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Caritas Social Action attacks Pope

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There is a disturbing piece today on Damien Thompson's blog - Holy Smoke:Bishops support book attacking the Pope . He reports on a book published by Caritas Social Action called Catholic Social Justice: Theological and Practical Explorations . Thompson says that the book (which has a foreword by Bishop Budd) "systematically rubbishes Benedict’s first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est ". The book includes an essay by Fr Tissa Balasuriya whose work "Mary and Human Liberation" was the subject of a notification by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Apparently, Fr Balasuriya believes that Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict have lived “in a world dominated by white racism” and were therefore unable to understand the developing world. Thompson also rightly draws attention to the disgraceful inverted commas in Balasuriya's description of the 9/11 massacre as a "terrorist" attack. Caritas-Social Action describes itself as [...] the umbrella organisa...
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How to drink tea

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There is a wonderful "silly season" article in today's Telegraph: Tea room outlaws biscuit dunking . The Tea Cosy in Brighton will not tolerate mobile phones or biscuit dunking. They offer detailed advice on how to hold the cup when you drink your tea. And they don't do coffee, as this quote from an article in The Argus makes clear: Sit back, enjoy yourself, but whatever you do, don’t ask if they serve coffee. “I get sick of people asking if we sell coffee,” says David. “The clue is in the name, t-e-a-r-o-o-m. The day I sell coffee is the day I leave. I tell people who ask, ‘There’s three Starbucks in town, take your pick. Goodbye.’” Looking at the code of etiquette, I see that it has missed an important part of tea drinking class distinction that disappeared with the ubiquitous mug. When I used to work on the milk round as a boy, there were a few houses where we would stop for a cup of tea. In those days (I'm talking early 70s), we were usually given tea in a cu...
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When biased TV coverage is acted upon

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We are wearily familiar with biased coverage of religious matters on British television. We are no longer surprised by selective editing of footage, weighted choice of interviewees, blasphemy, insults against the Holy Father, screening of films designed to ridicule our faith. However today's Times has a story about biased religious coverage criticised by the Police who have made a complaint about the programme to Ofcom . The reason for such prompt action by the Constabulary is that the programme was allegedly biased against Muslims. Broadcast in January, the programme Dispatches: Undercover Mosque had footage of statements such as those listed below the Times article: Abu Usamah: “They will fight in the cause of Allah. I encourage all of you to be from among them, to begin to cultivate ourselves for the time that is approaching” Dr Ijaz Mian: “You have to live like a state-within-a-state until you take over” Abu Usamah: “Why give up your religion and your long legacy of Islam to ...
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A crazy life

Being a parish priest can be a little crazy at times. Coming into the presbytery from Mass, hearing a couple of confessions, and having a chat with some religious who are at the cutting edge of the Church's life, I find that the Health and Safety firm is coming to see me. I decided to take the chap round myself rather than delegating this - just out of curiosity, really. It turns out that of red, amber and green health and safety triage categories, we are "green". This worried me a bit at first; I wondered how we might enlarge our carbon footprint. However my worries were unfounded. The "green" category meant that we have no major health and safety ishoos demanding urgent attention. This surprised me greatly since I am not a great one for getting all the necessary checks and paperwork in place. The nice H&S chap said that although we hadn't got all the policies entirely right (we do have quite a few of them - I know how to adapt model policies) we had th...
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Family lunch and biothics seminar

I was pleased to accept a spur of the moment invitation to lunch since it is August and there are fewer appointments than usual. Over to one of the families in my parish who have seven children, keep chickens as well as the obligatory rabbit (who likes plums from one of their many plum trees.) Children gave me demonstrations of the swinging tyre, the Wendy House, the rather precarious swing hanging from the tree, table-tennis, mask-making, and recitations on piano, trumpet, violin and some long club-like instrument from a rain forest. Lunch was in the garden and between us, we managed to get three wasps with accurate flicks of household implements. As the older children are clued-up on pro-life issues, and parents are both doctors, the post-lunch discussion on the Draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill ended up being a fairly high-powered seminar on bioethics.
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Maiden Lane photo

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Photo taken by Mulier Fortis at last night's Mass at Maiden Lane. The people's altar at the front is in fact moved from the Lady Chapel. Perhaps one day it will be moved back again, who knows? It would be lovely to have an unimpeded view of the High Altar at this charming Church in Covent Garden.
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NLM Liturgical resources

New Liturgical Movement have collected together a number of links to resources for the 1962 Missale Romanum. The following resources are a combination of many free online, and some for purchase, to help priests, servers and choirs to learn and celebrate the classical Roman liturgy. (There is a link in the Quick Menu to save you having to scroll down.)
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Silly confession video

Br Paul Lew put this on facebook yesterday. Very silly - but quite funny ... Here's a question for canon lawyers. If this were real, how many excommunications would be incurred?
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Families and smacking

On the Families First post, I mentioned the anti-smacking debate. Jackie Parkes ( Catholic Mom of 10 ) posted a heartfelt comment: Don't get me started Fr. i've seen Catholic Families smack their children & i personally don't like it. i know Joanna B warned me about playing into the government's hands on my anti-smacking post..but i can't see why parents would be worried. If they don't smack what's the problem. i also have seen 'poor' 'deprived' families using this form of punishment ..& it is awul to watch. We were brought up being smacked. Did it do us any harm? Yes! i was determined never to smack my children. Big people smacking/tapping even small people never! i'm on my own on this one..nearly every post supported some form of smacking.i don't believe that is right Fr about the Catholic families hardly ever using corporal punishment..i think all those i know do. A contentious issue..but i find it a very poor form of disci...
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Not much demand? Sufficient provision?

Fr Z has commented on many of his posts about the "party line" on Summorum Pontificum and provision of the older form of the Roman Rite. "There is not much demand for it. We have sufficient provision already because we have been so generous." (In one American Diocese, nearly twice as large in area as England, this "sufficient provision" is one Sunday Mass.) On Sunday afternoon, I posted about the St Michael's Abbey Press . Having browsed through the Motu Proprio section, I ordered a few items. A parcel arrived this morning with some of the order. (That is order-fulfilment on a par with Amazon.) However, the parcel included a note in a fine chancery style hand which can tell us something about the demand. Dear Father We have had to put your other two items on backorder due to the massive increase in that section of our shop. We hope to be in a position to send them shortly.
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Families First website

From the website: " Families First is a family advocacy group, committed to supporting parents and children in the family unit. It supports the rights and responsibilities of parents to protect and guide their children and to bring them up in a reasonable manner, according to their religious and philosophical convictions." They are against a "law against smacking". It is interesting that most of the families I know who share this view rarely need to smack their children and many never do. Families First have several papers looking at the situation in Sweden where the smacking ban has not only failed to achieve a decrease in violence against children but has been associated with the opposite outcome.
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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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Downloadable booklets for Vespers

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Gregorian Chant Hymns is a most helpful website that I mentioned in a post just over a year ago. As I said then, the site "[...] promotes the learning of Gregorian Chant by making sheet music, recordings, translations, and instructions. There is a short guide to Gregorian Notation (those square notes) and to Latin pronunciation. Everything is available free of charge, in line with other great traditional music websites." Work has continued at the site and there is now a section which makes available pdf (or .docx format) booklets for Vespers for every Sunday of the Year and a few major feasts. There is the basic booklet for ordinary Sunday Vespers which is supplemented by separate files for the Sundays after Pentecost which contain the Magnificat and Collect. Then there are booklets, for example for Advent and Lent, where the office is different from the regular Sunday Vespers with its antiphons. All of the booklets have texts and notation for Benediction and the Maria...
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