A Pontifical Mass for St Bridget in Sweden

Yesterday was the dies natalis of St Bridget of Sweden, the patron of the country, and, as of 1999, one of the co-patrons of all of Europe, together with Ss Benedict, Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. At the church of Greyfriars Abbey in Ystad, Sweden, His Excellency Czeslaw Kozon, bishop of Copenhagen, Denmark, celebrated a Pontifical Mass for her feast; here is a nice video from EWTN with some excerpts. In her native place, St Bridget would have known one of the local uses of the Roman Rite, which in the Nordic countries had a lot in common with the Use of Sarum. However, she spent most of the last twenty-three years of her life in Rome, and it is pleasant to remember that in almost every way, this Mass would have been perfectly familiar to her. We thank Bishop Kozon for his fatherly solicitude towards those who love the traditional rite.

Bishop of Copenhagen to Lead Next Year’s Populus Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage

The organisers of the Populus Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage have announced the dates of next year’s pilgrimage to Rome, October 26-28, 2018, and that it will be led by His Excellency Czeslaw Kozon, bishop of Copenhagen, Denmark. In relation to that, here is a video with excerpts from an EF Solemn Pontifical Mass at the throne which Bishop Kozon celebrated for the feast of the Assumption this year to mark the 10th anniversary of Summorum Pontificum.

Mgr. Kozon has been supportive of the Extraordinary Form since taking office in 1995, and especially since Summorum Pontificum; this was the third such Pontifical Mass which he has celebrated in his diocese. He has also celebrated a few in connection with visits abroad, along with diaconal ordinations for the FSSP. The Extraordinary Form is currently celebrated on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of each month in Copenhagen, and occasionally in Aarhus, the second city of the country. It is somewhat dependent on visiting priests, but a few younger priests and seminarians are showing interest. The reader who sent this information asks for prayers for the continued growth of the EF apostolate in Denmark.

Pontifical Vespers in Copenhagen, Denmark

On May 7, Solemn Pontifical Vespers in the usus antiquior were celebrated for the first time in Scandinavia since the liturgical reforms. Bishop Czeslaw Kozon of Copenhagen celebrated First Vespers for Sunday after the Ascension in the Catholic cathedral of St. Ansgar. The Gregorian proper chants were sung together with a polyphonic setting of the Magnificat by Tomas Luis de Victoria. Clergy from the diocese assisted together with visiting priests.

Remarkably, the Vespers were part of the religious and cultural festival “Danish Ecclesial Days,” held every third year. Originally an event of the Danish Lutheran State Church, this year other denominations have been involved. It was the Catholic representative to the organizing committee, a permanent deacon, who asked the St. Charles Borromeo Group (which organizes the TLM in Copenhagen) to arrange for this celebration of Vespers; he himself served as Assistant Deacon. The cathedral was open for prayer and Eucharistic adoration throughout the three-day event.

Mgr. Kozon has been very supportive of the older liturgical use and will celebrate an EF Solemn Pontifical Mass and confer Confirmation in St. Augustine’s Church, Copenhagen, on June 25. Thank you, Your Excellency!