Midnight Mass...

I wanted to take a few photos from this evening's celebrations... but just a very few... Obviously, it being Christmas, I wanted to share!

Before the Carol Service started, I took a photo of the church, as seen from the back.

I took a couple of photos of the Crib, before the baby was laid in the manger (obviously)...

...and then a close-up once the Christ-child made his appearance!

I managed to get a shot of the Blessing of the Crib at the start of Mass, but only from a distance... The zoom on my camera works pretty well, provided I keep it still!

Fr. Tim gave an excellent sermon...

We had a full complement of servers on the Sanctuary, plus a few extra...

And, finally, my favourite moments...

I know that we're very privileged to have Midnight Mass in the Extraordinary Form (actually at midnight, too.) I hope that the rest of you enjoy your Christmas Masses as much as I did...

A Merry Christmas To All My Readers...

...the three of you know who you are...

(Ok, ok... I do have a few more readers than that... though I am reaping the rewards of not posting stuff for a week, and hence numbers are a little down... Nothing a few blog links won't address! *ahem*)

Seriously, thank you for bothering to read my ramblings during the past year (even the bits about kittens), thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement (especially the bits about kittens) and be assured of my prayers and best wishes for you all on this special night.

Kitten Stuff...!

A few people have asked me how the kittens are getting along. It being the season of goodwill and all, I am delighted to report that the two of them are much more friendly towards each other since they came back from the vet. My decision to have both of them operated upon at the same time (despite a slight age difference) was obviously a good move... and I suspect that they united in the face of a common enemy.

Both Monsignor Miaowrini and Monsignor Furretti have received the tonsure... I was fascinated to note that Miaowrini has pink skin under her black fur, whereas Furretti has black skin.

Knowing that curiosity is the besetting sin of all feline life, I have been careful to keep the toilet lid down. I was slightly distracted the other evening, and failed to observe this little precaution. Sure enough, I suddenly heard a loud splash: Miaowrini had managed to fall in. Fortunately she managed to get herself out again rather quickly, without getting her stitches wet...

No Surprises...!

The bit by the Holy Father on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day was very nice, but hardly surprising - God becoming Man and dying on the Cross for our Salvation. Admittedly, I think that one or two people may have been caught out by the mention of the Cross at a time when we traditionally focus on the birth of a little baby, but it is pretty standard fare for us Catholics. It did help to keep the whimsical element at bay, as Damian Thompson so rightly pointed out.

There has never been quite so much of a fuss made over the Thought for the Day slot, however. The Today programme devoted much interview time before and after the slot to discuss it - it must have been a very slow news day.

The excellent Fr. Ray Blake was spot on with his criticism of the interview with Archbishop Longley: I yearned for him to just say that the Truth is never going to change, so of course the teaching of the Church is the same. Instead the Archbishop wittered on about the survival of the Church being due to its ability to adapt.

One of the best summaries had to be that by Leutgeb - I now have an indelible image of Polly Toynbee and Cristina Odone going head-to-head - handbags at dawn!

Anticipation...

As well as anticipating the Nativity, I'm waiting for the Holy Father's message on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day. Quite apart from wanting to hear the Pope, anything that annoys the National Secular Society has to be a good thing...

Of Gods And Men...

Yesterday I went to see "Of Gods and Men" - I hadn't heard much about it beforehand, I just knew that it was about a Community of monks who got themselves massacred.

Actually, it is much, much more than that. It is the story of a Community of Trappist monks - I gathered that they followed the Benedictine Rule - who worked with villagers in Algeria. They were eventually martyred by Muslim fundamentalists. It was a very intense film, despite being "slow" in the cinematic sense. There was so much more that I wanted to know.

I found it very moving: two scenes especially "grabbed" me. The first was the monk who, having arrived at the monastery only the night before (with messages and other stuff for the Community) protested "I've only just got here!" when the terrorists captured them. The second was Brother Amédée, who, having hidden under his bed, was left behind in the monastery after the attack...

It's on at the Picture House in Greenwich at the moment. It isn't typical "Christmas" fare, nevertheless, I would highly recommend going to see it.

A Word To The Wise...

I spotted this on Paulinus' blog yesterday. It is, indeed, a cautionary tale...

First, a 51 year-old health food nut advocate:

Next, a 50 year-old cook who loves butter, cream and meat:

Admittedly, the 50 year-old is unique. I, too, love butter, eggs, cream and meat, but I don't look as good as her. Sadly, I'm not even as good looking as the 51 year-old... but that's another story!

Another Neat Christmas Video...

Similar to The Digital Story of the Nativity, this Christmas video is produced by Igniter Media - they also did the fantastic "That's my King! Do you know Him?" and the "I am Sin" videos.

Harnessing the internet to spread the message. Definitely the way to go...

Feelings Of Guilt...

My kittens are quite sensible about food. They don't wolf it all down just because it's there... they will eat what they want, and then leave the rest until later.

Tomorrow, I am taking them to the vet, to ensure that I don't find myself being presented with more kittens. To prepare them, I have to ensure that they don't eat after a certain time.

I fed them a little later than usual, and sat with them while they ate their fill. Then, when they wandered off, I emptied the bowls. Suddenly I was confronted by two irate kittens, who realise that their food has been removed. The fact that they're not hungry appears to be immaterial... the bowl are empty, and this is most definitely not a good thing...

And I am left feeling guilty... Someone suggested I get them this little toy...



...or maybe this one...



Now, I'm not feeling quite guilty enough to buy them an iPad. But I'm sure that the two of them will be working on that...

O Christmas Tree...

They were apparently attempting to get into the Guinness Book of Records for the most expensively dressed tree. At £7 million, I suspect that they succeeded...



Two things spring to my (oh-so-shallow) mind: first, am I the only person who thinks that the tree looks, well, a bit drab? I mean, aren't diamonds and stuff supposed to shine and sparkle? They really should have added a few more coloured fairy lights.

Secondly, I bet my two kittens would have fun with that tree... my guess is that they'd trash it in, oh... ten minutes...

Twitch of the mantilla to His Hermeneuticalness.

New Deacons...

On Saturday, I was very privileged to be invited to the diaconate ordinations at St. John's Seminary, Wonersh. From the dizzy heights of the organ loft, I was able to take one or two discreet photos, though they aren't my usual close-up-and-personal shots, and I've uploaded a few of the photos to Flickr...

During the investiture of the Ordinands with the stole and dalmatic, the seminary schola, led by Fr. Stephen Dingley, sang Holy Child by David Palmer - a piece I haven't heard (or sung) in years, and it was a great favourite of mine, so quite a treat to hear.

I found the ceremony incredibly moving; the atmosphere among the seminarians is really great, and it was very encouraging to reflect that these young men are our future priests.

If you are wondering why, despite being on crutches, I was tucked away up in the organ loft, it was because I had been invited to sing a hymn after Communion - a tremendous honour! The acoustics in the chapel were amazing, and covered a multitude of sins, which was just as well, because I have the remnant of a chesty cough which I haven't quite been able to shake off... fortunately, Fr. Gerard Bradley played the organ accompaniment beautifully, which also helped disguise my imperfections! In any event, my contribution seemed to go down reasonably well.

I'd like to offer my congratulations to the Ordinands: Revv. John Chandler (Portsmouth), Daniel Kelly (Brentwood), David King (Arundel & Brighton) and Jonathon Routh (Southwark).

Gaudete Sunday...

Yes, I realise that I'm a week late with the photos from Gaudete Sunday, but I've been busy playing with the kittens. It is extraordinarily difficult to concentrate on uploading photos and stuff when two kittens are trying to chomp on one's toes. I look as if I'm self-harming... my arms are positively covered in scratchmarks! Nothing vicious or deliberate - the kittens are just learning the finer points of how to retract their claws...

Anyway, once again, the rose High Mass set made an appearance. After all, it seems a shame not to use it! We had Deacon John Harrison and Fr. McNally to assist Fr. Tim Finigan with the Mass...

It looked as if the UCM had been busy with an embroidery needle or two, embellishing the humeral veil...

I thought I'd show a few of the other photos...

If It Had Happened 2000 Years Later...

This made me chuckle...