The Hermeneutic of Continuity

This is the photo we've all been waiting for - the intrepid three with their bikes at St Peter's. They cycled 1320.52 miles to get there - except Greg who had to cut a bit of the cycling out on account of an inconsiderate lamp post somewhere near Piacenza which had the bad manners to leap out and knock him off his bike. He did have the consolation of a brief stay with the Franciscans of the Immaculate in Florence. I'm proud to hear that they asked him to serve Low Mass which he of course can do without any problem. He admitted to me that because he did not have a cassock in the pannier, nor a Franciscan habit, nor black shoes, he had to serve in a cream coloured alb and trainers. Unfortunately, we haven't got a picture to show the MC. There are many more pictures Pictures from Rome over at the Via Romea blog but I put this next one in just to stir Swiss Guard fan  Carolina Cannonball to undying enmity of Anna Marie who got to chat to them: The trio have had writ...

The cyclists have posted more news today; they have finally found an internet café after getting blank looks from people, so kudos to Dampierre-sur-Salon . They will be in Besançon this evening, enjoying a campsite with running water before heading into the Alps tomorrow. Yesterday they had experience of the life of the Church in France: Day 7 Sunday. Left early to try and find a church. Thought we'd head for the nearest big city, Chaumont. It had a basilica and 2 churches, can't go wrong we thought... but no, no Mass all Sunday, so we cycled over to the next village to a new age shed church for Mass. The basilica round the corner was much better designed for the French summer... meltdown. Go over to the Via Romea blog for the full update and for some pictures . The one above is from Day 5 (Friday) when they cycled into Rheims in the morning. It looks for all the world as though they are going to cycle up the nave of Rheims Cathedral. Don't forget to make your donat...

Friday's update on the Via Romea blog has the young cyclists from Blackfen reaching Chalons en Champagne that afternoon, and intending to make some more ground in the evening. I heard from their Dad today that they had reached Chaumont yesterday. This is not bad going at all. The family had visual updates, tear-off slips for the web address to donate, and cakes for the children after Mass this morning. The cakes were a good idea - they made people stop around and look at the display. They were also scrumptious so many thanks to Rachel and Elizabeth who made them. If you haven't already donated (Mary's Meals & Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative), call on over to the Fundraising page . Updates at the Via Romea blog , and you can write on the wall at the Facebook Group .

Latest from the Via Romea blog which is currently charting preparations for the 1200 mile ride to Rome : they now have a motivational song . Though the languid gospel style acapella has its attractions, I rather think that if Joseph took the lead, Gregory could do a close harmony rumbling bass and Anna-Marie fill it out with "shoo-wap" embellishments. If they are back in time for the August parish music evening, it could be a star turn. They have had lots of offers of help and support , even having a sports scientist preparing a training programme. I'm proud to say that our UCM is doing a strawberry & cream tea to raise money for the tent. Don't forget to visit the fundraising page to suppjavascript:void(0)ort the designated charities.

Three young people from my parish, Anna-Marie, Joseph and Gregory Treloar, are planning to cycle from Sidcup to Rome this summer by way of holiday and pilgrimage. The distance is approximately 1200 miles. As you can see from the above map, they have planned the route meticulously. I saw Joseph this evening and told him that they must read Hillaire Belloc's "The Path to Rome" either beforehand or, perhaps even better, while they are on the journey. Gregory is currently walking round with his arm in a sling on account of a car driver opening his door as he was cycling past, throwing him and cycle across the road. He seemed to take some consolation in the damage he did to the car door. Anna-Marie is a nearly-doctor so should be able to help out with similar incidents in the Swiss Alps. I'm hoping that they will start a blog so that we can keep updated on progress. The intrepid three have raised the money for the cost of the trip and want to use the opportunity to ra...

Catholic Values is a price comparison website, offering comparisons on mortgages, insurance, bank accounts, credit cards etc. It works like other similar sites but the difference is that the commission, net of running costs, goes to charities that promote the dignity of human life. Sounds like a good idea to me.

The agency Catholic Care works on behalf of the Diocese of Leeds, offering a variety of services in the Yorkshire area, including adoption services. Since 2007, Catholic Care has been engaged in a legal battle to remain open as a Catholic adoption agency and operate in accord with Catholic belief in the face of the Equality Act which would require the agency to be open to placing children with homosexual couples. The other Catholic adoption agencies have either closed or transferred their adoption provision to a newly-formed non-Catholic charity. It is most heartening that three Bishops have made it clear that "Neither of these options is acceptable to us or to the Trustees of Catholic Care ." Bishop Roche of Leeds, Bishop Rawsthorne of Hallam, and Bishop Drainey of Middlesbrough issued a Pastoral Letter last weekend explaining these matters to the faithful and asking for their prayers. The Charity Commission refused to allow Catholic Care to change its objects so tha...

The other day I mentioned the work of Missio in Haiti . Fr John Boyle has a good informative post in which he gives a number of links to various Church based charities doing good work in the area. He particularly recommends Aid to the Church in Need which is another excellent choice. They have contact with the Nuncio in Haiti so that funds can be speedily routed through one of the few administrative buildings still standing. Yet another is the Knights of Malta which has been working in Haiti for fifteen years in support of a hospital. They are preparing to send an international medical team to support their people who are already on the ground.

I have received via email a report from Mgr John Dale, the National Director of Missio concerning the disaster in Haiti : After the earthquake Archbishop Bernadito Auza, Papal Nuncio to Haiti, only a few hours after the catastrophic earthquake, wrote: ‘I have just returned this morning. I found priests and nuns in the streets, without homes. The Rector of the seminary survived, as did the Dean of Studies, but the seminarians are under the rubble. Everywhere, you can hear cries from under the rubble. The CIFOR - Institute of Studies for the Men and Women Religious - has collapsed with the students inside, participating in a conference. The nunciature building has withstood the earthquake, without any injuries, but we are all amazed! So many things are broken, including the Tabernacle, but we are more fortunate than others. Many family members of the staff were killed, their homes destroyed. Everyone is calling for help. We will have problems of water and food before long. We cannot ...

Michael Almond is doing a cycle ride from Leeds to the Bedford Square abortion clinic to raise funds for the excellent Good Counsel Network which offers counselling to women who are tempted to have an abortion, and offers them practical help and alternatives. I am aware of the saying "put your money where your mouth is" and so I have bunged in some wonga for this. I encourage you all to do the same. Here is the link to donate . Here is the description: Michael Almond, one of our supporters will be starting his 270 mile cycle from Leeds to Bedford Square where he will join Sister Chinedum to pray outside of Bedford Square Abortion Mill in Central London. Michael plans to undertake this very arduous task on his own but may be joined for the last leg of his journey. He will arrive on Wednesday 7th of October which is the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary and will then join Sister in praying the Rosary for the lives of the unborn children who are due to be aborted and the...

A parishioner of mine has a son who suffers with Choroideremia, a rare inherited disorder that causes progressive loss of vision due to degeneration of the choroid and retina. She and a friend are doing a half marathon for charity this Sunday to raise money for " Fight for Sight ". Last week they took up a bucket collection after Mass to get some support from the parishioners. Above you can see a photo from the FFS website from a previous run. There is also good news this week for the charity in that Lucy Speed (who appears in "The Bill") will be on Family Fortunes this Sunday at 6.45pm and Fight for Sight is one of her charities. the maximum prize money is apparently £30,000 so I hope she does well.

Matthew Hanley at The Catholic Thing has written an article calling for the "transformation of organizational culture at Catholic charitable agencies" because in the case of some, They demonstrate a propensity to “think with the Church” ( sentire cum ecclesia ) only when that coincides with current fashions. Although The Catholic Thing is based in the USA, he particularly comments on the policy of CAFOD. See: Catholic Charities and Truth

There are interesting reactions from the leading MS charities to yesterday's Law Lords' judgement in the Debbie Purdy case. Although they are non-committal on the morality of assisted suicide, the charities are clearly not happy with the way that MS has been portrayed in the propaganda supporting this case. Pam Macfarlane, Chief Executive of the MS Trust , said, "MS is not a terminal condition and we actively campaign for more specialists to deliver the care that is needed for a condition as variable as MS. There is no question that more investment is needed in specialist palliative care and that support for the person with MS and those close to them must be a priority. However people will decide for themselves." Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, said: "Debbie Purdy's victory has pushed MS into the spotlight but there is far more to living with MS – even in its more severe forms – than planning how to die. "There are 100,000 people wit...

It is always a little depressing to take the ferry and train back from the beautiful Isle of Wight to the mainland and then on to The Smoke. Mulier Fortis picked me up from the station and filled me in with some of the blogging news I had missed over the past couple of days. Particularly irritating was the news that Cherie Blair was fronting the launch of this year's Sea Sunday appeal . The Apostleship of the Sea is a worthy Catholic charity, providing for seafarers who are away from home for long periods. It is therefore sad to see the choice of celebrity for the launch of their appeal. Cherie Blair, along with her husband, openly dissents from the teaching of the Catholic Church and I agree with John Smeaton that she is not a suitable person to be invited to launch a Catholic charity appeal. I rather fear that this publicity stunt will do more good for Cherie Blair than for the Apostleship of the Sea. (See British Horrors , this article and this article and some quotes .)

I have often mentioned the Good Counsel Network which is a 100% Catholic, pro-life groups in the UK. They work directly with women who have already decided to have an abortion. Instead of abortion they offer counselling, advice and support (including housing, childcare, regular ongoing financial support, baby goods such as clothes, food, baby milk, prams, toys etc, and in getting their life back on track) in order to help to save the life of their unborn baby. The value of their work is incalculable: 70% of the women and girls that The Good Counsel Network see choose life for their babies. I regularly go over to the Good Counsel Network to celebrate Mass or Benediction which they try to have in their centre every day. Yesterday afternoon I was there and heart that Conor Carroll who is 21 and works with The Good Counsel Network is going on the Chartres Pilgrimage this June. Many of you know of this traditional 75 mile pilgrimage which features Mass in the usus antiquior and concludes ...

Fr Peter writes in the combox of the post about Comic Relief : Thank you for this post, Father. For our work with the street-children here in Medellín, Colombia, we rely on the funds raised by Let The Children Live! in the UK. Unfortunately, the excessive predominance of the Red Nose Day appeal is tending to squeeze out small, genuinely pro-life charities like this and is making it increasingly difficult for us to raise funds in Lent. The charity supports the Fundación ¡Vivan Los Niños!, known as Funvini for short. This project cares for children living on the streets but also runs a pioneering programme to prevent other children from becoming "gamines." Gamines? They are called 'the disposable ones', the children who live - and sometimes die - in the streets and the rubbish dumps of the cities of Colombia in South America. These 'gamines' range from six-year-olds to teenagers, and they are unloved, unwanted, beaten, robbed, abused, raped and murdered. The Fu...

A couple of people have emailed me to ask about Comic Relief and the associated Red Nose Day which is coming up on 13 March. This is heavily promoted on the television and in advertising directed to young people. It is generally a bad idea to give money to generic fundraising initiatives of this kind. Far better to choose a few deserving and trustworthy charities yourself and support them generously. John Smeaton has posted on Why Comic Relief should be boycotted and I recommend reading his article. An important resource is the SPUC Charities Bulletin which can help you identify charities to avoid. So which charities could you support in your almsgiving? If you need ideas, try thinking of different categories - mission, relief, pro-life, and local. With charities that support the mission of the Church, such as the Association for the Propagation of the Faith , and Aid to the Church in Need , you are making it possible for the Church to enlarge its activity and therefore also its ch...

The Traditional Priests' Support Trust supports Roman Catholic priests, clergy and religious, who are in need, and who are exclusively committed to celebrating the sacred liturgy in the traditional form. I commend it both to those who may need it and those who may be able to support the charity.

Conor sends me this notice from the Good Counsel Network which I am happy to pass on with my warm recommendation: The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel is organising carol singing in London Tube Stations, where we can also take up a collection, on several days during December. Every year The Good Counsel Network helps to save the lives of hundreds of unborn babies. The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel is a charity which supports this work and can only continue this work through fundraising events like this. If you can sing or if you just wish to help with the collecting please reply(indicating whether you are a singer or collector) with your availability for any of the following dates: 1st December at Oxford Circus 3rd December at Piccadilly Circus 16th December at Paddington(tube) 22nd December at Bond Street. We will be there from 12 noon until 8pm so if you can come and help with some time it would be very much appreciated. info@goodcounselnetwork.freeserve.co.uk

The other day, I wrote about Bishop O'Donoghue's letter to the Catholic Caring Services of Lancaster ( More from Lancaster ). The day after the Bishop's Letter, the Catholic Caring Services offered a curious response . The new legislation has posed difficulty for the Church as it would appear to some to challenge the Church’s views on marriage. The "some" here include the Holy Father, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Bishop O'Donoghue. The Sexual Orientation Regulations do not "appear to challenge" Catholic teaching on marriage, they flatly contradict it. The press statement asserts that the charity has taken legal advice, undergone extensive consultation and "discernment". Despite this, it does not seem to be able to offer any answer at all to the suggestions offered by Bishop O'Donoghue based upon his consultation with lawyers, moral theologians, and those involved in adoption. Jim Cullen, Chief Executive of the Cha...