Michael Davies, R.I.P.

From Una Voce last Sunday morning:

It is with deep sorrow that I have to inform everyone of the death of Mr. Michael Davies, the President d'Honneur of the International Una Voce Federation. Michael suffered a heart attack at 9:20 p.m. on Saturday 25th September an died instantly.

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat ei.

Michael's family will be keeping me informed and I will send out information as I receive it. They have also asked that for the moment no one contacts the family direct until arrangements have been made. Should anyone require any specific information please contact me via email on argentum@euphony.net

Leo Darroch, Secretary, International Federation Una Voce.

Posted 26 Sept 2004


I have been waiting until I had something more fitting to say before I mentioned this very sad news. I should know by now that if I wait for eloquence to strike I shall never say anything.

Notices of Michael's death and tributes to him were starting to appear on the web today. There will be many far more worthy than this one. I only met Michael once or maybe twice; I'm sure he wouldn't remember me at all. But through his writing he was instrumental in keeping my own little barque of faith upright and seaworthy.

Those who didn't live through it wouldn't know how difficult the days after the Vatican Council were for those of a traditional bent. So very much that we had thought was permanent was found to be emphemeral. And so much that we had considered to be good, right, and necessary we were now informed was all but evil and not only unnecessary but harmful to the faith. And this by the very people who had so recently taught us the opposite. Our way of prayer, our method of contact with God was all of a sudden illegal. It would have been a very easy thing to conclude that the Church itself was a fraud, a snare and a delusion. Many did so conclude. If you look at the numbers of people who, as a practical matter, no longer practiced the faith perhaps it may even be said that most people came to that conclusion. At least in this country, over half of those who should have been Catholics no longer bothered attending Mass.

Michael Davies had a major hand in keeping me Catholic. His books and articles in The Remnant were the first reasoned defence of our ancient tradition that I had read. There were certainly people holding evey imaginable opinion on the outcome of the Council and its changes, including a vocal few supporting our traditional heritage. But the more vocal they were, or so it seemed to me, the more unconvincing they were. Formless rage and absurd conspiracy theories led only to the conclusion that there was nothing rational to be said for what I loved.

Davies changed all that. He had facts. Deep into history already, he read himself into a knowledge of theology and especially liturgy. He had sound theologians to advise him. He made the necessary distinctions. And most of all he had an easy and racy style of writing that swept one along in whatever topic he chose to discuss. You cannot imagine the delight it was to find that we had something to say for ourselves. The Remnant, and indeed Christian Order which he also wrote for, was eagerly awaited in those early days in the late '60s and early '70s; the first thing to do when either came was find and devour Davies' articles. (In the very early days he also wrote as "Owen Roberts". If I recall correctly, he didn't want it to look like he was monopolising the traditionalist print media, small as it was. The late Fr.Paul Crane, S.J. told him not to be silly and drop the alias.)

The books came later. And very welcome they were. The Liturgical trilogy was the first comprehensive view, at least in English, of the Council and the liturgical reform from the traditionalist point of view. There is still nothing like it and it is a must-read to understand the common view taken by most English-speaking traditional Catholics. Others include "The Mass That Will Not Die", "The Order of Melchisedech", his volume on the new right of ordination, and many others, including pamphlets and booklets. His other trilogy, "Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre" is a compilation of all the relevant documents involved in the Archbishop's difficulties with the Roman authorities. Whatever your view of the Archbishop and his Society's place in the Church, you won't fully understand it without a serious reading of the "Apologia". (Michael's love and respect for the Archbishop is well-known. Less well-known is the fact that he thought "the consecrations" were a mistake, although not rising to the level of schism. The publishing arm of Archbishop Lefebvre's Society of St. Piux X still publishes some of Michael's books, but many members and adherents of the Society never forgave him for that opinion.)

He eventually became President of the International Federation of Una Voce, whose purpose is the promotion of the celebration of the traditional liturgy with the permission of the Holy Father and in union with the bishops. He gave up the position when he learned he had cancer which would probably be terminal.

He made many speaking appearances. I will miss those. He had a charm and a sparkling wit that delighted. I will miss his careful correction of any compere who had the misfortune to introduce him as "English" instead of "Welsh". A mistake not made twice. I treasure his books, especially the two or three that bear his autograph.

A Mass and a prayer for his soul would be very much in order. And I confess to already having asked his intercession.

In paradisum deducant te angeli
In tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres
Et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem
Chorus angelorum te suscipiat et
Cum Lazaro quondam paupere
Aeternam habeas requiem. . .