Bishops Contemplate A Bit Of Blogger...

Finally, I get to post something original... and I haven't caught even a smidgeon of this in the blogosphere, so this could even be a Mulier Fortis exclusive. Please remember this little fact when you see it later on more famous (and more interesting) blogs... it would be nice to have a busy com-box for a change...
;-)

I have heard a rumour or two (no names, no pack-drill) that the Bishops of England and Wales discussed the blogging phenomenon during their Low Week meeting this year.

Nothing too surprising (or noteworthy) in that, you might think. Practically everything on the planet, if it possesses a pulse, has heard of blogging. It's even been mentioned on BBC Radio 4.

The interest arises from the further rumour that their Lordships discussed the "reining in" of several priestly bloggers in their dioceses... allegedly. I think there may even have been mention of some sort of "imprimatur" being required...

This is hugely entertaining, in view of the fact that almost no publications bother with the imprimatur these days, not even RE textbooks produced for use in Catholic schools... and, in reality, it is possible to be promoted in Catholic Cathedrals while publicly dissenting from Catholic teaching...

For some strange reason, the phrase "Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough!" keeps flitting through my consciousness... I have a sneaking suspicion that one or two priestly bloggers of my acquaintance would smile seraphically at whoever attempted to deliver the gagging order and boot the whole issue straight "upstairs" ! I don't know which Vatican Department deals with such appeals, but I have little doubt that the priests in question would get a favourable hearing.

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes...

Sometimes the kids I teach really kill me!

Picture the scene: the end of the school day. Everything's packed up, and the chairs are up on the tables, but the bell hasn't actually gone. Woe betide any teacher who lets her class out early. So, to fill up the time, I say a few sentences to sum up the lesson. Most of the youngsters are listening. One is mucking about with a chair, scraping it along the table top. These are Science Lab tables, so the effect is a bit like nails on a blackboard. I get a bit tetchy, and tell him to stop making that awful racket when I'm talking...

...out of the corner of my eye, I see him grin, and very quietly lift the chair up by the legs, and then put it down again. This is, actually, quite funny, as he hasn't really disobeyed me. Of course, I'm not going to admit it...

So, I inform him that he now will have a detention... His face fell, until I added "on Thursday" when he brightened up, and cheerfully accepted his fate.

"Hang on," I said, "Are you out on a school trip on Thursday?"

"Yes, Miss!" he replied, grinning.

"Fine. We'll make the detention Friday instead!"

I could almost see him kicking himself...

(And no, I didn't actually give him a detention. I kept him back for a minute after the bell under the pretext of writing the detention in his planner, and then told him he would be flayed alive if he put so much as a toenail out of line next lesson... We both were unable to keep straight faces!)

"To Let - Vacant..."

THAT is what should be tattooed on the foreheads of those in charge at Westminster Cathedral.

We have had inappropriate films being shot inside the Cathedral, inappropriate concerts being played inside the Cathedral, and inappropriate books being launched...

Now, it seems, the authorities have given the go-ahead for a charity that supports destructive research on human embryos and the creation of human-animal hybrids to hold an event in the Cathedral's hall. It was held last Friday, 4th July.

The Parkinson’s Disease Society’s website states: "We have been lobbying Parliamentarians to ensure they support human/animal research in any votes on this issue in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill."

Mantilla-twitch to Richard Marsden of Bashing Secularism.

I'd Forgotten This One...

...the celebrations after the release of Summorum Pontificum... I think I was the body behind the camera (Fr. Tim's) for this one...

Twitch of the mantilla to the NLM for putting up a whole lot of memories!

Novus Ordo 2.0

The new, improved marketing campaign for the new, improved Mass...

I laughed like a drain. My favourite bit has to be "Now with 50% less Bugnini" !

Twitch of the mantilla to the Curt Jester.

"Happy Birthday, Motu Proprio...!"

...well, "Happy Birthday, Summorum Pontificum" doesn't scan as well.

It is hard to believe that it's already a whole year after the feverish expectation of the release of the Holy Father's Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum.

From my side of the pew, it has been interesting to observe the increase in enthusiasm for the TLM, and to note that more and more parishes seem to be making provision for it.

I am not "against" the Novus Ordo Mass, and have seen it celebrated with great reverence, dignity and devotion. But I have also seen it celebrated badly, with scant regard for its sacrificial nature, and little recognition that liturgy is something given by God for our benefit, and not something which we do for God, and which can be changed to fit in with what suits us.

Fr. Z has the first part of an interview he gave to Zenit posted HERE. Fr. Tim has given the first of two talks in the parish on the traditional liturgy, and I will post a link to the texts as soon as he gets around to publishing them (which he has promised to do... eventually!)

In the meantime, I thought I would sneak in a re-post of Fr. Tim's celebration video, released on the morning of the publication of Summorum Pontificum.

Ebbsfleet...

I drove down to Ebbsfleet this afternoon. The place is seriously spooky. There was hardly any evidence of life.

I couldn't resist taking a few photos, which caught the attention of one or two security types. They sauntered over, keeping a wary eye on me, and then decided that I was just some ditsy blonde, and left me to it.

Finally, some evidence that life exists in Ebbsfleet... cars!