Warning - Major Rant Imminent !

I was pretty cross before. I am now ABSOLUTELY LIVID !

I have posted previously explaining what my thoughts on Mr. Blair's conversion to Catholicism were, both before and after the event. I haven't always been a faithful Catholic, and I am still far from perfect, so I'm hardly going to lob stones in his direction: I am not calling for Mr. Blair to don sackcloth and ashes. However, it must be noted that he is a public figure, and, Catholics have the right to expect Mr. Blair to hold up his hands and admit that he made mistakes and he is sorry for them.

After all, at his reception into the Church, Mr. Blair swore before God that he believed and professed all that the Church holds to be true...

However, at his speech in The Cardinal's Lectures series, Mr. Blair basically implied that - in much the same way as Prince Charles wishes to be known as Defender of faiths rather than Defender of the Faith - all faiths were pretty much equal.

One wonders why he bothered to convert, if that is his true opinion.

Anyway, despite letters from John Smeaton (Director of SPUC) asking if Mr. Blair will repudiate some of the more blatant anti-life legislation he supported in Parliament, no such statement has been forthcoming. Instead, Tony Blair stated quite clearly in his lecture that he regretted nothing he did whilst in office. Fr. Tim has a summary (and a link to the transcript) HERE.

I consider the silence of the English and Welsh hierarchy on this matter to be a real slap in the face for many Catholics who, because they are faithful to the Church, are unable to receive the Sacraments.

I have read comments on other blogs expressing the opinion that Mr. Blair will have had to give assurances to Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who received him into the Church, that he did indeed support the Church's teaching on matters of abortion, euthanasia, contraception and homosexuality.

Well, whatever he said to the Cardinal, he obviously didn't mean it. LifeSite reports the news that Mr. Blair has been involved in fundraising for Stonewall, England’s largest and most well-known homosexual activist organization. At its annual fundraising dinner a few days ago, the opportunity to have tea with Tony Blair secured a bid of £20,000 in an auction held at the dinner.

Sadly, it appears that Fr. Finigan's biretta is perfectly safe. Twitch of the mantilla to the Catholic Caveman for spotting this one.

More on Vocations

Since my last post on the "Pray for Seminarians by name" initiative, Brad Watkins, Assistant to the Director of Vocations in the Diocese of Raleigh, United States, has been in touch. They have given out 15,000 cards in the past year asking people to pray for the seminarians by name. He also asked if I could plug his own blog, Roman Catholic Vocations, which I am more than happy to do. The blog has posts relevant to anyone interested in vocations to the priestly or religious life (so don't be surprised at photos of nuns!)

Mark, over at Rise and Pray, is involved with a couple more vocations blogs - Traditional Vocations Blog (for men and women) and FSSP Vocations Scotland and Ireland (an unofficial site which has great admiration for the work of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.) Mark has more details asking for people to help HERE.

Old Cats And New Tricks...

Hmmm. I posted my amazement that Sylvester had succeeded in attracting my attention by dipping his paw in water and shaking it at me.

It wasn't a one-off. This morning, as breakfast was a little later than usual in making an appearance, he decided to see if the same method could be employed as an effective alarm call...

I felt all four of his paws. Only one was wet.

This is not good news...

Being Very British...

...I thought it was about time I blogged about the weather! I woke up this morning to find that snow had not only fallen, but it had settled. Everything was completely covered in soft, fluffy snow, the sort that looks beautiful and isn't hard and compacted (and slippery.) Looking at the trees and gardens on my way to Mass was a visual treat, but I was running a little late and so didn't manage to get a photo. However, after Mass, a few of the servers and their friends shot out into the garden to make a snowman...

Unfortunately, they were soon distracted from snowman-construction by the far more alluring delights afforded by pelting each other with snowballs...

Dressed all in black, Fr. Tim proved to be an irresistible target... Check out his view of the matter HERE.

And this was the point at which I decided to beat a hasty retreat...

I was just delighted that it happened in the holidays... I didn't have to be a miserable wet-blanket, keeping kids away from the snow for reasons of "Health and Safety" !!

Praying For Vocations...

Fr. Ray Blake has a post about an initiative from the diocese of Raleigh in the US: they have a poster asking people to pray for the diocesan seminarians by name.

I think this is a fabulous idea. It makes the idea of vocations to the priesthood much more immediate, and young men can see that the men preparing for the priesthood look, well, pretty normal... rather like themselves, in fact!

Fr. Stephen Langridge, the Vocations Director for Southwark has been responsible for some pretty neat posters lately... he might consider trying something along these lines!

Patience Rewarded...

...though it's nothing fancy. I tried to make an automatic "old" film, but the computer over-analysed the photos available, and missed out the ones from the Consecration... which is definitely not on! Then I tried to do it myself, by making all the photos sepia... but that just didn't look quite right. So then I went back to square one, and just put in simple fade transitions (simple, but time-consuming) and, as the video was a trifle too long (there were 308 photos once I got rid of the blurred ones!) I then had to go through and decide which ones should come out...

The music is from Plainsong for Parishes by Schola Cantamus... I didn't manage to record the visiting schola we had at Blackfen, but they were very good too!

In the meantime, enjoy!

An Exercise In Patience

I am not a patient person. It is one of my (many) faults. I am trying to put together a little video of this morning's Missa Cantata (which was wonderful.) Unfortunately the computer program keeps freezing. Possibly the computer is objecting to the large number of photographs I took...

...watch this space!

Bar Buddy Wanted...

Mike Hammond just wants his dad to have a bit of a social life. His 88-year-old father had to move closer to his family, in assisted housing... but this meant moving away from his friends. Mike goes out to the pub with his dad once a week, but feels he needs to get out a bit more...

“He is a very intelligent man with a physics and math degree,” Mike told the Daily Mail. “He used to go to the pub three or four times a week and have a couple of halves of Fosters with a neighbour who was of a similar age. It's the company he misses more than anything.”

...and so Mike's advertised for a person to accompany his dad to the pub. And he's offering to pay £7 ($14) an hour, plus expenses!

Twitch of the mantilla to the Digital Hairshirt for spotting this one!

I'm Getting So Hacked Off With These Numbskulls...

William obviously has far more patience than me. It's either that, or he suffers from hypotension, and prefers "natural" remedies to drugs. Somehow or other he manages to follow the debates in the House of Lords.

He reported that, yesterday, two Peers attacked the Catholic Church, blaming her for the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Baroness Flather actually went as far as to say that if the Catholic Church instructed people to use condoms, there would be an instantaneous change.

Right. Those people who are so blasé about ignoring the Church's teaching on chastity are going to be quaking in their boots because the Church says they'll go to Hell because they use condoms.

Not.

(Just in case there's any doubt, "chastity" means no sex unless you're married, whether you consider yourself to be hetero-, homo-, bi- or trans-sexual, and if you are married, then sex is with your spouse, and only your spouse. "Spouse" is another technical term - it means "person of the opposite sex to whom a person is married in the eyes of God." There. That wasn't so hard to understand, was it?)

To make the issue even clearer, William makes a very telling point.

According to Baroness Flather's reasoning, the country in Africa with the lowest number of Catholics should have the lowest number of HIV/AIDS cases, because there are fewer people to be led astray by that nasty Pope who forbids the use of condoms.

Strange to tell, it ain't so.

The country in Africa with the lowest population of Catholics is South Africa. They have the highest HIV infection rate.

But just in case you haven't drawn the logical conclusion, it turns out that the African country with the highest population of Catholics, Uganda, has the lowest HIV infection rate. They encourage abstinence.

Now, why do you think that this message hasn't gotten through to the likes of Baroness Flather?

Another (Almost) Local Blog...

Volpius Leonius is from Hexham & Newcastle Diocese. Not quite sure exactly where Newcastle is (north of London... south of Scotland... my geography is about on par with my Latin...) but it's in merry old England, which makes him a local lad. Almost.

Never having studied any Latin, I was scouring my brains (and Google) for some sort of reference to Volpius Leonius. Sadly, neither Google nor "I Claudius" were of any help. Robert Graves' novel is one of my favourites, and a large chunk of my knowledge of Roman history (ok, I'll be honest... MOST of it...) comes from that source!

I was delighted to find that I could make a pretty good stab at translating the quote under the blog title, albeit a bit wobbly on the tense. Go and have a try for yourself HERE.

A New Local Blog...

I just had a comment from JoannaB. I think she's commented before, but I assumed it was Joanna Bogle of Auntie Joanna Writes fame. This time the comment sounded most un-Joanna-ish (I don't think I've ever heard her say "Cool !"... she's more of a "Gosh !" type.) So I looked at the profile.

Sure enough, JoannaB is another Joanna, and she has her own blog: Every Day Catholic Woman. Exploring a little, I discovered that she lives in Kent and is a grandmother (she looks disgracefully young to be a grandmother, I think... but it isn't her in the photo!) I also spotted a face in the sidebar I recognised... none other than Fr. Roger Nesbitt, parish priest of Our Lady, Help of Christians, Folkestone, Kent, and co-founder of the Faith Movement.

So, pop on over to Joanna's blog and say hallo...

Maybe That Explains A Lot...

Apparently, that composer of ditties so beloved of "trained liturgists" has been responding to criticisms of the musical arrangements for the U.S. Papal visit.

Marty Haughen isn't actually a Catholic...

Ahhhh. Now we know why his songs (I can't quite bring myself to call them "hymns"... or even "hers" !) are so devoid of Catholic doctrine.

It doesn't explain why the tunes are so dire.

Nor does it explain why, given that everyone knows the Pope is an aficionado of Mozart and his ilk, the organisers would want to have the "Mass of Creation" as a setting...

BTW... In case anyone thinks I have a real bee-in-my-bonnet about bad hymns (I have) and that since they're only harmless songs, it hardly matters (it does), it might be worth noting that Arius used to spread his heresies deliberately by way of popular hymns. So did Luther.

Ways To Relieve Stress...

William on the Hill sent these to me by email. I had received them before, a few years back, and was sure that I'd posted them... however, a quick search failed to bring up more than a reference to Number 1... Not prepared to look a gift-horse in the mouth, I decided to remedy the omission...

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.

2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.

3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "in."

5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.

6. In the memo field of all your cheques, write "for sexual favours."

7. Finish all your sentences with "in accordance with the prophecy."

8. Don't use any punctuation marks.

9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

10. Ask people what sex they are. Laugh hysterically after they answer.

11. Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."

12. Sing along at the opera.

13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.

14. Put mosquito netting around your work area. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.

15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you've got a headache.

16. When the money comes out the ATM, scream "I won!, I won! Third time this week!"

17. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling "run for your lives, they're loose!!"

18. Tell your children over dinner: "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."

Oh, and as the post where I made a reference to gag number 1 had a funny video attached, I thought I'd re-post it...

Get Voting...

Ok, I only got four measly votes in the 2008 Catholic Blog Awards. I didn't stand much chance up against the Big Blogs. However, I have a nomination in the 2008 Cannonball Awards, in the Best Church Militant Blogs category.

So far I'm not doing too badly. The Catholic Cavemen are running neck-and-neck with me, but hey, they would (I'm sure) be the first to tell you to vote for me... they've been nominated in loads and loads of other categories, and they're chivalrous souls...

So go and visit Carolina's blog, and scroll down the sidebar (voting for the Cavemen in lots of other categories if it makes you happy) and put a little tick in Best Church Militant Blog next to Mulier Fortis...

Go on... you know you want to... Otherwise I'll be grousing all year...

Third Time Pays For All...

It's an expression I heard ages ago, and seems to refer to fulfilling obligations. On a whim, I googled it, and discovered that I would have heard it first when studying Twelfth Night, and then again when reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings...

Anyway, meme number three comes to me courtesy of La Mamma at Antagonistic Pots and Pans.


1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves. (D'oh... I thought I could miss that bit!)
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged.

So far so good... though I'm running out of people to tag...

What I was doing 10 years ago:
April 1998 I was starting my third teacher training placement, in Croydon. "Isn't time fun when you're having flies?" as one frog said to the other...

5 Snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Build a Catholic hospital. I don't fancy my chances in an NHS one... Give money to proper Catholic charities like SPUC, Sisters of the Gospel of Life, Aid to the Church in Need, Good Counsel Network... go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land... go on lots of pilgrimages (hey, you did say "billionaire")

Five jobs that I have had:
Shop assistant (teenager's holiday job), agency nurse, research scientist, personnel assistant, teacher.

Three of my bad habits:
Oversleeping. Irritability. Being irritating.

Five places I have lived:
Belvedere, Kent. (ok, the borders of south-east London.) Peckham, London. Camberwell, London. Forest Hill, London. Holloway, London. (That's not counting all the places in central and west London I lived as a child... my mother enjoyed moving house!)

Five people I want to know more about (a nice way of saying TAG!):
Newhousenewjob (she's going to have to change her profile pretty soon!), William on the Hill, Adrienne, Rita and Cathy of Alex.

And Another Meme...

...Typical ! You wait for ages for someone to tag you for a meme, and then two come along at once!! Fr. Daren (Servant and Steward) tagged me for the 7 Non-important things/habits/quirks Meme.

The rules are simple:

1. When tagged place the name and URL on your blog.
2. Post rules on your blog.
3. Write 7 non-important things/habit/quirks about yourself.
4. Name 7 of your favourite blogs.
5. Send an email/comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged.

Fr. Daren didn't actually let me know he'd tagged me (breaking the rules... and him a priest!) but I'm so insecure that I check regularly to see who is linking to me. Just to reassure myself that someone is actually reading the blog...

1. I am addicted to email and blogging.
2. I like gadgets, especially mobile phones.
3. I loathe vegetables. All vegetables. I always have, even as a little girl.
4. I do not class potatoes as vegetables, they're just pretending.
5. I love to sing, though I'm not properly trained.
6. I'm crazy about cats.
7. I'm terrified of dentists.

These are actually the seven people I think will be least irritated by being tagged (who I didn't tag in the last meme)...

Jeff, the Ironic Catholic, Jay, Ttony, Mark, the Mother of This Lot and Carolina Cannonball.

Film Meme...

...ok, haven't done a meme for a while (at least a week) so I thought I'd have a look at this one from Hilary.

It's the "top-five critically lauded movies I detest" meme.

Difficult, as I am not really au fait with what is "critically lauded." I rarely watch films unless I'm pretty sure that I'm going to enjoy it because of recommendations from friends who know my likes and dislikes pretty well. I also avoid films I think will irritate or upset me because of their unsuitable content.

1. Brokeback Mountain. Not interested in wussy cowboys.
2. Elizabeth. Not interested in films which lie about the Church and "Good" Queen Bess.
3. Elizabeth: The Golden Age. It wasn't one for Catholics... Not interested in films which lie about the Church and "Good" Queen Bess.
4. The Golden Compass. Not interested in films which lie about the Church, even in allegory.
5. The Da Vinci Code. I'll include it, even though the film was panned, because the book had such rave reviews. Not interested in films which lie about the Church.

So, now to annoy (sorry, tag) five people...

Ma Beck, Karen, Leutgeb, Paulinus and Jackie. There are a lot of memes flying about, but I don't think anyone tagged them for this one yet!

Not A Well Blogger...

I am feeling rather ill - some sort of bug has "got me." I thought it was a 'flu bug (headache, nausea, aching joints, temperature, running hot and cold, shivers) but this evening it seems to have mutated a little... let's just say "intestinal disorders" have been added to the above, and leave a veil of discretion to hang over the exact details... While waiting for the Imodium to kick in, I decided that sitting upright ready for a quick getaway might be preferable to being horizontal... hence the attempt at blogging.

I've just discovered that Vincenzo has a great blog: Sancte Pater. Exploring it, I found a sidebar picture which made me laugh so much I nearly had to make a mad dash for the bathroom...

I do think that the woman ought to be wearing a mantilla though!!

I Just DON'T Believe It !

Here I am, quietly reading through my favourite blogs, when suddenly I become aware of a spray of water hitting the back of my (bare) leg.

It's the cat. Only he isn't soaking wet... he's shaking his paw at me.

The paw is wringing wet, but the rest of him is completely dry...

And the paw-shaking seems to be totally deliberate. He didn't shake his paw until he crossed the room and got to my chair.

I'm being victimised by my cat...

UPDATE: I just checked - Sylvester's food bowl was empty. The water bowl wasn't...

THAT Time Of Year Again...

I completely forgot that British Summer Time starts tonight...

And the clocks go FORWARD so I lose an hour's sleep. Rats. I'm finding it difficult enough to get up in the morning as it is!!

How Very Remiss Of Me...

Things have been a little hectic of late. In particular, coursework season is upon us... this means that teachers have to try and figure out how to get their students to complete coursework and hand it in, but in such a way that (a) it is not a word-for-word copy of what the teacher has prepared as guidance, (b) it is not a word-for-word copy of what their friends have done (more difficult than it sounds, as they are, of necessity, working together and discussing ideas!) (c) it is not the work of their parents, (d) it is not cut-and-pasted from the Internet, and (e) it fulfils all the exam board's criteria.

I loathe coursework. It has to be read, suggestions for improvement made, (most of which will be ignored) marked, handed back for tweaking and then re-marked. It is tedious (there are only so many experiments possible in school laboratories) and painful for both student and teacher. And the mark schemes produced by the exam boards are tortuous, which makes marking the wretched work a real chore... There were rumours that coursework was going to be scrapped completely. Unfortunately, this doesn't appear to be the case...

Anyway, I haven't been blogging properly. The odd post each day. But I haven't been exploring...

So I've only just found Mother's Pride - a blog written by Jackie, who calls herself the Mother of this lot. "This lot" turns out to be five daughters.

I also discovered that Adrienne (of Adrienne's Catholic Corner) has a wonderful habit: she collects holy cards (buying them off ebay), and puts them in a bowl. Having noted that many of the beautiful cards are from the funerals of people many years ago, and working on the assumption that these people may have no-one left to pray for them, she proposes setting up an "Adopt a Bowl Person" campaign. You send her your details and she sends you the details of a soul to pray for. Truly a work of mercy. You can find out more HERE.

James Mawdsley had a thoughtful post on how our attitude to Christ on Calvary is demonstrated by our attitude to the Church - his body.

De-Stressing With Bubble Wrap...

I love popping bubble wrap. There is something almost compulsive about getting those little plastic bubbles popped...

Well, now there is virtual bubble wrap. There is an endless supply, just ask for a fresh sheet. And have a go in "manic mode."

Mantilla-twitch to Fr. Zuhlsdorf.

Prayers Needed Please !

I have just had it confirmed: I am to be an auntie for the second time!

My sister says she's due about October 10th. However, she had quite a few problems with the last pregnancy (and especially the labour) and she's bleeding again this time, so any prayers you can spare would be gratefully received!

Awards...

Well, ok, I didn't win. And I was only nominated for one category... and I only got four votes... but, to be fair, being up against such mega-bloggers as Fr. Z and Fr. Finigan meant that I had less than your average snowball's chance in hell...

However, Carolina Cannonball has decided to redress the balance, with the 2008 Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards (honouring the great 'obscure little guy' blogs.)

I was delighted to note that I didn't get nominated for the "More Catholic than the Pope" award (it's not possible to be more Catholic than the Pope and remain Catholic!) I did, however, scoot in with one nomination for the Best Church Militant Blog...

Woooooooooohoooooooo !

Carolina is inviting further nominations HERE. Voting will commence on April 1st. Hmmmn. That date seems strangely familiar...

Not Wishing To Be Pedantic, But...

Hillary Clinton seems to have contracted foot-in-mouth disease. Previously she claimed to have arrived in Tuzla in 1996 under sniper fire, and reported that she had to run from the plane for cover.

Unfortunately for Mrs. Clinton, the cameras were rolling... and enterprising newsies have exhumed the footage... which shows the First Lady being greeted by a smiling 8-year-old and calmly walking away from the plane.

Mrs. Clinton told a Pittsburgh radio station: "You know I have written about this and described it in many different settings and I did misspeak the other day. This has been a very long campaign. Occasionally, I am a human being like everybody else."

Only occasionally???

What is she the rest of the time?

I Hate To Say "I Told You So!" But...

I said some time ago that girls on the Sanctuary serving were a bad idea. We are too darned efficient. A lot of it is intuitive, because it does sort of depend on what Father decides to do next (at least it does in some parishes), but we are able to work it out by studying body language, several steps ahead, and then we muscle in and organise everything. And, on the Sanctuary, it's difficult to say what you need to do next because you'll be heard, so it's easier to do it yourself than to explain to that rather cloth-eared and painfully slow boy exactly where to go and what to do...

And the girls take over...

...and so the boys flee.

However, only boys can serve the Extraordinary Form of Mass. It's less intuitive, because it's all laid down exactly in the rubrics... and so it can be learnt. And there are no girls present to make the boys feel awkward and self-conscious...

...and surprise, surprise, the boys come back. In droves...

Not just in Blackfen either. The Boston Herald has noticed (and reported) the same trend... A twitch of the mantilla to Fr. Zuhlsdorf who adds his own commentary...

Oh, Mr Prime Minister, You Are Spoiling Us...

It would appear that Mr. Brown is feeling generous. His "generosity" leaves me feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

Gordon Brown has decided to drop the whip on parts of the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Bill. Labour MPs will be allowed a "free" vote. Just on three clauses, mind you. Generosity is not to be over-indulged. Once those three clauses have been either accepted or rejected, he says that Labour MPs must back the Bill.

At least one MP, Claire Curtis Thomas, has indicated that she has no intention of backing any bill which does not square with her conscience. I hope that more MPs will refuse to give in to such a patronising compromise which is, in truth, no compromise at all.

I cannot understand why the media are reporting this as a "climb down" by the Prime Minister, who only allowed the free vote after it was made clear by the whips that the Bill had enough support to pass anyway.

Four Candles...

As I was helping our Sacristan to set a few things up for the Easter Vigil, I commented to another helper that we needed four candles.

"Don't you mean fork 'andles?" was the response which had both of us grinning from ear to ear. I guess you have to be of a certain age for the phrase to mean anything, but for those of you too young to remember, I did a trawl through You Tube and was not disappointed...

Writing To MPs

Leutgeb (she of the spotty Welsh Bread) has been writing to her MP. She gives a very useful link which allows you to find out who your MP is, and their email addresses. It isn't quite as straightforward to negotiate as the link I have given previously, but it does have rather more information about the Members' interests, working parties, majority at the last election and so on.

She has also put up an excellent post on Cardinal O'Brien's sermon... though, as the extract she posted is so long, it is a little difficult to work out where the sermon ends and Leutgeb's own comments begin...

...partly because of the virulently yellow background, which makes it painful to read! I understand that Leutgeb likes her liturgical colours, but something a little gentler on the eyes next time, perhaps??

I'm also intrigued by her comment on Professor Winston...

It might be worth noting that SPUC recommend writing letters to MPs rather than sending emails. SPUC has a great deal of experience in Parliamentary lobbying matters, and so I'd be inclined to follow their advice... or write and email !

May You Live In Interesting Times...

... The title of this post is, apparently, an ancient Chinese curse. I think that the times in this country are getting to be very interesting indeed. There is more and more persecution of Catholics: not, surprisingly, from Muslims, or even from other Christian denominations, but from the secularists who want to smash any mention of God, aided and abetted by lapsed liberal Catholics who cannot bear the idea that there is such a thing as objective truth or objective morality.

More and more, we can see that the teachings of the Church are being attacked in legislation. To me this is very redolent of the Elizabethan and Jacobean laws which made it a matter of treason to be a Catholic priest or to give shelter or assistance to a priest. I find it shocking that, in a recent attempt to clear the statute books up a bit, the House of Lords called for several "old" laws to be removed... but no-one mentioned the law which forbids the monarch to marry a Catholic.

It is illegal to discriminate against a homosexual person. Discrimination is wrong, no doubt about it, but under the SOR legislation it is wrong to present heterosexual marriage as "better" than homosexual civil partnerships. This means that the Catholic Church, with her clear teaching on matters of morality, is on a hiding to nothing. It is only a matter of time before the first Catholics end up in the dock because they tried to pass on the Faith.

I believe that we are in for a time of persecution...

...and this might be just the wake-up call that is needed for Catholics in this country. I think we have become a little too comfortable with the status quo, attempting to fit in with the laws and regulations of the land. The fact that it has been possible to consider whether Catholicism should push for the same sort of status as the Church of England demonstrates this.

Bishop O'Donoghue of Lancaster Diocese being harangued by a Parliamentary Select Committee was an indication of how unpleasant things will probably get.

People are beginning to realise that we cannot just keep quiet and hope we'll be allowed to live our own lives quietly as long as we don't upset the apple cart: we can't even teach the Catholic Faith in our own Catholic schools - the MP who said openly that Faith schools were ok just as long as they didn't take the faith too seriously made that clear.

Anyway, I was delighted to hear the kerfuffle over Cardinal Keith O'Brien's Easter sermon criticising the Government's Human Fertilisation and Embrology Bill... when the BBC and the chattering classes start condemning a Church leader for speaking out on matters of morals, we know that he must be doing something right. And in the same vein, Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue has condemned anti-life legislation such as the HFE Bill and the laws which allow euthanasia by withdrawal of food and fluids.

Our Church leaders might just be beginning to wake up. And not a moment too soon!

New Blog

A friend of mine has recently started a new blog. Called "William on the hill" he claims that it is composed of writings and musings on life, the Catholic Church and things that make him laugh.

He's been rather poorly over the past few days, and missed the Triduum, so pop on over and say hallo to cheer him up...

Easter Sunday

As promised, here's a photo of the altar at Blackfen, all dressed up for the Easter Sunday High Mass. Hilda, our Sacristan, worked incredibly hard over the Triduum to make sure that everything was as beautiful as it could be. It's at times like this that I feel sorry for evangelical Christians (and liberal Catholics) - they don't believe that the externals are necessary. However, we are body and soul, spirit and matter... and God became incarnate for us to communicate with us more fully... so the material must matter... which is why we strive to give only our very best for the worship of God: the most beautiful buildings, the most beautiful artwork to adorn those buildings, the most beautiful and precious materials for the sacred vessels and altar linens, and the most beautiful vestments...

We are so lucky in Blackfen: after a gruelling Triduum culminating in a very late Easter Vigil, the choir were back on Sunday morning to sing. Our altar servers were also pretty amazing, and sacrificed the opportunity of a lazy Sunday morning (they had all fulfilled their Sunday obligation at the Vigil Mass) to come and serve Mass again. At the end, just after I had made my thanksgiving, I was nabbed by Father and the lads - though how they knew I'd have my phone camera to hand escapes me...

Triduum 2008

I should be in bed (or at least heading that way) but I'm still on a real high after the Easter Vigil - and so I'm breaking my blog-fast by putting up a post on the Triduum services (and drinking a rather wonderful cup of Green & Black's hot chocolate, as well as polishing off the remains of my Green & Black's Easter egg!)

Maundy Thursday's Mass of the Last Supper was very moving: I find myself holding my breath when Judas is mentioned in the Gospel, almost as if I hope that this year he won't "go through with it" and the procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose (shown in the photo... isn't it beautiful?) brings a lump to my throat. I am often really tired by this time on Maundy Thursday, and watching at the altar until midnight requires a real effort (funny how I don't normally have any problem staying up until midnight usually!) This year was made a bit more difficult because the wet weather is playing havoc with my poor old bones... and no, I have no idea why wet weather makes broken bones ache!

Good Friday dawned bright and sunny... but the wind was bitterly cold. I had considered going to the children's Stations of the Cross - they bring home-made crosses and get to read the meditations and hold up pictures, and their enthusiasm is heart-warming - but I was still very stiff and achy (which made me suspect that the sunshine would be short-lived) and so I went to the solemn celebration of Stations (which also has the advantage of being considerably shorter!)

Looking at the sanctuary, stripped bare of everything, was another poignant experience...

The Good Friday Liturgy was also very emotional: the reading of the Passion provided another opportunity for me to wonder what would have happened if the crowd hadn't shouted for Barabbas... or if Pilate had been braver...

...or if I had been less of a sinner! I have far less excuse than Pilate, or Judas, or the crowd: I know that Jesus is my Lord and God, and yet I still continue to betray him through my sins.

Have a closer look at the vestments Fr. Tim and the deacons are wearing: they are eighteenth century - and the lamb on the back of the chasuble is a real work of art.

I love the Easter Vigil. I discovered it "by accident" when I came back to the church (I was roped into the RCIA programme when I revealed how little catechesis I had received.)

The rain had stopped by Saturday evening, and the wind had died down considerably, though Fr. Tim looked as if he might go up in smoke more than once as the Easter fire sent sparks swirling through the air. The paschal candle actually went out at one point, and there was considerable difficulty in getting it relit.

Having the Exsultet and the Old Testament readings by candlelight is awesome... Fr. Tim had produced a "book" with the readings in (last year the first reader went up and read the first of the OT readings - from Genesis - instead of the third reading - from Exodus - which he was supposed to read. In order to reduce the chances of that sort of thing happening again, it was deemed sensible to omit the extra readings!) but I noticed that the plastic wallets appeared to be difficult to read through by candlelight.

I wasn't in the mood to take any more photos, so I haven't got any of the decorated altar: I shall try and get a few more tomorrow morning.

And now I think I shall call it a night. Here's wishing you a happy and holy Easter.

Chrism Mass 2008

Things have been pretty hectic at work, and there hasn't been the usual pre-holiday attenuation in pace (because it's not really pre-holiday in most schools...) This means that I left the placards for the Chrism Mass until the last minute... I had intended to make them on Tuesday, only I was too tired after the staff meeting... but that left Wednesday evening, so I wasn't terribly concerned... and then I went to Tenebrae... which took over two hours...

So I was up rather late finishing them off. Getting up this morning was therefore somewhat more tricky than usual, and I was bright-tailed and bushy-eyed rather than the opposite! I was awake enough to make sure that I packed the Chrism Mass Thank-You cards, and, mindful of the weather forecast, wrapped the placards in a bin liner for protection. I even managed to pay the London congestion charge online before leaving home.

When I arrived, the sun was shining brightly and I decided to leave my coat in the car - the Cathedral can get a little warm when it's crowded. However, I had forgotten that the corner at the front of the Cathedral is a windy one... before too long I was chilled to the bone, but didn't have time to return to the car...

I was soon joined by friends who held up the placards, and one of the girls helped me give out cards to the priests as they processed in at the start of Mass. It was a real pleasure to be able to do this. This year I was informed by one priest: "If you're praying for priests, I'll accept it, but not if you're spouting any of that 'women priests' nonsense..." I was able to assure him that I definitely didn't go in for "that nonsense."

I didn't manage to get any photos myself, but I believe that Fr. Tim did get one or two, so I shall post them as soon as he gets them to me.

Once the procession had gone in, I went in and found a seat behind a pillar. I was quite hopeful when I heard "The Church's one foundation" - I thought maybe the choice of music had undergone a transformation... it hadn't. This was brought home when a Marty Haugen number suddenly segued into "We shall overcome." Not quite sure what we're supposed to be overcoming at the Chrism Mass...

(And yes, I have been apprised of the fact that "The Church's one foundation" is a rousing Protestant hymn... I still like it, and until someone points out that the words are heretical, I shall continue to like it!)

The rain started while we were inside the Cathedral. The priests processed out at top speed, and there wasn't much hanging about outside. A few of us then went to the Three Stags pub for lunch. I must just point out that, contrary to the impression given by me in a previous post, Fr. Tim never expressed a distaste for cheese sandwiches, curled or otherwise... I know he doesn't like cheese sandwiches, and jumped to conclusions (and anyway, it was the like-minded brethren I was quoting!) ... but apparently the buffet lunch in Amigo Hall consists of items such as chicken curry and not cheese sandwiches...

The high point of the whole episode? For yet another year in Southwark, the feminazis and would-be priestesses didn't show up. They didn't make it to Westminster this year. We might not be the reason for their absence, though I like to think that they got discouraged by all the young girls and women who were so obviously faithful to the Church's teachings. Maybe it will give them pause for thought. Whatever. Deo gratias !

Tenebrae

A couple of posts ago I was bewailing the fact that I didn't feel as if I was in Holy Week, as I hadn't had the opportunity to "prepare" myself for the spiritual onslaught.

Well, a friend had told me that Tenebrae was being celebrated at Corpus Christi church, Maiden Lane, London, and he suggested that I make the effort to attend. I have to confess that I wasn't really in the mood by the end of my working day. I was feeling washed out and headachy. However, after getting home, I thought about what Our Lord had suffered for us, and considered what sort of a sorry state I was in for the start of the Triduum...

...and so I got back in the car and drove in to central London. I arrived at Covent Garden with about five minutes to go before the service was due to start, and began praying to St. Joseph to find me a parking space. I dreaded getting lost in the one-way maze of backstreets, but suddenly turned a corner and found myself right next to Maiden Lane, and lo and behold, there was a parking space just in front of me. The parking restriction had finished half an hour previously, so I grabbed my mantilla and shot in to the church with a minute to spare!

And what a wonderful service it was. The church is quite small and intimate, but the acoustics are really good... the psalms and readings were chanted from the front, but some of the antiphons and responses were sung from a gallery at the back of the church: the music was spine-tinglingly good. I tried to record it on my phone, but without success.

It was certainly an experience I'd want to repeat: the mournful tones of the psalms, the role of Judas Iscariot in planning his betrayal, and the sense of impending doom really bring home the meaning of what is about to happen over the next few days...

I will try to put up a post about the morning's Chrism Mass tomorrow, but after that I shall be on private "retreat" for the Triduum.

Deo Gratias !

Auntie Joanna reports that the Chrism Mass "Thank You" Rally in support of the priests of Westminster Diocese went very well today... and joy of joys, the usual protest group calling for the ordination of women did not make an appearance!

Face it, hippies...

Quite A Challenge...

This is the first time, in my ten years' of teaching, that I will not be having an Easter "holiday." A couple of times I had to work during the first part of Holy Week, and twice before (maybe three times...) I've had to take Maundy Thursday off as unpaid leave so as to be able to attend the Chrism Mass at St. George's Cathedral, but the Triduum has always been part of my school holiday: usually the start, more often the middle. And the Easter Octave has been a joyous celebration, with the luxury of daily Mass.

This year my school has a "Spring Break". Most people still refer to it as the Easter holiday, which has led to some confusion: when I speak of Easter, I mean this coming weekend, whereas most of my colleagues mean the holiday which will occur two weeks later. The phrase "The coursework has to be marked by Easter" takes on a rather different meaning (and caused me to experience near-heart-failure!)

It means that this year I feel totally unprepared for the Triduum and Easter Sunday. Work is continuing apace, instead of slowing down for the holiday. I haven't been able to get myself "geared up" physically and mentally for the private retreat I usually make, and haven't even managed to draw up my timetable in preparation. Tomorrow I have a "twilight Inset" session (two hours after school listening to someone burble on about inconsequential items that would be better off put into a memo... and then shredded.) Wednesday sees an after-school staff meeting. More burbling... though this time it's departmental stuff, and so not a complete waste of time.

So no time to prepare myself. And I am out-of-sorts as a result: caught off-balance, wrong-footed... and I've realised that I don't like it one little bit.

I guess I've been spoiled...

Shroud Of Turin Damaged...

The Shroud of Turin, an ancient linen cloth believed to bear the image of Christ and considered by many clerics and devotees to be one of the holiest relics of the Christian faith, was inadvertently dyed a light shade of pink after being washed with a red T-shirt, sources reported Tuesday.

Check out the rest of this story over at The Onion. Mantilla-twitch to the Curt Jester.

A Landmark Event...

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos will become the first cardinal to celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in Westminster Cathedral since the 1960s. The cardinal was invited to do so by the Latin Mass Society, for the High Mass after their Annual General Meeting.

Pontifical High Mass in the Cathedral - this is an event not to be missed!

Clarification...

I put up a post on the use of IVF to produce designer babies, and gave an example of deaf parents on the BBC's Moral Maze programme saying that they would like to be able to select a deaf child. I also said that I hadn't listened to the programme itself (it's bad for my blood pressure.)

Newhousenewjob obviously did follow the actual programme, and she explained in a comment on my post that the media had put a rather nasty spin on the whole affair. The comment deserves to get a wider airing:

The way this question has been presented in the media has muddied the waters on the real issue in the original report, which is that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill as it stands contains a provision which would make it ILLEGAL for doctors to implant an embryo with any genetic defect.

A deaf couple reacted to this by saying, "What's wrong with being deaf that you can't be allowed to live?" and said that they would actually quite like a deaf child - and this was the bit that the media then manipulated.

Rather than being an issue about living embryos being killed because they didn't meet the government's definition of 'perfect', the row then turned to whether these deaf parents should have the right to say they would like a deaf child - conveniently ignoring the fact that originally they did not say (as I understand it) that they wanted specifically to be able to pick out a deaf embryo to keep, but that they didn't want any deaf embryo that might be created to be thrown away.

This Might Explain A Few Things...

You Are Garlic

Of all the spice types, you are the most universally loved. You get long with pretty much everyone, and you leave a lasting impression. You adapt yourself well to situations. You can fit in or stand out, depending on what you're called on to do.

What Spice Are You?

Not too sure about the "universally loved" bit...

Mantilla-twitch to Fr. Daren, the Servant and Steward (who's Basil !)

Designer Babies...?

John Smeaton gives a summary of this week's "Moral Maze" on Radio 4... I have to say that I have given up listening to this programme because it just makes me angry.

The question this week was whether or not the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill should allow deaf parents specifically to select for implantation those embryos which have been diagnosed as likely to be deaf.

The idea that children are commodities, to be chosen on the basis of their "desirable" characteristics (whatever those characteristics actually are) which make them acceptable "accessories" for their parents and/or siblings just goes to show how very far into the mire we, as a society, have sunk.

One Of Those Weeks...

I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like this week... life has sort of intervened... on top of my usual teaching load, I've had an "emergency" faculty meeting to discuss coursework issues, a rehearsal for the readers at the Confirmation Mass, another staff meeting, a Parents' evening, and, tonight, the Confirmation Mass itself... I feel as if I could sleep for a week. Unfortunately, tomorrow is a school day, so I have to get to bed before I turn into a pumpkin...

The Lines Have Been Drawn...

I mentioned before that Bishop Patrick O'Donogue was to be hauled up before the Education Select Committee because he was so unreasonable as to suggest that Catholic Schools might actually want to teach the Catholic Faith...

Another terribly unreasonable idea seems to be that Catholic Schools should not support charities which directly oppose the values of the Catholic Church. What !!!?? Is the Bishop actually suggesting that Catholic schoolchildren should not help to pay for abortions (through charity events such as Jeans for Genes Day) with their pocket-money?

You can read a fuller account over at John Smeaton's Blog. It seems the Bishop did well. John suggests that people might want to write to him to congratulate him on making a stand with his document Fit for Mission? Schools and also to show their support.

Address all letters to: Bishop’s Apartment, Cathedral House, Balmoral Road, Lancaster, LA1 3BT.

Homework...

I hate having to set homework... probably even more than the students for whom I set it...

I remember being given homework for the first time in Primary school... I think it was for my last year: I asked for some Maths questions, because they were fun, and I loved puzzles. I remember having to learn a list of spellings every so often, and doing some reading, but that was it.

Secondary school was a bit more like work: you had stuff to finish off (if you didn't manage to get it done in class) and sometimes the odd essay... and the French vocabulary stuff had to be learned... Even so, there wasn't that much of it. It increased for the 'O' and 'A' Levels, obviously, but not much up until then.

Now it seems that everyone has to have homework. Merely finishing off what was supposed to be done in class isn't sufficient. And to make sure that you don't get it all on one day, there has to be a homework timetable. Looking at the timetable, I'd say that your average Year 7 (11-12 years) has to study at home for an extra hour and a half, minimum. Monday to Friday. This is on top of the school day, where they may have had (in my school, at least) five hours' of lessons... (some days they may have had something like PE for one of the hours, but it could be five proper lessons in one day.) They will have been in school from about 8:30am to 3:30pm, with travel time on top of that for some of them, and then homework.

There is precious little time after that for much else. And the research seems to show that homework doesn't actually do much good, at least not for younger children. I've been saying that for years. With any luck, someone will see sense, and get rid of it...

...however, until that happens, the homework I set yesterday is still due in tomorrow, and don't tell me the cat ate it...

Oh, It Must Be Easter Again...

...How do I know this? Well, surprising though it may seem (not), the BBC is planning to screen a new drama, in Holy Week, about the last week of Jesus' life, in which Judas Iscariot, Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate are portrayed in a favourable light... As the Telegraph Online reports,

'Nigel Stafford-Clark, who produced the BBC1 series, said he wanted to put the characters' actions in context, "so you can see it from their point of view and realise that what they did felt legitimate." In an interview with the Radio Times, Mr Stafford-Clark said:"By such accounts as there are from the time, Caiaphas was reckoned to be a fair man and a good high priest. [He was] a man doing a very difficult job and doing it well." '

Another priceless quote from a spokesman at the Beeb, (an organisation which, as we know, is totally impartial towards Christian groups in general and Catholic ones in particular), had me rolling in the aisles...

"We are not seeking to subvert or rewrite the Gospel narrative – we are just retelling it to bring it alive for a contemporary audience."

Right... a traitor who betrays his friend and mentor for thirty pieces of silver, a priest who frames an innocent man on Blasphemy charges, and a corrupt politician who knowingly condemns an innocent man to death are the good guys in this non-subversive rewrite retelling.

How very contemporary.

We're Going To Have Weather!

We supposedly live in a temperate climate. The UK is surrounded by water. We have seasons. At the moment, the seasons do not appear to coincide with the calendar, but that's a minor point. My main point is that Winter is supposed to be wet, and cold, and windy. And it might occasionally snow. Summer is supposed to be hot... ok, warm, and mainly dry. Spring and Autumn are somewhere in between Winter and Summer, and rain is a distinct possibility...

Despite this variable weather pattern, we seem, as a nation, to be singularly bad at coping with whatever Mother Nature sends our way...

In Autumn, trains are delayed because there are leaves on the line. No... really? Leaves? You mean to say that they fall off the trees in Autumn?? How very odd...

In Winter, if you get more than 5mm of snow, the road system seems to suffer total paralysis. One evening, a couple of years ago, I parked outside the presbytery and went in for a meeting with Fr. Tim. I couldn't have been in for more than three-quarters of an hour. When I came out, it had started to snow... it took me nearly two hours to get home... a drive which normally takes all of 15 minutes.

Of course, the trains are then delayed (or even cancelled) because of frozen points, or electrical failures... or (and I am not making this up) the wrong type of snow on the lines. Bear in mind that I do not recall the temperature ever dropping to anything below -5 °C... we are not talking major freeze.

If it doesn't snow, then it rains. If it rains for more than three days on the trot, then the drains and sewers back up, and the rivers flood. It would appear that quite a lot of houses have been built on flood plains. So they get flooded out. This is not good for trains.

In Summer, we have drought warnings and hosepipe bans. Apparently all the water which falls as rain during Autumn, Winter and Spring is... you got it... the wrong type of rain. It falls too fast, and the water-table isn't being replenished. And in hot weather, the train rails buckle...

Ok, I hear you cry, why the rant? Simple! The whole of England is being put under a "severe" weather warning for tonight and tomorrow. We've been advised to stay indoors, not to drive unless it's absolutely necessary, and to avoid coastal areas.

I'll be interested to see whether the trains are running tomorrow...

Cat Poster !

A good friend sent this picture by email, and I decided to share, because it made me smile.

And Now It Begins...?

It was only a matter of time. The laws in the UK are becoming more and more antagonistic towards Catholics who actually take their faith seriously. With the Mental Capacity Act, living wills, SORs, the denial of conscientious objection for GPs and pharmacists in matters of contraceptive provision etc. etc., the writing has been on the wall for Catholics for some time. We assume that, sooner rather than later, Catholics will be put on trial for their beliefs, and the next step will be imprisonment.

The Government has steadily increased its control of education and has made its "Every Child Matters" programme compulsory, including all the guff about how being "safe" and "healthy" means that children should be given sex education as soon as possible, contraceptives so that they can put the theory into practice without any "nasty" consequences, and the morning-after pill and abortion on demand when some of those consequences materialise.

Funny how, despite sex education being pretty explicit when I was at comprehensive school nearly three decades ago, and contraception being widely available (and free if obtained through a family planning clinic), The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. If I didn't know better, I'd say that all that sex education and contraceptive advice didn't actually work. But, of course, it must work, because the Government's answer to the rising teenage pregnancy rate is to have more sex education and more contraceptive advice. There wouldn't be any point in having more of something that was proven not to work, would there?

Anyway, Bishop O'Donoghue dared to produce a document for use in Catholic Schools which demanded that those schools promote Catholicism. Doesn't sound too unreasonable, does it? For Catholic schools to teach Catholicism? It's why they were built in the first place, using money from the collections taken in Catholic parishes... And they're still funded, in part, by the Church... But no, the idea that a Catholic school should promote Catholic ideas is unacceptable to our Government. All schools must promote the Government's ideas...

It seems that Bishop O'Donoghue is to pay for making such unreasonable demands. After sticking his head above the parapet, he has been asked to appear before the Commons select committee for Education, Wednesday 12th March, to defend his document "Fit for Mission for Schools."

Twitch of the mantilla to Fr. Paul Harrison, who asks that we pray for Bishop O'Donoghue.

Chrism Mass at St. George's Cathedral...

...it has become traditional (well, it's happened every year for the five years since the institution of this gathering!) for those who were cheering for the priests as they processed in to the Chrism Mass to make their way down to a local pub for lunch once the Mass is finished.

Fr. Tim usually joins us, along with a few of his like-minded brethren who feel that curling cheese sandwiches and sausages on a stick from the Cathedral buffet are just not substantial enough to see them through the evening festivities... no doubt they don't fancy sandwiches which will remind them of the feet they will be washing later!

If any bloggers are in the vicinity, feel free to join us: we'll be in the Three Stags pub, on the corner of Kennington Road and Lambeth Road, starting around 1:15pm

Feelings Of Indignation !

The final hymn at Mass this morning propelled me into an apoplectic rage. God of mercy and compassion used to be a hymn I quite liked. It was never a favourite, as such, but it has a simple melody, and the sentiments are suitably penitential...

At least, they used to be suitably penitential, until the pc-crowd got hold of it and put in alternative words...

Now, the chorus used to run as follows:

Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy,
let me not implore in vain;
all my sins I now detest them,
never will I sin again.

Fine and dandy, you might think. It doesn't appear controversial, does it? No non-inclusive language to be mucked around with... So surely they wouldn't feel the need to change any of the words? Wrong !

You see, this chorus is rather negative in tone. It might just make people feel uncomfortable. I mean, it's bad enough that we have to acknowledge that we've been a bit naughty... and hey, we will even use the "s" word... but we're not such bad people really, and Jesus just has to be merciful and forgive us, doesn't he? Because otherwise we might actually have to consider the possibility that our sins can send us to the other place. You know, the one we don't talk about... and like to consider as empty... despite several references by JC himself to its many inhabitants!! So, let's smooth things over and make the language a little less offensive...

Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy,
knowing it is not in vain;
all my sins I now detest them,
help me not to sin again.

God is certainly merciful... and we can run to his Sacred Heart and implore his forgiveness. If we are truly sorry, he will forgive us. But we cannot presume to be forgiven. We only know it for certain through the absolution given in the Sacrament of Confession... and we cannot safely assume that we will have either true contrition or the opportunity to get to Confession...

The Owl Returns...

The Owl of the Remove has returned to regular blogging with an entertaining post on Monsignor 'the enforcer' Marini's recent visit to the US. So I guess that stealth priestesses, liturgical prancers and tie-dye vestments won't feature much...