The Hermeneutic of Continuity

The Catholic Herald and the Friends of the Ordinariate hosted a reception this evening in the throne room of Archbishop’s House, Westminster. Priests and laity who are friends from many different apostolates were gathered to support and encourage this generous provision of Pope Benedict in the cause of Christian unity. I was glad of the chance to have a chat with Luke Coppen, Editor of the Catholic Herald. We normally correspond very briefly by email each week when I send in my article and he is busy getting the paper together, so it is always good to hear how the paper is getting on. Mgr Keith Newton spoke warmly of the support that the Ordinariate had received, and made a heartfelt appeal for that financial assistance that is urgently needed. Cardinal Levada was present and explained something of the background of the Ordinariate and its importance to the Holy Father. It was something of a mini blognic at the same time with Fr Ray Blake , Fr Sean Finnegan and Joanna...

This week is rather busy. I was teaching at Wonersh on Monday morning, spent some time there working on one of the talks that I have to give, travelled over to celebrate Mass at the house of Simon and Margaret-Mary Fitzgerald - it was a good opportunity to catch up with Daphne McLeod and others. Yesterday I was at Parkminster in the early afternoon and then in Belgravia for the Inn Catholics for whom I was speaking on the theology of the Sacrament of Penance. That went on a bit later than expected because the pub had double-booked the room we were supposed to be using and we had to walk to another pub where they had a room spare. This morning I was at Amigo House, next to St George's Cathedral for the Council of Priests meeting. We always routinely moan about these meetings but actually it is a good opportunity to get together with other priests from the diocese. At the end of the meeting, I raised the question of whether we should start thinking about some formal reception ...

For an example of the philosophical problems that can arise when teaching catechism to toddlers, see: Toddler Catechism Fail . The author, Annie Elizabeth is the latest of my parishioners to start blogging and a find blog it is too ( défende nos in proélio .) There are hilarious and heartwarming stories of the day to day business of bringing up children. For another chuckle, see Who says traditional habits aren't cool? .  These posts are light entertainment among other substantial articles which offer analysis especially on pro-life issues. Worth a place on your blogroll.

Rorate Caeli reports that the superiors of the Society of St Pius X are to discuss the "Doctrinal Preamble" at their Italian District Headquarters in Albano from 7-8 October. I was delighted to read this, since 7 October is the patronal feast of my parish. Thankfully I do not have a Mass intention booked for the evening High Mass and so I will make the intention of offering the fruits of that Mass into the hands of Our Lady of the Rosary that her prayers in heaven will bring about that speedy, charitable, and just resolution of the juridical status of the Society which is so desired by the Holy Father. We must be patient, but I dare to hope that the fact that the meeting is at Albano, and therefore only a few miles from Rome, means that perhaps the superiors of the Society may be in a position to communicate a positive response to the Holy See with the minimum inconvenience.

If you don't know the name, you may remember the banner "We Love You Papa More than Beans on Toast" at the Papal Visit a year ago. That was Niamh Moloney who is not only a dab hand at brilliant PR stunts in support of the Holy Father but also an active pro-lifer. She got onto the "4Thought" slot on Channel 4 where you get 90 seconds to get across a point of view. Niamh defends the rights of embryos. Here is a link to  watch the video . H/T John Smeaton, SPUC Director

Fr Ray Blake recently had a threatening communication from the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement in Brighton over his recent post on The Illiberality of a Local MP who proposed that Churches should not be allowed to conduct any marriages unless they agree to conduct gay marriages, and his post Cameron pushes children out of marriage where he looks at the nature of marriage with reference to the Prime Minister's recent announcement that he intends to legalise gay marriage. If you read the posts, you will see that they are sensibly expressed with no surprises and nothing intemperate. Look at the comments too - a normal set of comments expressing support and adding one or two things. This perfectly balanced treatment of important issues is characterised as inflammatory, inciting hatred, hostile, prejudiced, defamatory, and likely to put people's lives at risk. Hence the LGCM thinks his blog should be shut down and is writing to his Bishop. Ironically, they also accuse hi...

Friday 7 October is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and therefore the patronal feast of my parish. We'll be having High Mass at 8pm (as well as English Mass in the morning and school Mass in the afternoon.) Cantores Missae will be singing the following: Mass setting: Victoria: Missa Simile est Regnum Motets: Guerrero: Sancta Maria — Byrd: Ave Verum — Schubert: Salve Regina Do come along if you can. This year, I thought that I would try a new angle by encouraging people to bring non-Catholic friends to the Mass to hear beautiful music sung for the purpose for which it was composed (the worship of God) and in the setting for which it was composed (High Mass.) You can gain a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions) even for just visiting the Church on 7 October and reciting the Pater and Credo . This applies to any parish Church on its titular solemnity.

Fr Sam Medley has been in touch with some resources following on from his presentation to the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life ( APGL ) on Wednesday. First of all, here is the text of the first paper that he gave: Introduction and Overview of the Theology of the Body . I have just downloaded it so as to be able to read it through carefully in a quiet half hour. I do recommend it to you. (The second lecture was a more informal and personal talk, so there is not a text for that. We may be able to put an mp3 online some time.) Father also spoke of the presentation of the Theology of the Body on the Street Level which was conducted for the diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas. This includes video, audio, and powerpoint notes. Another project was the Love and Responsibility Discussion Group which took place in a coffee shop and proved very popular with university students. Blessed Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body has not been well served by sensationalist pres...

We end our APGL Study Days with the Rosary and Benediction. I ask one of the priests to hear confessions during the Rosary, something that is often forgotten about on events arranged for clergy. Today we were able to use the Church of St Patrick in Soho Square . Here is the fine, restored confessional that was used today: In April, I wrote about the transformation that was taking place at St Patrick's in the heart of Soho with some photos of work in progress but near to completion. All the work has now been finished: the formal opening took place in May, and it is now in full use for the many activities that take place in this thriving central London parish under the care of Fr Alexander Sherbrooke. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the Church for adoration all afternoon during the week, so we were able to say the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament and then have short Benediction. A special feature of the Church is that it houses the image of Our Lady of Guadal...

Fr Sam Medley SOLT spoke to the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life today on the theology of the Body of Blessed Pope John Paul. He spoke with eloquence and erudition, making for one of those days when you go away knowing more than you did when you arrive (a useful success criterion for priests' Study Days, I think.) The first lecture looked at the philosophical and theological influences in Blessed Pope John Paul's life, at the structure and principal topics of the Theology of the Body General Audience addresses, and the impact that this development can have in pastoral life. Fr Medley also addressed the concerns that priests have about the presentation of the theology of the body in which inappropriate images are used such as describing the Song of Songs as the "centerfold" of the bible. He made it clear that such images find absolutely no justification in the addresses of Blessed Pope John Paul. After lunch, the lecture was more personally focussed...

Do come along. Remember that Aylesford is the home of the brown scapular. If you have not seen the shrine before, there are many fascinating pieces of art from the time after the Carmelites came back to their ancient home which was purloined by Henry VIII. The flower of Carmel having been cut down, grows up more vigorous

The people of Liechtenstein have voted against the legalisation of abortion. Pro-abortion campaigners had secured enough signatures for a referendum on whether abortion should be allowed in the first trimester of pregnancy. The head of state, His Serene Highness, Prince Alois ( right ) said that he would veto the legislation if it were passed. The pro-abortionists criticised the prince, saying that his intervention would mean that people wouldn't bother to vote. In fact, the turnout was 11,006 out of a possible 18,800 voters which is not at all bad. The proposed legalisation of abortion was rejected by a vote of 52.3% - 47.7%. So congratulations to Prince Alois and to the good people of Liechtenstein for upholding the sanctity of life of the smallest and weakest. Hmmm. Liechtenstein. Might be a good place to visit...

The mother of a young family was talking to me today about the new translation of the Mass. She said that her children have really latched onto the word "consubstantial" and look forward to it in the Creed. They were disappointed last week because we did not say the Creed at the school Mass (it was a weekday.) I know that the younger ones may not yet understand what the word means. They probably like it because it is a long word that is difficult to say and to spell, and there is a sense of achievement in getting it right so that they can say it at Mass ( actuosa participatio n'est ce pas?). With that enthusiasm, it is quite likely that when they are old enough to understand a little trinitarian theology, they will be keen to know exactly what "consubstantial" means. It is not a good idea to shield children from difficult words. Better that they know them and are fascinated by them and then learn more about them as they grow older.

Eggs on toast. Admittedly I will be eating well this evening as I am meeting someone for dinner tonight in London; but he is a Catholic and so we will both be celebrating the re-introduction of Friday abstinence by having fish. God bless Bishop Conry who seems to have played no small part in persuading his brother Bishops to take this initiative. Here is an extract from his Pastoral Letter for Advent last year: Next week, Monday 15 November, I am going to Leeds for a meeting of the Bishops’ Conference. I hope that we will discuss the possibility of restoring the old Friday Fast Day. This was one of the most obvious signs of Catholic identity, apart from going to Mass. It determined the diet in places like prison and hospital, and was something that Catholics were instinctively conscious of: we knew that we couldn’t have meat like everybody else that day, and it was a source of a sort of pride – it marked us out as different. Today we are perhaps less willing to be marked out, ...

You can now look at this blog in Flipcard, Mosiac, Sidebar, Snapshot, or Timeslide view. Just go to http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com/view/  and have a click through the options given in the light blue dropdown button to the right of the topbar. They are quite fun: the most useful, I think, will be the "sidebar" and "timeline" views but I really like the idea of people choosing how they want to view a blog. If you want to have this facility available for your own blogger blog, check the blogger help page All about Dynamic Views for Authors . A key condition for it to work is that you must have feeds fully enabled (i.e. not those annoying snippet feeds.) If you put an URL anywhere, remember that it is "http://[ blog URL ]/view" in the singular, not the plural - someone slipped on the industrial psychology there - everyone will recognise it as "views". Apparently we will be able to customise these new views sometime soon.

The Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life are holding a Study Day for Clergy next Wednesday 21 September at St Patrick’s, Soho Square (11am-3.30pm). Fr Samuel Medley will be speaking about the Theology of the Body. As well as the talks, the Day will include Rosary and Benediction (with the opportunity for confession) and a buffet lunch will be provided. Members of the Association and priests in the London area should have received an invitation to the Day. Any others would be very welcome. Robert Colquhoun ( Discover Happiness. Love Undefiled  blog) has been helping with the organisation of this day. If any clergy would like to come, please email him at Robert543@gmail.com just so that we can get an idea for catering. (If you don't get round to doing this, you can still turn up.)

After Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows today these children went to say a prayer at the Lady Altar. Rather like a mini Fatima in the parish Church! Our sacristy team decorate the statue for feast of Our Lady. They did this for Our Lady's birthday but asked to keep it like that for the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It's after all quite natural for people to want to observe octaves. We were also blessed today with the presence of Brother Anselm OSB who has come to visit the parish during a few days holiday. That meant that we could sing the sequence with organ accompaniment and we will have the organ for Benediction this evening.

The Good Counsel Network gives counselling to women who are considering an abortion. They have a very high success rate in persuading women that there are practical alternatives: they also make those alternatives a reality by giving charitable help and support to mothers and their babies. This means that they do need maternity and baby goods - see: Urgent; Clothe the naked, Mothers and Babies Needing Clothes and Baby Things . At my suggestion, the Good Counsel Network have set up an Amazon wish list that you can use. If you want to use some other means of sending things, the delivery address is: 15 Maple Grove, Kingsbury, London, NW9 8RD. The list has things at very low cost and others with a higher cost so you can match your gift to your means. This is not a substitute for actually going out and doing some corporal works of mercy directly; but it would be a shame not to clock up one or two such works from the comfort of your desk! Another opportunity to support the Good Coun...

The Vatican Information Service today released an English translation of a  communiqué concerning the Society of St Pius X  following a two hour meeting today between Bishop Fellay and Cardinal Levada. The crucial passage is: While bearing in mind the concerns and demands presented by the Society of St. Pius X about protecting the integrity of the Catholic faith against Vatican Council II's 'hermeneutic of rupture' with Tradition (a theme addressed by Pope Benedict XVI in his address to the Roman Curia on 22 December 2005), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith maintains that the fundamental basis for achieving full reconciliation with the Apostolic See is the acceptance of the text of the Doctrinal Preamble, which was handed over during a meeting on 14 September 2011. The Preamble defines certain doctrinal principles and criteria for the interpretation Catholic doctrine, which are necessary to ensure faithfulness to the Church Magisterium and 'sentire cum ...

Nescitis qua hora Dominus veniet You do not know at what hour the Lord will come The clock is on the outside of the Cathedral at Trier:

My correspondent Sir Dan of the Blogosphere has reminded me that the Gaelic Athletic Association All Ireland Football Final takes place on Sunday at 3.30pm. Kerry are playing Dublin in what promises to be a close and hard-fought game. Sir Dan is a second cousin to the captain of the Kerry team, Colm Cooper. Kerry is historically the most successful team, having won 36 times since 1887. Dublin has won 22 times. No other teams come close, so there is a lot at stake.

At the Novus Ordo Mass this morning we had a sharp reminder that in England, we still have a lame duck translation to deal with. I am referring to the Jerusalem Bible that remains the most commonly used text for the scripture readings at Mass in English. The first reading was 1 Tim 3.1-13, an important text. In the original, it begins: Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος: εἴ τις ἐπισκοπῆς ὀρέγεται, καλοῦ ἔργου ἐπιθυμεῖ. δεῖ οὖν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνεπίλημπτον εἶναι [...] In the Vulgate, this is translated: Fidelis sermo : si quis episcopatum desiderat, bonum opus desiderat. Oportet ergo episcopum irreprehensibilem esse [...] The RSV is perfectly good: The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop , he desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach [...] In the USA, daily Mass goers today heard from the NAB: Beloved, this saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable [...] This is what we...

Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury has written a good pastoral letter for his people. You can find the full text at Fr John Boyle's blog, Caritas in Veritate . His Lordship speaks of the visit of Pope Benedict, Friday abstinence, and the new translation of the Mass. Here is a taster: I am also conscious we have just begun to use the new translation of The Roman Missal which unites us in worship. At the heart of Pope Benedict’s visit to our country was always the Holy Eucharist celebrated with great dignity and adored with love and reverence. The Holy Father asked that the introduction of this revised English translation would be something more than simply a change of wording: “I encourage you now to seize the opportunity that the new translation offers,” he asked, “for in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in the manner of its celebration.” As we become more familiar with this fresh translation, I hope it will enrich our prayer and understanding, help us to r...

They say that babies can look right into your soul. I think that this picture of Zachariah Septimus Meinertzhagen illustrates the phenomenon. Bear in mind that he has just been twice exorcised, received sanctifying grace, made a child of God, been reborn through water and the Holy Spirit, and is incapable of personal sin. In his own way, he can probably see rather more clearly into the soul than we can. I baptised Zachariah this afternoon at Blackfen with his six brothers looking on. Yes, that's right: Zachariah is a seventh son. Here is the family with myself and Adrian Treloar, the Godfather:

Masaki Friesenegger and Sue Liao exchanged vows yesterday at the Lady Chapel of Westminster Cathedral, a beautiful setting for a wedding. I solemnised the wedding and celebrated the nuptial Mass according to the usus antiquior . The music was provided by organist Peter Stevens and four choristers from the unparalleled Westminster Cathedral Choir. The Mass setting was Mozart's Spatzenmesse. I should note also that as ever, Paul Moynihan and the other personnel at Westminster Cathedral were as helpful as they could possibly be. It is always a pleasure to be involved in a liturgical celebration there. In the usus antiquior , the vows are taken first of all, after the short instruction given by the priest. We then go into the sacristy to sign the civil register (if this is necessary.) Then the couple return to the chapel, the priest vests and Mass is begun. I do prefer this to the "we interrupt this Mass for another service" arrangement. Sorry about the picture - as t...

The Holy Father today welcomed His Excellency Mr Nigel Marcus Baker as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Holy See. In the course of his address the Holy Father sent his greetings to Her Majesty the Queen, her government and to all of us. I was glad to see that the Holy Father lent his support to my interpretation of the recent riots ;-) As you pointed out in your speech, your Government wishes to employ policies that are based on enduring values that cannot be simply expressed in legal terms. This is especially important in the light of events in England this summer. When policies do not presume or promote objective values, the resulting moral relativism , instead of leading to a society that is free, fair, just and compassionate, tends instead to produce frustration, despair, selfishness and a disregard for the life and liberty of others. [ my emphasis ]

Fr Michael Brown at Forest Murmurs has provided a Prie-Dieu for his communicants. The kneeler is put out after the sign of peace so that if anybody wishes to kneel for Holy Communion, they may do so more easily. Readers may remember that I reported in June on the new instruction that is to be included in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in England and Wales which definitively allows that commnuicants may choose to receive Communion while kneeling. This has not been explicitly stated before, so it is good for a priest to provide a suitable means for people exercise this option which is now definitively legitimate. Obviously altar rails would be better, but it is not possible for all Churches to provide these immediately, so a Prie-Dieu is a good idea. Fr Briggs at Chislehurst ( right ) has implemented the same pastoral measure, though he tells me that in his Church they will be using the Prie-Dieu that belonged to the Empress Eugenie.

St John's Seminary at Wonersh was opened on the feast of the birthday of Our Lady and so this has always remained a significant day in the life of the Seminary. The students are now back, preparing for lectures to begin next week. There are fourteen new men in the first year which is very encouraging. I was there today for a staff development day in which we discussed the relationship of spiritual and pastoral formation to the other areas of formation - including the teaching of theology which is my role. After Mass this evening, we processed to the shrine of Our Lady, Regina Cleri , which is in the "ambulacrum", the wide corridor on the ground floor ( picture above .) The statue was reverenced with incense, then there were prayers for the new students, for the staff, and for other intentions. Finally the Rector then read the prayer of Blessed Pope John Paul which concludes the Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (on the formation of priests.) Here is the text...

Congratulations to Gregor Dick and Alisa Koonce who were married today at the glorious 19th century gothic revival Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs in Cambridge - often referred to by the acronym OLEM. Fr Christopher Back was celebrant for the Mass, I was deacon, and Fr Bernard McNally subdeacon. MC was Dr Berthold Kress, a fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge whose speciality is the history of art, especially late medieval and early modern art. As you can see, the Bride's dress was modest and traditional - and all the more beautiful for that. A particular treat at the wedding and Mass, was the singing by Anglorum Chorus , a recently formed choir, directed by Christopher Hodkinson, which gathers talented young Catholic singers and musical directors to sing Gregorian chant to the highest standard. (The chant is their principal focus though they do also sing polyphony.) The choir are available for special occasions: I will pass on contact details when I have...

The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma has a day scheduled in my parish on Saturday 1 October. I am delighted to be able to host it. There will be High Mass in the morning (10.30am) and Solemn Vespers and Benediction in the afternoon (2.30pm.) After the Mass, I'll give a talk about Catholic blogging and the use of the new media - based mainly on the addresses of Pope Benedict which can help us to be aware of our responsibilities. Lunch will be provided; you can give a donation if you wish, but if you have already spent money travelling, there is no need to feel obliged to do so. We'll have a short meeting for the Guild to highlight any issues or concerns that people have about how the Guild should work. The main thing is that this is an opportunity for us to meet up personally - these occasions are always enjoyable. If anyone needs help with their train fare, please let me know (in the strictest confidence): ( blackfencatholic@gmail.com ).

Bishop Hugh Giilbert OSB, recently appointed to Aberdeen, having been Abbot of Pluscarden, issued his first Pastoral Letter to be read yesterday at Mass. At the Aberdeen diocesan website you can read the whole letter . I would like to highlight this paragraph: ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’ In Christ, the Son of God takes on everything human, except sin, and transforms it. And in the Liturgy this mystery of the Incarnation – the Word becoming flesh – lives on among us. Everything speaks of it. When we gather to worship we come together in a building – not usually in any building, though, but in a church, a building dedicated for worship. The ministers who lead our prayer don’t wear just ordinary clothes, but vestments. We stand, sit or kneel, but each of these postures now has a special meaning. We come together to listen to readings – not any readings though, but words inspired by the Holy Spirit, words that are now the word of God. We gather round a table – but not ...

For about two-thirds of my life, ever since the introduction of the old ICEL translation, I have argued and written that we should have an accurate translation of the Missal for Mass in English. This morning for the first time, I was able to celebrate Mass in English at which we used a decent translation of the Gloria , the Creed, and the Domine non sum dignus . Although I have joined others in looking forward to this development and defending it, nevertheless, I was rather moved to be able to use it fully for the first time. All my priestly life, I have had to celebrate English Mass with a dumbed-down, lame duck translation. Of course, many people have been sanctified by their participation in the Mass using this translation but if you have even a rudimentary knowledge of Latin, it is frustrating to know that the people are being denied the richness of the Church's sacred texts. For most ordinary people not involved in ecclesiastical politics, there will be no problems. In a...

During August, the choir in the parish has a well-earned rest and we do not struggle to keep things going while half the regulars are on holiday at any given time. So our EF Latin Mass is a low Mass. It was great this morning to return to the Missa Cantata . Thanks to the addition of two boys from a visiting family we were able to field nine servers which meant that we could have six torch bearers with one of the acolytes doubling-up as torch bearer. For the "green" Sundays, we sing Mass XI, the Missa Orbis Factor . I find the Kyrie from this Mass one of the most beautiful pieces in the repertoire of Gregorian Chant. The titles for the Masses (Lux et origo, Orbis factor etc.) were taken from the tropes that were sung to "fill them out." H/T  Fr Ray Blake  who posted the above troped version. After listening to this on YouTube, I looked up some more from Ensemble Organum  and found this old Roman Kyrie from the 6th century. It reminded me of my trip to Estoni...

Mgr George Lemaître, the Catholic priest and physicist, was told by Einstein "Your calculations are correct, but your grasp of physics is abominable!" when he proposed his theory of a homogeneous Universe of constant mass and growing radius accounting for the radial velocity of extragalactic nebulae. The observations of Lemaître gave rise to the understanding of the universe as having a beginning in what is now known generally as the big bang. Lemaître features in the CTS booklet by Fr Marcus Holden and Fr Andrew Pinsent, Lumen. The Catholic Gift to Civilisation which I wrote about back in March (see: Practical apologetics in the English context ) The Reluctant Sinner has written a post with more about Mgr Lemaître . Apparently, a few years later, Lemaître and Einstein were touring California together for a series of seminars and this time, when the priest explained his theory, Einstein said "This is the most beautiful and satisfactory explanation of creation to wh...

Just a quick heads-up on this. The Bollettino today has the official Response to Mr Eamon Gilmore, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland, concerning the Cloyne Report . I have to go out now and will read it later, but I thought you might like to know.

A military chap told me today of the time when he was helping out with a certain regiment somewhere on a certain task (he told me to keep it vague) and saw a sign on a door: If you need the rank, you're not worth it. If you're worth the rank you don't need it. Food for thought there.

A comment from Suburbanbanshee received today, deserves greater prominence than being hidden away on my post of 28 June: A rogue instruction in the new people’s cards for Mass Re: standing and processing to show respect What you do is, you get two big flagpoles and put big flags with Catholic emblems on them, like the Five Wounds or the Sacred Heart or Mary or your name saint. And when it's time for Communion, you walk down the aisle waving your flags in the air. And then when you receive Communion, you use the poles to prop you as you kneel and get up again. They also make it clear that you can't possibly receive Communion in the hand, because obviously your hands are full. Yeah, it's probably a good thing I'm not a liturgist. I would be really obnoxious. :) Now I'm not encouraging this in any way and the following graphic of the five wounds which might be suitable for a banner is posted purely for academic purposes. Is this after all not an example of ...