Prior Aelred Graham (image: 1964 Yearbook)

This Advent marks the 60th anniversary of the introduction across the universal church of the use of the vernacular in the liturgy. The First Sunday of Advent, 1964, marked the introduction of the practice, though dioceses in the United States were afforded additional time to implement the change. In “The Portsmouth Bulletin” for the Fall of 1964, Prior Aelred Graham offers some brief reflections on this development, speaking of what makes liturgical life authentic and – as one might suspect given his interest in Zen Buddhism – appealing to Eastern meditative practices to enhance the spiritual life. The note then lands squarely in the world, making reference to the School’s fund-raising campaigns underway.

Dear friends of Portsmouth:

In harmony with the Church throughout the world, we at Portsmouth are giving much thought to the requirements with regard to Liturgy in the vernacular. As is the way of it elsewhere, we shall have to experiment in some measure until a standard Liturgy in English comes into force – if ever it does. many will feel the loss of the Latin – not necessarily because they understood it well, or even at all, but for the excellent reason that it was familiar and had acquired from age-long use an hieratic quality, impressive too from its long history, the civilized language of an ancient world. Still, there can be no denying the principle that Church services should, so far as possible, be understood by all. The Mass in English will sound strange; yet perhaps only, for any length of time, to the older ones among us. No doubt the second Vatican Council was looking to the future, and particularly to the spiritual well-being of the rising generation, in formulating its decrees. It behooves us to conform to them loyally and with a good heart.

Aerial shot of grounds– arrows highlight new projects on campus

(Fall 1964 Portsmouth Bulletin)

All sudden changes, said Aristotle long ago, are bad for the state. It remains to be seen how much benefit will accrue from the changes – which after all are not so very sudden – in the Church. What is being illustrated before our eyes, perhaps, is how human, as well as divine, Catholicism is. To observe the Church adapting itself to the times, feeling its way amidst the vicissitudes of every-day life, can be a little bewildering to those who have habitually thought in terms of the rock-like stability of Rome. One lesson, surely, is that it is always a mistake to regard the externals of religion as part of its very essence. What is being urged upon us by indirection is to sit somewhat more loosely to those externals; which we can do quite easily if we recall to the deep foundations of the spiritual life.

Dom Aelred Graham directing “Prior’s Seminar”;

students (l to r) identified as: Kerney, Conway F., Henerey, Maloney A

This in turn would require that we become rather more reflective, even meditative, then we normally are. Which is a point that has recently been enforced upon me by contact with various people accustomed to the contemplative tradition of Eastern religion. It was a surprise to be asked in all seriousness whether we taught the boys at the Priory school how to sit quite still and just “meditate“ for a while. It was even more startling for the question to be pursued, accompanied by raised eye eyebrows, with – “Why not?“ It wasn’t religious meditations specifically that was being discussed, merely a bringing of the mind, along with the body, to a state of calm recollectedness. At any rate I must see what the School authorities think about it. Perhaps there would be no harm, there might even be some fruitful good, in my weekly philosophical seminar in the subject. What is this life, the poet asks fairly enough, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare – or, for that matter, to sit quietly, recollectedly?

But I must put an end to these musings, these wandering rings allowed. This was supposed to be a “business“ letter – about the fund-raising drive for faculty and scholarship endowment and new buildings. Well, we’ve told you a good deal about that already; the latest report will be found elsewhere in this issue of the Bulletin. We are deeply grateful for all the help that has been given, and to those who helped to win that help; but we need a little – quite a lot, really – more if the goal, as we hope, is to be achieved by New Year. Then, for a long while, we can stop enlisting the much appreciated cooperation of fund-raising committees and their invaluable chairman, soliciting our friends and writing begging letters – and what a relief that will be! We can then get on, better equipped, with educating our (and your) boys and give less distracted attention to the matters mentioned earlier in this letter.

Wishing you every blessing.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Aelred Graham, Prior