The Hermeneutic of Continuity

First the good news. About a year ago, it was announced that there would be a document from the Ecclesia Dei commission clarifying Summorum Pontificum . CNS reports: Asked about the status of those detailed instructions, Cardinal Castrillon told Catholic News Service that his office had completed its work and passed the draft on to the pope, who would make the final decision about its publication. The bad news is that Cardinal Castrillon has clearly been annoyed by some people pestering him with further demands. Cf. CNS Cardinal: Some not satisfied even after pope's Tridentine Mass decree (H/T Rorate Caeli ) I agree with the comment by New Catholic that there are also some bishops who could be criticised for their opposition to the expressed will of the Holy Father, but I think that we should listen carefully to Cardinal Castrillon. There is a battle going on in the Church over this issue, including, I should imagine, a lot of subtle but intense machinations at the Vatican. We d...

Laurence England, a parishioner of Fr Ray Blake at St Mary Magdalen's, Brighton, has recently started a blog called That the bones you have crushed may thrill (ponderings of a Catholic layman) which is well worth a look.

A petition has recently been started by Miss A Burt. It reads: We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to deny any extension planned for the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland, as we believe in the right to life. There is an opposite petition, supporting the extension of the abortion act to Northern Ireland so it would be good to get plenty of signatures. Sign the petition (You have to be a British citizen or resident to sign.)

Fr Sean Coyle has a post on praying the Breviary, including the impact that it can make on others. (Cf Bangor to Bobbio: Pope Benedict in Paris and Father Flanagan of Boys Town )

H/T to Tony from The Muniment Room for this video of a group of young men who stood on the steps of the Cathedral at Neuquén in Argentina to protect it from desecration during a demonstration by pro-abortionists. You can see them calmly praying the Rosary despite being insulted and spat upon. Francisco José Fernández de la Cigoña describes how the bishop went out to remonstrate - with the guys praying the Rosary! His post is Unos jóvenes valientes que pasan de un obispo cobarde but I should warn you: although my Spanish is not good enough to understand the various colloquialisms about pantaloons and intestines, it is fairly clear that he is not very complimentary about the bishop.

Yesterday was a full day - 9am Novus Ordo, 10.30am Missa Cantata, two Baptisms, then on to Vespers and Benediction at the London Oratory, followed by the launch of the journal Usus Antiquior (and then on to Wonersh to be ready to lecture this morning). Above you can see Fr Z's photo from the sanctuary during the preparation for Benediction. the Liturgy of the Oratory is still, in Faber's words describing the Traditional High Mass of the Roman Rite, "The most beautiful thing this side of heaven" and I never fail to be moved by it. When I was young, I used to attend occasionally. In those days, I did not know the Fathers of the Oratory. Now I know many of them and count them as good friends - but in the Liturgy, their personality is subsumed into the sacred action and it scarcely matters which of the Fathers are acting as Sacred Ministers. It is so emphatically not about "me the celebrant" but the humble and awe-filled worship of Almighty God. After Vespers, ...

Jeffrey Tucker has written an excellent article summarising the problem with music as it is usually experienced in the ordinary form of the Mass. (Cf. No More Roadblocks ) The only time that most people get to hear the music that is prescribed to be sung at Mass is when they attend a sung Mass in the extraordinary form. Everywhere else in town—and this is true of all neighboring towns—Masses are all vernacular, facing the people, and the music is the usual hit parade. Instead of propers, there are hymns of various shapes and styles, and instead of a Gregorian ordinary, there is a peppy “Mass setting” in English. If you go to the engine room in the choir practice area you will find a sheet that looks like this: Setting: Creation Pro: random hymn Off: random hymn Com: random hymn Rec: random hymn Jeffrey agrees with the suggestion of Laszlo Dobszay in his book "Bugnini-Liturgy and the Reform of the Reform" that "the provision to permit another songs to replace the propers ...

here is a video of the Apostolic Blessing of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, given at Lourdes yesterday, followed by the Salve Regina . Catholiques has posted this and a number of other videos of the Papal visit to YouTube.

This afternoon, the Union of Catholic Mothers in my parish put on a garden party with scones, jam, cream, home-made cakes and sandwiches, tea, pimms, and chilled white wine. There were various activities for the children and I had at go at the "Splat the Rat" game at which I was a miserable failure. They still gave me a lollipop as a consolation prize.

George has put this link up in the combox in response to my post on Boys and men . James Stenson offers some sound advice to fathers which may be of help and encouragement.

Just before going to prepare for Mass, I have been watching some of the Papal Mass at the Esplanade des Invalides on KTO . The above screen capture from the Offertory shows the "benedictine altar arrangement" well with the focus on the crucifix. Here is a view of the congregation stretching down the esplanade: