"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.

Popular posts from this blog

1962 Missal pdf online

The Church Music Association of America and Jeffrey Tucker of the New Liturgical Movement have made available the 1962 Missal online in pdf format (72Mb). The file is hosted at Musica Sacra , the website of the CMAA, thanks to a generous gift from Fr Robert Skeris While you are at it, take a look at the articles clarifying the rules for music at Low Mass and music at High Mass .
Read more

Request for Novena to Blessed Pius IX

Image
A priest friend of mine is ill in hospital. He has a special devotion to Blessed Pius IX. Could I ask you, of your charity, to say a Novena for his speedy recovery. Novena In Honour of Blessed Pius IX Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX, who consecrated the Universal Church to you. (Our Father...) O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you Immaculate. (Hail Mary...) Saint Joseph, spouse of the most pure Virgin Mary, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you the Patron of the Universal Church. (Glory be...) Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Mary, our Hope, and Saint Joseph hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX , granting to us through his merits and intercessions the graces which we ardently desire: that the glory of God be revealed through Father's illness. (Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory be...
Read more

Saint Gabriel

Image
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...
Read more

The Transfiguration and Jewish feast days

Image
My post on " Interesting parallels in Jewish customs " seems to have been well received, so I thought it might be helpful to look at today's feast day in the light of two Jewish feasts. Many years ago, I was bowled over by Fr Jean Galot's observation concerning St Peter's profession of faith. He argued that if, as many scholars accepted, the transfiguration occurred during the feast of tabernacles, then the "after six days" of Matthew 17.1 would mean that the profession of faith of St Peter in Matthew 16.16 would have taken place on the Day of Atonement. This is highly significant because the Day of Atonement was the one day in the year on which the high priest solemnly pronounced the holy name YHWH in the holy of holies in the Temple. St Peter, by his confession of faith fulfils the work of the high priests, and Our Lord in His own person is the living presence the Most High. Then there is the feast of tabernacles itself. This feast lasted for a w...
Read more

Novena in honour of Bl Pius IX for seminarian

Image
The Overbrook Seminary of Philadelphia began yesterday a novena in honor of Blessed Pius IX that God might be glorified through the illness of a second year seminarian, Philip Gerard Johnson. Philip has helped at Lourdes for many years as a day pilgrim guide as one of those guiding the torchlight Rosary Procession throughout these Summers. He blogs at In Caritate non Ficta . The photo above is one I took of the statue of Blessed Pius IX in the Salesian Church of the Sacred Heart in Rome. Do join the Novena if you can. Here are the prayers: Novena In Honor of Blessed Pius IX Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, hear our prayers and glorify your servant Pius IX, who consecrated the Universal Church to you. (Our Father...) O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who declared you Immaculate. (Hail Mary...) Saint Joseph, spouse of the most pure Virgin Mary, hear our prayer and glorify your servant Pius IX who ...
Read more