Pro-Life petition to the UN

C-Fam, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, is organising a petition to the United Nations.

10 December this year marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although article 3 of the Declaration affirms that everyone has the right to life, radical pro-abortion groups intend to present the UN General Assembly with petitions calling for a universal right to abortion. It is important that the Pro-Life petition gets as many signatures as possible.

Go to International Call for the Rights and Dignity of the Human Person and the Family to sign the petition.

Do also take a look at C-Fam. the "Friday Fax" has long been an excellent source of pro-life news and information. You can get it sent by email or subscribe to the RSS feed.

Bloggers' Sunday?

The Ember Days and Rogation Days have been replaced in the new calendar with "Days of Special Prayer" for various worthy intentions. One of these is "Communications" - something of interest to bloggers and blog readers.

There is a major "lead-in" to this. In the autumn, the Holy Father announces the theme; on the feast of St Francis de Sales (24 January), he issues a message; and then the World Communications Day itself is celebrated on the Sunday before Pentecost.

Pope Benedict has just announced the theme for next year's World Communications Day:

New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.

Is it really too far-fetched to suggest that he is at least partly thinking of blogging? Respect, dialogue and friendship - there are some themes on which we can each examine our conscience.

In the new rite, Bloggers' Sunday is easy enough to observe. You can have a Bidding Prayer:

Let us pray for all bloggers that they may blog with respect, dialogue, and friendship. Lord hear us...

or something along those lines.

But what are we to do with the usus antiquior which is not exactly ignored by Catholic bloggers generally? Perhaps we could use the minor rogations since they are only a few days before "World Communications Day". During the procession with the Litany of the Saints, it would not be overly disruptive to sprinkle people's laptops and mobiles with lustral water. It might even be appropriate to revive the idea of "beating the bounds" by hitting the electronic devices with a stick. There is plenty of room for "mutual enrichment" here.

Characteristically, the old rite model would be more down to earth, the purple vestments reminding us of the contrition and penance required for all those snippy comments.

Into the fiery furnace

Bishop Jaime Soto, the coadjutor Bishop of Sacramento, recently went to speak to the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries conference in Long Beach, California. At the website of the Diocese of Sacramento, you can read the full text of his speech.

His Lordship criticised the contraceptive culture, asserted the value of marriage and the family, and promoted the virtue of chastity. Regarding sexual expression in same-sex relationships, he said:

Let me be clear here. Sexual intercourse, outside of the marriage covenant between a man and a woman, can be alluring and intoxicating but it will not lead to that liberating journey of true self-discovery and an authentic discovery of God. For that reason, it is sinful. Sexual relations between people of the same sex can be alluring for homosexuals but it deviates from the true meaning of the act and distract them from the true nature of love to which God has called us all. For this reason, it is sinful.

At the California Catholic Daily, there is a report of the meeting. Apparently, "at least five" people walked out and a board member of the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries said:

"On behalf of the board, I apologize. We had no idea Bishop Soto was going to say what he said."

It is rather a shame that they had no idea that a Catholic Bishop would straightforwardly give the teaching of the Catholic Church. Congratulations to Bishop Soto for going along and doing just that.

Perhaps they were expecting that a Catholic Bishop would say something different?

Popemobile continuity

Clerical Whispers has an illustrated post on The Evolution Of The Popemobile. I expect that some would not wish this taught in schools since it is a theory rather than a fact - although the photos give some evidence of transitional popemobiles.

My own concern is, of course, the hermeneutic of continuity and I think we can discern this in papal transport. First look at this example from 1930, the Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460, reckoned to the first real popemobile. Custom-built for Pope Pius XI, it has a central throne in the rear:

Now have a look at the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL Laundaulet from 1966, just after the close of the second Vatican Council:

I think one can observe here a new expression of apostolic mobility without any essential break or rupture with the past.

The HPV jab debate

The Governors of St Monica's School in Manchester have taken the decision that the school will not allow the vaccination against the HPV virus to be administered at school and have said that the decision rests with the parents, not the school.

One important consideration is the safety of the vaccine itself. Joe Sowerby draws attention to the fact that the school governors, not local or national government agencies, have the responsibility for the decision whether or not to allow the vaccinations to be carried out at the school. Since pupils have suffered side effects, from the drug, the school took the decision to leave the matter with the parents (See: Catholic Commentary: St Monica's and HPV vaccinations and the more recent post, This and that from the media)

Jackie Parkes has the letter from the School Governors in which the school encourages parents to take their own decision in the matter and to discuss it with their GP who will be aware of their daughter's medical history - and indeed to her if they decide she is to have the vaccination. (Jackie's decision is a definite "No".)

Fr Ray Blake has raised the question on his blog (see: St Monica & HPV vaccine.) Both the post and the comments box are well worth reading. There, the impeccably orthodox and pro-life Paulinus writes in favour of the vaccination since a girl of unimpeachable virtue might marry a man who has a less virtuous past. Lucille suggests in response that either party can be tested for STDs before marriage.

Lifesite news has been following the story with an article on St Monica's and one on the same issue in Scotland.

Predictably, the governors of St Monica's have come under attack. For example, a regional paper has got quotes from some disaffected parents who presumably want the school to take all responsibility for the vaccination. See: Manchester Evening News article Calls for cancer vaccine rethink ("Furious parents are demanding ...")

The school has not received any support in their decision from the Catholic authorities. The Catholic Education Services issued a statement on the HPV vaccination programme in June and official responses have been based on this statement, particularly the following passage:

There is nothing in Catholic teaching to suggest that there is anything wrong with the use of vaccination against this disease, nor does it undermine the Church’s teachings in regard to human relationships and sexual activity.

The word "use" is a slippery one here. The vaccine itself is an inanimate object and cannot undermine the Church's teachings but the circumstances in which it is given and the teaching related to it could undermine them very much indeed without a clear message promoting chastity. Unfortunately, the statement does not deal with the question of the relationship between home and school in this matter, nor about the need for any such programme to be accompanied in a Catholic school by a clear presentation of the Church's teaching on chastity.

The Catholic Bishops of Alberta, Canada, have issued a sensible statement on the matter (see the Western Catholic Reporter article). They emphasise that the decision regarding the vaccine is a parental, not a government matter, and that

Outside of marriage, abstinence is not only clearly the choice that leads to spiritual and moral well-being, but it is obviously the best protection against risks of disease.

Gerald Warner on his blog offers robust support for the school's decision: Catholic school refuses to promote promiscuity via HPV vaccination.

I think he is right to see this in terms of politically correct orthodoxy and the Bishops of Alberta seem to me to have come up with a good and politically aware response.

Cardinal Hoyos preface to new edition of "The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described"

Cardinal Hoyos has written the preface to the new edition of "The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described", originally by Adrian Fortescue and revised by Alcuin Reid. The new edition has been revised in the light of Summorum Pontificum and is to be published soon by Continuum. You can see the full text of the Cardinal's review at the Summorum Pontificum blog. Among other things, he says:

The Holy Father is pleased at the generous response of many priests to his initiative in learning once again the rites and ceremonies of the Sacrifice of the Mass and of the other sacraments according to the usus antiquior so that they may serve those people who desire them. I encourage priests to do so in a spirit of pastoral generosity and love for the liturgical heritage of the Roman Rite. Seminarians, as part of their formation in the liturgy of the Church, should also become familiar with this usage of the Roman Rite not only in order to serve the People of God who request this form of Catholic worship but also in order to have a deeper appreciation of the background of the liturgical books presently in force. Hence it follows that all seminaries should provide such training as a matter of course.

"the defining event of their whole Catholic lives"

Jeffrey Tucker is writing some excellent articles on what might be called the "politics" of liturgical music. In the piece Our "differing needs" are not all that matter, he looks at an article by Rendler-McQueeney who apparently writes a very popular column in the magazine "Today's Liturgy".

He draws attention to the way that the "liturgical renewal" is spoken of in the present tense despite that fact that the music that still dominates the liturgy in many parishes was produced several decades ago. As Jeffrey Tucker points out, the time of liturgical reconstruction was the defining event of their whole Catholic lives. he goes on:

It was a heady time of liturgical reconstruction when a certain take on ritual music swept all before it and came to dominate the Mass. That movement is now tired and aging, lacking in intellectual and artistic inspiration. In a sign of their increasingly reactionary posture, they assume that anyone who doesn't like their jingles is seething with anger about events that most Catholics in the pews never knew and never experienced. What they need to realize is that not everyone who is tired of "Table of Plenty" is longing to refight the liturgy wars. Mostly, they just find this music trite and are ready to move on.

I have myself tried to explain this to people by looking at the time lapse. Let us fix on 1973, 35 years ago. (I was 15 then.) At that time, "35 years ago" was 1938.

Our Lady of the Rosary - San Nicolás, Buenos Aires

Photo: Elton Melo

La Nacion from Argentina reports on the large numbers of pilgrims in Buenos Aires for the 25th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of the Rosary to Gladys Motta in the Parish of San Nicolás de los Arroyos. Over 800,000 people passed through the Basilica to venerate the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary during the 24 hour period and 100,000 joined the outdoor procession and Mass.

In this photo from La Nacion, you can see three Argentine Bishops wearing Marian blue vestments, a privilege allowed at major Marian shrines.



There is more information about the apparitions at the Mother of All Peoples site.

With the Knights at Aylesford

Last year I gave a lecture at Aylesford for the local Province of the Knights of St Columba on the Catholic response to secularism. They asked me to speak again this year and so this afternoon I joined them at the North Barn which the Friars have recently restored with the aid of English Heritage.

The Knights wanted me to continue with the same theme, and more recently we agreed that it would be good to look at Bishop O'Donoghue's "Fit for Mission? Church" since it offers a wealth of practical suggestions for action which are relevant to promoting the mission of the Church in a secular society.

Personally I was glad of the opportunity to study the document in greater detail. After giving some background information, I outlined the structure that Bishop O'Donoghue used and then took a few examples from the four areas of Liturgy, Revelation, the communion of the Church, and the Church in the Modern World.

Overall, I tried to emphasise that Bishop O'Donoghue does not offer any excuse for us simply to bewail how dreadful things are. He does not look at the second Vatican Council through rose-coloured spectacles but is honest about the confusion and discord that followed it, while remaining optimistic about the value of a proper reading of the Council according to the hermeneutic of continuity.

He takes an honest and hard look at the problems which face the Church in our country today but then invites us to respond positively by our prayer, participation in the sacraments, faithfulness to the teaching of the magisterium and practical charitable, social and political action as appropriate to our state in life.

I suggested that Councils of the Knights of St Columba might find it useful to look at the document a small section at a time at their Council meetings and try to agree on ways in which they can follow some of the practical suggestions to further the mission of the Church.

The North Barn is dominated by this statue of Edith Stein, St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. As a Carmelite martyr, it is very fitting for her to be honoured in this way at Aylesford.

"Rediscovering Traditionalism" by John Casey

John Casey is lecturer in English at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Gonville and Caius College. He has written an article "Rediscovering Traditionalism" for the online journal Open Democracy which I heartily recommend.

This balanced introduction to the question would be suitable especially for an intelligent enquirer who was wondering what all the fuss was about. I am sure that most of us who have been engaged in this discussion will appreciate the accuracy with which Casey sums up the principal issues at stake.

He analyses the culture war within the Church, the question of participation, and the impact of Summorum Pontificum. Along the way, he examines the question of papal power and the liturgy, quoting Pope Benedict to great effect, and the real import of the Regensburg address. (The anecdote about Pope John Paul II calling Pope John XXIII a "maniac" is fascinating.)

New term at Parkminster

At Parkminster, the Carthusian monastery in England, I resumed today the course "De Deo Uno et Trino" (On God, One and Three) and we looked especially at the simplicity and the immutability (unchangeableness) of God.

It was a great joy to meet and congratulate Dom Gregory Carling who was solemnly professed on the feast of the Assumption. I remembered today that since he was baptised in my parish, I must enter his profession in the Baptismal Register. I will consult the Rituale Romanum for the correct formula for this entry.

My visits to Parkminster (fortnightly during the academic year) always conclude with Vespers, chanted according to the simplified Carthusian tones which are subtly different from those of the Roman office.

A solemn profession is a great occasion and I would like to pass on to you the request on Dom Gregory's card:

Please pray for the perseverance of Dom Gregory Carling on the occasion of his solemn profession at St Hugh's Charterhouse, feast of the Assumption, 15th August 2008.

Christo omnino nihil praeponanat, qui nos pariter ad vitam aeternum perducat
Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he bring us all together to everlasting life.

DVC prompts violence against priest

We often hear about how discrimination promotes violence. Here is a real life example: Priest fights to stay alive after Da Vinci Code stabbing. An unbalanced man, Marco Luzi, 25, inspired by reading the Da Vinci Code, has stabbed Father Canio Canistri, 68, parish priest at the Church of Santa Marcella in the San Saba district on the Aventine Hill.

Can we now expect that the Da Vinci Code book will be featured in diversity training across the EU as an example of how tendentious and prejudiced fiction can lead to physical violence? Will it now be banned from all responsible bookshops on the grounds of its flagrant and inflammatory misrepresentation of the Catholic Church?

No, I thought not.

Rosary Crusade of Reparation

I am happy to pass on this announcement received today. The Rosary Crusade is probably the largest regular Catholic procession in England and is a wonderful occasion for prayer and witness to the faith.

---

Annual Rosary Crusade of Reparation
Saturday 11th October

Procession from Westminster Cathedral to Brompton Oratory with the statue of Our Lady of Fatima and the 15 decades of the Rosary. Starting 1.45pm in the Cathedral piazza and ending at the Oratory with the solemn crowning of the statue and solemn Benediction. The preacher this year will be Fr. Marcus Holden. Enrollment in Brown scapular afterwards.

This procession is offered for downfall of the HFE bill, so please come along in large numbers.

Catechesis or Liturgy?

There is a very interesting article published today at Catholic Action UK by Daphne McLeod. She argues that the root of the crisis in the Church is to be found primarily in the widespread religious ignorance of the truths of the faith and not primarily in the loss of the older form of the Mass.

Daphne's article is a valuable contribution to this discussion because she certainly loves the older form of the Mass and attends it regularly. Hers is not an argument that in any way denies the beauty or the value of the usus antiquior. I think that her comments are timely, prompting us to take a closer look at the question of catechesis.

For many years as a student and a priest, I had no great interest in the Classical Roman Rite. I came to know and love it after responding positively to a request for a funeral in the old rite. Having previously considered that the teaching of the faith was the only thing that really mattered (provided that the Liturgy was celebrated reverently, in accord with the liturgical norms), I began to discover the value of the traditional liturgy as an immediate and powerful catalyst for the rediscovery of the faith.

So I believe (and I imagine that Daphne would agree) that both are important. We must continue to promote sound catechesis and to see this as absolutely vital for the life of the Church. The interesting thing is to consider how the traditional liturgy assists in this. Certainly, the doctrine of the real presence, and of the sacrifice of the Mass, as well as the doctrine of original sin and the attributes of God are well supported by a devoutly said traditional Mass; but I think we can go further if we look at the things that surrounded the older form of Mass, particularly as regards the priest.

The prayers of preparation and thanksgiving, the "burden" of the traditional breviary, the expectation of a proper rule of life for priests: all these help the priest to understand the heart of his ministry for the people entrusted to his care. They also help him to cut to the essentials of what he must do in terms of educating people in the faith: and indeed lead him to understand that the simple catechism of basic Catholic truths is fundamental to the life of his people and that he must get this across somehow. Sooner or later, he will return to those simple catechetical summaries of which a shining example is the "Penny Catechism".

We must never allow the Classical Rite of Mass to be left as an enthusiasm of the "cognoscenti". If it is to be the force for renewal in the Church that I believe it can be, it must be allied with solid and sound catechesis. The "test case" for me was the Mass for young children at Lourdes at which I gave some catechesis while Fr Briggs celebrated the Mass. Liturgy and catechesis must go hand in hand. Continuity with the tradition of the Church is essential in both.

New consultors for papal liturgy

This announcement today in the Vatican Bollettino:

The Holy Father has nominated as consultors of the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff: Msgr. Nicola Bux, professor at the Theological Faculty of Puglia, Italy; Fr. Mauro Gagliardi, professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum "Regina Apostolorum", Rome; Fr. Juan Jose Silvestre Valor, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome. Fr. Uwe Michael Lang C.O., official of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Fr. Paul C. F. Gunter O.S.B., professor at the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum, Rome.

Mgr Nicola Bux is an expert on the oriental rites and a very sound chap whom I have had the pleasure of meeting once or twice in Rome. He spoke at the launch of the Italian edition of Fr Lang's book "Turning Towards the Lord"; Fr Gagliardi recently gave a three day seminar on the Liturgy at a conference for seminary formators arranged by the Legionaries of Christ; Fr Valor teaches at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, the Opus Dei university in Rome. Fr Lang is a priest of the London Oratory and in addition to "Turning Towards the Lord", has published many of great value concerning the Liturgy. Fr Paul Gunter is one of the members of the editorial board of the forthcoming journal Usus Antiquior.

A pretty solid line-up.

Irish Bishops' Conference website

The website of the Irish Bishops' Conference has recently had a major makeover and is worth looking at. It is interesting to see that this coming Sunday is "Priesthood Sunday".

CTS edition of "Fit for Mission? Church"

The CTS are publishing Bishop O'Donoghue's Fit for Mission? Church, which I wrote about at the end of August and (again the other day) with reference to Archbishop Piacenza's praise for the document.

The CTS edition will be an expanded version, drawing on Pope Benedict XVI's addresses and homilies in 2008 at World Youth Day and during his apostolic journey to France; as well as the writings of John Henry Newman, and others.

104 pages, £8.95, available from 10 October 2008. Advance orders can be placed now at the CTS website.

A great blognic

The blognic at the Buckingham Arms this evening was a great success. Bloggers Holy Smoke, Bara Brith and Mulier Fortis came, as did Anna Arco of the Catholic Herald. Frs Nigel Griffin and William Young kindly took time to join us as did a good number of readers, some of whom travelled specially for the occasion from Brighton, Cambridge and the outer reaches of the London conurbation. (My new phone takes great photos outdoors but in poor light it is of little use so I have shamelessly stolen photos from Fr Z who brought a real camera with him.) Sir Dan of the Nesbitry (above) was there. He met up with Damian Thompson whom he taught many years ago at the prep school Laelham Lea in Purley.

Jonathan Hague (above) introduced me to the Buckingham Arms from his extensive knowledge of good pubs that offer traditional hospitality and real ale.

Over a plate of pasta afterwards, Fr Z and I reflected on the appreciation that is expressed by people who read our blogs. Writing a blog can be a rather solipsistic business and it is surprising but very welcome to be told "your blog is a lifeline" by ordinary Catholic lay people who love the Church. When people say this sort of thing to me, it always encourages me to think that the blog is worth writing.

At one point, a young Malaysian man appeared with a box which he announced was from Andrew Khoo of the Unam Sanctam blog, sent all the way from Tanjung Bunga, in Penang, Malaysia. The box contained a beautiful standing crucifix with detachable base. We all agreed that this would help to maintain the "Benedictine Altar Arrangement" even while travelling.

I was left wondering "How did he manage that?" There was only a day's notice on my blog - or two day's notice if you read the post on Fr Z.

Hilary of Orwell's Picnic took me to task over the short notice for this blognic - and indeed justly. Next time we must organise something with a Hall where people can move around easily, an internet connection where we can have skype calls with video - perhaps even live streaming via Fr Z's host company Joyent. I think a major London blognic would work.

Roman dicastery lauds Bishop O'Donoghue for his courageous action

Bishop O'Donoghue of Lancaster has received a ringing endorsement for his documents "Fit for Mission? Schools" and "Fit for Mission? Church", from the Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, Archbishop Mauro Piacenza. (Catechetics is one of the key responsibilities of this congregation.)

Archbishop Piacenza (ordained a priest for the Diocese of Genoa by Cardinal Siri in 1969) has been generous in his comments and this is far from being simply a formal letter of "grateful receipt". His encouragement to a brother Bishop is genuine and thoughtful, affirming his ministry as a successor of the apostles and his courage in facing up to a situation which has given rise to much correspondence with the congregation over the years. The picture to the left is a jpeg of the letter which you can click to enlarge. To make it easier for others to quote from it, I have transcribed the letter below. (Please let me know if I have made any errors and I will correct them.)

CONGREGATIO PRO CLERICIS
Vatican City 18th September 2008
Prot. N. 20082694

His Lordship, the Rt. Rev. Patrick O’Donoghue
Bishop of Lancaster
Cathedral House
Balmoral Road
Lancaster LA1 3BT
GREAT BRITAIN

Your Lordship,

This Congregation has gratefully received the copies you forwarded of the documents Fit for Mission? Schools and Fit for Mission? Church.

The Dicastery has already expressed its appreciation of Fit for Mission? Schools in our previous correspondence of 15th December 2007 (Prot. N. 20073260). It is still somewhat amazed at the reaction the text provoked as it was both an appropriate and legitimate exercise of Episcopal authority by a Successor of the Apostles, charged by God, and by the Church to ensure that the Faith is transmitted correctly and in its entirety, to the People of God entrusted to his care. You were simply doing your duty in this regard.

It should go without saying that Catholic schools, as one of the primary vehicles for this ongoing task, must be imbued with a Catholic ethos that is real and not simply imaginary. Your Lordship has realistically faced a situation that has been an oft repeated theme over many years, by the Faithful in your country in their correspondence with this Congregation. The Dicastery again lauds you for your courageous action.

The latest document in the series, Fit for Mission? Church, is hewn from the same rich vein as Fit for Mission? Schools, namely the Tradition of the Church as expressed in the Second Vatican Council and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In this latest text Your Lordship has provided an effective, practical instrument for advancing the much heralded New Evangelization. If this renewal of the Faith is to take root, it cannot remain a mere “slogan” but must be woven into the web of contemporary culture. Fit for Mission? Church gives much needed indication as to the means of accomplishing this great mission of the Church.

May the Lord continue to bless your efforts.

I take this opportunity to renew my sentiments of esteem and with every best wish, I remain,

Sincerely Yours in Christ

+Mauro Piacenza
Titular Archbishop of Vittoriana
Secretary

One or two commenters here and there have discussed Bishop O'Donoghue's attitude to Summorum Pontificum. It is important to note that His Lordship has taken an entirely non-interventionist approach. He has not told priests to have a Latin exam, he hasn't extended the notion of idoneus, and he has left in peace those priests of his diocese who celebrate the usus antiquior. (I know of at least seven, including the Cathedral Dean, Canon Stephen Shields, who has celebrated the Mass in the Cathedral.) In other words, he has recognised in practice that Summorum Pontificum removes any need for priests to ask permission to say Mass in the older form. Clearly he is not himself a devotee of the old rite which makes his openness towards it all the more generous.

With regard to the Liturgy in the ordinary form, he is completely faithful to the text and the genuine spirit of Sacrosanctum Concilium and to the hermeneutic of continuity of which Pope Benedict spoke. Indeed, at the beginning of his commentary on the Constitution, he quotes Summorum Pontificum on the reverence due to divine worship.

In his commentary, he makes a number of excellent points. He recommends that everyone should familiarise themselves with the Latin common prayers, he says that Latin should play a regular part in the celebration of Mass, and he points out that:

The Council Fathers never envisaged a totally vernacular liturgy, but quite specifically decided that the Mass should contain both Latin and the vernacular.

He also says that it is time that we cherished the continuity of our Liturgy with the living tradition of the Church.

He condemns the idea of the priest as entertainer, the constant search for novelty and stimulation. He speaks of some people's fondness for liturgical innovation and the idea that we are free to do what we like, regardless of the rubrics, and says:

In order to counter the influence of this false concept of freedom in the diocese, it is my expectation as your bishop that every priest, deacon and parish community will, without exception, follow the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the rubrics of the Roman Missal, and the Congregation for Divine Worship’s, Redemptionis Sacramentum.

We could scarcely ask for more robust and faithful pastoral guidance on the ordinary liturgy of the parish.

Download Fit for Mission? Church

The challenge to Blair remains

Johns Smeaton has a post today about Tony Blair's "exciting event" in Los Angeles under the auspices of his "Faith Foundation" (see Tony Blair is undermining the faith of the church into which he has been received.

John repeats the call on pro-lifers to challenge Tony Blair on his political record on life issues. He wrote to the former PM in January about this and his letter summarises the key matters of concern.

Usually, when anyone says anything about this, people say that we mustn't judge Mr Blair's conscience, that we are all sinners, that he must have gone to confession and repented of all his anti-life actions as a politician etc. John deals with these points in two ways. First he makes the sensible point:

As a Catholic myself, I do not believe that politicians should be protected from public scrutiny simply by being received into the Catholic church.

He continues:

I have no wish for Tony Blair to don sackcloth and ashes. I’ll do that for my own sins before I judge anyone else.However, Tony Blair’s position on abortion, abortifacient birth control, IVF and euthanasia by neglect is a matter of public record. As prime minister he was in the forefront of championing the culture of death not only in Britain but also, on abortion, around the world through the UK’s foreign policy. As long as he fails to repudiate his appalling legacy, Tony Blair is undermining the faith of the church into which he has been received.

Photo: Getty images

Mass for Cardinal Pole

There will be a Solemn High Requiem Mass for the late Cardinal Pole at 6.30pm on Monday 17 November at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, 6.30pm. Fr Nicholas Schofield, Archivist of the Archdiocese of Westminster and author of the Roman Miscellany blog, will be preaching.

"Diversity Toolkit" at HM Gov

Her Majesty's Treasury was the venue for my lunch last week as I was meeting a friend who works there.

I asked my friend for his views on the current end of the world global economic meltdown and he reminded me that it was the 16th anniversary of "Black Wednesday" which demonstrated that with the huge amounts of money sloshing around the foreign exchanges, there is little that government intervention can achieve in these situations - a lesson that governments find difficult to learn.

The Treasury has a "Multi-Faith Prayer Room". This is kitted out with a shower, prayer mats and sandals, and had separate rooms for men and women. I wondered whether perhaps "multi-faith" meant sunni, shi'ite and sufi but there was also a bible on a table in the corner of the foyer.

Next to the bible, there was a copy of the Treasury's "Diversity Toolkit" which includes a number of icebreaker games with "facilitator" and "participants". The first is "Getting to know you bingo" with a "diversity bingo grid". Then there is an "Understanding Multiculturalism" exercise for which the materials required are "Flip chart, paper and pens, post-it notes" and begins "Write "MULTICULTURAL" on a flipchart". Reading this, I cannot escape recalling the scene on "Airplane" when the guy pours petrol on himself and takes out his cigarette lighter.

Another game is "Put Yourself in their Shoes" for which the materials include a blindfold, earplugs and a wheelchair. You can probably guess what is coming: e.g. Exercise 2,

Ask for a volunteer from each group to have their hearing restricted for 30 minutes. Ask them to put in the ear plugs until as much sound as possible is stopped. then the group should accompany the volunteer to the nearest newsagent, post office, bus stop or tube station and purchase something of their choosing.

I think I would be tempted to ask to go to one of those more comprehensive newsagents where they have a little pharmacy section, whisper that I have constipation, buy a bottle of castor oil and later pour it surreptitiously on the facilitator's rocket, parmesan and sundried tomato salad.

Reading through the "Diversity Glossary", I felt inclined to call "foul" several times:

Dogma - is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization (sic - my emphasis), thought to be authoritative and not to be disputed or doubted.

I find that an unfairly negative and stereotypical description of "dogma" which, for me, is something sacred that we believe because it is revealed by God through Jesus Christ.

The look at this definition:

Sexism - discrimination against someone on the grounds of their gender and also is used to describe any type of differentiation based on sex.

"Any type of differentiation"? May Christians, Muslims and others not believe in and promote the family in which the woman is the mother and the man is the father?

Despite many well-meaning friends placing money with Paddy Power to keep my odds up for Archbishop of Westminster, I have to admit that odds of 16-1 are probably way in excess of the real probability of this happening. It is probably about as likely as my becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer for which I had a little practice. (When in office, my PR adviser will make sure that I do my jacket up and hold my stomach in.)

My first "initiative" would be to consult various family-friendly economists to restore some financial incentive to being married. To pay for this, I would also remove any government funding for sex-education, the distribution of condoms or the encouragement of abortion. This would save enormous amounts of money by removing some of the major incentives for young people to behave irresponsibly.

On returning home, I found that the post has brought me a good book that will help me greatly in my new vocation. More about that soon.

Eye-catching book titles

Browsing in Waterstones the other day (I really shouldn't do that), my eye was caught by "How To Avoid Huge Ships, And Other Implausibly Titled Books". This is obviously intended for the Christmas market and not a bad entry in the field since it doesn't involve putting rude words on the front cover or attempting a lame parody of Harry Potter / Lord of the Rings / [fill in the blank].

The book is based on the Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year. (See also the Guardian article The Must Reads.) Sadly, opportunist schoolboy smut seems to play a significant part here too but there are some gems to be found such as the following (many of which are available via Amazon):

• Highlights in the History of Concrete (winner 1994)
  
• The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification (winner 2007)
  
• Tattoed Mountain Women and Spoon Boxes of Daghestan (shortlisted 2006)
  
• How Green Were the Nazis? (shortlisted 2006)
  
• The Book of Marmalade: Its Antecedents, Its History, and Its Role in the World Today (winner 1984)
  

I feel that the last one should be available on the breakfast table in the staff dining room at Wonersh where the question of marmalade can, at times, trump discussion of the merits of the theology of Paschasius Radabertus. It would be good to have an authoritative source to consult on the matter.

Chasubles and chasublemen

Fr Anthony Symondson recently wrote an article on NLM, questioning the revival of what has been called the "Borromean" style of chasuble. Shawn Tribe invited "serene" consideration and discussion of the issue.

One very helpful (and duly "serene") response comes from Michael Sternbeck of The Saint Bede Studio in Australia, whose vestments the Holy Father wore for his Mass at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. See Styles and Tradition in the chasuble of the Roman Rite. There are further observations at the Rorate Caeli blog.

I don't know much about the history of chasubles (and am grateful to all contributors to the current discussion for sharing their own knowledge). However I do know of one of the saddest incidents in the history of chasubles and chasublemen. At the Venerable English College in Rome, there is a beautiful Pugin High Mass set. During the time when Roman chasubles were de rigeur, the chasuble was cut into a Roman shape under orders of the then Rector, Mgr Arthur Hinsley. To be fair to the man (God rest him!), I should say that he was remembered as a particularly kind and popular Rector.

To rub salt into the wounds, I remember once when it was my turn as a priest to celebrate the Liturgy for Candlemas. I suggested using the Pugin set since it had a matching cope that could be used for the procession. It was forbidden because the chasuble was not gothic!

London blognic

Fr Z has already mentioned the London blognic. Everyone is welcome, and we especially hope blog owners will come. This is intended as a simple and informal opportunity for people interested in the Catholic blogosphere to meet up for a chat while Fr Z is in the country.

We are meeting tomorrow evening (Tuesday 23rd) from 6-8pm at the Buckingham Arms in Petty France, near St James's Park tube station (it is also about 5 minutes walk from Victoria). The Buckingham Arms is a Youngs pub, regularly featured in the "Good Pub Guide" so there is proper beer (although you may drink Novus Ordo Eurofizz if you wish). Of course, soft drinks are in good supply too and, if you are hungry, you can buy food there. Below is the google map:


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APGL Conference with Fr John Saward

APGL Conference
Wednesday 29 October 2008
St Wilfrid’s Hall, The London Oratory, Brompton Road, SW7 2RP

The Conference is open to all priests.
Deacons and seminarians are also welcome.

Programme
Registration at 11.15am
Keynote Speaker: Fr John Saward
(author of ‘Redeemer in the womb’, ‘The way of the Lamb’ etc) will speak on:

‘Pius XII and Preaching the Gospel of Life’

A buffet lunch will be provided.
Pro-life literature will be available.

The afternoon session will include Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (with confessions), Rosary and Benediction. Tea will be served after Benediction and the Conference will conclude by 4pm

To help us with catering, please send an email to conference@apgl.org.uk if you are coming to the conference. There is no charge but donations will be welcome.

The Oratory is next to the Victoria and Albert Museum. (Nearest tube station South Kensington.) Enter the courtyard in front of the Oratory House. St Wilfrid’s Hall is upstairs in the building on the left.

Fr Anthony Ho

Fr Anthony Ho is a priest in Vancouver in Canada. His blog is eminently pastoral, with sermons and talks for his people that are of value for anyone. He runs a Chinese RCIA class using a Chinese-English parallel text Catechism with lovely illustrations.

For his High School class, he uses a book that is now out of print which has 17 volumes, each with 20 pop-up prints. There are many pictures posted on his blog (see High School lesson on creation). Here is one showing the basic choice that we must make in life:

At Aylesford today

Fr Charles Briggs, assisted by myself and Fr John Boyle, celebrated the High Mass at Aylesford today for the annual pilgrimage of the Latin Mass Society. Above you can see us framed by one of the arches in the surviving part of the old cloister.

There were many groups at Aylesford today, including one with Fr Angelus of the Franciscans of the Renewal. Unfortunately I had to get back after a quick cup of tea and a sandwich after Mass in order to hear confessions in the parish. The Southwark Diocesan Unity Commission was there with Bishop Pat Lynch who kindly came over to have a chat with us before Mass.

In my sermon, I spoke of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, her devotee, St Joseph of Cupertino, and the privilege of being able to visit the shrine and the relic of St Simon Stock:

'avin a larf

Part of the process of recovering from the fatal hard disk failure a few weeks ago has been re-installing Microsoft Money. This has updated since the version I have on CD and so it will not read the files I have (with quite a lot of data on it). After a bit of searching and lots of simple but misleading error messages, I found the solution on the internet. But it was too late - various things had already got in the way of a smooth update so this evening it was a "reinstall and start again" session. Got everything up and running, opened "as adminstrator", let the update happen, and then this dialog box comes up:

As they say in these parts "Your 'avin a larf intcha?" After a full two minutes or so, the "OK" button appeared and I managed to complete the process and open the two rather crucial files that I need to work on. (I'm pretty sure that not clicking "OK" was what banjaxed the last attempt.)

So the next thing is - now that Microsoft Money seems to be no longer updated in the UK but has a new (differently numbered) version in the US and generally looks to be rather too hairy a prospect for data that is quite important - whither do I move the data?

I know the following answers - change to Apple (tempting) - change to Linux (more tempting still) - use pencil and paper (I remember the days and it wasn't actually better).

So anyone got good ideas for simple financial management software? One solution would be simply to do it all up on Excel and that is a possibility; but I once used a great shareware program called "Money Manager" and curse the day I switched from it. Searching on the web, I find that it is still around as a freeware open source program. I'd be interested in ideas. Not for this year's (massively overdue) financial return but possibly for next year...

Praying for the canonisation of Ven Edel Quinn

The Legion of Mary are celebrating Mass at Westminster Cathedral tomorrow at 2pm to pray for the beatification of Ven Edel Quinn.

To find out more about her, see this good Edel Quinn page at the website of the New York regional Senatus. Here is a prayer that you can use:

Eternal Father, I thank you for the grace you gave to your servant, Edel Quinn, of striving to live always in the joy of your presence, for the radiant charity infused into her heart by your Holy Spirit, and for the strength she drew from the Bread of Life to labour until death for the glory of your name, in loving dependence on Mary, Mother of the Church.

Confident, O Merciful Father, that her life was pleasing to you, I beg you to grant me, through her intercession, the special favour I now implore, [...] and to make known by miracles the glory she enjoys in Heaven, so that she may be glorified also by your Church on earth, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Rudgate Ramblings

Mike Forbester from Middlesborough has started a blog called Rudgate Ramblings. Mike organises the Rudgate Singers, a choir that aims to restore Sacred Music to it proper context in the Sacred Liturgy rather than leaving it to the concert hall or recording studio. They sing four or five times a year, usually but not exclusively, at Masses in the usus antiquior. They recently sang at Mass at the solemn Mass at St Mary's, Newcastle (see Forest Murmurs report) and will be singing tomorrow at the Solemn Mass at Brinkburn Priory.

Great post on the Pope in Paris

Andrew Cusack has the best photo-post I have seen on The Pope in Paris. Andrew has worked hard to find the best illustrative photos and added his own customarily incisive commentary.

High Mass at Aylesford

Tomorrow I will be going to Aylesford for the annual pilgrimage of the Latin Mass Society. High Mass is at 1pm: Fr Charles Briggs will be celebrant, I will be Deacon and Fr John Boyle will be Subdeacon. It would be great to see you if you are in the area. There is a talk, Rosary, and Benediction at 3pm although I may not be able to stay for all of that since I have confessions back in the parish later.

I always enjoy visiting Aylesford and believe that it is under-rated as a pilgrimage destination. The priory was founded in 1242, confiscated by Henry VIII in 1538, and purchased again by the Carmelites in 1949. It was the home of St Simon Stock who received the brown scapular from Our Blessed Lady. His skull is venerated in a special shrine and there are several representations of Our Lady giving him the scapular. There are chapels dedicated to the English Martyrs, to St Joseph (with scenes from the life of the prophet Elijah), to St Anne, and to the Carmelite saints.

A welcome delivery

The postman brought this for me today:

and here you can see where it has come from:

This is my new cassock from Gammarelli. checking the receipt, I see that I ordered it on 2 May 2007 when I was in Rome. They told me that it would take about a year; every now and again I have been thinking "I must ring them up" but the arrival of the parcel means that is one less job to do.

It's now hanging up to get the creases out and I think perhaps the High Mass at Aylesford tomorrow will be a good first outing for it. I have two cassocks, one for Sundays and feasts, and the other for weekdays. My Barbiconi cassock has been the Sunday one and will now be relegated to weekdays. The Wippells cassock I bought many years ago was much more expensive than either of the Roman tailors and has not been at all as durable. It'll go to the dry cleaners and then into the servers' sacristy. Several of the boys are as tall as I am (not difficult) and I'm sure one of them will "bag" it.

More photos from Bootcamp

Puella Paschalis has posted this link to a collection of photos from the Bootcamp that I went to speak at in the Netherlands last month. There is one where I am attempting to pronounce Dutch correctly with help from the students.

They were very kind about my efforts.

Here is another photo from Mass: the singing of the Gospel:

The vestment was made by a lady locally and was very fine. It meets the requirements set out by Fr Anthony Symondson in his article submitted to NLM questioning the Borromean revival where he reminds us of a decision of the Sacred Congregation of Rites that

'a chasuble may reach a little below the wrists, or a little below the shoulder, but not in between.'

Personally, I quite like the Borromean chasuble and all things Borromean but it is good to know that the chasuble I was wearing met the strictest standards.

I liked the following picture because it captures the atmosphere at the Masses. In somewhat spartan conditions, the students are reverent, attentive and participating fully.

Looking at these pictures and remembering the Bootcamp, I realise that this was a very rich experience for me and I would certainly be willing to go again if invited. There is something deeply good about this initiative and I am sure it is something providential not only for the Church in the Netherlands but for Europe. The Good Lord does not always use grand expensive schemes to further his plan but will always use those who are humble, sincere and loyal to the Church.

Flying off the calendar

So why is St Joseph of Cupertino not in the General Calendar any more? Here is the text from the commentary on the Calendarium Romanum Generale of 1969 which was drawn up by the Council for the Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy:

Memoria S. Iosephi de Cupertino (d. Auximi, anno 1693), anno 1769 in Calendario romano ascripta, Calendariis particularibus relinquitur, quia non agitur de Sancto "momentum universale revera prae se ferente".

The memoria of St Joseph of Cupertino (d. at Osimo 1693), added to the roman Calendar in 1769, is left to particular Calendars because it is not a matter of a Saint "of truly universal importance".

The last quotation is from Sacrosanctum Concilium n.111. The context is given by a fuller quotation:

Lest the feasts of the saints should take precedence over the feasts which commemorate the very mysteries of salvation, many of them should be left to be celebrated by a particular Church or nation or family of religious; only those should be extended to the universal Church which commemorate saints who are truly of universal importance.

Sacrosanctum Concilium is concerned that feasts of saints should not blot out feasts commemorating the mysteries of salvation; but in the General calendar, today is now a feria for which the orations are taken from the Sunday "of the year" which would have been celebrated had the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross not occurred. It seems that some other consideration was at work. It cannot be to preserve the celebration of the "mystery of salvation" through the readings of the new Lectionary since those are normally used anyway on a simple memorial of a saint.

One principle given in the Commentary on the Renewed Liturgical Year is that they wished to achieve a certain chronological and geographical equilibrium, including saints from every century and every continent and not allowing saints from Italy and France to be too numerous. (None of which has the slightest mandate from the Fathers of Vatican II.) Presumably that principle was combined with the judgement that St Joseph of Cupertino is not a saint of truly universal importance in the decision to drop him from the calendar.

Devotees of particular saints will argue until the cows come home about their saint being of universal significance, of course, and someone has to make a judgement. Nevertheless, in the heady days of the late 1960s, I wonder whether another factor was a distaste for the extraordinary manifestations of grace in the life of the flying Franciscan.

Challoner on the silent canon

Some time back, I downloaded the (59Mb) pdf of Challoner's Garden of the Soul. Years ago I had a lovely small copy of this devotional work and still hope that it is somewhere around and that I will find it again. Looking up something from the electronic copy for a friend, I clicked through what Challoner says about how to hear Mass devoutly. I was struck by what he said about the silent Canon:

After the Preface follows the Canon of the mass, or the most sacred and solemn part of this divine service, which is read with a low voice, as well to express the silence of Christ in his passion and his hiding at that time his glory and divinity, as to signify the vast importance of that common cause of all mankind, which the priest is then representing as it were in secret to the ear of God; and the reverence and awe with which both priest and people ought to assist at these tremendous mysteries.

St Joseph of Cupertino

In the local calendar for Southwark, today is the feast of St Edith of Kemsing (where she was born), often known also as St Edith of Wilton (where she was a religious).

In the 1962 calendar is is the feast of St Joseph of Cupertino, a Franciscan who is much loved for the tragi-comic and utterly Franciscan character of his life, particularly his flying. EWTN has the article by Alban Goodier SJ: "St Joseph of Cupertino: the dunce. 1603-1663" from his book "Saints for Sinners" book. (I loved the story about the time the shepherds did not turn up to the little chapel for devotions so he called the sheep over to join him in the Litany of Loreto.)

The title of Goodier's article refers to St Joseph's inability to study and the providential help that was given him at his examinations. hence, in addition to being a patron saint of aviators, he is invoked by nervous students before their exams. this prayer is commonly used:

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us.

Many thanks to Catholic Fire for the following clip from a 1962 film about his life.



The film is listed on the US Amazon as a VHS video but "currently unavailable". I hope someone makes it available on DVD.

Vespers from the Oratory on Radio 3

Yesterday, Radio 3 broadcast Vespers from the London Oratory for the feast of the Stigmata of St Francis. You can listen via the programme page on the Radio 3 website for up to a week after the programme (which is also being repeated on Sunday at 4pm). Here is the summary:

Organ Prelude: Intonatio del settimo tono (Andrea Gabrieli)
Invitatory: Deu in adjutorium meum (Croce)
Antiphons and Psalms: 110, 111, 112, 113, 117 (Plainsong)
Hymn: Iste confessor (Palestrina)
Antiphon: Hic vir despiciens (Plainsong)
Canticle: Magnificat octavi toni (Victoria)
Motet: O viridissima virga (Hildegard of Bingen)
Antiphon of Our Lady: Salve Regina (Philips)
Organ Voluntary: Chaconne in F (Fischer)

Organist: John McGreal
Celebrant: The Very Rev Ignatius Harrison
Director of Music: Patrick Russill.

H/T massinformation

New cellphone

Actually, we call them "mobile phones" in England. The Mulier Fortis told me that mine must be due for an upgrade so the other day, while on my way to pick up my recovered backup hard drive (that's right - the backup failed!) I popped into the T-Mobile shop in Eltham.

This is always fun because I am one of their best customers. My SIM card still has "One to One" on it, demonstrating that I have been very loyal (mainly through inertia, actually). Unlike the banking industry, the mobile phone industry rewards such loyalty. I asked whether I was due for an upgrade. Excitedly, "Sylvia", a charming young African lady, said that I was indeed due to get a new phone on special terms. She looked up tariffs, brought out demo phones and took me through all the options until I decided that the MDA Compact IV would be a nice phone to have. So what deal could be done?

Sylvia phoned up the "Retention" people, gave all my details and advised me to take a cheaper tariff. She was uncertain whether I would benefit from this or from paying a higher tariff and getting a good deal on the cost of the phone. When she checked, she was herself visibly surprised that "Retention" said that I could have the cheaper tariff and have the £200 phone for £20. She told me that I was a "Very High Profile Customer". I have to say that this is probably because of paying my bills regularly over more years than some of their younger customers have been alive rather than my profile as a Catholic blogger.

Anyway, I now have a very snazzy 3G/HSDPA phone that will make my breakfast and emit a customised ringtone in the presence of doctrinal or liturgical aberrations. Here it is with a packet of fags to give the scale:

CatholicVote.com video

Diane at Te Deum Laudamus sent me a link to this video, produced by Grassroots media, the company that produced "God in the Streets of New York" and "Fishers of Men". It makes the important point that while there are many important issues in an election, some, such as the sanctity of life and the protection of the family, are more important than others.



Of course this will be of more immediate interest to readers in the USA but I would suggest that something of this sort would be helpful for the next General Election in the UK - something that would appeal to voters in Britain where there is perhaps a more cynical electorate.

Excellent reporting in France

I was sent a link to this video today which shows the Papal motorcade in Paris. The commentary is in French so if you don't understand French, just go to 1'32" to see the banner which reads "Thank you Most Holy Father for Summorum Pontificum"



Most of the commentary is given by a woman journalist who gives an excellent summary of the effect of Summorum Pontificum and of the issues raised by it. She even makes the fine point that the term "extraordinary form" is a juridical one and that the Holy Father has made it clear that there is no contradiction between the two forms of the rite. On mutual enrichment, she says that the older form could benefit from more prefaces, and that the newer form can benefit from the understanding that the Eucharist is not the assembly of one community but an act of the whole communion of the Church, and an act of adoration of God.

A priest also gives comments, noting that there had been a great controversy in France and that the Holy Father's intention had been to promote reconciliation. At the end, he reminds the viewers that the Holy Father comes to us as the successor of Peter, given to us by Christ to guide the Church and that we should welcome him with joy because he makes us stronger in our Christian life.

This footage from KTO was broadcast on France 2 and on giant screens around Paris.

(My correspondent said that the priest was a Parisien and that he had some particular responsibility in the diocese of Paris. I'd be grateful if anyone can fill in the details here.)

"Joe versus the volcano" blog

Mark Armitage, a lay Catholic academic writer, living in Durham, contributes occasional essays to journals such as The Thomist, New Blackfriars, Nova et Vetera and The Chesterton Review. He recently started a blog calledJoe versus the volcano.

The blog aims to present perspectives on theology, church-life and politics from a conservative Catholic perspective. As he explains, the title is taken from the Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks film but "Joe" could refer to Joseph Ratzinger, warning us gently away from the destructive force that could sweep away life and civilisation.

Try not to annoy Cardinal Castrillon

First the good news. About a year ago, it was announced that there would be a document from the Ecclesia Dei commission clarifying Summorum Pontificum. CNS reports:

Asked about the status of those detailed instructions, Cardinal Castrillon told Catholic News Service that his office had completed its work and passed the draft on to the pope, who would make the final decision about its publication.

The bad news is that Cardinal Castrillon has clearly been annoyed by some people pestering him with further demands. Cf. CNS Cardinal: Some not satisfied even after pope's Tridentine Mass decree (H/T Rorate Caeli)

I agree with the comment by New Catholic that there are also some bishops who could be criticised for their opposition to the expressed will of the Holy Father, but I think that we should listen carefully to Cardinal Castrillon. There is a battle going on in the Church over this issue, including, I should imagine, a lot of subtle but intense machinations at the Vatican. We do need to be supportive of those who, like the good Cardinal, have bent over backwards to give us encouragement.

Cardinal Castrillon's various addresses on the occasion of his visit to London (see the Latin Mass Society website for the texts) were generous and very helpful for those attached to the usus antiquior. His Eminence stuck his neck out for us and although we may not always feel that things are moving fast enough, it is important to appreciate the difficulties of his situation.

Fr Z's rules of engagement are a good summary. Eg.

Speak less of our rights and what we deserve, or what it ought to have been, as if we were our own little popes, and more about our gratitude, gratitude, gratitude for what God gives us.

New blog from Brighton

Laurence England, a parishioner of Fr Ray Blake at St Mary Magdalen's, Brighton, has recently started a blog called That the bones you have crushed may thrill (ponderings of a Catholic layman) which is well worth a look.

Petition against extending abortion to N. Ireland

A petition has recently been started by Miss A Burt. It reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to deny any extension planned for the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland, as we believe in the right to life.

There is an opposite petition, supporting the extension of the abortion act to Northern Ireland so it would be good to get plenty of signatures.

Sign the petition
(You have to be a British citizen or resident to sign.)

Praying the Breviary

Fr Sean Coyle has a post on praying the Breviary, including the impact that it can make on others. (Cf Bangor to Bobbio: Pope Benedict in Paris and Father Flanagan of Boys Town)

With Christ on Calvary

H/T to Tony from The Muniment Room for this video of a group of young men who stood on the steps of the Cathedral at Neuquén in Argentina to protect it from desecration during a demonstration by pro-abortionists. You can see them calmly praying the Rosary despite being insulted and spat upon.



Francisco José Fernández de la Cigoña describes how the bishop went out to remonstrate - with the guys praying the Rosary! His post is Unos jóvenes valientes que pasan de un obispo cobarde but I should warn you: although my Spanish is not good enough to understand the various colloquialisms about pantaloons and intestines, it is fairly clear that he is not very complimentary about the bishop.

Launch of "Usus Antiquior"

Yesterday was a full day - 9am Novus Ordo, 10.30am Missa Cantata, two Baptisms, then on to Vespers and Benediction at the London Oratory, followed by the launch of the journal Usus Antiquior (and then on to Wonersh to be ready to lecture this morning).

Above you can see Fr Z's photo from the sanctuary during the preparation for Benediction. the Liturgy of the Oratory is still, in Faber's words describing the Traditional High Mass of the Roman Rite, "The most beautiful thing this side of heaven" and I never fail to be moved by it. When I was young, I used to attend occasionally. In those days, I did not know the Fathers of the Oratory. Now I know many of them and count them as good friends - but in the Liturgy, their personality is subsumed into the sacred action and it scarcely matters which of the Fathers are acting as Sacred Ministers. It is so emphatically not about "me the celebrant" but the humble and awe-filled worship of Almighty God.

After Vespers, we repaired to the beautiful St Wilfrid's Hall for the launch of the new journal dedicated to the study of the ancient Roman Rite. Susan Parsons (right) introduced the proceedings, also conveying apologies from various people. She left the most significant letter to be read by Alcuin Reid - from Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, offering a generous and warm-hearted appreciation of the venture. Fr Ignatius Harrison, the Provost of the London Oratory (left) gave a generous welcome on behalf of the Fathers, and then Drs Reid and Hemming (centre) gave their addresses.

Dr Reid spoke of the newly found freedom of the classical liturgy:

The classical Roman liturgy, that powerful and rich deposit of the Church’s tradition, now unfettered, is increasingly available throughout the world. This treasury from which today more and more Catholics regularly draw nourishment, not by way of the satisfaction that one obtains in visiting the splendid yet safely encased medieval collections in the [Victoria and Albert] Museum next door, but by way of being in tangible, fruitful and unedited contact with all that nourished the faith of our fathers, and their fathers before them that treasury, is now free from the putative “abrogation” visited upon it in less happy times.

Dr Hemming's address was superbly well crafted: witty, challenging and inspiring. He spoke of the initial encouragement that had been received:

We have no publisher as yet. No department’s ranking depends on our efforts. There is no staff beyond the voluntary, there is no money. This venture should be still-born. And so I am delighted to say that of the nine academics in seven countries we approached to form our editorial board, not one so much as demurred, let alone declined: all enthusiastically accepted. Each is, in his or her own right, an academic of outstanding international significance. Far from colleagues or former teachers, our Board were until now, with only one or two exceptions, not well, or even at all, personally known to us. We have had indications of genuine excitement from across the Anglophone world, and beyond it. We have had over 350 of potential subscribers – including seminaries – even in the United Kingdom.

Fr John Boyle has posted all the full texts: see 'Usus Antiquior' launched. The Usus Antiquior website has the list of members of The Editorial Board.

As always at these occasions, it was good to meet with a variety of friends. Here you can see (left to right) Julian Chadwick, chairman of the Latin Mass Society, Fr Andrew Wadsworth, the Chaplain to the Society of St Catherine of Siena, and Marigold Turner, the indefatigable LMS rep for the Kent area of the Southwark Diocese.

Fr Zuhlsdorf has been staying at St Bede's, Clapham Park and so this was the first chance I had to catch up with him on his visit to England.

He will be coming to stay at Blackfen so I had better get a man in to blow out the internet tubes to make sure there are no blockages to prevent hyper-traffic blogging.

Fr Charles Briggs came up with me to the launch and we were delighted to meet Fr Guy Nicholls from the Birmingham Oratory with whom we shared some happy times at the English College in Rome in the early 1980s.

Frs Briggs and Nicholls are non-blogging priests who appear on other people's blogs (Fr Guy usually on his bicycle at Jackie Parkes's blog, the Catholic Mom of 10). Conversely, there was a lady who blogs but does not appear in photos on other people's blogs. But you can tell from the state-of-the-art mobile and the mantilla that it is the Mulier Fortis.

Ordinary form music problem

Jeffrey Tucker has written an excellent article summarising the problem with music as it is usually experienced in the ordinary form of the Mass. (Cf. No More Roadblocks)

The only time that most people get to hear the music that is prescribed to be sung at Mass is when they attend a sung Mass in the extraordinary form.

Everywhere else in town—and this is true of all neighboring towns—Masses are all vernacular, facing the people, and the music is the usual hit parade. Instead of propers, there are hymns of various shapes and styles, and instead of a Gregorian ordinary, there is a peppy “Mass setting” in English.

If you go to the engine room in the choir practice area you will find a sheet that looks like this:

Setting: Creation
Pro: random hymn
Off: random hymn
Com: random hymn
Rec: random hymn

Jeffrey agrees with the suggestion of Laszlo Dobszay in his book "Bugnini-Liturgy and the Reform of the Reform" that "the provision to permit another songs to replace the propers needs to be completely stricken from the rubrics."

If this were to happen, it would mean that each Sunday, people could hear the proper texts of the Mass. Even if the texts were sung in English to a psalm tone, it would make an enormous difference to the average Sunday sung Mass.

Pope at Lourdes

here is a video of the Apostolic Blessing of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, given at Lourdes yesterday, followed by the Salve Regina.



Catholiques has posted this and a number of other videos of the Papal visit to YouTube.

Failure to splat the rat

This afternoon, the Union of Catholic Mothers in my parish put on a garden party with scones, jam, cream, home-made cakes and sandwiches, tea, pimms, and chilled white wine. There were various activities for the children and I had at go at the "Splat the Rat" game at which I was a miserable failure. They still gave me a lollipop as a consolation prize.

More on boys and men

George has put this link up in the combox in response to my post on Boys and men. James Stenson offers some sound advice to fathers which may be of help and encouragement.

Watching the papal visit

Just before going to prepare for Mass, I have been watching some of the Papal Mass at the Esplanade des Invalides on KTO.

The above screen capture from the Offertory shows the "benedictine altar arrangement" well with the focus on the crucifix. Here is a view of the congregation stretching down the esplanade:

Heraldry for priests

Fr Guy Selvester, the Catholic blogosphere's expert on heraldry, has a post defending the idea of A Coat of Arms for Priests. He quotes the support of the late Archbishop Bruno Heim, an unassailable authority on such matters. I rather like the idea of putting the ecclesiastical hat on the top. Have a look at his post for various examples such as this one:

Since Fr Selvester has dealt with the predictable objection that a priest having a coat of arms is "pretentious", I wonder if it would be a good idea for me to have a coat of arms. What do you think? (It might look nice on the blog.) I did learn a little bit about heraldry from a priest who taught history in the second year at the Fisher school in the days before teachers were slaves of the National Curriculum, but that was a long time ago. I know that this is a sensitive subject and would not want to commit any heraldic solecisms so I would need someone to design something suitable...

More on lectionaries

Commenting on the previous post, Kevin Edgecomb has very kindly sent a link to an online collection of ancient and modern lectionaries, both Western and Eastern which he has compiled. See Lectionaries Old and New. He observes:

Most often, the readings (in the original languages) will engage in wordplay, as in the numerous readings involving crowns on St Stephen's day (stephanos=crown), and so on. It is the liturgical voice of the Church, as canonical as anything can possibly be, directing the hearing of the people to a depth of reading that the black-and-white printed pages convey. The Church has always done as Blake said he did: "Both read the Bible day & night / But thou readst black where I read white."

Fr Z blogging from Clapham Park

Fr Zuhlsdorf is in England and has managed to get on that interweb thingy by borrowing some of the electric rays from St Bede's Clapham Park.

Now, as everyone knows, the internet is best described as a series of tubes. At Clapham Park, in advance of Fr Z's visit, Fr Basden has arranged for some upgrade work to be done to install larger tubes so that lots of blogs can get through.

There is also a team of gentlemen inspecting every byte that comes back up through the tubes in case there are any viruses that might cause the big bang to happen all over again via Fr Z's slingbox.

We'll be meeting up on Sunday at the London Oratory for the launch of the journal Usus Antiquior provided that the trusty team have shown their customary attention to detail.

Traditional Anglican Pastor on older lectionary

I received by email this interesting link to an article by the Rev Edward L Rix, the pastor at All Saints' Church in Wynnewood, a traditional Anglican parish serving the heart of Philadelphia's Main Line: An Introduction To The Western Lectionary

This passage echoes something I have tried to explain many times in sermons:

In an age where a typical Bible study class consists of folks sharing what a particular passage of Holy Scripture 'means to me,' we do well to recall St. Peter's admonition that "no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation." Indeed, because of the preponderance of private interpretation, many of our churches have abandoned their appointed role of guarding the deposit of our faith, teaching the whole counsel of God and 'transmitting the same unimpaired to their posterity.'

I don't agree with his subsequent remarks on the "primacy" of holy scripture over tradition (nor indeed does Vatican II which said that scripture and tradition are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence) but I was particularly struck by his approach to the reading of the bible, starting with the lectionary of the traditional Mass:

Perhaps the best place to start a study of Scripture then, is with those lections or readings appointed by the Church for Sunday Services. And because it is the product of over 15 centuries (roughly from the time of Gregory the Great) of wisdom and meditation, I would commend the traditional lectionary of Western Churches of Christendom; that set of readings used with small variations by all Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans until recent decades. I do so because even though only a small number still use this lectionary, it is being rediscovered by a new generation of younger Christians in concert with their rediscovery of traditional patterns of prayer and worship. Indeed, Pope Benedict's Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum of 2007 clearly commends the use of this traditional lectionary where the Tridentine Mass is celebrated.

Papal visit to France - live coverage and liturgical programme

Thanks to two commenters for these links:

Live video coverage of the visit from KTO.

The programme of Liturgical Celebrations (pdf) from the Vatican website.

Herald coverage of Pope's visit to France

The Catholic Herald has a portal for coverage of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to France this weekend. The Editor, Luke Coppen has a very good background article. Cf. The Editor’s Notes "Behind Enemy Lines!.

Boys and men

There was a good interview on Zenit yesterday with Meg Meeker, the author of "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know." and "Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons." (Cf. Helping boys become men)

Meeker points out something with which many parish priests will be familiar:

We have too long championed girls' successes in academics and athletics and boys have been neglected. In fact, they have become casualties of the war, if you will, to further the cause of girls and women and have been losing out for a good 20 years now.

In parish life, this is reflected in the fact that from "children's liturgy" upwards, girls predominate as active participants in parish activities. I am personally very much in favour of arranging at least some single-sex activities in order to create space for boys to be boys and girls to be girls.

The shrill cry of "stereotyping" utterly misses the point. The "stereotypes" of the secular world are most strongly present when boys and girls feel the need to impress one another. Freed from this constraint, boys and girls are free to be themselves more naturally without having to fit the stereotype given them by the television. If there are good men and women as role models of faith and life, this will help to reinforce the values that their families naturally want to encourage.

Meeker is quite right that boys have been left out. This is not only a disadvantage for them but also for the girls. It is to nobody's benefit if boys are left without any model or guidance in what it is to be a "real (Christian) man".

The Holy Father in France

France, known as the eldest daughter of the Church, today welcomes the Holy Father, Pope Benedict on his pastoral visit. There is an official site of the French Bishops' Conference which gives the programme and other details. He will be in Paris today and will leave for Lourdes tomorrow afternoon. All of the discourses will be worth following, of course, but it will be interesting to read the address to the French Bishops at the hemicycle on Sunday.

For an insight into liturgical matters, see the interview with Mgr Marini in Le Figaro, translated at the NLM. They also have the Sacramentary for the visit.

Scotus and the Immaculate Conception

This morning after breakfast, Fr Peter Damien Fehlner gave a lecture on the sources of Scotus' theology in tradition. Fr Fehlner has been teaching theology from a Scotist perspective since before the second Vatican Council and is immensely learned. Having always favoured the Scotist view of the Incarnation and the primacy of Christ in creation, it was fascinating to hear this position spoken of by someone who has such facility with the sources.

My paper had to follow that! I spoke of the development of the consensus on the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception between the death of Blessed John Duns Scotus and the 1854 definition. My paper was therefore of necessity a summary overview. I also looked at the way in which the object of the feast of the conception of Mary became more specifically determined, and how intemperate opposition to the "pious belief" in the Immaculate Conception always seemed to result in a step forward for the general acceptance of the doctrine.

The definition of the doctrine was a final vindication of the brilliant defence of it by the Blessed John Duns Scotus and, as Fr Fehlner highlighted, prevented the Scotist tradition from being lost to the Church during the turbulence of the 19th century.

The third lecture this morning was given by Fr Alessandro Apollonio FI who is the Principal of the Immaculate Mediatrix seminary at Cassino, the principal seminary for the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. His lecture was on the subject of the putative "debt" of original sin in Mary. This is a rather technical question, introduced by the Dominican, Cardinal Cajetan. Fr Alessandro's paper illustrated the principle "a minore ad maius" which means literally "from the lesser thing to the greater" and means that if you treat carefully of a small, clearly defined question, you learn more about the greater and more general questions.

Fr Fehlner (left) and Fr Alessandro (right)

A Pilgrimage to Duns

When I arrived at Grey College, Durham, yesterday evening in time for supper, the participants in the Conference were returning from an afternoon trip to Duns in the Borders of Scotland, the birthplace of the Blessed John Duns Scotus whose Mariology was the subject of the Conference.

Cardinal O'Brien, Archbishop of Edinburgh graciously gave an afternoon to celebrate Mass in the parish Church of Duns, and to meet the Friars, the Sisters and all those taking part in the pilgrimage. The next picture shows him with Fr Stefano Manelli FI, the founder and Minister General of the Franciscans of the Immaculate.

And here is a photo of His Eminence with the whole group:

One or two of the Friars said to me that the Cardinal seemed quite moved by the gathering. A gathering of this number of Friars and Sisters is relatively rare in Britain nowadays. To have a choir of sisters singing the chants for the Mass and a genuine pilgrimage of devotion in honour of one of Scotland's most influential and widely neglected sons must indeed have been a heartwarming occasion.

Good company with the Friars

Before leaving Durham this afternoon, I took a USB stick down to the Conference Office, hoping to get some photos. Fra Francis kindly let me have a number of his photos to illustrate my next couple of posts. The Friars will also be posting things onto Air Maria so keep a lookout there.

The Friars are always great company; their theological formation is intense, thorough and totally orthodox - and of course they are all Scotists! I also met a number of the Sisters who have been to my parish either for the Day with Mary or to sing for one of our usus antiquior Masses.

As you can imagine with a group of Franciscans, there is the odd bit of banter. Fra Giles was part of the camera team and Fra Francis asked him to stand for a photo: "Move a little to the right... a little more ..." He managed to get this shot:

Torch of the Faith

Alan and Angeline, graduates of Steubenville, have set up a new website called Torch of the Faith with the particular purpose of serving the new evangelisation and promoting, marriage, chastity and orthodoxy in faith. The site also includes a blog to offer updated news items.

Bl John Duns Scotus conference

This week the International Symposium on the Mariology of Blessed John Duns Scotus is taking place at Grey College, Durham. Tomorrow morning, I will be giving a paper summarising the development of the theology of the Immaculate Conception and the celebration of the feast between the time of Scotus and the definition. From previous experience, I know that these conference are quite high-powered academically with many genuinely learned theologians present. The Franciscans of the Immaculate take their vows of poverty and obedience very seriously - as they do their theology. In such company, I'm rather nervous about my paper...

Today, the participants, including among them many Franciscan friars and sisters of the Immaculate, went to visit the chapel at Duns and were warmly welcomed by Cardinal O'Brien who celebrated Mass for them and spent the whole afternoon with the group. I hope to have some pictures of this event soon from Claudio who showed me some on his camera over supper.

Friar Roderick has his camera with him and is recording various items for Air Maria. I was going to have a listen to Fr Peter Damien Fehlner's opening sermon but I didn't bring any earphones and everyone has gone to bed as it is well past 10 o'clock!

Catholic Scotland blog

There is a new-ish blog (started in July) north of the border called Catholic Scotland ("Reverent - Solemn - Obedient"). It looks a very good, well-presented blog which will be a good source of information.

RAI film about Pope Pius XII

The above is only the first part in a series of videos uploaded to YouTube by Darsham. (Go to his channel to find the others.)

New blog for St Gemma Galgani

Glenn Dallaire of Bristol, Connecticut, has recently started a blog devoted to St Gemma Galgani with quotations from her writings and posts showing her heroic life. See Saint Gemma Galgani. Glenn, married with six children, hopes by this blog to inspire others to a greater love of Jesus and Mary. Please say a prayer for him and his family.

Islamic bias on Channel 4

Fr Ray Blake has posted Eheu! Channel 4 about a documentary showing this evening on Channel 4 that seeks to show that St Peter did not die in Rome but in Palestine. Clerical Whispers has an article about the programme which was first shown at Easter (The Secrets of the 12 Disciples). It is a sort of Dan Brown style conspiracy theory which finds secret codes in the Bible to show that various Catholic traditions are nefarious invention. It also claims that St Peter was buried in Palestine and that the evidence for his burial in Rome is worthless.

Fr Ray has also published an email pointing out that:

The Commissioning Editor for religious broadcasting at Channel 4 is Aaquil Ahmed, a Muslim. I have long noticed that the only coverage Christianity gets on Channel 4 is in the form of programmes that seeks to undermine the authority of the Church,our traditions and our scripture. Religious programmes concerning Islam (Dispatches does not come into this category) are always propaganda for Islam.

Examples of the latter:
Shariah TV, a series of discussions between young Muslims and experts on Islamic affairs.

"Muslims have brought a wealth of cultural and religious traditions to Britain, and are finding new and creative ways to..."

Osama Loves where Farrah and Masood search for 500 people called Osama. Farrah says:

"Meeting Muslims from cultural backgrounds hugely different from my own has reconnected me with some of the more beautiful and unifying aspects of the faith itself."

Compare the website's summaries of Christianity and Islam.

Samples from the Christianity page:

Attempts to enforce obedience to the Roman Catholic church became increasingly aggressive, particularly in Spain, where the Inquisition tortured 'heretics' into submission. In many countries Protestants were persecuted and driven out.

(C4 tends to go for Catholics and Evangelicals mainly.)

Christians believe in a single god who encompasses three elements, known as the Holy Trinity:

(Oh just scribble down anything - it's a nonsense belief anyway.)

Samples from the Islam page:

Born in 570AD in Mecca, in the country now called Saudi Arabia, at the age of 40, Muhammed had visions in which the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) taught him to recite the teachings of the one true god, Allah. The words were recorded as the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book.

(This is given in the "history" section, not the "beliefs" section.)

For Muslims, faith and action are interwoven – religion is a way of life

(Just "for Muslims"?)

And finally - take a look at The Hajj "Hajj is finished but not forgotton in the hearts of millions... Watch our exclusive video from Mecca... Take the Virtual Hajj. It's the closest thing to being there."

My point in posting all this is not to denigrate Islam but rather to draw attention to the kind of treatment that can be given to Religion and how far it is from the customary treatment given to beliefs and practices that are sacred to Christians. Imagine if coverage of the World Youth Day included a special series that showed how

"Meeting Christians from cultural backgrounds hugely different from my own has reconnected me with some of the more beautiful and unifying aspects of the faith itself."

Requiem Mass for Fr Bailey

At Blackfen, our normal practice on Saturday morning at the closing of the hour of Eucharistic Adoration is to pray for the deceased parish priests. Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Fr Bailey, one of my predecessors. Since it was the first Saturday of the month, we had a Missa Cantata and at the request of the MC and schola, this was a Requiem for Fr Bailey. The Mulier Fortis captured a couple of photos. Here is one:

"strange and alien teachings"

On his blog Tidbits, Bishop Medroso from the Philippines has a thoughtful and interesting article called The People of God, the Liturgy and the Religious Artists. He looks at the question of modern architecture and its theological basis. He quotes H Reed Armstrong:

If man already lives an "engraced" existence naturally, and the sacramental union with Christ is ontologically superfluous, a mere symbol of entrance into a "faith community," then the altar rail (iconostasis, the rood screen) that separates the natural world of the faithful and the supernatural world of the Divine mysteries must go. As Christ is already present in the community, the sacramental presence of Our Lord in the tabernacle is now superfluous and can therefore be removed from the sanctuary precinct. With the traditional concept of the Mystical Body obscured, the images of saints and holy mysteries, a tradition going back to the catacombs, are removed in favor of a single figure of the "Risen Lord"

He is grateful that the laity have not succumbed to these "strange and alien teachings".

Conference on Cardinal Siri

Next Friday and Saturday, there is a conference in Genoa on the Cardinal Siri. Fr Michael Lang is giving a lecture on the theme "Liturgy, Music and Sacred Art: Cardinal Siri, Liturgist." I very much look forward to reading this paper. Cardinal Siri was a cultured and scholarly Italian prelate of the old school and, in keeping with that tradition, a fine pastoral Bishop. It is probably a good time now to rediscover his work.

You can download the programme (Italian) from the Cardinal Siri website.

The title of the conference in italian is "Momenti, Aspetti e Figure del Ministero del Card.Giuseppe Siri". "Momenti, Aspetti e Figure" is difficult to translate. It takes me back to my days at the Gregorian University when this kind of language was often used. I often used to wonder whether these sort of terms actually meant anything at all. Would "Emphases, Aspects and Impressions" be a reasonable attempt?

Philippine Bishop bloggers

While doing a bit of fact-checking at the website of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), I saw that several of the Bishops have their own blogs. Customarily, the mainstream media would make this a "bearded lady" story, and volunteer some weedy jokes; but it seems only common sense for Bishops to use this means of communication. The Philipino Bishops have been able to put out statements on a great variety of subjects including pro-life matters, liturgy, clerical discipline, and matters of social justice in their country. Some of them state that they are maintained by the Media Office of the CBCP. This makes a lot of sense.

Here is a selection:

Bishop Oscar V Cruz - Viewpoints. See especially the blunt article on "reproductive health" Just Asking.

Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo writes Perspectives

Archbishop Angel Lagdameo writes In Season and Out of Season - see his cracking sermon on Humanae Vitae, Celebration Of Family and Life

Bishop Jose R. Manguiran has The Meaning ("Life is meaningful only when it begins and ends with Christ")

Bishop Leonardo Medroso writes Tidbits. His article on Liturgy and Religious art is going to have to be the subject of another post...

More on faith of cosmonauts

A new church has been built at the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Cf. Church at space centre). This is a phenomenon following the collapse of the Soviet Empire and the consequent resurgence of Christianity.

See the interview with cosmonaut Valeriy Korzun at this page from the Orthodox Encyclopaedia site. Around the world, everyone has heard the apocryphal declaration from Yuri Gagarin "I went up to the outer space and didn't find any God there". Korzun comments:

I know another phrase, also said by Gagarin: "If you haven't met God on Earth you won't meet Him in outer space". This phrase is much closer to my heart. A lot has changed: every crew gets a priest's blessing before the launch now.

Nowadays, the Russian cosmonauts receive a blessing from their priest before travelling.

Philippine Bishop, HIV and condoms

The Catholic News Agency has a story from the Philippines about a "Reproductive Health" bill. As ever, this is about preventing reproduction in unhealthy ways. The proponents apparently also want to establish a "two child policy". Archbishop Paciano Aniceto of the Archdiocese of San Fernando has some sensible things to say about it and does not think it will get very far. (Cf. Philippines archbishop optimistic ‘reproductive health’ bill will fail to pass)

It is notable that the Archbishop mentioned the huge profits that pharmaceutical companies stand to gain from the sale of contraceptives. They have been backing the bill of course. Across the South China Sea in Thailand, they have been selling and giving away millions of the things since the "100% Condom Use" programme was introduced by the Government in the early 1990s.

The results can be judged from the UNAIDS 2008 report which estimates by country of the number of people living with HIV. The figures:
Thailand: 650,000 people HIV+
Philippines: <1000

Maybe there are just lots more people in Thailand? No. Cf. the CIA World Factbook:
Thailand: population 65.5 million
Philippines: population 96 million

(On the population figure for Thailand, the CIA Factbook notes that its estimate explicitly takes into account "the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS".)

Each year I try to find time to read SSL International's 2008 Annual Report to shareholders (SSL owns the Durex brand.) The report usually has some interesting nuggets tucked away such as:

In March of this year we closed the Durex condom factory near Barcelona, Spain to transfer production to SSL’s facilities in the lower cost countries of Thailand and India.

See also Organon, a contraceptive producer, now owned by Schering-Plough. In 2004, they started the "Development of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Thai Adolescents" program.

For the sake of the people of the Philippines, I hope that Archbishop Aniceto and the other bishops are successful in telling the condom makers to shove off. With figures as stark as those above for two comparable countries, the allegation of vested interests is not so much speculation as a statement of the bloomin' obvious.

SPUC conference reporting

Richard Marsden of Bashing Secularism has been at the SPUC conference.

He has posted a report on the first talk - on foetal sentience, given by Dr Jeronima Teixeira, a professor and consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. I expect there will be some more reports and perhaps some photos tomorrow.

Arundel and Brighton Communications Office blog

OK, I know that doesn't sound very exciting but let's not be snippy about this. The Arundel and Brighton Communications Office blog is a very sound initiative for the diocese to establish communication via the new media. There has been plenty of justifiable criticism of the Church in England and Wales for not using the new media effectively; personally, I am very glad to see an English diocese using a blog to communicate with the public. Comments are allowed, so go over and say "Hello!".

H/T to a priest of the said diocese, Fr Ray Blake.

"Put down with ruthless calculation"

Gerald Warner has a good post on the American election thingy that we are all dutifully trying to keep up with: Democrat attacks on Sarah Palin have backfired

The squalor of the Democrat muck-raking has seriously annoyed a lot of women who do not share many of the candidate's views but recognise that the points of vulnerability where she has been attacked were precisely those arising from her role as wife and mother.

Pregnant teenage daughter? There is not a hockey mom in America who does not empathise, with the private thought "There but for the grace of God"... So, her son-in-law-to-be was caught fishing for salmon out of season - that is pure Huckleberry Finn.

Some American women are beginning to recognise that the Democrats talk a good game about shattering glass ceilings - provided the beneficiary is a liberal feminist who has bitched her way to the top; but if an average American wife and mother presumes to come out from behind the white picket fence she will be put down with ruthless calculation. Some ladies are getting quite upset about that.

There's also a good article in the Times "Sarah Palin: it's go west, towards the future of conservatism" (H/T Standing on My Head). Here is an extract:

“What's the difference between Sarah Palin and Barack Obama?”

“One is a well turned-out, good-looking, and let's be honest, pretty sexy piece of eye-candy.

“The other kills her own food.”

Now we know, thanks to her triumphant debut at the Republican convention on Wednesday, that Mrs Palin not only slaughters her prey. She impales its head on a stick and parades it around for her followers to jeer at. For half an hour she eviscerated Mr Obama in that hall and did it all without dropping her sweet schoolmarm smile, as if she were handing out chocolates at the end of a history lesson.

I have just read Mac's blog and I think she put it very well:

I would much rather vote for a pro-life non-Catholic than for someone who professed to be Catholic and then ignored the main tenets of the Faith...

"It's the blue of the Virgin's veil"

Thanks to Cathy in the combox for the link to this moving account, by Thomas D Jones, of his first trip into space: Reaching the Heavens: An Astronaut's Spiritual Journey. Here is an extract:

I rolled away from my crewmates, unable to stem the tears evoked by that singular sunrise. My gaze turned to the overhead windows and the Pacific Ocean, the dawn lighting its surface in a rich, limitless blue.

I called out to Kevin and Sid, “Look at that ocean—what an incredible color!” They both turned and drank in hues unmatched by the palette of any human artist. After a moment, Kevin said simply, “It’s the blue of the Virgin’s veil, Tom.” He was right. There were no other words for that vision out the window.

Growing up through the sixties and seventies, I always looked with awe on the idea of space travel and envied those who were able to travel into space. Nowadays it seems that we are more cynical about this and space travel is one of those "page 14" stories unless there is an accident or something. The predictions made in my youth of affordable space travel for the masses have not materialised. Pity. I'd love to have a look at the earth from up there and recite some of the psalms.

Family Conference

Richard Marsden of Bashing Secularism told me today that he is going to the family conference I mentioned in July: "The Faith, the Family, the Future". This is a conference arranged by and for families and promises excellent input from a great line-up of speakers, including Fr Aidan Nichols OP, Fr Luiz Ruscillo (Director of Education for Lancaster Diocese), Fr Stephen Langridge (Vocations Director for Southwark), Fr Roger Nesbitt (co-founder of the Faith Movement) and Antonia Tully of SPUC.

The conference will also provide plenty of opportunity for parents to network and children and young people to make new friends.

It would help greatly if you could book as soon as possible and certainly before the end of September. Other commitments prevent me from going myself but I would recommend this conference to Catholic families looking for a haven of prayer, devotion and a family-friendly atmosphere. You can book up at the website: The Faith, the Family, the Future.

Large Hadron Rap

I have a personal interest in this large hadron colliding business since my brother-in-law has been working for many years on ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment). I have occasionally posted on this experiment and published the necessary retractationes when I got the physics wrong (cf. ALICE, ALICE in jeopardy, and More about ALICE.) Here is a light-hearted introduction:



H/T Catholic Commentary

NAC reclaims student rooms

Some great news from the Pontifical North American College in Rome. A few days ago, they welcomed their largest first year in 40 years, welcoming 61 new seminarians. These have arrived for a few weeks of orientation, and intensive Italian classes before the academic term begins. When the rest of the seminarians return, the NAC will have 208 seminarians. The college was built to house this number but in recent years some rooms have been turned over for other uses. Staff member Mgr Robert Gruss said "These rooms have been reclaimed."

H/T Deacon Greg Kandra

Walsingham Project for the conversion of England

The Keys of Peter have initiated The Walsingham Project, to work and pray for the Conversion of England. they have a good collection of the traditional prayers for the Conversion of England and answer the question "Why England? What about other countries of Europe?"

"The life thou gavest, Lord, we've ended"

A correspondent passed on this link to an outstanding essay by Malcolm Muggeridge: The Humane Holocaust, first published in 1980 in the Human Life Review. Muggeridge looks in more depth people usually do at the similarities between the eugenics of 1930s Germany and the "pro-choice" movement of our times. The idea of euthanasia was first put forward in 1920 and the programme was well underway by the time Hitler rose to power:

From these beginnings, a program of mercy-killing developed which was initiated, directed and supported by doctors and psychiatrists, some of them of considerable eminence - all this when the Nazi movement was still at an embryonic stage, and Hitler had barely been heard of. Initially, the holocaust was aimed, not against Jews or Slavs, but against handicapped Aryan Germans, and was justified, not by racial theories, but by Hegelian utilitarianism, whereby what is useful is per se good, without any consideration being given to Judeo-Christian values, or, indeed to any concept whatsoever of Good and Evil. Subsequently, of course, the number of the killed rose to astronomical figures, and the medical basis for their slaughter grew ever flimsier; but is should never be forgotten that it was the euthanasia program first organized under the Weimar Republic by the medical profession, which led to and merged into the genocide program of 1941-45.

Invoking the example of Nazi Germany is usually frowned upon in polite society and sophisticates cite "Godwin's Law" or the "fallacy of reductio ad Hitlerum."

Perhaps then instead of making comparison's between modern eugenics and Hitler's Germany, we should make the comparison between current medical assaults on human life and those whose advocacy of euthanasia made sure that when the Nazis rose to power, they had a ready-made instrument for their policies of racial hygiene.

Muggeridge draws attention to a prayer devised by an Anglican Bishop for use on the occasion of an abortion which runs: "Into Thy hands we commit in trust the developing life we have cut short,”. Mugg suggests that a hymn would be appropriate for the occasion: "The life thou gavest, Lord, we've ended".

Sung Requiem at Blackfen on Saturday

On the first Saturday of the month, our Mass at Blackfen in the usus antiquior is a Missa Cantata. This Saturday is the anniversary of the death of Fr Bailey who is a former Parish Priest at Blackfen and therefore we will have a sung Requiem with absolutions at the catafalque.

All are welcome, of course. I will not be able to join people for lunch afterwards because I have a wedding in the early afternoon.

Here are some instructions for getting to Blackfen.

A child is for life ...

John Smeaton has an article pointing out that In Britain, unborn children are treated worse than unwanted dogs. One dog is killed every 80 minutes whereas 30 unborn children are killed in the same period. this figure is conservative because it does not include children killed by abortifacient "birth control" or discarded IVF embryos.

Wisdom from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

I was sent this video today of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta speaking on her favourite subjects: love, forgiveness, Jesus ... It is wonderful to be able to see a video of this holy woman.



There is a longer version posted on Love To Be Catholic.

New film explores ideological battle over HIV

LifeSite has a review of a "Miss HIV", a new film about AIDS: Miss HIV: A Film to Change How the World Sees HIV/AIDS. Here is the summary from the film makers:

Miss HIV explores the international collision of HIV/AIDS policies while following the journey of two HIV-positive women who enter the contest in Botswana. Filmed across Africa and the international AIDS conference in Toronto this explosive ethnographic film shares both sides of an ideology struggle. What is happening in Botswana, where half of all pregnant women have HIV, is set against Uganda who has experienced the largest reductions of new infections ever recorded. Unlike any film you've ever seen on AIDS, the story takes you backstage to the Miss HIV pageant and behind the curtain on what is really happening in the war against a virus that is now the leading killer of people under 60 in the world.

John Jalsevac of LifeSite comments:

What is gradually revealed is, in part, the absurdity and hypocrisy of an ideology that is built upon the idea of radical human freedom, and that seeks to normalize HIV in order to erase "stigma", but that in turn stigmatizes anyone who even suggests abstinence or fidelity may be a solution to what is, after all, a sexually-transmitted disease.

As Martin Ssempa, the electric young Ugandan pastor who has been so instrumental in reducing HIV rates in his country, says, "You know what I find? I find that these guys have an irrational fear of abstinence. I mean they're paranoid. When you say the word abstinence they go 'Arraghagh! Stop!' And then, if you really want to get them riled up, say something about faithful in marriage. They want to pull their hair out!"

See the trailer for Miss HIV at EthnoGraphic Media

Excellent USCCB pro-life teaching

A couple of days ago, I linked to a roundup of responses from US Bishops to the nonsense from Nancy Pelosi about medieval theories of animation and their supposed relevance to the abortion debate.

Now the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement: Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church’s Constant Teaching. The old chestnut about St Thomas Aquinas and the infusion of the soul is often raised in the UK too: the USCCB statement is a model response. You might even say that it was "passionate and courageous", daring to "speak the truth in love" as opposed to "safe and flat".

It is also available as a pdf.

CDF notification on Fr Tomislav Vlašić

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has written to the bishop of Mostar-Duvno to inform him that they are investigating the case of Fr Tomislav Vlašić and asking him, for the good of the faithful, to inform the community of his canonical status; that is, having fallen into a censure of interdict latae sententiae.

Full details from the official site of the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno: The canonical status of Rev. Fr Tomislav Vlašić OFM.

One of the alleged seers of Medjugorje, Marija Pavlovic, in 1988 repudiated any approval for Fr Vlašić's co-ed religious community in Italy.

Google Chrome

Woo! Just downloaded Google Chrome I guess tomorrow is today in America or something. Odd having the tabs at the top but I'm sure that will be easy to get used to. Looks very clean and works fast. The "new tab" feature is excellent, showing thumbnails of most visited pages, a list of recent bookmarks and recently closed tabs. I think this could be very good.

Violence against Christians who help "Dalits"

The disturbing violence against Christians in recent days was based on the pretext that Christians were involved in the assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. In fact, Maoist fanatics have themselves claimed responsibility for the assassination.

Sandro Magister has an interesting article analysing what has been cited as the real reason for the violence: the work that Christians are carrying out to help "Dalits" and others at the bottom of the Indian Caste system. (Cf. In India, the Christians' Offense Is Fighting Against Slavery)

It is interesting to see the subtle bias in the BBC report on the matter:

The BBC's Rahul Tandon in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, says it is a complex issue - Hindu groups have long accused Christian priests of bribing poor tribes and low-caste Hindus to change their faith.

Christians say lower-caste Hindus convert willingly to escape the Hindu caste system.

"Complex issue" is standard MSM-speak for "I don't want to say anything in support of Christians/pro-lifers etc., but can't overtly attack them here"; "bribing to change their faith" and "converting to escape" are, of course, heavily loaded expressions, implying that both the charitable work and the conversions are insincere.

Here is how Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Chuttack-Bhubaneswar put it:

"Before, they were like slaves. Now, some of them study in our schools, start businesses in the villages, demand their rights. And those who – even in the India of the economic boom – want to keep intact the old division into castes are afraid that they will gain too much power. Orissa today is a laboratory. What is at stake is the future of millions of Dalits and tribals living all over the country."

If you offer a slave freedom in the name of Christianity, it may well be that he will take a hard look at the Christian faith in contrast to a religious system that would see him retained as the lowest of the low. To suggest that this is bribery or that the "conversion" comes first, before the aid is given, is tendentious. Christians do not make their charitable work conditional upon conversion - it is given freely because of what Christians believe about the corporal works of mercy and our duty to assist the poor. To describe it as bribery or to imply that subsequent conversions are not sincere is an appallingly partisan approach to reporting this issue. It also gives comfort to those who do increasingly look like old-fashioned fascists, wanting to keep down those they regard as sub-human.

For the latest information, go to the All India Christian Council report on anti-Christian attacks in Orissa.

Blogging single-handed

James Preece (Catholic and Loving It) whom I met on my visit to Hull, is having to write his blog with one hand on account of having punctured the other one with a chisel. Here are the gory details. Say a prayer that his hand heals up OK.

Under Pressure leaflet

SPUC have produced a good leaflet: Under Pressure to help keep people aware of the need to continue the fight against abortion on various fronts - especially moves to extend the Abortion Act to Northern Ireland, allow/pressure nurses and midwives to do abortions, and put restrictions on pregnancy counsellors who won't refer women for abortions.

underpressure - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: underpressure

New google browser out tomorrow

Google has developed a new open-source browser called "Chrome" which takes elements from Mozilla and other open-source projects but is a new browser built from the ground up to address the issues that have arisen with the web since the other browsers were developed.

There is a comic book introduction to the Chrome browser. But be warned - although it is in comic-book format, it is not "Chrome for Dummies" - it goes into quite a bit of detail about the make-up and technical features of the browser. They also make clear their committment to open source and the reasons for this:



I think I'll be trying this out soon.

Never Forgotten – The Suffering Church

Aid to the Church in Need is holding its Annual Westminster Mass and Event on 27 September 2008 with the theme: "Never Forgotten – The Suffering Church"

The programme for the day is as follows:

10:30 – Sung Mass in Westminster Cathedral
11:45 – Registration and Tea/Coffee in the Hall
12:00 – Angelus and Introduction
12:10 – Talk 1 Archbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad
13:00 – Break for lunch (which can be bought locally or you can bring your own sandwiches)
14:00 – Talk 2 Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad
15:00 – Talk 3 Neville Kyrke-Smith – National Director, Aid to the Church in Need (UK)
15:30 – Talk 4 John Pontifex – Head of Press and Information, Aid to the Church in Need (UK)
16:00 – Questions and Answers session
15:45 – Conclusion, Closing Prayer and Blessing

The website gives more information. The site is frame-based with java so I can't link to the actual page but click on "events". Tickets are £5, bookable from the website but I expect you can turn up and pay at the door.

More reports on the Boot Camp

The Catechetical Boot Camp has now finished and the various bloggers have been writing it up and posting photos. Brother Hugo has posted some very kind words - it is good to know that I am not too burdensoime a house guest. He was certainly an excellent host. Bootcamp: de avond van de eerste dag. In an earlier post, he had a photo of the altar of the tent chapel during exposition:

Notio Bonum, Visa Olum is Back, tired, has contracted a Gregorian chant bug, and is considering starting a new religious order.

Summa Catholica ad mentem Sancti Thomae Aquinatis, in the post in the post Boot Camp Warfhuizen has this nice photo of the altar set up for Mass:

and the Puella Paschalis has photos of my getting on a bike and riding it in my cassock - not so easy to get started but I managed:

and the bike was way too big for me. Took me back to the days of getting on my older brother's bike. Anyway, here's proof for Jackie Parkes that I can cycle when provoked!

Install fest update

I haven't quite got to that state - I tried to remember St Ignatius' teaching on accepting the will of God. Actually, it helped. In the "Install Fest" post, I wrote: "I'm hoping that my backup drive is all OK." Silly me! Well the laptop is now at Base Computer Services in Eltham and they are promising to try and recover the data.

Not all bad news, though. A while back, I opened a Google Mail account and my email has been shooing into that as well as into Thunderbird. So I had a backup of all the email since February and have been forced by circumstance to work with Google Mail.

I'm not going back - Google Mail is completely brilliant. It is hard to explain why - rather as it was hard to explain what was useful about email when I first started using it back in the early 1990s - or blogging, for that matter. It is certainly a different way of working with email, based primarily on google's very powerful search engine. There are no "folders" as such - you simply label emails (either manually or automatically) and then you can call them up easily. I put a star on the emails that need a reply or some action - etc. As I say, hard to explain but it works - in spades.

Also in the "good news" section is that the Tiscali broadband is working very well - at a very reasonable price, I've got properly fast broadband as well as free landline calls in the UK and probably all of the countries abroad that I am likely to want to call. So that has saved the parish some money as well as saving me time.

Office Professional has gone on the new PC with no glitches - but Microsoft Money is causing problems since it won't update in order to read the (quite important) files that I have. Lots of other little apps have to go on - Paint Shop Pro which I use for editing photos, Calendarscope (although I may have a good look at Google calendars), the silly Microsoft "active sync" thingy for the mobile (I'm dreading installing that), and perhaps an offline blogging app: I was looking at some of those recently.

This whole experience has made me think more seriously about backing up lots of stuff online. I know there are security issues but we will all be in the soup anyway if google becomes a totalitarian government. I may have a serious look at Flickr - or do you recommend any other photo storage services? Flickr would be good because of providing different sizes of photos, avoiding the need to edit them. I'm wondering about buying some space on a server somewhere to back up everything and have it available on the net when I'm travelling with the new diddy laptop. Does anyone do this? Any recommendations?

Before the old laptop started sulking, I had bought a small webcam to use for Skype calls. I was bowled over by Skype when I was taking the other day to Fr John Zuhlsdorf and had a view of the interior of the Sabine Farm. So that will go on in due course. (Also - must download Skype again.)

We also have a new colour laser printer in the parish office now. The previous one was a complete dog: it would not print paper weighing more than 80gsm: can't remember where I saw that on the box! We generally use 90gsm paper in the parish because the newsletters look better as do general correspondence, leaflets etc. A small part of the complex of evangelisation in a developed country, I suppose.

Frankly it was simplest just to junk the printer. It is now in the tender hands of Bexley Council's Reuse and Recycle Center - a fancy name for what used to be the Council Dump. I have a buyer for the spare toner cartridges we have in the cupboard. They are the most expensive item, of course.

Sadly, having to do all this in a hurry has left me yet again without an opportunity (should I say "window"?) to move over to Linux. One day...

Anyway, here is a video for all you cat lovers - my new technical support assistant:

Bishop Fulton Sheen on "What's my line?"

Dawn Eden is off blogging for a week and very kindly sent me the link to this priceless YouTube clip: