Patience... Or Just Exhaustion...

Am I the only person rooting for the bird to get splatted with a paw and eaten...?

Ok. Just me then...

Career Opportunities...

I previously admitted my desire to be a womyn priest, but a traddy one, as polyester tie-dye brings me out in hives. Following news that the Church of England has agreed to appoint womyn as byshops, I have come to the realisation that I have been setting my sights too low.

Upon a brief examination of the copy of Fortescue in the sacristy (seventh edition), I discovered many hitherto unexplored opportunities for the expression of traddy sartorial elegance: I think I'd look pretty stunning in a rochet and cappa. I'm not quite sure how I'd cope with putting on the liturgical stockings and shoes at the throne... 

Having gloves, tunicle, dalmatic & chasuble should certainly help to keep me warm (I have constant battles with Blackfen's MC over exactly how many bars of heater should be switched on) and the crozier will make a handy place to hang my handbag. The deacon and subdeacon pinning on the pallium might be a little bit tricky - I am generously proportioned - but I'm sure I can figure something out...

On second thoughts, after having a look at this lot (courtesy of the very-saved Eccles), perhaps being a womyn byshop isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Learning To Serve...

As I have mentioned before, Jonathan, the Senior MC at Blackfen, likes to get the boys serving at Mass and other events as quickly as possible, and doesn't hesitate to get them doing different jobs.

A favourite job is that of thurifer - something to do with setting fire to charcoal, I think.

Anyway, two of our newest recruits to the serving team have each shown up on Thursday evenings for Rosary & Benediction. The job of MC is a little too ambitious for them both at the moment - Jonathan will probably give it a week or two - and it was very sweet to see thurifers who were almost the same size as the thurible chain...

You can see a few more photos over on Flickr...

A Photo Opportunity...

At the beginning of the month I attended a meeting of The Keys at St. Mary Moorfield's. Bishop Philip Egan was the speaker, talking about evangelisation in a secular culture. It was an excellent talk, and a wonderful evening, though I was disappointed not to be able to get a good photo of Bishop Egan as he had to leave early to catch a train.

However, I did manage to get this photo of Mgr. Keith Newton of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham together with Fr. Finigan...

After the talk, Mgr. Newton chatted to me about my patron saint, St. Anne Line, about whom I had written for a chapter in English Catholic Heroines (my claim to being a "proper" writer!) - it transpires that Mgr. Newton knew the church dedicated to St. Anne in South Woodford as this was his old stamping ground, and it was a real treat to be able to swap stories with him.

I've Been Preoccupied Of Late...

Furretti was giving me cause for concern earlier this week.

I noticed that she appeared to have lost weight - it's difficult to tell just by looking at her, as she is very fluffy, but it seemed to me that she was rather thinner than usual: I thought her pelvic bones were more noticeable when I stroked her, and her vertebrae were rather more pronounced. Furretti didn't seem to be comfortable - she was holding herself rather carefully rather than just curling up on my pillow, and, most worryingly, she didn't purr when I made a fuss of her. She had a scab on her neck (though she wasn't too keen on my examining it) but no other obvious injuries, and was off her food.

When I arrived home on Monday evening, I noted with some concern that she was out (and her food was uneaten) - this was worrying because it had been pouring with rain all afternoon, and Furretti normally loathes getting wet. I wandered around outside, calling her name, and questioning my next-door neighbour. To my consternation, I saw that a fox was lurking near the catflap, and did my best to scare it off - after which Furretti made an appearance.

As luck would have it, I had lent my cat carrier to a friend and had forgotten to retrieve it at the weekend. Fortunately another neighbour had a carrier to lend to me. I then drove over to the vet's surgery, with Furretti yowling all the way.

The vet was very nice, assuring me that it was better to come in earlier rather than later. A thorough examination of the cat was carried out, including a check of her temperature. Furretti does not have a bio-chip, and so her temperature had to be assessed in the traditional manner - a procedure which ruffled her dignity somewhat. Never have I seen a cat look so affronted.

The verdict was then given: Furretti was perfectly healthy, in the vet's professional opinion, but she would be happy to carry out a blood test just to put my mind at rest. Heartless mercenary beast that I am, I made enquiries as to the cost of such blood tests. On hearing that it was in the region of £70 or so - in addition to the consultation fee - I declared myself perfectly content with the professional opinion of the vet. Indeed, Furretti had perked up quite a bit, and seemed keen to leave the surgery...

It was decided that I would monitor her for a few days, and return for a blood test if she didn't show any improvement.

I am delighted to report that Furretti has made a complete recovery...

Female Cardinals...

The Irish Times claimed that Pope Francis might appoint a female Cardinal or two at the next Consistory. They are a little behind the times - the first female Cardinal was actually appointed at an emergency Catsistory, once it became clear that England & Wales didn't have a Cardinal of voting age. Unfortunately for Archbishop Nichols, the recipient of the red hat was none other than Cardinal Mastai-Furretti (to give her her full name)...

Now that a new Consistory has been announced for February, Monsignor Guido Miaowrini is hopeful for an upgrade... and it would double the number of female Cardinals, so everyone (except Archbishop Nichols) would be happy...

After all, if people are silly enough to think women can be Cardinals, why not cats?

Photo-Fest...

It has been a busy end to the half term holiday, but I've been good, and have managed to upload various photos to Flickr before the madness of term time descends once more. This was a more onerous task than one might think, as, for some reason, I had to load the photos in batches of six or seven photos to avoid the uploader crashing in a sulking fit.

I started playing about with my phone settings (after Mass, I hasten to add!), and managed to produce the photo on the left (from the Mass for All Souls) - and think I might try to experiment a little more with sepia tones and black & white photos.

Anyway, I have different sets up on Flickr for general perusal. There were the photos from Halloween (well, ok, First Vespers of All Saints), then the photos from the Missa Cantata celebrated on the Feast of All Saints. Yesterday we had Blackfen's monthly First Saturday Missa Cantata which, fortuitously, was the Commemoration of All Souls. And today was the annual Prayers for the Dead at the local cemetery, along with the blessing of graves.

Do go along and have a look...

A Blognic...

Yippee! I was just thinking that we were well-overdue for a blognic. The next meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma is on Saturday 30th November at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen. It's open to anyone who uses the new media - so that means people who comment on and read blogs, as well as bloggers, twitterers and Facebookers.

Difficult Words...

There is an online survey on same-sex "marriage," contraception and divorce being promoted by the Bishops of England & Wales.

Leaving aside the whole question of whether the Bishops should consult the Laity on a matter of faith and morals (the Church is not a democracy, and Truth is not subject to a majority vote!) I was intrigued to notice the language used in the survey.

In the past, when considering the motives of the members of our Bishops' Conference, I may have been less than charitable. I have decided to turn over a new leaf, and try and think of the most charitable explanation that I can come up with. So, this is my theory...

There were no sudden deaths or even major injuries sustained due to the implementation of the corrected ICEL translation of the Mass, despite the use of tricky words such as "chalice" or "gibbet." The Bishops of England and Wales were so encouraged by this indication of academic excellence from the average man person in the pew that they decided that we could all understand tricky words after all, and proceeded to use a few more of them...

"Describe how the Catholic Church's teachings on the value of the family contained in the Bible, Gaudium et Spes, Familiaris Consortio and other documents of the post-conciliar Magisterium is understood by people today?"

"What anthropological ideas underlie the discussion on the natural basis of the family?"

"In what way have the local Churches and movements on family spirituality been able to create ways of acting which are exemplary?"

"Is cohabitation ad experimentum a pastoral reality in your particular Church? Can you approximate a percentage?"

I will firmly resist all temptations to speculate that, by wording the consultation questionnaire in such a manner, their Lordships are hoping to skew the responses in any way. That would be most uncharitable of me, and, as I said earlier, I am attempting to turn over a new leaf.

And if you believe that, then there is a bridge I'd like to sell you...

On a more serious note, I think it is important that as many faithful Catholics as possible do respond to the survey. If you can't bear the online form option, then it is possible to download the Response Proforma as a Word document and send it as an attachment to Elizabeth Davies.

Liturgy At Blackfen For Halloween...

Well, actually it's for All Hallows' Eve - in other words, First Vespers of the Feast of All Saints. Sung Vespers (Extraordinary Form), followed by Benediction. We start at 8pm. Directions to the church can be found here.

Intrigue & Speculation...

A new blog has started up. I have no idea how well-informed British Catholic is - he claims to be "in the know" and also that he only blogs from things he knows first-hand, and not gossip or speculation. The information on his profile page says that he is in the field of education. The speculation is therefore on my side...

The blog does make for interesting reading... particularly with regard to the delay in episcopal appointments in the United Kingdom. One to keep an eye on, I think...

New Blog On The Block...

Back in the mists of time when I first started blogging, I was in a distinct minority. The majority of Catholic blogs were written by men, and most were from the US. Being one of the very few British female bloggers meant that I had a higher profile than I deserved. Seven and a half years later, and I'm delighted to note that there is now a huge selection of good, Catholic female bloggers... and it's impossible to follow everyone.

However, there is one new blogger who should be flagged up as compulsory reading: Yes I'm Catholic is a blog by a young student concerned with living life as a committed Catholic, and all the issues she has to face in day-to-day situations. She includes the caveat that we should "expect controversial topics, a fair amount of teenage angst, and some mushiness mixed in with the theology."

For some reason I've yet to fathom, she refers to herself as the skinny walrus. Already she has started up a series of excellent, informative and highly entertaining posts on the subject of dating. The first in the series can be found here, and the second one has just been posted. I really wish that I had had a friend like her around back when I was a student. Do go on over and say hello...

A Statement So Obviously Stupid...

The Bitter Pill has really outdone itself. It published a letter, I assume without editorial correction (I refuse to buy it in order to check) which started off with the following jaw-dropping statement:

"It was interesting to read about the new Confraternity of Catholic Clergy in the British Province of Pope St Gregory the Great (News from Britain and Ireland, 2 April). The theologically dubious description of the priest as being an image of Christ, acting in the person of Christ, and possessing an “active instrumental power” all in a way in which the layman respectively is not, cannot, and does not, betrays a clericalist and power-based notion of priesthood at odds with any notion of service."

Theologically dubious? It would appear that the letter-writer (and presumably the editor of The Bitter Pill who allowed it to pass unchallenged) is unacquainted with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Catechism states:

1592 The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful. the ordained ministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching (munus docendi), divine worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral governance (munus regendi).

and earlier:

1581 This sacrament configures the recipient to Christ by a special grace of the Holy Spirit, so that he may serve as Christ's instrument for his Church. By ordination one is enabled to act as a representative of Christ, Head of the Church, in his triple office of priest, prophet, and king.

Tabletistas are rather keen on quoting the spirit of Vatican II. I, on the other hand, prefer the actual documents, so that there is no chance that I reinterpret things to fit in with my personal viewpoint... So, how about one of the Decrees produced by the Council? The Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, states quite clearly:

Wherefore the priesthood, while indeed it presupposes the sacraments of Christian initiation, is conferred by that special sacrament; through it priests, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are signed with a special character and are conformed to Christ the Priest in such a way that they can act in the person of Christ the Head. (n2)

And if you're not happy with a mere Decree, what about a full-blown Dogmatic Constitution? Lumen Gentium, anyone?

The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, teaches and rules the priestly people; acting in the person of Christ, he makes present the Eucharistic sacrifice, and offers it to God in the name of all the people. (n10)

It really isn't rocket science. No ministerial priesthood = no Sacraments = no Church.

Lay people can become friends of the Confraternity and offer prayers, financial and practical support to priests. Check out the membership page of the website.

Twitch of the mantilla to the inimitable Father Z, who deserves an bravery award for reading through such tripe and having the patience to explain why it's so completely wrong. I,on the other hand, just want to slap someone...

UPDATE: To be honest, I didn't realise that the letter was actually published in 2011 (as was Fr. Z's article) as it only came to my attention on Wednesday. However, even though it's an old letter, my point still stands: it should never have been published in a Catholic newspaper without some sort of correction or editorial comment...

Just When I Thought It Was All Over..

The weather took a turn for the worse a couple of weeks ago, and both cats decided that they could tolerate each other's company if it meant sleeping on a warm duvet.

Am I the only person who scoots down to the bottom of the bed in order to avoid waking up two snoozing cats? And am I the only person who starts the night sleeping in the middle of the bed and wakes in the morning scrunched right up against the (cold) wall in the smallest space imaginable, with two cats sprawled comfortably in the middle of the bed?

Ok, it's just me who's a pushover then...

Anyway, this evening I was settling down to a quiet evening's tweeting when the catflap opened, and Miaowrini announced her arrival in loud tones. Furretti got up off the laptop case and ran to investigate. I realised that something was up - Furretti tends to ignore Miaowrini most of the time. I went to see what was going on, and a present was promptly dropped at my feet...

The mouse was alive, so I threw it out of my bedroom window into the grass (I live on the ground floor, I hasten to add!) After a minute's stunned inactivity, the mouse ran off. Miaowrini and Furretti are now sulking...

Having Fun...

I'm still incredibly busy, but I do like to try and liven up my Science lessons with a little light entertainment. A few years ago - in the era before YouTube - Tom Lehrer's Periodic Table Song was a rarity, because very few teachers could sing it right through (I did have one colleague who went from class to class as a favour to all of us!) Now everyone knows it, and it's rather dated, not least because 15 new elements have been disc-aaar-vared (and details duly sent to Haaar-vard.)

I found a catchy (aka irritating) song which goes through the first ten elements, and one of my Year 9 classes has started to join in (and even ask for it as a "treat" at the end of lessons!) However, I think that the following video trumps the lot, if only because of the animations. I'm tempted to try and learn it myself...

Blackfen's Newest MC...

Jonathan, Blackfen's Senior MC, believes in training up the young altar servers to carry out all the different roles on the Sanctuary. There is no protracted period as junior torchbearer for the first few years to get settled in before being promoted to senior torchbearer. I believe that Thurifer is a much sought-after role (something about boys and matches), and it's first-come, first-served when the duties are being assigned in the Sacristy before Mass.

The job of MC is, of course, a much more tricky one which requires much more in the way of preparation. There are certain responses to make (in Latin) and it must be rather daunting to have to tell Father which bits he needs to chant next (and point to the right spot in the Missal.) Nevertheless, Jonathan is keen to get the young boys doing this job too. I suspect he wants to retire early and spend Sunday mornings sailing instead.

One of our altar servers acted as MC today at Mass for the first time, at the tender age of 11. I only got a few pictures (his justifiably proud mama has promised to put up a few more in due course), and they're up on Flickr if you want to have a look.

Faith Of Our Fathers...

St. Anthony Communications has brought out a new DVD about the English Martyrs. Featuring Fr. Marcus Holden and Fr. Nicolas Schofield, the film is rather like an account of a personal pilgrimage made by the two priests... it reminds me of the pilgrimage I made with Joanna Bogle a few years ago, to find out more about my patron saint, St. Anne Line.

It was a fascinating film, though I have to confess to being a little disappointed in not being treated to more stories of the martyrs themselves - however, the constraints of time probably prevented much being done. Maybe we will be treated to more in-depth analyses of the saints in future.

Christian Holden, brother to Fr. Marcus Holden, directed the documentary, and wrote an article about it for the Catholic Herald. In it, he explained that the stories of the martyrs were more important than ever in the current climate of increasing hostility to the Faith.

I must confess a vested interest in the success of this DVD - not that I get royalties - but some of my photos from the Chapel of the Venerable English College, Rome, were actually used in the DVD: the mosaics of the deaths of the martyrs at Tyburn and a couple of the maps used by the newly-ordained priests when planning their return to England featured in the film. I even got a mention in the credits (along with very many others!) I feel incredibly proud that my photos were good enough to be used in the DVD, especially since I'm not a professional photographer, and it has encouraged me to continue to snap away and make the photos available on Flickr.

If you want to have a better look at some of the mosaics, they are over on my Flickr page. To whet your appetite, I thought I'd include two trailers...

And if they have sparked your interest, you can buy the whole DVD from St. Anthony Communications.

Feast Of The Most Holy Rosary...

With a slight sense of horror, I realised that it has been nearly two weeks since I last posted anything. It didn't feel as long as that, and I'm very tempted to remove the dates from my blog posts so that I can't be made to feel quite so guilty of neglect... In my defense, I've been busy, but only with boring, everyday "stuff" which doesn't provide any useful blogging material, however it helps to keep the kitty cats and myself fed, and so is of paramount importance.

One little ray of sunshine broke through the mundane gloom - we had the opportunity to have a Solemn High Mass to celebrate the occasion of our parish's Patronal Feast.

The group Cantores Missae sang Victoria's Missa Ave Maris Stella for the Ordinary of the Mass, then Guerrero's Ave Maria at the Offertory, Victoria's Pange Lingua at Communion, and they finished up with Schubert's beautiful Salve Regina. It was a real treat, though I felt terribly decadent being out late on a weekday evening.

I did manage to get a few photos and they are now up on my Flickr page.

Thoughts On The Latin Mass...

A friend of mine sent me a link to the following YouTube video by Catherine, a Catholic student, explaining why the "Latin Mass" was worth the effort involved.

By "Latin Mass" I am assuming that she meant the TLM rather than the Novus Ordo Mass in Latin.

Personally, I felt instinctively drawn to the Extraordinary Form: the silence and stillness of Low Mass exerted a real pull for me, and I still love Low Mass for that reason. High Mass and the Missa Canata are attractive for different reasons. But at all forms of the TLM, I am most drawn to the fact that it is all about God, and that I am free to participate by following every word in the Missal or just immersing myself in the sights, smells and sounds, raising my heart and mind to God.

The TLM can take some getting used to, and I blogged about this a while ago with my Laywoman's Guide. The laywoman referred to is me, I hasten to add, so the guide is aimed at men too, and I realise that  not everyone will have the same thoughts and experiences, so it is only a pointer.

"The Mass should change us, not us change the Mass." So very true...

New Liturgy For The Ordinariate...

A new text has been devised for use by the Personal Ordinariates – the structures established by Pope Benedict XVI which allow former Anglicans who wish to enter the full communion of the Catholic Church to do so whilst retaining aspects of their spiritual and liturgical traditions, described as “precious gifts” and “treasures to be shared.”

The liturgy – the work of a special commission established by Rome and now approved by the Holy See – includes material from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as well as the Roman Rite. It will be unveiled with a Mass on Thursday, 10 October at 6:30 pm, to be followed by a media launch organised by the Friends of the Ordinariate charity, at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street, Soho.

The Mass will be celebrated by the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Monsignor Keith Newton, and the preacher will be Monsignor Andrew Burnham, Assistant to the Ordinary and a member of the commission which devised the liturgy, known as the Ordinariate Use. Music, drawn from the English tradition, will include Howells’ Collegium Regale.

Mgr Burnham said: “For some time, the Ordinariate has had its own liturgy, approved by the Holy See, for marriages and funerals and the Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham already provides a daily office in the Anglican tradition. But the introduction of this new Ordinariate Use is very important because it means that we now have our own distinctive liturgy for the Mass which brings to the Roman rite beautiful Anglican words which have been hallowed for generations. It gives the Ordinariate unity and a corporate identity.”

The Roman Rite in both its ordinary and extraordinary forms remains available for use by Ordinariate priests and there will be no requirement for them to adopt the Ordinariate Use. However, all Ordinariate clergy will be expected to familiarise themselves with it. Some priests are expected to use it regularly, while others – especially in parishes with a large concentration of “cradle” Catholics in the congregation – may only wish to use it from time to time.

Congratulations to the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham on completing this great work.