Page 11 - Ordinariate Scotland Newsletter - Easter 2024

News from The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in Scotland Page 11

Celebrating Our Lady of Walsingham

N SUNDAY had a surprise for Fr. Len Black.
O O24th September Bryan had been in Rome the
2023 the Ordinariate week before for an international
Mission in the Highlands meeting of Benedictine Oblates,
celebrated the Feast of part of which was a private
Our Lady of Walsingham audience in the Apostolic Palace
with a ‘day out’ with in the Vatican during which he
Holy Mass offered was presented to Pope Francis.
therrick
e C
a
onc
eption, Str
Immac
ula
t
in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Stratherrick
Immaculate Conception at Bryan is well known for
Stratherrick, the beautiful persuading people that something
little remote church in he wanted someone to do was
the hills above Loch Ness, actually something they had
dedicated to Our Lady. thought about themselves! This
time, however, he exceeded
Mass began at 11am and himself. Having asked the Holy
Father’s bless part of a stone for
the foundation on the new guest
wing at Pluscarden Abbey, he
then asked Pope Francis to grant
an Apostolic Blessing on Fr. Len
on the Golden Jubilee of his
Ordination as a Priest ... which he
immediately agreed to give. Fr.
Len was amazed!

was followed by a The day ended for the 30 or so folk present with
buffet lunch in the a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament on a short
small hall. During walk in the Highland countryside, followed by
lunch Bryan Miller Benediction.
The tradition of the Crotalus

HE CROTALUS is a wooden clacker during the elevations at
T Ttraditionally used during the Holy Triduum the Mass of the Lord’s
on Holy Thursday to replace the bells rung at the Supper. Crotalus
Elevation in the Mass. is said to originate
from the Greek word
The earlier part of the Mass of Holy Thursday krotalon meaning rattle.
is joyful. When the Gloria is intoned by the
celebrant, the organ sounds and the bells are rung The Crotalus sends a spiritual message that
- and suddenly they cease, remaining silent in a the AGONY has begun and as we delve deeper
sombre mood until the Gloria on Holy Saturday into Christ’s sufferings as we accompany Him,
when all the lights are turned on once again and especially on Good Friday.
the bells ring joyously in anticipation of the joy and
triumph of Easter morning. This tradition is beginning to make a return,
having fallen out of general use in the 1960s. As
The distinctive sound of the wood-on-wood always, the liturgy is teacher as we learn more
clapping of the Crotalus is unsettling, especially and grow in the Faith.