The Hermeneutic of Continuity

You can now read the transcript of the David Quinn and Richard Dawkins debate chaired by Ryan Turbidy on RTE Radio in Dublin. It is obviously constrained by the limits of a live radio show but is interesting nonetheless in that David Quinn comes out of it very well. H/T Countercultural Father

3m body bags could be ordered in flu alert Ministers are considering stockpiling more than three million body bags because of fears of an impending flu pandemic, a senior Government source has revealed. ... 25 per cent of the population could be infected ... hundreds of thousands of deaths ("scientific advisors") ... body bags may have to be used twice. ... mortuaries would run out of space to store bodies ... mass burials or pyres to burn corpses as quickly as possible. ... flu was now judged to have overtaken terrorism PANIC NOW! Whoops - just noticed that this is a story from 2006 UPDATE A Government Policy Advisor who has seen this post has just sent me a graphic that is doing the rounds in the civil service:

There are interesting reactions from the leading MS charities to yesterday's Law Lords' judgement in the Debbie Purdy case. Although they are non-committal on the morality of assisted suicide, the charities are clearly not happy with the way that MS has been portrayed in the propaganda supporting this case. Pam Macfarlane, Chief Executive of the MS Trust , said, "MS is not a terminal condition and we actively campaign for more specialists to deliver the care that is needed for a condition as variable as MS. There is no question that more investment is needed in specialist palliative care and that support for the person with MS and those close to them must be a priority. However people will decide for themselves." Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, said: "Debbie Purdy's victory has pushed MS into the spotlight but there is far more to living with MS – even in its more severe forms – than planning how to die. "There are 100,000 people wit

Puella Paschalis has described in detail the trials and tribulations she underwent to get to the mysterious and little-known suburb of Blackfen. The cab driver at Bexleyheath even said he had to consult the A to Z. (For heaven's sake, it's only a couple of miles away!) Here is the full story in four parts, amusingly told with pictures: Part I Part II Part III Part IV Let me say, without any exaggerated chivalry, that the Puella Paschalis showed no signs to me of having undergone such an arduous journey. After all that, she even turned up with the Mulier Fortis for the 10am Mass on Wednesday making that two mantillas in the front row. To all my good friends in the Netherlands - God bless! The Puella brought memories of an excellent Boot Camp and the new springtime of the Church in your beautiful country.

I haven't been on FB for ages - must spend half an hour or so soon and add people kind enough to ask to be friends with me - but I did go over briefly today in response to Damian's post urging us all to join the Tablet Appreciation Society . After all, it would be churlish not to, in view of the fine rose vestments that they enabled my parish to acquire, courtesy of the readers of Damian Thompson's Telegraph blog . Do go over and write on the wall.

The Year for Priests page at the website of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is very good. As well as Pope Benedict's message, the letter from Cardinal Claudio Hummes, and the message from Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, there is a piece from Fr James Clark who was in Rome when the Year for Priests was launched (pictured with Fr Michael Branch) and an interview with Fr John Flynn.

There is a good quality video produced by EWTN of the Pontifical High Mass celebrated by His Excellency, the Most Rev. Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, on the feast of the Precious Blood, assisted by Members of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Hanceville, Alabama, the residence of Mother Angelica and the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration.

Not that the holy monks and hermits are smashing statues or anything: today in my theology class, we discussed iconoclasm and the second council of Nicea among other things such as the devotion to the Sacred Heart as and application of the doctrine of the hypostatic union, and Christ possessing the beatific vision. Above is a picture from the Long Walk in 2006, with the Novice Master leading the way. I learnt today that the Long Walk is distinct from another long walk, the Prior's Walk, which takes place during August. With their solidly healthy diet, regular rule of life and substantial complement of manual labour in each day, the monks remain very fit well on into old age and the walk would be a challenge to many younger men. I am currently reading Stratford Caldecott's new book Beauty for Truth's Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education which has just been published by Brazos Press. I have been very impressed by the book and recommended it to the Novice Master for the s

One accessory I must get for my car is a lead to plug into the radio so that I can play mp3s through it and listen to talks on my way round the M25 and resist the temptation to listen to the news on Radio 4. On the way back from Parkminster after Vespers, this evening's 5 o'clock news was particularly nauseating as it was announced in tones rather like announcing the freeing of the Birmingham Six, that Debbie Purdy has won her appeal to the Law Lords. They found that according to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, a person has the right to choose how they die, because that is a part of their private life which must be respected. They have ordered the Director of Public Prosecutions to set out a policy statement which will make it clear to the public under what circumstances anyone will be prosecuted for assisting another person to commit suicide. Since there have been over 115 cases of people committing suicide at the Swiss Dignitas clinic and nobody has yet

Last night's Mass was a very beautiful, sacred and at the same time homely occasion. The Parish choir, led by Brenda who has been involved with the music in the parish since before I was born, sang Ludovico Viadana's Missa L'Hora Passa , as well as Crookall's Confirma Hoc and Gounod's Ave Verum at the offertory, and Mozart's Iubilate Deo at Holy Communion. The Schola who come regularly for our first Saturday Missa Cantata sang the proper texts in Gregorian Chant. We had Credo I and finished off with a rousing Te Deum in which there was actuosissima participatio . "Jubilee Secretary", Wendy, organised the printing of a fine booklet for the Mass so that everyone could follow the proper texts and "say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them." (Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium n.54) Our MC, Jonathan Hague ensured that there was a full complement of ten servers, as well as taking an after

It is quite late so this is just a quick post with a couple of photos from the Jubilee Mass this evening. The sanctuary was full with clerics and chierichetti : The Church was full of family, friends and parishioners: And the party afterwards was superb. Many thanks to all those who came and all those who organised and helped. God bless you. More tomorrow...

A short video on the myth of over population: See also the website: Overpopulation is a myth H/T American Papist

A new initiative in the UK, Retrouvaille , offers help for those experiencing difficulties in their marriage. There is a weekend programme in Hatfield, Hertfordshire from 23-25 October. At the Pastoral Affairs section of the Westminster Diocesan website, there is some more information about the weekend.

St Osmund and St Andrew's Primary School in Breightmet, Greater Manchester, is under investigation by Bolton Council because of complaints by neighbours that children laugh too loudly at playtime: Investigators have now caried out noises assessment tests to see if the levels of laughing exceed tolerable limits recommended by the World Health Organisation. Apparently the sports teacher also has an "annoying voice". Fortunately, Bolton council has found that the children's laughter "does not constitute a statutory noise nuisance". I wonder if perhaps the sports teacher's colleagues might stand him a drink if he manages to reach the statutory nuisance decibel level... See the Telegraph article: Children investigated for laughing too loudly

LifeSite news reports today on an interview with Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. See the full interview and the LifeSite report . Quite properly, LifeSite , which is concerned with Catholic moral teaching on pro-life matters, questioned the Cardinal on the link between faithfulness to the norms of the Liturgy and faithfulness to the Church's moral teachings. The Cardinal affirmed that there is an inseparable link between the Eucharist and the defence of life because in the Eucharist we enter into communion with Jesus Christ and His life. This divine life should make us communicate love and defend human life. His Eminence gives an interesting answer on the question of whether there is a movement in the Vatican to return to the traditional manner of reception of Communion (kneeling and on the tongue): If the papal liturgy is a sign, an indication for all the Church, we should promote Communion kneeling and in the mouth. But, this d

On Saturday night, I celebrated Mass in English, versus populum, and preached on the priesthood with some personal reflections. Afterwards there was a lovely reception organised in the Parish Social Club by the Union of Catholic Mothers. The Social Club presented me with a new chalice. The above photo shows me with Eddie Conroy, the Chairman of the Club. I blessed the chalice yesterday after Mass and it will be used for the first time tomorrow evening. I'll also take some more detailed photos for you. (There are more photos of Saturday night's event at Mulier Fortis: Parish Club Presentation ) James Preece quotes Archbishop Nichols saying in his graduate dissertation: "The Church doesn't need any more golden chalices, it needs golden priests." This is, of course, a reminder to any priest of the need for holiness but I think that the recent enhancement of liturgical furnishing at Westminster Cathedral might indicate that the Archbishop would agree that both can he

One you leave the main road, Blackfen can seem rather like a maze - people often get lost trying to find the Church. To add to the difficulty, there are currently roadworks blocking the normal route in. So here is a customised google map to help anyone who will be coming by car to my Jubilee Mass tomorrow evening. There is a route for alternative access to the Church and little clickable placemarkers with information. Here are the normal customised maps: By car By train and bus The postcode is DA15 8LW. The car park at Our Lady of the Rosary will be limited to those with mobility difficulties. We have the kind permission of Pastor Stuart Pendrick to use the car parks at the Baptist Church in Days Lane which is only a few yards away. Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Following on my post about ecclesiastical flooring yesterday, Delia sent a link to an article at the Westminster Abbey website: Conservation work starts on the Cosmati pavement . There is a 56m 2 area of cosmatesque paving in front to the High Altar which was commissioned by Henry III and is reckoned to be the finest surviving example of cosmatesque pavement north of the Alps. Looking at the Abbey website reminds me that it is ages since I last visited the Abbey. I must see whether I could call in and attend Evensong on day when I am in central London.

At the blognic with Fr Z the other day, we got to talking about the email equivalent of "green biro" letters that we receive from time to time. You know the sort of thing: lined paper torn from a pad, green biro really pressed down into both sides of the paper, and extra bits of vitriol written up the sides of the six page missive. With email, you get large capitals in a "fun" font ( O tempora o mores .) These often focus on my utter obsession with lace cottas (go on, look at the archive of posts and you'll see you true that is) and saying Mass "in a tongue not understanded of the people" while turning my back on them. It's amazing just what a baaaad priest you can be without even getting up on the pole-dancing stage at Stringfellows. Well actually, I happen to think that lace cottas are a good thing for the liturgy so long as the vestments are not purple or black - in which case you must wear a plain cotta or alb. (Feel free to put in your plea f

Mgr Richard Moth and I were fellow students at Wonersh in the first year in 1976 and it was fun to see the Italian language announcement the other day (complete with misteaks) telling of his appointment as Bishop of the Forces in succession to Bishop Tom Burns who has gone to Menevia. Mgr Moth is a respected Canon Lawyer, has been Vicar General in Southwark since 2001, has served in the Territorial Army, and is a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He has been the Spiritual Director to the Order's pilgrimages to the Holy Land for some years. Richard is at home with the forces, enjoys horse-riding and has been known to engage in the odd bit of huntin' and shootin' and I am sure will have the respect of officers, men, and fellow-chaplains. I wish him every blessing in his ministry. More information at the Archdiocese of Southwark website, where there is a short bio , and a press release . Please remember Bishop-elect Moth in your pray

I am very happy to pass on news of this year's exhibition of the excellent devotional pictures by Elizabeth Wang. 'The Mystery of Faith': An exhibition of new and rarely seen pictures by Elizabeth Wang runs from 15 July – 31 October 2009. It takes place at a new venue: The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Simon Stock, 'The Carmelite Church', 41 Kensington Church St, London W8 4BB, which is five minutes walk from High Street Kensington tube station and ten minutes walk from Notting Hill Gate tube station. The Church is open daily from 7am to 7pm. Entrance is free, the exhibition is closed during services. Visit www.carmelitechurch.org for directions and www.tfl.gov.uk for weekend tube service. Most of the pictures are recent works, and will be new even to those who know Elizabeth's work well. We hope you will be able to visit. Elizabeth Wang said, "My hope for the visitors who see these pictures is that they will have a firm reminder of God's

Tomorrow, Amnesty International UK will be issuing a new report on the "human rights concerns" faced by women and girls in Nicaragua affected by the recent change to the law on abortion. The 52 page report will be launched at a press conference in Mexico City at 5pm UK time and focusses on the impact of the prohibition of abortion on women whose life is at risk through pregnancy, and survivors of rape and incest. This is all sadly standard pro-abortion propaganda. If Amnesty are going to branch out into a general policy on abortion, they might do well to consider the impact on the human rights of women and girls who are pressured into abortion, who suffer because of abortion, and indeed, since we are talking of Nicaragua, the manner in which politically correct abortion advocates can end up helping to conceal child abuse. (See: BBC helped to cover up child molester )

Stringfellows is a well-known London strip club ... sorry, did I say that? I meant "high-class entertainment venue" which, in addition to "a mouth watering range of dishes from our A La Carte menu", offers: Hundreds of beautiful Angels - fully nude, dancing alongside your table, and at the various stages dotted around the club. Actually, I just checked the mouth watering range of dishes - the range of main courses under "meat" is: Lamb, rib-eye steak, sirloin steak, fillet steak, butterfly steak or ribeye steak with lobster (that's for if yer goin' real posh.) Now you might perfectly well ask why I should be writing about a strip club. Primarily it is in order to answer the assertion of Fr David Gilmore, Anglican priest in Soho who recently got up on stage "(next to the "pole") and told the punters: "if Jesus was alive today he would be at Stingfellows bar having a drink and chatting to the girls" It all sounds like a vint

During our time at the Buckingham Arms this evening, there was a Police van parked outside. We wondered whether we might be raided for thought crimes but we were left in peace to enjoy a couple of pints before repairing to the Ha Ha Bar for fish fingers and chips (it being Friday an' all.) It was a good gathering with thirty or so bloggers and readers (a blogging equivalent of the cricketing "Gentlemen and Players" distinction) from various parts. Among those present were Oliver Hayes of the Expectation of Our Lady , who travelled down from Birmingham, regular commenter and Tweeter, Londiniensis , Fr Mildew , Jim and Christina McPake who dropped by on their way back from Lourdes to Carlisle, Mulier Fortis , Jonathan Hague, Andrea, John Simmonds, Delia Gaze, Patricia Forsdyke, Paul Moynihan and Sir Dan of the Blogosphere. I was delighted to meet "Dillydaydream" who occasionally comments on my blog and comes to Mass from time to time at Blackfen. It was also an o

LOL saints is an adaptation of the popular LOLCatz idea. I don't give it an unqualified recommendation because people aren't always good at discerning between harmless humour and mild to moderate blasphemy. Nevertheless, some of them are quite funny. I like the caption for the statue of St Paul. There is also St Peter of Verona who was assassinate by the Cathars and is commonly depicted with an axe in his head: Oh! and if you do a good one, you might win an iPod .

When I posted on the taxpayer-funded sex-ed filth from NHS Sheffield, I highlighted the problem of sexual bullying in schools. The other day, the Christian Institute had news of a programme made by BBC Scotland called The Dark Side of Teenage Sex . Fiona Walker found that over the past five years, over 500 charges of rape have been brought by Scottish Police against children and teenagers. There is talk of disclosure of sex offences, and the provision of treatment places for young sex offenders. What is missing is any appraisal of the part played by explicit sex education in schools, and the failure to promote chastity. The BBC programme focusses on the more extreme case of rape but for each of these cases, there are likely to be many more instances of unwanted touching and coercion. Children and teenagers need to know that some things are just "off limits"; but the message about sexual activity is a non-directive "only do it when you want to", "be safe"

Michael Hobson from my parish is training hard this summer at at St Mary's, Twickenham, under the guidance of his coach Craig Winrow. Michael runs the 800m and 1500m distances and recently notched up a personal best of 4min 01.2 for the 1500m. Michael is hoping to compete at the 2012 Olympics in London. You can read his latest BBC London diary entry here: Flourishing at St Mary's . A few years ago, we did a charity run on Christmas Day. I was not surprised to have been left quite far behind by Michael who was a young teenager at the time. I expect he would make the rest of us look rather silly now!

I have been remiss in not posting about the curriculum reform consultation by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency. Go to the consultation page for the link to register (you only have to give your name and email address) and they will send you a link to complete the questionnaire. The most important question is whether the Government should make sex education in schools compulsory and remove the right of parents to withdraw their children. The deadline is 5pm today so if you have a chance, do complete the consultation. Abortion Rights are pushing their people to respond so it wuold be good for pro-lifers to have their say.

Via a note from Damian Thompson on Twitter, I found Ed West's excellent post about the National Secular Society: The National Secular Society aren't secular - they're atheist bigots . This was prompted by the NSS reaction to the Scottish Nationalist Party candidate for Glasgow North East who is associated with Opus Dei. They apparently think that this disqualifies him for office. Looking up the story, I am delighted to find that the candidate in question is David Kerr. David has worked for the BBC for many years and wrote a powerful critique of the Panorama programme "Sex and the Holy City", showing its inaccuracies and bias. This research was used by Robin Aitken in his book "Can we Trust the BBC?" The National Secular Society needs to be worried. In addition to his association with Opus Dei, David has also been a regular at events run by the Faith Movement . He is more than able to answer the expostulations of those secularists who imagine that science

Tomorrow evening, there will be a London blognic with Fr Zuhlsdorf ( What Does the Prayer Really Say? ). Fr Z is visiting London for a couple of weeks and will be coming to Blackfen for the Mass to celebrate my silver jubilee. (You are all invited to that, too - see the this link for details.) The blognics is a simple and informal opportunity for people interested in the Catholic blogosphere, whether bloggers or readers to meet up for a chat while Fr Z is in the country. Everyone is welcome. The last two have gone very well so I very much look forward to seeing some of you there tomorrow. DETAILS We are meeting tomorrow evening (Friday 24th) from 6-7.30pm at the Buckingham Arms in Petty France, near St James's Park tube station. After 7.30pm those who want can go on to the Ha Ha Bar in Cardinal Place (opposite Westminster Cathedral) for something to eat. Below is the google map for the Buckingham Arms (green arrow) which you can zoom in on, look at the satellite view or street v

Fr Briggs and I were undecided on the plan for today. If it had been raining, we would have returned early to London and lunched before taking suburban trains home. Thanks be to God, today was an absolutely glorious day so we took a couple of long walks along the seafront and had a sandwich at the hotel before taking an early afternoon train back to London. I realised this morning how much I had needed a couple of days' rest and was grateful to Our Lord for His providence, and my parishioners for their generosity which enables me to get away from time to time. Last night's dinner was a great success with Frs John Zuhlsdorf, Ray Blake, and Stephen Boyle bringing great insights and experience to the conversation. Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum . ( Wiki ) The above photo is from Westminster Cathedral which was a staging-point for our trip. It shows a mosaic of John Henry Newman that was installed last September.

Daniel Blackman, a layman and theology graduate, has started a blog called Apostolate of the Laity . The blog takes its impetus from the Vatican II Decree on the Lay Apostolate Apostolicam Actuositatem . I believe that this important teaching has been neglected in favour of a strong, and in some cases exclusive focus on "lay ministry" in the Church associated with the Liturgy. The Lay Apostolate has a relation with the hierarchy, of course, but it is a specifically lay enterprise in which clerics might offer spiritual support but do not appropriately engage in as lay people do. It would be wrong, for example, for a priest to become active in a political party or a trade union; but it is vital that good Catholic laity do become involved in these areas of life. On this subject, it is always worth re-visiting Christifideles Laici . Congratulations to Daniel on this new blog and I wish it every success.

The recent lecture given by Terry Prendergast to Quest: Family – norms and ideals for a new paradigm(?) , has rightly caused concern among many Catholics. Prendergast is the Chief Executive of Marriage Care , formerly the "Catholic Marriage Advisory Council." Damian Thompson has written a strong critique of the lecture ( What is Archbishop Nichols going to do about Terry Prendergast? ) and Catholic Action UK points to the criteria for entry in the Catholic Directory which seem to have been very clearly breached. (See: Marriage Care head on homosexual unions .) The BBC reports a response from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, quoting as follows: The views expressed by Terry Prendergast about the definition of family and marriage are clearly not a reflection of the Church's teaching, nor those of the Bishops' Conference. although there is, as yet, no notice of this on the CBCEW website - there is nothing at the Press Releases section and a sea

As you can see from Fr Ray Blake's post " Visitors ", Fr Charles Briggs and I have taken a couple of days by the seaside, at Eastbourne, joined by Fr Stephen Boyle of Good Shepherd, New Addington. This morning we took the train to Brighton and said Mass at St Mary Magdalen's. Laurence of That the bones you have crushed may thrill , kindly served my Mass. This evening, Fr Ray Blake and Fr Zuhlsdorf will be joining us for dinner so we will have a party of five. Tomorrow is the feast of St Mary Magdalen and so the statue in the Parish Church has been decorated specially:

The Catholic Certificate in Religious Education (CCRS) is a qualification especially for teachers who wish to teach RE in a Catholic School but is also valued for other purposes, for example other RE or catechetical posts in dioceses. The Diocese of Lancaster now offers the CCRS online . The course is based on the scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church and has been written and prepared by people within the Lancaster Diocese. From the homepage, you can have a look round some sample material. This impressive venture into online education was the brainchild of Bishop O'Donoghue to help encourage good standards of RE in schools and it continues as part of the Education Service of the Diocese of Lancaster which is headed by Canon Luiz Ruscillo.

It is still just about possible to parody our nanny state. Someone sent me this spoof by email. It appeared in a message forum recently. I thought it was quite good. "Government To Introduce Improved Monitoring Of Home Cooking" An Independent Review Of Home Cooking was commissioned by the government after concerns were expressed that home cooking could be used as a cover for child neglect or even abuse. Child safeguarding agencies have long held concerns about children who are eating at home instead of the free Government Feeding Stations located in every local community. A spokesman said, 'We believe that children who are fed at home are at increased risk of malnutrition and obesity. We must protect them from this potential abuse by ensuring that home cooking is properly monitored and controlled. If this helps just one child to avoid obesity, for example, we think the increased monitoring will be worth it. Genuine home-feeders should not be alarmed.' Many home-feeder

There is a dedicated website for the cause of the canonisation of Ven John Henry Newman . It is very well implemented with a blend of "static" information an d frequent updates. Today it carries an interesting post Interpreting Newman’s Beatification: reactions from key figures . To select just one, let me quote Fr Jonathan Robinson from the Oratory in Toronto: Newman’s purity was not only that of a chaste priest, although it was certainly that, but there was in addition a purity of mind and intention that led him to seek for the truth no matter what the cost. ‘The Cross of Christ’, to use the words of one of his Anglican sermons, is the measure of the world’; and this measure, or standard, was one he unflinchingly adopted as his own. The atmospheric picture above is from Newman's room at the Oratory in Birmingham - part of his collection of his own published works.

A Mauritian parishioner told me today after Mass of the death of Cardinal Jean Margéot, Archbishop of Port-Louis, whose funeral was celebrated today. See the report (in French) at Le Matinal . Cardinal Margéot was 93 and a highly respected figure in Mauritius. he was ordained in priest in 1938 at the age of 22 and became Bishop of Port-Louis in 1969. He was created Cardinal in 1988. Out of respect for his weighty contribution to development in Mauritius, he was afforded a state funeral and the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties have spoken of his patriotism, his dignity and elegance in office. The country declared two days of official mourning this weekend, and cancelled the horse racing at the Champ-de-Mars. In 1960, he called upon Catholic members of Parliament to oppose the legalisation of contraception, he worked hard to ensure free education and the establishment of Catholic Colleges, and he was always close to the poor and the suffering. I understand also that he o

Fr Zuhlsdorf is in town and keen to get a blognic going. Can I suggest Friday 24 July at 6pm so that people who are at work in London can get there? One suggestion is the Ha Ha Bar opposite Westminster Cathedral. (The Buckingham Arms might be a bit crowded on a Friday evening after work.) Other suggestions for a good venue in central London are welcome for the next day or so then we'll pin it down.

God often brings good out of evil. The responses to my post on the filthy sex-ed leaflet from NHS Sheffield threw up a good reply from Kidscape and now Stuart Cunliffe has put me onto Challenge Team UK which is a group of young volunteers who educate teenagers about healthy sexuality. Part of the strategy is to go into schools speaking from a common sense and health perspective, without any religious references. This is perfectly reasonable since we believe that everyone ought to be able to know and understand the natural moral law. The message of challenge Team UK is: • Saving sex for marriage is a positive, realistic and healthy lifestyle. • Saving sex for marriage is a lifestyle of sexual self-control and respect. • Anyone can start over again and choose chastity, which basically means saving sex for marriage. • There can be many negative physical and emotional consequences to teen sexual activity - unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and diseases, loss of self

Rorate Caeli has some good photographs of the Pontifical Mass recently celebrated by Bishop Mario Oliveri of Albenga-Imperia at the parish Church of St Michael the Archangel in Villatalla. What a lovely Church for a village of only 30 inhabitants! I met Bishop Oliveri back in the late 1970s when he was an official at the Apostolic Nunciature in London. He came to give a lecture at the Faith Summer Session and was very warmly received. I have always taken an interest in news about him and it is no surprise to hear that his diocese is one of the few in Italy where there have been no obstacles imposed to the implementation of Summorum Pontificum .

Recently, Very Rev Fr John Berg FSSP, the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter , met with the Holy Father in the library of the Apostolic Palace. Fr Berg was given the opportunity to speak privately with the Holy Father for fifteen minutes - something less common now that under Pope John Paul II. Afterwards Pope Benedict greeted Fr Bisig and the other founders of the FSSP. He gave his blessing to the FSSP which has 350 members. (There are also 2600 members in the Confraternity of St Peter.) The Holy Father's particular message was "remain ever faithful." The FSSp website shows some interesting statistics . As of September 2008, there were 347 members: 208 priests, 11 deacons, and 128 seminarians. Average age of members: 37 . ("The Church is alive. The Church is young."

Well we haven't had much in the way of pictures or videos of the Pope recently so here is a YouTube video which came my way today: The soundtrack is the " Tu es Petrus " by Piotr Rubik . It was written as a birthday present for Pope John Paul II in 2005 but the Holy Father died before it was completed.

Fr Ray Blake is re-ordering St Mary Magdalen's Brighton - they have just got approval from the Historic Churches Committee. (See: Approved! ) I'll be over there on Tuesday morning so can have a closer look at the plans. Perhaps I should take over some designs for felt banners ;-)

Andrew Bosi sends me the following details of the Bus that has been organised for those wishing to travel to my Jubilee Mass from central London. Please ask people to be at Moorgate (Finsbury Square) for 4.45 or London Bridge for 5.15 p.m. We hope to use a stand on the east side of Finsbury Square but a routemaster bus should be fairly conspicuous, even though we hope to have RM5 which is red but may have to settle for RM6 which is gold in colour. We plan to return at approx. 10 p.m. People should let me know they are coming on this e-mail address: AndrewBosi@aol.com . The £5 fare will be collected on the bus. We hope to have a Gibson ticket machine but cannot promise. Oystercards including freedom passes, travelcards etc. regrettably cannot be accepted. Any rendition of "Transport of Delight" will be limited to the return journey.

A reminder that you are all invited to my Silver Jubilee Mass on Tuesday 28 July at 7pm at Blackfen. More details here . The Mass will be High Mass in the usus antiquior with Fr Charles Briggs as Deacon, Fr Christopher Basden as Subdeacon, and Fr Roger Nesbitt preaching. If you are coming it would be helpful if you could send a quick email to ordination.jubilee@gmail.com (but if you forget, or happen to be free at the last minute, you are still welcome to come.)

H/T Fr Ray Blake

The Shack is a novel written by William P Young. It got to the top of the New York Times bestsellers list by word of mouth and buzz on the internet among evangelical Christians. ( Wikipedia article about the book.) There doesn't seem to be much Catholic comment on this book yet (I'd be grateful for any links) but there is a helpful review by Julie D. at Catholic Media Reviews . Here is her brief summary of the plot: Essentially, The Shack is the story of a family that has suffered the tragedy of having their six-year-old daughter kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer. They are suffering from all the reactions one can imagine, from intense sadness and guilt to extreme anger with God for allowing this to happen. Mack, the father, finds a mysterious card in the mailbox one day. It appears to be from God and invites him to come to the shack where the last evidence was found of his daughter, a blood-stained dress. When Mack gets there he encounters the Trinity in a Narnia-styl