May Devotion at S. Magnus

On the Second Sunday after Easter, we celebrated our May Devotion in honour of Our Lady. After Mass, an image of Our Lady of Walsingham was carried in Procession through the streets of the City of London, and on arriving back at the Church, the image of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was crowned with a wreath of roses. The Devotion was organised by the Fraternity of Our Lady de Salve Regina, which was founded in the Parish of S. Magnus the Martyr in 1343 and re-founded in 1922, the same year as Fr Hope-Patten revived the devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham by re-establishing a shrine in the Parish Church there. There's more information about the Fraternity on this blog, just click on the Fraternity Page in the right-hand menu. Membership forms are available on request.

The Procession arrives at the Monument.

The Procession around the monument. According to custom, a processional cross is carried by a Subdeacon.

Leaving the monument.

According to tradition, Processions are led by the Verger who in turn is preceded by the churchwardens of the Parish in their red gowns and staffs of office. Churchwardens have recently been appointed to the Parishes of S. Michael and S. Margaret, which make up the three United Parishes of which S. Magnus is one. The only remaining structure, however, is the Church of S. Magnus which serves all three.

The image in procession is that of Our Lady of Walsingham. She is carried in a sedan which usually constitutes the Pieta Shrine in the Church. The image is decked with seasonal flowers as a gesture of our devotion to the Mother of God.

After the Procession, the faithful retired to the courtyard where a Barbeque lunch was served.

Procession of the Relic of S. Thomas of Canterbury

This Sunday at S. Magnus we kept the Feast of the Translation of the Relics of S. Thomas of Canterbury. After a Sung Mass, a relic of the Saint which was kindly lent to us for the occassion was transferred from the High Altar to a Feretory and Bier, and taken in Procession, carried by two Subdeacons, to London Bridge. The Old London Bridge, whose thoroughfare formerly went under the bell tower of S. Magnus, once had a chapel dedicated to Saint Thomas of Canterbury where pilgrims on the medieval pilgrimage route would gather before heading over to Southwark and on to Canterbury. This chapel, which is depicted in a window and model in S. Magnus church belonged to the Parish of Saint Magnus the Martyr, and so we have inherited that saint's special patronage.


The Mass was Sung by the Vicar, Fr Philip, who wore a red chasuble featuring the Arms of Saint Thomas.


As the Procession left the church, the choir began singing the petitions of the Litany of the Saints.


Here you can see the beginning of the Procession. You'll notice that S. Magnus maintains the venerable tradition of the Verger, who carries a mace and wears a distinctive verger's hat.


The Procession goes up the steps from Lower Thames Street onto the Bridge.



At the approximate place of the former Chapel, the relics made a station, and the Office of Sext was sung. This was followed by the Anthem of the Benedictus of the Office of S. Thomas of Canterbury, using the Sarum chant. On the return to the Church, the "praise psalms" 148, 149 and 150 were sung. On arriving at the church, the choir sang the Antiphon of the Magnificat of the aforementioned Office, followed by the versicle and collect. The reliquery was then removed from the Feretory, and place on the High Atlar, then censed, and the faithful had an opportunity to venerate. The reliquery also contained a fragment of the True Cross, among other relics, which explains the genuflections made by some. After Benediction of the Relic, the dismissal was given and all retired to a delicious curry lunch in the sun.

Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christi

Bewildered servers prepare for the procession of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass on the Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christi