Hit spike

I noticed a hit spike today on sitemeter and took a little look under the bonnet to see what was happening. Two recommendations in one day - and from causes that nobody could mistake for politically correct.

The Catholic Caveman, a retired sergeant from the US Marine Corps heralds this blog as "From the land of St. Thomas More, Shakespeare and jellied eels." The Lair of the Catholic Caveman has the amusing subtitle: "The Car Crash of Blogs. You Don't Want To, But You Just Can't Help But Look."

There was also a tiny little entry in the news links sidebar of The Remnant referring to the Close the schools as well? post. That has generated 465 page views from 267 visitors today. Michael Davies, a great friend of my father, was a longstanding contributor to the Remnant. I had the privilege to assist as subdeacon at his Requiem Mass at St Mary's Chislehurst. Michael Matt, the editor of the Remnant, has a fine tribute to him: Michael Davies. In memoriam, with some additional articles.

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1962 Missal pdf online

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Plenary indulgences not impossible

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Saint Gabriel

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The angels call for our veneration and awe as part of God’s creation. Part of the destructive modernism of the 1970s included advice to Catholic school teachers that they should not talk to children about angels. This wrought lasting damage which continues to need rectifying. We should include in our prayers a heartfelt recourse to our own Guardian Angels. The Archangel Gabriel “God is my strength” would be terrifying were he to appear to any of us. Our Lady was “troubled” at the word of Saint Gabriel and wondered at the manner of the salutation. Immediately, according to his mission, the awesome messenger explained himself. Modern retelling of the event is often reduced to the jejune “Mary said Yes to God”. In fact, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. This conveys more accurately the flawless faith and trust of the Immaculata. In the infinitely wise providence of the Father, we now know the structure of the event in even more detai
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Request for Novena to Blessed Pius IX

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Downloadable booklets for Vespers

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Gregorian Chant Hymns is a most helpful website that I mentioned in a post just over a year ago. As I said then, the site "[...] promotes the learning of Gregorian Chant by making sheet music, recordings, translations, and instructions. There is a short guide to Gregorian Notation (those square notes) and to Latin pronunciation. Everything is available free of charge, in line with other great traditional music websites." Work has continued at the site and there is now a section which makes available pdf (or .docx format) booklets for Vespers for every Sunday of the Year and a few major feasts. There is the basic booklet for ordinary Sunday Vespers which is supplemented by separate files for the Sundays after Pentecost which contain the Magnificat and Collect. Then there are booklets, for example for Advent and Lent, where the office is different from the regular Sunday Vespers with its antiphons. All of the booklets have texts and notation for Benediction and the Maria
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