Mulier Fortis

A Chant Training Day & Mass

2012-01-26T07:26:00.000Z

I've been asked to let people know that the Southwark branch of the Latin Mass Society is having a Mass offered for the intentions of all local LMS members. It will be a Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate in St George's Cathedral, Southwark on Saturday 11 February 2012 at 10:30am, with Gregorian chant sung by the Cathedral Choir.

On the same day, there will be a Gregorian Chant Training Day with tutors Nick Gale and Mark Johnson. The schedule will be as follows:

11:45 Course begins, registration, plenary session with Nick Gale
13:00 Lunch (bring packed lunch)
13:45 Chant Course afternoon sessions (Nick Gale and Mark Johnson)
15:30 Break
15:45 Rehearsal for Vespers
16:30 First Vespers of Sexagesima
17:00 Ends

Cost for Gregorian Chant Course: £15 (£10 LMS members)

To register interest for the Gregorian Chant Training Day please send an email.

Picking The Brains Of The Brethren...

2012-01-22T21:04:00.000Z

Zephyrinus (the blogger, not the Pope) needs a little help in tracking down some information, and I was sure that someone "out there" in the Blogosphere would be only too eager to share their expertise.

I took the photos with my Galaxy Nexus phone camera, but they're quite good quality, and you can get a proper close-up look by clicking on the photos themselves (I loaded them up onto Flickr, again with my snazzy phone, not a USB cable in sight...)

Zephy acquired the vestments some time ago, and he can't remember where, and doesn't know anything of their history. He has a suspicion that they might be French in origin, but that's it. They are rather fine vestments, and he's keen to find out anything he can...

Any ideas? If you have, pop them in the combox...

The Next Guild Meeting...

2012-01-21T23:05:00.000Z

The next meeting of the Guild of Catholic Bloggers is to be held on Saturday 18th February 2012, at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Blackfen.

Details of how to get to Blackfen are on the Parish website. Details of the day can be seen by clicking on the poster...

I love the fact that we're in Blackfen again (it's rather convenient for me, obviously, and we've got everything "on tap" so to speak!) However, we might need to think beyond London for the next meeting. In the interests of ecumenism, I shall suggest a trip to Husborne Crawley, to visit the Beaker Folk. I have a hankering to see what colour the Moot House door actually ended up...

Teacher Talk...

2012-01-21T22:42:00.000Z

Teachers often get to hear the weirdest things... and sometimes repartee between students and staff can elicit a chuckle or two.

Occasionally things descend to pure slapstick.

For example, I had to help supervise an AS Biology practical when a girl put up her hand for assistance. As I approached, I noticed that she was standing with crossed legs, and appeared to be in some discomfort. I assumed she needed to go and "powder her nose." After all, the practical had been going on for two hours.

I had failed to take modern fashions into account.

"Miss!" she hissed, "Help! My boot chains have become locked together, and I'm stuck..."

I'm afraid that I couldn't help sniggering...

Illegal Activity...

2012-01-15T15:16:00.000Z

It seems that I am breaking Austrian law...

...I like to tell blonde jokes, which is apparently a no-no in Austria, just in case hordes of blondes feel marginalised and resort to terrorist measures.

Matthew Archbold's view: "Just imagine an army of Miss South Carolinas plotting your demise. Just imagine the fun of what they'd come up with."

It rather reminded me of the old joke: What do you do if a blonde throws a pin at you?
Simple - run like hell, because she's holding the grenade...

Ooops. I think that makes me a repeat offender. I better hope that we don't have an extradition treaty with Austria...

A few more photos...

2012-01-15T00:55:00.000Z

I took these photos from the monthly Missa Cantata on the first Saturday of the year - the photos are extremely clear compared to ones I've taken on the iPhone, as I said, though these ones are helped by the fact that they were taken in daylight...

The more I play around with the new phone, the more I like it. I did like the iPhone, and I miss the wide selection of apps, but I am just so relieved that iTunes is no longer something with which I have to battle...

Epiphany...

2012-01-15T00:44:00.001Z

The Epiphany was celebrated over a week ago according to the EF calendar, but that is actually only just over a week ago, so I feel that I can still put up a few photos from the Mass we had at Blackfen...

Given that work has been extremely hectic, I forgot to pack my camera, therefore, I took photos on my dinky new Android phone. The Galaxy Nexus camera is only 5 MP, but the "instant capture" facility it boasts means that the picture is miles better than any of the ones I took on my iPhone...

The first one is taken on the zoom setting, so is slightly blurry...

The Schola Sanctae Scholasticae (that's their unofficial title, as the one they've been using was actually grammatically incorrect) sang the Mass propers - and very beautiful they sounded too.

We were delighted to be able to welcome Fr. Simon Heans. Fr. Simon is a priest of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and he'll be celebrating Mass at Blackfen every now and then...

After Mass there was the blessing of chalk. The chalk then becomes a sacramental which can be used to bless one's house by writing the year and the initials of the wise men - 20 M+C+B 12 being this year's inscription - while saying some prayers.

I made sure we had plenty of chalk at Blackfen...

A Blogging Hiatus

2012-01-12T22:44:00.002Z

I've been rather busy this past week, and so, despite having lots to post about, I just have not had the time. I'm putting up this photo as a sort of test of the Android app for Blogger, as a promise of posts to come...

Time & Relativity...

2012-01-07T00:24:00.001Z

I made a remark to a friend recently about how I felt that time was speeding up. It was pointed out that this is, in fact, perfectly reasonable. When you are a toddler, a year is a huge proportion of your life - perhaps a third of it... and, by the time you are ten, that same year is only a a tenth of your time on earth. In your thirties and forties, that year is a much smaller proportion of the life you have experienced, and so it seems to be shorter... therefore, as you get older, the years pass more rapidly... so time speeds up!

I was reminded of the child's view of time earlier in the week...

Questioned in class by a Year 7 (First year of Secondary School - about 11 years old) "How old are you, Miss?"
My standard reply - "I'm very old... very, very old!"
First child turns to another and remarks as an aside: "Hmmm... very old... so she must be 37."

That child has a future in the diplomatic service if I'm not mistaken...

A Little Diversion...

2012-01-04T20:30:00.000Z

Occasionally, something hits the news at just the right time to support one's teaching, and suddenly Science seems to be "relevant."

No, my students would not be interested in the annual meteor shower which is visible in the UK at the moment - they're not terribly interested in those sorts of stars.

I was discussing the use of electricity and defibrillators in the treatment of heart attacks. As a slight aside, I was able to mention the British Heart Foundation's latest campaign (which hit the radio news this morning) - hands-only CPR - instead of the more traditionally recognised "mouth-to-mouth" resuscitation. Yes, I know that this involves neither electricity nor defibrillators, but in the classroom one works with whatever comes up on the teenage radar...

Girls Don't Understand The Offside Rule...

2012-01-01T22:55:00.000Z

Six months to go, and already I'm tired of hearing about the 2012 Olympic Games.

Yes, bah, humbug and all that.

Having said that, I was rather amused to note that the Royal Mint has produced a commemorative set of 50p coins for the occasion. I'm only really interested in one of them - the one designed for girls...

It made me chuckle, and reminded me of this TV advert made a while back for Yorkie chocolate bars.

The chocolate itself was pretty ghastly, actually, being more like the stuff which makes up cheap chocolate coins and Christmas tree decorations. The marketing ploy was brilliant, as was the limited edition "pink" wrapper which followed...

Veni, Creator...

2012-01-01T22:29:00.000Z

...and, as a companion to my last post of 2011, here is my first post of 2012.

(Yes, I know that technically that was my first post for 2012 and this is therefore my second post, but it felt like the last post...)

We sang the Veni Creator before the Missa Cantata...

Te Deum Laudamus...

2012-01-01T02:18:00.001Z

I just thought I'd share the last moments of 2011 as seen in Blackfen...

The crib at the Lady Altar. Obviously we're waiting for the Wise Men to arrive...

...and then a little closer...

The Te Deum chanted to see out the old year with a Plenary Indulgence...

...and Benediction given, to the accompaniment of fireworks outside...

So, here's to 2012... Happy New Year to all my blogging buddies - readers, writers and commenters!

(I shall do my best to get a few photos of the Veni Creator to see in the start of 2012 later today!)

On The Horns Of A Dilemma...

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000Z

The Bishops of England & Wales have declared that Catholics should abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. This is a very commendable thing for them to have done.

Does the Friday within the Octave of the Nativity count as a "normal" Friday, or, like the Friday within the Easter Octave, is it exempt from the no-meat rule?

This is rather crucial, as I'm going to a party tomorrow night, and I don't like vegetables... or fish... and I suspect that most of the nibbles will be meat-based...

*sigh*

Does anyone know the Canon Law regarding this stuff...?

Blessing Of Wine...

2011-12-27T17:38:00.002Z

Last year I found out about the Epiphany blessing of chalk for use on the doorframes... but only after the Feast of the Epiphany.

This year, the PP has put a note about it in the parish newsletter, and on the website. This is "A Good Thing" - as Leutgeb would say (with capital letters) - as I do believe we should get as many blessings as possible through the year. They were, after all, put there for a reason. Life revolved around the Church, and the Church, in her turn, reflected life in the cycle of the liturgical year.

I just read, courtesy of the inimitable Fr. Z, that there is a blessing of wine which is traditionally carried out after Mass on the Feast of St. John.

Unfortunately, Mass was this morning at 10am. I was there, but, not knowing about the blessing of wine, I didn't have any with me. I shall add it to my little list for next year...

Liturgical Abuses...

2011-12-26T18:48:00.002Z

We had Mass for the feast of St. Stephen today, and two of our altar servers were enrolled into the Guild of St. Stephen.

I was on sacristy duty after Mass, and His Hermeneuticalness asked after the health of Monsignors Miaowrini and Furretti. He isn't normally so solicitous of their well-being, and I was instantly suspicious. Sure enough, he pointed out that as the enrolment happened after the sermon, he had forgotten to pick up his maniple when he returned to the altar.

Everyone knows that, when you celebrate Mass without a maniple, God kills a kitten.*

After all, last year Fr. Tim said Mass in Rome without a maniple, and Cardinal Catzinger (Miaowrini's predecessor) died. I did happen to mention that, as both cats were now well over a year old, they technically didn't qualify as "kittens."**

However, I decided to make a bit of an extra fuss of the kitty cats when I got home, and cracked open the packet of smoked salmon I had bought.

Monsignor Furretti was very impressed by the tidbit, and, in her eagerness not to miss a single morsel, she went cross-eyed...

I tried to take another photo, but she wasn't going to pose for any camera. Not when smoked salmon was being proffered. Furretti just moved too quickly, and the photos were just very blurry...

Miaowrini was a little more relaxed, though equally ecstatic with the offering of salmon. She just closed her eyes and nibbled enthusiastically... so enthusiastically that I nearly lost fingers...

And, when I put down a plate of the salmon slivers, the cats decided to tolerate each other - neither wishing to cede her place to the other. Normally they wouldn't be seen dead eating from the same bowl...

*Yes, I know God doesn't really kill kittens...

**His Hermeneuticalness will be getting the vet's bill if anything does happen...

Midnight Mass At Blackfen...

2011-12-26T18:15:00.001Z

Thanks to Fr. Bernard McNally and Rev. Michael Baldry, we were able to celebrate a Solemn High Mass for Christmas, actually at midnight. Mass was preceded by favourite carols, and a printed sheet ensured that we didn't have to endure any of the politically correct shenanigans introduced by music publishers.

Mass itself was wonderful. I know, I know... Mass is always wonderful, and totally awesome (yes, God became physically present on the altar yet again, like He does at every Mass...) but Midnight Mass is that bit extra-special. After all, there is that whole "entering our world in the silent watches of the night" thing going on...

...the sacred ministers kneeling during "et homo factus est" in the Creed just sends goosebumps down my spine in a very special way at Midnight Mass...

Imagine... Our Lord and God actually consenting to become a baby. To become so vulnerable for our sakes. To rely on fallible human beings for everything. Now, if you wanted to make up a religion, would you ever come up with an idea as preposterous as that?

...and then, to crown it all, our God appears under the form of bread and wine, called down (almost ordered to become present) by the words and actions of more fallible human beings, namely His priests...

What more is there to say...?

Finally Ditching The iPhone...

2011-12-25T23:41:00.001Z

Yes, it really has been two years since I last upgraded my phone. Well, ok, I'm short by a few weeks, but my upgrade was due early, according to O2, and who am I to disagree?

I had only two ideas when I went phone shopping. The first was that I never ever want to see another iPhone. I like the phone, and I'm (almost) certain that the latest one is streets ahead of the 3GS model I have had for the past two years. The deal-breaker is, quite simply, iTunes. It is clunky, and slow, and a real pain in the posterior. Yes, I'm running it on a PC and not on a Mac... but iTunes is supposed to be designed to run on both.

Unfortunately, syncing my iPhone depended on the use of iTunes. It became such a hassle that I avoided syncing, which meant that, on more than one occasion, I didn't have the latest addresses and phone numbers on my phone. I also found that, if I had updated a couple of addresses on my phone and a couple on my computer, the system couldn't cope, and it went with the most recent update - thus losing important contact information.

On more than one occasion iTunes froze my phone completely, necessitating a trip to the Apple shop in Bluewater. The last time it happened, the staff had problems re-booting my phone back to factory settings...

The other idea I had when looking for a new phone was that I didn't want a Blackberry. Not after the whole Blackberry system went down for three days. Blackberry Messenger is, IMHO, the Betamax of the text messaging world...

After having a little look in the O2 shop, I realised that there really wasn't any choice. I wanted Android as an operating system. There were many more phones running Android than the last time I was in the upgrade market, but the latest version, Android 4.0 (the famous "ice-cream sandwich") only runs on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus at the moment. Given that this upgrade was going to involve another 24-month contract, I wanted the most recent version available.

The Galaxy Nexus is larger than the iPhone - of course, I'm talking about my old iPhone - but the Nexus is thinner and lighter. The home button is "missing" on the front - it appears as a touch-screen button once the phone is switched on - this is taking me a bit of time to get used to, as is not having the power switch at the top.

I'm still getting used to the minimalist feel of the Nexus - the main touch-screen buttons, always available when the phone is on, are home (goes to the home screen), back (goes to your last viewed item) and recently viewed. The last option means that you can have lots of apps open at one time, but I haven't found any real use for it, partly because the only apps I've been using so far are the internet, Tweetdeck, Gmail and my contacts. As I get more apps, I suspect this will get to be more useful...

I've had lots of fun updating my contacts. First I had to export all my contacts over from Microsoft Outlook - another clunky program I will be more than happy to see the back of. Then I weeded out the obvious duplicates - Google does most of the hard work, but there were still items which I had to check and confirm manually. I spent far more time than I should playing with photos - I allowed my geeky nature to indulge itself to the fullest by hunting out photos of people who haven't assigned themselves a photo - basically it makes my phone's address book look much prettier.

There are one or two apps which I shall miss from my iPhone - iPieta being the main one (though I see that there is a variant coming out for Android) - but I mainly used my phone for messaging and checking the internet... and phoning, of course - so hadn't downloaded many apps anyway.

There are lots of features I haven't had time to explore yet - such as the voice-activated search option - and I think that I shall have a great deal of fun exploring... so, if you'll excuse me, I have a phone to go and play with...

A Blessed Christmas To You All...

2011-12-25T00:01:00.001Z

The photo is from last year's crib at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen. I hope to get some photos for this year's crib after Midnight Mass...

New Technology...

2011-12-24T21:46:00.000Z

I have just treated myself to a new phone. More about that in another post. While gloating over my acquisition, I discovered that Annie Elizabeth is even more geeky than me - and she is considerably better informed. After an enjoyable discussion of technological advances (both of us remember the time when computers had green screens) I asked if she had seen the Medieval Helpdesk sketch. She said she hadn't, so I thought it deserved another airing...

On A Guilt Trip... (Just A Small One)

2011-12-23T23:55:00.000Z

I have been a very baaaaad girl.

I gave the kitties some catnip mice as an early Christmas present (mostly to distract them from the small packet of smoked salmon which is supposed to be my Christmas present...

Those kitties got seriously high... Miaowrini went into ecstasies, not realising that she had dropped her mouse, and stopped with one back leg up in the air, totally fascinated by her own toes...

Furretti rolled around on the bed so much that I thought she would fall off...

I'm afraid that I found this all very amusing.

Does this mean that I'm a (kitty) drug pusher?

Bones Needs A Hand...

2011-12-22T07:01:00.008Z

Poor Bones has had some very bad luck - his van has failed its MOT. The repairs it will need are likely to cost between £550 and £700.

It's not a huge amount, unless you are on a low wage, when it becomes an almost impossible amount to stump up. So Bones is running a Christmas Van Appeal, and I'm sure that a few blog readers have appreciated his songs enough to want to help out. He's a little wary of putting his home address out on the internet (sensible chap) and so is asking for donations to be sent c/o St Mary Magdalen Church, 55 Upper North Street, Brighton BN1 3FH.

Remember that he's not called "Bones" by the bank - make any cheques payable to Laurence England.

Campaign To Stop Smoking In Church...

2011-12-21T19:40:00.000Z

It seems that we shall have to ration our use of frankincense during Mass. Servers will have to be given instruction in how to get maximum smoke from minimum grains of the precious stuff.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the number of boswellia trees is expected to drop by half in the next 15 years or so, and the trees are expected to disappear by 2060.

Just for once, global warming hasn't been identified as a cause - it's all due to cattle grazing, fire and insect attacks. Mind you, someone will no doubt point out that all of those causes can be traced back to global warming...

In the meantime, get ready to change the lyrics of that Christmas carol...

Starting To Feel Christmassy...

2011-12-21T18:57:00.000Z

Twitch of the mantilla to Blondpidge...

Making Christmas Letters That Bit More Special...

2011-12-21T18:37:00.000Z

Yup. My two seem to like the taste of paper... if I'm writing on it.

The Bishops Are Reassured... So Why Does That Ring Alarm Bells?

2011-12-20T20:06:00.000Z

I see that the Bishops of England & Wales have welcomed Government assurances on protecting freedom of conscience with regard to civil unions.

The Government have promised not to put anyone into a difficult position... so that's alright then, because, after all, the Government is unchanging and eternal, just like its policies...

Why does it make me think about the Mental Capacity Act, and how welcoming the Bishops were about the assurances they were given then?

A Busy Sunday...

2011-12-20T17:52:00.001Z

I seem to be on a bit of a "go-slow" this week... my body appears to have shut down early for Christmas, aided and abetted by some repair work on my car which is both necessary and taking longer than anticipated.

Sunday saw the Carol Service at Our Lady of the Rosary Church... in contrast to previous years, we didn't have a separate children's crib service, so it was a bit of an unknown quantity, but in actual fact it worked out pretty well.

I was sitting with the choir, which, on reflection, wasn't the best place from which to take photos, but I'll know better for next year. Thee are a few more photos on my Flickr page for the Carol Service.

After the Carol Service I went off to St. Bede's, Clapham Park, for Sung Vespers. This is a regular feature at St. Bede's, I understand. At one point it looked as if there would be more bodies on the Sanctuary than in the congregation, but more people arrived to redress the balance.

The service was a real treat, though the church was almost colder inside than outside, Fortunately I had had the foresight to wear a very thick coat. I often forget to bring a coat because I go nearly everywhere by car, and most places are well-heated.

Fr. Andrew Southwell officiated at Vespers, and the parish priest of St. Bede's, Fr. Christopher Basden, was present in choir (though I don't seem to have caught him on camera) along with an unidentified Monsignor who exposed and reposed the Blessed Sacrament (the purple cassock buttons gave him away.)

The photos aren't as good as I'd like - the back of the Sanctuary was so brightly lit that my little camera couldn't quite adjust, despite me playing around with various settings. Still, there are a few more photos over at the Flickr page for this set.

Poaching On My Territory...

2011-12-16T19:17:00.002Z

For someone who grouses (albeit with a slight smirk) each time I post another kitty update, it seems His Hermeneuticalness has, nevertheless, had to acknowledge the sheer power of cat posts.

Cats are, obviously, the latest big thing in the advertising world...

So, all I have to do is get my two felines their own equity cards, and we'll be set up for life. Smoked salmon and cheese-flavour crisps all the way!

In the meantime, I still have a monopoly on hair and nail posts...

Gaudete !

2011-12-12T22:19:00.000Z

I have failed (yet again) to keep to my New (Church) Year's resolution to post more regularly on the blog. Of late, I find that, by the time I get home, feed the cats, check I have something to wear for the next day and feed myself (not necessarily in that order), all I really want to do is crawl under the duvet.

However, I felt that I ought to make an effort with the photos from last Sunday. Being Gaudete Sunday, the famous rose vestments got another airing. His Hermeneuticalness reminded us in the notices before the sermon that Fr. Z and Damian Thompson had spearheaded the fundraising efforts for the vestments... and that we should all pray for the conversion of The Tablet...

In order to ensure that the whole High Mass set was shown off in full, we had a superb Solemn High Mass. Fr. Finigan was celebrant, Fr. Bernard McNally was deacon and Rev. John Harrison, (on loan from Chislehurst), was subdeacon.

I think this has to be one of my favourite shots...

Happy Feast Day...

2011-12-08T17:28:00.002Z

Today is one of my favourite Feast Days. I've said it before - it's the day that, theologically speaking, really sorts out the men from the boys (to coin a phrase.) CINOs (Catholics-in-name-only) hate it, because it means that we are less than perfect, which then brings up the idea of sin and not "everyone going to heaven no matter what they do."

Our Lady was preserved from all stain of sin from the first moment of her conception. If you were God, and had the power to make your mother, what would you do? You'd want to preserve her from Original Sin and all the stuff that goes with that, (death, disease, concupiscence) wouldn't you?

Oh, and there's a big pro-life message in there - life begins AT conception.

Am I One Of The Pyjamahadeen...?

2011-12-06T23:08:00.001Z

Does blogging in a nightie and dressing gown count?

Laurence succumbed to the temptation of writing a song dedicated to all of us Catholic bloggers. The first performance was at Blackfen last Saturday, and Fr. Tim caught it on camera. I heartily approve of the special effects employed which render me unrecognisable even without a mantilla...

Mass For The Immaculate Conception...

2011-12-05T21:20:00.000Z

For those of you fortunate enough to be able to get to St. George's Cathedral on Thursday morning, there will be a Low Mass according to the usus antiquior in honour of the Immaculate Conception, which is the patronal feast of our diocese.

I was going to say that I was jealous - but then I realised that there's going to be a Missa Cantata at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen at 8pm...

Not that I'm into one-upmanship or anything...

This Is The Ecclesia Dei...

2011-12-04T03:27:00.002Z

I had a wonderful day yesterday.

First of all, there was our monthly Missa Cantata at Blackfen, which is a cause for great joy anyway. This was added to by the fact that, after Mass, I renewed my vows. I don't make the vows just for a year, they are permanent, but it's a great excuse for a party... it also helps to remind me what I'm doing with my life, and why!

Lunch followed - cooked to perfection by Trisha and her team of helpers - and we all tucked into eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms, baked beans (I didn't have any of those) and tomatoes (I didn't have those either!)

I was really pleased that Blondpidge was able to make it to Blackfen, and I got to meet Robin (aka Mr. Pidge) and all the little Pidges (I met the youngest - Little Miss Pidge - at Michael Voris' talk back in August!)

It was almost another blognic, what with His Hermeneuticalness, Leutgeb, Zephyrinus (who arrived in time for a late lunch sitting and Vespers) Annie Elizabeth, Blondpidge, Bones and me...

The star of the show had to be Laurence England (aka Bones) who gave us a live performance of many of the songs featured on his own blog, including the first ever performance of Ecclesia Dei... (Click on the link if you want to sign the open "letter" to Archbishop Nichols!)

The children were absolutely entranced, and sat down to listen... and that was just as he was tuning his guitar!

Fr. Tim was also recording, and he was using a much better camera, so my video will probably lose out in the ratings war... but maybe he'll put up one of the other songs instead, and let me have my "blogging exclusive!"

Annie Elizabeth later tweeted that her children were singing "Some more, some more, Summorum Pontificum" all afternoon...

And then the day finished with sung Vespers and Benediction...

A really wonderful day!

Latin Is Sooooooo Hard To Learn...

2011-12-04T02:07:00.000Z

Tom sings in the visiting schola at Blackfen, and usually brings his family along for the Missa Cantata. His children love to join in the Marian anthem after Benediction, and really belt it out with gusto. I meant to record them at Benediction, when they would have been totally natural and unconcerned, but of course, it being Advent, we've started to sing the Alma redemptoris mater, and they aren't quite as confident with that one...

So, I persuaded Edward to sing the Salve regina in the parish club afterwards. He and his brother became a little self-conscious and shy, but he certainly knows his stuff... I forget how old the children are...

No Sudden Deaths Due To Use of Corrected Translation...

2011-11-30T18:17:00.002Z

That's right. I understand that many places only got to use the corrected ICEL translations last Sunday. I haven't noticed any blog reports of parishioners fainting, having palpitations, or any other adverse effects. There have been a very few hissy fits, but really these bear the tones of petulant toddlers, and seem to be making last-ditch attempts to persuade everyone that things will be really baaaaad if we use such big words.

In Britain we have had the corrected translation since September. No-one died here, either.

I was asked to write about the introduction of the new texts from a layperson's perspective for the Catholic Herald, which included a special Advent Magazine last Sunday. I was tremendously chuffed to see that my name appeared on the front cover along with Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth and James MacMillan (Wow! Exalted company for me indeed!) Unfortunately, the Magazine isn't available online, so I can't just give you a simple link, but I thought I'd share what I wrote anyway...

Liturgy: A golden age of worship.

I never learned Latin at school. As an adult, I would take great delight in reminding people that, for years, the only Latin in the Mass which I knew was the Kyrie eleison, and the rest was all Greek to me. And then I’d sit back and smirk as someone pointed out that the Kyrie actually was Greek. But not knowing any Latin meant that I had to rely on the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) translation of the Mass.

To begin with, this wasn’t a problem. But once I started to pray the Divine Office I became more and more aware that something wasn’t quite right. The collect at Sunday Mass and the concluding prayer for Morning and Evening Prayer bore a striking resemblance to each other. On looking at things more closely, I discovered that the prayers were actually supposed to be the same – they were the same in the Latin original – and so there was a difference in translation between the prayers for the Mass and for the Office.

I began to attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form and also to sing various parts of the Mass in Latin and, looking at the English translation, I became more and more aware that the language had been over-simplified, and words and phrases had been cut out. The Mass had been impoverished and it had lost the sense of the sacred. I also became aware that this was mostly a problem with the English translation. Most other languages seemed to stick much more closely to the Latin original, most noticeably with the "And with your Spirit" response. The English translation had rendered the phrase as "And also with you", turning it from a recognition of the sacerdotal character imprinted on the soul of the priest at Ordination to the equivalent of "And to you, too!"

Around this time, the news that a corrected translation was in the pipeline was being discussed, particularly on the internet. Fr John Zuhlsdorf, who writes for this newspaper, had a whole blog dedicated to accurate translation of the Latin texts at Mass in which the inaccuracies of the "lame-duck" ICEL translation were laid bare for everyone to see. A more accurate translation could only be a good thing, I thought, but I didn’t actually expect it to have much impact. After all, why should changing one or two words be that noticeable?

It also seemed to take such a long time to get under way. I couldn’t understand why translating the Mass should take so long, though I gathered from reading various reports that there were objections to the use of unfamiliar words. There was talk of the need for training courses to explain the new translation, especially for words such as "ineffable," "wrought" and "gibbet". I found this to be rather patronising. As a teacher, I am well aware that difficult words are only difficult until they are explained. After all, photosynthesis, chloroplasts and cytoplasm are quite difficult words too, but they are taught to every 11-year-old in their Science lessons.

As more and more people, especially on the internet, made fun of the objections and pointed out how spurious they were, I noticed that a real sense of excitement was starting to build. When the Bishops of England and Wales announced that, although the new translation would officially be mandated from the first Sunday of Advent this year, they wanted parishes to start using it from September to allow the laity to become familiar with the responses, it suddenly began to feel as though the change would really happen.

On the last Sunday in August, I attended Mass with a sense of an era coming to an end. The old ICEL translation was, after all, the only one I had ever known. Although I could hardly wait for the new version, it felt very strange indeed to realise that I would never again say "We believe…" I was almost nostalgic – but only almost.

At Mass the following week we had leaflets with the new responses typed out neatly. It was quite funny because our parish priest announced before Mass that the new responses would be used, and that sheets were available at the back of the church. A few people, having forgotten that this was the big day, shuffled out of their pews to collect a sheet. Mass began, and a few people stumbled over the automatic response "And also with you," and there was a little more shuffling as more people collected a sheet. Then the "I confess" provoked another bout of shuffling. By the time we got to the Gloria, the message appeared to have gotten through.

I felt a real thrill of excitement when making the new responses. At the "I confess" I was able to make the traditional threefold striking of the breast. Then, while reciting the Gloria, I saw how a whole section had been replaced, in which we give glory and praise to God, echoing the cry of the angels when they announced the birth of Christ. Why the words were ever left out in the old translation is a complete mystery – is it really possible to praise God too much?

It was very hard not to lapse into recitation of the Apostles’ Creed – the main indicator of which has always been "I believe," instead of the "We believe" of the Nicene Creed. There had been a great deal of fuss made of the proposed use of "consubstantial" in the Creed rather than "of one being", but actually I have always found the latter expression to be rather vague and woolly, whereas consubstantial quite simply means "of the same substance", and therefore it resonates more fully for me, expressing the divine nature of Christ.

But the most moving part of the new translation of the Mass for me was definitely in the Eucharistic Prayer. The words were unfamiliar, but at the same time they struck a chord. Suddenly it seemed clear that what was happening at the altar was the action of God, that the use of sacred language marked out the numinous for us: the priest, in persona Christi, was interceding on our behalf to the Father, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is something done for us by God, not something we do for him.

It will take a while before I learn the new responses off by heart, and I am sure that I will make the occasional mistake. After all, I have been making the old responses for nearly 20 years. Nevertheless, it will be well worth the effort. The new translation has restored the sense of the sacred to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Calling A Spade A Shovel...

2011-11-30T16:48:00.001Z

Back in the mid 1990s, when I was involved in scientific research, I wrote an article on foetal tissue transplantation for Faith Magazine (archived by EWTN) in which I happened to comment on how the medical profession liked to use highly specialised scientific language in order to obscure the true nature of the work being done.

The mothers of the aborted babies used were referred to in very oblique terms in the papers I reviewed - one study even went so far as to call them "donors." Aborted babies were reduced to "embryonic tissue" or "neural tissue." Everyone knew what it all meant, but it was just a "nicer" way to say it.

It seems, however, that we have now reached the stage where scientific papers are being much more up-front about what is involved. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have published advice on performing late abortions:

"Feticide should be performed before medical abortion after 21 weeks and 6 days of gestation to ensure that there is no risk of a live birth."

Patricide, matricide, fratricide, regicide aren't used so often these days - but most people can identify the words as meaning that someone is killed. Homicide is much more widely understood (mostly due to American cops-and-robbers films and programmes) as the killing of one human being by another. There can be no doubt in people's minds that feticide is the killing of a foetus, an unborn baby. Forget "products of conception" - that works earlier on, but not after 21 weeks.

This bluntness is rather surprising, and begs the question: have we, as a society, become so desensitised that the RCOG feels it can give clear advice on killing babies without having to dress it up in fancy language?

Twitch of the mantilla to Fr. Tim, who goes into much more detail (not to be read on a full stomach, trust me!)

World Blogging Exclusive...!

2011-11-28T22:17:00.000Z

Laurence England (affectionately known in these parts as "Bones") is due to fulfil His Hermeneuticalness' prediction (quoted on the front page of this week's Catholic Herald, no less) that ' "Gimme some more, some more Summorum Pontificum" will be sung in pubs and clubs up and down the land after traditional Masses and other traddie events' !

Bones is planning to visit Blackfen this Saturday, 3rd December 2011 (which, in case I haven't mentioned it, happens to be the day I renew my vows!) and he'll be bringing his guitar, to serenade us all between the Missa Cantata, my vows and Sung Vespers...

Sad News...

2011-11-24T10:18:00.002Z

I regret to pass on the sad news that Dominic Mary of Libera Me passed away last month. Karen (Gem of the Ocean) has more details, as the two of them started a wonderful blogging romance. Do go over to give your condolences to Karen.

Happy Thanksgiving !

2011-11-24T09:59:00.000Z

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

Photos From The LMS Requiem...

2011-11-22T22:23:00.000Z

Joseph Shaw has put up his photos from the Requiem Mass at Westminster Cathedral. He complains that he hasn't been able to do any editing, but they look pretty good anyway.

The whole set can be seen at his Flickr page.

Those Polls...

2011-11-22T22:04:00.000Z

The polls about Mass preferences have finished. Not very surprisingly, given the slant on this blog towards Mass celebrated according to the usus antiquior, the majority of people who responded to the blog would prefer to attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

More surprisingly, it seems that, of the people who bothered to vote, the majority were male. It was roughly a 60/40 split on both polls.

The most surprising finding, for me, was the discovery that there weren't any significant differences between the percentage of men and women who preferred to attend the Extraordinary Form.

Just eyeballing the figures, it seems that those who prefer the Ordinary Form of Mass would rather attend it celebrated ad orientem than in Latin. That seems to bear out the gut feeling that, if one is going to celebrate the Liturgy in Latin, one might as well go "the whole hog."

Of course, this is purely based on the people who actually bothered to vote.

Prayers For The Bishop...

2011-11-21T17:22:00.001Z

Bishops have an unenviable task, that of leading the flock entrusted to them by Christ. Not a job I'd care for - I have enough problems shepherding my own soul.

So please, of your charity, pray for the repose of the soul of John Jukes, OFM Conv., Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark, who died earlier today.

Requiescat in Pace.

Bones Brings Out The B-Side...

2011-11-20T22:31:00.000Z

Bones has much to answer for...

His Hermeneuticalness has been singing "Some more, some more, Summorum Pontificum" over and over. I now can't get the refrain out of my head. If ever I came close to throttling a cleric, today was the day.

As he promised, Bones has released the follow-up - "Across Universae Ecclesiae," which, IMHO is much better...

"Save the the Liturgy and save the World!"

Food For Thought...

2011-11-20T21:39:00.000Z

At this time of year His Hermeneuticalness treats us to our annual reminder about the Four Last Things. We had Death at the beginning of November, followed by Judgement. Today it was time for Hell.

As often happens, one thing resonated for me. This week it was the fact that God has given us time. We get this stretch of time given to us in which we can repent of our sins and bad decisions and poor judgements.

Mulling this over, I was struck by a sudden thought: Time only affects the physical universe - it's measured in terms of the Earth spinning on its axis and orbiting the Sun... or, if you're more up-to-date, by atoms decaying. All physical stuff.

The angels didn't get given the luxury of time.

We really shouldn't waste such a unique and precious gift. We need to make the best use of it - for our eternal salvation - that we can.

Just a thought.

Calendar Clash...

2011-11-19T22:54:00.002Z

Today happened to see the Towards Advent Festival and the Annual Requiem for deceased LMS members. Both were due to happen at Westminster Cathedral, and I had high hopes of once more scooting along to the Festival for a bit before toddling along to the Requiem Mass.

Alas, I'm still feeling rather grim. I decided that I was too ill to get to the Low Mass at Blackfen, and that sitting in a cold church for the period of Adoration wouldn't do me any good at all, and so I stayed in bed all morning. I had considered journeying to London by public transport for the events in London, but it looked jolly cold outside, and I decided that it wasn't a good idea...

I opted to do the politically incorrect thing and drive all the way. Naturally, it being Saturday, my journey was seriously impeded by roadworks, but I understand from Annie (we chatted briefly after Mass) that there were quite a lot of engineering works on the trains as well, so I wouldn't have been any better off. Sadly, the delay meant that I didn't have time to go to the Towards Advent Festival (though I did bump into Fiorella afterwards - she had apparently been signing books) and I was a little late for the Mass itself. I met quite a few friends there afterwards, including Seán from Juventutem London who stopped to chat briefly, and I spotted Paul Smeaton there too.

The Mass was beautiful - every Mass is beautiful, really, but this was Mass "with all the trimmings." There was a point after Communion where all the sacred ministers and servers were moving around the sanctuary in total silence in what appeared to be an exquisitely choreographed manner, and I was quite overwhelmed by it all - the majesty and, at the same time, the simplicity (it was, after all, a Requiem.) Stunning.

I wasn't allowed to take photos (the one above is actually from last year), so I shall link to Joseph Shaw's collection as soon as he overcomes his computer glitches and puts them online...

Another Blogging Cleric...

2011-11-18T22:30:00.000Z

It seems that Fr. Bede Rowe has been blogging on the Q.T.

Do go over to read his very entertaining blog - A Chaplain Abroad - which details some of the things he's encountered in his role as chaplain of Chavagnes International College.

I had no idea he was blogging... I do wish people would tell me stuff like that, or leave a comment or something...

*grumble, grumble... rhubarb... mutter*

Feline Fellowship...

2011-11-18T22:28:00.000Z

Monsignors Furretti and Miaowrini are pleased to announce that Pushkin the Oratory cat has published a book of his exploits, including the time he met the Holy Father..

The book launch is to be held on Monday 21st November (just in time for the Christmas market) and all proceeds from the sale of the book will go towards providing a more snug, warm and dry Oratory for Pushkin to dwell in more comfortably. Apparently there was flood damage last year, and no cat should be expected to have to put up with damp conditions.

The Monsignori have asked me to pass on their best wishes, though they were just a little miffed that, despite senior clerical rank, they were not invited to the press launch. I shall probably have to placate them with morsels of smoked salmon...

A Neat Bit Of Evangelisation...

2011-11-17T22:42:00.001Z

"On the Cross, Jesus said, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' Why would he say that if he knew he was God?"

That question is quite a common one, in my experience. Most people in Catholic schools know enough of the Gospels to throw something similar at you, triumphantly, as if it would completely undermine the faith as taught for two thousand years. After all, people in the past were just dumb, weren't they?

Even the devil can quote Scripture.

I think that what we have lost is the idea of Tradition. Tradition now tends to be associated with stuffiness, and harking back to the bad old days, and being against progress. However, the living Tradition of the Catholic Church is very different. It is the knowledge, passed down through the centuries, (NOT "old wives' tales") which fleshes out the accounts in the Gospels - the things which St. John records as being too numerous to write down.

Stuff that people just used to know.

Of course, with modern teaching methods, one can never "just know" anything - one has to be able to give chapter and verse - reasons for one's knowledge. Not just so-and-so said, and I trust them to tell me the truth, but actual reasons, and anyway one must always recognise that this is just one opinion among many...

I think that, since the sort of biblical exegesis we've seen with the New Jerusalem Bible and its ilk - exegesis which depends on treating the Scriptures as dead documents to be translated as "accurately" as possible - we have lost the idea of the Scriptures as the living Word of God, interpreted through the Church's Tradition. I said this once before, when I noticed that the writings of the saints about Scripture passages didn't appear to correspond to the meanings given to those same passages today... which is why I tend to prefer the Douay-Rheims version of the Bible when looking stuff up. That's the version the Church used for most of her history.

Anyway, Pat Archbold has obviously found a brilliantly inspired way to answer the question about Jesus' cry from the Cross. He managed to identify the modern-day equivalent of common knowledge and tradition and apply it. I have to admit that I didn't get the cannoli reference - not being an American male brought up on the Godfather films - but I'm sure there are other frames of reference which could be substituted...

Kitty Conundrum...

2011-11-17T21:47:00.000Z

I've been stuck at home this week, curled up under the duvet. I've gotten out of bed to feed the cats, and that's about it. I've mostly been asleep.

This afternoon I started to take a bit more interest in my surroundings. I heard the catflap bang, followed by a high-pitched squeak, and some scampering from two excitable kitties.

I decided to go and rescue the mouse rather than listen to it being tortured... or even to hear it escaping somewhere in the flat.

The cats heard me coming, one of them grabbed mousie and both shot back out through the catflap, presumably to continue elsewhere.

I guess that's a live mouse for the Kitty Kill Count. But my two Monsignori are certainly doing better than Larry, Number 10's (rather inefficient) Rodent Removal Operative. Three mice since February?? Is that all?? Mine have only had hunting licences since April, and even if you divide their spoils by two...

(BTW, the cats just came back with another mouse... or possibly the same one. I managed to rescue it this time...)

A Minor Victory...

2011-11-15T18:45:00.000Z

After all the hype and media interest, and all the millions of pounds invested in research which would, apparently, be the answer to prayer for thousands of patients, it has finally dawned on one major research company that human embryonic stem cell therapies don't work, while adult stem cell research is producing the goods.

Of course, that's not quite the way the spin is playing.

Officially, Geron, a California-based company responsible for carrying out the world's first official trial using embryonic stem cells, has decided to pull the plug on the research because of the "current environment of capital scarcity and uncertain economic conditions."

Medical research companies don't "just stop" following particular avenues of research after ploughing millions into it. Not when they get as far as human patient trials.

In other words, despite all the money being poured in, the results aren't forthcoming.

Twitch of the mantilla to Luke Coppen (Editor of the Catholic Herald) who tweeted this one earlier.

Calling All Pregnant Women...

2011-11-15T17:54:00.000Z

The Good Counsel Network does wonderful work in helping to support women through crisis pregnancies, many of whom might have gone on to have an abortion without the support GCN gives.

The workers at GCN have noted that many women really do change their views on abortion when they get to see the reality of their unborn baby through an ultrasound scan. It's much harder to kid yourself that it's just a blob of tissue, or just a ball of cells when you can see fingers, toes, a heartbeat...

Anyway, GCN have an ultrasound machine. But they need help in training people to operate it. So they're asking for women who are between 5 and 13 weeks pregnant to volunteer for a scan. No cost, a free scan and a picture of the baby to keep, and travel expenses can be refunded. The scan is supervised by a qualified consultant. The only snag is that the GCN need women to phone to book a scan on 020 7723 1740.

This is a very easy way in which you can support the work of the Good Counsel Network, so please consider helping if at all possible.

Gender Differences...

2011-11-12T19:59:00.002Z

Someone once told me that a priest (or possibly a bishop, I can't remember) declared that the implementation of the Novus Ordo would result in a Mass attendance comprised of women and children.

On a purely subjective level, I have noticed that there seems to be a much more balanced attendance at the Extraordinary Form Mass than at the Ordinary Form, and far more men at the former than at the latter...

Now there are many more options in the Ordinary Form - and I'm rather interested if it is the ad orientem worship which causes the difference, or the use of Latin, or just the fact that the usus antiquior hasn't been denuded of all the extras, such as the preparatory prayers, and that there aren't any "options."

The polls are in the sidebar - do go across and vote. I'm interested in your preferences, not what you actually attend.

Too Many Cat Posts...!

2011-11-12T10:24:00.002Z

Well, I don't care, because I seem to be in good company...

I wonder if the kitty gets to put the im-paw-matur on all documents? Or should that be the im-purr-matur? I shall have to go back and check with Fr. Z on his blog - What Does the Purr Really Say? Fr. Tim might also wish to express an opinion over at The Purrmeneutic of Continuity...

Twitch of the mantilla to Terry Nelson for the photo.

Time For Another Cage Match...?

2011-11-08T20:42:00.000Z

First of all came the epic Trial-by-Kitty of The Remnant versus the Catholic Times. Monsignor Furretti, despite her youth, showed great discernment, and the Remnant survived. Then the Inquisition moved on to consider the case of The Catholic Herald versus The Suppository. A two-kitten panel of Monsignori decided very firmly in favour of shredding the latter... if cats had thumbs they'd probably have arranged an auto da fe, but one works with the tools God has provided.

It has been suggested that perhaps it is time for some further suitable test of orthodoxy for my two hooligans as they enter the cat equivalent of teenagerdom. Any suggestions?

Help Prevent Abortion Provision Being Imposed As A Duty...

2011-11-08T20:21:00.000Z

John Smeaton has alerted people to plans, under the Health & Social Care Bill, to introduce statutory regulations forcing Local Authorities to provide abortions as part of the new NHS arrangements. This will create a conflict for any councillor who objects to abortion. Regulations forcing Councils to set up contracts with abortion providers (NHS or private) would also create the false idea that there is a legal right to abortion.

Please write to your local councillors asking them to write to their chief executive requesting clarification of what the regulations will require. It is important that no statutory duty to commission abortions should be imposed on Local Authorities under the NHS reforms.

Renewing My Vows...

2011-11-07T10:15:00.000Z

I made private vows nine years ago. Some of my friends at the time were horrified - "What if Mr. Right turns up tomorrow?" I pointed out that he'd be Mr. Wrong, because he was too late: God got there first! I can honestly say that I haven't regretted my decision.

I'm renewing my vows next month (I don't need to renew my vows, they are permanent as far as I'm concerned) which makes an excellent excuse for a party. It'll be on 3rd December, which is the first Saturday, so that means that we have our monthly Missa Cantata and visiting schola. The Mass starts at 10:30am, and is finished about 11:30am, and I will renew my vows after Mass. There will be a bit of a party in the large hall, and then solemn sung Vespers at 2:30pm to finish up.

You are all most welcome. It would be helpful to know numbers (for catering purposes) but don't let that put you off if you suddenly find you're free...

Praying For The Dead...

2011-11-06T21:52:00.000Z

Each year we have a ceremony for blessing graves in the parish. It's a very moving occasion, and, after praying for all the dead, Fr. Tim walks around, blessing any graves that people ask him to bless. The visit to a cemetery in the first week of November has a plenary indulgence attached, so, although there is a feeling of sadness, there is also some joy in the knowledge that, just by going to the cemetery and saying a prayer for the faithful departed, souls are freed from Purgatory.

Do remember to pray for the forgotten souls in Purgatory as well as for your loved ones...

November Kicks Off...

2011-11-02T22:22:00.001Z

First of all a Missa Cantata at Our Lady of the Rosary Blackfen for the Feast of All Saints. Stirring stuff as Leutgeb would probably say - she's good at penning short, succinct phrases to capture the moment. I realise that it's probably very unfashionable of me, but I really do like the Missa de Angelis... though I'm not quite as keen on Credo III.

And then, this evening we had another Missa Cantata for the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, better known as All Souls' Day. Also stirring - but in a very different way: the propers are plaintive, mournful and very moving, while the Dies Irae thunders out, warning of the fate which, but for the mercy of God, awaits each of us.

The cherry on top of this wonderful treat consists of the opportunities for obtaining a Plenary Indulgence at the start of November, either for oneself (which always strikes me as a little bit of a waste in my case, unless I was fortunate enough to get in there just before I went to meet my Maker, as all the merits would, no doubt, disappear within the first five minutes as I succumbed to one or other of my besetting sins) or, more usefully, for one of the Holy Souls... perhaps for the most forgotten soul who has no-one to pray for him.

If you weren't lucky enough to get an EF Mass with all the trimmings ("Ablutions* at the Catafalque" as Zephy is wont to say!) then you can always get your fix by looking at the YouTube video I made with last year's photos...

*Yes, I know it's absolutions at the Catafalque, as does Zephyrinus, when he's sober...

The Advent Of... Well... Advent...!

2011-10-31T18:02:00.000Z

Joanna Bogle sent an email round to remind us that, along with Advent itself, the Towards Advent Festival is rapidly approaching. It's on Saturday 19th November at Westminster Cathedral Hall.

The Festival opens at 10 am, and there will be a formal opening at 10:30 am with the Gallery Choir of the Cathedral Choir School. The Hall will be packed with stalls and displays from lots and lots of Catholic groups and organisations, and there will be books, DVDs, holy cards, Christmas stuff, statues, rosaries, and more on sale. I wrote about last year's Festival (and posted some pics too!)

This year the main speaker will be Mgr. Keith Newton of the Ordinariate - he's on at 1:30pm. I suspect that a lot of people will want to go and hear him.

Although admission to the Festival is free, there is a charge of £2 to attend the talks.

That Extra Hour...

2011-10-29T21:20:00.001+01:00

I hate the changing of the clocks. It irritates me - I honestly can't see the point. London is on the Prime Meridian, zero degrees longitude... all time zones throughout the world use Greenwich Mean Time as the baseline.

Monkeying about with the clocks each year so that we can have British Summer Time is pretty pointless. The guff about the changing of the clocks giving us an extra hour's daylight is complete rubbish - we have exactly the same amount of daylight as we would get without changing the clocks...

Another excuse is that the number of road accidents with children on their way to school in the early morning darkness is reduced. I wonder why the accident rate for children going home in the dark evenings doesn't matter?

It annoys me because, just as my body is adjusting to light levels in the summer mornings, I suddenly have my body rhythms interrupted by the jump forward. My body tells me it's 6am... but the alarm clock says 7am. Somehow or other the extra hour "gained" in the autumn doesn't seem to register in the same way.

As for moving the clocks so as to be on the same time zone as Europe, well, that's just crazy!

Ok, rant over. I just had to get that off my chest.

BTW, we return to GMT tonight, so the clocks go back an hour. I wonder if the kitties will try to wake me up for breakfast...

Better Late Than Never...

2011-10-29T15:29:00.000+01:00

Having been ridiculously busy of late, and unusually disinclined to go anywhere near my computer during my week off, I have suddenly realised that I never did get around to publishing my photos from the recent LMS pilgrimage to Aylesford.

Very remiss of me.

The music was a real treat - and there was a thrill associated with the thought that it had been composed by a contemporary of St. Simon Stock, the founder of the shrine at Aylesford. The Kyrie has to be the longest I have ever encountered: I have never been at a Mass where the celebrant gets to sit down while waiting to get to the Gloria!

The Mass was in the Relic Chapel. During the sermon, Fr. Tim reminded us that St. Simon's skull was kept in the reliquary behind the altar...

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Aylesford. I am astonished by how little is made of the fact that this is the place where St. Simon Stock had a vision of Our Lady, and then started the devotion of the Brown Scapular. The place is relatively close to where I live, only 45 minutes down the motorway, but I don't go there as often as I could - mostly because I associate the place with dreadful diocesan liturgy and horrible school trips... and damp (which makes my joints ache.) However, none of these factors were in evidence for the LMS pilgrimage!

Part of the fun of pilgrimages is getting to meet up with friends - I discovered that Paul Smeaton had apparently let the side down by turning up without a tie. His punishment was to be forced to model the proposed new Juventutem London tie by Seán... I sincerely hope that was a joke, as the tie has got to be one of the most ghastly items I have ever encountered...

After the Mass I had a lovely chat with the Reluctant Sinner, though we had to make a mad dash back so as to make it back for Fr. Tim's talk.

After the talk, we finished the pilgrimage with Benediction...

I didn't take many photos on this occasion, but Joseph Shaw took lots, and they can be found on his excellent Flickr site. I even found a photo of me which I consider acceptable...

(I'm the blonde wearing black, on the right-hand side, with a mantilla...)

Remember, Remember...

2011-10-28T22:23:00.002+01:00

Remember, remember,
the fifth of November,
gunpowder, treason and plot...

The weekends either side of November 5th are marked by lots and lots of fireworks being let off. I don't mind the organised displays so much - it's the youngsters letting off fireworks in the streets and the back garden events which annoy me. I do, however, love the misty look and the smell resulting from all the bonfires.

I'm not sure how the cats will cope - it's their first Bonfire season. This time last year I'd only just adopted Furretti, and she was too young to go outside, and Miaowrini didn't make an appearance chez moi until 12th November.

Looking back over last year's posts to see when the kittens did actually make an appearance, I realised that Monsignor Furretti has really grown. Then...

and now...

The Thomas More Legal Centre...

2011-10-27T16:16:00.000+01:00

Many people have noted the increase in action taken against Christians who wish to do nothing more than express their beliefs freely. There was a case of a nurse who was disciplined for wearing a cross at work, a worker who faced the sack for having a palm cross in his work van, and so on. The latest case is that of a mental health worker who was sacked for handing a leaflet about women's experiences of abortion to a fellow worker (as part of an amicable discussion).

The Thomas More Legal Centre helps to represent people experiencing such discrimination at employment tribunals and such-like. But they need funds in order to continue to do so. The Pastor in Valle has a letter from the Trustees over on his blog, along with more information.

The Centre doesn't normally appeal for funds, and the Trustees had decided to continue with this policy until they had a case which actually needed to go to court. That time, it seems, has now arrived.

Donations can be made by cheque (made out to Thomas More Legal Centre) to The Treasurer, Thomas More Legal Centre, Palmyra Chambers, 46 Legh Street, Warrington WA1 1UJ; or by bank transfer to Yorkshire Bank, 34 Princes Street, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 1RE; sort code 05-09-33, account no. 43102195 (Thomas More Legal Centre). If you are a UK tax-payer making a gift by cheque, please send a signed statement with your name and address asking for the donation to be treated as Gift Aid.

The Trustees are also asking for prayers, and I'm sure we can all help with that!

Further To My Last Post...

2011-10-25T19:32:00.000+01:00

In my last post, which was rather too long ago for my liking, Just Another Mad Catholic asked if I'd heard Tom Lehrer's Hunting Song. I hadn't, but, thanks to the wonders of YouTube, I found this...

I'll just point out that there's another dead mouse to add to the bag!

Hunting Licence...

2011-10-16T22:15:00.002+01:00

I arrived home late from church this evening after stopping off to visit Leutgeb for a quick cup of tea and a natter. I discovered a note, taped to my door, from my cat-loving neighbour:

Dear Mac,
Miaowrini caught a large pigeon or a small seagull and dragged it in through the catflap - it was still alive - and I'm sorry I couldn't stop her, as she was too quick for me.

I entered the flat with caution. No evidence left in the hall. I saw three feathers in the kitchen. I checked my bedroom - all clear. Nothing in the bathroom. The sitting room, on first inspection, seemed pretty undisturbed.

I then pulled the armchair to one side and checked under the side table...

(I removed the corpse before taking the photo...)

Anyway, on the advice of Fr. Z, I have decided to keep a tally of the kittens' conquests.

So far, the kitties have notched up the following -

pigeon (live) - 4
baby blackbird (live) - 1
mouse (live) - 5
stag beetle (live) - 6

pigeon (dead) - 4
mouse (dead) - 3
stag beetle (dead) - 1

I may have missed out a couple of mice and stag beetles...

Ooops! My Bad...!

2011-10-15T19:11:00.001+01:00

I can't actually believe that nearly a week has gone by since my last post promising to blog more frequently. Things have been more than a little hectic, and even the kitties are starting to wonder if I still live at home...

I'm just off out again after a fabulous day at Aylesford.

However, so as not to leave yet another day without a blog post, here are a couple of photos from last week

First of all, Fr. Z blessing some holy water - in Latin, with the salt, and exorcism prayers and all that pre-Vatican II stuff that led St. Teresa of Avila (whose feast day it happens to be today) to remark that holy water was one thing that sent devils packing...

Sorry about the photo quality - I only had my iPhone handy.

Next is a photo (also from my iPhone) from the evening's Rosary & Benediction...

Life Interrupts Blogging... Not!

2011-10-09T19:33:00.000+01:00

As I have said before, one of the criticisms often levelled at blogs and bloggers is that we are, apparently, all sad, lonely old gits who blog in our pyjamas rather than going out and experiencing "real life."

Speaking as someone who has been writing my own blog for over five years, I think I can safely say that nothing could be further from the truth! I will admit, though, to having (on the very odd occasion) blogged whilst wearing my nightdress...

The past five years have been filled with opportunities resulting directly from my blogging activities. I have made many new friends, and I'm always really astounded when people tell me that they read my blog. I would be inclined to think that they were just being polite, were it not for the gleam of recognition when the blog name gets mentioned: "Ohooooo... so you're Mulier Fortis! And what are the kitties up to?"

Occasionally I let the blogging slip a bit - because I just don't get on with the touch screen on my iPhone, which makes blogging on the go an unrewarding experience, and I'm often just too tired at the end of the working day... Weekends sometimes feel even busier than weekdays - as Leutgeb has pointed out, lately there have been so many traddie activities happening at weekends that it's impossible to attend every event, and it's necessary to prioritise. The blogs, however, help to keep everyone informed as to what is happening, and there are plenty of photos and written accounts to enjoy.

The blogs are wonderful tools for evangelisation. It is now almost impossible to be unclear on what the Church actually teaches on a particular topic - a quick Google search will often reveal all, and, if things are still unclear, there are wonderful priests like Fr. Ray Blake, Fr. Tim Finigan and Fr. John Zuhlsdorf who are only too happy to help instruct and counsel their readers on anything to do with the Catholic Church. And the really great thing about the blogs is that those of us who wish to try and follow the teachings of Holy Mother Church no longer need to feel that they are in any way odd for wanting to do so. There are plenty of faithful Catholics out there in the big wide world...

I want to give a particular plug to the wonderful Fr. Ray Blake - his parish is in Brighton, a town with what must be one of the most aggressively pro-LGBT agendas in the country. There was quite a kerfuffle recently, with gay rights activists threatening to have his blog shut down because they were outraged and offended by Fr. Ray's support for the teaching of the Church on matters of sexual morality. Fr. Ray himself is never rude, inconsiderate or deliberately offensive in his blog posts, but the simple fact that he defends Church teaching is enough to support accusations of homophobia, discrimination, hatred and bigotry.

By-the-by, from what I have read on Fr. Ray's blog, he is just as firmly opposed to heterosexual activity outside marriage, so his views are hardly discriminatory, but that little fact always seems to escape everyone's attention...

Some people, such as the Communications Officer for the Diocese of Middlesbrough, Fr. Derek Turnham, might consider blogging to be akin to a criminal offence. One can only wonder why they are so afraid of the new media. What is so dreadful about ordinary people being able to voice opinions about the Church? Isn't that what Vatican II was all about? If the views expressed are erroneous, they will be corrected by other bloggers quickly enough...

Very strange...

In the meantime, I promise to make more of an effort to update my blog with greater regularly...

The Most Beautiful Thing This Side Of Heaven...

2011-10-07T23:45:00.000+01:00

The High Mass this evening for the patronal Feast Day at Blackfen was wonderful.

The Mass was very well attended (despite England playing football somewhere) and the mantilla-quotient is definitely on the up. I am no longer the only woman at Mass wearing a mantilla.

I shall be putting together a little slide show to make use of all the lovely photos I took. Cantores Missae sang the Mass, and they were superb. Schubert's Salve Regina quite choked me up!

For the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Fr. Z has a little poll going - about whether you pray the Fatima prayer at the end of the decades of the Rosary (as instructed by Our Lady at Fatima.)

A Transatlantic Visitor...

2011-10-06T23:29:00.027+01:00

I was delighted that the incomparable Fr. Z found time to drop by and pay a visit to His Hermeneuticalness in Blackfen, just in time for the patronal Feast Day.

It appears that he was just a little puzzled by the name of Kent's famous brewery...

Irony...

2011-10-02T09:37:00.000+01:00

It is rather amusing to reflect that, at the Blackfen Blognic yesterday, His Hermeneuticalness delivered his talk on Catholics and the new media without actually employing any techno-wizardry himself...

The Reluctant Sinner has posted a much more detailed account of the day, so do go and check him out.

Urgent Action & Fervent Prayer...

2011-10-02T00:36:00.000+01:00

Yousef Nadarkhani has been sentenced to death for apostasy. He was never a practicing Muslim, but because of his ancestry, the Iranian court has decided that he should be put to death. He was arrested when trying to register his church.

Blondpidge has done sterling work to bring this to people's attention, tweeting, blogging and emailing. She has several suggestions for action, and provides telephone numbers, links and even a sample letter over on her blog.

She also reminds us of the need to storm heaven with our prayers.

Bloggers At Blackfen...

2011-10-01T23:23:00.002+01:00

The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma had its meeting at Blackfen today. In good Catholic tradition, we started the whole day off with Mass... and we were especially blessed to be able to celebrate a Solemn High Mass. I think this may be a first - three blogging clerics on the Sanctuary...

We then had a talk from Fr. Tim Finigan on being a Catholic blogger. He had much encouragement to give us all, along with some words of caution. I do hope that he will publish the text of the talk online, because it was excellent.

Lunch was provided in the large hall by Trish and her gang of helpers. Leutgeb was first off the mark in reporting the meeting, and lunch was declared to be yummy. I can second that: it was positively scrumptious!

We had a brief business meeting, and then it was time for Vespers, which was for the Feast of the Dedication of the Parish Church.

It was an enjoyable, edifying and encouraging day, and I was delighted to be able to meet up with people I'd only previously encountered online: so a warm hallo to Fr. Sam Medley, Fr. Simon Henry, Anthony, Stuart and Richard; and greetings to old acquaintances: Dylan, Leutgeb, Annie Elizabeth, Fr. Michael Clifton, Paul Priest and Hilaire Belloc.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that Vesper, who often comments, also paid us a visit!

There are a few more photos over on my Flickr page.

Change Of Address...

2011-09-30T19:54:00.000+01:00

No, not mine.

The Crescat has moved over from Blogger to Wordpress, and very good the new blog looks too. Remember to update your links!

I love the quote she has at the top of the blog now (I heard it many years ago, and it's even truer now!)

If brought up on charges of being a Catholic I hope there's enough evidence to convict me.

A Little Good News...

2011-09-28T20:30:00.001+01:00

A brain-damaged woman, who can only be referred to as "M," was at the centre of a High Court battle to have her food and fluids withdrawn. She has been in a minimally conscious state (having first been diagnosed as in a persistent vegetative state) for over 8 years, and her family wanted to end her life.

That sounds rather harsh, but it is really just stating the truth. The family wanted to have her food and fluids withdrawn (though it's prettied up by calling it "stopping life-supporting treatment.") Effectively, that means that they would subject her to a horrifically painful death by starvation and dehydration - and, as in the case of Tony Bland, she would have needed painkillers to ease the suffering this entails.

Yogi Amin, who represented the family at the High Court, stated that the ruling allowed the High Court to decide whether a minimally conscious person should be allowed to die naturally, with dignity. He didn't mention that death by starvation and dehydration isn't actually what one would consider a dignified death.

Unusually, the medical authorities fought against the wishes of the family. They said that M was clinically stable, and the health authority pointed out that her life was not without positive elements. I must confess that I never thought a health authority would range itself on the side of the angels. Usually they're all for cost-cutting measures.

Fortunately for M, and possibly for others in a minimally conscious state, the judge ruled against the family.

This Makes Me Really Cross...

2011-09-26T20:43:00.000+01:00

Quite apart from the self-righteous tone used by Baroness Flather in suggesting that the poor have too many children, particularly those from Pakistani or Bangladeshi communities, and that this really isn't necessary in Britain because of the welfare state and pensions (oho... someone hasn't been reading the news lately!), I rather object to the fact that none of the MSM have been open about the Baroness' vested interests in making such statements.

Baroness Flather is a director of Marie Stopes International.

One-child policy, anyone?

Massive twitch of the mantilla to Red Maria for highlighting that little connection.

The Kindness Of Strangers...

2011-09-26T20:25:00.001+01:00

I had a very arduous teaching day today, and then meetings after school. Then I had to pop over to Bluewater to get some stuff (it's open later than the average High Street store.)

I stopped off at Boots to visit the Clinique counter. I've used lots of makeup over the years, and have discovered that cheap brands do not pay. My skin is quite temperamental, and Clinique really suits me best. The moisturiser I use is the Comfort On Call one - it soothes the slightly irritable flakiness I have a tendency to develop.

To my surprise, the counter was completely deserted. I waited patiently, assuming that the assistant was on a break. Eventually a young woman turned up, and I explained what I was looking for. She was very apologetic, explaining that she wasn't a Clinique specialist (there had only been one on earlier, due to sickness) but she'd seen the variety I wanted, and she said she'd look for it. I promptly plumped myself down on one of the make-over chairs.

The first assistant wasn't having any luck, so she called over another assistant and they both started rooting through cupboards. We had a good chat about different moisturisers, and I explained that this was my favourite. Then the first assistant called over the supervisor, to ask if she could check the stock cupboard.

Meanwhile, I'd spotted a tester for my moisturiser, and the supervisor, armed with the stock code, went to have a look in the back. No luck. I must have looked a little woebegone, because, when I asked if it was possible to buy the tester, the assistant said that she'd put some in a little sample pot, just to tide me over until I could get back to the shops...

Feeling in need of a little refreshment before heading home, I stopped at the Krispy Kreme shop. As I bought a hot chocolate and a mango creme doughnut (a new variety, which, really, doesn't quite work) the assistant asked if I'd like a complimentary glazed ring doughnut, hot from the oven.

Those little acts of kindness quite lifted my spirits.

On further reflection, I must have looked really exhausted...

Pondering My Next Purchase...

2011-09-25T16:57:00.000+01:00

I love my little snazzy camera. It has served me well over the past couple of years, and I've taken some very good photos with it. However, this has rekindled my interest in photography - I have several old photo albums with "real" photos - and I decided that the time has come to upgrade.

I am not going to go the whole hog and buy a camera and a slew of lenses to be screwed on at crucial moments. I realised that what I actually do want is what is popularly known as a "bridge" camera - one down from the DSLR and one up from the point-and-click compact that I currently have.

By dint of several visits to Jessops (big, serious camera shop) and shops like Currys, I have narrowed it down to two possible choices: the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS and the Fuji FinePix HS20 EXR.

The Canon has the longer zoom - 35x optical zoom, 14 MP - and the zoom is button controlled (I can't remember the correct term, but I'm sure you understand me.) The Fuji has a shorter zoom (30x) and it's manual, but the picture is 16 MP.

Part of me is very tempted by the longer zoom. I also quite like the button-controlled zoom. However, my current Canon camera is protesting when I use the automated zoom (it's on its way out, hence the need for a new camera) and I am wondering whether a manual zoom might be better - the less automated bits there are, the less there is to go horribly wrong.

Then again, there's the battery. Canon has a lithium-ion rechargeable battery unit. Fuji uses AA batteries. I prefer the former, but maybe that's just because, back in the mists of time, rechargeable AA batteries used to be such a pain and never actually lasted any length of time. Maybe they've improved.

Price-wise the two cameras are very similar. I'm dithering...

Mind you, since I have to save up the pennies before I can actually get round to purchasing one of them, I have got a bit of time in which to dither. However, if any of you people out there know of any good or bad things about these cameras (from personal experience, that is - I've already read several reviews online) I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Watch this space...

Trepidation...

2011-09-18T22:20:00.001+01:00

My next-door neighbour, the one who does the cat-sitting for me, caught me on the way back from Mass this morning. Apparently she has been watching the cats from her window each day - her flat looks out onto the back garden.

She has seen Miaowrini stalking the pigeons.

My neighbour also warned me that trouble is brewing. Furretti was up a tree the other day... and she very nearly caught a squirrel...

I dread to think of the state of my flat if she actually succeeds in bringing one home...

New Look...

2011-09-17T23:23:00.001+01:00

A new academic year has started for us here in Merry Old England. It's a pretty exhausting time for teachers (IMHO) - at least until we've sussed out our new timetables and classes... and in some cases, new exam specifications as well.

To celebrate the fact that I'm not as zonked out as I was last weekend, I have revamped the blog layout just a little. I had a look at the "Dynamic Views" option as described by His Hermeneuticalness, and decided that I like the idea, so that option has found its way into the sidebar, as has the option to have updates from the blog emailed to you. Personally I prefer to use Google Reader for that sort of thing, but, if it floats your boat...

I think the colour scheme and background picture are pretty much set - it's my trademark "look," I think. Do tell me what you think of the overall effect, and I'm interested in any suggestions you may have for further improvements...

LMS Pilgrimage To Aylesford...

2011-09-17T09:03:00.000+01:00

I was asked to publicise the LMS Pilgrimage to Aylesford, and I'm delighted to be able to do so. I thought Fr. Tim had advertised it already, but it seems that, in my slightly bemused state last week, I put up a (real) poster in the church porch...

The music at the Mass will be contemporary with St. Simon Stock, which is rather exciting.

Good News...

2011-09-16T23:17:00.000+01:00

Ches and Mrs Ches have just announced the arrival of a daughter... do pop over and give your congratulations!

First Friday...

2011-09-16T22:13:00.000+01:00

Not the first Friday of the month, but the first Friday on which Catholics in England & Wales had to observe the abstinence from meat as mandated by the Bishops' Conference.

I don't normally eat breakfast, but was absolutely starving this morning, so popped downstairs to the school canteen when it opened for breakfast. I eschewed the bacon rolls on offer, and one of the cooks made me an egg muffin instead.

There was a certain amount of satisfaction in the change from "an odd person who doesn't eat meat on Fridays" to "a Catholic."

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice & Pigeons...

2011-09-14T22:20:00.002+01:00

I was going to do some serious blogging this evening. I even left work relatively early. After all, it's the anniversary of Summorum Pontificum... and the SSPX have been in talks with the Vatican... all very important stuff. Alas, I arrived to find the living-room seriously carpeted in feathers, with a mangled pigeon corpse arranged artistically in the middle of it all.

It was rather bloody and a bit smelly - I think Miaowrini has really gotten into her stride.

I spent the early evening hoovering and cleaning up, and then I poured myself into the bath, along with a glass of wine.

I did consider doing a little light blogging before getting to bed, but there are two cats staring fixedly at a bookcase. Given that my cats aren't usually interested in the Barchester Chronicles or Agatha Christie, I surmise that something is trapped behind the bookcase.

I don't want to know what it is, so I'm abandoning the computer, and I'm going to go to bed instead.

I might get the chance to blog tomorrow... Don't hold your breath.

First Sign Of Old Age...?

2011-09-11T21:47:00.000+01:00

Earlier on today, while driving, I had an absolutely brilliant idea for a blog post.

Now I can't remember what it was...

*sigh*

If any of you have any idea what I was going to blog about, let me know...

By This You Shall Know Them...

2011-09-11T21:34:00.000+01:00

I think it is wonderful that the Bishops of England & Wales have decided to reinstate the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays. I understand that this is the practice in the US during the Fridays of Lent, but we didn't even have that - the only two days we were obliged to abstain from meat here in the UK were Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There was a vague awareness that penance was supposed to be done on Fridays, but it was never really mentioned, and therefore was often forgotten.

Now it is compulsory. It isn't necessary to eat fish, and it's true that it isn't a major hardship to forego meat on one day a week, but that isn't the point. All Catholics will now be carrying out the same activity on a Friday, as a reminder that Our Lord died for us on a Friday. It's a reminder to ourselves, as much as to those around us. It is a reclaiming of our Catholic heritage, and a reaffirmation of Catholic identity.

It does take a bit of getting used to - when I first started observing Friday abstinence it seemed to be impossible - I always found myself tucking into that bacon sandwich at break time, only to recall halfway through that it was actually Friday. Eventually I got the hang of it, though up until now there has been that temptation to substitute another penance instead because it was allowed.

We might want to consider reintroducing some other Catholic practices - such as bowing one's head at the name of Jesus, crossing oneself as one passes a Catholic Church, and saying Grace before meals (especially when eating out.)

I'm sure that there are many more Catholic practices which used to be common. Suggestions in the combox please!

Happy Birthday...

2011-09-08T21:47:00.000+01:00

The statue of Our Lady in Blackfen was decorated for her Nativity. Sadly, having gone to the church straight from school, I didn't have my camera with me. However, I have a rather nice photo taken on another important occasion...

It was rather nice having Rosary & Benediction on Our Lady's birthday...

Urgent Appeal For Help...

2011-09-05T22:46:00.001+01:00

My eyes are propped open with matchsticks right now, and I'm desperate to get to bed, but I just had to respond to this one - Clare from the Good Counsel Network has sent out an urgent and heartfelt plea for help.

Good Counsel (in much the same way as the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative) puts its money where its mouth is, and gives actual practical help to mothers in crisis pregnancies. These mothers would possibly have felt that there was no alternative to abortion without the help they receive from Good Counsel, and so the work that is done really does save lives.

I don't know if the Good Counsel Network would appreciate donations of actual goods via Amazon (as has been advertised before for the Sisters of the Gospel of Life when they have had an appeal) but funds are perilously low, so any money you can spare would be gratefully received.

The threat to the unborn is higher than ever, especially now. We need to show that we offer support for mothers who choose to keep their babies rather than have an abortion - something Marie Stopes and BPAS would never do. Please, please, help if you can, and everyone please pray for the work to succeed.

And With Your Spirit...

2011-09-04T21:47:00.002+01:00

Yay!

This evening I attended my first Mass where the people's responses were taken from the new translation. I've been muttering "And with your Spirit" under my breath for a couple of months now, so I had no problems with that. I loved the fact that the Creed and the Gloria more closely reflected the structure of the Latin (I've become much more familiar with the Latin through singing it at the Extraordinary Form Mass) and the congregation didn't appear to have any problems with the phrasing.

Obviously there were slip-ups - it's all too easy to drop back into the version we've been using for so long - but that will soon pass.

I've been vaguely aware of negative murmurings - The Suppository's latest offering being a case in point - but claims that the phrasing is too clumsy for a congregation to recite are palpably untrue. A group of people can recite anything together if they practice. I've done it as a silly exercise in class: "All together now: Respiration is not the same as breathing!" What makes the difference is the person leading the group. If the priest reads the Confiteor, Gloria, Creed and Sanctus firmly and clearly, then the congregation will automatically modulate their speech pattern to fit in with him. It really isn't rocket science.

If the priest is positive about the new translation, then the congregation will take to it like ducks to water. It won't be absolutely perfect at the start, but I expect there were difficulties the last time too (funny how no-one ever seems to mention the frequent changes during the early phase of the Novus Ordo!)

Of course, if the priest is opposed to the idea of fidelity to the original texts, then he will find the phrasing very difficult, and the people will then find it hard to pick up his speech patterns, and the whole experience will become very negative indeed.

It would appear that the attitude of the priest is central to the whole thing... how very Novus Ordo! Oh well, if it's really too hard, one can always try it in Latin!!

That Talk...

2011-09-03T19:14:00.000+01:00

Yes, the talk given by Michael Voris has finally made it onto RealCatholicTV, and it's now on YouTube. So, you no longer have to rely on my sketchy outline of the talk (though the subsequent blognic wasn't filmed, so I have the advantage there!) but can watch it yourself.

Major twitch of the mantilla to Paul Smeaton for organising the whole shebang. Michael Voris also did a piece on the Tyburn Martyrs, which you can watch over at Smeaton's Corner.

We Interrupt This Service...

2011-09-03T17:45:00.001+01:00

The start of the Autumn Term is always a little fraught, in my experience. It is made slightly more fraught for me because of one fateful morning in particular (you can read more about it if you wish) which I'm always worried will recur.

So, not much sleep was had by me on Wednesday night. The longest stretch was about 20 minutes. I slept badly on Thursday night too. By Friday evening, I was pretty much dead on my feet. I sat down to put my aching feet up for half an hour, and woke up, bleary-eyed (contact lenses still in) but otherwise wide-awake at midnight.

I decided that I'd spend a little time preparing stuff for Monday. Before I knew it, it was 5:30am. I did consider trying to stay awake, but opted to have a nap, and set several alarms on my mobile phone so that I could get up in time for our Missa Cantata...

The next thing I knew, it was 10:15am. Mass on Saturday is at 10:30am. Oooops.

I decided to go along to Mass anyway (what was left of it) to say a few prayers and at least attend Benediction... Lunch at a local hostelry followed (I was awake at this time - a couple of large cokes did wonders) but I am now clock-watching. I am absolutely shattered, but I know that I have to stay up until at least 9pm in order to try and reset the old body clock. Then, hopefully, Sunday night will be relatively "normal" and I can get up bright-tailed and bushy-eyed on Monday morning, ready to face the hordes of eager Year 7s, all desperately keen and shiny-faced...

That's the plan. But you know what they say about plans...

In the meantime, until I get myself sorted, blogging might be a little sporadic.

The Body In The Library...

2011-09-01T23:40:00.000+01:00

Today was my first day back at school, and, afterwards, I went straight to church for my Thursday evening dose of Rosary and Benediction.

When I finally arrived home, I found Miaowrini looking very pleased with herself sitting in the midst of a whole fresh pile of feathers. Further investigation revealed a dead bird in the living room (it is the room with most books in it, so qualifies as my "library"!)

The bird had been chewed. Looks as if Miaowrini has finally figured out what to do when she catches her pigeon...

Water Cannon Used On Rioters...

2011-08-30T23:54:00.000+01:00

...Errrrmmm, sorry, that headline was not quite right. My bad!

These young people were actually at World Youth Day, and were sprayed with water by firemen to keep them cool in the soaring temperatures. The pilgrims also had sympathetic local residents flinging buckets of water over them as they walked passed en route to some of the events.

Young people = 1,500,000 (minimum); Riots = 0.

Mantilla-twitch in the direction of His Hermeneuticalness.

Something To Smile About...

2011-08-30T15:58:00.001+01:00

A little bit of good news... I have just arrived home after a horrible journey on a crowded bus to find two kittens waiting for me inside the house (one has now gone off gallivanting, the other is having a nap on the sofa... it seems that they like to know I'm safely at home before they go off and do their respective things!) and one car waiting for me outside the house, new alternator and new front tyres fitted.

Deo gratias!

(And no, you cynical people, the kitties were not waiting to be fed. There was food in the bowls. The kitties love me... Yes, they do...)

Blackfen Brandsma Blognic...

2011-08-29T23:12:00.000+01:00

The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma is holding a meeting at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Blackfen, on Saturday, October 1st 2011.

Mass is at 10:30am, Vespers is at 2:30pm. Lunch, a talk and a meeting will happen in between. The pub may feature after all that...

Everyone is welcome - "bloggers" being a very loose term!

Old ICEL RIP...

2011-08-28T23:03:00.001+01:00

I have to confess to feeling a little bit strange, knowing that tonight was the last time we shall use the old ICEL translation for the responses at Sunday Mass (still a few more days until September).

Don't misunderstand me, I am absolutely delighted that the "lame-duck translations" (as the inimitable Fr. Z terms them) have finally shuffled off this mortal coil. We have had the new translation of the Canon for a while, and it is a vast improvement. I have been mentally responding "And with your Spirit" to help get myself accustomed to the changes. And I shall make an extra effort to attend the 6pm Mass next Sunday so as to usher in the new responses.

But part of me is experiencing a pang. Not a pang of regret. Definitely not! A lot of people feel uncomfortable with change, and "Better the devil you know" is a saying most people can relate to, but it isn't even that - the new translation is such an improvement, that I am eager to use it. I guess that it is just the realisation that we are witnessing the end of an era. The old translation is the only one I've known (at least it was, before I encountered the Extraordinary Form of Mass), and I didn't need to read the responses from a missal or mass sheet...

As I said, it's just a little... strange!

(Oh, and before you say anything, yes, I know the photo is of the Divine Office, but the shoddy workmanship of that liturgical book rather exemplifies the state of the old ICEL translation!)

Another Tale Of Woe...

2011-08-27T15:57:00.001+01:00

No, I didn't forget to add oil... or water... or petrol... I wasn't filling up the wrong bit. And I didn't leave my car lights on either. No, this time it is definitely the car's fault.

This morning I intended to get to Mass, Adoration and Benediction as usual on Saturday morning in Blackfen. It looked like it was going to be a nice day, and so I thought I might go out for a little drive afterwards as well. Sadly, the car had other ideas. I turned the key in the ignition and nothing happened.

I have the home start option on my breakdown cover, so I called them out. The chap thought it was probably a flat battery, and started to charge it up. I immediately cheered up - I've had flat batteries before (though usually because I've left the lights on) and prepared to drive to church. The chap then broke some bad news - the battery wasn't charging up at all, so it was probably the alternator...

A phone call to my usual garage mechanic indicated that there was no chance of getting the required part on the Saturday before the Bank Holiday Monday. It could be fixed on Tuesday if I got the car towed to the garage...

I arrived at the church just in time to join in with the Marian anthem after Benediction, and said a fervent prayer that all would go well on Tuesday... after all, school starts again on Thursday, and I do need to be able to get there...

Michael Voris Hits London...

2011-08-26T23:50:00.001+01:00

For anyone who has spent the last month and a half in solitary confinement, this week saw the arrival in London of Michael Voris, the founder of St. Michael's Media and RealCatholicTV, to give a talk on living the Catholic Faith.

Several people have given excellent summaries of the talk itself and their reactions: Robert Colquhoun (Love Undefiled) actually has a recording of the talk and the questions. Francis Phillips wrote a piece for the Catholic Herald, and the Reluctant Sinner has blogged about the evening, as have Joseph Shaw (LMS Chairman), Annie Elizabeth (Defénde Nos in Proélio) and Leutgeb (Bara Brith).

Michael Voris isn't to everyone's taste - I don't agree with everything he says, and occasionally I disagree with the manner in which he says the stuff I do agree with - but I felt he had been getting rather a bad press of late. It reminded me of the run-up to the Holy Father's visit to the UK. Lots and lots of negative press - though in this case it was from the blogosphere rather than the mainstream media.

However, I believe that part of the reason that Catholic catechesis has failed in the past four decades is the idea that we mustn't say anything which might offend other people. If you never say anything which might cause offence to someone, you will probably never say anything at all. As Voris himself pointed out, sometimes you will offend people for no other reason than you just walked into the room!

I've experienced that one - I was once challenged: "How dare you claim to be a better Catholic than me!" I hadn't claimed any such thing, in fact I hadn't said anything. What I had done was to wear a mantilla at Mass, and for some obscure reason this caused offence! So, as far as I'm concerned, Voris deserves great credit for being willing to speak out about the Faith, and for telling it straight.

Michael Voris spoke very engagingly, and, although he didn't say anything new or earth-shattering, it was good to have some affirmation of what many of us are trying to do, namely to follow the teachings of the Church as faithfully as we can. It was, if you like, a pep talk, a bit of encouragement. In the flesh, Michael Voris is quiet and unassuming, and very entertaining. Yes, it was very different from his on-screen persona, but then, those appearances are shot with the intention of making a particular point, and are carefully scripted for that purpose, so they would be rather more direct and "in your face."

It became a sort of impromptu blognic, especially when we all decamped to a local pub - I spotted several of the usual suspects, and some new ones. I was particularly gratified when, giving my name to one of the people organising things as I arrived, he appeared to know who I was (fame at last!)

As well as the bloggers I've already mentioned, it was fantastic to meet up with the indefatigable Bones, the irrepressible Paul Priest (OTSOTA), the sultry and sophisticated Red Maria (Dolphinarium), the charming Multum Incola Fuit Anima Mea (who couldn't resist letting me know who he was, though I'm sworn to secrecy), the very Ecumenical Diablogger, and the gorgeous and giggly Blondpidge (Catechesis of Caroline) who was being let out for the evening, and, in between feeds, passed round the most beautiful and placid baby I have encountered in quite a long time. Normally babies take one look at me and scream. Little Miss Pidge gurgled and cooed and snoozed her way through the evening. John Smeaton and Juventutem were also on good form. I was delighted to make the acquaintance of Giles Pinnock, former Anglican clergyman, who blogged as OneTimothyFour before he swam the Tiber - I sincerely hope he will start blogging again soon. There were many blog readers present too, and I particularly enjoyed meeting Marianne Cuthbertson for an entertaining gossip... great minds think alike, and all that! Her daughters had made it to the talk hotfoot from World Youth Day.

During the break between the talk and the questions, I managed to join Red Maria, Blondpidge and Peter Williams outside for a breath of fresh air. Peter is one of the speakers for Catholic Voices, and he tweets as @PeterDCXW, though he has been threatening to start a blog since the Faith Summer Session. He couldn't resist the charms of Little Miss Pidge as he called her...

Michael Voris stepped up to the plate to do some Pidge-handling to give her mother a break...

And finally, many, many thanks to Paul Smeaton, who pulled off the amazing coup of organising such a fantastic and successful event, seen here with Michael Voris (and Little Miss Pidge.)

Is The BBC Biased Against Catholics?

2011-08-24T01:02:00.003+01:00

Is the Pope a Catholic? Do bears etc. etc?

A conservative estimate of 1.5 million young people, or a more generous (and possibly more accurate) figure of 2 million young people, you'd think that would constitute news, wouldn't you? I mean, how many young people were rioting in the UK? That made the news worldwide.

But no, the BBC chose to concentrate on 5000 protestors.

Fr. Ray Blake has a brief summary, as has Bones. The Idle Rambler has a post which goes through the figures, courtesy of Rome Reports.

Annie Elizabeth, of Defénde Nos In Proélio opines that the protestors are all miserable and angry, whereas the pilgrims are filled with joy. Presumably only misery and rage are newsworthy as far as the BBC is concerned.

Milo Yiannopoulos of the Catholic Herald and Damian Thompson of the Telegraph are both of the opinion that the BBC coverage of World Youth Day events in Spain has been disgraceful. Even more surprisingly, even Andrew Brown of the Guardian actually agreed, and that's a telling indictment.

The Reluctant Sinner really exposes the double standards of the BBC in its reporting of World Youth Day (given all of 30 seconds) compared to a piece on an offshoot of Hare Krishna, namely ISKCON, run by a chap called Richard Slavin. Dare I say that, looking at some of the allegations against Slavin, I can't help wondering what sort of treatment he'd have received if he had been Catholic...

If you want to complain, I suggest you do so here. You might even get a reply. But don't hold your breath.

Twitch of the mantilla to Et Expecto for getting the link to the BBC passed round a few blogs!

Cat Stuff...

2011-08-23T22:16:00.001+01:00

This morning was rather unpleasant, weather-wise. Through the mists of sleep, I was vaguely aware of rain pelting down, and then had it confirmed beyond all doubt by the enthusiastic snuggling-up of a rather damp cat against my arm. Trying not to become too wide-awake, I rubbed Miaowrini’s head and back vigorously in an attempt to dry her off a bit and warm her (and my now cold, damp arm) up. Both of us then went back to sleep. Furretti, more sensible than her companion, hadn’t gone out at all, and was still snoozing contentedly by my feet.

I awoke later to the sound of the catflap banging. Normally it just squeaks a bit, so the increased noise was a sign that one of the cats had brought in some of the local wildlife. With a sigh, I moved Furretti off my feet and went to investigate.

Sure enough, I found that Miaowrini had succeeded in catching a pigeon. A large pigeon. So large that Miaowrini was practically riding the pigeon, and I had visions of the bird taking off with the cat on its back… fortunately, the pigeon couldn’t stretch its wings! The pigeon did, however, succeed in getting behind the sofa. Miaowrini still doesn’t seem to have figured out how to finish off her prey, and she was giving the pigeon a good lick… though I did see teeth-marks on the pigeon’s neck, so I guess that the cat is learning on the job!

I’m getting good at pigeon rescue. It’s a matter of simple logistics: if the cat lets go of the bird, the bird will fly away, but there’s no escape. The bird will fly around the flat, closely followed by two cats (Furretti having by this time woken up, quite keen to get a piece of the action), all my statues will be reduced to 3D jigsaw pieces, and I’ll be cleaning bird poop out of my hair. So I have to leave the cat in situ until I can get hold of the bird. I can’t just grab the bird because I don’t want to get scratched by the cat or pecked by the bird…

So, I grabbed a towel and threw it over the pigeon and the cat together. Unfortunately, Miaowrini took the opportunity to try and bite the bird, which squawked a bit, but I was able to wrap the towel around the bird with one hand while grabbing the disgruntled cat and pulling it out from under the towel with the other. I then took the wrapped bird to my bedroom, opened the window, and held the bird out until it gathered its wits together and flew off.

To be honest, this one nearly dropped like a stone. Fortunately it didn’t actually hit the ground, but it was a very low-flying pigeon…

Miaowrini managed to pluck quite a few feathers, and I decided to photograph the spoils of war…

Furretti loves playing with feathers, even though she doesn’t appear to be such a good hunter.

And, just to give you an idea of how small Miaowrini was compared to the pigeon…

And Another New Arrival...

2011-08-21T11:39:00.000+01:00

Rather like buses, new blogs seem to arrive together...

Anyway, a certain MC has started to post his thoughts on stuff. I have no idea who he is, and he wishes to remain anonymous, but he appears to read this blog.

He also doesn't appear to be averse to cats, which marks him out as one of the good guys. I hasten to add that he hasn't posted any cat stuff himself, which means that readers of this blog who are not so keen on kitties can go and visit him without any trepidation.

Do check out the Thoughts of a Catholic MC.