Fr Mildew (and spirit-quenching global horror)

Fr Mildew was one of my teachers for a while at the John Fisher School in Purley and so I was interested in his reminiscences of his time there. Fr Clifton (to give him his real name) celebrates his golden jubilee this year and has been writing several posts on "My life from a religious perspective." The post on his time at Wonersh gives some details of life at the seminary in the 1950s.

He also has chunks from a letter published in this week's Tablet. Let me give you a flavour:

The ongoing revision of the ordinary rite, and the introduction of the extraordinary rite, together represent the same process of the surrender of the liturgy to the reactionary, spirit-quenching, traditionalist minority; and the surrender of the entire Church runs in parallel, making a mockery of the life of the Church before both God and the world.

It gets better:

There was a great move of the Spirit in the Church in Council in our time just over 40 years ago. I weep for its cold-hearted rejection now, and the horrific global consequences that will follow if they are allowed to continue.

(Come, come, Sir! Don't be so reticent; speak your mind!)

But don't allow letters like that to distract you from the conviction that it is the terrible Catholic blogs that are full of nasty vindictive comments, not the nice, urbane and courteous liberal catholic press.

At our next visit to the Robin Hood and Little John, I must remember to interrupt discussion of the latest results in the Minor Counties Cricket Association, and the merits of the Nethergate Brewery's "Old Growler" to propose a toast for all my fellow cold-hearted, spirit-quenching agents of global horror.

ceterum autem censeo
tabulam esse delendam