Cardinal preaches at First Mass

25 June 2010

?Keith Patrick Cardinal O’Brien preached at the first Solemn High Mass of a newly ordained priest at St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Edinburgh, on June 5.

Fr Simon Harkins, the priest, is a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP) and he celebrated Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

The cardinal concluded his homily by saying: “Just as we acknowledge the two forms of the Roman Rite so too we must accept the two ways of following in the footsteps of Jesus himself. First and foremost, we acknowledge that great act of the celebration of the Eucharist. Secondly, each follower of Jesus Christ and especially each priest must see service as the result of his sharing in the Eucharistic sacrifice. Service of others was at the heart of the teaching of Jesus.”

The St Andrew’s Camerata sang Joseph Haydn’s Missa in tempore belli, also known as the Kettledrum Mass. Many clergy attended, including Fr Josef Bisig and Fr Franz-Karl Banauch, rectors of the international seminaries of the FSSP.

One week later, at St James’s church, Spanish Place, London, the newly ordained Fr Harkins offered his first Solemn High Mass in England, again in the Extraordinary Form. Fr Christopher Colven, parish priest at Spanish Place, welcomed Fr Harkins. The Mass was offered in thanksgiving for the graces granted by God in the last 12 months of the Year for Priests, in response to the many prayers offered for the sanctification of priests.

The choir sang Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Missa simile est regnum coelorum and his Gaude Virgo Maria motet. Fr Armand de Malleray, superior of the FSSP in England and Wales, gave the homily.

After Mass Fr Harkins gave blessings. In Britain, the FSSP has priests in Portsmouth, Northampton and Edinburgh.