Felix Fidei Defensor (Part II) ...

A few months ago, Monsignor Furretti showed her true traddie colours when she shredded a copy of The Catholic Times while leaving The Remnant unscathed.

At the time, there was more than a little speculation as to what the clever little Monsignor would make of The Suppository (aka The Bitter Pill.) I explained that, as I had a moral objection to paying for The Suppository, I would have to wait until someone donated a copy for me to use. Given that most of my friends wouldn't be seen dead with a copy in their possession, this follow-up experiment didn't look like it would be happening any time soon.

However, a priest of my acquaintance (none other than Fr. Briggs, Parish Priest of Chislehurst) discovered an abandoned copy at the back of his church: I offered to dispose of the offending item for him.

In order to make it a "fair test" (something all schoolchildren are having hammered home, ad nauseam) I realised that I had to provide a more traditional alternative, to see which one the kittens would choose to destroy. I realise that, technically, it isn't totally fair, because I now have two Monsignori rather than just the one... however, both kittens have been blessed...

Anyway, I decided to present my Monsignori with the choice between The Catholic Herald (far and away the best British Catholic Weekly, IMHO) and The Suppository.

I give you my word of honour that I didn't rig the results...

I put both papers down, and the kittens started to explore...

There was a bit of pouncing and skidding about, as the paper was quite shiny...

Then there was some exploration of the pages themselves...

I now have bits of The Bitter Pill all over my living room floor... a small price to pay, I think, for peace of mind as to my furry felines' orthodoxy...

Adopt-A-Priestess...

Life is getting busy - what with Confirmation preparations, a few extra Masses, parents' evenings, reports and such like. Blogging will be sparse for the next two weeks (nothing new there, then!) However, I thought I'd draw your attention to this idea of Larry D's: in the wake of the recent conversion of wannabee-womynpriest Norma Jean Coon, Larry suggests that we each take responsibility for praying for an individual womynpriest.

As he (so eloquently) says:

"Here's how it will work: I have a list of the names of 75 women, taken directly from the website of Roman Catholic Women Priests. They are from the US, Canada and a few from Europe. The list will get longer, as I am sifting through a similar roster from the Women's Ordination Conference site (I'm checking for duplication). If you wish to participate, I will assign you one of the names - or more, if you so desire, just let me know. I'm asking you to pray for that woman's conversion and return in full communion to the Church. How you do that is entirely up to you. Masses, rosaries, Divine Mercy chaplets, adoration, fasting - whatever devotion or means that works for you. If you're a priest, and you want to participate, perhaps you could say Masses for that woman (a few for the success of this project would be cool, too!)"

Larry also points out that,

"Please - prayerfully consider taking part in this project. This movement can be defeated, one woman at a time. It won't be won through argument or persuasion (least of all snarky blogposts), but only through the power of the Holy Spirit, invoked through prayer and sacrifice. Conversion doesn't happen in a vacuum - as Catholics, we must stand in the gap and assault heaven with prayer. We might not see tangible results, but God answers every prayer in His way, in His time."

Do go over to his post and volunteer!

40 Days For Life...

The 40 Days for Life campaign aims to bring an end to abortion.

This year, the 40 Days for Life will run from March 9th to April 17th. London will be one of 247 cities joining together for the largest and longest coordinated pro-life mobilization in history.

40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life effort that consists of:

40 days of prayer and fasting
40 days of peaceful vigil
40 days of community outreach

You can read about the international efforts of the 40 Days for Life campaign and what has been achieved so far, as well as following what's happening in London. In addition, there's a blog for the London campaign, as well as updates on Facebook and Twitter.

This year's campaign is happening during Lent, and, as has been pointed out on the website, this could add a special grace to the fasting and prayer element of the campaign. Get involved - there are many different things you can do - and have a look at the suggestions made on the London website.

It will be interesting to see if any of this ends up being reported in the mainstream media...

Ooooh... A Film About Catholicism...?

When I first heard about The Rite, my heart sank. I was pretty sure that this would be something along the lines of The Exorcist and perhaps even shades of The Thorn Birds. I then started to hear positive things about it on the Catholic blogosphere, though the film seemed to have sunk without trace in secular circles, which is unusual, given that it stars Sir Anthony Hopkins.

The Reluctant Sinner has been to see the film and has given it a firm thumbs up - the review makes me even more keen to go and see it.