The Extraordinary Form Of The Photo Fest...

Words are about as necessary for these photos as they are from the laity at a Low Mass, so I shall just put up a small selection for your delight and delectation, and then I will shut up...

Now That's What I Call A Mantilla...

There was a Mass in the extraordinary form at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane this evening. Nearly every woman and girl present was wearing a mantilla. I managed to take lots of photos (though not of the congregation - you'll have to trust me on the mantilla front!) I haven't got time to upload them all tonight, but here's one to be getting on with...

In the meantime, Fr. Ray Blake sent me a rather snazzy photo the other day, and mischievously titled it "Solemn High Mulier Fortis and Accomplice." I have to say that I heartily approve of the style (though I personally aways wear black.) The altar is also pretty stunning...

More From Woldingham

In what is rapidly becoming part of the Faith Conference Experience, at the end of the Session we were treated to a video "snapshot" of the proceedings, courtesy of "Fr. Gadget" of the Hermeneutic of Continuity...


There have been a few reports from fellow bloggers (there were quite a few of us there, which means that, for the sake of fraternal charity, it was probably Divine Providence which prevented us accessing Blogger while at the school!) and I thought it might be an idea to link to the posts I've spotted... if I've missed anyone out, just drop me a line in the com-box and I shall update the post pronto!

So far we have The Hermeneutic of Continuity, South Ashford Priest, Auntie Joanna Writes, Bashing Secularism, Sisters of the Gospel of Life and Orthfully Catholic (who hasn't actually posted anything yet, but has promised to do so soon...)

This Year's Faith Summer Session

Each year I return from the Summer Session feeling uplifted and invigorated. In his inaugural Mass the Holy Father said, "The Church is alive, the Church is young..." and certainly, looking round the auditorium for the conference talks, the truth of that statement really hits home.

This year, the theme of the talks was "Jesus Christ, the Hope of the World: The Only Answer to Sin and Death" and I think it really was one of the most coherent themes. Each talk seemed to blend in pretty smoothly with the previous one without being too repetitive.

I think that my favourites this year were "The Resurrection - The Evidence and the Meaning" by Fr. Paul Brooks, and Sr. Roseann Reddy's talk on the tenth anniversary of the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative. Sr. Roseann is in the picture on the right, alongside Fr. David Barratt... he's only in the picture because he walked right in front of me when I was trying to take the photo, and when Sister Roseann said "Mac wants to take a picture for the blog," he replied, "Oh, of course you can" and moved round... (He did cotton on when she retorted "Of me, you great ninny!")

I particularly liked Fr. Paul's talk because the truth of the Resurrection is one of the sticking points for many of the students I have taught in the past. They have been so conditioned by GCSE exam questions to think that everything is just another point of view that they don't actually understand that there is such a thing as Truth. Fr. Paul's talk was very much the "Devil's Advocate" approach: he basically outlined the possibilities that the Resurrection was either a hoax or a mistake (and variations thereof) and pointed out why they don't stand up to examination.

Sr. Roseann held the whole auditorium totally spellbound as she spoke about the start of her own involvement with the pro-life movement and Faith, and then went on to speak about the work of the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative. At several points I came close to tears. Not all the women who are helped by the Initiative are actually persuaded not to have abortions (many admit that they considered an abortion, but couldn't go through with it, but the Sisters help any woman who is experiencing a crisis pregnancy) but Sister Roseann estimated that there were about 80 babies alive today who would have been aborted if it were not for the work of the Pro-Life Initiative. You can check out more over at the website for the Sisters of the Gospel of Life.

Another of the highlights this year had to be the Seminar - this is the opportunity for three young people to witness to the way Christ has affected their lives. The three speakers were really excellent, all of them in their early twenties, and all of them totally faithful to the teachings of the Church. One in the eye for the aging, sock-and-sandle-wearing, muesli-munching hippies who maintain that the Church has to change her teaching, because the standards are impossible to live up to in this day and age, and young people won't go along with it. Reality-check, people... if you present young people with the full beauty and majesty of the Truth instead of insulting their intelligence and integrity by watering down the Faith, then they will respond with generosity and enthusiasm !!

It was the largest conference ever: 238 people attended, and I don't think we can get much bigger while remaining at the same venue: the chapel was completely packed out for Mass, and at Morning and Night Prayer, when the 27 priests weren't seated on the sanctuary, it was standing room only!

The Summer Session wouldn't be the same without the opportunity to relax, chat with friends and make a complete fool of oneself intellectually (the Quiz night) and physically (the ceilidh... I can legitimately avoid the perils of this one by virtue of having a dodgy knee on one leg and a crook ankle on the other... my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!) Here you can see a few of my Quiz team (we really bombed, but at least we weren't right at the bottom!)

I also encountered two of my ex-students (I taught them RE two years ago, and they didn't run and hide... hmmmn, I'm not being scary enough!)

This year's Winter Conference is being held (slightly confusingly) next year - January 2nd - 4th at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire. I can't recommend it highly enough...

Graveyard Humour

Along with the ghastly choice of "Colours of Day" as a nice hymn for a Cremation Service, this struck me as one of the funniest shop signs ever...

Mantilla twitched in the direction of Gem of the Ocean - a new blog from Karen H, who (I believe) commented frequently as "Karen H - San Diego" so pop on over and have a little look!

(And just in case you don't know Colours of Day, I will just point out that the chorus starts: "So light up the fire, and let the flame burn" and a priest I knew told me that he was the one doing the cremation service, so it isn't just an urban myth...)

Me And Cars...

...ummm... I don't seem to be the best person to be allowed to own a car. I think I'm too blonde. I keep forgetting that a car needs looking after. For some reason, they won't work if you forget to put the petrol in, so I've pretty much cracked remembering that one. And checking the oil, though not top of my priorities, is something I do every now and then... but then, of course, I forgot about the water for the radiator...

I didn't actually overheat the engine. Close. Luckily a friend had told me that if the engine gets hot, you can cool it down (a bit) by wacking on the heating full blast...

I can confirm that this works.

A Spot Of Blogger...

I do enjoy blogging. It's a whole new way to get to exchange information and ideas. This was really brought home to me at the Summer Session when I was introduced to several people by mutual friends as "Mulier Fortis"... and it turned out that they read my blog, although many don't comment, or blog themselves. I was delighted to meet up with Orthfully Catholic, but, since I only twigged who he was on the last day, I didn't get to buy him a pint. Anonymity has its drawbacks!

I was also told about many other good blogs people read - most of them were already known to me, but there were a few that I hadn't heard of. I shall explore further in due course. But two which came up in conversation a few times were both blogs by seminarians: Northampton Seminarian and East Anglia Seminarians. These chaps are the priests of tomorrow: they need our prayers and support, so pop over and say hi.

I also noticed a new blog in the com-box while I've been away: Philip Andrews writes a blog called "Carpe Canum"... my Latin is almost non-existent, and I somehow doubt that it means "grab the dog" so if anyone could enlighten me, I'd be very grateful!!

Return Of The Mac...

I am safely back at the keyboard, and have recovered from the acute withdrawal syndrome I had been experiencing while at Woldingham School for the Faith Summer Session.

The school is in a sort of dip in the valley. This means that mobile phones don't work (bye bye, Facebook) and there are no Wi-fi hotspots (even if I had a laptop with the relevant capability, so adios Blogger!) I did manage to locate a computer which was set up for the internet, and after much wheedling was allowed to use it - but the school network blocked any site with "blog" as part of the URL... which put the kybosh on accessing any blogspot sites. I was intrigued to note that "wordpress" blogs didn't get blocked... I may need to give my blog location a little thought!

At the start of the Session, I asked Fr. Tim if he would let me know if he found a computer available for use. He told me that it was every blogger for himself...

The Session itself was really good. I bought copies of the talks on CD (you'll be able to order them through the Faith website shortly) so that I can listen to them again and digest all the information. The best part of the Session is, however, making new friends and meeting old ones. I'll post some more about the Conference later, along with a few photos. Here's a photo of the whole group (minus a few people who had to leave early... oh, and me, because I hate photos, and usually hide in the chapel at this point!)

Off Air...

I'm off to the Faith Summer Session this week. Phone reception is almost non-existent (I doubt I shall get to the top of the donkey field in an effort to check my mobile) and I don't think that there are any computers available for visitors to use. If I find a computer, I shall try and blog, but, to all intents and purposes, I suspect that I shall be incommunicado until Friday afternoon.

New Blog Found...

I'm a sucker for a sob-story! Paul left a message in my com-box saying he felt a little lonely. He started his own blog in July, and needs to get better known (so far the only comment he's had is a spam one, I think!)

Don't get put off by the rather odd images accompanying the sidebar and the title banner (they are pretty gruesome), or the lack of paragraphing on some of the longer posts... his blog, On the Side of the Angels, is dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and seems to have a variety of different posts (humour, personal, news and saints stuff) - and I dare say that, with practice, Paul will make the blog easier on the eyes...

Pop over and say hello sometime!

And While We're On The Subject Of Saints...

Twitch of the mantilla to Cate for discovering this one:

Which Saint Are You?

You are Athanasius! You are willing to fight a losing battle, just to make sure that the truth is told. But don't get discouraged; sometimes it takes more than one lifetime for truth to triumph.
Take this quiz!








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Menu For My Favourite Saints...

Mark over at Rise and Pray has tagged me for a fiendishly difficult meme:

If you could invite your five favourite saints to dinner, what would you serve them to eat, and why?

Naturally he has already snaffled the omelette option... although I notice that he squirmed out of giving a proper reason as to why he felt that scrambled eggs would be particularly suitable for his un-named dinner guests...

I'm going to cheat a little: these are not necessarily my favourite saints (I have soooooo many) but they are the ones who seemed to suggest their own menus...

St. Bernadette would get lamb chops - she was a shepherdess when in Bartres, geddit? St. Jude would be offered a club sandwich (I believe he was beaten to death with his wooden staff.) St. Laurence gets his choice of the mixed grill, while St. Edmund Campion might enjoy a dish of tripe.

St. Peter would, naturally, be offered the Dover sole....

Ok, those choices were so ghastly that I hardly dare to tag anyone...
...but I would really like to hear what the Cavemen would make of it, not to mention the Curt Jester...

UPDATE: Oooooh, these guys are quick off the mark. Must be a quiet news day! You can read the Caveman's menu here, and the Curt Jester's one there! Thanks, chaps!

Blogging Tonight !

I'm just back from a very enjoyable evening spent in the company of Joanna Bogle. She had asked me to take a photo or two, as she needed something to use as publicity for her sponsored cycle ride. I don't have a digital camera, but my mobile phone is pretty snazzy, and so, with the promise of dinner ringing in my ears, I hopped into the car and drove over. We had a short photo-shoot in the garden (luckily this was before it started to pour down with rain) and discussed the relative merits of standing in front of flowers versus a garden shed (the flowers, in my opinion, won hands down!)

After dinner, we got to discuss all things blogospherical, and I tried to find out why she had been unable to use the titles for her posts, (Joanna has the same template as me, albeit in a different colour) as detailed instructions from blogging supremo Fr. Finigan had failed to resolve the problem. Like most blogging issues, it was startlingly easy once you knew where to look: the title field had been switched off in the template.

While I was there, Joanna also updated her template, and changed the colour from girly pink to green (her childhood favourite colour.) She also got to grips with photos. Pop on over to check out the new-look Auntie Joanna Writes.

Hey... Quiz Time Again

Ok, because it's Saturday, and I'm about to go out to visit Auntie Joanna for real rather than just on the Blogosphere, here's a little quiz. Sorry, I didn't see if there was one for the chaps... (Now, which story was Elinor Dashwood in? I can't seem to recall her!) Twitch of the mantilla to Cate who's having a silly Saturday all of her own... I particularly liked her recipe for apple pie!

You scored as Elizabeth Bennet, As one of Austen's most beloved characters, Elizabeth Bennet represents what most women would like to become: strong, independent, and loyal. Of course, she has her faults including a stubborn will of iron and a clinging to first impressions. Overall, Lizzie is bright and lovable...something to admire and aspire to. Elizabeth Bennet 69% Elinor Dashwood 66% Emma Woodhouse 50% Jane Bennet 38% Marianne Dashwood 22% Lady Catherine 22% Charlotte Lucas 19% Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com

Another Blog Or Two To Investigate

When I stopped using Bloglines, I really pruned down the blogs I checked every single day. However, the twitching mouse-clicking finger has been at it again, and I've discovered a couple of genuinely new blogs.

First up: The Devouring Fire. The author, Michael, is discerning his vocation - he wants an Order involving Eucharistic Adoration as part of its charism. Wow... tough call. Any suggestions, pop on over and let him know...

Secondly, the engagingly named Dead Sea Squirrel. The author here is Linda Robinson. Unfortunately I couldn't find a profile, so no more information forthcoming unless Linda decides to put something in the com-box...

Evolution Versus God

I trained as a scientist. Science did not provide me with the answers I was looking for: happiness only came once I returned to the Church I had rejected for so long. Only in the truths she teaches have I found the answers to life's questions.

However, when I came back to the Church, I didn't put my brain into cold storage. Sometimes, when the exact explanations for the teachings of the Church are unclear to me, I have to trust that the Bride of Christ has been entrusted with the fullness of the Truth, and that the Holy Spirit guarantees she is free from error. That trust is founded on the Word of God himself, and what he promised: it isn't a blind faith. And the truths that I accept through faith are not (and could not be) in conflict with reason.

Lots of people still make the mistake of believing that it has to be either Science or Faith. Several of my students found the fact that I taught both RE and Science confusing, and they demanded to know which one I really believed. But slightly more worrying was the number of my colleagues who were surprised to discover that I could be a scientist and believe in God... and not just any old wishy-washy, vague pantheistic notion of God-in-Nature, but the God-made-Man who made specific demands of his followers.

The Faith Movement, with its specific emphasis on the synthesis of Science and Religion, helped me to feel less of an oddity - lots of people with scientific credentials who actually confessed to a belief in God (meeting priests with doctorates in astrophysics puts paid to the notion that religion is incompatible with "proper" Science!)

And now, the Holy Father has spoken out clearly about how faith in God is not incompatible with acceptance of evolution.

The Pontiff, during a question-and-answer session with 400 priests of the dioceses of Belluno-Feltre and Treviso, said that today in Germany, and also in the United States, there is a "fervent debate between so-called creationism and evolutionism, presented as if one of these alternatives excluded the other: Whoever believes in the Creator cannot think about evolution and whoever affirms evolution must exclude God."

However, Benedict XVI called this apparent conflict an absurdity.

"Because on one hand," he explained, "there is a great deal of scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and that enriches our knowledge of life and of being as such. But the doctrine of evolution does not answer everything and does not answer the great philosophical question: Where does everything come from? And how does everything take a path that ultimately leads to the person?

"It seems to me that it is very important that reason opens up even more, that it sees this information, but that it also sees that this information is not enough to explain all of reality. It is not enough."

The Pope urged a broader understanding of reason and the recognition of its vastness: "Our reason is not something irrational at heart, a product of irrationality. And reason precedes everything, creative reason, and we are truly the reflection of this reason.

"We are planned and wanted and, therefore, there is an idea that precedes me, a meaning that precedes me, which I must discover, follow and which, in the end, gives meaning to my life."

The more I read and hear about the Holy Father, the more I love him. Viva il Papa ! You can read more about his question-and-answer session over at ZENIT.

Friday Night At The Movies

Another Friday night, and another friend suggested that we go to see the new Simpsons' film. We arrived a little late (my fault... ) but only appeared to miss the adverts, trailers and the very beginning of the film (though I suspect I won't know for certain until the DVD comes out!)

If you enjoy the TV series, you'll enjoy the film. I was a little surprised that it was so focussed on the Simpsons themselves - I'd expected more to be made of Krusty, Mr Burns, Moe and some of the other characters.

The scene where Bart skateboards naked down the street for a dare was made much of in various reviews, but was very much a kiddy-giggle moment. More disturbing was the quick scene of two policemen kissing - it was totally unnecessary to the plot... and strangely, although there had been much publicity surrounding the nude scene (with comments as to how, if the American censors threatened to raise the certificate because of it, the scene would be cut) I hadn't heard anything about the homosexuality bit. Another example of how homosexuality is being presented as just another "lifestyle option"? It soured the film for me - and I'm not likely to keep the DVD as a treat to show my students at the end of the year. It's a real shame, as the film as a whole is a very entertaining bit of nonsense.

It's Been One Of Those Days...

For some reason I seem to be taking a lot of trips down amnesia lane. I couldn't find video footage of Allan Sherman's original (which, I hasten to add, I do not remember... I saw it on a comedy compilation much (much) later. Honest!), but this is one of the best mimes to the soundtrack. Enjoy!

More Motu Celebrations...

It would seem that the glee continues unabated: I'm a few days late picking up on this one, but I think it's worth "sharing" (heheheh... sorry, slipped into Vatican-II-speak there!)

Sanctus bell rings, are you listening?
On the vestments gold is glistening.
A beautiful sight,
The old Roman rite
Walking in a Ratzinger wonderland.

Gone away is the guitar.
Here to stay is the simar.*
We`ll sing an old song as we go along.
Walking in a Ratzinger wonderland

We can build an altar ad orientem.
Then go to see Father Brown.
He'll say “Are you stable?”
We'll say "Yes, man!
Will you say the Mass while we're in town?"

Later on we'll conspire
As we sit around the fire,
To face unafraid
The plans that we've made.
Walking in a Ratzinger wonderland.

* Cassock with cape and double sleeves.

Twitch of the mantilla in Fr. Brown's direction.

Reasons I don't Go To Church...

...inspired by a post title by Fr. Paul of the Lune Valley, I remembered this set of reasons not to wash (which are the hygiene equivalent of the usual reasons given for not going to church!)

1. I was forced to wash as a child.
2. People who wash are hypocrites. They think they are cleaner than everyone else.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap, I could never decide which one was right.
4. I used to wash, but it got boring so I stopped.
5. I wash only on special occasions, like Easter and Christmas.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I'm still young. When I'm older and have gotten a bit dirtier, I might start washing.
8. I really don't have time to wash.
9. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer.
10. People who make soap are only after your money.
11. I get along very well without washing.
12. I work hard all week and am too tired to take a bath on the weekend.
13. The first bar of soap I ever used gave me a rash, so I haven't gone near soap since!

This Post Reduced Me To Tears...

...I was also laughing so much that I couldn't draw breath for at least two and a half minutes... we are talking serious oxygen deprivation which you can enjoy HERE...

I particularly liked the fact that "Sixtiesdote," the antidote to the sixties, is best taken in conjunction with Humanae Vitaemins, and only under supervision of a Doctor of the Church...!

The contraindications are pretty amusing too:

Warnings and Cautions

Do not take Sixtiesdote if you are still enamored of theologians like Hans Küng and theological fads such as liberation theology. Severe theological reactions can occur.

The makers of Sixtiesdote are not responsible if lose your job as a DRE, liturgist, etc. for suddenly having orthodox opinions or that you stop finding that Franco Zeffirelli's Brother Sun, Sister Moon is the best movie on St. Francis ever.

The makers of Sixtiesdote are not responsible for book bills from Ignatius Press and other reliable publishing companies due to a sudden interest in the spiritual treasures of the Church.

Sixtiesdote can be used with a 12 step program as long as those 12 steps are not liturgical dance steps.

Do not try dropping Sixtiesdote in your parish liturgist's coffee. Sixtiesdote only works with an act of the will and will not violate conscience, even a badly formed one.

For ex-members of Call To Action and FutureChurch this product will not remove the gray from your hair.

Twitch of the mantilla to the Curt Jester.

New Kid On The Blog...

Fr. Michael Clifton, who describes himself in his profile as "a retired Catholic priest of a traditional mould" has started a blog called Fr. Mildew. At 72, he must be one of the most mature bloggers on the blogosphere...

Strange But True...

Facebook is definitely spooky. I always knew that the spelling of my surname was rather odd - I usually need to spell it out carefully to avoid being called "McLennon" or even "McLemon" and I've been called MacLeary on occasion. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there is actually a group on Facebook called "Our Last Name is McLernon"... and I didn't start it !! There are fifteen of us at the moment, mostly over the Pond.

We are not alone... Heheheheh!

Lean, Mean, Praying Machine...

...the Papal Synchronised Rosary Recitation Team in action...

Mantilla-twitch to the Curt Jester.

Harry Potter

I have a good friend who is a complete Harry Potter nut. Anyway, on Friday night, she confessed that she was going to go and queue outside her local Tesco's and get the new Harry Potter book, which was due to go on sale at midnight.

This sounded completely crazy to me. So, naturally, I came up with a better suggestion: why don't we go see a late film at Bluewater and then go and buy the book from Waterstones...

As Bluewater is a rather more salubrious place than Thornton Heath, my friend accepted my suggestion with alacrity. It made sense to go the whole Hogwarts, so we managed to get tickets for the new Harry Potter film: The Order of the Phoenix.

Even for a Friday night, Bluewater had a very strange air about it. For a start, there were far more parents and children around than usual for 10 o'clock at night. The feeling of weirdness was heightened by the fact that I met several former students. One was on the ticket desk for the cinema, a group of lads bumped into me by the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Shop, and another student greeted me from the queue for the bookshop...

It was about 1am when the film was over. I wasn't sure if Waterstone's would still be open, but the queue was still up and running. We got chatting to a very tired sales assistant who was carrying her shoes - she had been on duty only since 10pm, but informed us that her floor manager had been on since 12noon on the Friday afternoon. The queue, she told us, had been something to behold: people had been lined up all the way round the main hall. My friend and I were lucky: arriving after 1am, we were pretty much the last customers, and we only waited about 15 minutes. As I paid for my book, another very exhausted sales girl asked if we were the last. I was able to assure her that there were only about two people or so left.

I drove my friend back to her house, and then drove back to my flat.

I didn't get to read the book until after lunchtime on Saturday. Don't worry - I don't believe in putting up spoilers. I found the book a little disappointing: it was very slow to get started, and the ending left me feeling a little flat. However, I do think it's a good series of books. I know that some people object to the witches, wizards and spells, but The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Narnia books also had magical elements. And while a lot of critics (especially on Radio 4) bang on about how J.K. Rowling's work isn't great literature, I just remember that, when teaching in an inner-city Comprehensive School, I saw young boys of 12 and 13, who had problems remembering to bring their exercise books to school, lugging around hardback volumes of the latest Harry Potter. This is something the more "realistic" and "relevant" (ie. more miserable) books written for teenagers never managed.

Heheheheh...

It's silly-season Friday here at Mulier Fortis...

Mantilla-twitch to A Thorn in the Pew.

Internet Crash...

Can you imagine the reaction if this really did happen? I get twitchy just being unable to access blogs while at work...


Twitch of the mantilla to Mark.

So Very Sad...

Fr. Ray Blake has a post on the state of things at the Venerable English College in Rome - unfortunately, it seems that all is not as it should be. It would appear that the powers-that-be at the VEC are stuck in a time-warp somewhere around the 1970s, and they refuse to recognise that the students welcome a more traditional approach to their formation, and still less do they acknowledge the authority of the Holy Father.

For example, the English College students are allowed to wear a cassock for ceremonies outside of the college but not in it.

I can hardly believe how ridiculous this rule is. Pope John Paul II instructed all students in Rome to wear clerical dress when they went out in public. How much more should they be allowed (note I say "allowed" and not "forced") to wear traditional priestly garb for major ceremonies in the College (or anywhere else?) The enforcement of an arbitrary ban of this sort encourages an attitude of disobedience towards one's superiors (if not actual disobedience) which is hardly the sort of attitude one would wish to foster in men training for the sacred priesthood.

This completely ludicrous approach was compounded by the extremely ill-mannered instruction to guests at a recent ordination not to wear a cassock.

Really, how crass is this instruction? If a priest normally wears a cassock for celebrating Mass, then why should he not wear one to an Ordination? Presumably there wasn't any attempt to check whether all priests and deacons were wearing clerical collars, (or even any clerical attire) under their albs? Perhaps someone could enlighten me as to numbers of priests in "mufti" who were turned away from the Ordination...

I would also be interested to know whether the people who thought up this "dress-down" code also issue instructions to female members of the congregation who wear either unsuitably short skirts, indecently low tops or very little around the midriff (or occasionally a combination thereof) to dress more appropriately for Sunday Mass?

...somehow I doubt it.

Not Good...

I am not the happiest of bunnies... I tried to buy a book online earlier (a new Chemistry book, as I think I need to do some extra reading over the Summer) and got a message back from Amazon telling me that the transaction had been declined. I wasn't too happy, but Amazon had had a few glitches during the day, and I didn't think anything more of it.

I then went to a cash machine on my way home. After one (correct) PIN number entry, the machine spat the card back out at me, saying that too many incorrect PIN numbers had been tried, and that the card was declined. Alarm bells started going off in my head...

I rang the bank. The operator asked if I wanted a new PIN to unblock the card. No, I explained, I wanted to know why the card had been blocked in the first place. I was told that I had entered the incorrect PIN number too many times. I told the operator that I jolly well had not put in the wrong number, not even once. She then told me that the card must have been blocked by a faulty machine, and that a new PIN number would be all I needed to get the card working again.

I was starting to get a little frustrated by this point. I felt that she wasn't actually listening to what I was saying, but was reading from a prepared script. I pointed out that I hadn't used a machine until this evening, after the card had been blocked (illustrated by my declined Amazon purchase.) After first trying to fob me off with the claim that she couldn't tell why the card had been blocked, she then changed her tune and said that someone in Scarborough had tried to pay for items using the card, but the PIN had been incorrect, and the card had then been blocked. So, now did I want a new PIN number to be issued?

With difficulty, I explained that I was very concerned about the integrity of the card - if I asked for a new PIN, surely the person with the cloned card had a possibility of getting the correct PIN number, by pure chance. There was also the problem of the internet... no-one asks for a PIN number online, just the card number. And what if they tried to sign for stuff using my card...?

No, no... I was being unreasonable. My card had to be used with the correct PIN. They would give me a new PIN. I pointed out (again) that the PIN wasn't needed for online purchases. I was reassured that the card had been blocked, and wouldn't work until I got the new PIN. I pointed out (again, with less patience) that PIN numbers were not used online, and one I activated my new PIN, the toe-rag with the cloned card could start shopping again...

Eventually, the operator handed me over to her supervisor. She checked the online purchases, and nothing untoward had gone out in the past couple of weeks. And to prevent the card being mis-used when I get my new PIN, I'm going to get a new card as well, just to be on the safe side...

However, I shall also make a little trip to my nearest branch and make my displeasure known!

Summorum Pontificum Celebrations Continued...

Another video celebrating the liberalisation (never thought I'd be pleased to hear that word!!) of the extraordinary form of the Mass. Not quite as funny as Fr. Tim's original, but Fr. Stephen Fisher has produced an amusing and entertaining follow-up! I particularly like the circus music...


Mantilla-twitch to Mark for spotting this one!

Anyone Interested...?

Ma Beck has alerted us to the fact that Lumen Gentleman is collecting a database of people who are interested in attending/saying Mass in the extraordinary form. I suspect that it is designed to confound one or two sceptical souls who insist that there is no call for it in their neck of the woods. There are several different countries represented, so pop on over and leave your name. The more the merrier... (There does seem to be a slight hiccough with the "State" for addresses in the UK, but hopefully they'll get ironed out soon.)

Taking Advantage...

Fr. Tim is not one to let the grass grow under his buckled shoes... following last week's release of Summorum Pontificum de-restricting the celebration of the Classical Rite, he announced that the regular Saturday morning Mass in the Parish would be celebrated in the Extraordinary Form.

Yippee!

So this morning we had Low Mass. Two boys have been busy learning all the responses and actions (they're a little shaky on some of the pronunciation, but hey, so am I) and watching them getting to grips with the moves is pretty amazing. I've said it before, but this really is the original "liturgical dance" with every action laid down precisely in the rubrics. It is awesome...

Now I know that the Mass is the Mass is the Mass... whatever form, however badly celebrated, whatever the state of the priest, Jesus Christ himself deigns to come down to us in the Real Presence. I would never deny that the Novus Ordo is just as valid as the Classical Mass. And, with Fr. Tim as my Parish Priest, I am luckier than many in having less to complain about in the celebration of the Novus Ordo (no chance of getting a cheery "Good morning, folks, and I hope you're all feeling fine and dandy for our celebration today, and now let's tell God...")

But...

...the more I attend the Extraordinary Form of Mass, the more drawn in I get. I begin to understand why the Latin Mass Society calls it the "Mass of Ages" and I feel very strongly connected to all my favourite saints, many of whom died in defence of this very same Mass. The idea that liturgy is not something we do for God, but something that God has done for us goes through my mind. It isn't boring... but even if it was, it wouldn't matter, because I am not there to be entertained, I am there to worship God Almighty, to adore my Creator, to receive my Saviour and Redeemer...

I have to admit that I am likely to thump the next person who states that the priest has his back to the people. Hasn't anyone ever noticed that, unless you are in the front row, there are quite a few members of the congregation who have their backs to you... ?! The priest is facing the same way as everyone else: towards God. And the prayers are addressed to God. In the Novus Ordo it can feel as if we are responding to the priest... not for nothing is it referred to as a "dialogue Mass."

The silence and the lack of continual movement on the part of the congregation are so liberating: I am truly free to participate in whatever way I want (and that won't be the same each week.) I can choose to follow what is happening by reading a Missal which gives a translation of the prayers and readings, or I can follow the words in the Latin closely and pray along with them under my breath, or I can pray the Rosary, or I can use a prayer book to meditate on the different parts of the Mass... or I can just sit and revel in the fact that I am in the Presence of God, and He loves me...

Incidentally, the Missal I have for the Extraordinary Form of Mass was the first indication for me that catechesis since the reforms of Vatican II has been sorely lacking: the wealth of information about what is happening during the Sacrifice of the Mass, and about how to prepare for Mass and for Holy Communion is really mindblowing. By comparison, the Missals available (in English) for the Novus Ordo are seriously dumbed-down.

God bless you, Holy Father, for liberating the Extraordinary Form of Mass.

Blogging Lite

I've been a little preoccupied lately, so haven't been blogging as regularly as usual. I have a new job, and have been spending time visiting the new school to get to grips with schemes of work, basic procedures, equipment and so on. To those of you who knew I was job-hunting, many thanks for all your prayers!

A Plea From The Heart...

...for a change of heart. Ma Beck alerts us to the fact that a young woman in desperate circumstances is, unfortunately, considering having an abortion. She and her unborn baby really need our prayers. Ma also points out that prayer really does work in cases like this... read more about it HERE.

Light Entertainment...

I just received the following little joke from my friend Dave, and it made me chuckle. Not a lot, but it's a quiet day for me news-wise...

The Holy Father and Queen Elizabeth II were standing on a balcony beaming at thousands of people in the forecourt below. The Queen says to the Pope out of the corner of her mouth "I bet you a tenner that I can make every English person in the crowd go wild with just a wave of my hand."

The Holy Father says "No way. You can't do that."

The Queen says, "Watch this".

So the Queen waves her hand, and every English person in the crowd goes crazy, waving their little plastic Union Jacks on sticks and cheering, basically going ballistic.

So the Holy Father is standing there thinking, "Uh oh, what am I going to do? I never thought she'd be able to do it."

So he thinks to himself for a minute and then he turns to her and says, "I bet you I can make every IRISH person in the crowd go wild, not just now, but for the rest of the week, with just one nod of my head."

The Queen goes "No way, it can't be done."

So the Holy Father headbutts her.

Girls Only

No, I'm not being sexist, but this is serious "girl talk." And it involves shopping, so you guys won't be interested anyway!

Having put on a little too much weight recently, I decided that I would have to bow to the inevitable, and get a new brassiere or two, as the old ones were just a trifle too ill-fitting. However, getting the right size is vital, and, unfortunately, it's the sort of thing that has to be done properly. I've previously gone to John Lewis for a fitting, but hadn't been that impressed with the variety on offer for the larger lady... if I'm going to pay around £50 - £60 (that's $100) for an item of clothing then (1) I want it to fit properly, and (2) even if no-one else is going to get to see it, I'd still prefer it to be slightly attractive rather than something which looks as if you'd need welding equipment to get in and out of...

I had heard about Rigby & Peller (Corsetières to HM the Queen, no less!) and had idly wondered what it was like to go in for a proper fitting. So, desperate to get something to fit, I trundled up to Knightsbridge.

The stuff on display at the front of the shop was not encouraging. The items appeared to be for svelte, fashionable, young women. It crossed my mind that, pretty as it was, all that lace must be terribly uncomfortable... The back of the shop was quite something: I had expected an establishment frequented by Her Majesty to look, well... clinical. It actually looked more like a bordello (or at least, like I imagine a bordello would look) - plush red carpets, red upholstery on the chairs, and swathes of red-and-gold curtain material. The only indications that this was actually part of a shop were found in the presence of a till and a back wall covered in lots of little drawers. There was absolutely nothing to indicate which drawers held what, but as I watched, a couple were opened to reveal lots of bras. Encouragingly, the only colours evident were the eminently practical ones of white, black and beige.

I was then summoned to the fitting rooms. The assistant (who looked about 18) looked me over with a practiced eye, and produced something suitable. A perfect fit, and not a tape measure in sight. The whole experience took just over five minutes, and was far less unpleasant than anticipated. Now, if only they had a branch in Bluewater...

Typical... Nothing For Ages...

...and then two memes come at once. This one is from Newhousenewjob over at Just Doing My Best. And it's a really tricky one...

Ok, to begin with, here are the rules:

Those tagged will share 5 things they love about Jesus.
Those tagged will tag 5 other bloggers.
Those tagged will provide a link in the combox here with their name so that others can read them.
(ie. I have to go back and tell Newhousenewjob I've answered, and my tagees have to do the same for me. Just making that clear, as I had to read the last point a few times before I got it!)

I could just cheat outrageously and say "I love absolutely everything about Jesus," but I doubt I'd be allowed to get away with such a simple answer. And Newhousenewjob makes a mean yoghurt cake, and I'd like to be invited back to eat another one some time. So, in no particular order... I love:

1. ...the fact that he gave us the gift of himself to be received in Holy Communion. How awesome is that...? I mean, you can't physically get any closer than that.

2. ...the fact that he left us his Mother. She'll always put in a good word for us. That's what mothers do!

3. ...the fact that he gave us the Church as the living expression of his Truth. Not only that, but he gave a cast-iron guarantee that the Church would not fail to teach the Truth, despite our attempts to mess it up. So we don't have to worry and wonder about what Jesus would have done (or said) - we know!!

4. ...the fact that he accepts our feeble apologies for our sins. Time and time again, we're forgiven, and welcomed back with open arms. Even if we're only sorry because we don't want to go to hell. He'll take any excuse!!

5. ...the fact that he died for me. I realised, when I experienced my conversion and returned to the Church, that Jesus died for me. He knew I would betray him. He still went to the Cross, for me. And even if I had been the only person to be saved, he would still have gone willingly and gladly to be crucified, for me.

I'm also pretty keen on the fact that his first miracle was to turn water into wine (and none of your cheapo muck either!) and the fact that he didn't bite Thomas's head off when he doubted the Resurrection, even after three years of miracles. There's hope for slow learners like me!!

Hmmmmmn. Now, whom to tag...? Right, I shall inflict this upon Cate, Mark, A Thorn in the Pew, Fr. Paul and Brad.

A Meme About Blogging

Ttony from the depths of the Muniment Room has challenged me to complete the Blogging Meme. Ok, here we go...

1. How did you start blogging?
I started with comments on a few blogs, but found that I had more to say. It seemed to be more "honest" to put up my own blog posts for people to read (or not!)

2. What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful?
I didn't actually hope to achieve anything. I wanted to be able to speak out about the things which concerned me, and the things I found interesting. It's a very personal view of things. As I have obviously wittered on about various things to my heart's content, and had the odd rant as the fancy took me, yes, I'd say I "succeeded."

3. Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
No. It's just my own views and interests (and rants about my pet hates.) And it isn't particularly focussed anyway.

4. What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
How much fun it would be: I'd have started sooner!

5. Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
I reserve the right to remain silent...

6. What advice would give to a new blogger?
Remember that blogs are very public. Don't write anything that you would not be happy saying to someone's face. Have fun. Don't fret about what you think people "want" to read, just blog for yourself and your own amusement (if you worry that you "haven't posted anything interesting today", it will become a chore, and that misses the point.) And then just go for it!

Ok, I tag Ma Beck, Fr Justin and Fr. John Boyle.