THE OLD CATHOLIC MISSION IN SUSSEX

SUNDAY*

1230pm PARISH MASS  (Gregorian Rite Pius V Missal)
"Domus Ecclesiae", 52A Regency Square, Brighton Tel: 07896 752245

WEEKDAYS**

See DAILY MASS ONLINE to check daily Mass times and intentions

The Rosary is recited publicly twenty minutes before the advertised time of Mass and broadcast online.

Masses of Healing & Reconciliation: as announced
Sacrament of Reconciliation: by appointment
Masses for foreign visitors (French/Italian/Spanish): as announced

N.B. Please note that Masses may be cancelled last minute due to pastoral ministry.

All of the above are celebrated in Brighton & Hove at

"Domus Ecclesiae", 52A Regency Square, Brighton

Tel: 01273 774 889 in advance of attendance due to capacity limitations.

Services in other locations across Sussex for our faith communities will be advertised here shortly.

** Weekday Masses are currently celebrated at "Domus Ecclesiae" by the Mission Clergy, the faithful are encouraged to participate either by:

1. attending in person;
2. requesting a particular Mass Intention be offered;
3. making an Act of Spiritual Communion at the same time Mass is offered; or
4. watching the Mass online.

To turn off the background music, scroll to the bottom of this webpage and press pause.

Grateful thanks to

www.camstreams.com

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If you would like yourself or a loved one to be remembered at Mass

St Cuthman's is a bi-ritual Parish meaning that the Sacraments and the Mass are administered in either form of the Latin Rite i.e. the traditional Gregorian Rite (also called the "extra-ordinary form", "usus antiquior", "Tridentine") or the contemporary Pauline  Rite (also called the "ordinary form", the "novus ordo").  Mass is most usually offered in Latin with the exception of Sunday when the vernacular is liberally employed.

Just like the early Christians, our worship currently takes place in the homes of our faithful, but unlike other "house groups" the way we worship is not at all different from that you might expect to find in a church building... an altar, candles, vestments etc.  Those who worship with us are both surprised and delighted that the customs and externals of the liturgy one would expect to find in a church are deliberately and precisely followed in our homes.

The "Traditional Latin Mass" or Gregorian Rite is the form our weekday Masses are offered in.  The quiet, reflective and seeming timelessness of this rite of Mass is perhaps experienced in a uniquely sensitive way in a house-Mass setting; observing the deeply ancient and mystical liturgical actions of the Priest more closely than might be observed in a conventional setting. At the moment our Sunday worship continues in this form, but when a public place of worship has been found, the contemporary rite of Mass in the vernacular will be used. 

If you would like to join us for house-Mass, simply contact the Clergy for location details.  

St Cuthman's is currently in need of the following liturgical items with which to celebrate Mass:

Vestments i.e. Chasuble & Mass Set in Gold/Black
Low Mass Candlesticks (x1 pair)
Altar Cloths, Lavabo Towels, Corporals, Purificators etc

If you would like to purchase any/some of the items, perhaps in memory of a loved one or as a token of thanksgiving for graces received, please contact the Mission Clergy.
 

People who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation in either one of the following Catholic Churches are permitted to receive the Eucharist;

• Roman Catholic Church
• Orthodox Eastern/Oriental/Canonical Churches
• Traditional Anglican (FinF parish, TAC, ACC, TCE)
• and Churches with whom the OCCE has an Intercommunion Concordat.

No disrespect is intended to Communicants of other denominations, reception of the Holy Communion signifies unity with Christ and His Body the Church; the OCCE actively prays and works towards that day when "earthly divisions shall cease".

However, we do invite all others to receive a blessing rather than the Host (Bread); to let the priest know to bless you with the Body of Christ, just cross your arms over your chest and bow your head.

It is the tradition in most congregations to receive the Host on the tongue, however reception in the hand is permitted, please indicate accordingly.

If you require a "gluten free" or "wholemeal" Host for dietary/medical reasons please let the priest or other minister know before the Mass begins! Traditionally the wine used in the Mass is alcoholic, no alternative is offered.

We strongly recommend against "intinction" (dipping the Host into the Chalice) as this has proved problematic. Our ministers of the Eucharist are trained to ensure the Host is consumed (eaten) in front of them. If you are concerned about hygiene e.g. you have a cold, we recommend only receiving the Host.

The OCCE encourages Baptised persons not already Confirmed members of any particular church to enquire with us about receiving Confirmation and becoming a Catholic Christian.

"Gregorian Rite" properly refers to the rite (order) of the Divine Liturgy (Mass) attributed to St Gregory the Great (Bishop of Rome, 590-604AD).  The rite was later revised by St Pius V (Bishop of Rome, 1566-1572AD) after the Council of Trent (1545-1563AD) and become generally known as the "Tridentine" Rite.  In 1962 it was again revised by Blessed John XXIII (Bishop of Rome, 1958-1963AD) and in this last revision is now more commonly known as the "Extraordinary Form" or the "Traditional Latin Mass" such as offered by the Latin Mass Society and the Ecclesia Dei priestly fraternities, societies of apostolic life and religious communities.

The Gregorian Rite is the traditional rite of the "Latin Church" or "Church of the West" and was the form of Mass used in Rome.  At one time there were many other rites, similar in essential form and content with the Gregorian Rite but with cultural or regional variances such as the "Ambrosian Rite" used in the Diocese of Milan and the "Sarum Use" in the (medieval) Diocese of Salisbury.  Similarly in the Eastern/Oriental Orthodox Churches, this rite of Mass is recognised as the Gregorian Rite in parity with their own historical liturgies such as the Byzantine Rite and the Constantinopolitan Rite.

In the OCCE, this rite is celebrated either in Latin or in English (from the English Missal).

"Novus Ordo" (Ltn. New Order) properly refers to the rite of Mass instituted by Paul VI (Bishop of Rome, 1963-1978AD) after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965AD) and is also known as the "Ordinary Form" of Mass in the Roman Catholic Church.  This Mass may also be celebrated in Latin but most commonly is heard in a community's vernacular language. 

A Mass Intention is when a member of the faithful requests a Priest to offer Mass for a particular intention i.e. a particular concern e.g. the welfare of a loved one, the repose of a soul, in thanksgiving for favors received, etc.

A "Mass Stipend" is customary but not obligatory when asking Mass to be offered for a particular intention, this is to cover the cost of the bread and wine, liturgical supplies, chapel rental etc and should in no way be understood as a "charge".  The recommended rate for a said Mass is £5.

The object for which a priest offers the Eucharistic Sacrifice. This intention is distinct from the priest's decision to offer Mass, which is necessary for valid celebration. It is also distinct from the effects of the Mass which benefit those who take part in the sacrifice and attend the Mass. These are called the special fruits of the Mass and extensively are without limit, as are also the effects on the entire Church, called the general fruits of the Mass.

Mass intentions refer to the particular purpose for which a specific Mass is offered. This may be to honor God or thank him for blessings received. But technically a Mass intention means that the sacrifice is offered for some person(s) living or dead. Also called the application of a Mass, it pertains to the ministerial fruits of the Mass. These fruits are both extensively and intensively finite in virtue of the positive will of Christ. Other things being equal, the more often the sacrifice is offered the more benefit is conferred.

The intention for which a priest offers a Mass is determined either by the common law of the Church, or by specific precept, or, most often, by the intention of the donor of a Mass stipend, or by the priest's own devotion. Since it is not absolutely certain that the ministerial fruits of the Mass are limited, a priest may conditionally (if the one giving the stipend suffers no loss thereby) offer the Mass for several intentions. It is assumed that the priest does not intend by these second or third intentions to fulfill an obligation of justice by these conditional applications.

From Catholic Culture

A Spiritual Communion is to make a special act of devotion to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, particularly when one is prevented from hearing or attending Mass in person.

St. Leonard of Port-Maurice offers this advice for receiving Spiritual Communion:

In order to facilitate a practice of such great excellence, ponder what I have to say. When the priest is about to give himself Communion in holy Mass, do you, keeping composed externally and internally, excite in your heart an act of true contrition, and humbly striking your breast, in token that you acknowledge yourself unworthy of so great a grace, make all those acts of love, of self-surrender, of humility, and the rest, which you are accustomed to make when you communicate sacramentally, and then desire with a lively longing to receive your good Jesus, veiled in the sacrament for your benefit. And to kindle your devotion, imagine that most holy Mary, or some saint, your holy advocate, is holding forth to you the sacred particle; figure yourself receiving it, and then, embracing Jesus in your heart, reply to Him, over and over again, with interior words prompted by love: “Come, Jesus, my Beloved, come within this my poor heart; come and satiate my desires; come and sanctify my soul; come, most sweet Jesus, come!” This said, be still; contemplate your good God within you, and, as if you really had communicated, adore Him, thank Him, and perform all those interior acts to which you are accustomed after sacramental Communion.

Suggested Prayers for an Act of Spiritual Communion: