Priorities

This week's Confirmation classes dealt with the topics of chastity and marriage.

The boys' class, to a man, just looked wide-eyed in terror at the thought of marriage.

The girls, on the other hand, had already mentally booked the flights, decided on the beach location (I had to squash that one ever so slightly), drafted a guest list and had moved on to the dress and accessories...

One girl even wanted to know if it was possible to export one's own priest, if, for example, one wished to get married in, say, Malta... I was assured that this location was hypothetical.

I Challenge You...

...to watch this and not at least smile back ! There's just something about smiling and laughing babies which makes us smile and laugh right back!!

Twitch of the mantilla to the wonderful Ma Beck.

Can You Keep A Secret?

I saw this over on Karen's blog... and I just laughed and laughed!

Well, Since You Asked...

...here's another cat photo, this time of Sylvester. He's been pretty uncooperative tonight, and keeps moving just as I try to catch him on camera. Because of the slow shutter speed, this means that I have little chance of getting a good "face" shot... and frankly, pictures of a back end of a black cat aren't very good (the camera just can't cope with the lighting levels.)

Actually, I suspect Sylvester has been having a bit of a spat with some of the other cats in the neighbourhood. I have been informed, in the past, that my beloved little cat is a bit of a tearaway... and he has been seen bullying the cats next door. He seems to have come off a little the worse for wear this time: a couple of scratches and possibly a bite...

In addition, his right eye appears to have something wrong with it. The eye isn't red or inflamed, and he doesn't appear overly sensitive to light, but it's a bit "gunky," and slightly closed.

Sylvester doesn't appear to be in pain, and he's purring... and eating plenty... but a trip to the vet might be necessary, if he doesn't get better before the weekend. Oh joy... have you ever tried to get a reluctant cat into a cat basket?

And Just Because...

...A friend told me on Saturday that I didn't have enough cat pictures on the blog of late!

The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

Today is one of my favourite feast days. Yes, I know that technically it can only be observed as a commemoration, as we're in Lent, but it's still a big day for me.

I love Lourdes. It is the most spiritually uplifting place. I love the way that the sick and disabled get priority... and heaven help you if you block a wheelchair lane. I love it that all the shops around town are selling statues and rosaries and medals... but no-one minds that you've bought stuff from the shop next door. I love the processions.

But most especially, I love the fact that Lourdes is one in the eye for our secular society. Evidence for the existence of God? Well, are sixty-six fully attested miracles enough for you?

He's Done It Again...

The Curt Jester has introduced some new items into his L-Mart range, especially for the Lenten season. I particularly like the Computer Soulsaver which kicks in at regular intervals and blocks the computer screen until you've said some prayers... and the Sackcloth T - the latest in penitential undershirts!

Mock Exams...

It's that season again: Year 9 have mock SATs exams. As I'm supposed to be teaching Year 9 after lunch, I have the joy of invigilating some of the exams. An hour of sheer tedium is about to ensue... at least I'll be able to recite a rosary as I wander round, and maybe even pray the stations. And yes, I know I can offer it up too...

...but it's still going to be grotty!

Time For A Blonde Joke...

A blonde walked into a bank in London and asked to see the manager. She explained she was going to Hong Kong on business for two weeks and needed to borrow £5,000. The Manager replied that the bank would need some kind of security for the loan, so the blonde handed over the keys to a new Ferrari.

The car was parked on the street in front of the bank, she had the log book and everything checked out. So, the bank agreed to accept the car as collateral for the loan. Afterwards, the manager and the cashiers all enjoyed a good laugh at the blonde's expense, as she'd effectively used a £200,000 Ferrari as collateral against a £5,000 loan.

An employee of the bank then proceeded to drive the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parked it there.

Two weeks later, the blonde returned; she repaid the £5,000 and the interest, which came to £15.41.

The manager went out to speak to her. "Miss," he says, "we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a millionairess. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow £5,000?"

The blonde replied... "Where else in London can I park my car for two weeks for only £15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"

Transformation Of An Altar... Blackfen Style!

Following the enormous success of La métamorphose d'un autel last year, I was tempted to see if I could come up with something similar. After a couple of Sunday mornings where I arrived to find the altar already set up, I managed to get in extra early this morning. After lurking in the car park until someone from the 9am Mass vacated a parking space, I nearly found that I was too late again... but I persuaded the altar servers and sacristan to wait until my phone camera was switched on...

It's not as good as the original, mostly because of the very slow shutter speed on my phone camera, and the length of time it needs to reset itself after each photo...

As St. Valentine's Day Approaches...

...Jay has a short, but perceptive, post on signs of Love, and how the devil has insinuated himself into St. Valentine's Day (so much so that the "Saint" bit is often left out!)

Go and read it HERE.

Google's Great...

...and so is Sitemeter! I noticed that someone had visited my site after googling the question, "Are you allowed to go clubbing during Lent?"

Heheheheh... depends on whether you've given up alcohol...

...or clubbing...

One Thing Which Struck Me...

I was aware that the church was packed for the Mass at yesterday's Day With Mary (did I mention how brilliant the whole day was?) though the photos don't show this: many people could only come for part of the day, and chose to make it for the Mass (and I wasn't taking photos of the congregation during that!) I thought that there were more people than for a normal Sunday Mass, going by the queue for Holy Communion.

The best bit just had to be when Fr. Tim knelt down after Mass to pray the Leonine Prayers... after the Hail Holy Queen and the "collect", Fr Tim started off the prayer to St. Michael... "Holy Michael the archangel,"

...and the entire congregation thundered back, "Defend us in the day of battle!"

I bet that gave Satan pause for thought!!

Boys And Their Toys...

The parish fire-extinguishers were out of date, and apparently of an age where the testing and refilling of them would be more expensive than the purchase of new ones. So Fr Tim promised the altar servers that they could let the old extinguishers off after the 10:30am Mass.

First of all, Father felt obliged to check out one of the CO2 extinguishers, just to be absolutely certain that it worked...





Then each server was kitted out with an extinguisher, and the whole troupe lined up neatly (I half expected them to genuflect: they're very well trained.) Fr Tim was sternly instructing them to wait until he gave the signal... possibly more concerned for the safety of his cassock than for the timing of the photo...

...and then they were off!

How To Start Your Day In A Foul Temper...

I woke up early today, before my alarm went off. Well, ok, it would be late if it were a school day, but I was able to revel in the fact that I get a little lie-in on Sundays. Automatically, and still half-asleep, I switched on my radio...

Being Sunday, Radio 4's "Sunday" programme was on. I became aware that it was the voice of Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor burbling gently.

He was speaking about the use of condoms. He actually stated that, in areas of high condom use ("flooded with condoms" was the exact expression), the spread of HIV was higher, according to bishops in such areas.

I smiled quietly at this point. Nice to hear Catholic doctrine being upheld and defended so firmly, and on the BBC too. Maybe I had been overly harsh in my criticisms. I would resolve to be more charitable in future...

...And then the Cardinal put his foot firmly in his mouth...

"...there is a particular situation, where, within a marriage, as you say, a woman may want to protect herself from the fear of this disease, that wouldn't necessarily be wrong..."

"She might be right to do so?" queried the interviewer.

"Well, I think it would be up to her to decide there and that, I think, is a situation which might arise..."

WHAT? In one breath he admits that condoms are of no earthly use in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, and in the next he's telling women that they have to decide for themselves. Quite apart from the fact that the Church's position on the use of contraception is that it is wrong, even between married couples, he has just made the most incredibly stupid statement.

There is no such thing as "Safe Sex" where HIV/AIDS is concerned. If a husband with HIV really loved his wife, he wouldn't want to risk passing on the virus... not even a small risk is acceptable... and so he would abstain from sex.

"Darling, I love you... now, I want you to play Russian Roulette. Don't worry, there's only a small risk of getting shot provided you hold the gun the right way up..."

When does the Cardinal retire? Please, please... PLEASE! Can we have a more intelligent (and more obedient) Cardinal next time around!

Mantilla-Fest

Lots of ladies wearing mantillas. Lots wearing hats and headscarves too...

Book Binge...

Mea culpa, mea culpa... I just couldn't resist the lure of the bookstall. I think the Day With Mary team see me coming, because they put out different stuff each time, and are very quick to point out books I might have missed... as well as being terribly helpful when it comes to obtaining books which seem to have been left behind.

So, what have I managed to find this year?

I'm really excited about this one. Having devoured Joan Carroll Cruz's books, "The Incorruptibles" (about incorrupt saints) and "Eucharistic Miracles," this book should be an absolute gem. I look forward to reading more about Guadalupe, Akita and other miraculous images. The book covers 100 portraits and statues.

I've also managed to lay my paws on this: The Blessed Sacrament, by Fr. Faber. He wrote some pretty nifty hymns, and I liked the book I read of his on Purgatory. Plus, we can never get too much information about the Blessed Sacrament.

This book intrigued me: after all, there is so little known about St. Joseph from the Gospels. I accosted Fr. Tim and asked his opinion on whether the book was likely to be more in the realms of fantasy than fact: not really fair - the man can't be an expert on every book written on the Faith. Naturally enough, he told me to read it and find out (Memo to self - stop nagging parish priest for answers to things I should be able to look up for myself!) On further investigation, it appears that the information has been gleaned from Scripture, from Sacred Tradition and from the writings of the saints. That, together with the fact that it is published by TAN, indicated that The Life and Glories of St. Joseph, by Edward Healy Thompson, was worth reading...

I wanted to get something seasonal: Journey to Easter, by Pope Benedict XVI seemed to be just the ticket. It was originally published in 1985, but Lent is Lent, and 22 years won't have made that much of a difference...

...Oooooh! What was I doing 22 years ago? Not reading anything by Cardinal Ratzinger, that's for sure!!



Saints and Sinners of Calvary, by Fr. Christopher Rengers, and The Way of Perfection, by St. Teresa of Avila both jumped out at me and demanded to be bought. So did Fatima from the Beginning, by John de Marchi, and The Art of Dying Well by St. Robert Bellarmine.

I guess that I won't be running short of reading material over the next few weeks. I might, however, have to cut down on blogging...

The Afternoon Sessions...

After lunch, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. There was another outdoor procession, this time of the Blessed Sacrament. Again, I stayed put and prayed quietly. Fr. Tim took the opportunity to take some photos while finishing off the parish newsletter. We prayed the Rosary when everyone returned (the Luminous Mysteries) and then we had a sermon on Our Lady by Fr. Agnellus, FI. I posted before about Fr. Agnellus when he came to celebrate a first Mass at Blackfen. The main thrust of the sermon was that we needed to pray for fortitude during Lent, to enable us to complete our Lenten observances, and that Our Lady was ready to help us if we asked her; she was a supreme example of someone who displayed fortitude.

This was followed by a short period of silent Adoration, and then finished with meditations on the Stations of the Cross. We stayed in our places for this - the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, and anyway, there were way too many people to be able to walk round the Stations.

A brief tea-break was announced: as the Blessed Sacrament was still exposed, many people just remained in the church to pray quietly. Some went out for a quick cuppa and then returned. We then had another sermon on Our Lady from Fr. Tim. This time he spoke about how we should give everything to Our Lady. It was all or nothing: either it was completely right to give ourselves to Mary, or it was completely wrong. If we needed to "save" something of ourselves for Jesus, then we shouldn't give anything at all to Mary. In fact, we give everything to her, because she gives everything to her Son; and with Mary, we contemplate the face of Christ.

Awesome stuff.

The Glorious Mysteries were prayed, followed by Benediction, and then some people were enrolled in the Brown Scapular and the Miraculous Medal. Finally we waved farewell to the statue of Our Lady with white hankies provided specially for the occasion.

That bit always makes me teary-eyed. It is such a simple expression of faith, with such a trusting, childlike quality. I love it that the Catholic Faith is so tangible, so sensible (as in "of the senses" as well as in "making sense.")

I love being Catholic.

Shattered...

...but very happy. The Day With Mary went really well. I wasn't going to take photos, but it was such a great opportunity that I just couldn't resist. I was using my dinky little phone camera though, so no annoying clicks, and there isn't a flash, so my photo-taking was fairly discrete. It helps that I like to sit at the front.

We started with various prayers, the Crowning of the Statue, the Litany of Loreto, and then an outdoor procession with the statue of Our Lady, just once round the block. Yesterday I'd been on a team-building-bonding type of INSET at an outdoor activity centre... not my cup of tea at the best of times. We've had a fair bit of rain recently, the ground was muddy and slippery, and I wrenched my dodgy ankle several times. Today I was in quite a bit of pain, so I skipped the procession and stayed behind in the church praying the Joyful Mysteries, while the procession prayed them outside and sang a couple of hymns.











We then had Mass. It was a Missa Cantata - I was delighted that we didn't have to forego the Extraordinary Form this Saturday. Hopefully the photos will convey a little something of the beauty and solemnity of the occasion. Fr. Tim preached a very good sermon on the importance of prayer for the Holy Souls (particularly getting indulgences for them) and guardian angels. I knew that each person had a guardian angel "for their very own" as it were, but I hadn't quite grasped the idea that each country has an angel guardian, and even each parish (Fr. Tim reminded us that the guardian angel of Portugal preceded the apparitions of Our Lady to the children in Fatima.) That gave me food for thought, and I shall make more of an effort to recruit them when I need help!

The lunch break allowed me to check out the bookstall... as I'm trying to reduce my blog-post length (very long posts get to be a bit of a bore) I shall post more about the books later... in the meantime, this is what greeted me...

Name Meme...

I'm whiling away a little time (Ok, I put too much hot water in the bath, and rather than let some out and add cold water I decided to let it cool down a little) and I've spotted this meme over at Exspectantes' blog... she basically tagged anyone who wanted to play, so that's my excuse!

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.

2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name).

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

Ok, here we go:

U - Undertaker: I had to visit one in order to overcome a coffin phobia.
R - Really, I am a natural blonde... though I colour my hair to make it slightly lighter and more ashen.
S - Steak: I like mine medium-rare.
U - Uvula: mine is divided so that I have two little "bits" hanging down at the back of my throat.
L - Liturgy: I prefer mine traditional.
A - Accident-prone. Not unduly, but enough to make me slightly wary.

And now I'm going to tag Karen, Ma Beck, Fr. Paul Harrison, Mark, Rita and Ttony.

More Fun Ahead...

Tomorrow we have our parish's Day With Mary. Last year's celebration was really great... just about every possible devotion to Our Lady, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Adoration of Our Lord and Benediction, plus the opportunity to go to Confession... Wow! Heaven's arrived early!

...and of course, there will be the bookstall; TAN books galore, so they're all legit - no airy-fairy liberal claptrap on enneagrams, women priests and suchlike! I must remember to visit the hole-in-the-wall tomorrow morning...

Foot-In-Mouth Disease...

...or the "they opened their mouths and dropped enough bricks to build a cathedral" award...

'Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life,'
-- Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.

'I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body,'
-- Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.

'That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it,'
-- A congressional candidate in Texas.

'It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.'
-- Al Gore, US Vice-President.

'Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas.'
-- Keppel Enderbery.

'Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.'
-- Department of Social Services, Greenville , South Carolina.

'If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record.'
-- Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman.

I don't know how genuine these are: they were sent to me in an email... but they made me chuckle so I'm posting them anyway!

Nice Try...

It was the boys' Confirmation class tonight (the girls have theirs on Tuesday) and one of the catechists asked what Lenten penances were being undertaken.

One lad piped up about how he was going to give up chocolate. All fine and dandy.

Then another boy announced that he was going to give up fighting with his brother... and a third chimed in with how he would stop arguing with his mother...

Spoilsport that I am, I felt constrained to point out to them that they weren't allowed to give up things they shouldn't do anyway...

Just Testing...

...I really like bacon at the best of times, but Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the two times I seem to wake up dreaming about it... Believe me, catfood never looked so appetising as it did this morning!

And I'm not the only one whose thoughts stray... The Curt Jester decided to post a little detachment test for people to check out how well they're doing!

One Nomination Not Related To Politics...

I'm really sure that it's terribly interesting for the Americans... they get to vote on who they're going to get to vote for... Seems like a good idea, I suppose it's like the Tory Party voting for Cameron or the Labour Party voting for Brown (oops, no, sorry, they didn't do that...) But today a commentator mentioned that the actual election isn't until November...

Anyway, I'm not being nominated for President or anything like that, but I have been nominated for a teensy weensy award... That Nice Mr. Smith went and did it. Unfortunately he didn't put up any rules, so I have no idea how many people need to be nominated back. On the basis that it's "Bloggers of the World," I've tried to spread it about some...

Ok, first up is Fr. Zuhlsdorf... he counts as Vatican State (yes, I'm stretching a point... I don't care... my blog, and I am lousy at geography anyway!!)

Next is Leutgeb... she counts as England & Wales because she lives in England, but has Welsh spotty bread as her blog name.

Paulinus and Mark tie for the Scottish connection. I think one is in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow... that should keep them nicely in competition...

Esther gets the Hawaii slot. Ummm, is that actually part of the USA?

Fr. Owl flies the flag for former British Colonies... he's in Canada. Why? I fail to understand the attraction of fish, penguins and polar bears. Maple syrup is a bit more my thing, though I wouldn't feel it necessary to emigrate. Supermarkets are quite cosmopolitan these days...

The West Coast of America is Karen's little spot. I like the fact that Karen appreciates my sense of humour. Of course, she hasn't actually met me in person...

(I haven't tagged Fr. Tim because I tagged him for a meme a while back and he ignored it. And then he deleted my comment which reminded him he hadn't done it. So I'm sulking!! But if he wants to do this one, then he's forgiven... and tagged! Hey I'm female, I'm blonde... two good reasons for why I'm allowed (expected, even!) to change my mind... frequently!)

There are so many blogs I enjoy reading, I couldn't possibly manage to name them all, and I've probably offended several people. If you want to be tagged, consider it done, but let me know in the com-box.

Hybrids Given the Go-Ahead

I was ashamed to see that the House of Lords has approved the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill on Monday. They didn't even put it to a vote... it was just passed through on the nod, so-to-speak. John Smeaton, Director of SPUC, has more information on the (unsuccessful) attempts to introduce amendments which would restrict the bill.

In 1996 I wrote an article for Faith Magazine outlining the dangers of foetal tissue transplantation - that is, the use of foetal nerve tissue to repair brain injury. My knowledge of the subject came from my research work at the Institute of Psychiatry: it was one of the leading centres for research into foetal brain tissue transplantation in animals, though the work always looked towards the possibility of its use in humans.

The more I read about the work on human foetal tissue transplantation for the article, the more sick I felt. The very real spectre of women being paid to have abortions "at the right time" was looming, and it struck me that we were on the edge of a very slippery precipice.

Looking back on what I wrote, I am surprised at how short-sighted I was. I think that we have plumbed the depths, morally speaking. The USA had a moratorium on the use of human foetal tissue, and other countries held back. Now we have an even more horrific scenario: the creation of human-animal hybrids for experimental purposes. The boundaries have been pushed further than I would have believed possible in a "civilised" country...

It would appear that British research is now leading the rest of the world in this field: a fact that the Government announce with pride. They fail to mention that this field is one pretty much shunned by the rest of the world. This is nothing to be proud of.

Give It Up...

A little bird told me this evening that an Anglican bishop had been heard on Radio 2 (or some such station under the stewardship of the Beeb.) Anyway, said bishop was pontificating on how he was going to give up carbon for Lent, and so reduce global warming...

Someone ought to point out to His Lordship that the fastest way to reduce global warming is to stop pontificating on subjects of which he knows little or nothing... all that gas and hot air must be contributing significantly to the greenhouse effect!

Candlemas Video

I pointed out that Fr. Tim had handed me his camera before our parish Candlemas celebrations. Well, he's managed to put together a "video" of the results. Some of the shots are a bit shaky... that camera weighs a ton, and this time I didn't have a tripod.

The Links Effect...

After yesterday's whimpering session, Fr. Zuhlsdorf decided to take pity on me. He put up a post telling his readers to pay me a visit. (He didn't explain why, and I suspect that some of them left again, totally baffled...!)

Anyway, this has caused a gratifying blip in my blog statistics. My visitor numbers generally increase when Fr. Tim Finigan links back to me - that's when I get more than 200 visits in a day...

Who Writes Headlines?

It does make you wonder whether the editors have taken their eyes off the ball... Fr. Erik Richtsteig has identified some of the craziest headlines from 2007, and "fisked" them á la Fr. Z:

For example:

--Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says. (No, really?)

--Miners Refuse to Work after Death. (No-good-for-nothin' lazy so-and-sos!)

--Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures. (Who would have thought!)

--New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group. (Weren't they fat enough?!)

And lastly, one without a comment...

--Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Read the rest HERE.

Tagged Again...

Esther, that Catholic Mom in Hawaii, has tagged me for a new book meme. I don't quite know what I could have done to offend her... though maybe it's because I didn't tag her for my last book meme, and this is her idea of revenge!!

1. What book have you read in the last six months that has really stayed with you? Why?
The Spiritual Combat and a Treatise on Peace of Soul by Dom Scupoli. He hits the nail right on the head when describing temptations and our (ok, ok... my) excuses for giving in... and he also provides helpful advice on how to fight back.

2. What is one of your favourite childhood books?
Adventure of the Amethyst by Cecily Hallack. Written in the 1940s, an example of apologetics written for children. It also demonstrates how much dumbing down goes on now in children's literature (there are bits of (untranslated) French conversation between the children and their French cook) and in modern catechetical material. As an interesting aside, much of the descriptions of Liturgy didn't make sense to me until I'd attended a few Masses in the Extraordinary Form...

3. Do you have a favourite book of the Bible?
It depends on what sort of mood I'm in. The Book of Psalms is the one I'm most familiar with, because of praying the Office, closely followed by the Gospels...

4. What is one book you could read again and again?
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. Reading about Our Lady is awesome.

5. Is there a book you would suggest for Lenten reading? What is it and why?
The Sinner's Guide by Venerable Louis of Granada. For much the same reason as The Spiritual Combat. It also has nice short chapters which can be tackled one a day.

Bonus question: If you were going to publish a book what would it be? Who would you want to write the jacket cover blurb expounding on your talent?
I have enough difficulty trying to think of what to write for my blog, let alone a book.

Ok, I'm going to tag Karen (she said she likes book memes) and Ma Beck... and anyone else who wants to play - provided you tell me in the com-box.

Pride Cometh Before A Fall...

I was lucky enough to go to lunch with Fathers Zuhlsdorf and Finigan this afternoon. Congratulating myself on my good fortune, I tried to do more listening than talking (a feat I find rather difficult most of the time, and I'm not entirely sure that I succeeded) while making short work of my last steak before Lent.

The conversation was entertaining, though at one point I was sorely tempted to relieve Fr. Z of his iPhone as he demonstrated its capabilities. Luckily, I managed to fight off the temptation (I mean, can you imagine: Bless me Father for I have sinned, I nicked Fr. Z's iPhone when he visited) and did my best to quell the avarice by contemplating how long it would be before I could demand an upgrade from O2...

We soon moved on to the discussion of blogging matters. Again, I was basking in a nice warm fuzzy feeling as I listened... after all, I too have a blog.

Then my comeuppance. The two überbloggers started talking about another blog. "Imagine," they chortled merrily, "...only 200 visits a day!!!"

I'm afraid I started whimpering at that point...

"Feeling totally inadequate" just doesn't cover it!

UPDATE: Lest the good fathers be thought of as uncharitable, I'd just like to point out that the other blog was one often quoted by mainstream media as having a finger on the pulse of Catholic public opinion. Which, with "only" 200 hits a day, it clearly is not...

UPDATE 2: If you have found your way here because Fr. Z felt sorry for me, then you are most welcome, and please visit again soon... (I wonder if visiting neglected blogs counts as a corporal work of mercy...?)

Anticipation... Fulfilled !

Today's celebration of Candlemas met all my expectations, and then some! It was really great. The weather was beautiful (despite forecasts of snow and/or gale-force winds) and we actually had some sunshine for the outdoor procession (though the wind did put out the majority of the candles!)

The music was uplifting, and slightly mournful (which totally made me think of Simeon's prophecy to Our Lady.) The servers were great.

Fr Z was present in choir - I suspect jet-lag was catching up with him, and he was due to say the evening Mass in the parish. Fr. Tim preached an excellent sermon on the meaning of "purification" and the comparison between Christ's silent and unnoticed arrival in the Temple with his silent and often unnoticed descent onto our altars during Mass.

I came with my dinky phone camera all charged up and ready to take photos. Fr. Tim is obviously unimpressed with the quality usually obtained: he handed over his snazzy digital camera. I look forward to seeing what he makes of the shots I took.

UPDATE: I see that Fr. Z has already posted on the events at Blackfen... and of course, he had his own camera. You can see an excellent shot of the Elevation here.

Anticipation...

Oh boy, tomorrow is going to be quite something! At Blackfen we have started to have a monthly Missa Cantata on Saturday mornings (the usual Saturday morning Mass is, dare I say it, "just" a Low Mass!) Tomorrow's scheduled Missa Cantata just happens to coincide with Candlemas... the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple (also previously known as the Purification of Our Lady.) This means a big procession (if the snow holds off) and candles.

Fr. Z has popped over for a visit, and no doubt he will be making an appearance. I haven't quite worked out the Celebrant, Deacon and Sub-deacon bits, so I'm as yet unsure who does what and when... but I'm more than happy to learn!

I'm particularly pleased that I'm able to hear Mass tomorrow, as Candlemas was the occasion on which my patron saint, St. Anne Line, was arrested. Someone noted the presence of lots of people at the house she kept for Fr. Gerard (they were gathering for this feast day) and reported them to the authorities. The priests were able to escape, but the presence of the vestments and sacred vessels and everything set up for Mass was enough to secure a conviction.

This Sunday is also the feast of St. Blaise. The tradition of blessing throats on the feast of St. Blaise (using candles from Candlemas, I believe) is one to which I am very attached: trying to teach with laryngitis is no joke, so invoking the protection of St. Blaise makes good sense!

And then, next Saturday, we have the visit to the parish of the Day With Mary team. I blogged about my book-buying tendencies during their visit last year...

My cup, as they say, runneth over...

Cathedral Stakes Latest...

...Well what do you know? Damian Thompson has finally gotten around to publishing the Bloggers' Choice for the Westminster Cathedral Pointy Hat Sweepstake...

Favourite is Fr. Aidan Nichols, a Dominican theologian. Cardinal Pell comes in second, joint with Fr. Tim Finigan. Mr. Thompson had very nice things to say about Fr. Tim:

"What a suffocating closed shop we have running the Church in England and Wales! Fr Finigan, parish priest of Blackfen, Kent, is a traditionalist pastor of great holiness and intellect; he also writes a fantastic blog. That a priest of his quality should not even be made an auxiliary bishop, while box-ticking middle-managers of very limited gifts receive a mitre, is a scandal."

Given the hierarchy's attitude towards Mr. Thompson, I'd guess that Blackfen can rest easy: we're probably going to be able to hang on to our Parish Priest for a while longer!

Lenten Alms...

I was delighted to see that Fr. Tim's post on donating stuff to the Sisters of the Gospel of Life via Amazon and other internet sites which deliver their wares produced such a good result, even ending up on the front page of the Catholic Times! It's heartening to realise that blogging can be a real force for good, and not just a "talking shop" !

It's particularly great because, although the Sisters ask for donations of second-hand stuff, and the mums would be delighted to get the second-hand stuff, there is something really special about being given something new, still in its wrapper, for the new baby...

Lent is approaching. Time to consider what you're going to do. (It's just so great that the Catholic blogosphere is chock full of other traddy Catholics who know that you have to make an effort on all fronts!) So, prayer, penance and almsgiving. It's not an either/or scenario. Now, I don't know what you plan to do prayer-wise, and giving stuff up is pretty personal too (each year I suggest giving up marking exercise books, but my SD won't buy it!) but one possible form of almsgiving might be to buy a few baby items and get them delivered to the Sisters. It has the advantage of being fun to do, and it's pretty anonymous, which means that it's the very best type of almsgiving...

The Sisters might put up a post with other suggestions of needed items. I'll link to it if they do. In the meantime, the delivery address is:

Sisters of the Gospel of Life
106 Dixon Ave
Glasgow
G42 8EL

And I'd Just Like To Thank...

...my hairdresser, the cat, my therapist... *sniffs loudly* ...I love you all, and I'd never have made it here without you, you know who you are...

Ok, I don't actually have a therapist... just you lot out there who indulge and encourage me to pour out my heart and soul on the blog... therapy-on-the-cheap!

Anyway, I have been awarded an "Excellent" award. A Thorn in the Pew and Mum6kids both nominated me, for which I thank them... oooh, I feel all warm and fuzzy! I think it's probably just another type of meme, only easier to complete. By accepting the award, you have to nominate at least 10 other blogs. No actual limit. And you don't have to be original either... so no crazy hunting for a blog that hasn't been awarded anything yet...!

So, I would like to pass on the award to: Fr. Tim at the never-ending Hermeneutic; Fr. Ray in Brighton; Karen on the left coast; Newhousenewjob who's Just Doing Her Best; Fr. Z who will be in the vicinity of Blackfen very soon (and suffering our slow British blogging speeds); Fr. John (that Kentish cleric); Fr. Paul, who's no longer a "Lune-atic"; Leutgeb (so she doesn't have to blow her own trumpet... oops, sorry, French horn!); Mark (Hello-ello-ello); the Roman Caveman (he just has to join this club... I always wanted to go clubbing with Cavey!); Hilary, who's eating her Orwellian al-fresco meal; Jeff (jesting curtly); Paulinus who is conquering away and last-but-not-least Ttony, if he can find the award under all those muniments!

While I'm at it, I'd just like to mention a new blog: encouragingly titled "Don't know what I'm doing" it's written by Maggie Clitheroe. She's a homeschooling mum and her blog has only been up and running since the start of January, so pop on over and say hallo... (I remember how much those first comments meant when I started up!)

Danger Signals...

...The little red warning light lit up on my way home this evening. Looks like a genie lamp. It seems to indicate a lack of oil. Luckily I knew of a nearby Kwik-Fit. I did a quick detour and popped in. I explained to the very nice man behind the desk that the little red light had come on, and I wondered if he'd put some oil in for me. I have managed to find the oil tester thingy in the past, but I never quite figured out where the oil went in...

(I do know where the water goes, but not the oil.)

He smiled in a very understanding way, and fixed the oil for me. I love being blonde!

Another Book Meme...

I haven't seen this one before, and when I spotted it over at Tigerish Waters, I knew I wanted to have a go, despite not being tagged... But then again, Rita didn't explicitly tag anyone...

1) Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?
Anything by St. John of the Cross (way too advanced for my little blonde brain) and pretty much anything by St. Augustine of Hippo (too tedious for words... and his stuff in the Office of Readings goes on and on and on... and I know I should find it instructive...)

2) If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael, Giovanni Guareschi's Don Camillo and Chesterton's Father Brown for a Murder Mystery Weekend. It would be fun to see who got the right answer quickest!

3) (Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for a while, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
Probably The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The inaccuracies I've heard about would be so tedious I might even be tempted to gnaw open my radial arteries to speed up the process!

4) Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
No, I don't do that one... but I have bought Witness to Hope by George Weigel ages and ages ago and haven't yet gotten around to reading it...

5) You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (If you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead and personalise the VIP).
Fiction: The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy. I love spy stuff, high-tech gadgetry and page-turning excitement. Non-Fiction: The Spirit of the Liturgy by the Holy Father in his previous existence as Cardinal Ratzinger... it explains why I get so worked up about liturgical abuses.

6) A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
Latin: so I can pray the Divine Office in the Extraordinary Form (They had more saints to choose from!)

7) A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
I refuse to choose just one! The Sinner's Guide by Venerable Louis of Granada. Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales. True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. The Imitation of Christ by St Thomas á Kempis. I re-read these ones frequently anyway, though not every year.

8) I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?
Ummmmmm... I've discovered that it's a bad idea for me to browse internet bookstores just after payday. Much better to wait until someone recommends a book, and buy that ONE. Of course, it's also far less fun to do it that way, so I rarely follow my own good advice.

9) That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.
Big room. Lots of shelves, but nothing above head height, as I can't climb ladders or steps easily. Large french windows looking onto a lawn down to a river or lake. Lots of central heating. Squishy armchairs which can be curled up in. And lots of books. All the classics by the saints, and lots more books on the Church and her teachings by other good writers. Nothing heretical. And a small section of murder mysteries and spy thrillers for when I need to veg out.

Ok, I'll tag Fr. Tim Finigan (I usually avoid tagging him as he rarely bothers, but I might be lucky and get another link out of it!), Fr. Ray Blake (although he didn't seem to enjoy the last tag I gave him!), Fr. Zuhlsdorf (I don't hold out much hope... I've never seen a meme on his blog, but boy, imagine the answers he'd give!!), Jeff the Curt Jester (I'm fascinated to know what his answers would be), Karen (she generally tags me, so it's payback time!) and Newhousenewjob (as she's been away from the blogosphere for a while, she might enjoy this one.)

UPDATE: Karen has completed the meme, despite being eight hours behind the rest of humanity. Fr. Z completed it, which was a bit of a shock... luckily it wasn't in Latin. I'm intrigued that he wants to be able to read Chinese though! The Curt Jester gritted his teeth and completed "yet another book meme" and Fr. Ray is saving his for a day when he hasn't got anything better to do (so I won't hold my breath there then!) That just leaves Fr. Tim and Newhousenewjob...

Human Embryo Experimentation

This is the last chance to make known your views on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill, which is currently scheduled for debate in the House of Lords on Monday 4 February.

John Smeaton, Director of SPUC, stated on his blog that:

The Bill seeks, among other things, to:

* extend the creation of embryonic children in the laboratory ('test-tube babies')
* allow embryonic children to be abused and killed for a wider range of research purposes
* permit the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos.

Over recent weeks, the Government and supporters of embryo research have blocked all substantial efforts to lessen the evils of the Bill during its passage through the Lords. Although it is unlikely that pro-life Lords will defeat the Bill, a strong vote against it now will help and encourage MPs to oppose the Bill when it goes to the House of Commons - probably in mid-February. Many people wrote to the Lords in November asking them to oppose the bill at second reading - this had great impact and helped encourage pro-life peers in their opposition to the bill.

It really is vital that as many people as possible write - you can write to any of the Lords on this matter. Even though the Bill is unlikely to be defeated, the important thing is that no-one can claim that they didn't receive any letters in opposition, or that no-one appears to have any real objections because they'd write if they did!

Remember, one day you are going to have to stand before Jesus Christ, and when he asks what you did for even one of his "little ones" (remember that cup of water he mentioned?) you might want to have an alternative to "Umm, nothing much, actually! Sorry about that..."

Writing a letter isn't difficult. SPUC provide helpful hints. They also provide email addresses for most of the Peers, although they also state that written letters are more likely to have an effect. SPUC is the pro-life group with most experience of parliamentary matters, so I would recommend taking their advice.

And don't forget to let Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's Political Secretary know about any answers you get...