extra news go to www.thecatholicuniverse.com LMS feature Like us on facebook - search Catholic Universe Newspaper Traditional Rite vocations flourish

Traditional priests from the Institute of Christ the King seminary in Italy.

As the Church struggles to attract new blood to fill its seminaries, one area is bucking the trend: the Traditional Rite. Here we find seminaries full of young men from across the world who are prepared to travel great distances to immerse themselves in the Latin Mass and discover ‘a vital channel for grace’. Clare Stevens reports

Traditional seminaries are bucking the channel for grace.” priests root their mission in the daily He said while costs of travel and study Now in his first parish, he would like trend for attracting vocations, with sem - From 1999-2000, when aged 27, James singing of the Divine Office and daily in the US can be prohibitive – seminary to introduce the Traditional Mass, but inaries in the US and Europe reporting spent 416 days in solitary confinement silent Adoration of the Blessed Sacra - fees are $7,000 a year – no applicant is feels he must tread carefully. healthy numbers of recruits. in Burma’s notorious Keng Tung jail for ment,” he said. ever turned down for financial reasons LMS Chairman Joseph Shaw said UK Men whose vocation calls them to tra - protesting against the military regime’s Fr Ian Verrier, ordained in May, studied and seminarians are encouraged to seek seminaries lag behind those in other ditional Catholicism have to travel long slaughter of ethnic minorities. James said at Our Lady of Guadalupe seminary in support from benefactors. countries which support those wanting distances to study abroad, as there is no this, and an earlier imprisonment, deep - Denton, Nebraska, alongside seminarians “The LMS bursary covered my flights to learn the Old Rite. provision for learning the Extraordinary ened his faith. “Everywhere in the world from across the globe. which took a big burden off me. I’m very “The 2010 Instruction Universae Ec - Rite at UK seminaries. we are confronted by searing questions “We are getting more and more voca - glad of it and the other seminarians are clesiae encouraged seminaries to provide The Latin Mass Society sponsors men of suffering and evil. It was with a deter - tions,” he said. “Lots of people are seeking too. It would be a lot easier if there were for training in the Old Rite. That has hap - from England and Wales to enter Tradi - mination to find an answer that I went that common life, good studies, good Traditional seminaries in the UK.” pened in many parts of the world,” he tional seminaries, and last year gave repeatedly to Burma. The answer as - foundation and traditional liturgy.” Matthew Palmer, in his fourth year at said. grants totalling £4,200 towards fees, flights tounded me: in Insein prison [an earlier Our Lady of Guadalupe said “Studying “It would be good to see a more open- and other costs. During the last academic place of imprisonment] I discovered Jesus abroad was always going to be a chal - minded policy in our own diocesan sem - year they sponsored nine seminarians. is divine living love; in Keng Tung prison lenge – you are out of your comfort zone, inaries, where there seems to be some One LMS-sponsored seminarian is I learned the Holy Catholic Church is his dealing with a new culture – but this is reluctance to allow public celebrations Deacon James Mawdsley, formerly im - body. part and parcel of your formation as a of the Extraordinary Form.” prisoned in Burma for speaking out on “Later I learned it is by worshipping priest of Jesus Christ.” Recent figures from Traditional semi - human dignity. God that we overcome the world.” Matthew said the FSSP attracts more naries suggest healthy numbers of voca - James, in his final year at the FSSP Canon Scott Tanner, recently ordained, applicants than it currently has the ca - tions: in the last three years the traditional Wigratzbad seminary in Bavaria, attended spent seven years at seminary in Florence pacity to train. Fraternity of St Peter’s seminary of Our his first Latin Mass in 2008, his interest and now ministers at the Institute of “There is very little provision for British Lady of Guadalupe, US, took in 47 new sparked by Pope Benedict’s Summorum Christ the King, New Brighton, Mersey - men and women who feel called to the seminarians, and their seminary at Pontificum paving the way for the Tradi - side. Brought up as a protestant, Scott’s religious life, yet desire the support and Wigratzbad, Germany, took 49. The In - tional Mass to be celebrated more widely. interest in the Old Rite stems from spirituality of the Traditional Rite,” stitute of Christ the King received 47 at “Afterwards I was in tears of wonder a visit to the Benedictine Abbey he added. its international seminary in Gricigliano, for discovering my true home, later mixed at Ampleforth aged eight, after Some men drawn to the Tradi - Italy. In the same period, new entrants with anger too that this spring of life had which he converted to Catholi - tional Mass cannot study over - to diocesan seminaries in England and been all but stopped,” he said. cism. seas so join diocesan seminar - Wales totalled 125. “The buzz on the internet drew me “I was attracted to the In - ies in the UK. Each year the “Our seminaries are full, partly because into studying something I did not even stitute of Christ the King Sov - Latin Mass Society’s training our catchment area is vast,” said Deacon know existed. I learned that the theology ereign Priest because of its week for priests and deacons James Mawdsley. “Diocesan seminaries behind Holy Mass fits perfectly with the aim to evangelise all the dif - attracts seminarians, clergy have much smaller catchment areas, so Traditional Form. In it we inherit a vital ferent aspects of culture. Our and permanent deacons one cannot compare numbers. However, who often keep their in - it is significant that men will travel so far terest in the Traditional to find a traditional seminary.” Mass hidden. LMS Chairman Joseph Shaw said “A One recently ordained very tangible way the Traditional Mass priest, who asked to re - has contributed to the life of the Catholic main anonymous, Church in England is in the number of came to the LMS priests’ vocations it has fostered, with an in - “Our seminaries are full... it is training event in May and creasing number of priests ordained for kept it secret at his the Traditional priestly institutes working hugely significant that men will seminary. in this country, where they have been “I feared my ordination could welcomed by our bishops into five dio - travel so far to find a traditional be blocked. Although some ceses to date.” members of the staff were sup - seminary.” “ portive of seminarians wanting To learn more about the Latin Mass, Deacon James Mawdsley (right) to learn the Old Mass others were see www.lms.org.uk/ Picture courtesy of John Aron completely opposed,” he said.