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Showing posts with the label mental health

Study on Abortion and Mental Health

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Dr Pravin Thevathasan, a psychiatrist with over twenty years' experience, who also holds a Masters in medical ethics and law, has written a very helpful booklet on Abortion and Mental Health in which he examines the psychological consequences of induced abortion. He notes: Perhaps the most important statement in this study is that, while over ninety per cent of abortions are done on the ground that continuation of the pregnancy would lead to serious damage to teh women's mental health, there is no evidence that abortion reduces the mental health risks of unwanted pregnancy. Indeed no study has reported that it reduces mental health risks - a fact which surely challenges the use of psychiatric reasons for justifying abortion. Another important point is that grieving after abortion is difficult because the woman is just expected to carry on and "snap out of it" and indeed, such grief is frowned upon by society. This booklet would be of help to clergy in understanding ...
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Pray for the Wanderers!

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One of my parishioners (Dr Adrian Treloar) is a specialist in dementia care and recently travelled to Leeds to give his talk on the Spiritual Care of Dementia . Dr Treloar has always been amused and inspired by the Hymn "Hail Queen of Heaven", in which the first verse asks Our Blessed Lady to "Pray for the wanderer pray for me". You can see how he sees this applying to those with dementia by reading his talk . He also reminds us that the third verse gives a strong manifesto for what we ought to do for those who suffer dementia. Its a good talk and worth a look if you are worried about any aspect of dementia care. But at the end of the talk one of the priests came up and told him about his friend who is the Chaplain to Bolton Wanderers FC. In good times few ask for the help of a Premiership team Chaplain. But whenever they are struggling in the table, supporters come up to him and ask for advice. His reply is to pray and sing the same hymn: Hail Queen of Heaven. ...
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Coping with mental health problems

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Seán Coyle, who comments here from time to time with wisdom and charity, edits the Misyon Magazine , whose purpose is to stimulate awareness of and support for mission and Filipino missionaries. The current issue carries a short but moving article by Elizabeth Parkes, the daughter of Jackie, about coping with a mother who suffers manic depression. See: A Daughter’s View on Manic Depression . Jackie herself also has an article entitled The Agony and the Ecstasy . Many people suffer mental health problems at one time or another and it is good to see such an honest and helpful personal account. Jackie offers a message of hope to others: I want to say to anyone suffering in a similar way to what I did, even through two or three years of awful agony, that recovery is possible. Mind have an factsheet which gives a Young person's guide to mental health .
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Popular posts from this blog

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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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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The blessing of a chariot

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When I studied Latin in Rome with Fr Reginald Foster, he used to suggest that a good word for a car was autorhaeda , a word in fact used in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis of 1965 when speaking of a visit made by Pope Paul VI to the Basilica of St Chrysogonus in Trastevere. The word raeda (without the "h") was used by Caesar, Cicero and Horace for a travelling wagon with four wheels and the addition of "auto" does not make for too awful a neologism. In the Rituale Romanum , the blessing for a motor vehicle is the Benedictio vehiculi seu currus . The word currus is normally translated as chariot and reflects the way that people often view their car. Since one's motor vehicle is more likely to be the locus of one's death or injury than many other artefacts, it does make sense to have it blessed. Above you can see us striding purposefully past the Georgian houses of Victoria Road and here is the blessing of the classic mini: The blessing given in the ...
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Litany of Syrian Saints

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In response to my post yesterday about Praying to St Ephrem and the Syrian Saints a reader sent me this Litany of Syrian Saints which he composed himself last night. Let us pray for peace in Syria and in the Middle East. Litany of Syrian Saints For private use only Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison, Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison. Christe audi nos, Christe audi nos. Christe exaudi nos. Christe exaudi nos. God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, God the Holy Ghost, Holy Trinity, one God, Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of Virgins, St Michael, St Gabriel, St Raphael, All ye Holy Angels and Archangels, St John the Baptist, St Joseph, All ye Holy Patriarchs and Prophets, pray for us. Blessed Peter the Apostle, and first Patriarch of Antioch, Blessed Paul the Apostle, born in Tarsus, Blessed Paul the Apostle, blinded and converted on the way to Damascus, Blessed Pau...
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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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