Back In The Real World...

Well, I'm back home again. The pilgrimage to Lourdes was really wonderful... I was almost disappointed that the Icelandic volcano hadn't prevented us leaving...

Every cloud has a silver lining: at least I've had a chance to download my photos, and upload some of them to Flickr. I have realised that Flickr works best if you choose a few photos, rather than uploading the whole lot indiscriminately.

The weather was glorious: we had one morning where there was a dip in temperature and that very fine, misty rain (it would have to be the morning we had scheduled the group photo) but it had stopped by the time we had finished Mass. My camera was put to very good use, and I think one or two of my photos are really stunning.

I will post more about Lourdes later, but I just want to share a little joke which always makes me smile every time I enter the Domaine. Along the ramps there are various statues of saints. At the very bottom, there are two statues...

St. Remy is on the left. The one on the right is... you guessed it... St. Martin.

Now that had to be deliberate...

As in-jokes go, that's one of the best...

Last Night In Lourdes...

Alas, tonight is my last night here in Lourdes.

I was up ridiculously late last night, desperately trying to learn the
sequence for our Corpus Christi High Mass this morning. When, at
3:30am, I dropped off for five minutes, and woke with a start still
clutching the hymn book, I realised that it was time to call it a
night...

This morning's Mass was back in the parish church in Lourdes. The
acoustics in the crypt covered a multitude of errors, and we managed
somehow. I also sang Mozart's Ave Verum.

It was incredibly moving to have Mass in the parish church on the day
that St. Bernadette made her First Holy Communion. We shall be back
next year too, if they'll have us. We finished up with a procession
around the crypt (the steep stairs, and the stream of tour groups made
leaving the crypt with the Blessed Sacrament impossible) followed by
Benediction. I was too busy singing the propers and sequence to take
photos during Mass, but I got some at Benediction...

I shall post some photos as soon as I get back...

A leisurely lunch ensued, and then I wandered back to the hotel ( via
several shops) for a brief siesta. The Blessed Sacrament procession
was the only scheduled activity for the afternoon - it finishes in the
Basilica of St. Pius X, and I got some good photos. Sadly, the
preponderence of ladies of an overly mature age acting as incense
bearers made it feel more like a pagan ceremony than Benediction. I
offered it up...

There's the final procession tonight, and then an early night for me, I think...

I Love Lourdes...

It is wonderful to be able to visit the place where Our Lady chose to
appear, as Fr. Tim reminded us in his sermon this morning.

The visit to the Baths yesterday involved a very penitential wait (I
didn't have any children or obviously disabled pilgrims to accompany
me) but it was well worth the effort.

This morning started with the official group photo in front of the
Rosary Basilica, and then people made their way to the parish church.
As we have three priests on the pilgrimage, it seemed an excellent
opportunity to celebrate Solemn High Mass.

Unfortunately I am not a proper musician, and the only people really
competent enough to sing the Gregorian chant were all saying or
serving Mass... which left me to sing the propers according to the
Rossini psalm tones. The glorious acoustics in the Crypt prevented it
from sounding too thin, and the congregation joined in for the
ordinary chants of the Mass, so that was good.

In the afternoon, we went to Bartres. This was the village where St.
Bernadette's wet-nurse lived, and where, just before the first
Apparition, St. Bernadette worked as a shepherdess. I took photos of
the house and the parish church, but had to give the sheepfold a miss,
as the walk over the hills to the barn where St. Bernadette was too
steep for me.

Fr. Tim met and chatted to the Sacristan, and I now have the
delightful task of contacting the Parish to arrange a Mass at Bartres
for next years' pilgrimage...

Second Day...

This morning was slightly overcast, but with the promise of bright
sunshine to come. We found the new Glorious Cross chapel without any
difficulty... and then rather wished we hadn't bothered, as it
resembled a classroom.

Jonathan, our senior MC, had packed most of Blackfen's sacristy, and
the use of two proper candles immediately upped the reverence quotient
(in my humble opinion - but then again, some of you may prefer the
asymmetrical, faux candle effect) !

Fr. Charles said the Mass, and Fr. Tim provided a few catechetical reflections.

Afterwards I went to register our group with the Information bureau,
pay a donation for the group, collect our ticket for the afternoon Way
of the Cross, and meet up with our guide for the tour of Lourdes. This
provided the first little hiccough... there wasn't a spare guide, as
ours had reported sick or something. No possibility of a tour until
Thursday. Alas, Thursday is one of our solemn High Masses in the
Parish church. Then they asked if we minded joining up with another
group. We didn't, so everything was back on course. I delivered the
members of our group to the guide (I have done the tour many times
before, and my ankle was playing up, so I decided the hilly town walk
was not a good idea) and then went for a cup of hot chocolate.

Pausing to drop some stuff in my hotel room, I then wandered back down
to the Grotto for some personal prayer time. I also took a few photos.
The sight of me taking photos I'm the Rosary Basilica brought all
sorts of people over to ask me to take photos of themselves, something
I was very happy to do.

Lunch then beckoned: magret de canard, one of my favourite dishes.

I'm now off to the Baths. Hopefully the lunch of roast duck won't make
me sink without trace...

We Have Arrived...

We have finally arrived in Lourdes, after a surprisingly uneventful
journey - albeit a very long one.

I didn't manage to get any posts prepared in advance, so I'm pretty
much restricted to what I can send from my iPhone... And, unless I am
very lucky, I doubt that I will be able to upload any photos or video
clips until I get home.

Still, I shall do my best to keep you up to date!

Woe, Woe And Thrice, Woe...

My car broke down again today. I was driving merrily down the A2 towards Bluewater, at 70 mph, when the car engine started to rattle. I really didn't like the sound of the rattle, so I pulled over onto the hard shoulder.

The A2 is actually more like a motorway at that point (obviously, or I wouldn't be doing 70 mph... or at least I wouldn't be blogging about it!) so I had to get out of the car on the passenger side.

I am not the most agile of people, so this manoeuvre wasn't the easiest to accomplish. At least this time I didn't end up with my feet stuck above the dashboard as I attempted to get over the gear stick. It didn't help that lorries were thundering past, making my little Hyundai shake.

However, I finally succeeded in getting out, and clambered over the small crash barrier at the side. I couldn't walk very far away because of the bushes growing there, but I thought I was probably at a safe enough distance.

And then it started to rain...

Luckily my breakdown service arrived pretty quickly.

The damage was self-inflicted, and I really could kick myself... I had forgotten to check the oil, and the engine, although fine when idling, is now making a nasty rattle when revved... and, since it couldn't be fixed at the road side, I was driven home again.

The engine will need stripping, and probably replacing. I wouldn't mind, but I have only just had the gearbox done... At this rate I'll have a new car by Christmas...

A Moment To Treasure...

I was driving home this afternoon in the sunshine, and I stopped to allow a mother and her children to cross over to get to the park.

The mother obviously told her children to wave a "thank you" as they crossed.

The youngest child, a toddler, took her words to heart: he came to a dead stop in the middle of the crossing, and, facing me, waved furiously while beaming from ear to ear.

It quite made my day!

I Can See Clearly Now Lorraine Has Gone...

Misheard lyrics can be a source of amusement (like the one in the post title!) However, they can also really change the whole meaning of a song.

I always thought the Mamas & the Papas' classic, California Dreamin', went "Got down on my knees, and I began to pray..."

It seems that they were only pretending.

I also thought it had the line "If I didn't love her, I could leave today" whereas the actual lyrics are "If I didn't tell her..."

*sigh*

I think I prefer my version.

In the wake of having my illusions destroyed, I have been comforting myself with the reflection that this group really must have been strange... the woman in the middle looks as if she's desperate to go to the toilet, and is skittering around on one spot until she can escape, while the chap on the far right is trying to flick his fringe out of his eyes without moving his head too much... and the less said about his "dancing" the better...

I've Been Busy...

...so I haven't been blogging.

I have almost completed all my preparations for the Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes, and am no longer hyperventilating whenever anyone mentions Icelandic volcanoes or British Airways.

However, in case I allow myself to get too relaxed, a friend sent me a little snippet from the Daily Telegraph about a kitten who crawled into the washing machine for a nap...

Luckily Sylvester is too fat to fit comfortably into the washing machine...

Time For A Cat Post...

Admission By Ticket Only...?

I was quite amazed to hear that the powers-that-be are attempting to restrict the numbers of people attending events during the Papal visit.

Auntie Joanna and Bara Brith summarise the feelings of ordinary Catholics quite well, and Damian Thompson has given some of the background information which might explain what's going on.

I can understand the need to have tickets for events in enclosed spaces, such as the Mass at Westminster Cathedral. I do not understand why people are being discouraged from attending open-air events.

I personally hate large crowds, and my knee and ankle problems make my attendance at such events tricky, especially if it is necessary to walk long distances. However, I am busy reflecting on whether it will be possible for me to go and line the route somewhere...

I remember the effect that the visit of Pope John Paul II had on my father...

I was 14, and had only been baptised a couple of years, and wasn't entirely sure what "being Catholic" meant. My father had been lapsed for so long that, on trying to arrange for the baptism of my sister and me, he had returned after Mass absolutely apoplectic at the fact that "it had all turned ****** protestant!" - something I didn't understand at the time. I now realise that he'd completely missed the introduction of the novus ordo, and its contrast with the usus antiquior must have come as quite a shock.

At the time Pope John Paul II visited Westminster Cathedral, my father was helping to re-fit and refurbish the Reubens Hotel, Buckingham Palace Road. He came home that evening, and, with tears in his eyes, he recounted to me how he'd stood at the front windows of the hotel and waved as the Holy Father went past... and how the Holy Father had appeared to catch his eye as he waved back.

I know that this experience had a profound effect on my father, although I never got the chance to ask him about it - he died less than three months later.

He'd never have managed (or even tried) to get a ticket...

Advice For The New Government...?

I have discovered that I can download episodes of various classic comedy programmes onto my iPhone... just in case the wait at the airport proved to be longer than usual!

Among my favourites are the series Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister. The following snippet seemed rather appropriate... though, of course, we have had to endure centralised control of education for well over a decade now...

An Update On Sylvester...

Sylvester has been a little clingy of late.

I am used to being woken up at 3am if it rains overnight, being headbutted by a faceful of wet, purring cat - he has discovered that this is the fastest way to get himself dried off.

However, he hasn't been out quite so much recently. I assumed that he was feeling his age... his whiskers have turned completely white and he's finding it harder to jump up on things.

It seems that there is more to it than simple old age. One of my neighbours has a new cat - a sleek, Siamese crossbreed. The newcomer has been asserting his territorial rights, and Sylvester (according to another neighbour) came off worst in a recent spat. No actual damage done, apart from injured pride. However, he has been top cat in the garden for quite a few years, and I suspect that his demotion has hit him hard...

Is it very wrong of me to consider lurking in the garden with a water spray...?

Summer May Have Arrived In Britain...

Even I have noticed the rise in temperature over the past few days. The mornings are still a little on the chilly side for me...

I got into my car this afternoon, after Mass and a couple of refreshing drinks (non-alcoholic in my case) in the parish club. I put one hand on the steering wheel, and found that it was actually too hot to hold... it felt as if I was in danger of burning myself quite badly...

Fortunately, I was able to pull the sleeves of my roll-neck jumper down over my hands to protect them while driving home...

...and, if it's this hot tomorrow, I might consider leaving off the t-shirt I'm currently wearing under the jumper and jacket.

Possibly.

Tomato Soup Update...

I have been very touched by the response to my request for prayers... both in the com-box and over at Fr. Z's blog. I think the lesson went reasonably well, but the interview less so.

The tomato soup and cardboard ensemble performed as expected. What the students made of it was harder to assess. At least it was the lesson after lunch, so no rumbling tums to disrupt proceedings.

Unfortunately, the media clips I had inserted oh-so-carefully into my powerpoint presentation didn't actually work, something to do with the software version. Fortunately, I had remembered to save the clips separately as well, so got to show them at the end...

I will know by the end of tomorrow...

Prayers Please...

Tomorrow I have a job interview. Part of the process will involve teaching Year 9 about plate tectonics. I find this one of the most boring topics on the specification: I much prefer torturing jelly babies...

In an attempt to liven things up, I have planned a demonstration. When I tell you that this involves pieces of cardboard and a pan of tomato soup, you will appreciate that tomorrow could be a trifle fraught. Prayers would be welcome.

I will be providing my own tomato soup, to ensure the correct viscosity... as well as practicing my pronunciation of Eyjafjallajokull... ah-ya-fyah... aye-ya-fee-ya... ay-yor-feh... that Icelandic volcano...

Where I Will Be In A Fortnight...

The annual Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes is coming up. I have to admit that my usual excitement at the prospect of spending a week in Lourdes is somewhat muted by the knowledge that the Icelandic volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier is still merrily belching out ash, which may or may not result in flight cancellations, and British Airways cabin crews may or may not be out on strike...

However, if we're lucky, in two weeks' time I shall be praying for you all at the Grotto at Massabielle. I love Lourdes.

Last year we managed to celebrate Mass in the crypt of the parish church in Lourdes. This year we are lucky enough to have arranged two Masses there. We shall also have two Masses in the Domaine - one Mass will be in the St. Gabriel Chapel (an old favourite, next to the Crypt Chapel) and the other will be in the Chapelle Croix Glorieuse. This is a new chapel - so new, in fact, that it doesn't feature anywhere on the Lourdes Sanctuaires website.

I have been told that the chapel is near the Way of the Cross, but that's all I know. I am just praying that it doesn't in any way resemble the St. Patrick Chapel. That chapel resembled a large cupboard... or possibly a small garage... and was the deciding factor in His Hermeneuticalness' decision to run the pilgrimage ourselves, rather than using tour operators who thought it acceptable to arrange to celebrate Masses in cupboards simply because the cupboard had been named after a saint...

This year I shall have my snazzy camera with me. I am toying with the idea of bringing my monopod, but it'll be a bit of a hassle to carry it everywhere. I shall be armed with an 8GB memory card as well, so I should manage to get a few little photos for the blog...

Aborted Baby Cried...

This has to be one of the most horrible stories I've read... I thought that, in China, if the baby managed to take a breath, then it was classed as a person and had the right to life - which was why, in cases of "illegal" second pregnancies, they had the practice of injecting formaldehyde into the baby's head just as it crowned, so that the child would be born dead.

Twitch of the mantilla to the European Life Network.

Church Sign Apologetics...

Larry D, over at Acts of the Apostasy, had me snorting into my cup of tea with this offering. Be sure to go over and read the entire exchange!

The Truth About Planned Parenthood...

I posted the Blood Money trailer back in September of last year, but it bears a repeat showing. Fr. John Boyle received an email about it today, and apparently the producers need people to visit the website so they can demonstrate interest.

The Holy Father In Portugal...

Fr Gonzales (of Overheard in the Sacristy fame) posted the following photo, which made me smile. I would just like to point out to His Hermeneuticalness that the phone in question is not a clunky Android phone, but a super-sleek iPhone...

...like the one I have.

Fr. Gonzales also posted the Holy Father's text number. I hope it's true... I shall try it out tomorrow (after all, it's 10:45pm over there now, so it's a little late to be getting text messages from strange women...)

And Another Link To Check Out...

I do occasionally stumble upon new blogs (ok, new-to-me) without having received a heads-up in the com-box or a plea to be included on the blogroll.

The Noise of the Crusade is a new blog - it appears to have been started in April - and there is no information on Last Knight, the author... not even location or sex. From the subject matter, I shall assume that the Knight is male, unless he informs me otherwise... and the current blogroll (on which I am honoured to be included amongst very august company) seems to indicate that he may hail from Albion's shores...

More Links To Explore...

Autumn asked me to publicise her two blogs and to add them to my blogroll. After checking her out (she's a wife, mother, grandmother, homemaker, and still has time to update two blogs!!? I'm doing something wrong!) I am happy to recommend both of them.

I vaguely recall Autumn as "Autumn Rose" - her main blog URL seems familiar - but I suspect she got culled in a previous existence... I get rather ruthless about cutting out dead or inactive blogs from my blogroll, sometimes too much so!

Anyway, she's got lots of fascinating stuff, and her talents in the cakemaking realm leave me utterly speechless (and drooling... definitely drooling!)

So, go and visit Life on the Home Front if you want to know about cakes, homemaking, war-time recipes and other stuff, and Autumn's Leaves for musings on life, the universe and everything else... and be sure to tell her that I sent you!

Busy Again...

I've been busy with my camera this afternoon, taking photos at the last of our First Holy Communion Masses.

The children were ever so sweet.

I have loaded all of the photos onto Flickr, so they are freely available for downloading. Alternatively, you can just look at them as a slideshow.

Linky Love...

This week in Linky Love, I would like to draw your attention to four different blogs by one author, one grateful heart.

One grateful heart is a Catholic wife, mother and grandmother in the United States. Her excellent blogs are:

Grateful for Purgatory - which takes note of St. Pio's injunction to pray unceasingly, as we need to empty Purgatory.

Eucharistic Adoration for Priests - encouraging the Faithful to pray for priests, especially during this Year of the Priest, before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Grateful for Life - an excellent pro-life blog.

Venite Adoremus Dominum - what I would consider to be the blog proper!

All excellent blogs, and I can heartily recommend a visit.

Urgent Plea For Help...!

The Good Counsel Network is a group which works tirelessly to help women in crisis pregnancies. Fr. John Boyle highlighted the dire financial straits the group is in:

Today Good Counsel has £50 in the bank, we needed £445 to buy this week's food vouchers. We are supporting fourteen mothers and their children at the moment, whose only support is this small weekly voucher. Please pray the following prayer for the next nine days and if you can help, donate online (click on the sidebar link) or transfer money into our bank account (phone + 44 (0) 20 7723 1740 or email for details). As times are hard, our income has gone down and our expenses have gone up.

Please forward this message to anyone who you think may help. For more information about Good Counsel see our blog.

NOVENA TO ST. RITA

Helper of the hopeless

Holy Patroness of those in need, St. Rita, you were humble, pure and patient. Your pleadings with your divine Spouse are irresistible, so please obtain for me from our risen Jesus the request I make of you, that Good Counsel will raise the funds they need and my own request (mention it.)

Be kind to me for the greater glory of God, and I shall honour you and sing your praises forever.
Glorious St. Rita, you miraculously participated in the sorrowful passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Obtain for me now the grace to suffer with resignation the troubles of this life, and protect me in all my needs. Amen.

Our Father, Hail, Mary, Glory be to the Father...

They haven't yet set up a PayPal button, though, hopefully, they will do so very soon. I doubt that they'll mind too much which method of payment you make, but the faster the better!

Please help financially if you can, and by prayer either way!

Feast Of The Ascension...

The Bishops of England & Wales, in their valiant efforts to support the implementation of Summorum Pontificum, (*snigger*) moved the obligation attached to the Feast of the Ascension to next Sunday.

They haven't actually moved the Ascension, which is, of course, 40 days after the Resurrection... they just moved the obligation to attend Mass, along with the Mass propers for the Ordinary Form calendar. This frees up those of us with an attachment to the Extraordinary Form to attend Mass on the correct day according to the usus antiquior.

Somehow, I suspect that their Lordships didn't quite anticipate this state of affairs when they freed up an extra Thursday in the calendar...

Be that as it may, I shall be getting my dose of Latin, lace, bells and smells this evening! I may even take a few photos...

One Of Life's Imponderables...

Why is it that, when I have a cup of tea during my 15 minute morning break, I burn my tongue trying to drink it, but, a cup of tea made first thing in the morning goes cold while I'm brushing my teeth?

*sigh*

It's Been A While...

...so I thought a cat picture was in order. Enjoy!!

The End Is Just The Beginning...

After what has been the most interesting UK election in decades, (ok, interesting for me... the others have all been predictable, boring and over in 24 hours) the end has been declared. Gordon Brown has resigned (and not the grudging "I'll step down in September to allow the Labour Party to make a pact with the LibDems" statement of yesterday) and David Cameron has gone to the Palace.

So now we have a new Prime Minister. David Cameron takes over immediately, which is in stark contrast to the way things happen across the pond.

Personally, I distrust politicians as a group. The parties will promise anything in order to get your vote, and then do whatever is politically expedient. The old joke goes something like this:

How do you know when a politician is lying?

Simple.

If he scratches his nose, he's telling the truth.

If he rubs his chin, he's telling the truth.

If he pulls at his earlobe, he's telling the truth.

But if he opens his mouth...

The incoming Conservative government is unlikely to be much better than the outgoing Labour one. If the rumours are true (see at 21:13), in order to make a deal with the LibDems, Cameron has already bargained away tax breaks for married couples - which was one of the few pro-family policies the Conservatives had in their manifesto.

Wait and see...

Linky Love...

Blogs-to-be-featured this week:

Gabriella's Blog demonstrates her love of Archbishop Fulton Sheen and G.K. Chesterton, as well as allowing the linguists among you to brush up on your Italian. The likes of me has to use the "translate" button she has so thoughtfully added to the top of her sidebar...

Chronicles from the Front - this blog has two authors, Lazy Disciple and Humbly Presumptious... and occasionally, the two actually seem to engage with each other on the blog, which gives it the feel of an exchange of letters.

Argent by the Tiber has a very amusing (and pertinent) post on the new Mass translations - it seems that Marty Haugen et al. have tried to fit the new words to the old "tunes": I particularly liked the references to the "Massive Cremation."

Raquel Welch & The Pill

...and no, I'm not referring to the dissident CINO* British weekly!

The actress Raquel Welch believes that the Pill is responsible for the breakdown in morals, pretty much echoing what the Catholic Church has been teaching since Paul VI. I'd have said "teaching from the year dot" - as the Church doesn't change her teaching - but, of course, the Pill hasn't been around that long!

Interesting.

However, what I really want to know is what face cream she uses. The woman is nearly 70. She has, I understand, had plastic surgery, but then again, so did Michael Jackson, and he didn't look half as good...

Twitch of the mantilla to John Smeaton.

*In case you didn't know: CINO - Catholic in name only!

First Holy Communions...

Last week we had one child make his First Holy Communion at the Missa Cantata - for some reason I don't seem to have uploaded the photos I took... I shall get that done shortly.

Today it was the first of our dedicated First Holy Communion Masses. I was taking photos for the Parish website, but, because the children were right at the front, and their families were sitting behind, I sat myself right at the back where I wouldn't be a distraction.

I shall try and zoom in on some of the photos later, but I just wanted to get the set up as quickly as possible on Flickr. The set is open access, and on a Creative Commons license, so anyone can download it and use it, as long as they credit me for it and don't use it for commercial purposes.

It was interesting to see the recently instituted "Benedictine Arrangement" for Mass - the donation of a set of very nice silver-plated candlesticks for the Lady Altar means that the brass candlesticks can stay on the High Altar...

And of course, my favourite moments...

In Case You Hadn't Heard...

...the result was a hung parliament.

When I suggested, to my fellow drinkers in the parish club last night, that Gordon Brown might be prepared to do a bit of horse-trading in order to keep his hands on the keys of Number 10, I was told that Her Majesty wouldn't ask the leader of the losing party to remain as Prime Minister.

However, it seems that I was actually correct in assuming that Mr. & Mrs. Brown might not be ready to call in the removal firms just yet...

We shall just have to wait and see... In the meantime, it seems that Evan (Dr. Death) Harris has lost his seat - good news for all pro-lifers. One of my Facebook friends reported that he took his defeat with Dignitas...

More Voting To Be Done...

...only this time it's important!

The 2010 Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards are up and running. I had nominated a few blogs, but hadn't expected to be nominated myself, but it seems that His Holiness Pope Zephyrinus (who comments, but doesn't have his own blog) thought I should be up for Best Potpourri of Popery and Terry (Idle Speculations) nominated me for Best Church Militant blog.

I don't deserve either nomination, but would like you to vote for me anyway. Otherwise I shall sulk...

Voting Time...

If you want to know about your own constituency, there is a useful site which gives information on all of the candidates, as well as a description of the constituencies - twitch of the mantilla to James Preece, who has a thoughtful post on how to choose where to put one's mark. The lovely Bones has a breakdown of the policies of the main parties - and ends up with a heartfelt prayer to St. Thomas More. SPUC has a very useful archive of MPs' voting records, though, for this election they encourage voters to contact their office directly to find out about MPs and candidates.

We have a duty to vote - something pointed out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Gaudium et Spes. If it truly impossible to vote for any of the candidates in all conscience, then there is always the option of spoiling the ballot paper - at least it shows that it's not apathy or sloth which prevents us from voting.

Off you go, if you haven't done so already...

Another Blog Worth A Mention...

Keeping up with the Blogosphere can be a time-consuming process. I find that Google Reader is the best way of finding out which blogs are being updated without the hassle of having to check them all individually.

This has the disadvantage that I miss out on many blogs, because I'm only checking the ones I already know. Occasionally I will stumble upon a blog which is new to me when the blogger comments on one of my posts, and sometimes it happens if I follow up an interesting-looking link on other blogs. Every now and then, however, I go out hunting: I will scour my SiteMeter stats and Google Blog Search in order to discover where people are coming from and who is linking back to me.

I'm not a major blogger by any means, but I do like to spread the linky love... so I have decided to start a regular blog feature - probably weekly - where I mention either blogs I've just discovered or blogs which have just caught my eye for some reason. Obviously I will continue to give credit to bloggers whose posts inspire me to write my own stuff...

So, to start off, we have Gregory the Eremite and his blog From the Desert. Enjoy!

Our Lady of Guadalupe On Tour...

John Smeaton has a post on his blog alerting us to the nine-month tour of England & Wales of a replica of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn.

Edmund Adamus, Director of the Department of Pastoral Affairs in the Diocese of Westminster, is co-ordinating the nine-month novena tour which will conclude on 12th December 2010, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The image is one of 220 digitally reproduced images which were commissioned in 2004 by Cardinal Rivera Carrera. This Saturday, 8th May, the image is going to St. John's Cathedral, Portsmouth.

I've had a devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe ever since reading about the apparitions and the miraculous image on the tilma. I sincerely hope that the image will come to Southwark at some time during the tour... and that there will be better publicity for it. I'd have loved to see it at Westminster Cathedral if I'd known about it.

Video Clips...

These two video clips are from the Society of St. Catherine of Siena's Solemn High Mass at the Conventual Chapel of the Knights of Malta.

I was pretty impressed by the video quality - taken just on my little Canon IXUS 100, the same camera I use for my photos. The Oratory School Choir were singing the Byrd Three Part Mass (according to His Hermeneuticalness...) I'd never heard it before, and it sent shivers down my spine!

In the Extraordinary Form, if the parts of the Mass are being sung by a choir (as opposed to being simply chanted) the Sanctus is split before and after the Consecration (which is in silence... more goosebumps time.)

I didn't want to video the Consecration - I wanted still shots for that - but I did manage to get the Sanctus before and after... Enjoy!

Patience Is A Virtue...

You may have gathered, by now, that I love taking photos. I seem to take quite good ones - more by luck than judgement. It helps that I love going to churches and the traditional Latin Mass - the Extraordinary Form is just so photogenic!

Editing photos so that they are the correct size for the web is a bit time-consuming. If I put the photos up without editing, the blog takes forever to load. So, I have to cut them down to size... which means that I don't always get the photos up on the blog as quickly as I would like...

I have been told that the best way to share photos is via a Flickr account. I have been told this on several occasions... and I have finally gotten around to setting one up.

I'm still trying to figure out the difference between galleries, sets, collections and whatnots... I suspect I'll get there eventually. In the meantime, you can see my photos HERE.

Reality Check...

It appears that Oona Stannard is a little unhappy with the criticism she has received over the latest CES blunder. She says

"...At a time when as Catholics we particularly need to pull together, the undermining of Mr Pope saddens me."

What saddens me is that she appears to have no concept of the damage caused by the appointment of Greg Pope as Deputy Director of the CES.

Mr. Pope is not being undermined.

The ones who have been undermined are the parents who are attempting to explain to their children why the Church's teaching is beautiful and true, in the teeth of tremendous opposition from those who, because they choose to ignore that teaching, seek to ridicule it.

The ones who are undermined are the Catholic teachers and school governors who want to present the Church's teaching, but are told that it is unrealistic.

The ones who are undermined are those who go and stand outside abortion clinics, in all kinds of weather, quietly praying the rosary in the hope that maybe one life will be spared.

The ones who are undermined are the ordinary Catholics who try to follow Church teaching in their everyday lives.

The ones who are really undermined are the children who, because the CES has caved in to the government agenda, will never be taught the truth, and will be encouraged to surrender to the spirit of the age... and then, when the inevitable happens, these children will be told to "solve" their problems by killing other human beings, something which will scar them for life.

Yes, Catholics should pull together. But they should pull together in order to defend Catholic teaching in its entirety.

The CES has failed to do that - it is the Catholic Education Service which is doing the undermining.

Another New Blog To Check...

Time to spread a little more linky love around the blogosphere - I found Ronan's blog, Alrite, Watson? while checking out my SiteMeter stats and referrals. Pop over and say hallo.

Awards Time!

Yes, bet you hadn't realised that it's that time of year again. Carolina Cannonball has opened the 2010 Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards to nominations.

Be careful: Carolina doesn't want duplicate entries, and she does want links, and she is threatening to hunt down all transgressors and rend them limb from limb.

Categories are:

Best Blog by a Religious... not Fr. Z

Best Political Blog... not the American Papist

More Catholic Than the Pope
Best Blog by a Heretic
Best Armchair Theologian
Best Under Appreciated Blog
Best Visual Treat
Best Spiritual Treat
Most Bat Shit Crazy
Most Church Militant
Best Potpourri of Popery
Snarkiest Catholic Blog
Best Hifreakinlarious Blog
Best New Kid on the Block
Best Blog That Needs to be Updated More Often

Feel free to nominate all your favourites...

I Appear To Have Struck A Nerve...

Following my last post, Austen Ivereigh (of Catholic Voices) felt obliged to set the matter straight. He posted the following in the com-box.

"I'm astonished that you should publish private correspondence between myself and James Preece; and that you should do so partially and incompletely. The fact that his email ends up on your site is precisely why he wasn't invited.

Among your private vows, where there any that included respect, confidentiality, privacy or charity?"

You can check it out HERE if you want (underneath the actual post)... just in case I have published the comment partially and incompletely.

Now, let's examine Mr. Ivereigh's comment a little more closely.

Yes, the email was correspondence between Austen Ivereigh and James Preece. However, I had permission from James to publish it... and since it was evidence for my statement that James had been told he was not welcome at the training because the Archbishop was to be present, it seemed rather important to include it. Emails are not always as private as one might like to think... as the Foreign Office mandarins have discovered. I haven't heard Austen Ivereigh condemning the leak of that email.

That I should do so partially and incompletely... hmmm. Interesting. I didn't want to publish James' original request, simply because I had already recounted it, and was merely providing the reply... which, by the way, I considered to be extremely rude.

However, in the interests of fairness, I now provide a screenshot of the two emails together. Have a little look. The pink bits are where I have removed email addresses and a mobile phone number.

Have a very good look... The only parts of Austen Ivereigh's email which I didn't quote in the post were, I think you'll find, the sender, subject and recipient headers and the automatic signature (including the mobile number) at the end. Oh... and the "A" to sign off.

Saying that the email ending up on my site is the precise reason James wasn't invited is pretty much given the lie by examination of James' email. He was writing to confirm that he would be attending the training. And Austen writes back saying he doesn't think, after all, that James should come... giving the meeting with Archbishop Nichols as the only reason for this change of heart.

Mr. Ivereigh then tries to make a snide personal attack on me.

It's a shame that he didn't feel constrained by those same demands of charity and respect when he was telling James he was being given the brush off.

Given that he appears to have a rather selective memory (I'm being charitable) of what was in his email to James, and that, when he finds an opinion he doesn't like, he resorts to personal abuse, I have serious doubts as to his suitability for the role of co-ordinator for Catholic Voices...

(Real) Catholic Voices Being Silenced...

As I mentioned in my previous post, James Preece who has written some excellent stuff on his blog, had arranged to come to London this weekend for training associated with the Catholic Voices project.

When I first heard about Catholic Voices, I was very encouraged: they seemed to be looking for young Catholics who are enthusiastic about their faith and who are willing to stand up and be counted in the face of the media onslaught.

Sadly, it seems that, once again, the voice of faithful Catholics is being sidelined. If you happen to speak the truth a little too freely, your views are not wanted, in case you upset someone.

Having arranged to take time off to get to London for the training session, James became a little concerned when he realised that he hadn't received the details of time or venue. So, he emailed Austen Ivereigh (one of the co-ordinators) to check. At 6:32pm on Wednesday, he received the following reply:

"James, I’m sorry – I don’t think, after all, it would be right for you to come. We have a meeting with +Vincent, etc. Sorry."

We are in a pretty bad state if Archbishops are so sensitive that they have to be shielded from any of the faithful who might tell them a few home truths. Heck, even St. Teresa of Avila and St. Catherine of Siena got to tell the Bishops (and even a Pope or two) that something was rotten in the State of Denmark (so to speak.) And it's not as if James is a raving lunatic who will harangue the Archbishop... if anything, he is far too nice... which is why I'm the one frothing at the mouth at the blatant rudeness of Austen Ivereigh's reply.

Which leads me on to the next concern. If Catholic Voices can't allow any criticisms or awkward questions from within the ranks, how will they cope in the face of open hostility, ridicule and vituperation from those opposed to the Catholic Church?

Once again, John Smeaton has summed up the situation pretty clearly... Referring to the response of Jack Valero (the other co-ordinator for Catholic Voices) to the leaked Foreign Office document, he said:

"Sorry Jack, that's really not good enough... I would say to Jack Valero: ' ... a period of silence on your part would be welcome.' "

A Parish Visitation...

James Preece (of Catholic and Loving It! fame) visited the parish this morning, along with his wife Ella (who also blogs) and two gorgeous children. James arranged his visit to coincide with a training session for Catholic Voices (more on that in another post!) Hearing that James and Ella were going to be visiting, a couple of parish families got together and decided to have a shared lunch and Family Day... and, as (unofficial) parish photographer, I had to get a few snaps...

I had met Ella on a few Faith Movement events, but hadn't ever had the chance to talk to James, so it was a really great chance to meet up.

Sadly, I couldn't stay for the talk, but if it was half as good as the lunch, it would have been a roaring success! The clearing up was still going on when I arrived back to set up for the evening Mass. Congratulations to all those involved.

The Extra Parts Of The (Novus Ordo) Mass...

This snippet from Gloria TV News had me laughing out loud... and I just had to go and check out the whole blog-post Doina Buzut mentioned (at 1:23)



The excellent blog, by Larry D, is Acts of the Apostasy, and you can find the full description of the various extra Liturgies HERE.

Solemn High Mass For The Feast Of St. George

On Friday night there was a Solemn High Mass at St. Mary's, Chislehurst. There is usually a Mass in the Extraordinary Form each Friday evening, but as last Friday was the Solemnity of St. George in England, it was decided to make a bit of an effort.

It was also a Mass to celebrate the 30th. Wedding Anniversary of Greg and Aghi Clovis, a lovely couple who work tirelessly for the pro-life cause, and so there was a bit of a bash in the parish room afterwards. The younger servers were some of Greg and Aghi's children - I don't know them so well, and haven't quite figured out who is who. Sadly, Greg's brother was originally going to be one of the sacred ministers, but, due to that pesky Icelandic volcano, he couldn't make it back in time.

The church is beautiful - Napoleon III was buried there for a time before the Empress Eugenie took him off to Farnborough Abbey. The High Mass set of red vestments was borrowed from Blackfen - they are 19th. Century French. I had to keep a very sharp lookout after Mass to ensure that the entire set made its way back to the Blackfen sacristy. I also had the opportunity to admire the reliquary of St. John Bosco which had been on the altar during Mass. Sadly, Chislehurst's sacristan was keeping a beady eye on me, so it stayed in Chislehurst...

The background music is taken from Chants of the Ordinary, by Cantus Angeli, directed by Nick Gale. If you want to get a copy of the CD, you can visit the website.

Anyway, here's the slideshow: feast your eyes!

Is It Just Crass Stupidity?

Yesterday's news on the car-crash-in-slow-mo which is the Catholic Education Service of England & Wales (twitch of the mantilla to Leutgeb for that description) has been hurtling round my brain.

I can hardly credit that anyone with a modicum of intelligence, on appointing someone to such an important post, wouldn't think to check the candidate's Catholic credentials. Given that the voting records of MPs are easily available, one would have assumed that the easiest options available to any appointment panel for the CESEW would be either to do a Google Search on that person's name, or to phone up SPUC and ask them to check their records (which are pretty comprehensive, as John Smeaton demonstrated yesterday!)

I am reluctant to believe that everyone working at the CES is several sandwiches short of a picnic.

I am even more reluctant to believe that Bishop Malcolm McMahon, as Chairman of the CES, is a blithering idiot.

And I am totally unable to believe that Archbishop Vincent Nichols, as President of the Bishops' Conference, is a half-wit.

So, there must be some other reason why these people did not, in what was described as "a rigorous selection process" do the blindingly obvious check on Mr. Pope's voting behaviour on matters concerning Catholics.

The only alternative reason I can think of is even more disturbing than that of sheer incompetence and stupidity. It is quite simply that the Bishops of England & Wales, and hence the CES, do not consider the teachings of the Catholic Church to be important. They might not even believe them to be true.

Once you accept that, then it all makes sense.

If the teachings of the Catholic Church on human sexuality, the family, and the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death are important, then how a person has actually voted on these issues would have been an essential part of any selection process. The only reason such teachings would be considered important is that they are the truth. Therefore, the only way one can justify ignoring such a voting record is if one does not believe the teachings of the Church on such issues to be true.

And if the Bishops of England & Wales do not believe what the Church teaches, then the whole lot of them should be retired, and fast. We need shepherds who will proclaim the truths of the Faith courageously... and they won't do that if they don't believe it themselves.

The Holy Father made a rather pointed remark during the recent ad limina visit of the Bishops of England & Wales. He said,

"I urge you as Pastors to ensure that the Church’s moral teaching be always presented in its entirety and convincingly defended."

The message doesn't appear to have been heeded.

Please, Holy Father, give us some good Bishops: the sheep of your flock are under attack, and it seems that the shepherds have joined forces with the wolves.

"Catholic-In-Name-Only" Education Service?

I am just so taken aback by the news, highlighted by John Smeaton and Damian Thompson, that the soon to be renamed "So-Called-Catholic" Education Service has appointed a Deputy Director with an anti-life, anti-Catholic voting record to make Tony Blair look like a candidate for sainthood.

Oona Stannard apparently welcomed the appointment, according to the Press Release. I'm sure she did... it'll take the heat off her after the shameful debacle over the Children, Schools and Families Bill...

The CES colluded with the Government in drawing up the Bill, and claimed that Catholic schools could continue to teach according to the tenets of the Church, despite statements from the Government stating the exact opposite. The only reason that the final version of the Bill omitted contentious clauses was because of the fuss made by ordinary Catholics - in the blogosphere and by letter - which made the Conservatives realise that there might be votes in opposing them, and the lack of parliamentary time available before the election meant that the clauses were quietly dropped because there wasn't time to get them through if there was any opposition.

Greg Pope's statement that "The CESEW is widely respected for the work that it is doing under Oona Stannard’s leadership and I am very proud to be joining this successful team" reveals that he is just as successful in demonstrating ostrich-like tendencies as the CES (how can anyone say that the CESEW is widely respected and keep a straight face?) which, come to think of it, is most likely the reason why he was appointed in the first place.

This is a truly appalling gaffe, and only serves to confirm that the Bishops of England & Wales need to get rid of the CESEW as soon as humanly possible.