Easter Vigil At Blackfen

The Easter Vigil at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, is beautiful. Because Easter is so late this year, although the sun had officially set fifteen minutes before the start of the Vigil, there was still quite a bit of twilight. I had a major panic as I started to take photos - the display screen appeared to have switched off, and I thought I'd broken my beloved camera. Fortunately, through much pressing of random buttons, I managed to get things going again.

Things weren't just going wrong for me... the Paschal Candle had a very thin wick this year, and it wouldn't stay alight... the MC had to take it into the sacristy for a rapid wax trim. That seemed to do the trick. I wasn't surprised - when last year's Paschal Candle arrived in various pieces through careless postage and packaging, Gregory did a makeover on the previous year's candle, which saved the day.

Fr. Tim chanted the Exsultet, which I managed to catch on video - though I missed the first minute or so because I got distracted by the shenanigans with the Paschal Candle. I shall put up the video as soon as I've uploaded it to YouTube.

The servers had fun once again with the bell-ringing. I gather that one of the servers actually brought a couple of bells from home in order to be sure of getting one to ring!

Once the lights went on, the statues were unveiled and the flowers brought out, the church looked beautiful. The choir sang for all they were worth, and it was magnificent.

Once again, you can see a selection of photos on my Flickr pages.

Kitten Capers...

My two kittens have very different temperaments. Monsignor Miaowrini loves to go out - at the moment, with the gorgeous weather we're having, she's out almost all day. Yesterday she was entranced by a squirrel (according to one of my neighbours, whose flat looks out onto the garden) and, not yet able to climb the fence (Miaowrini is just the clumsiest kitten I've ever encountered) she followed it along the bottom of the fence right the way to the back of the garden until the squirrel escaped over the garages.

I was tired after the Good Friday liturgy, and fell asleep on the sofa at about 7pm. I awoke at midnight, and realised that Miaowrini was still out gallivanting. I called her a few times, but there was no reply. I did some washing up, steeling myself to go out hunting for her mangled corpse if she didn't return by the time I finished...

She came in through the cat flap just as I put the last plate away. She did her best to look nonchalant and innocent of all wrong-doing, but the smudge of what looked suspiciously like oil on her nose suggested that she had been up to no good...

Monsignor Furretti, on the other hand, really doesn't seem to like going out. I think she has had a run-in with a neighbouring cat - the same one that knocked Sylvester off the top-cat perch. Of course, it could just be that it is really very hot out, and Furretti is a black, long-haired cat. I pushed her out through the cat flap this morning to encourage her to go outside (she was eyeing the litter tray in a speculative way) but, after two minutes of her looking plaintive on the ledge, I relented and let her back in. I stroked her fur as she passed me, and was shocked at how hot her coat had become.

She much prefers lounging around inside, preferably on the table next to the computer (when I'm on  the computer) or on top of the computer monitor. Occasionally I wonder if she's worried I'll leave her - she was a rescue kitten, and was abandoned at the age of 4 months.

Anyway, I went out just before lunchtime, and, on my return, I thought I'd have a look in the garden to see if the kittens were out. They were both in the bushes round the side of the block. I stood at the garden end and called them down, and the two kittens came to see what I was up to...

They seem contented enough. I'll post more soon...

Good Friday...

I thought I'd try a photo of the High Altar in a sepia tone, because it looked so stark and bare. I like the sepia tone - black and white seems less effective (although I think black and white works better for portrait shots - one of the only pictures of myself that I like is a black and white photo!)

I found myself in tears during the veneration of the Cross. The choir sang O sacred head ill-used, which is one of my favourite hymns. Fr. Tim Finigan is seen here, creeping to the Cross in stockinged feet, along with Michael Baldry, our deacon...

A few more photos can be seen on my Flickr page.

Maundy Thursday...

The Maundy Thursday services at Blackfen yesterday were awesome. We had Mass in the Extraordinary Form, followed by Vespers, and then there was watching until midnight at the Altar of Repose...

My memory appears to be going AWOL... I was sure that last year we didn't celebrate Vespers, but Jonathan Hague, Blackfen's Senior MC, assured me that we did exactly the same last year!

The altar servers appear to have had great fun ringing the bells at the Gloria...

The Mandatum...

The choir were in good voice, though sadly our Choir Mistress, Brenda, was in hospital...

And the Altar of Repose was truly beautiful, thanks to the work of Hilda, our Sacristan...

You can see more Maundy Thursday photos on Flickr.

UPDATE: I have just looked at last year's post about Holy Week, and realised that Jonathan was absolutely correct in his assertion that we had Vespers as well... In my defence, there was a lot going on that week (like my car breaking down in a pretty catastrophic manner!) and so I've probably blotted the entire week from my memory as a way of preserving my sanity...

Something Strange...

For some reason I am getting an influx of hits from different people searching for images of chickens...

Hmmm. Must be nearly Easter.

Holy Week Continues Apace...

We have been really blessed at Blackfen to be able to have Mass in both forms during Holy Week. I prefer to attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form if I am given a choice, so, after the marathon of Palm Sunday, I had a luxurious lie-in on Monday morning (much to the disgust of the kittens, who wanted the cat-flap (and the cat food) to be opened at silly o'clock) and I went to Low Mass on Monday evening. Tuesday provided me with another opportunity for a lie-in, but I figured that it would be needed, as the Missa Cantata held in the evening included an extra Lesson and the singing of St. Mark's Passion.

Given that it was an evening Mass, the thirty minutes needed to chant the Passion proved a little too much for one young parishioner - his gentle (but penetrating) snores were most poignant when Jesus was upbraiding the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane...

The next morning was less relaxing: we had Low Mass at 7am. This meant I had to get up at 5:30am so I could feed the kittens, wash, dress and drive to the church early enough to help set up. The children present were full of the joys of Spring, the adults, on the other hand, were looking somewhat the worse for wear.

I wanted to go to Tenebrae at St. Mary Moorfield's in the evening, but I hadn't ever been to that church, and was a little doubtful about driving in. I considered going on public transport, but my knee and ankle have been playing up a lot, and I didn't relish the hassle which would be involved, especially for coming back afterwards. I printed off the route (via Google Maps) and set off.

I almost turned around again because of the traffic queues on the A2 - the Blackwall Tunnel was backed up right the way to the Sun-in-the-Sands roundabout. However, I was hopeful that the traffic would clear once I got across the river, and this proved to be the case. I got close and estimated that I'd be about 15 minutes late...

Somehow or other I took a wrong turn, and got hopelessly lost. After driving for another 45 minutes, confused by one-way systems and massive roadworks, I finally found the church. I suddenly realised that I'd driven past it about half an hour before... possibly twice...

I crept in at the back, an hour late. Fortunately, this being Tenebrae, we were only somewhere in the Second Nocturn! (Ok, I probably got that wrong, but the service did continue for another hour and twenty minutes!) The music was a mixture of plainchant where the congregation got to join in and heavenly polyphony sung by Charles Finch's music group.

At the end, I asked if it would be ok to put my photos up on the blog, and permission was granted - I like to ask when I go somewhere new.

The journey home was even more fraught than the journey in. Jonathan (Blackfen's Senior MC) offered to act as navigator, so it was straightforward enough (although traffic was unusually heavy) but, despite warnings that the southbound Blackwall tunnel would be closed from 21 April, we found that it was closed a day early... it took two hours to get back to Blackfen! I was a little concerned that the kittens would be out gallivanting (I hadn't closed the cat-flap before I left) and might have become fox food, but they were both waiting to greet me as I opened the door.

You can see more photos of Tenebrae at St Mary Moorfield's on my Flickr page.

Addicted To Blogging...?

No. Not a bit. I could give it up tomorrow...

Well, ok, I'll admit that I probably couldn't... not really. I mean, at the very least, I need somewhere to showcase my photos. It's no fun if no-one looks at them. I was really chuffed last night when a parishioner told me that he has a copy of Miaowrini's "mouser" photo as his desktop.

Admittedly I go through dry phases where I just don't seem to have anything much to say. The rest of the time, I blog about having nothing to say instead!

Seeing the quiz about blog addiction, I just couldn't resist. And 78% isn't bad. It could have been much, much worse...

78%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?
Created by OnePlusYou

Twitch of the mantilla to Fr. Stephen Wang.

Six Years Already... Ad Multos Annos!

"Isn't time fun when you're having flies?" as one frog said to the other!

I wasn't blogging back then - I started just under a year later, on 13 May 2006. The day of the Holy Father's election will, I hope, be one I remember forever... I have posted much of this before, but it was such a wonderful event that I don't mind repeating myself. You don't have to read it!

I remember it well. I was teaching RE in a Catholic School and had been talking about the conclave all day to my students. At lunchtime, Fr. James Clark (our priest chaplain) had popped into the staffroom, and the two of us tried to see what was happening on various internet sites, hampered by painfully slow internet connections - there was a bit of a scare when the report of "white smoke" was mentioned, but it soon became clear that the smoke was a definite black.

Immediately school was over, I drove back to the parish... I didn't have cable or satellite TV at home, I didn't trust the BBC's coverage of Catholic news even then, and Fr. Tim had said that, as nothing was booked for the evening, I could go in and watch the TV in the large hall for a bit... he was at the seminary at Wonersh, I think, but I met the parish secretary, Bridget, at the door, and she gave me the key to the hall.

I was pretty sure nothing would happen for a while, but it was a luxury to be able to hear what the different TV stations had to say about the whole process... so I arranged my books for marking, turned on the TV and went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. As I was fishing out the teabag, I heard the announcer state that black smoke had gone up. I was disappointed, but not terribly surprised - it was only the second day of the conclave, after all - and I decided that I'd just drink my tea, do some marking while listening to the news in the background and then go home.

As I sat down, consternation seemed to be breaking out among the announcers. They were absolutely sure that the smoke was black... but it did look just a little bit grey. The crowds were cheering wildly... so the presenters were explaining that the crowds had to be wrong, because the smoke was black... well, ok, grey... but it was meant to be black... and anyway, to prevent any mistake the presenters had been told that bells would ring as well as white smoke, and there were no bells... but that smoke did look a bit pale... no, it was grey... but the cheering crowds had definitely gotten it wrong because there were no bells... but... oh, look, white smoke... but what about the promised bells...?

...and then the bells started up!

As you can imagine, I abandoned the marking...

A group of people suddenly appeared in the hall - they had assumed that the hall would be empty, and they wanted to set up the tables for refreshments after a funeral on the next day... did I mind? I explained that I was just watching the TV, so I didn't mind, as long as I wasn't in their way.

I had jokingly commented the day before that it would be great if Cardinal Ratzinger was elected, but had been told firmly that this just wasn't possible, though he might turn out to be influential as "kingmaker." I continued to watch, determined to see the moment when the name of the new Pope would be announced...



That wily old Cardinal Estevez was milking it for all it was worth... When I heard "Josephum" I screamed and jumped up and down... I didn't know that there was another Cardinal called Joseph, but the "Ratzinger" which followed after the pause confirmed the good news.

Phone calls and furious texting to friends ensued. The other people in the hall seemed a little bemused by my behaviour. "Errm... it's good news then?" they asked, a little hesitantly. "Very good indeed!" was my delighted response.

I stayed until the new Pope had appeared on the balcony, and then went home, deliriously happy. After an evening phoning friends and being phoned, I heard that Fr. Patrick Burke (whom I know well through the Faith Movement) was to be on Newsnight...



A wonderful day. I also remember the disgruntled comment made to me in the school car park the following morning as I clambered out of my car clutching several laminated posters of the newly elected Pope ready to be plastered all over my classroom. "See the result of the election last night? I suppose you're happy then?"

To which the reply was "Yes. Very!"

So, where were you, and what were you doing when you heard the good news?

Happy Anniversary, Holy Father. Ad multos annos!

Palm Sunday...

Yesterday was really hectic, as I explained in my previous post, and I didn't have a chance to edit and upload my photos - adding the titles and stuff to Flickr is a slow process for me! However, the Easter Holidays are upon us, so I had time this morning to attend to photostream housekeeping.

Yesterday's Mass was absolutely amazing. It took 53 minutes before we got to the Introit, and then, after the preliminaries, the chanting of the Passion took another 40 minutes. Although the Passion seems to go on forever (especially if one is standing - though I decided to avoid straining my knee and wimped out) the Mass as a whole really doesn't seem long. I was really surprised to discover that the whole celebration had lasted two and a half hours. The only reason I'm sure about the timings is that I'd been asked to make a note of them, for future reference!

The deacon and subdeacon both wore folded chasubles, and the deacon also wore the broad stole (which is also a folded chasuble) at various points. The New Liturgical Movement site has an excellent article on the use and development of the folded chasuble if you want to read more about it.

Do pop over to my Flickr account and have a look at all the photos I took yesterday. I'm really pleased with them - my little Canon IXUS camera was one of the best purchases I've made, and it's given me a tremendous amount of pleasure. I am contemplating investing in a "proper" camera, so that I can take up photography as a serious hobby. Then again, maybe I don't need to!

A Busy Day...

Today has been very hectic.

I overslept, then I had to make a mad dash down to North Greenwich to collect Dr. Laurence Hemming who was to be deacon at the Solemn High Mass celebrated for Palm Sunday at Blackfen. I started to panic as I suddenly noticed that a lot of the slip roads onto and off the A2 were closed due to the London Marathon. However, all was well, if later than I'd have liked. The Palm Sunday celebrations went on for two and a half hours. I then drove the deacon back to North Greenwich, met up with friends for lunch, drove to Chislehurst to collect a supply priest and brought him to Blackfen, attended the evening Palm Sunday Mass and then drove the supply priest down to Ebbsfleet International so he could catch a train.

Hectic. And tiring.

So, I thought a little light relief would be in order...

(Suddenly I realise that Miaowrini is not alone in her accident-prone-ness and general nosiness!)

I don't like the bit where the person throws the cat up to the ceiling. That's not nice. The rest is very funny...

I'm Not Jealous, Really I'm Not...

...Well, ok, maybe I am a bit jealous, just a teensy-weensy bit.

The invitations to the official Vatican Blogmeet (it doesn't qualify as a "Blognic" IMHO, because there's no food or drink involved... unlike the *Other* Catholic Rome Blognic) have been published for all to see. It seems that, after selecting a few bloggers as representative of certain areas, they just picked the names out of a hat.

And quite a few of the bloggers are on my own blogroll! Ok, I'm not a teensy-weensy bit jealous, I am very, very jealous...

Congratulations must go to Anna Arco (the Catholic Herald's chief feature writer), the Reluctant Sinner, the Crescat (who really does deserve to go - she was due to go to Rome last year only that unpronounceable volcano went and put the kybosh on it by erupting... and it pretty much closed Europe!), Mary O'Regan (The Path Less Taken), the Ironic Catholic (that's sooooo unfair - she stopped blogging for Lent!) Jane Mossendew (Thoughts from a Catholic Oasis) and James Bradley (Ordinariate Portal).

Hilary White also seems to have snuck in under the wire, much to her surprise... just as well the *Other* Catholic Rome Blognic is the day after!!

I'm really, really, very jealous indeed...

Happy Birthday, Holy Father!

Pope Benedict XVI is 84 today. Ad multos annos!

I was looking through a few of my previous posts about the Holy Father when I found this video, and I think it bears watching again. Enjoy!

Confession

Thanks to Fr. Ray Blake for drawing attention to this very moving video clip about Confession. I was watching it and thinking that the lack of sound made a very powerful statement... and then I realised that my computer was on mute! Nevertheless, it really hits home...

A Fantastic Film And An Even Better True Story...

The film, The Scarlet and the Black, is a gripping tale of heroic action and intrigue set in the Second World War, when the Nazis occupied Rome. Gregory Peck plays Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, a priest in the Holy Office, who helps hundreds of allied servicemen and Jewish civilians escape.



The film is stirring enough, but it's even more so when you realise that it's based on a true story. Check out Stephen Walker's fascinating article in the Catholic Herald.

Guild Of Catholic Bloggers - Planning Meeting

The Reluctant Sinner is really getting up a head of steam. A meeting is being organised for Saturday May 7th, from 2:00-4:00pm - the Sinner will be providing tea and coffee from 1pm if people want to bring their sandwiches.

The meeting will be held in the Hinsley Room next to Westminster Cathedral - it's a stand-alone building behind St Paul's Bookshop and St Vincent's School, on Morpeth Terrace.

Sadly, I'll be busy that day, but if you can attend, then do leave a comment in the Reluctant Sinner's combox.

One Mantilla Does Not A Traddy Make...

...Heheheheh... It seems that one has to have a spare in the glove compartment. I have two. Does that make me an uber-trad?

"The women have an extra mantilla in the van - just in case. The men have an opinion on the best type of pipe tobacco for any occasion. The boys have their own cassock and surplice hanging in the closet. The girls know how to play Dies Irae on the organ. They wear a t-shirt while they go swimming so their brown scapular doesen't float away. They're willing to drive an hour to go to Mass... every Sunday. 

They know the confession times of at least 4 churches. They invite priests over to play cards and smoke cigars. They pray to saints that you think may not really exist. They ask you to finish the sentence when you say "John Paul the Great"... the great what? They might own a live chicken. When they're at a Novus Ordo Mass, everyone watches them to figure out why they're hitting themselves during the "Lamb of God"."

Clifford, over at Ecce Homo has scored himself an "A" on the Trad Scale found by The Rockin Traddy and drawn up by The Reluctant Traditionalist and Wholly Roamin Catholic.

Do you get the impression that I've been having a little holiday fun checking out some new (to me) blogs?

Just one question: What's a tinfoil hat joke?

A Bloggers' Guild...?

It seems that the two Rome Blognics are bearing fruit already. The Reluctant Sinner thought that it might be a good idea to have a Guild for Catholic Bloggers, under the patronage of Blessed Titus Brandsma.

I don't agree that one should limit membership to Britain, however. After all, the Blogosphere is not bound by geographical limits - and, if one is planning to have a Bloggers' Guild, then presumably we can make use of technology to overcome the need for an actual corporeal presence at meetings (heheheheheh!) The *Other* Catholic Rome Blognic will put virtual attendance to the test. It is certainly getting plenty of attention.

Perhaps there can be local branches of the Guild...

Anyway, pop on over to register your interest in the Guild!

UPDATE: It seems as if the news of a Guild for Bloggers has hit the Catholic Herald - check out William Oddie's excellent article.

Feline Foibles...

My cat posts appear to be quite popular, so I shall continue with the occasional update...

Miaowrini really likes the great outdoors. More specifically, she likes going out and coming back in... and then going back out again. I haven't been able to work out whether she's busy playing tag with some of the neighbouring cats or if she's being chicken... Either way, the catflap is clattering almost constantly.

I occasionally call her in, just to see if she's ok, and she'll shoot in at high speed, possibly acknowledge my existence, check to see if there's anything new going on (such as food) and then depart at equally high speed. I occasionally hear a bit of a thump and some scrabbling which indicates that Miaowrini hasn't quite managed to jump up as cleanly as she'd like - she really is the clumsiest kitten I've ever encountered.

Furretti, on the other hand, is much more laid back. She doesn't go back and forth quite as much as Miaowrini. The sound of me opening the front door to go out usually results in her returning through the flap - almost as if she's only comfortable exploring if she knows I'm around. She does go out on her own (she was out when I came home yesterday afternoon) but she also likes to snooze inside. Preferably on top of any paperwork I'm trying to do.

I had a bit of a panic this morning. Furretti had used the litter-tray and had a bit of stuff sticking to her fur. I grabbed some paper to clean her up, and found traces of blood on the paper. She was lively enough - purring and happy to be given the extra attention, and then not so happy when I attempted to wash her bottom, she'd been eating well (but not excessively) and didn't appear to be in any discomfort, but...

I phoned the vet. It seems that it might be the change in diet (I had to switch to a different brand of cat biscuits because the brand I usually use was out of stock), or it could be worms. I have to get some worming stuff. Fortunately for my fingers there's a type in drop form that can be squeezed onto the back of the cat's neck. And I have to keep Furretti under observation.

Fingers crossed it's nothing serious...

A Coffee-Spluttering Moment...

The Catholic Herald is great. One of the bloggers for the online edition is Francis Philips, and while reading her article today on the corrected translation, one bit made me splutter coffee over my keyboard:

"I am dispirited by his peddling the dreary phrase, "the spirit of the Second Vatican Council", as if that dubious and elusive spectre has anything to do with the workings of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t; the sooner it is buried with a stake through its heart and garlic round the doorposts, the better."

I Wasn't Going To Blog About Blognics, But...

Bones has put up the Rome Reports video clip about the Vatican's conference for bloggers, and Fr. Tim posted his translation of the notice which went out inviting bloggers to the event. I share Jane's frustration about the short notice: it seems that the Vatican officials figured that, since many bloggers would possibly be in Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, it would be a good time to hold the conference. Actually, I think that many bloggers will be blogging on the beatification from the comfort of their own homes... the bunfight for flights and hotel rooms around the time of the beatification doesn't bear thinking about.

In addition, there's no guarantee that you'll get a ticket. They've limited the event to 150 seats. Fr. Z has pointed out that the rules for selection of the lucky attendees appear to be a little unclear...

Hilary White wondered whether the application process might be being carried out with a view to excluding the more outspoken bloggers. She decided to hold an alternative event: the *other* Catholic Blogger Rome Blognic. You can find out more on the Facebook Event Page. It seems that there will be a couple of talks, and Michael Voris (who does The Vortex on Real Catholic TV) has agreed to speak. THAT is a definite coup. Beer and pizza will also feature. That already marks the event out as streets ahead of the official Vatican one.This has provoked thoughts of bank robbery to flit enticingly through my mind (because that is the only way I would be able to get to Rome.) Through heroic effort, I have rejected such temptations, and am now weeping and wailing and generally bemoaning my misfortune.

A glimmer of hope has been waved in my general direction. Hilary has promised that there might be Skype or some such techno-wizardry which will enable those of us not corporeally present to be present in a bit more than spirit.