11 October 2009
CHANTRY??
In the monthly Calendars published in the Newsletter by my predecessor Dr Jalland, when there was nothing to disturb the greenness of a Feria, he quite often put down the word Chantry. Presumably this means he said a requiem. Would that have been a requiem of those whose Year's Minds ("Anniversaries" for you Roman Catholics) were occurring? Was this piece of terminology common back in the 1930s?
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Here in Scotland I've never heard an anniversary called a Year's Mind (we're RC) but it is very common to talk about Month's Mind, Three Months' Mind and Six Months' Mind. We frequently have them in our bulletin list of those to pray for.
Was he perhaps associated with the Guild of All Souls?
If only all the old chantries were to be restored, and all things appertaining thereto brought back again...
One of the greatest crimes of Henry VIII was to steal from the departed the perpetual Masses that they, while on earth, had arranged to be said for their souls. For if, as Aquinas says, to pray for the dead is the greatest spiritual and corporal work of mercy, how merciless it is to forbid and deny such prayers.
This brings to mind the Irish custom of saying a De Profundis &c. after Low Mass - supposedly to make some petition on behalf of those whose memorial Masses could no longer be said due to State persecution and seizure of bequests for this purpose.
The same motivation at least partially influenced Benedict XV, when he extended to the whole world the ancient Spanish privilege of saying three Masses on All Souls'.
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