A good meal and memories of the seventies

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Since Fr Z often features fine looking meals on his blog, I suggested that he might like to rustle up something at Blackfen since I am not really much of a cook. He very graciously obliged with a superb meal. Fr Briggs came over and we were treated to a splendid spaghetti al ragu followed by pork medallions and various nourishing additions. We drank Chateauneuf du Pape which was right for the occasion but it was Fr Z who noticed that Tesco had chosen to illustrate the bottle with the coat of arms of Pope Paul VI.

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Thinking back to seminary days during the reign of Montini, I regaled the brothers with various songs that were sung at Mass in those days in place of the Introit, the Offertory or the Communion. In England we were much worse off than seminarians in the US: the music of the St Louis Jesuits, David Haas, and Marty Haugen was actually a great improvement on "Moses I know you're the man", "Yahweh is the God of my salvation", and various others from the "20th Century Folk Hymnal" and the volumes of "Songs in the Spirit."

After dinner, I fetched a copy of "Sing Praise", a hymn book compiled by students at the English College in the late seventies. I also happened to have on hand a white "Marlin Seagull" guitar. Fr Z has posted a photograph of me using it, so I though I ought to return the favour:

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