No-One Goes On Processions Any More...

It is, after all, not done any more, not by "thinking" Catholics (like the ones who read The Suppository, aka The Bitter Pill.)

On the way to the start of the (not very popular) procession...

And then, by this point, we hadn't actually started the rosary...

It's when you meet the people at the start of the procession coming back after walking right around the Domaine that you realise that quite a few people do, actually, still go on processions... and remember that we were in the front end of the middle section...

My knee was playing up because of the damp weather, so I went and sat down at the outskirts of the procession, which wasn't the best position from which to take photos...

Each of those little dots of light is a separate candle, and lots of people didn't have candles...

And, at the end...

Fr. Tim has one of the most impressive photos of the (non-existent) procession on his Flickr page...

My Favourite Hotel...

I always think that this hotel foyer looks as if it is straight out of an Agatha Christie novel. I half expect to see a body draped artistically at the bottom of the stairs, or a police-type chalk outline on the floor.

Patrick and Sylvie Bonsom make a wonderful brother-and-sister team running the Grand Hotel d'Angleterre at Lourdes. Sylvie's husband is the chef, I think. One of their employees, Odette, has been Night Duty Porter for all the years we have been staying there. And when they were younger, we'd see a couple of children (I never figured out whose) doing homework at one of the tables in the afternoons. It's a superb hotel, with a friendly atmosphere. It's also about as close to the Grotto as you can get without pitching a tent in the field next to the Hemicycle!

The black arrow on the left shows the entrance to the hotel... the one on the right shows the St. Joseph's Gate, one of the main entrances to the Domaine and the quickest way to the Grotto.

I've already booked the hotel for our pilgrimage next year...

Modern Technology...

"Father Gadget" (as he used to be known by some of the teenagers in the parish) spotted a rather cool gadget in the airport Duty-Free section. Yes, I know it's no longer "Duty-Free" since the EU abolished it, but I don't know what else to call the consumer-fest section located between Security and the Boarding Gate.

Anyway, this particular gadget - an accessory for his mobile phone - caused quite a stir amongst some of the other passengers on the flight to Toulouse, especially when he stopped to take a call...

Meeting Old Friends (& New Ones)

I didn't have access to a computer whilst in Lourdes, and anyway, it was probably good for me not to be blogging continuously... at least, that is what I kept telling myself. I resisted the temptation to hunt out a cyber café, and only used the hotel's free wifi (only available in the bar area) to check my emails. Anyway, blogging by phone is just irritating, as the formatting is stupid...

I did take a few photos. I didn't take as many as I'd intended, because, quite frankly, the weather was dreadful - cold and wet. We had two nice mornings - the Wednesday, when we went to Bartrès (though it was cold) and the Friday (as we were preparing to leave.) But photos really lose something in bad weather.

Lourdes this year was an opportunity to meet (and make) friends. On the Monday evening, I was greeted by an old friend from my London Faith Forum days. Ira had moved to the diocese of Birmingham, and was on night duties in the hospital for the Birmingham pilgrimage. She's on the left of the photo. Delia (a regular at Blackfen) had joined us for part of the pilgrimage, as she was going off to meet cousins in the South of France later in the week. And, before you ask, Fr. Charles Briggs hadn't gotten around to changing into his cassock after the journey, though he did wear it for the rest of the week...

I had the uncanny experience on the Tuesday lunchtime of a young man approaching me as I tucked into my magret de canard in one of the local cafés: "Excuse me, are you Mac McLernon? I read your blog...!" ...and then, just as I was trying to figure out how he could possibly have known who I was, when I wasn't even wearing a mantilla, he admitted that he had seen me at the Faith Summer Conferences in the past. It turned out that Andrew Gardner, as he introduced himself (I knew he'd looked familiar, but I'm useless at remembering names) was on the Middlesbrough Diocese pilgrimage as a helper.

Crouchback (aka Jim) and his Lady Letitia (Christina) had indicated, in an earlier post of mine, that they were making the pilgrimage to Lourdes and hoped to meet up with us for Mass each day. I was delighted to meet them properly - we'd chatted briefly at one of the London blognics at the Buckingham Arms in Petty France. Coincidentally, they'd been returning from Lourdes back then! I discovered that Jim's nom de blog was a reference to something written by Evelyn Waugh - and after Christina's recommendation, I think that I really must read some of Waugh's work; my education is sorely lacking in this respect!

I shall post a selection of pictures over the next few days.

The Wanderer Returns...

I arrived home a short while ago. Now, having greeted (and, more importantly, fed) Furretti and Miaowrini, and having unpacked the suitcase, I am just checking a few blogs before crawling, exhausted, into bed.

But I just want to have a little smirk...

...Just a little one...

I made disparaging remarks in a previous post that cast aspersions on the apparently "non-bio" biometric passport I had to pay an exorbitant amount for last Saturday.

I have completely changed my views.

I arrived at Passport Control at Heathrow Terminal Five this evening, feeling rather tired and irritable, and observed the hordes queuing. I then spotted a small sign which suggested that anyone with a certain chip-type symbol on the front of their passport could go through the automatic scanner.

There wasn't a queue for this scanner.

I checked my passport. It had the chip-type symbol on the front. I gleefully marched to the completely queue-less empty booth, stood on the yellow feet marked on the floor, pushed my passport through a slot and stared at the camera. That camera was a lot more friendly than the official who had originally checked my ear-less photo. The message came up that I passed muster, and I was through.

I'm afraid that I couldn't resist waving at some of my fellow pilgrims who were still queuing...

Our Last Morning In Lourdes...

All good things must come to an end...

We finish with Mass in the St. Gabriel Chapel once again, this time at 10:30am, so we all have time to pack our bags. Our coach is due to leave the hotel at around 1:30pm so there will be a little time for last-minute rosary purchases...

All being well, we should be back in Blackfen by about 9pm.

I wonder if the kitties have brought me any presents...

Pilgrims' Progress...

Today will be another fairly gentle day, although there's a fair bit of walking involved.

We'll start off with Mass in the Crypt of the Lourdes parish church. It's another Missa Cantata - well, today is the Feast of the Ascension in the EF calendar (and shortly to be reinstated in the OF calendar if rumours I hear are true!) and the acoustics in the Crypt are spine-tinglingly good, so it seems a shame not to sing a bit...

In the afternoon we'll join the Blessed Sacrament procession, which starts at 5pm, and then finish up with the torchlight procession at 9pm.

Bernadette In Bartrès...

St. Bernadette spent quite a bit of time in Bartrès, first as a baby (when her mother was unable to nurse her, due to an accident) and then just before the Apparitions, when Bernadette worked as a shepherdess. It was the departure of the priest at Bartrès to a monastery which prompted Bernadette's return to Lourdes, because she realised that she would never be able to make her First Holy Communion there.

We will be having Mass in the parish church at 11am - a Missa Cantata, though we're a little short on singers this year. Still, I'm sure we'll manage!

At 4pm we plan to join the recitation of the Rosary at the Grotto, followed by the blessing of children - Fr. Tim has done this in previous years. Then, at 5:15pm, we'll split into two groups for the Stations of the Cross. The more energetic and agile pilgrims will head off to the high stations on the Espelugues Hill, while those of us who are somewhat more fragile will content ourselves with following the lower stations on the far side of the Gave.

Once again, everything finishes off with the torchlight procession.

The Pilgrimage Starts Gently...

It might be a little on the cold side. The baths at Lourdes are not for the faint-hearted, after all!

The first morning will be deliciously relaxed - the baths are first on the agenda, but anyone with access to a child can go straight in, so no queuing. The men don't seem to have to queue for long either - I think it's because we women have lots of fiddly clothing. The towel is trickier to apply as well... and it fair takes one's breath away when they put it on. There's rather more of oneself in contact with the wet towel... the men have it much easier.

Brrrrrrr.

All part of the penance.

I have to admit that, when the helpers instruct me to say a prayer as I walk through the water, I rarely get further than "Oh God... it's so cold! Get me out!" Only mentally. It's impossible to speak coherently through chattering teeth.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't miss the experience. It wouldn't be Lourdes without it.

At 3pm our group is booked on a guided tour of the places in the town Lourdes associated with St. Bernadette - the Cachot, the parish church, and so on. Mass (in the Extraordinary Form) will be at 6pm in the St. Gabriel Chapel (to the left of the entrance to the Crypt of the Immaculate Conception Basilica.)

Finally, the torchlight procession starts at 9pm. If you're around, keep an eye out for the parish flag, and pop over to say hello!

And We're Off To Lourdes...

Unless the Icelandic volcanoes get frisky again, by the time this post goes up, I shall be somewhere over France. Of course, things could go horribly wrong, in which case I'm still at Heathrow...

I shall be positive. I'm in the air over France...

There are 27 of us in the group, 18 adults, and the youngest pilgrim is only 4 months old. That should keep me on my toes this year. Our flight doesn't get in to Toulouse until about 5pm local time, and then it's another 2 hours or so on the coach. By the time we arrive, it'll be time for dinner, and then a quick dash down to the torchlight procession, or what's left of it...

Finally Sorted!

I might just have managed to get myself sorted out in time for a good night's sleep. Oh wait... I might oversleep...I guess I'm in for more nightmares then!

I'm really looking forward to the pilgrimage, but haven't actually done many posts in advance, so posting may be a bit sparse while I'm away...

Oh well, never mind. In any case, I will pray for all my blog readers at the Grotto.

A Little Treat For Dylan & Anna...

I discovered today that, although Dylan doesn't really like cats, he thinks that my kitten posts are great. He is, however, more of a dog person. And I know that the Catholic Herald's chief feature writer, Anna Arco, has a thing about pugs, so...

A Busy Morning...

I am usually pretty well organised. This year, due to a few different things going on, I haven't been... well, not with regard to organising the parish pilgrimage to Lourdes. Don't misunderstand me, I had all the important stuff done... flights, hotel, coaches, chapels... all planned and arranged.

Just one little thing I didn't quite get around to...

Renewing my passport.

Well, there were other things to organise, and anyway, I had plenty of time... until the end of April arrived, and I realised that I had less than a month in which to get it sorted. Too late to use the Post Office's Check & Send service. I knew that by paying a bit more I could get an emergency renewal... I could either take two days off in order to trek along to Victoria and sort it out, or I could pay an extra £17 and get it sorted in 4 hours.

It wasn't a difficult decision, and I phoned up and made an appointment for today - it's all done by appointment now, unlike the last time I got my passport, where you just queued and hoped you got seen before closing time.

I was very, very tired yesterday. I even skipped the wonderful Mass in Ramsgate mentioned by Leutgeb, missing  a fantastic blogging and photographic opportunity in the process. But I knew that, should I oversleep and miss my appointment, I would be in deep trouble - His Hermeneuticalness might even see fit to excommunicate me...

So, I opted for an early night. And slept badly. With nightmares.

I crawled out of bed this morning, feeling even worse than the night before. Mindful of having to live with the photo on my passport for the next ten years, I took particular care with my hair and make-up. Vanity, vanity... I then shot to the nearest hole-in-the-wall to withdraw a ridiculous amount of money for such a small booklet, and popped into a local shop to get change for the photo booth. A gust of wind and a short spattering of rain taught me the futile nature of trying to look good for photographs.

Then it was off to the local station to use the photo booth...

For some reason the machine kept telling me that the photo wasn't passport-compliant. It took me a bit of time to realise that this was on account of not showing I had ears. I looked at my old passport photo. I didn't have ears then either. I ignored the machine and printed the best one. It was a horrible picture, which emphasised my squint. My hair was messed up and wet. And my lipstick had come off. God was doing a pretty good job on the reminder-about-vanity front.

It doesn't sound like much, but I am not a morning person. All of this happened before 7:45am on a Saturday morning.

The drive to Eccleston Square was uneventful - the rest of humanity appeared to be enjoying a Saturday-morning lie-in. I even managed to find a parking space which didn't cost anything on Saturdays. And I was fourth in the queue for the Passport Office.

When the security chap finally opened the door, he said that only people with a 9:15am appointment were allowed in to start with. Foolishly, I said my appointment was at 9am (well, it was) and he told me to wait. Several people got in before me. I then asked again when the 9am appointments were supposed to be seen... and he told me that there weren't any 9am appointments on a Saturday, but I could go in anyway. I was now twenty-fifth in the queue...

It didn't take too long. Having had to put everything in my bag so that I could pass it through the X-ray machine, I then had to scrabble through the bag for my reference number - and the chap at the desk then told me I didn't need it, as my surname was enough. Clutching my ticket, I made my way upstairs to a waiting room, and then was called through to a desk. A surly-looking official peremptorily rejected my tentatively proffered ticket (well, most people ask for it) and demanded to know whether I had filled in a passport form. She glared at the form, couldn't find any mistakes, took in my old passport, took my new photos and compared them with my old passport one, and then glared at me as if to check that I was the same person.

I had been told that, if my appearance hadn't changed appreciably, I didn't need to get my form countersigned by someone who knew me, and didn't need to get the photos signed either. My heart sank. Either the missing ears were about to get me into hot water, or I'd have to find someone who had their own passport handy to vouch for me...

The official sniffed. "Which service are you using? Two week or same day?"

"Same day," I told her, banishing the thought that, had she taken my previously proffered ticket, she wouldn't have needed to ask, as it was printed clearly. However, I was sure that I could still jinx the whole thing, so I kept schtum.

Finally, after another sniff, I was sent to the cashier to part with my hard-earned cash, and the promise that the passport would be ready for collection in four hours.

Knowing in advance that I would have four hours to kill, I'd made arrangements to meet Dylan for coffee. But first of all I popped in to the Cathedral for Confession and Mass. I was rather annoyed to note that The Suppository was still prominently on sale, especially after their latest bad-tempered, anti-priest, anti-Church editorial.

It was really good to meet up with Dylan, and we chatted happily over tea and nibbles. Then he had to return home to deal with a leaking ceiling, while I had to go and collect my passport.

Everything was fine, and I left clutching my new "biometric" passport. There isn't actually any "bio" involved, as far as I can see, but they did put a chip in it so it can be read electronically. It's probably got a self-destruct mechanism in it somewhere, but at least I can go to Lourdes on Monday...

Happy Anniversary To Fr. Z...

Wow, Fr. Z was ordained by Pope John Paul II 20 years ago today!

Pop over to his blog, if you haven't done so already, leave your good wishes and have a look at the video clip - it's a Quicktime one, and I couldn't see any embed code, so couldn't steal it for myself...

Just a thought... if Fr. Z was ordained by Blessed JPII through the laying on of hands, does that make Fr. Z a second-class relic??

Just a thought...

Another Milestone For His Hermeneuticalness...

As Leutgeb pointed out yesterday, Fr. Tim Finigan crossed the 3-millionth-visitor mark on his blog some time this afternoon. It's currently at 3,001,264. He marked the occasion after Mass with some chocolate cake and champagne. Alas, I was driving, so I missed out on the champers...

Zephyrinus attempted to console me: when I pass the 1 million mark, he'll buy me a nice bottle of wine.

Given that I've been blogging for five years and have yet to reach my first half million (I'm currently at 413,370), this did not have the desired effect... He promptly amended his statement, and now I shall be able to celebrate when I get to my 500,000th visitor!

So, in the interests of allowing me a little glass of something bubbly, how about telling all your friends to come and visit...

Parish Pilgrimage To Lourdes...

It's that time of year again. Next Monday, we have the annual joint Pilgrimage to Lourdes for the parishes of Blackfen and Chislehurst. Fr. Tim Finigan and Fr. Charles Briggs are the spiritual guides for the pilgrimage. I'm really looking forward to it - this year we will have Mass in the crypt of the parish church of Lourdes (for the Feast of the Ascension) and also Mass the day before in the parish church of Bartrès. I am still waiting to hear what chapels in the Domaine we're being given for the other Masses - they tried to suggest the St. Patrick's chapel, but that's nothing more than a glorified broom cupboard, so I am working hard to get us moved elsewhere... watch this space!

If anyone in Lourdes wishes to join us for Mass, they'd be most welcome. I'll put details of times and locations up on the blog as soon as I have confirmed them.

In Case You Were Wondering...

I rather fancied an early night tonight, and then I glanced at my last post, and realised that you might think I'd been taken.

I even toyed with the idea of photographing my mantilla on the floor... rather in the way that Philip Johnson snapped this amusing ensemble...

Any Plans For Tomorrow...?

In case you hadn't noticed, tomorrow is when we start the End of the World... otherwise known as the Rapture. The Rapture is, apparently, when the chosen few who have been saved are whisked off into the sky to meet Jesus, while those less fortunate are left behind to face earthquake, fire, brimstone, plague pestilence, war and other such unpleasant stuff. Probably giant cockroaches too. I really hate cockroaches.

Since the basic Catholic response to the question "Have you been saved?" is something along the lines of "Ummm, I sincerely hope to get to heaven after a hefty stint in Purgatory!" I guess that we RCs don't actually qualify for the Rapture: I was once told that those people who have been saved know that they've been saved... if they're in any sort of doubt, it means that they're not. When I asked how people know they've been saved, I was given pitying looks. Apparently you just know...

The Crescat has suggested that Sunday be declared International Day of Looting - well there will be all this stuff which the Raptured leave behind. They won't need it, right?

If you want a little more guidance on who gets taken and who gets left, check out this handy flow chart.

My friend Cazienza actually posted it in Facebook, but as she has a blog, I'll link to that instead by way of a mantilla-twitch...

Theology Of The Body Symposium...

The Catholic With Attitude has been co-organising the third Symposium on the Theology of the Body at Twickenham, and asked me to give it a plug - something I'm happy to do. It's happening from 3rd June - 5th June, at St. Mary's University College, and more details can be found on the Catholic With Attitude's blog, so do go on over and check it out!

Wildlife Update...

On Sunday it was a bird. Today saw the next chapter in my kittens' careers as wildlife enthusiasts. Furretti was stretching out on the carpet this evening in a very kittenish and playful manner. I then saw what she was stretching over towards - a big stag beetle. She patted it a few times, and I assume she got her paw nipped, because she started dancing around it.

I'm afraid that I didn't stop to take a photo. Beetles are rather too good at escaping into little corners. I disposed of it. And yes, I know that stag beetles are a protected species... but only their habitats (if larvae are found on a development site, for example) and it's illegal to trade in them.

Anyway, the adults don't live long, and often die shortly after mating. Cats are, it seems, a common predator of stag beetles. The beetles also get squashed by cars. Oh well...

The Guild Gets Going...

The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma has gotten itself a blog!

The aims of the Guild are clear - to raise the profile of the Catholic Faith, and to inform and inspire an educated laity and to evangelise the United Kingdom. Contributors to the Guild Blog will write on a range of subjects including theology, liturgy, canon law and apologetics, and members of the Guild are men and women loyal to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and to Pope Benedict XVI and his liturgical reforms.

Oh, and we'll have the occasional Mass (in whatever Form happens to be convenient, just like the Holy Father wants) and the more-than-occasional blognic.

Murdering Monsignori...

I arrived home this afternoon to find two kittens waiting to greet me at the door, with expressions of angelic sweetness and innocence on their furry faces. I instinctively distrust such sweet expressions, but couldn't identify anything obviously wrong.

I then started work on the computer, and phoned my mother. Mid-call, I heard a squeaky cry. It wasn't a cat, and I was pretty sure it wasn't one of their squeaky toys. I turned round and found Monsignor Furretti looking rather intently at the sofa, while Monsignor Miaowrini was nowhere to be seen. Another cry came from behind the sofa...

I pulled the sofa out a bit and glanced behind it. There was Miaowrini, patting what looked like a half-dead baby bird. The bird cried, fluttered its wings and tried to escape. Miaowrini held it down with one paw, and the bird went still. Miaowrini then appeared to lose interest, until the bird made the mistake of moving again. It escaped from behind the sofa, with Miaowrini and Furretti in eager pursuit.

Meanwhile, I had grabbed a towel. I dropped it over the fluttering bird, which then went still. I gathered the bird up in the towel, much to the kittens' disgust, and carefully checked to see if it was injured. It didn't appear to have any teeth-marks puncturing anything, though it looked somewhat ruffled and more than a little disgruntled. I couldn't resist taking a photo (the camera was out because I'd been downloading the photos I'd taken earlier) but it's incredibly difficult to take a photo with one hand and so the picture's a bit blurred...

I then walked outside and held the towel open. The bird promptly flew off, albeit a little unsteadily. I think it reached some nearby trees.

The kittens then did their best to look nonchalant... I'm still not entirely sure which one of them caught the bird and brought it home to play... I had thought it was Miaowrini (since she's the more adventurous one) but Furretti is the one who sits on the windowsill chattering longingly when she sees the birds flying past... Of course, it could have been a joint venture...

I expect more wildlife will arrive in due course. Now, if I could just train them to bring me a steak...

Crowning Our Lady For The Month Of May...

Fr. Tim decided that we would have an outdoor procession and crowning of the statue of Our Lady between the two Sunday morning Masses today. I made sure that I had my camera with me... just as well, because I forgot my newly-restored iPhone... though at least I didn't lock myself out of the car this time.

We sang "O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today" and recited the Litany of Loreto (the children joining in with gusto), and, in a manner reminiscent of Leutgeb's experiences, one of the little girls was placed on the ladder so she could crown Our Lady's statue. No long blue train held by attendants. Maybe we can get that sorted for next year...

Then several children brought flowers to place in front of the statue...

A Visitor & An Ego Massage...

As I mentioned earlier, today we had one of our First Holy Communion Masses in the parish. Fr. Michael Branch, Parish Priest of Plumstead came to visit friends, and he attended the Mass in choir. I was very, very flattered when he told me that he read my blog...

Today has been very bad for my ego...

I was back at the Apple Store in Bluewater later in the day, trying desperately to get my iPhone fixed. While waiting for my appointment, I amused myself by checking my email, Facebook, my favourite blogs and Twitter. While tweeting, the very kind (but slightly condescending) chap who was trying to fix my phone happened to notice the website.

"Ooooh, are you on Twitter?" he asked. I nodded, and told him that I blogged and was on Facebook too. He seemed extraordinarily impressed - which I found odd, because I always assume that everyone under 25 is blogging, facebooking and tweeting in their sleep...

He then glanced at the open page which showed my profile...

"Wow, you've got loads of followers... "

Like I said, very bad for my over-inflated ego...

Compensation for being blonde, perhaps?

Feeling Very Blonde...

This morning, on my way to Mass, I was distracted at a vital moment. I realised this precisely two seconds after I had slammed the car door shut.

Yes, dear reader, I had left the keys in the ignition...

Fortunately I have a spare key which I keep at home. Even more fortunately, I hadn't left my house keys inside my car (as is my usual practice) and Jonathan was able to give me a lift back home in between the morning Mass and the First Holy Communion Mass...

*sigh*

Maybe my IQ would rise if I dyed my hair black...

Thanks...

Two weeks ago I was bemoaning the loss of what would have been a second-class relic (though I wasn't aware of this at the time, the late Pope still being very much alive.)

One reader, who shall remain anonymous (unless he indicates that anonymity is not required) contacted me to offer me a replacement. I felt a little guilty - after all, I hadn't posted my cri de coeur in an attempt to get a replacement, and I was sure that there were plenty of other, far more deserving, possible recipients of such a relic. However, the thought of getting my paws on a genuine second-class relic did rather appeal.

The rosary arrived, in its original case... identical to the one I had lost. I promptly prayed a rosary for the intentions of the donor... Many, many thanks...

Friday 13th Part 2...

Heheheheheheheh.

I woke up early, and was checking a few things when I noticed that Blogger was due to be down for maintenance during the day.

I'm afraid that I was rather uncharitably amused by this - Blogger is blocked at school, so I can't post anything, even during my lunchbreak, and had been aware that, in addition to missing the Vatican Blognic last week, I was also missing the release of Universae Ecclesiae, which seemed a little like adding insult to injury...

...AND my iPhone isn't working. I'm stuck with my old Xda Orbit II - which isn't quite as easy to read things on...

Sure enough, my Google Reader was almost empty... most of the Catholic bloggers I read seem to use Blogger. The inimitable Fr. Z was posting in solitary splendour... Fr. John Boyle was so keen to get his stuff up that he started a new (non-Blogger) blog, and then, in the evening, the blogposts started arriving thick and fast...

Anyway, from what I gather, Universae Ecclesiae is a jolly good thing. Ok, maybe there could have been more stuff about teaching the Extraordinary Form in seminaries, and what-have-you, but, for the ordinary pew-fodder-type person, like me, who has come to love Mass in the usus antiquior, I'd say that it has covered pretty much everything I'd want. The nitty-gritty liturgical niceties can be fought out by people who know more about it. Damian Thompson seems to agree...

And then, to add a little icing to the cake, I read that the Bishops of England & Wales have re-instated the Friday abstinence rule, to start in September (the anniversary of the Holy Father's visit.) This is a particularly powerful sign to all those around us - and in secular England, this is more and more important. We also need to remind ourselves that we do penance on Fridays.

The cherry on top of the icing is that the Bishops are having a re-think about some of those Holy Days of Obligation... putting Ascension back on the Thursday, for example.

I'm beginning to wonder if that change of heart ranks alongside the miracle of the sun at Fatima...

I Should Be Blogging...

I know, I know... there's all sorts of stuff going on, what with the imminent release of Universae Ecclesiae (the instruction on Summorum Pontificum), the arrival of a papal rosary (more on that soon), various thoughts about a Guild for Bloggers, and things like that.

I did, however, discover the remains of a bottle of Baileys which I had obviously put away for "safekeeping" during Lent.

Having checked that the contents hadn't gone off in the period since Ash Wednesday (they hadn't) while reading various blogs, I have realised that I am not really in the mood to comment on anything. Instead, I am going to go and curl up with the kittens. Normal blogging will resume tomorrow. Or maybe Saturday, if I decide to monitor the rest of the bottle of Baileys (purely in the interests of quality control, you understand...)

Universae Ecclesiae...

Friday 13th might not seem to be the most auspicious date to pick for a press release... especially not for an Instruction on Summorum Pontificum...

Several rumours about what restrictions might be placed on the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of Mass had been flying around.

However, the inimitable Fr. Z says he has seen the document - so the kitty is out of the carrier - and he feels that we might consider putting the bubbly on ice in preparation.

That's good enough for me...

Should I Stop The Kitten Posts?

This blog uses the First Past The Post voting method, and the answer was thus a definite "No!"

32% of voters thought that my current "Cat-a-holic to Catholic" ratio was just fine. 20% of voters actually seem to read the blog specifically for the kitty updates and want more, but I think I shall resist the temptation...

The Guild Of Blessed Titus Brandsma...?

...Of course, the name hasn't actually been agreed... The idea behind not calling it a Guild of Catholic Bloggers is, I understand, because it can't call itself "Catholic" without the agreement of the Bishops. I can't quite see what grounds they'd have for forbidding the use of "Catholic" in the title - after all, The Suppository claims to be a Catholic paper, with far less justification than the blogs...

I had hoped to be able to attend the meeting, but First Holy Communions at the parish took precedence... and then I wanted to try to sort out my iPhone, which had gone on the blink again on Friday night. It soon became clear that I wasn't going to be able to get the thing sorted straight away - and I have come to loathe Apple and its iPhone with an intensity I'd never have believed possible. I decided to cut my losses, transferred my SIM card to my old XDa Orbit II and made tracks for the Big Smoke...

I soon found myself remembering why I hate to use public transport. I forgot that I had to tap my Oyster card onto some yellow contraption - the ticket office was closed, the cash-operated automated machine was out of order (temporarily, as it transpired) and no yellow contraption was visible to jog my memory. My immediate attempt to buy a ticket on arrival at London Bridge was met with hostility and suspicion... and I incurred a penalty fare. My bank card was demanded. I pointed out that I didn't have one with me, otherwise I'd have managed to purchase a ticket from the one functioning ticket machine (card-only) back at the station. A rather rude inspector told me that Oyster cards could be topped up at lots of places. In vain did I point out that (1) I didn't know that I needed to top up my card until I got to the station, (2) there wasn't anyone around to sell me a ticket at the station and (3) I didn't realise that I was supposed to tap the Oyster card onto a yellow thing even if there wasn't any money on it. I was accused of lying. Realising that it was futile to explain that, had I wanted to dodge the fare I wouldn't have sought out the ticket inspector and could have given a much closer station as my starting point, I resignedly gave my name and address, and someone rang up a database somewhere to check that I existed.

Eventually I arrived at Victoria, and proceeded to phone Red Maria to try and locate the hostelry in which she and the others were staked out... After a mad dash inside to powder my nose, I joined the group.

I wasn't sure whether anyone else would still be around (the original meeting had been due to finish at 4pm), so I was delighted to find the group chatting merrily away. After brief introductions and a restorative slug of wine to soothe my frayed nerves, I realised that this was a marvellous photo opportunity. Everyone was happy to be included - Patrick suggested that, being a commenter rather than a blogger, he should be the one to take the photo... I firmly resisted this divisive and discriminatory proposal!

It was a wonderful evening. Starting from bottom left, and proceeding clockwise - Patrick was there as a commenter, as was Liz, though she also represented Jane of the Thoughtful Oasis (who had been unable to cross the Channel for the meeting!) I'd met Bones (aka Laurence England) in Brighton for Fr. Ray Blake's Jubilee. I recognised Dylan (the Reluctant Sinner) from a video clip of the Vatican Blognic where he'd been sitting next to Jane. Red Maria (of the Dolphinarium) is a very good friend of several years' standing - I think we first met at a blognic at the Buckingham Arms. Finally, it was a delight to meet Paul (On the Side of the Angels) at long last, having read his tweets and blog posts and also his vigorous comments in defence of the Faith on Damian Thompson's Telegraph blog!

My only regret is that, not having been at the meeting proper, I never got to meet Simon (Catholic Reflections), Stuart (eChurch Blog), Stephen (St. Paul's Bookshop), Gregg (A Brief Encounter), Richard (Linen on the Hedgerow) and Fr. Samuel (Medley Minute) !

Having read Dylan's account of the actual meeting, as well as chatting about it in the pub, I have great hopes for the Bloggers' Guild (whatever we finally get to call it.) It is certainly not an attempt to be divisive (unless you consider that faithfulness to the teachings of the Church and love for and loyalty to the Holy Father is already divisive!) Nor is there any desire to control what is said on individual blogs, or to be seen as representing Catholic Bloggers. It is simply a way of offering support (especially spiritual support) and encouragement for each other...

I can't wait for the next Blognic...

Cardinal Burke Visiting London...

Cardinal Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura (I'm not completely sure what that is, but it sounds good!) is visiting London and will speak at the conference held by Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. It's being held at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, on Saturday 18th June 2011 from 2pm.

The Cardinal will be speaking on "The Restoration of Church Discipline and the New Evangelisation." Tickets cost £20 (£10 for students in full-time education and £5 for priests and religious.) The tickets are limited, and there's a strict first-come-first-served policy in operation. Tickets can be ordered by email, or by phoning 01322 409 231.

The Cardinal has already been chalked up in my mind as a jolly good chap (based on the bits and pieces I've read, the "bits" being his address to the World Prayer Congress for Life in October 2010 and the "pieces" being this sort of statement on serviettes and Euphemistic Monsters at usus antiquior Masses.) The afternoon promises to be really excellent, and I do encourage people to attend if at all possible.

Quick Question...

In light of the recent meetings for bloggers in exalted places and not-so exalted places and even less exalted places, I have a quick question...

Does unexpectedly running into a fellow Catholic blogger in the workplace constitute an unofficial blognic...? How about if tea (mine) and sandwiches (his) are involved...?

May The Fourth Be With You...

I'm a little tired this evening, and wasn't planning to do much active blogging... but, alerted to the above pun on Facebook (May 4th, geddit?) I couldn't resist posting this little commercial gem...

Sod's Law In Operation...

I tried very hard to follow the Vatican's Blogger Bash on Monday, via the official livestream video, and then via SQPN's livestream... as the saying at the Vatican apparently goes, "Yesterday's technology tomorrow!" The audio and video kept cutting out, only cutting back in when there was a round of applause... I did manage to get a few screenshots, which I'll try and add tomorrow. Interestingly, the connection actually appeared to improve when someone went into the corridor and filmed the participants chatting to each other... probably this improvement was in part due to all the bloggers stopping their blogging, tweeting and facebooking to get themselves some well-deserved fizzy stuff.

Fr. Tim has put up a very good summary of the whole thing.

I had originally intended to join in with today's more relaxed blognic, forgetting that, unfortunately, the Tuesday after the Bank holiday is a work day. Bummer. By the time I got home, the blognic was probably over, but, to be honest, I fell asleep on the sofa and forgot to Skype...

Maybe next year...

New Blog Arrives...

Denita is a Catholic Manga artist, (so only good clean anime, along with Manga-style religious pics) and has just started a brand new blog, mainly to showcase the pictures she paints, which I think is an absolutely great idea.  Although she claims to need help (as a newbie) I'm pretty sure that she's figured out the basics all by herself.

However, I'm sure that encouragement wouldn't go amiss, so, if you get the chance, pop on over to Denita's blog and introduce yourselves!

Did I mention that she loves cats...?

I'm Getting Tired Of Saying This...

I wrote a whole post about people who stop blogging about a year ago, and I've said it before in countless emails and comboxes whenever I've discovered a blogger threatening to remove their blog.

How hard is it to understand: by "removing" your blog you don't remove the links which may have been created. These links tend to get hijacked by adult-content sites. It's all very well to say that we can take the links out of the blogrolls, but it doesn't help with tracking down all the links which have been made in individual posts.

Added to this, sometimes, in order to encourage traffic to visit another blog, a blogger (like me) might post something along the lines of "Jenny has made a good point about this and you can read her opinion at her blog," giving a link. This is done to be kind, as, if I just copy and paste what Jenny actually said, people will be less inclined to go and visit Jenny's blog. If Jenny then goes and deletes her blog, not only does that leave me without a record of what Jenny actually said, but if someone clicks on the link they risk getting diverted to a site selling Viagra (at best) or some really objectionable stuff.

I'm not being paranoid. A friend of mine didn't listen to my warnings about five years ago, and then had to spend several days contacting Blogger to try and get her blog put back up because of the stuff which was now associated with her name.

It isn't rocket science. One doesn't have to continue blogging. It is possible to stop. You can simply disable comments, so nothing further can be added without your say-so. And what you have written previously remains as a record.

Please, out of courtesy to any bloggers who may have been kind enough to link to you - DON'T DELETE YOUR BLOG!