This Year's Faith Summer Session

Each year I return from the Summer Session feeling uplifted and invigorated. In his inaugural Mass the Holy Father said, "The Church is alive, the Church is young..." and certainly, looking round the auditorium for the conference talks, the truth of that statement really hits home.

This year, the theme of the talks was "Jesus Christ, the Hope of the World: The Only Answer to Sin and Death" and I think it really was one of the most coherent themes. Each talk seemed to blend in pretty smoothly with the previous one without being too repetitive.

I think that my favourites this year were "The Resurrection - The Evidence and the Meaning" by Fr. Paul Brooks, and Sr. Roseann Reddy's talk on the tenth anniversary of the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative. Sr. Roseann is in the picture on the right, alongside Fr. David Barratt... he's only in the picture because he walked right in front of me when I was trying to take the photo, and when Sister Roseann said "Mac wants to take a picture for the blog," he replied, "Oh, of course you can" and moved round... (He did cotton on when she retorted "Of me, you great ninny!")

I particularly liked Fr. Paul's talk because the truth of the Resurrection is one of the sticking points for many of the students I have taught in the past. They have been so conditioned by GCSE exam questions to think that everything is just another point of view that they don't actually understand that there is such a thing as Truth. Fr. Paul's talk was very much the "Devil's Advocate" approach: he basically outlined the possibilities that the Resurrection was either a hoax or a mistake (and variations thereof) and pointed out why they don't stand up to examination.

Sr. Roseann held the whole auditorium totally spellbound as she spoke about the start of her own involvement with the pro-life movement and Faith, and then went on to speak about the work of the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative. At several points I came close to tears. Not all the women who are helped by the Initiative are actually persuaded not to have abortions (many admit that they considered an abortion, but couldn't go through with it, but the Sisters help any woman who is experiencing a crisis pregnancy) but Sister Roseann estimated that there were about 80 babies alive today who would have been aborted if it were not for the work of the Pro-Life Initiative. You can check out more over at the website for the Sisters of the Gospel of Life.

Another of the highlights this year had to be the Seminar - this is the opportunity for three young people to witness to the way Christ has affected their lives. The three speakers were really excellent, all of them in their early twenties, and all of them totally faithful to the teachings of the Church. One in the eye for the aging, sock-and-sandle-wearing, muesli-munching hippies who maintain that the Church has to change her teaching, because the standards are impossible to live up to in this day and age, and young people won't go along with it. Reality-check, people... if you present young people with the full beauty and majesty of the Truth instead of insulting their intelligence and integrity by watering down the Faith, then they will respond with generosity and enthusiasm !!

It was the largest conference ever: 238 people attended, and I don't think we can get much bigger while remaining at the same venue: the chapel was completely packed out for Mass, and at Morning and Night Prayer, when the 27 priests weren't seated on the sanctuary, it was standing room only!

The Summer Session wouldn't be the same without the opportunity to relax, chat with friends and make a complete fool of oneself intellectually (the Quiz night) and physically (the ceilidh... I can legitimately avoid the perils of this one by virtue of having a dodgy knee on one leg and a crook ankle on the other... my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!) Here you can see a few of my Quiz team (we really bombed, but at least we weren't right at the bottom!)

I also encountered two of my ex-students (I taught them RE two years ago, and they didn't run and hide... hmmmn, I'm not being scary enough!)

This year's Winter Conference is being held (slightly confusingly) next year - January 2nd - 4th at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire. I can't recommend it highly enough...

Graveyard Humour

Along with the ghastly choice of "Colours of Day" as a nice hymn for a Cremation Service, this struck me as one of the funniest shop signs ever...

Mantilla twitched in the direction of Gem of the Ocean - a new blog from Karen H, who (I believe) commented frequently as "Karen H - San Diego" so pop on over and have a little look!

(And just in case you don't know Colours of Day, I will just point out that the chorus starts: "So light up the fire, and let the flame burn" and a priest I knew told me that he was the one doing the cremation service, so it isn't just an urban myth...)

Me And Cars...

...ummm... I don't seem to be the best person to be allowed to own a car. I think I'm too blonde. I keep forgetting that a car needs looking after. For some reason, they won't work if you forget to put the petrol in, so I've pretty much cracked remembering that one. And checking the oil, though not top of my priorities, is something I do every now and then... but then, of course, I forgot about the water for the radiator...

I didn't actually overheat the engine. Close. Luckily a friend had told me that if the engine gets hot, you can cool it down (a bit) by wacking on the heating full blast...

I can confirm that this works.

A Spot Of Blogger...

I do enjoy blogging. It's a whole new way to get to exchange information and ideas. This was really brought home to me at the Summer Session when I was introduced to several people by mutual friends as "Mulier Fortis"... and it turned out that they read my blog, although many don't comment, or blog themselves. I was delighted to meet up with Orthfully Catholic, but, since I only twigged who he was on the last day, I didn't get to buy him a pint. Anonymity has its drawbacks!

I was also told about many other good blogs people read - most of them were already known to me, but there were a few that I hadn't heard of. I shall explore further in due course. But two which came up in conversation a few times were both blogs by seminarians: Northampton Seminarian and East Anglia Seminarians. These chaps are the priests of tomorrow: they need our prayers and support, so pop over and say hi.

I also noticed a new blog in the com-box while I've been away: Philip Andrews writes a blog called "Carpe Canum"... my Latin is almost non-existent, and I somehow doubt that it means "grab the dog" so if anyone could enlighten me, I'd be very grateful!!

Return Of The Mac...

I am safely back at the keyboard, and have recovered from the acute withdrawal syndrome I had been experiencing while at Woldingham School for the Faith Summer Session.

The school is in a sort of dip in the valley. This means that mobile phones don't work (bye bye, Facebook) and there are no Wi-fi hotspots (even if I had a laptop with the relevant capability, so adios Blogger!) I did manage to locate a computer which was set up for the internet, and after much wheedling was allowed to use it - but the school network blocked any site with "blog" as part of the URL... which put the kybosh on accessing any blogspot sites. I was intrigued to note that "wordpress" blogs didn't get blocked... I may need to give my blog location a little thought!

At the start of the Session, I asked Fr. Tim if he would let me know if he found a computer available for use. He told me that it was every blogger for himself...

The Session itself was really good. I bought copies of the talks on CD (you'll be able to order them through the Faith website shortly) so that I can listen to them again and digest all the information. The best part of the Session is, however, making new friends and meeting old ones. I'll post some more about the Conference later, along with a few photos. Here's a photo of the whole group (minus a few people who had to leave early... oh, and me, because I hate photos, and usually hide in the chapel at this point!)

Off Air...

I'm off to the Faith Summer Session this week. Phone reception is almost non-existent (I doubt I shall get to the top of the donkey field in an effort to check my mobile) and I don't think that there are any computers available for visitors to use. If I find a computer, I shall try and blog, but, to all intents and purposes, I suspect that I shall be incommunicado until Friday afternoon.

New Blog Found...

I'm a sucker for a sob-story! Paul left a message in my com-box saying he felt a little lonely. He started his own blog in July, and needs to get better known (so far the only comment he's had is a spam one, I think!)

Don't get put off by the rather odd images accompanying the sidebar and the title banner (they are pretty gruesome), or the lack of paragraphing on some of the longer posts... his blog, On the Side of the Angels, is dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and seems to have a variety of different posts (humour, personal, news and saints stuff) - and I dare say that, with practice, Paul will make the blog easier on the eyes...

Pop over and say hello sometime!

And While We're On The Subject Of Saints...

Twitch of the mantilla to Cate for discovering this one:

Which Saint Are You?

You are Athanasius! You are willing to fight a losing battle, just to make sure that the truth is told. But don't get discouraged; sometimes it takes more than one lifetime for truth to triumph.
Take this quiz!








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Menu For My Favourite Saints...

Mark over at Rise and Pray has tagged me for a fiendishly difficult meme:

If you could invite your five favourite saints to dinner, what would you serve them to eat, and why?

Naturally he has already snaffled the omelette option... although I notice that he squirmed out of giving a proper reason as to why he felt that scrambled eggs would be particularly suitable for his un-named dinner guests...

I'm going to cheat a little: these are not necessarily my favourite saints (I have soooooo many) but they are the ones who seemed to suggest their own menus...

St. Bernadette would get lamb chops - she was a shepherdess when in Bartres, geddit? St. Jude would be offered a club sandwich (I believe he was beaten to death with his wooden staff.) St. Laurence gets his choice of the mixed grill, while St. Edmund Campion might enjoy a dish of tripe.

St. Peter would, naturally, be offered the Dover sole....

Ok, those choices were so ghastly that I hardly dare to tag anyone...
...but I would really like to hear what the Cavemen would make of it, not to mention the Curt Jester...

UPDATE: Oooooh, these guys are quick off the mark. Must be a quiet news day! You can read the Caveman's menu here, and the Curt Jester's one there! Thanks, chaps!

Blogging Tonight !

I'm just back from a very enjoyable evening spent in the company of Joanna Bogle. She had asked me to take a photo or two, as she needed something to use as publicity for her sponsored cycle ride. I don't have a digital camera, but my mobile phone is pretty snazzy, and so, with the promise of dinner ringing in my ears, I hopped into the car and drove over. We had a short photo-shoot in the garden (luckily this was before it started to pour down with rain) and discussed the relative merits of standing in front of flowers versus a garden shed (the flowers, in my opinion, won hands down!)

After dinner, we got to discuss all things blogospherical, and I tried to find out why she had been unable to use the titles for her posts, (Joanna has the same template as me, albeit in a different colour) as detailed instructions from blogging supremo Fr. Finigan had failed to resolve the problem. Like most blogging issues, it was startlingly easy once you knew where to look: the title field had been switched off in the template.

While I was there, Joanna also updated her template, and changed the colour from girly pink to green (her childhood favourite colour.) She also got to grips with photos. Pop on over to check out the new-look Auntie Joanna Writes.

Hey... Quiz Time Again

Ok, because it's Saturday, and I'm about to go out to visit Auntie Joanna for real rather than just on the Blogosphere, here's a little quiz. Sorry, I didn't see if there was one for the chaps... (Now, which story was Elinor Dashwood in? I can't seem to recall her!) Twitch of the mantilla to Cate who's having a silly Saturday all of her own... I particularly liked her recipe for apple pie!

You scored as Elizabeth Bennet, As one of Austen's most beloved characters, Elizabeth Bennet represents what most women would like to become: strong, independent, and loyal. Of course, she has her faults including a stubborn will of iron and a clinging to first impressions. Overall, Lizzie is bright and lovable...something to admire and aspire to. Elizabeth Bennet 69% Elinor Dashwood 66% Emma Woodhouse 50% Jane Bennet 38% Marianne Dashwood 22% Lady Catherine 22% Charlotte Lucas 19% Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com

Another Blog Or Two To Investigate

When I stopped using Bloglines, I really pruned down the blogs I checked every single day. However, the twitching mouse-clicking finger has been at it again, and I've discovered a couple of genuinely new blogs.

First up: The Devouring Fire. The author, Michael, is discerning his vocation - he wants an Order involving Eucharistic Adoration as part of its charism. Wow... tough call. Any suggestions, pop on over and let him know...

Secondly, the engagingly named Dead Sea Squirrel. The author here is Linda Robinson. Unfortunately I couldn't find a profile, so no more information forthcoming unless Linda decides to put something in the com-box...

Evolution Versus God

I trained as a scientist. Science did not provide me with the answers I was looking for: happiness only came once I returned to the Church I had rejected for so long. Only in the truths she teaches have I found the answers to life's questions.

However, when I came back to the Church, I didn't put my brain into cold storage. Sometimes, when the exact explanations for the teachings of the Church are unclear to me, I have to trust that the Bride of Christ has been entrusted with the fullness of the Truth, and that the Holy Spirit guarantees she is free from error. That trust is founded on the Word of God himself, and what he promised: it isn't a blind faith. And the truths that I accept through faith are not (and could not be) in conflict with reason.

Lots of people still make the mistake of believing that it has to be either Science or Faith. Several of my students found the fact that I taught both RE and Science confusing, and they demanded to know which one I really believed. But slightly more worrying was the number of my colleagues who were surprised to discover that I could be a scientist and believe in God... and not just any old wishy-washy, vague pantheistic notion of God-in-Nature, but the God-made-Man who made specific demands of his followers.

The Faith Movement, with its specific emphasis on the synthesis of Science and Religion, helped me to feel less of an oddity - lots of people with scientific credentials who actually confessed to a belief in God (meeting priests with doctorates in astrophysics puts paid to the notion that religion is incompatible with "proper" Science!)

And now, the Holy Father has spoken out clearly about how faith in God is not incompatible with acceptance of evolution.

The Pontiff, during a question-and-answer session with 400 priests of the dioceses of Belluno-Feltre and Treviso, said that today in Germany, and also in the United States, there is a "fervent debate between so-called creationism and evolutionism, presented as if one of these alternatives excluded the other: Whoever believes in the Creator cannot think about evolution and whoever affirms evolution must exclude God."

However, Benedict XVI called this apparent conflict an absurdity.

"Because on one hand," he explained, "there is a great deal of scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and that enriches our knowledge of life and of being as such. But the doctrine of evolution does not answer everything and does not answer the great philosophical question: Where does everything come from? And how does everything take a path that ultimately leads to the person?

"It seems to me that it is very important that reason opens up even more, that it sees this information, but that it also sees that this information is not enough to explain all of reality. It is not enough."

The Pope urged a broader understanding of reason and the recognition of its vastness: "Our reason is not something irrational at heart, a product of irrationality. And reason precedes everything, creative reason, and we are truly the reflection of this reason.

"We are planned and wanted and, therefore, there is an idea that precedes me, a meaning that precedes me, which I must discover, follow and which, in the end, gives meaning to my life."

The more I read and hear about the Holy Father, the more I love him. Viva il Papa ! You can read more about his question-and-answer session over at ZENIT.

Friday Night At The Movies

Another Friday night, and another friend suggested that we go to see the new Simpsons' film. We arrived a little late (my fault... ) but only appeared to miss the adverts, trailers and the very beginning of the film (though I suspect I won't know for certain until the DVD comes out!)

If you enjoy the TV series, you'll enjoy the film. I was a little surprised that it was so focussed on the Simpsons themselves - I'd expected more to be made of Krusty, Mr Burns, Moe and some of the other characters.

The scene where Bart skateboards naked down the street for a dare was made much of in various reviews, but was very much a kiddy-giggle moment. More disturbing was the quick scene of two policemen kissing - it was totally unnecessary to the plot... and strangely, although there had been much publicity surrounding the nude scene (with comments as to how, if the American censors threatened to raise the certificate because of it, the scene would be cut) I hadn't heard anything about the homosexuality bit. Another example of how homosexuality is being presented as just another "lifestyle option"? It soured the film for me - and I'm not likely to keep the DVD as a treat to show my students at the end of the year. It's a real shame, as the film as a whole is a very entertaining bit of nonsense.

It's Been One Of Those Days...

For some reason I seem to be taking a lot of trips down amnesia lane. I couldn't find video footage of Allan Sherman's original (which, I hasten to add, I do not remember... I saw it on a comedy compilation much (much) later. Honest!), but this is one of the best mimes to the soundtrack. Enjoy!

More Motu Celebrations...

It would seem that the glee continues unabated: I'm a few days late picking up on this one, but I think it's worth "sharing" (heheheh... sorry, slipped into Vatican-II-speak there!)

Sanctus bell rings, are you listening?
On the vestments gold is glistening.
A beautiful sight,
The old Roman rite
Walking in a Ratzinger wonderland.

Gone away is the guitar.
Here to stay is the simar.*
We`ll sing an old song as we go along.
Walking in a Ratzinger wonderland

We can build an altar ad orientem.
Then go to see Father Brown.
He'll say “Are you stable?”
We'll say "Yes, man!
Will you say the Mass while we're in town?"

Later on we'll conspire
As we sit around the fire,
To face unafraid
The plans that we've made.
Walking in a Ratzinger wonderland.

* Cassock with cape and double sleeves.

Twitch of the mantilla in Fr. Brown's direction.

Reasons I don't Go To Church...

...inspired by a post title by Fr. Paul of the Lune Valley, I remembered this set of reasons not to wash (which are the hygiene equivalent of the usual reasons given for not going to church!)

1. I was forced to wash as a child.
2. People who wash are hypocrites. They think they are cleaner than everyone else.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap, I could never decide which one was right.
4. I used to wash, but it got boring so I stopped.
5. I wash only on special occasions, like Easter and Christmas.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I'm still young. When I'm older and have gotten a bit dirtier, I might start washing.
8. I really don't have time to wash.
9. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer.
10. People who make soap are only after your money.
11. I get along very well without washing.
12. I work hard all week and am too tired to take a bath on the weekend.
13. The first bar of soap I ever used gave me a rash, so I haven't gone near soap since!

This Post Reduced Me To Tears...

...I was also laughing so much that I couldn't draw breath for at least two and a half minutes... we are talking serious oxygen deprivation which you can enjoy HERE...

I particularly liked the fact that "Sixtiesdote," the antidote to the sixties, is best taken in conjunction with Humanae Vitaemins, and only under supervision of a Doctor of the Church...!

The contraindications are pretty amusing too:

Warnings and Cautions

Do not take Sixtiesdote if you are still enamored of theologians like Hans Küng and theological fads such as liberation theology. Severe theological reactions can occur.

The makers of Sixtiesdote are not responsible if lose your job as a DRE, liturgist, etc. for suddenly having orthodox opinions or that you stop finding that Franco Zeffirelli's Brother Sun, Sister Moon is the best movie on St. Francis ever.

The makers of Sixtiesdote are not responsible for book bills from Ignatius Press and other reliable publishing companies due to a sudden interest in the spiritual treasures of the Church.

Sixtiesdote can be used with a 12 step program as long as those 12 steps are not liturgical dance steps.

Do not try dropping Sixtiesdote in your parish liturgist's coffee. Sixtiesdote only works with an act of the will and will not violate conscience, even a badly formed one.

For ex-members of Call To Action and FutureChurch this product will not remove the gray from your hair.

Twitch of the mantilla to the Curt Jester.

New Kid On The Blog...

Fr. Michael Clifton, who describes himself in his profile as "a retired Catholic priest of a traditional mould" has started a blog called Fr. Mildew. At 72, he must be one of the most mature bloggers on the blogosphere...

Strange But True...

Facebook is definitely spooky. I always knew that the spelling of my surname was rather odd - I usually need to spell it out carefully to avoid being called "McLennon" or even "McLemon" and I've been called MacLeary on occasion. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there is actually a group on Facebook called "Our Last Name is McLernon"... and I didn't start it !! There are fifteen of us at the moment, mostly over the Pond.

We are not alone... Heheheheh!