Sat Jan 13th 07

Catholic Women
Meeting yesterday of committee of Association of Catholic Women.http://www.associationofcatholicwomen.co.uk/index.html We are extremely busy at the moment: raised a good sum of money towards the London-based Clinic for Children with Downs syndome, are launching our nationwide 2007 Religious Education Project for Catholic primary schools, have a Day of Recollection in London on February 24th at St James Church, Spanish Place (nearest tube: Baker Street. Starts 10.30 am, includes Mass, Stations of the Cross and the Rosary as well as inspiring talks. Bring a packed lunch). We decided to revive our tradition of pilgrimages and are making plans for one in the summer. Elderly and housebound ACW supporters who are unable to get to events easily can recieve the excellent OREMUS newsletter with news, topics for prayer etc (see website). Our Chairman wrote to Prime Minister Tony Blair pointing out the errors and confusion in his (surely extraordinariuly arrogant??) call for the Catholic Church to change its moral teaching....Blair thinks that somehow giving people in Africa more condoms will stop the killer disease AIDS, when all the evidence points to the contrary: that the massive distruibution of the things has made things worse and the only project that is working is the encouragement of a chaste way of life with abstention outside of marriage and fidelity within....) The ACW website (see above) is running well, number of visitors soaring, and is full of useful material including information about our booklets, regular Review sent to all supporters, and more.....

We enjoyed a gentle laugh at the newsletter of fem-group "Women Word Spirit" (see yesterday's blog too) - my personal favourite in current issue is a bit of woffle which is claimed to have been spoken by an Indian Chief from America, but to which the WWS has had to add a note saying "exclusive language altered" before reprinting!! Dear ladies, if you want to use material which you claim is from an Indian Chief (incidentally, I'm not sure that it is? I've seen it elsewhere ascribed to a Buddhist monk) at least pay him the decency of transcribing it accurately. And...er.... if you study the topic a bit, and check your facts, you might find that Indian Chiefs were not exactly into feminism.....

Among the alleged Indian Chief's wisdom: "This we know - the Earth does not belong to humans - humans belong to the Earth.....Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the children of the Earth...." I am not sure that Indians in America really believe that - certainly their proud heritage of battles and struggle both between themselves and against settlers does not bear it out - they have never seen themselves as simply "belonging to the Earth"and without free will to achieve anything, but as men and women with a far greater and nobler heritage.

Meanwhile, nearer at home, in this newsletterWWS members are given their Calendar with dates and events to note:"Roman Catholic Caucus of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement. All welcome at Mass for lesbian, gay, transgendered Catholics, their parents, families, andf friends. First and third Sunday every month at....."

Allow a brief moment for speculation about the Indian Chief's attitude towards lesbian, "transgendered" etc people.....

This Calendar (which also promotes the regular protest-vigils at Westminster Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral EDinburgh organised by Catholic Women's Ordination) has no disclaimer, and the newsletter says it is "the voice of catholic women's network". Is this group still officially listed in the Catholic Directory?

Other blogs....

Cheery message from Father Dwight Longenecker whose blog is full of good things...http://gkupsidedown.blogspot.com/ Fr Dwight is the author of a number of books and essays is always a wonderful read....Some years ago, not very long after his resignation from the Anglican ministry and his admission, with his family, into full communion with the Catholic Church, he came to give a talk to the Catholic Cultuiral Group. It was about the use of film as an art form, and I have never forgotten it - looking at important themes and messages in the classic "film story"....made us all think a lot about how film is a central part of that creative world which also includes songs and theatre and storytelling....oh, and he's v. good at the latter, too, and did a wonderful job at one of our early Towards Advent festivals, with enthralled children in the Gallery gathered round him as he told stories from the Bible and of the Church's saints and heroes....

Useful chat with Fr Tim Finigan of Hermeneutic of Continuity http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com/. He patiently explained (for approx 14th time....) how to make links with other blogs....but, as you see, Fr Tim, I'm still not getting it quite right..........(picture him as he reads this, pounding head against study wall...."children in my parish catechism class could do it!! Aaaaargh!!!!")

As part of sense of link to worldwide English-speaking blogging community, feel I ought to mention that Father Richard Whinder is curate in our parish, assistant to our excellent Father Peter.......