Frustration...

I am a big fan of the I Can Has Cheezburger? site... lots of cute kitties and silly captions to make you smile. There are some other sites associated with it - I Has a Hot Dog is the dog-lovers' photo and caption site, for example, but there is also the Fail Blog - where some real boo-boos are highlighted, like the advertising slogan for Nina's Photography: "I Shoot People and Pets" or the Freshman/Sophomore Masquerade Ball, posters for which point out that no masks are to be worn at the dance...

This isn't too bad. A quick click to check out the latest photos and then it's back to work (or whatever)...

...Unfortunately, a recent game link has been added: nom nom nom 4 fud. In this, you aim your kitty at various cat biscuits, launch it by clicking on the tail, and watch as the cat munches up the biscuits for points. Big bags of catfood, cat baskets, water bowls and brooms make up the obstacles to be avoided. There are extra points for balls of wool and cheezburgers provide extra "lives."

The game is a complete waste of time, and therefore very entertaining...

It is also extremely frustrating, as the kitty doesn't seem to follow the laws of physics after the first two (simple) levels. I have launched my cat at exactly the same angle and strength on a particular level, and the cat seems to scoot off in a completely random manner... eating and missing biscuits in an infuriatingly idiosyncratic fashion each time. As a result, my highest score has been only 31500... more by luck than judgement.

There is also a doggy version...

Ten To The Power Four...

Leutgeb, in common with many musicians, is mathematically-minded. She has noticed that she is very close to achieving 10 to the power 4 hits on her blog, Bara Brith... that's 10,000 to the (un-mathematical) likes of me.

Who will be the lucky 10,000th visitor? And is there a prize? You'll just have to keep clicking here to find out...

The Winds Of Change...?

It is fascinating to see the preparations being made for the Installation of Vincent Nichols as 11th Archbishop of Westminster. The Diocese of Westminster "webteam" started up a blog to show all the work that's going into the liturgy and the whole "takeover process"... a very media-savvy move, I think.

(Yes, I also read the comment, somewhere or other, that central heating is installed, but bishops are enthroned, but the Westminster diocesan blog refers to the installation of the Archbishop, so I shall do the same...)

The Friends of Westminster Cathedral decided to present the new Archbishop with a set of new vestments. When I first read the announcement, it did occur to me that this could be ghastly - visions of "fuzzy-felt" bunches of grapes kept floating before my eyes, and mention of griffins just brought the old Barclays Bank logo to mind. The Installation Blog, however, put up some pictures of the vestments being made, along with a description, and there's not a grape, felt or otherwise, in sight! The griffin design mentioned is presumably woven into the fabric itself. The overall effect is one of elegant simplicity. This is not, by the way, the same as the "simplicity" claimed by the awful fuzzy-felt vestments of the 1970s - that was a stripping out of all that was beautiful, of all that was perceived as "not relevant" or "not modern."

There is an excellent article by Christina White in the Catholic Herald on the creation of the new vestments.

I was extremely interested to note that the ceremony of the Reception and Installation of the Archbishop of Westminster will be carried out according to the ancient Catholic rite used in similar circumstances for the Reception and Installation of the Archbishops of Canterbury prior to the Reformation... one in the eye for all those trendies who decry the usus antiquior as dragging the Church backwards, perhaps?

Taken together, this suggests that the winds of liturgical change (or a bit of a breeze, at least) might be blowing through the halls of Westminster Cathedral. Watch this space.

Heartbreaker...

Pictures like this one make me run to my own cat and assure him that he is loved. Of course, Sylvester isn't interested in being told he is loved, and often throws me a dirty look, as if to accuse me of interrupting his nice nap...

Feeding time is another matter. Sylvester is very affectionate at feeding time. Very, very affectionate... 

Day Of Prayer & Fasting...

The Good Counsel Network does stirling work with mothers in crisis pregnancies - they provide the same sort of support that the Sisters of the Gospel of Life provide through the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative.

As well as practical support, they also believe in the power of prayer and fasting. Fr. Tim has mentioned before that he often goes up to their offices to give them Benediction.

Each month they have a National Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life: this month it will be on May 22nd, the Feast of St. Rita. It's not always possible to support every good cause financially, but praying for an end to abortion and euthanasia is something everyone can join in.

Fasting
Fast from all food except bread and water for the day
Or
Fast from a particular food or luxury, e.g. chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes, TV.
Fast from whatever you can given your state of health etc, but make sure it is something that involves a sacrifice to yourself.

Prayer
We are asking people to say a Rosary (or an extra Rosary if you say it daily already).

You could also offer an extra effort such as going to Mass (or an extra Mass) on the day, or going to Adoration. You can even pray before a closed tabernacle if Adoration is not available near you.

For further information on the days of Prayer and Fasting contact:

The Good Counsel Network on 020 7723 1740 or email them.

An Apology From The Suppository... (No, Not For THAT Article...)

Damian Thompson reports that The Suppository has found itself having to print an apology.

They printed a letter which reported a service, supposedly celebrated by euphemistic monsters, in which unconsecrated hosts, after Eucharistic Prayer II had been recited over them, were consumed as "Holy Communion."

No explanation of the reason for publishing this letter was given. Fr. Ray Blake speculated that it might be a snide attack on Bishop O'Donoghue, or a way of promoting the idea that the sacramental priesthood is not necessary any more!

Comments in Fr. Ray's com-box quickly brought certain discrepancies to light - so it would seem that the Blogosphere does have its uses, not to mention being a pretty quick way to check for accuracy in any reports. Within five days of the post going up on Fr. Ray's blog, the letter had been de-bunked.

The apology is grudging in the extreme:

"We published the letter in good faith, but it has since emerged after lengthy enquiries that the address in Grasmere, Cumbria, given on the letter does not exist, which causes us to be concerned that the letter might not have been genuine."

Might not have been genuine??? And lengthy enquiries?? A simple phone call to the parish priest concerned (or even a visit... Cumbria's not that far away!) would surely have revealed the obvious? Elena Curti was quick enough to visit Blackfen to try and dig up some dirt for her nasty hatchet-job.

I have to say that the thing which had me crying with laughter, literally doubled over, was a comment on Damian's post from an individual called "Crouchback":

"Why don't they apologize for the shiny front cover, which is no use in the dunny, believe me I've tried..."

The Real Presence...

This evening our parish was visited by Raymond de Souza, EWTN host and lay apologist, on his UK tour.

The topic he spoke on was one which is dear to my heart: whether Jesus' presence in the Eucharist is real or just "symbolic". For any Catholic it's a no-brainer, but I was keen to hear what arguments Raymond would put forward.

I was a little unsure how the talk would go: I half expected a "typical" evangelistic type, rather like Scott Hahn... don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading Scott Hahn's work (in small doses) and admire his zeal, but it's all a bit exhausting, and doesn't translate well in the UK. There is a basic lack of understanding as to how far the de-Christianisation of Europe has progressed: America, for all its "separation of Church and State" is far more steeped in religion than the UK.

In fact, Raymond de Souza proved to be an inspirational and fascinating speaker. He spoke without any notes, but he never seemed to stray far from his central message: that Christ had not been speaking figuratively when he said that a person must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to inherit eternal life. I had already heard the arguments Raymond used, but his delivery was fresh and engaging, and he gave the topic an intensity I hadn't experienced before.

After a brief service of Benediction, there was an opportunity to buy some CDs and books - I managed to get a copy of Henry VIII's Defence of the Seven Sacraments, which Raymond de Souza had edited and supplemented - it comes with 2 CDs inside the cover. I knew that Henry VIII's treatise had defended the existence of the seven Sacraments (Luther maintained that there were only two, Baptism and the Eucharist) but I hadn't realised that Henry had also written arguments defending the primacy of the Pope. I look forward to reading the book.

The full itinerary of Raymond de Souza's tour can be found HERE, and if you are in the vicinity, I would really recommend making the effort to hear him in person. If you can't make any of the events mentioned, you can buy CD recordings of many of his talks.

Finally, I was delighted to make the acquaintance of Bernadette Bevans (of BevansInc.), who is responsible for co-ordinating Raymond's UK tour, and Gary Bevans, who painted the reproduction of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the church of Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex. The Bevans are also responsible for producing DVDs on various topics, such as the life of St. Edmund Campion and St. Philip Howard, through their company, Mary's Dowry Productions. Pop over and check them out!

Video Excerpts From The Jubilee...

For those of you not fortunate enough to have been there, or even for those who were there, but fancy a reminder of how magnificent it all was, here's a video of the highlights...

Ad Multos Annos !

It was Fr. Ray's Silver Jubilee yesterday, and to celebrate, he had a Mass in honour of the Carthusian martyrs. I wasn't entirely certain that I'd be able to go, as driving there and back would be a bit too much for me (I'm still anaemic, and tire very, very easily) but the offer of a lift back afterwards made things easier.

I checked out train times, and discovered that there was a fast train, taking just an hour and one minute, from London Bridge, and I thought that might be my best option, as it would be less crowded than one of the "commuter" trains. However, when I got to London Bridge, there were various announcements about a Brighton train which was supposed to stop at all the stations, but which, due to its being 20 minutes late, would now not be stopping at Gatwick Airport.

Not sure about the reason for the delays, I thought that it might be a good idea to get on the first train which presented itself at the platform, as the station was getting more and more crowded with disgruntled passengers with suitcases (obviously the Gatwick crowd.)

At the first stop, a further announcement was made: the train was so late that only one further stop before Brighton was to be allowed, and all other passengers had to get off. Delighted to discover that my train was now, effectively, the "non-stop" to Brighton service, I settled down for a brief nap.

A taxi from the station deposited me at the church of St. Mary Magdalen. I couldn't see any "reserved" signs, so plumped myself down in a front pew with an eye to taking photos. Fr. Ray spotted me and gave permission to snap away, though I was (jokingly) told there would be a strict embargo until after he'd put some photos on his own blog...

There were two choirs: the parish choir and the Brighton Chamber Choir, and the music was a heady mixture of plainchant and polyphony. Afterwards, I met Clare, who leads the parish choir (and sings in the Brighton Chamber Choir) and was able to express my appreciation. Clare isn't a blogger, but she is good friends with Leutgeb, with whom she will be going to Solesmes in the Summer. The choirs were busy practicing when I arrived, and I got a sneaky shot in early...

The Mass itself was magnificent. Fr. Seán Finnegan preached an excellent sermon on St. John Houghton and the Carthusian martyrs; very stirring stuff. The sermon was a reflection on the last words of St. John, "Good Jesu, what will you do with my heart?" and from there considered the vocation of the priesthood. This passage from the sermon reminded me why we, the laity, owe so much to our priests, and why little signs of love and appreciation for our priests (such as the Chrism Mass Demo) are so important:

"I have always been very struck by the story of Blessed Noel Pinot, a martyr of the French Revolution, who, having been arrested when about to celebrate Mass, ascended the scaffold to the guillotine dressed in the same Mass vestments, reciting to himself the same words we said today 'Introibo ad altare Dei'. The mother of St. John Bosco said to him on his ordination day: 'Remember, son, that beginning to say Mass means beginning to suffer.' These words come home to me and strike at my conscience, because I would far rather have a nice dinner with brandy and cigars than suffering, but I increasingly think that I can never really be worthy of my priesthood until I pour myself more entirely into it. There is nothing worth having that does not carry its price label, and the price label for following the Lord is imitating Him in all things or, as He said Himself, taking up our cross daily. The question is not what do I want (the answer to that is straightforward: I’ll have an easy life, please, involving some nice dinners in agreeable company) but what does He want. In fact, 'Good Jesu, what will you do with my heart?' Because whereas my little wants are rather petty and contemptible, His are wonderful beyond comprehension."

Fr. Tim Finigan posted an account of the Mass, and some other photos. Laurence England (referred to as "Bones" because of his blog title) was also present, and I narrowly escaped having my photo taken outside the presbytery as I left. I believe that a few photos have made their way to the New Liturgical Movement blog, along with a close-up of the vestments. Here are a few more photos that I snapped during the Mass...

Heartfelt congratulations to you, Fr. Ray on your Silver Jubilee, and thank you for accepting Christ's call with such generosity.

New Blog On The Block...

Singulare Ingenium is a blog concerned with all things to do with Tolkien (though not exclusively so) and is well worth adding to your blogroll. Pop on over and say hello... and tell him I sent you!

St. Catherine Of Siena (Round 2) !

The Society of St. Catherine of Siena doesn't usually get to hold their Annual Mass on the actual feast day of St. Catherine because the Mass is organised around the diary of the chairman, Bishop Malcolm McMahon. This year, the Annual Mass was a week after the feast itself, which made it rather like celebrating the Octave Day.

The Solemn Pontifical Mass was held in the conventual chapel of the Knights of Malta at the Hospital of Saint John & St. Elizabeth, St. John's Wood.

I've been feeling rather tired and washed-out of late, and so very nearly didn't go: I'd only been to St. John's Wood once or twice before, by tube, but the effort involved in negotiating public transport was just too much to contemplate. I checked out the route on Google Maps, and realised that it was a pretty straightforward drive, and so, having programmed the sat-nav on my phone, I set out.

The chapel itself is amazing. It is not the usual hospital chapel, and there is a curious tardis-like experience on entering from the hospital corridor: the huge marble columns would not be out of place in a Roman basilica.

Anyway, I managed to get a place at the front (most un-Catholic behaviour, I know, but I don't think it is enough to get me classed as a heretic!) and promptly whipped out my phone to take photos.

The Mass itself was awesome (as ever!) The silence during the Canon gave me goosebumps - this silence was amazing given that the marble makes it quite a noisy chapel. Boys from the London Oratory school came to sing the Mass; I don't know what settings they sang, but the music was beautiful...

Unfortunately, the low light levels meant that the phone camera took absolutely ages to focus, and so I completely missed the Consecration shots which look so very impressive. Still, the photos which I did manage to get don't look too shabby...

On The Subject Of Swine Flu...

Melancholicus has a helpful hint on what not to do... though the picture is just too good to leave it on his blog, so I'm snaffling it here...

My gecko-owning friend also told me that her father had phoned the NHS Swine Flu information line... but all he got was some crackling...

You Learn Something New Every Day...

I visited some friends yesterday evening, and was promptly grilled by the youngest family member as to the nature of my favourite pet, not including cats. This had me stumped for a minute. After admitting that rats (nice, clean, laboratory-reared rats) were my second favourite, the interrogation moved to the subject of geckos (my interrogator's favourite, I think...)

I had to admit that I had never actually "met" a gecko. I'd seen pictures, I'd seen them on TV, but I'd never seen one "in the flesh" so to speak.

This gap in my knowledge was hastily remedied... I was promptly introduced to "Poppy" (so called because the spots on her back looked like poppy seeds) and was allowed to take photos for the blog. I must say that geckos are rather beautiful to look at...

Taking (Civil) Liberties...

The British Government wants to bring in ID cards. Initially, it would have been compulsory to have a card (and to pay for the privilege) but the Home Office are now saying that it's going to be optional (for how long?) The scheme was also going to be running by 2008... but now people are talking about 2010 for pilot schemes and 2011/2012 for the real thing. And data will be held in three different databases, partly because the cost of a cental database would be too high, and partly because this Government have proved to be so totally inept at handling data securely.

I have to confess that I'm confused by the need for ID cards. We already have passports, drivers' licenses, national insurance numbers, (allocated at age 16, I think) national health numbers (allocated at birth - at least mine is related to the number on my birth certificate) council tax documentation, electoral roll data...

I do not understand how these cars will reduce fraud, illegal immigration or terrorism.

The original idea was to have iris scan data for the cards. Too expensive, so it's been ditched. All it will now have is fingerprint data on a database... but there are no plans to give scanners for the cards to shops, banks, pubs or other commercial concerns. Instead there will be a "hotline" for people worried about fake cards.

So much for the fight against fraud... credit cards already use more technology than this with their chip-and-pin stuff... and that isn't foolproof. And cards can be cloned.

There isn't even a timetable for giving scanners to the police or to immigration officers...

There goes the illegal immigrants argument.

Which leaves the fight against terrorism. As if people born in this country aren't capable of committing acts of terrorism. And someone who wants to blow up other people, and doesn't mind dying in the process, is hardly going to worry about having a valid ID card. I suppose it might help to identify the dead...

This Made Me Laugh...

... unfortunately there is more than a grain of truth in it!

Communicate With Your Cat - Hints & Tips 1...

I thought I'd start a new series, to aid my fellow cat lovers...

You must learn to recognise your cat's "feed-me-before-I-rip-off-your-face" look...

Plans...

I was checking out some of my previous posts, and I found this video, which I posted in 2007. I love the example of forward planning...

Our Lourdes Pilgrimage...

I'm busy organising the events for this year's Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes. As I've explained before, we organise all the stuff ourselves, as this really cuts down the costs. It also means that we don't get stuck in some of the less attractive chapels - the Chapel of St. Patrick, for example, looks like a store-cupboard... albeit a large one.

The "Service Planification" ask smaller groups to wait until April before making booking requests, so that they can organise the larger diocesan and other pilgrimages. This seems fair enough, but time flies, and I have suddenly realised that May has started, and I haven't heard anything...

Ooops.

I sent another email today, and I shall telephone in a day or two if there's no reply.

Exploring the official Lourdes website, I saw that they have "upgraded" their video links to the Grotto. Previously, the links were actually small snippets of video coverage which were repeated after two or three minutes. Now there is live coverage of the Grotto: I've got the 3:30pm recitation of the Rosary going on in the background. The link needs to be refreshed after about 10 minutes for some reason. During the Rosary, the camera changes round to show different shots, but it seems to be fixed the rest of the time.

This gave me an idea. When we are in Lourdes, I'll go to the grotto at a certain time and wave in the direction of the main camera. I don't know what time yet - it depends on what else we're doing - but I'll post the time on the blog. If you watch the live link at that time, you'll get to see me (and maybe a few others on the pilgrimage!)

Watch this space for details. In the meantime, if you want to have a look at the link to the grotto, click here.

Time To Call In Some Favours...

Ok, people, listen up!

Terra, stop sulking, and stop trying to rig the voting along nationalistic lines. Ches, the commenting works just fine, so stop messing about... be sensible, there's a good chap. Leutgeb, take off that sling and get thee to a keyboard... no, not that sort of keyboard... the one attached to your computer. Paulinus, remember that rabbits are God's creatures too. And Ttony, if you have quite finished mooching about pre-Reformation churches...

If I now have your undivided attention? Are you sitting comfortably? Good.

The 2009 Cannonball Awards have opened for voting. Mulier Fortis (me!) is up for two awards: Snarkiest Catholic Blog and Best Under-Appreciated Catholic Blog. You have to be careful in the latter category, as I'm in the second set of blogs.

Well, don't just sit there... go and vote for me! I shall be checking that you've done your homework too...

A Catholic Education?

Ches at the Sensible Bond has an excellent post musing on the possibilities afforded by the Church relinquishing voluntary aided status of Catholic schools. He suggests, in other words, that the Church should withdraw funding and leave the State to get on with it. After all, with the National Curriculum and all the "compulsory" bits the Government wants to impose, the Church has precious little to say on the matter anyway. So, fine... if the Government wants it, let the Government pay for it... and for the buildings and the land the buildings are on...

For a start, he suggests, parents will be given back the responsibility for the religious education of their children...

So, how likely is that to happen?

Oh look up there: there's a 'flu carrier with wings...