The Hermeneutic of Continuity

Of your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Aine Cooper who died on Wednesday evening, fortified by the sacraments and the prayers of the Church. Anima eius et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum requescant in pace. Aine was the dear wife of Dan Cooper ("Sir Dan of the blogosphere"). The photo above was taken at Dan and Aine's wedding many years ago. Aine was a good and devout lady who worked for many years as a nurse, always defending the pro-life cause. She could be hilarious in the way that she kept Dan in check during his outbursts of enthusiasm (always, of course, prompted by the Holy Spirit.) Having received the sacraments and the plenary indulgence at the end of a devout life, Aine may not need our prayers herself, but do still pray for her because if she doesn't, some poor blighter in purgatory will bless her for ever for them. The Requiem Mass will be celebrated by Fr Roger Nesbitt at the chapel of the John Fisher School in Purley (CR8 3...

Dominic Sullivan sends the following notice : Holy Mass will offered by Fr Nicholas Schofield for the repose of the souls of David and Dora Foster at 1245 on Tuesday 29th December in the Little Oratory. David Foster was the founder of the International Summer School for Young Catholics (now renamed Christ the King Summer School). The 29th December is the first anniversary of his death. The Mass of the feast of St Thomas à Becket will be said in the Extraordinary Form.

On Saturday, Fr Briggs celebrated the annual Requiem Mass for those buried in the graveyard at St Mary's Chislehurst. I was very happy to assist as Deacon for the Mass; the Revd John Harrison, the parish Deacon, acted as subdeacon. Mulier Fortis was there with her camera and took a fine set of pictures which are put together here in a slideshow: I am getting more and more familiar with High Mass. Since we have a Missa Cantata every Sunday at Blackfen, I have no trouble singing either the epistle or the gospel and I find that the ceremonies are easier each time. There are one or two difference for the Requiem Mass. On the way round the graveyard, Fr Briggs blessed the grave of the late Michael Davies. It was a pity that we did not have a special photo - perhaps next year.

Many thanks to the Mulier Fortis for posting some photos from yesterday's Solemn Requiem Mass for the 850th anniversary of the death of Pope Adrian IV (Nicholas Breakspeare). Go over to her post Requiem For A Pope... to see more.

This evening at Blackfen, I celebrated a Solemn High Requiem Mass with absolution at the catafalque, for the repose of the soul of Pope Adrian IV (Nicholas Breakspeare) who died 850 years ago today. Mgr Gordon Read was Deacon and Fr William Young was Subdeacon. We had a full complement of servers and several visitors who travelled some distance for the occasion. At the panegyric, as well as summarising the late Holy Father's life, I spoke of the need for us always to remember to pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, and the reminder of eternity that the Liturgy of the Church places before us.

There have been many reactions to the funeral of Senator Edward Kennedy (may he rest in peace) and this one quoted at the excellent " The Deacon's Bench "blog is representative: "Liturgical comfort food" . Given Senator Kennedy's support for abortion, there is a real question over whether there should have been a high-profile Catholic funeral at all. As Robert Kumpel points out at St John's Valdosta , if the Archdiocese of Boston can honour a pro-abortion politician and allow a pro-abortion president to eulogise him then they perhaps owe an apology to the Mafia. Even leaving that question aside, as a "model" funeral that many people will take as an example of how to give someone a proper send-off, it leaves much to be desired. The question of praying for the dead can be tricky in today's "feel good" society but that is no reason just to leave it off all together. Someone might have pointed out that the one thing we can really do f...

Regular commenter Red Maria sends the sad news of the death of Fr Edward Houghton. Please pray for the repose of his soul. The following announcement comes via Independent Catholic News : From the Vicar General of Westminster Diocese : It is with a profound sense of shock and sadness that we announce that Fr Ed Houghton was fatally injured in a road accident in North Yorkshire yesterday, Friday 21 August. He was forty years of age and had been a priest for just over one year. May he rest in peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with Fr Ed's immediate family - his sisters and brother, at this time. We remember also the parish communities at Chiswick where he was Assistant Priest, and the Cathedral where he served his year as a Deacon. Fr Ed was born in Preston and prior to studying for the priesthood worked as an English and Religious Education teacher at St Charles Sixth Form College in Ladbroke Grove. He had been a resident at Newman House when he was a student. Our prayers are with...

A Mauritian parishioner told me today after Mass of the death of Cardinal Jean Margéot, Archbishop of Port-Louis, whose funeral was celebrated today. See the report (in French) at Le Matinal . Cardinal Margéot was 93 and a highly respected figure in Mauritius. he was ordained in priest in 1938 at the age of 22 and became Bishop of Port-Louis in 1969. He was created Cardinal in 1988. Out of respect for his weighty contribution to development in Mauritius, he was afforded a state funeral and the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties have spoken of his patriotism, his dignity and elegance in office. The country declared two days of official mourning this weekend, and cancelled the horse racing at the Champ-de-Mars. In 1960, he called upon Catholic members of Parliament to oppose the legalisation of contraception, he worked hard to ensure free education and the establishment of Catholic Colleges, and he was always close to the poor and the suffering. I understand also that he o...

Last week saw the funeral of Romeo LeBlanc, a politician and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada until 1999, and who died of Alzheimer's disease on 24 June. The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended his funeral. First of all, let me encourage you to offer a prayer for the repose of the soul of Romeo LeBlanc, and a prayer for the Prime Minister in thanksgiving for his being good enough to participate in the funeral. Unfortunately, the funeral has been overshadowed by controversy as shown in this clip: The Prime Minister (a Protestant) is in the front row as Archbishop Andre Richard (Moncton, New Brunswick) administers Holy Communion (note to editors - this is not "the wafer" etc. Please show some respect for our "religious sensibilities.") He receives Holy Communion into one hand, rather as if he is accepting a little souvenir token. Given the way that Holy Communion is often distributed today, that is not an unreasonable interpretation o...

On Saturday, the Union of Catholic Mothers held a Garden Party with various things going on, including games for children ( above ) and a gathering in the presbytery garden: It was a gloriously sunny day and an opportunity to have a glass of Pimms and a chat. For others, the Hall was available to sample the delicious cakes inside: This evening we had our annual Mass for children and young people in the parish who have died, and to pray for their families. As it is the feast of St Maria Goretti, I took the opportunity to speak of her life and ask for her prayers. Here is my sermon for tonight's Mass: St Maria Goretti was born into a poor family in Italy in 1890. Her father died when she was nine years old and her mother had to work in the fields while Maria looked after the sewing and cooking at home. The family were uncomfortable with moving in next to the Serenelli family, a father and two young men. They were disturbed by the pictures (obscene by the standards of the day) which t...

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Fr Fawssett who had just died. Today, his funeral was celebrated in the chapel of the John Fisher School in Purley where he celebrated Mass daily for so many years. It was in that chapel that my own vocation was nurtured and I always love to go back there. Today it was packed, with a good number of old boys on the sanctuary, including Bishop Howard Tripp who celebrated the Mass. Afterwards, the school put on a reception in the Hall where the "Honours" boards have the customary sporting records, even a few international honours. One board that is not in every school is the list of old boys of the school who have been ordained priest. One young man who is entering the seminary this autumn told me that Fr Fawssett asked him what he was doing and lit up when he heard that he was entering the seminary. It was a fitting way to celebrate the beginning of the "Year of the Priest" which was mentioned several times during the Mass in fitt...

Please say a prayer for Rose Korzeniewski, the mother of Diane at Te Deum Laudamus , who died yesterday evening, fortified by the rites of Holy Mother Church. Requiescat in pace . (Thanks to Mary B, a correspondent with Diane, for the graphic.)

Please say a prayer for Fr Richard Fawssett who died earlier today, aged 87. During my time as a pupil at the John Fisher School in Purley, Fr Fawcett was the "Senior Discipline Master". This meant that he was the one you got sent to if you misbehaved in the 4th or 5th form (in modern currency, Year 10 or 11). He exercised a stern, effortless and unquestioned authority: if he came into a class, the room went quiet immediately. His discipline was entirely just and fair-minded (and never in the slightest way brutal or sadistic) but there was little point in trying out feeble excuses. If "Sticks", as we called him on account of his tall and slender frame, caught you, you were 'bang to rights' and that was that. After I left the school, Fr Fawssett was released from the position of discipline master and took on more of a chaplaincy role: quite a transition for a priest to make but he managed it with great enthusiasm and, looking back, I am filled with admiratio...

The Times has a fine obituary of Edward Schofield , the father of Fr Nicholas Schofield archvist of the Archdiocese of Westminster and author of Roman Miscellany . It is a great accolade to have an obituary in the Times or the Telegraph; these articles are among the best pieces of journalism in the mainstream press. Edward Schofield was a medievalist, an expert on conciliar history, a member of the Royal Historical Society and a lover of the traditional Liturgy of the Church. Please pray for the repose of his soul.

Fr Stanley Jaki OSB died earlier today - please remember him in your prayers. Fr Jaki was a prolific writer, especially on science and religion (he had doctorates in both theology and physics) and lectured at the universities of Oxford, Yale and Edinburgh (among many others) as well as being a professor at Seton Hall University, New Jersey. In 1987, he was awarded the distinguished Templeton Prize, for furthering understanding of science and religion (an award derided repeatedly by Richard Dawkins in "The God Delusion".) Fr Jaki was expecially eloquent on the Christian origins of the modern natural sciences, explaining that the Christian philosophy of creation, seeing the universe as both contingent and rational, together with the acceptance that God could work through secondary causes, without thereby being diminished in His omnipotence, provided the unique environment for the natural sciences to flourish. In his work on this subject, he particularly emphasised the monumenta...

Please pray for the repose of Fr Lionel Sham, a much loved priest of the diocese of Johannesburg, South Africa, who was kidnapped and murdered the other day. An 18 year old has been arrested and charged. See article in Sowetan . Fr Sham is the second priest in South Africa to be murdered in less than two weeks. On February 27, a 34-year-old priest from the Jouberton Catholic Church gave a lift to four men aged between 17 and 21 and was stabbed to death.

Please remember Guy Hawley in your prayers. Aged 55, he died suddenly and I celebrated his funeral Mass today, followed by the burial at Sidcup Cemetery. Please remember his wife and children in your prayers too. While waiting around afterwards for a lift back in Udens undertakers' Rolls Royce, I said a prayer at a few graves I recognised. It is a strange feeling being in a cemetery where I know so many of those who are buried. I try always to go to Alison Gresley's plot. She died of cancer in 2003 at the age of nine. A short while before she died, she had enough strength to come to the Church for her first Holy Communion. At a day's notice, I phoned up a few people and said "Right! push the boat out, we're having Alison's first Communion tomorrow!" Various mums got on the bush telegraph and really did us proud, even managing to procure some first Communion balloons from somewhere for the lovely reception they put on. Do say a prayer for her mum and dad - ...

The sad news has come through today that three third year seminarians of the Society of St Pius X were killed today in an avalanche while walking in the Swiss mountains. A fourth was rescued and taken by helicopter to hospital. Abbé Christian Thouvenot asks for prayers for the repose of their souls and prayers for their families and for their confreres at the seminary community.

Some very sad news. Michael Dubruiel , the husband of renowned Catholic blogger Amy Wellborn, died suddenly yesterday. Please say a prayer for the repose of Michael's soul and please pray for Amy and her family in their loss.

Fr Richard John Neuhaus, a faithful priest and hugely influential writer founded the journal First Things . His monthly essay "The Public Square" was always highly regarded and widely read. (He also featured in the "Notes from across the Atlantic" section for Faith Magazine .) He was a great apostle in the pro-life cause and an enthusiastic supporter of the papacies of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Fr Neuhaus (72) died yesterday, 8 January 2009, from the side effects of the cancer he was suffering. He received the last rites of the Church from his long time friend Fr George Rutler. Shortly after he died, First Things re-posted Fr Neuhaus' February 2000 article Born Toward Dying . Tributes to him listed at First Things include those received from the White House, and major US dailies as well as Catholic sources. John Allen has a good piece in the National Catholic Reporter  as does Michael Novak ( A second brother dies ). Here is the notice from First...