The Hermeneutic of Continuity

Rome Reports have now published the video report that they made on the Via Romea cycling pilgrimage to Rome by three of my young parishioners. The pronunciation of their name will be a lasting source of amusement in the parish and I expect that people will long refer to the Treloar family as the Trialars.

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 .

Anna-Marie Treloar, one of my young parishioner ( left in the photo ) went to the Invocation 2010 weekend. At my request, she kindly wrote this report: Invocation 2010 The event, probably best described as a youth festival celebrating and promoting religious vocations, was billed by the organizers as ‘the first of its kind in England and Wales’. The weekend was structured around basic liturgy of Divine Office and Daily Mass, with talks from keynote speakers and a selection of workshops. For me, the talks were the highlight of the event. The first speaker, Abbot Christopher Jamison, spoke about the theology behind the idea of vocation, setting the tone for the weekend. The second talk by Dr Andrew O’Connell was a brilliantly delivered, energetic and encouraging look at the need for vocations today, and how fulfillment can never ultimately be found in a digital age of instant gratification, but only in Christ. The last speaker I heard was Sr Gabriel Davison, who gave a very personal...

Here is the info for this amazing video on YouTube Stephen Wiltshire from London is a star among savants. Stephen is autistic. He did not speak his first words "pencil" and "paper" until he was 5. Yet, when he was 11 he drew a perfect aerial view of London after only one helicopter ride. For this film we're testing the "Living camera" in Rome. (ColourField production) H/T Deacon Greg Kandra at The Deacon's Bench

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...

Yesterday's visit by the Holy Father to the Great Synagogue of Rome was a great success. The Vatican website has an English translation of his address . The Holy Father spoke sensitively about the Shoah "that tragically reached as far as Rome" and about the Bible. He highlighted the ten commandments as "a common ethical message of permanent value for Israel, for the Church, for non-believers and for all of humanity." Pope Benedict made particular reference to the family, highlighting an area of concern both to the Church and to Jews: The "Ten Commandments" call us to preserve and to promote the sanctity of the family, in which the personal and reciprocal, faithful and definitive "Yes" of man and woman makes room for the future, for the authentic humanity of each, and makes them open, at the same time, to the gift of new life. To witness that the family continues to be the essential cell of society and the basic environment in which human v...

At the basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, the tradition of Gregorian Chant has been kept alive over the past decades by the community of Benedictine nuns. There is now an initiative called " Cantantibus Organis " to help others to learn more about the chant. Each Sunday, from 9.30am, there will be a half-hour practice of the chants to be used in that day's Mass (ordinary form). After the Masses, during Advent, there will be the following lectures from 11.15am-12noon: 1) "The Introits of the Sundays in Advent" Luigi Pastoressa, choirmaster and organist at Santa Cecilia. 2) "The ‘sound’ of the Word: Gregorian chant in the liturgy." Dr Jordi-Augustí Pique OSB, from the monastery at Montserrat and director of the Escolania de Montserrat, the oldest surviving music school in Europe, is at Sant' Anselmo this term. He was the organist when Pope Benedict visited Montecassino on 24 May. 3) "Introduction to Liturgical Spirituality" Monsigno...

Sandro Magister reports on a new exhibition in the Braccio di Carlo Magno wing of Saint Peter's Square, devoted to the Jesuit missionary to China, Matteo Ricci. (See: Matteo Ricci. How to "Inculturate" Christianity in China ) As I will be in Rome this January for the Clergy Conference , I hope to be able to visit the exhibition.

I was just delighted to see this YouTube video clip of Reggie Foster in classic form, filmed by his nephew, greeting his students. It is so heartening to see him in such good humour. Looking at the whole video, I am struck by Fr Foster's transparently genuine and charity and concern for his students. He just wants to be back in Rome helping them to know and love the Latin language.

There is just one month left to register for the Year for Priests Clergy Conference in Rome . This runs from 4-8 January 2010 and includes speakers such as Rev Michael Lang, Mgr Guido Marini, and other well-known priests , usus antiquior Mass celebrated by Cardinal Canizares Llovera, and a tour of the Apostolic Segnatura with Archbishop Raymond Burke. On one of the evenings, there is dinner within the Vatican at the Casa Santa Marta (used by the Cardinals during the Conclave.) Looking at the finalised Conference Programme , I'm very glad that I have booked for this. If you are a priest, do consider this for a post-Christmas break. If you are a lay person, do consider helping out any priest who may find it difficult to meet the cost.

Many years ago in Rome, I studied Latin with the great Fr Reginald Foster. I have studied under some very fine teachers but Reggie was undoubtedly the best teacher of anything that I ever had. He is not by any means a "traditionalist": for example he never wears his habit, and does not like the extraordinary form of Mass. His love of Latin is entirely based on the beauty of the language itself. His enthusiasm is infectious but enthusiasm is not enough to learn Latin. He demanded hard work and application, but those students who stayed with him (and there were always large numbers) did the work because he communicated his own zeal for the language. Everyone who studied with Reggie has their own memories from his classes - you need to conjure up the gravelly Milwaukee accent - here is one example. Foster : What's the dative doing there in that sentence? Student : Oh Father I thought it was just like, kinda ... floating. Foster : [ with trademark snarl ] NOTHING FLOATS...

Fr Kramer of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter is the parish Priest of the Church of the Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini in the historic heart of Rome, erected by the Vicariate of Rome as a personal parish to guarantee pastoral care for the community of Traditional faithful in Rome. On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which marked the second anniversary of Summorum Pontificum , Fr Kramer gave an interview for Vatican Radio . Fr Kramer especially emphasised that the restoration of the traditional form of the Roman Rite is not a matter of "going back" to the time before Vatican II. He spoke particularly of the greater warmth and communication between bishops and priests, and between priests and people. I agree with him. There was certainly warm and open communication in some cases but I think he is right that this has been greatly improved in recent decades. Another important consideration is the reverence with which Mass is celebrated. One side of the "...

H/T Fr Ray Blake

My good friends Marko and Pilvi in Helsinki have posted photographs of the first communion of their daughter, Beatamaria, at High Mass in Rome today on the feast of St Peter and St Paul at the Church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, the Church of the FSSP. Here you can see Fr Brendan Gerard who was Deacon at the Mass and the dignified prie-Dieu that was decorated for the first Communion: And here is a lovely family photo with Fr Kramer:

The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer have been in Rome on pilgrimage. See their blog for some great pictures of the Eternal City. They followed a custom of English students in visiting St Philip Neri before starting for home. Brother Edward of the London Oratory was on hand to show them round the Church and the rooms of St Philip. (See: Saint Philip Neri .) The photo above is of the altar of St Philip Neri in the Chiesa Nuova. There is a copy of the mosaic at the London Oratory. I have said Mass many times at this altar, thinking of the greeting that St Philip Neri gave to the English seminarians: "Salvete flores martyrum!" (Hail, flowers of the martyrs!

This coming Monday is the feast of St Peter and St Paul and, in Rome, the occasion for conferring the pallium on various Archbishops. Archbishop Vincent Nichols will be there, as will Archbishop Tim Dolan and others. One of the recipients, Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit, is updating a blog about his pilgrimage. See: A Shepherd's Mission . Yesterday, he called into the NAC and prayed for his classmates, as well as visiting the Casa Sancta Maria, a college for American clergy doing further studies (which I visited last year) and stopping in to see St Philip Neri at the Chiesa Nuova.

The Day with Mary team is running a pilgrimage to Italy from 3-11 September, taking in Rome, Collevalenza and Assisi. The chaplain will be one of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate so you can be sure of sound spiritual direction throughout. I had to get the pdf converted to a jpeg to post here ( click to enlarge ). Here is a link to the pdf of the poster at Scribd . Contact for further information is Trevor Downs .