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Showing posts with the label charity

Weekend Mission at Willesden to prepare for the Papal Visit

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St Mary Magdalen parish at Willesden Green is organising a Mission this weekend in advance of the Papal Visit. The event is being organised with the help of some Italian young adults from the Neo-Catechumenal Way, the community of Mother Teresa sisters, and the parish's post-Confirmation Youth Group, Prayer Group, and Play Group. It starts this evening with Mass and Night Prayers and there are various activities tomorrow involving Mass, confessions and adoration, public witness to the faith, charitable work and catechesis. It concludes on Sunday with an open afternoon at the Clergy House. At the St Mary Magdalen parish website, you can see full details
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Support the Good Counsel Network

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There is a new website for the Good Counsel Network which has information about their work in saving unborn children and helping mothers to make a real, informed and supported choice when pressured towards having an abortion. They also support women who have had an abortion and are suffering. The help that the GCN offers is practical and immediate. If you or someone you know is pregnant and worried, go to the Real Help page. The GCN also has a new blog with the good title Maria Stops Abortion . Mary O'Regan has a good post on the modern day "Alfies" who continue to abuse women and children. (The reference is to a 1960s Michael Caine film which epitomised the worst of the sexual revolution of that era.) There is also an opportunity for any of you who feel that you maybe have a little more money in the bank than you really need and that some of it really should go in christian charity to a deserving cause. As of a couple of days ago, the Good Counsel had £50 in the ...
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Keeping in touch with life in modern Britain

Laurence England has a post St George and the Dragon which just made something click inside. Along with many others, I have been sporadically glued to live updates of the discussions going on in various offices in central London to try and put together a Government for Britain. In the meantime, George is doing a gravelly-voiced cover of "Sweet Caroline" with Laurence playing the guitar with a fag hanging out of the corner of his mouth and a hat on. This is a pilot of a possible online busking initiative for George to get a new mattress and and dental implants. For the love of God! As I say, reading this, something clicked. I've bashed out a comment to promise send the funds for the mattress by any means convenient. I don't know how much the dental implants are, but I'm sure we can sub that between us. They may put up a paypal button or let us know some other online service. Or we can just send tenners in the post. Not recommended, I know, but if the chap can ...
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"Is the Church a force for good?"

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There is an excellent letter in the Catholic Herald by Christopher Koe who points out that the motion "Is the Church a force for good?" was also debated at the university in Paris in the early 1830s, it was defeated, but the occasion led to Frederick Ozanam founding the Society of St Vincent de Paul .
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"Window of Life"

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Just after Christmas, the Archbishop of Czestochowa, Most Rev Stanislaw Nowak, inaugurated the third "Window of Life" for unwanted babies. the service is provided by the Sisters of the Congregation of Servants of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. (The two other similar initiatives are at Krakow and Warsaw - the photo is of the one in Krakow, I think.) The window opens from the outside onto a heated cubicle. The sisters are alerted and the baby can be taken into the adjacent room for immediate professional medical care. The head of Caritas at Czestochowa said that he hoped that the window would be used rarely because the best place for a child is within the care of its mother and father. However, he was glad that the opportunity was available for mothers who were desperate - and would be glad to know that their baby would be provided with immediate care. H/T Lifesite News: Third “Window of Life” for Unwanted Babies Inaugurated in Poland If you read Polish or, lik...
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Iste Confessor

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In October, Bishop O'Donoghue wrote to the Catholic Caring Services, pleading with them not to capitulate to the Government's legislation on same-sex adoption but to seek an exemption under Human Rights & Religious Freedom Legislation, or failing that, attempt a legal challenge. The bishop has now written to say: Thursday 11 December 2008 will forever be etched in my memory, because it was on that day that the relationship between the Diocese of Lancaster and Catholic Caring Services suffered an irretrievable breakdown. Bishop O'Donoghue has resigned from the board and spelt out the consequences of the decision of the charity to drop "Catholic" from its title and go along with the Government legislation. Among other points, the Bishop says: With deep sadness I must declare that all churches, parishes, schools and other Catholic organisations or societies are to have no formal associations with Catholic Caring Services and the new charity is no longer entitled ...
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More from Lancaster

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Lancaster Diocese has just launched a new website. The old one wasn't bad, actually, but this one ties things in rather better with lots of the key information on the front page. (Incidentally, the new one is lancasterdiocese.org.uk which replaces the old "lancasterrcdiocese.org.uk") One of the most important items which I have not yet got round to mentioning is Bishop O'Donoghue's letter to the Catholic Caring Services of Lancaster. Here is a link to the text of the letter . The Trustees of the Lancaster Caring Services have voted to go along with the Sexual Orientation Regulations and accept gay and lesbian couples as suitable adoptive parents. Bishop O'Donoghue has responded by explaining the Church's teaching "as bishop and pastor", by insisting that the charity cannot unilaterally change its nature, and advising the trustees to seek an exemption from the SORs under Regulation 18. He makes it clear that if they insist on considering adoptio...
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Violence against Christians who help "Dalits"

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The disturbing violence against Christians in recent days was based on the pretext that Christians were involved in the assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. In fact, Maoist fanatics have themselves claimed responsibility for the assassination. Sandro Magister has an interesting article analysing what has been cited as the real reason for the violence: the work that Christians are carrying out to help "Dalits" and others at the bottom of the Indian Caste system. (Cf. In India, the Christians' Offense Is Fighting Against Slavery ) It is interesting to see the subtle bias in the BBC report on the matter: The BBC's Rahul Tandon in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, says it is a complex issue - Hindu groups have long accused Christian priests of bribing poor tribes and low-caste Hindus to change their faith. Christians say lower-caste Hindus convert willingly to escape the Hindu caste system. "Complex issue" is standard MSM-speak for "I don't wan...
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Buggy appeal update

The Sisters of the Gospel of Life blog reports on some welcome publicity: Buggy appeal in the news . The appeal, featured here ( Send stuff to Sisters of the Gospel of Life ) has made the front page of one of our Catholic newspapers. The story is a bit confused but hey! so long as the Sisters get sent lots of stuff for the mothers they are helping, that's fine by me. Once again, if you have some leeway on that plastic thing in your wallet, go over to Amazon and send the Sisters some baby things. Delivery address: Sisters of the Gospel of Life 106 Dixon Ave Glasgow G42 8EL
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Send stuff to Sisters of the Gospel of Life

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The Sisters of the Gospel of Life have the following appeal on their blog: Due to unprecedented demand we have a severe shortage of prams and buggies, which we desperately need over the next few days. If you’re in the Glasgow area and have a pram or buggy, in good condition, that you no longer need, please do consider donating it to us. We have a number of women whose due dates are imminent and are in particular need of prams or buggies suitable from birth onwards. We’re also in serious need of baby baths. Now many of us don't live in the Glasgow area. But all of us using the internet can go to a baby-stuff site and type in the numbers from that little plastic thing we have in our wallets, and put the delivery address as: Sisters of the Gospel of Life 106 Dixon Ave Glasgow G42 8EL This is called almsgiving. You get grace and at least a partial indulgence if you have even a habitual intention. The Sisters get a bit of help and encouragement in their work, and a mother who has resis...
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Fra' Bertie meets the Holy Father

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The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta is today the oldest order of chivalry in Christendom. The photograph shows the 78th Grand Master, Fra' Andrew Bertie , greeting the Holy Father on the occasion of the Mass recently celebrated at the order's hospital. The Order is responsible for numerous charitable activities throughout the world. Below is another photograph of Fra' Bertie greeting the Holy Father on the occasion of the inaugural Mass of his pontificate:
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A little sermon on charity

However I put this, it will come out as preaching so I'll be upfront about it. It is as much a sermon to myself as to any of you. It is easy to get angry with people when they talk in Church, to cast aspersions on them, to judge them for irreverence and perhaps a host of other things. This is a temptation which should be resisted. Perhaps a priest has told them that the Church is a community and we should all greet each other and chat in the House of the Assembly. Perhaps they have had a poor education in the faith, come back to the Church with goodwill and assumed that it is the right thing to talk once Mass has finished. Perhaps they are a bit hard of hearing and so talk more loudly than seems sensible. Perhaps they're not Catholic and talk because everyone else does. There could be all sorts of reasons. So this is a chance for penance - and therefore a partial indulgence, by the way. Here's a prayer I just made up: Loving Lord Jesus, I would like to pray in peace and sil...
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Popular posts from this blog

Saint Gabriel

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The angels call for our veneration and awe as part of God’s creation. Part of the destructive modernism of the 1970s included advice to Catholic school teachers that they should not talk to children about angels. This wrought lasting damage which continues to need rectifying. We should include in our prayers a heartfelt recourse to our own Guardian Angels. The Archangel Gabriel “God is my strength” would be terrifying were he to appear to any of us. Our Lady was “troubled” at the word of Saint Gabriel and wondered at the manner of the salutation. Immediately, according to his mission, the awesome messenger explained himself. Modern retelling of the event is often reduced to the jejune “Mary said Yes to God”. In fact, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. This conveys more accurately the flawless faith and trust of the Immaculata. In the infinitely wise providence of the Father, we now know the structure of the event in even more detai...
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Is your alb back to front?

Fr Z has initiated a roaring discussion by asking the simple question whether maniples can be used in the Novus Ordo Mass. ( What Does The Prayer Really Say?: Maniples ) One commenter has referred to an important source for the question that has proved popular among modern liturgists. An answer in Notitiae of 1978 said: "When the rubrics of the Missal of Paul VI say nothing or say little on particulars in some places, it is not to be inferred that the former rite should be observed. Therefore, the multiple and complex gestures for incensation as prescribed in the former Missal are not to be resumed." This is, of course, a strange answer. Saying that it must not be inferred that a rite should be used does not imply that it must not be used. We need to check the Latin of this text. (If anyone with access to a library can check it, I have seen the reference given elsewhere as Notitiae 14 (1978) 301-302, no. 2) Let us in any case take the more restrictive interpretation, bel...
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Food at Parkminster

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The Conventual Mass at St Hugh's is at 8.15am during the week. Afterwards, I followed the custom of celebrating a private Mass as the Carthusian priests do every day. More about that later. After this and thanksgiving, the first period of manual work or study begins at 10.30am. At 11.15am, the monks say the office of Sext and then lunch arrives delivered by trolley around the cloister and placed into the hatch of each cell. Here is the lunch as it is delivered. The can on top is fresh milk. There are three trays with food in, a fruit basket and your preference of drink: The meal is taken at a shelf in the window recess, called the Refectorium . There is a personal tablecloth, a metal knife and a wooden fork and spoon to eat it with. To drink, there is a choice of fruit juice or Parkminster's home-made apple wine. It sometimes gets called cider but apple wine is probably a safer name because it is 10% abv. It is quite dry and decepively strong. I had this for the first two days ...
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1962 Missal pdf online

The Church Music Association of America and Jeffrey Tucker of the New Liturgical Movement have made available the 1962 Missal online in pdf format (72Mb). The file is hosted at Musica Sacra , the website of the CMAA, thanks to a generous gift from Fr Robert Skeris While you are at it, take a look at the articles clarifying the rules for music at Low Mass and music at High Mass .
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Tour of a Carthusian cell

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The Great Cloister of St Hugh's, Parkminster is the largest in the world. The photograph below shows part of two sides of the Great Cloister with the cells attached: The next photo shows the door to the cell I was given. Each cell has a text on the door: mine was "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". To the right of the door is the hatch where the brothers leave food and any other items such as toiletries, light bulbs etc. that have been requested. Inside is a spacious ambulacrum with windows onto the enclosed garden. There is thus room for the monk to take exercise if the weather prevents him from walking in the garden. The stairs go up to the main living quarters and down to the work area and garden. To the left of the cell door, you can see the inside door of the hatch. Here is a view of the ambulacrum from the stairs: Upstairs, the first room in the main part of the cell is called the Ave Maria . The custom is to kneel down and say a Hail Mary every...
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