A Visitor & An Ego Massage...

As I mentioned earlier, today we had one of our First Holy Communion Masses in the parish. Fr. Michael Branch, Parish Priest of Plumstead came to visit friends, and he attended the Mass in choir. I was very, very flattered when he told me that he read my blog...

Today has been very bad for my ego...

I was back at the Apple Store in Bluewater later in the day, trying desperately to get my iPhone fixed. While waiting for my appointment, I amused myself by checking my email, Facebook, my favourite blogs and Twitter. While tweeting, the very kind (but slightly condescending) chap who was trying to fix my phone happened to notice the website.

"Ooooh, are you on Twitter?" he asked. I nodded, and told him that I blogged and was on Facebook too. He seemed extraordinarily impressed - which I found odd, because I always assume that everyone under 25 is blogging, facebooking and tweeting in their sleep...

He then glanced at the open page which showed my profile...

"Wow, you've got loads of followers... "

Like I said, very bad for my over-inflated ego...

Compensation for being blonde, perhaps?

Feeling Very Blonde...

This morning, on my way to Mass, I was distracted at a vital moment. I realised this precisely two seconds after I had slammed the car door shut.

Yes, dear reader, I had left the keys in the ignition...

Fortunately I have a spare key which I keep at home. Even more fortunately, I hadn't left my house keys inside my car (as is my usual practice) and Jonathan was able to give me a lift back home in between the morning Mass and the First Holy Communion Mass...

*sigh*

Maybe my IQ would rise if I dyed my hair black...

Thanks...

Two weeks ago I was bemoaning the loss of what would have been a second-class relic (though I wasn't aware of this at the time, the late Pope still being very much alive.)

One reader, who shall remain anonymous (unless he indicates that anonymity is not required) contacted me to offer me a replacement. I felt a little guilty - after all, I hadn't posted my cri de coeur in an attempt to get a replacement, and I was sure that there were plenty of other, far more deserving, possible recipients of such a relic. However, the thought of getting my paws on a genuine second-class relic did rather appeal.

The rosary arrived, in its original case... identical to the one I had lost. I promptly prayed a rosary for the intentions of the donor... Many, many thanks...

Friday 13th Part 2...

Heheheheheheheh.

I woke up early, and was checking a few things when I noticed that Blogger was due to be down for maintenance during the day.

I'm afraid that I was rather uncharitably amused by this - Blogger is blocked at school, so I can't post anything, even during my lunchbreak, and had been aware that, in addition to missing the Vatican Blognic last week, I was also missing the release of Universae Ecclesiae, which seemed a little like adding insult to injury...

...AND my iPhone isn't working. I'm stuck with my old Xda Orbit II - which isn't quite as easy to read things on...

Sure enough, my Google Reader was almost empty... most of the Catholic bloggers I read seem to use Blogger. The inimitable Fr. Z was posting in solitary splendour... Fr. John Boyle was so keen to get his stuff up that he started a new (non-Blogger) blog, and then, in the evening, the blogposts started arriving thick and fast...

Anyway, from what I gather, Universae Ecclesiae is a jolly good thing. Ok, maybe there could have been more stuff about teaching the Extraordinary Form in seminaries, and what-have-you, but, for the ordinary pew-fodder-type person, like me, who has come to love Mass in the usus antiquior, I'd say that it has covered pretty much everything I'd want. The nitty-gritty liturgical niceties can be fought out by people who know more about it. Damian Thompson seems to agree...

And then, to add a little icing to the cake, I read that the Bishops of England & Wales have re-instated the Friday abstinence rule, to start in September (the anniversary of the Holy Father's visit.) This is a particularly powerful sign to all those around us - and in secular England, this is more and more important. We also need to remind ourselves that we do penance on Fridays.

The cherry on top of the icing is that the Bishops are having a re-think about some of those Holy Days of Obligation... putting Ascension back on the Thursday, for example.

I'm beginning to wonder if that change of heart ranks alongside the miracle of the sun at Fatima...

I Should Be Blogging...

I know, I know... there's all sorts of stuff going on, what with the imminent release of Universae Ecclesiae (the instruction on Summorum Pontificum), the arrival of a papal rosary (more on that soon), various thoughts about a Guild for Bloggers, and things like that.

I did, however, discover the remains of a bottle of Baileys which I had obviously put away for "safekeeping" during Lent.

Having checked that the contents hadn't gone off in the period since Ash Wednesday (they hadn't) while reading various blogs, I have realised that I am not really in the mood to comment on anything. Instead, I am going to go and curl up with the kittens. Normal blogging will resume tomorrow. Or maybe Saturday, if I decide to monitor the rest of the bottle of Baileys (purely in the interests of quality control, you understand...)

Universae Ecclesiae...

Friday 13th might not seem to be the most auspicious date to pick for a press release... especially not for an Instruction on Summorum Pontificum...

Several rumours about what restrictions might be placed on the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of Mass had been flying around.

However, the inimitable Fr. Z says he has seen the document - so the kitty is out of the carrier - and he feels that we might consider putting the bubbly on ice in preparation.

That's good enough for me...

Should I Stop The Kitten Posts?

This blog uses the First Past The Post voting method, and the answer was thus a definite "No!"

32% of voters thought that my current "Cat-a-holic to Catholic" ratio was just fine. 20% of voters actually seem to read the blog specifically for the kitty updates and want more, but I think I shall resist the temptation...

The Guild Of Blessed Titus Brandsma...?

...Of course, the name hasn't actually been agreed... The idea behind not calling it a Guild of Catholic Bloggers is, I understand, because it can't call itself "Catholic" without the agreement of the Bishops. I can't quite see what grounds they'd have for forbidding the use of "Catholic" in the title - after all, The Suppository claims to be a Catholic paper, with far less justification than the blogs...

I had hoped to be able to attend the meeting, but First Holy Communions at the parish took precedence... and then I wanted to try to sort out my iPhone, which had gone on the blink again on Friday night. It soon became clear that I wasn't going to be able to get the thing sorted straight away - and I have come to loathe Apple and its iPhone with an intensity I'd never have believed possible. I decided to cut my losses, transferred my SIM card to my old XDa Orbit II and made tracks for the Big Smoke...

I soon found myself remembering why I hate to use public transport. I forgot that I had to tap my Oyster card onto some yellow contraption - the ticket office was closed, the cash-operated automated machine was out of order (temporarily, as it transpired) and no yellow contraption was visible to jog my memory. My immediate attempt to buy a ticket on arrival at London Bridge was met with hostility and suspicion... and I incurred a penalty fare. My bank card was demanded. I pointed out that I didn't have one with me, otherwise I'd have managed to purchase a ticket from the one functioning ticket machine (card-only) back at the station. A rather rude inspector told me that Oyster cards could be topped up at lots of places. In vain did I point out that (1) I didn't know that I needed to top up my card until I got to the station, (2) there wasn't anyone around to sell me a ticket at the station and (3) I didn't realise that I was supposed to tap the Oyster card onto a yellow thing even if there wasn't any money on it. I was accused of lying. Realising that it was futile to explain that, had I wanted to dodge the fare I wouldn't have sought out the ticket inspector and could have given a much closer station as my starting point, I resignedly gave my name and address, and someone rang up a database somewhere to check that I existed.

Eventually I arrived at Victoria, and proceeded to phone Red Maria to try and locate the hostelry in which she and the others were staked out... After a mad dash inside to powder my nose, I joined the group.

I wasn't sure whether anyone else would still be around (the original meeting had been due to finish at 4pm), so I was delighted to find the group chatting merrily away. After brief introductions and a restorative slug of wine to soothe my frayed nerves, I realised that this was a marvellous photo opportunity. Everyone was happy to be included - Patrick suggested that, being a commenter rather than a blogger, he should be the one to take the photo... I firmly resisted this divisive and discriminatory proposal!

It was a wonderful evening. Starting from bottom left, and proceeding clockwise - Patrick was there as a commenter, as was Liz, though she also represented Jane of the Thoughtful Oasis (who had been unable to cross the Channel for the meeting!) I'd met Bones (aka Laurence England) in Brighton for Fr. Ray Blake's Jubilee. I recognised Dylan (the Reluctant Sinner) from a video clip of the Vatican Blognic where he'd been sitting next to Jane. Red Maria (of the Dolphinarium) is a very good friend of several years' standing - I think we first met at a blognic at the Buckingham Arms. Finally, it was a delight to meet Paul (On the Side of the Angels) at long last, having read his tweets and blog posts and also his vigorous comments in defence of the Faith on Damian Thompson's Telegraph blog!

My only regret is that, not having been at the meeting proper, I never got to meet Simon (Catholic Reflections), Stuart (eChurch Blog), Stephen (St. Paul's Bookshop), Gregg (A Brief Encounter), Richard (Linen on the Hedgerow) and Fr. Samuel (Medley Minute) !

Having read Dylan's account of the actual meeting, as well as chatting about it in the pub, I have great hopes for the Bloggers' Guild (whatever we finally get to call it.) It is certainly not an attempt to be divisive (unless you consider that faithfulness to the teachings of the Church and love for and loyalty to the Holy Father is already divisive!) Nor is there any desire to control what is said on individual blogs, or to be seen as representing Catholic Bloggers. It is simply a way of offering support (especially spiritual support) and encouragement for each other...

I can't wait for the next Blognic...

Cardinal Burke Visiting London...

Cardinal Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura (I'm not completely sure what that is, but it sounds good!) is visiting London and will speak at the conference held by Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. It's being held at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, on Saturday 18th June 2011 from 2pm.

The Cardinal will be speaking on "The Restoration of Church Discipline and the New Evangelisation." Tickets cost £20 (£10 for students in full-time education and £5 for priests and religious.) The tickets are limited, and there's a strict first-come-first-served policy in operation. Tickets can be ordered by email, or by phoning 01322 409 231.

The Cardinal has already been chalked up in my mind as a jolly good chap (based on the bits and pieces I've read, the "bits" being his address to the World Prayer Congress for Life in October 2010 and the "pieces" being this sort of statement on serviettes and Euphemistic Monsters at usus antiquior Masses.) The afternoon promises to be really excellent, and I do encourage people to attend if at all possible.