...in London looked magnificent in brilliant sunshine, and lots of people in Royal Navy,Amy and RAF uniforms, plus more in civilian dress, were teeming about - we were all there for a reception attended by the Duke of Edinburgh to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Cadet movement. Jamie currently commands a Cadet unit so we had duly been invited...I wore my Best Little Black Dress (bought some ten years ago, in the USA, when doing some work at EWTN, has a neat little pink jacket, and is the best investment I've ever made).
It was all rather nice ...delicious food, aldermen and City councillors in robes, chaps with medals...and then the National Anthem and everyone suddenly still, and speeches, and HRH working the room.
I met Clive Dytor, headmaster of The Oratory School and a family friend, and we had a good talk. The Cadets are a big part of Oratory school life.
There was some splendid marching and music, "The British Grenadiers" etc. Later, as we all dispersed, J. and I walked along towards St Paul's Cathedral - his brother works just near there so we phoned him up and all had coffee together.
This was one of those days which bring a sudden reminder of one's identity. London, and the Guildhall...we have a dear niece at the City of London School, and I take History Walks around the City, and the Catholic Writers' Guild meets at St Mary Moorfield and formerly at St Etheldreda's in Ely Place...and then the Army, and friends, and talks of the Yeomanry and regimental news...
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
The news...
...that Fr Jerzy Popieluszko is to be beatified this week is very good news indeed.
When he died, nearly three decades ago, he was a hero and a symbol for young Poland. In those days, the only way to get books, newsletters, information that was critical of Communism,plus printing equipment etc, into the country for Solidarity,into Poland was to smuggle it in from the West, packed in ordinary luggage. It was safest to keep the addresses to which such material was delivered a bit secret, so these were written on a small bit of paper and wrapped in some plastic and hidden well within one's clothes. The suitcases were rather heavy to carry nonchalantly through Warsaw airport but it was well worth it, and the people we met in Solidarity were wonderful and fun and we had an unforgettable time.
One of the most important places to go was the church where Fr Jerzy had preached, and already it was a shrine to him. And not a tacky shrine - there was some really fine artwork, carvings, paintings, and so on there, all safeguarded because the place really was virtually untouchable by the authorites. "Here it is free Poland" said our young guide enthusiastically. One day, we all promised each other, all of Poland will be free. And now it is.
When he died, nearly three decades ago, he was a hero and a symbol for young Poland. In those days, the only way to get books, newsletters, information that was critical of Communism,plus printing equipment etc, into the country for Solidarity,into Poland was to smuggle it in from the West, packed in ordinary luggage. It was safest to keep the addresses to which such material was delivered a bit secret, so these were written on a small bit of paper and wrapped in some plastic and hidden well within one's clothes. The suitcases were rather heavy to carry nonchalantly through Warsaw airport but it was well worth it, and the people we met in Solidarity were wonderful and fun and we had an unforgettable time.
One of the most important places to go was the church where Fr Jerzy had preached, and already it was a shrine to him. And not a tacky shrine - there was some really fine artwork, carvings, paintings, and so on there, all safeguarded because the place really was virtually untouchable by the authorites. "Here it is free Poland" said our young guide enthusiastically. One day, we all promised each other, all of Poland will be free. And now it is.
Mother Riccarda Hambrough...
...was in my thoughts as I hurried back from a busy morning in London to tackle some work at home. M. Riccarda is the WWII heroine who helped to hide Jewish families in the St Birgitta Convent in Rome, risking her life to do so. My book on her is humming alone nicely (text to be w. publishers in Sept), but I needed a few more leads, and was pondering this a bit gloomily as I trudged along, as piecing the story together has proved something of a project in detective work...and then I got in, there was a message on the answering-machine, a chap from the Independent, who was writing a feature about M. Riccarda, and had been given my name as a contact! We had a good talk, and he was also able to give me a couple of possible leads, which I am, now following up. I regard all this as absolutely providential...
Sunday, May 30, 2010
And...
,,,today at Mass I picked upo a leaflet about City events to mark Corpus Christi. On Friday, 4th June, there is Mass at Corpus Christi Church, Maiden Lane at 7pm followed by a Eucharistic Procession to Notre Dame de France in Leicester Place, just off Leicester Square. I'm going to go to that.
It's all part of "Spirit in the City" which is run by West End Catholic churches. St Patrick's, Soho Square, is currently being refurbished, so the activities are spread out around the other churches.
It's all part of "Spirit in the City" which is run by West End Catholic churches. St Patrick's, Soho Square, is currently being refurbished, so the activities are spread out around the other churches.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Just as...
...I was reading a feature about the Carthusian Martyrs, in the latest edition of OREMUS, magazine of Westminster Cathedral, there was a knock at the front door. It was a neighbour, delivering a parcel that had arrived yesterday while I was out. A big packet of handbills fpr the Martyrs Walk on Sunday 20th June. We meet at St Sepulchre's churchyard, opposite the Old Bailey (nearest tube: St Paul's) at 1.30 for 2pm.From there we will be walking along the hallowed Tyburn Way, in the footsteps of the Martyrs, stopping at the church of St Anselm and St Cecilia for prayers, and finishing at Tyburn Convent for Benediction. There will be opportunities for confession at Tyburn, and a blessing and investitute of the Brown Scapular at at St Anselm and St Cecilia's.
No need to book, just turn up. Wear comfortable shoes and suitable clothjing - we'll be walking whatever the weather!
We need the inspiration and the intercession of our martyrs today - there are tough times ahead for Christians in Britain.
No need to book, just turn up. Wear comfortable shoes and suitable clothjing - we'll be walking whatever the weather!
We need the inspiration and the intercession of our martyrs today - there are tough times ahead for Christians in Britain.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Working today...
...on a script of a book initially begun over a decade ago. It made me realise just how much has changed. Social attitudes are so much more tense, everyday relationships less relaxed, words and gestures and statements are charged with new and often nastier meanings, there is a greater sense of sexual innuendo. Above all, children, especially adolescents, have changed: this is noticeable when you are among some of them in a large random group - for example on public transport - where extreme anger over trivial things, routine use of obscenities, and inability to articulate sensitive or mildly complex ideas, is often evident.
A new book...
... and a very interesting one: Christian Perspectives on the Financial Crash, edited by Prof Phillip Booth and published by St Paul's. It was launched on Wednesday night with a packed gathering at the Institute of Economic Affairs in Lord North Street. Among the contributors is Abbot Chrisopher Jamison of Worth Abbey, who spoke extremely well. This is a really interesting examination of the underlying ethical causes of the current financial problems, and ideas for the way forward basedon Christian social thinking. It tackles issues like usury, the provision of credit, honesty, bank bailouts and so on.
The launch brought together a lot of people with creative and interesting ideas. I chatted to Francis Davis of the Las Casas Institute, Daniel Johnson of Standpoint magazine, and of course to Philip Booth the author of the book...it was particularly relevant to be tackling these economic and social issues just as the new Parliament had begun its session - much discussion and a sense of urgency. A recognition that the underlying moral and human problems of our country, and Western society in general, are at the core of things and that to talk as if the issues at stake were just economic ones is to miss the point...
The launch brought together a lot of people with creative and interesting ideas. I chatted to Francis Davis of the Las Casas Institute, Daniel Johnson of Standpoint magazine, and of course to Philip Booth the author of the book...it was particularly relevant to be tackling these economic and social issues just as the new Parliament had begun its session - much discussion and a sense of urgency. A recognition that the underlying moral and human problems of our country, and Western society in general, are at the core of things and that to talk as if the issues at stake were just economic ones is to miss the point...
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
You might like to sign...
...the Westminster Declaration of Conscience.
The new Govt will not get anywhere unless it roots its policies in an acceptance of the centrality of marriage and family life as the foundation of our community and the common good. All efforts to cut crime, improve basic literacy, reduce public vandalism and drunkeness, foster social cohesion, and enable people to cope with economic difficulties, will founder without this.
While on the subject of Westminster: earlier this week, I passed the Houses of Parliament en route to a meeting in Victoria Street. There was a barrier across the road leading down towards Millbank, and with the current encampment in Parliament Square making the whole place looking like a rather unsuccessful pop festival, I thought the closure of the road might be connected with that, and asked what what was happening. "Nothing untoward Madam, just the State Opening", the policeman told me, and indeed today's papers show the usual stately scene - ermine robes, Queen in crown and cloak, mace, deferential chaps in knee-britches and wigs, the lot. I'm glad it's still going on, and the cameras seem to have avoided focussing on the extraordinary background scenes and concentrated on the stateliness within the Parliament building.
It's good that Britain can still manage to achieve a proper State Opening (amazing, actually, that this wasn't abolished along with so much else, in the last 13 years). But the current messy protesters and campers in Parliament Square do make us look ridiculous. We're all for freedom of speech, and indeed an end to the war as their banners proclaim...but they are not contributing to anything very creative or useful by turning one of the most important squares of Europe into a squalid dump. They aren't really convicning anyone of anything by putting up makeshift sleeping accomodation on the lawn and turning their backs on us all as they attend to the neccessarily messy domestic tasks that such a campsite requires.
The new Govt will not get anywhere unless it roots its policies in an acceptance of the centrality of marriage and family life as the foundation of our community and the common good. All efforts to cut crime, improve basic literacy, reduce public vandalism and drunkeness, foster social cohesion, and enable people to cope with economic difficulties, will founder without this.
While on the subject of Westminster: earlier this week, I passed the Houses of Parliament en route to a meeting in Victoria Street. There was a barrier across the road leading down towards Millbank, and with the current encampment in Parliament Square making the whole place looking like a rather unsuccessful pop festival, I thought the closure of the road might be connected with that, and asked what what was happening. "Nothing untoward Madam, just the State Opening", the policeman told me, and indeed today's papers show the usual stately scene - ermine robes, Queen in crown and cloak, mace, deferential chaps in knee-britches and wigs, the lot. I'm glad it's still going on, and the cameras seem to have avoided focussing on the extraordinary background scenes and concentrated on the stateliness within the Parliament building.
It's good that Britain can still manage to achieve a proper State Opening (amazing, actually, that this wasn't abolished along with so much else, in the last 13 years). But the current messy protesters and campers in Parliament Square do make us look ridiculous. We're all for freedom of speech, and indeed an end to the war as their banners proclaim...but they are not contributing to anything very creative or useful by turning one of the most important squares of Europe into a squalid dump. They aren't really convicning anyone of anything by putting up makeshift sleeping accomodation on the lawn and turning their backs on us all as they attend to the neccessarily messy domestic tasks that such a campsite requires.
The latest...
...issue of FAITH magazine is out. It has an article by auntie about Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict.
There's also a review of my book A Nun with a Difference, about which you can also read more here.
There's also a review of my book A Nun with a Difference, about which you can also read more here.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Why...
...does the official team appointed by our Bishops to organise the papal events this September think that anyone will benefit by making attendance at these very restricted and telling us we must all stay at home and watch on telly? Latest news is that all events are to be comparatively small in size and ticket-only, and that this is being done for "health and safety" reasons. How ridiculous!
Pope Benedict XVI is visiting Britain. We want to see him and cheer him - we want this to be a community event, to share it all together. It's all wrong - terribly wrong - to tell Catholics to stay privately at home and watch the Pope on TV! It's the exact antithesis of everything that Catholoics believe about community, and being part of a Church, and doing things together.
The Pope isn't a celebrity - he's our Holy Father, and he's coming to our coutry, and we want to be with him at Mass!
We want to be able to get together, and travel in good numbers to the great events, and show our fellow countrymen how much we love and value our Faith, and what its message means for us all...WE DON'T WANT TO SIT AT HOME AND WATCH AS IF THIS WAS A SOAP OPERA!!
As for healthnsafety - good heavens, does this mean that we can never again gather in crowds to cheer the Queen, to celebrate in the Mall on a Royal occasion, to watch fireworks in November, to see in the New Year in Trafalgar Square, or to do any of the great traditional things that we've been doing, in vast numbers, throughout all our lifetimes?
Dear Bishops, you've been had - tell the public authorities that there must be at least one event at which ordinary Catholics can gather to greet and cheer their Holy Father, that the nation employs policemen precisely to ensure that such events run smoothly, that it is not remotely difficult to plan and arrange, and that if the Portugese can arrange such things, the British can.
Pope Benedict XVI is visiting Britain. We want to see him and cheer him - we want this to be a community event, to share it all together. It's all wrong - terribly wrong - to tell Catholics to stay privately at home and watch the Pope on TV! It's the exact antithesis of everything that Catholoics believe about community, and being part of a Church, and doing things together.
The Pope isn't a celebrity - he's our Holy Father, and he's coming to our coutry, and we want to be with him at Mass!
We want to be able to get together, and travel in good numbers to the great events, and show our fellow countrymen how much we love and value our Faith, and what its message means for us all...WE DON'T WANT TO SIT AT HOME AND WATCH AS IF THIS WAS A SOAP OPERA!!
As for healthnsafety - good heavens, does this mean that we can never again gather in crowds to cheer the Queen, to celebrate in the Mall on a Royal occasion, to watch fireworks in November, to see in the New Year in Trafalgar Square, or to do any of the great traditional things that we've been doing, in vast numbers, throughout all our lifetimes?
Dear Bishops, you've been had - tell the public authorities that there must be at least one event at which ordinary Catholics can gather to greet and cheer their Holy Father, that the nation employs policemen precisely to ensure that such events run smoothly, that it is not remotely difficult to plan and arrange, and that if the Portugese can arrange such things, the British can.
In a hot and stikfling London...
...to the CTS office with a great stack of children's essays about the Pope, in the project run by the Assn of Catholic Women - we'll be mailing out prizes in a couple of weeks and I had to sort out arrangements, help design certificates, etc. The CTS is generously providing a range of beautiful prizes: it is a delight to browse their latest catalogue. I am especially pleased by the beautiful new book by Amy Wellborn, with the H. Father's talks to First Communion children...
On to the Westminster diocesan archives office where I met Marcus Grodi, currently in London doing some historical research. It was good to catch up and to swap news and views - his "Journey Home" programme on EWTN is great.
Summer weather brings new fashion note: current young female fad in London seems to be leggings topped with a short smock. This can look rather charming, or not, depending on how plump the wearer is. Defnitely preferable to very tight spaghetti-strap top with lots of bra-strap showing.
On to the Westminster diocesan archives office where I met Marcus Grodi, currently in London doing some historical research. It was good to catch up and to swap news and views - his "Journey Home" programme on EWTN is great.
Summer weather brings new fashion note: current young female fad in London seems to be leggings topped with a short smock. This can look rather charming, or not, depending on how plump the wearer is. Defnitely preferable to very tight spaghetti-strap top with lots of bra-strap showing.
I've been reading...
...a new book about mystic Marthe Robin by Martin Blake. V. interesting, and it explains her role in the development of the New Movements in the Church in recent years. In particular, she was responsible for the foundation of the Foyers of Charity, which are now thriving across FRance and elsewhere. We need one in Britain.
Have you heard about the olive tree?
...I came across this by chance when trawling the Internet for some information about Pope John Paul. Anyone got any more info?
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The English countryside...
...in Norfolk in May. The first really warm sunny weekend of the year, the leaves thick and lush and green on the trees, bluebells misty in the woods as pilgrims made their way to Walsingham, organised by Aid to the Church in Need. The coaches left London via that messy area where ££££££millions are being spent on the Olympics, and then headed out for East Anglia. We sang hymns and said the Joyful Mysteries and the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary on the journey, and I gave a talk about Walsingham...and then we were winding down Norfolk lanes and arriving at the shrine of Our Lady...a delight to meet friends, to take part in a glorious Mass, to kneel at the shrine and entrust worries and petitions there...during silent moments Mass in the barn church, the occasional birdsong trilled from outside where the meadows were green and beautiful under the vast Norfolk sky...inside, everyone sang the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Pater Noster with strength and faith, and Fr Martin Edwards, our ACN chaplain, preached about Pentecost, the eve of which we mark today. In the Bidding Prayers we prayed especially for the Holy Father and his visit to our country,and as Mass ended we sang "Faith of Our Fathers"...
Then a Rosary Walk through meadows down to the village, praying and singing. We followed, as all today's pilgrims now do, the old railway track, crossing a small brook and making our way down to the Friday Market and into the (new - only built about 5 or so years ago) RC church in the village where we packed in for Benediction.
There was time to potter about the village for a while afterwards, and have a proper Tea, all most agreeable. Walsingham is enchanting and we met other pilgrims, notably a parish group from St Joseph's in Dorking. The summer's pilgrimages are just beginning - there is a special one for grandparents and grandchildren on July 24th, which seems a delightful idea. The village is a joy, though I was sad to see that there seemed fewer shops than on my last visit, and one of the pubs has closed. (Lots of pubs are vanishing across Britain, along with Post Offices and public libraries, and with them whole chunks of our community lives, and it's horrid).
Are you praying about the Papal visit? Have you joined in the Spiritual Bouquet? Urged friends to do so?
Then a Rosary Walk through meadows down to the village, praying and singing. We followed, as all today's pilgrims now do, the old railway track, crossing a small brook and making our way down to the Friday Market and into the (new - only built about 5 or so years ago) RC church in the village where we packed in for Benediction.
There was time to potter about the village for a while afterwards, and have a proper Tea, all most agreeable. Walsingham is enchanting and we met other pilgrims, notably a parish group from St Joseph's in Dorking. The summer's pilgrimages are just beginning - there is a special one for grandparents and grandchildren on July 24th, which seems a delightful idea. The village is a joy, though I was sad to see that there seemed fewer shops than on my last visit, and one of the pubs has closed. (Lots of pubs are vanishing across Britain, along with Post Offices and public libraries, and with them whole chunks of our community lives, and it's horrid).
Are you praying about the Papal visit? Have you joined in the Spiritual Bouquet? Urged friends to do so?
Friday, May 21, 2010
You might be interested...
...to read about the Mizen family and their courageous message. I had the privilege of meeting them recently. The Catholic Herald has just published my feature interview with them....
A party...
... yesterday to launch a book on philosophy by Australian author John Young. Find out more about the book by clicking here and scrolling down to look for "The Scope of Philosophy".
A warm evening, and drinks in a pleasant Chelsea house and garden , with lots of talk and people lingering late. John Young spoke very well and opened up the whole subject of philosophy - we found ourselves talking about things like natural law, the importance of truth, and the relationship between faith anmd reason, all rather Ratzinger- and Woytila-ish. It was the first summery event that I have attended, and it went well.
Today I had the pleasure of supper with John and we talked of many things - notably of the Harry Potter novels, of which he is an enthusiast - I warmly share his view that their message is entirely positive and that the books have done much good in nourishing a generation. I like the happy message about family life (the Weasleys), the call to sacrifice and courage in a good cause, the rallying together of allies against an evil foe...and I like the fact that the books are fat and are a good read, that they demand attention over a long period, and that they offer whole new words like Quidditch which then become part of the young readers' lives.
We also talked theology, Mulieris Dignitatem, women in the New Testament, the relationship between faith and culture, the significance of myths and fairy tales, the wrongfulness of Jansenstic trends in Catholic thinking, and more...
I am off early tomorrow morning (Sat) to Walsingham, joining a traditional pilgrimage organised by Aid to the Church in Need...
A warm evening, and drinks in a pleasant Chelsea house and garden , with lots of talk and people lingering late. John Young spoke very well and opened up the whole subject of philosophy - we found ourselves talking about things like natural law, the importance of truth, and the relationship between faith anmd reason, all rather Ratzinger- and Woytila-ish. It was the first summery event that I have attended, and it went well.
Today I had the pleasure of supper with John and we talked of many things - notably of the Harry Potter novels, of which he is an enthusiast - I warmly share his view that their message is entirely positive and that the books have done much good in nourishing a generation. I like the happy message about family life (the Weasleys), the call to sacrifice and courage in a good cause, the rallying together of allies against an evil foe...and I like the fact that the books are fat and are a good read, that they demand attention over a long period, and that they offer whole new words like Quidditch which then become part of the young readers' lives.
We also talked theology, Mulieris Dignitatem, women in the New Testament, the relationship between faith and culture, the significance of myths and fairy tales, the wrongfulness of Jansenstic trends in Catholic thinking, and more...
I am off early tomorrow morning (Sat) to Walsingham, joining a traditional pilgrimage organised by Aid to the Church in Need...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Some years ago...
...I made my first visit to the shrine of Our Lady of the Taper in Wales, and loved it. Subsequently, we visited as a family during a seaside holiday in Wales. The devotion to Our Lady of the Taper is an old one, and goes right back into distant Welsh history...it carries resonances of Christ as the Light of the World, and Mary brings that light to us...
I've just seen on the website about the Papal visit to Britain that the statue of Our Lady of the Taper is to be brought to Westminster so that the Holy Father can honour Our Lady under this ancient title...an excellent idea. BTW, have you added your prayers yet to the Spiritual Bouquet being offered to the Holy Father? Hurry: do it here.
I've just seen on the website about the Papal visit to Britain that the statue of Our Lady of the Taper is to be brought to Westminster so that the Holy Father can honour Our Lady under this ancient title...an excellent idea. BTW, have you added your prayers yet to the Spiritual Bouquet being offered to the Holy Father? Hurry: do it here.
Hurrying off to...
...the Sion Manning girls school in London to give a series of journalism workshops to the pupils. All part of a project sponsored by Tamezin magazine. Exhausting, but fun, and well worth while.
While on the subject of magazines, the latest Catholic World Report has a feature by Auntie on the subject of the Westminster Cathedral choir school...if you love London, beautiful liturgy, and Catholic traditions, you'll enjoy it...
While on the subject of magazines, the latest Catholic World Report has a feature by Auntie on the subject of the Westminster Cathedral choir school...if you love London, beautiful liturgy, and Catholic traditions, you'll enjoy it...
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A spiritual bouquet for the Pope...
...has been launched by the CTS. Go on-line here and add your commitment to prayers.
DATES...
...for your diary.
June 20th. Martyrs' Walk. Be there!!! Details here, at the Continuity Movement website. Come on your own, or with a group of friends. This is a glorious opportunity to celebrate our Faith, enjoy London in good company, learn some history, and pray for Britain in the run-up to the Papal visit...
And: I recently worked on a project for young people with a Brother from the excellent Community of St John - they now have a base in London - and he tells me about their wonderful summer programme which includes camping in the French Alps. It looks terrific. More info here.
I am hugely impressed with the Brothers of St John - this is thriving new Order which exudes joy and faith andlooks set to take the message of Christ to the generations of the 21st century. They communicate with simplicity and a sense of bringing something that is true and authentic - do follow up and find out more.
Also: August 6th-8th. Evangelium conference, for young Catholic adults, sp[onsored by the CTS. It's at the Oratory School, near Reading - the school founded by John Henry Newman. A magnificent setting in the Thames Valley, and it's an excellent conference which brings together a good crowd each year...
And looking way ahead, just note Saturday Nov 6th, which is the annual Towards Advent Festival, and not to be missed.
June 20th. Martyrs' Walk. Be there!!! Details here, at the Continuity Movement website. Come on your own, or with a group of friends. This is a glorious opportunity to celebrate our Faith, enjoy London in good company, learn some history, and pray for Britain in the run-up to the Papal visit...
And: I recently worked on a project for young people with a Brother from the excellent Community of St John - they now have a base in London - and he tells me about their wonderful summer programme which includes camping in the French Alps. It looks terrific. More info here.
I am hugely impressed with the Brothers of St John - this is thriving new Order which exudes joy and faith andlooks set to take the message of Christ to the generations of the 21st century. They communicate with simplicity and a sense of bringing something that is true and authentic - do follow up and find out more.
Also: August 6th-8th. Evangelium conference, for young Catholic adults, sp[onsored by the CTS. It's at the Oratory School, near Reading - the school founded by John Henry Newman. A magnificent setting in the Thames Valley, and it's an excellent conference which brings together a good crowd each year...
And looking way ahead, just note Saturday Nov 6th, which is the annual Towards Advent Festival, and not to be missed.
Cardinal Newman...
...made his home at Maryvale immediately on becoming a Catholic and leaving Oxfordshire. Today, Old Oscott House where he lived - and to which he gave the name Maryvale - is a Catholic study centre, offering graduate and post-graduate degree courses for students, and training for parish catechists and others.
People who study at Maryvale love it - you somehow encounter Newman there not only in his hand-written notes (still on display along with various other items in the hallway)but in the atmosphere of study and friendship, and unpretentious Catholic talk, and prayer in the chapel which is absolutely at the heart of the house literally and metaphorically...Maryvale friendships are centred on ideas and values and a sense of common purpose, and reverberate with good humour and shared experiences...
So when a local Maryvale graduate and I met and got talking, things hummed very enjoyably...and today we ran a coffee-morning at her house, inviting people for coffee and cake and a short talk about Maryvale...and we've raised a nice little sum, which, together with the results of a further event, planned for a London venue on Thursday evening, we'll be sending to Maryvale.
Want to join in? Why not do a course at Maryvale? Or help to finance some one else to do one? Or donate to help ensure that the house keeps in good shape? (It's old. Quite apart from helping Maryvale with its good educational work, your funds will help to cherish a fine old English house and all its history)...
People who study at Maryvale love it - you somehow encounter Newman there not only in his hand-written notes (still on display along with various other items in the hallway)but in the atmosphere of study and friendship, and unpretentious Catholic talk, and prayer in the chapel which is absolutely at the heart of the house literally and metaphorically...Maryvale friendships are centred on ideas and values and a sense of common purpose, and reverberate with good humour and shared experiences...
So when a local Maryvale graduate and I met and got talking, things hummed very enjoyably...and today we ran a coffee-morning at her house, inviting people for coffee and cake and a short talk about Maryvale...and we've raised a nice little sum, which, together with the results of a further event, planned for a London venue on Thursday evening, we'll be sending to Maryvale.
Want to join in? Why not do a course at Maryvale? Or help to finance some one else to do one? Or donate to help ensure that the house keeps in good shape? (It's old. Quite apart from helping Maryvale with its good educational work, your funds will help to cherish a fine old English house and all its history)...
This week...
...a fund-raising event for Maryvale. A book launch. A meeting of the Association of Catholic Women in connection with our nationwide Schools RE Project, in which thouands of children have written about the Pope...
And, looking ahead, an event I've been asked to mention: Sunday June 27th at the Birmingham Oratory. A special Day organised by the international charity Aid to the Church in Need on the theme "The Light of the World". Come and hear about the challenges facing Christians in different parts of the woerld - and how you can help. MOre info from: www.acnuk.org/birmingham or look here.
And, looking ahead, an event I've been asked to mention: Sunday June 27th at the Birmingham Oratory. A special Day organised by the international charity Aid to the Church in Need on the theme "The Light of the World". Come and hear about the challenges facing Christians in different parts of the woerld - and how you can help. MOre info from: www.acnuk.org/birmingham or look here.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Did you know...
....that over the past decade the number of Catholics in the world has grown by 11 per cent? Nor did I.Get info here. Chief growth, of course, has been in Africa and Asia. Numbers in Europe have remained stable. There are more than a billion Catholics worldwide, and numbers are still rising. About one sixth of the world's population is Catholic. The number of priests has risen significantly in the past decade, from from 405,178 in the year 2000, to 408,024 in 2007 (last year for which figures are available)and the trend is still upwards.
Here's an encouraging story...
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Mass at Westminster Cathedral...
...beautiful liturgy, Vide Aqua, huge congregation as always. They are having a special Holy Hour every Friday during May in reparation for child-abuse, along with many churches across the country.
Information beginning to emerge re details of the Papal visit. Read Auntie's take on the subject here. I certainly hope to go to some of the events. If you are one of Auntie's many overseas readers, and have any love or care for Britain, please join us in keeping this Papal visit in your prayers. It could do so much good, and is happening at such a strange time in our history when the Church has come under so much attack...
Information beginning to emerge re details of the Papal visit. Read Auntie's take on the subject here. I certainly hope to go to some of the events. If you are one of Auntie's many overseas readers, and have any love or care for Britain, please join us in keeping this Papal visit in your prayers. It could do so much good, and is happening at such a strange time in our history when the Church has come under so much attack...
Auntie has been...
...to a big South London school to be part of a day dedicated to presenting the Christian vision of love, sex, and relationships - hard work, but well worth while, I think. Many of the young people said this was the first time they had heard the facts and information we were giving.
Then on Saturday to Chelsea, to speak to a delightful group of parents of First Communion children at this thriving and beautiful church which is packed every Sunday and which has good-sized weekday congregations too. Then on to Surrey to join a family team assisting at a house-moving: everyone had rallied round to carry furniture, dismantling and re-assembling beds and bookcases to carry them to the new house, and ferrying books across in wheelbarrows, and so on. Then, with the new home taking shape, a lively session over a takeaway meal, remembering old films and singing their theme tunes, followed by more music until a late hour...
Much talk, of course, about the Election and its aftermath. Auntie's chief pleasure, thus far, in the new Govt is something that she notes that also registered well with others... As the car drew up in Downing Street, bringing the new Prime MInister and his wife from Buckingham Palace, David Cameron got out, and walked round to the other side of the car and opened the door for his wife to alight and then escorted her to the pavement, where he made his speech.
I know, I know. Just Etonian charm and good manners. But noted, and enjoyed - and wouldn't it be nice if it was imitated?
Then on Saturday to Chelsea, to speak to a delightful group of parents of First Communion children at this thriving and beautiful church which is packed every Sunday and which has good-sized weekday congregations too. Then on to Surrey to join a family team assisting at a house-moving: everyone had rallied round to carry furniture, dismantling and re-assembling beds and bookcases to carry them to the new house, and ferrying books across in wheelbarrows, and so on. Then, with the new home taking shape, a lively session over a takeaway meal, remembering old films and singing their theme tunes, followed by more music until a late hour...
Much talk, of course, about the Election and its aftermath. Auntie's chief pleasure, thus far, in the new Govt is something that she notes that also registered well with others... As the car drew up in Downing Street, bringing the new Prime MInister and his wife from Buckingham Palace, David Cameron got out, and walked round to the other side of the car and opened the door for his wife to alight and then escorted her to the pavement, where he made his speech.
I know, I know. Just Etonian charm and good manners. But noted, and enjoyed - and wouldn't it be nice if it was imitated?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Pope at Fatima...
...and I looked on the Internet to see what he was saying and doing. His words at the prayer vigil this evening are beautiful. Read on...
"All of you, standing together with lighted candles in your hands, seem like a sea of light around this simple chapel, lovingly built to the honour of the Mother of God and our mother, whose path from earth to heaven appeared to the shepherd children like a way of light. However, neither Mary nor we have a light of our own: we receive it from Jesus. His presence within us renews the mystery and the call of the burning bush which once drew Moses on Mount Sinai and still fascinates those aware of the light within us which burns without consuming us (cf. Ex 3:2-5). We are merely a bush, but one upon which the glory of God has now come down. To him therefore be every glory, and to us the humble confession of our nothingness and the unworthy adoration of the divine plan which will be fulfilled when “God will be all in all” (cf. 1 Cor 15:28). The matchless servant of that plan was the Virgin full of grace: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord: let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).
Dear pilgrims, let us imitate Mary, letting her words “Let it be done to me” resound in our lives. God ordered Moses: “Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Ex 3:5). And that is what he did: he would put his shoes back on to free his people from slavery in Egypt and to guide them to the promised land. This was not about the possession of a parcel of land or about the national territory to which every people has a right; in the struggle for the freedom of Israel and in the exodus from Egypt, what appears central is above all the freedom to worship, the freedom of a religion of one’s own. Throughout the history of the chosen people, the promise of a homeland comes more and more to mean this: the land is granted in order to be a place of obedience, a window open to God.
In our time, in which the faith in many places seems like a light in danger of being snuffed out for ever, the highest priority is to make God visible in the world and to open to humanity a way to God. And not to any god, but to the God who had spoken on Sinai; the God whose face we recognize in the love borne to the very end (cf. Jn 13:1) in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. Dear brothers and sisters, worship Christ the Lord in your hearts (cf. 1 Pet 3:15)! Do not be afraid to talk of God and to manifest without fear the signs of faith, letting the light of Christ shine in the presence of the people of today, just as the Church which gives birth to humanity as the family of God sings on the night of the Easter Vigil."
"All of you, standing together with lighted candles in your hands, seem like a sea of light around this simple chapel, lovingly built to the honour of the Mother of God and our mother, whose path from earth to heaven appeared to the shepherd children like a way of light. However, neither Mary nor we have a light of our own: we receive it from Jesus. His presence within us renews the mystery and the call of the burning bush which once drew Moses on Mount Sinai and still fascinates those aware of the light within us which burns without consuming us (cf. Ex 3:2-5). We are merely a bush, but one upon which the glory of God has now come down. To him therefore be every glory, and to us the humble confession of our nothingness and the unworthy adoration of the divine plan which will be fulfilled when “God will be all in all” (cf. 1 Cor 15:28). The matchless servant of that plan was the Virgin full of grace: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord: let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).
Dear pilgrims, let us imitate Mary, letting her words “Let it be done to me” resound in our lives. God ordered Moses: “Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Ex 3:5). And that is what he did: he would put his shoes back on to free his people from slavery in Egypt and to guide them to the promised land. This was not about the possession of a parcel of land or about the national territory to which every people has a right; in the struggle for the freedom of Israel and in the exodus from Egypt, what appears central is above all the freedom to worship, the freedom of a religion of one’s own. Throughout the history of the chosen people, the promise of a homeland comes more and more to mean this: the land is granted in order to be a place of obedience, a window open to God.
In our time, in which the faith in many places seems like a light in danger of being snuffed out for ever, the highest priority is to make God visible in the world and to open to humanity a way to God. And not to any god, but to the God who had spoken on Sinai; the God whose face we recognize in the love borne to the very end (cf. Jn 13:1) in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. Dear brothers and sisters, worship Christ the Lord in your hearts (cf. 1 Pet 3:15)! Do not be afraid to talk of God and to manifest without fear the signs of faith, letting the light of Christ shine in the presence of the people of today, just as the Church which gives birth to humanity as the family of God sings on the night of the Easter Vigil."
To vote...
...for the 2010 Catholic Women of the Year. I sit on the committee that runs this event, and every year nominations are sought from anyone and everyone who wants to put forward a name. We are looking for unsung heroines - women who serve God and neighbour, in all sorts of fields, as teachers, mothers, prison visitors, volunteers in charities and community projects, initiators of useful schemes, faithful followers of old ones...women in professional life, women caring for the elderly or sick, women doing administrative work, women artists, women in medicine, women working indoors or out of doors, women who work cheerfully and encourage others, women in politics, in business, in lots of different sorts of work. Women are nominated by friends, colleagues, neighbours. The letters that come in are touching, fascinating, sometimes amusing, sometimes suddenly haunting.
The annoncement of the CWOY for 2010 will be made in due course, after the ladies themselves have been notified. Four women are chosen each year. Last year one was Margaret Mizen, whose courage and faith following the death of her son in a random attack touched the nation. I had the privilege of meeting her and her husband Barry again the other day, and you can read the resulting interview in a forthcoming edition of the Catholic Herald...
The annoncement of the CWOY for 2010 will be made in due course, after the ladies themselves have been notified. Four women are chosen each year. Last year one was Margaret Mizen, whose courage and faith following the death of her son in a random attack touched the nation. I had the privilege of meeting her and her husband Barry again the other day, and you can read the resulting interview in a forthcoming edition of the Catholic Herald...
Golly...
Yesterday as we drove home, it seemed from radio reports that Britain would be getting a Labour/Lib Dem government, and there was talk of the new coalition being the "Progressive majority",(vague shades of the sort of language used in eastern Europe in the 1960s)...gloom descended.
We were busy at home,domestic things, letters, phone calls, emails...finally in the dusk I cycled off to see Mother...and when I arrived, she was watching scenes of Buckingham Palace on the TV, and David Cameron wa due to see the Queen, and kiss hands on appointment as a Conservative Prime Minsuer, with a Lib Dem coalition.
Golly.
We were busy at home,domestic things, letters, phone calls, emails...finally in the dusk I cycled off to see Mother...and when I arrived, she was watching scenes of Buckingham Palace on the TV, and David Cameron wa due to see the Queen, and kiss hands on appointment as a Conservative Prime Minsuer, with a Lib Dem coalition.
Golly.
Monday, May 10, 2010
It was oddly reassurring...
...to see, in the breakfast newspapers,pictures of the three Party leaders, in this muddling time following the Election, all attending church on Sunday morning. There they were, each so very typical that it was almost a cliche: Gordon and Sara Brown off to the Church of Scotland (lowland Scottish kirk), the Camerons to St Mary Abbotts in Kensington ( liberal High Church) and the Cleggs to Mass (he's agnostic but she's Spanish and the family are Catholic).
Meanwhile the Bogles are deep in the countryside, visiting family...I'm writing this in a small village library, internet available for 20 minutes a time. This morning a glorious walk up through the village to the edges of the moor, past the house where I was brought as a bride. A little brook runs through the garden, and my father-in-law built a small bridge across it, and if you know where to look it's marked with the date and his initials. This Autumn it will be thirty years since that big dinner-party celebrating our wedding - there's a picture in the wedding-album of me sitting by the big fireplace in my wedding-dress, with a golden sash and holding a bouquet of golden and orange flowers...
Down through the village, where the church which has a famous stumpy spire stands serenely and solidly viewing the changes of the past 30 years as it has those of the past 300 and the past 1300, and more, with unchanging stony silence. Here one can feel a sense of stability and sameness: the past thousand years have seen a lot of horrors and panics and wars and goodness knows what, so a hung Parliament doesn't seem to amount to so much...
Meanwhile the Bogles are deep in the countryside, visiting family...I'm writing this in a small village library, internet available for 20 minutes a time. This morning a glorious walk up through the village to the edges of the moor, past the house where I was brought as a bride. A little brook runs through the garden, and my father-in-law built a small bridge across it, and if you know where to look it's marked with the date and his initials. This Autumn it will be thirty years since that big dinner-party celebrating our wedding - there's a picture in the wedding-album of me sitting by the big fireplace in my wedding-dress, with a golden sash and holding a bouquet of golden and orange flowers...
Down through the village, where the church which has a famous stumpy spire stands serenely and solidly viewing the changes of the past 30 years as it has those of the past 300 and the past 1300, and more, with unchanging stony silence. Here one can feel a sense of stability and sameness: the past thousand years have seen a lot of horrors and panics and wars and goodness knows what, so a hung Parliament doesn't seem to amount to so much...
Saturday, May 08, 2010
London...
...cold and rainy, which is weather I rather like. Hurrying to Kensington for the annual presentation of the Tamezin Young Journalists Awards. A lovely occasion, and a great atmosphere - delightful young people, proud parents, a great buzz of chat, an upbeat feel. Journalists Cassandra Jardine and Greg Watts spoke extremely well and presented the Awards to the young writers, who had worked on various interviews. Some were really excellent, sparkling and fun. All got a useful critique of their work, and awards, and the top winners got cash prizes and opportunities for work experience in different media outlets.
Friday, May 07, 2010
So...
...this morning, a good crowd for weekday Mass. In fact, it is always a good crowd on weekdays in this parish - but this morning was special because the parish priest had arranged an extra Holy Hour to pray, in accordance with the plan initiated by the Bishops, in reparation because of the abuse crisis. And a good number of people stayed on for the Hour to pray. It finished with Benediction. Impressive.
We are all meant to be praying and fasting on the four Fridays during May. Looking at the touching essays and projects sent in by children - yes, they are still pouring in in from across Britain - to mark the Pope's visit, makes me realise how much it means to so many Catholics and it is so crucial that it is a success.
If prayer and fasting are all part of that, well, let's pray and fast...
Election results. As I write this, I'm listening to the radio and hearing David Cameron, sounding Prime Ministerial, laying out possible plans for a Government that would require some Lib-Dem support. Gordon Brown has also spoken, but managed to sound both pompous and panicky at the same time - a mix of I'm-Prime-Minister-and-I-intend-to-stay and and er-I'll-find-a-way-of-doing-so-somehow.
It's been a strange election: at one level it looked ordinary and familiar - candidates with rosettes, volunteers putting leaflets through doors, more and mostly elderly volunteers sitting outside the Polling Booths taking voters' details as they went in, so these could be cross-referenced with the information obtained by doorstep questioning and any possible stray supportters rounded up and urged to vote. I voted, as I've done so often before, in the hall of the local Catholic primary school which also doubles as a Mass-centre on Sundays. Wooden booths, freshly-sharpened black stubby epenncils on string, and anxious local-authority people sitting at tables handing out ballot papers and checking things on lists. But somehow it all felt very different from usual - the homely and local chafed against the weirdness of the TV-domination, the moment-by-moment following of events on computers and laptops, the omnipresence of instantaneous information and opinions, the sense that major issues were being overlooked amid spin and photography and image-making.
In this, as in so much of modern Britain, there is a somehow fragile feeling - as if what is solid and reliable and functioning is at the mercy of what is transient and untested and possibly volatile. Cameron now needs to create a workable government that feels reasonably solid, and then seek a fresh mandate in a year or so that will give him the majority he really wants. Retaining Brown and getting a coalition framed around his party would be all wrong and an attempt to reverse the election result by backdoor means, a manifest injustice.
We are all meant to be praying and fasting on the four Fridays during May. Looking at the touching essays and projects sent in by children - yes, they are still pouring in in from across Britain - to mark the Pope's visit, makes me realise how much it means to so many Catholics and it is so crucial that it is a success.
If prayer and fasting are all part of that, well, let's pray and fast...
Election results. As I write this, I'm listening to the radio and hearing David Cameron, sounding Prime Ministerial, laying out possible plans for a Government that would require some Lib-Dem support. Gordon Brown has also spoken, but managed to sound both pompous and panicky at the same time - a mix of I'm-Prime-Minister-and-I-intend-to-stay and and er-I'll-find-a-way-of-doing-so-somehow.
It's been a strange election: at one level it looked ordinary and familiar - candidates with rosettes, volunteers putting leaflets through doors, more and mostly elderly volunteers sitting outside the Polling Booths taking voters' details as they went in, so these could be cross-referenced with the information obtained by doorstep questioning and any possible stray supportters rounded up and urged to vote. I voted, as I've done so often before, in the hall of the local Catholic primary school which also doubles as a Mass-centre on Sundays. Wooden booths, freshly-sharpened black stubby epenncils on string, and anxious local-authority people sitting at tables handing out ballot papers and checking things on lists. But somehow it all felt very different from usual - the homely and local chafed against the weirdness of the TV-domination, the moment-by-moment following of events on computers and laptops, the omnipresence of instantaneous information and opinions, the sense that major issues were being overlooked amid spin and photography and image-making.
In this, as in so much of modern Britain, there is a somehow fragile feeling - as if what is solid and reliable and functioning is at the mercy of what is transient and untested and possibly volatile. Cameron now needs to create a workable government that feels reasonably solid, and then seek a fresh mandate in a year or so that will give him the majority he really wants. Retaining Brown and getting a coalition framed around his party would be all wrong and an attempt to reverse the election result by backdoor means, a manifest injustice.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
On Wednesday evening...
... after Mass at Westminster Cathedral I noticed large crowds going into Archbishop's House where a major event was clearly taking place. It turned out to be a big gathering to launch some fund-raising for the Papal visit.
Increasingly, with the nasty campaigns launched by Richard Dawkins and co, the mood among Catholics is upbeat and united: we want the Pope to come, we want to cheer him and greet him, we are keen to see and hear him, we believe that he has a great message for Britain.
Increasingly, with the nasty campaigns launched by Richard Dawkins and co, the mood among Catholics is upbeat and united: we want the Pope to come, we want to cheer him and greet him, we are keen to see and hear him, we believe that he has a great message for Britain.
The Pope...
...sent a special message of greeting to the retired Chief Rabbi of Rome who was celebrating his 95th birthday.
I mention this because I bet it doesn't get picked up by the mainstream media, and it should.
I mention this because I bet it doesn't get picked up by the mainstream media, and it should.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Allen Hall...
...is the seminary for the diocese of Westminster, and stands on the site of St Thomas More's garden in Chelsea. I had taken took a small group of youngsters on a walk there on Friday, but the big day was on Sunday, with our main Catholic History Walk. We were a good crowd, some 60-70 of us, and walked along by the river, with talks on the history as we went (using a microphone, all v. efficient). The excellent sacristan at Holy Redeemer Church stepped in at the start when I was delayed, and showed everyone round the church, and then we set off to see More's statue along the Embankment in the gardens, and to explore Chelsea Old Church (v. nice team of volunteers there who showed us round and were most friendly and informative)...and then we reached the seminary,to a wonderful welcome from the Rector, a delicious tea, and a talk about Cardinal Allen and Douai and an awesome heritage...we met a good number of the current students for the priesthood, and I have to say they are an impressive bunch of men, who divided us into teams and took us round the seminary and told us its history and were a powerful boost to morale. In these days when we seem to hear so much that is gloomy about the Church, it was cheering to see the future: young, dedicated, and committed to a life of service to God. There was a moving and impressive hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, culminating in Vespers and Benediction. The seminary invites parish groups to come to these times of Adoration to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life...and it seems to be working!
Next event for your diary: June 20th, the Martyrs' Walk. Starts 1.30pm for 2pm at the Old Bailey - we are gathering in the churchyard of St Sepulchre's-without-Newgate. We'll be walking all the way to Tyburn, so wear comfortable shoes. Bring your rosary. We'll stop at St Anselm and St Cecilia's in Holborn and we'll reach Tyburn in time for Benediction and tea at about 5 o'clock.
Next event for your diary: June 20th, the Martyrs' Walk. Starts 1.30pm for 2pm at the Old Bailey - we are gathering in the churchyard of St Sepulchre's-without-Newgate. We'll be walking all the way to Tyburn, so wear comfortable shoes. Bring your rosary. We'll stop at St Anselm and St Cecilia's in Holborn and we'll reach Tyburn in time for Benediction and tea at about 5 o'clock.
Things are going to be difficult in Britain...
...for Christians who uphold the traditional teachings on sexual morality.
Today's news reports that a policeman overheard a Christian speaker telling some one in the street that homosexual activity was sinful. The preacher, a Mr Dale McAlpine, has been charged for causing "harrassment, alarm or distress" after the policeman, a "community support officer" heard him listing homosexuality as among sins listed in the Scriptures. The preacher has said he did not mention it when listing various sins in his sermon, but mentioned it in a discussion with a passing shopper, saying it was contrary to the word of God. The police say that he said it in a voice loud enough to be overheard. He is now awaiting trial.
Of course, we do not know what the preacher said. Perhaps he failed to make the distinction between an inclination towards homosexuality and participation in homosexual acts. But the scene is a worrying one.
Will we risk arrest when we pass on the teaching of the Church?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
"2357. Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
2358. The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359. Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection."
Today's news reports that a policeman overheard a Christian speaker telling some one in the street that homosexual activity was sinful. The preacher, a Mr Dale McAlpine, has been charged for causing "harrassment, alarm or distress" after the policeman, a "community support officer" heard him listing homosexuality as among sins listed in the Scriptures. The preacher has said he did not mention it when listing various sins in his sermon, but mentioned it in a discussion with a passing shopper, saying it was contrary to the word of God. The police say that he said it in a voice loud enough to be overheard. He is now awaiting trial.
Of course, we do not know what the preacher said. Perhaps he failed to make the distinction between an inclination towards homosexuality and participation in homosexual acts. But the scene is a worrying one.
Will we risk arrest when we pass on the teaching of the Church?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
"2357. Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
2358. The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359. Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection."
Saturday, May 01, 2010
On the day...
...that a judge decreed that Christians have no right to have their religious beliefs respected at work, an opportunity to ponder on the message of St Thomas More.
Yesterday evening I led a Catholic History Walk for young people. This was an extra Walk organised by the leaders of a Confirmation group at a major London parish. I had gladly agreed to do it after being approached following the publicity for the general History Walks organised by Continuity/Miles Jesu. Gathering round the statue of More along the Embankment at Chelsea and showing the young people how he would have travelled up-river to Westminster for sessions of Parliament, and later when taken to the Tower, there was a sudden great sense of the great reality of it.
What is happening to our country at the moment? It is now a place where a Christian can lose his job because he was employed as a marriage counsellor and wanted to do this and not to get involved with supporting homosexual relationships. Insisting that he change his beliefs or lose his job cannot by any measure be regarded as fair.
The young people began the Walk by having that oh-yeah-so-why-is-this-important-anyway? look which seems obligatory among adolescents: any sort of enthusiasm for a well-planned project is sooooo uncool. But they sparked up a bit as we progressed, and despite rain and a chill wind they held candles and joined in prayers as dusk fell and we gathered around More's plaque at Allen Hall, the Westminster diocesan seminary which stands on the site of his garden. The wind blew out our fragile flames, but they listened as I told them about heroic priests facing torture and death to keep the Faith alive in times past, and about this is the same Faith that has been passed on to us, from the time of Christ, right down to us in London today...and then the voices joined in the Our Father...
St Thomas More, pray for us.
Yesterday evening I led a Catholic History Walk for young people. This was an extra Walk organised by the leaders of a Confirmation group at a major London parish. I had gladly agreed to do it after being approached following the publicity for the general History Walks organised by Continuity/Miles Jesu. Gathering round the statue of More along the Embankment at Chelsea and showing the young people how he would have travelled up-river to Westminster for sessions of Parliament, and later when taken to the Tower, there was a sudden great sense of the great reality of it.
What is happening to our country at the moment? It is now a place where a Christian can lose his job because he was employed as a marriage counsellor and wanted to do this and not to get involved with supporting homosexual relationships. Insisting that he change his beliefs or lose his job cannot by any measure be regarded as fair.
The young people began the Walk by having that oh-yeah-so-why-is-this-important-anyway? look which seems obligatory among adolescents: any sort of enthusiasm for a well-planned project is sooooo uncool. But they sparked up a bit as we progressed, and despite rain and a chill wind they held candles and joined in prayers as dusk fell and we gathered around More's plaque at Allen Hall, the Westminster diocesan seminary which stands on the site of his garden. The wind blew out our fragile flames, but they listened as I told them about heroic priests facing torture and death to keep the Faith alive in times past, and about this is the same Faith that has been passed on to us, from the time of Christ, right down to us in London today...and then the voices joined in the Our Father...
St Thomas More, pray for us.
The Pope's Visit...
...is the theme of this year's Schools RE Project run by the Association of Catholic Women. And hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of entries are now pouring in from children at Catholic schools across Britain. We have teams of judges and the essays all have to be delivered to them. Yesterday I arrived home to find a crate and two huge boxes on my doorstep, and an anxious email informing me that a great many more essays would arrive tomorrow. Today, with some difficulty, I took a great case to the Chairman's house in London where there is more space than here at Bogle Towers...every single essay is being read, and the winners and runners-up will get prizes donated by the Catholic Truth Society, plus trophies. A number of Certificates of Merit will also be awarded. It is all a marathon task.
The children were asked to find out about the Papacy. Who was the first Pope? Who appointed him ? What is the name of the present Pope, and what is his task? Why is he called the "Servant of the Servants of God"? They were also invited to write a prayer for the Pope. These tend to reveal local loyalties. "Dear God, please look after Pope Bennidict when he comes to England. I hope he comes to Manchester". "Dear God, help the Pope in his work when he comes to Scotland to see us. He is meeting the Queen first."
Of course some children have just downloaded material from the Internet ("The 2005 conclave elected Joseph Ratzinger following the traditional procedures...") but others have written lengthy essays giving their own thoughts. "Pope Benedict is proberly very bisy getting redy to come to England". Some have written letters to the Pope, one adding a sad note saying she hadn't had a reply (and I think it is feeble of the Vatican not to have some volunteers to deal with such letters - couldn't something be organised?) One said that if the Holy Father had time, he'd be most welcome at her house and her Gran would give him a nice tea.
The children were asked to find out about the Papacy. Who was the first Pope? Who appointed him ? What is the name of the present Pope, and what is his task? Why is he called the "Servant of the Servants of God"? They were also invited to write a prayer for the Pope. These tend to reveal local loyalties. "Dear God, please look after Pope Bennidict when he comes to England. I hope he comes to Manchester". "Dear God, help the Pope in his work when he comes to Scotland to see us. He is meeting the Queen first."
Of course some children have just downloaded material from the Internet ("The 2005 conclave elected Joseph Ratzinger following the traditional procedures...") but others have written lengthy essays giving their own thoughts. "Pope Benedict is proberly very bisy getting redy to come to England". Some have written letters to the Pope, one adding a sad note saying she hadn't had a reply (and I think it is feeble of the Vatican not to have some volunteers to deal with such letters - couldn't something be organised?) One said that if the Holy Father had time, he'd be most welcome at her house and her Gran would give him a nice tea.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Mass in English...
...at last!
After years of having poor translations and often bleak, ugly phrasing, we are going to get something that might be in real English. The Holy Father has approved the new English texts and in due course - and with, we can assume, due muddles and controversies - they will be in use in our parishes.
Cue for a barrage from (a) those who don't want any improvement that might emphasise the grandeur and glory of the Mass and (b) the school of thought that says that any new English text is irrelevant, tee hee, who cares about the Ordinary Form of the Mass anyway?
Actually, having the Mass in better English will be a massive help in ensuring beautiful worship. Papa Benedict has given us a vision that is worthwhile: the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Mass, a sense of continuity, an emphasis on God.
We need a focus on liturgy as worship. It is God that matters here. The introductory rites, with the Confiteor, draw us, hesitantly, into the presence of God and in due course we have the exultant singing of the Gloria before there is, as it were, a drawing back as the Scriptures are read, and then the priest's movement towards the altar and the Offertory and the drama as the "Holy,holy,holy..." begins the awesome build-up to the Consecration. All of this, in Latin or in English, in 1962 form or in a newer form, is something that should all be expressed in beauty.
There will be muddles and mumbles and mess as the new texts are introduced. People will say what is already familiar, and then hesitate and get confused and it will all sound ghastly. It will seem as though the whole thing isn't worthwhile. And those of us who rather like the Latin tend also be be among those who have also been pleading for better English, and we'll be in anguish as people will say "Oh, why do we need any changes anyway?" But it will work out well. The new texts will eventually become familiar, and while they are still taking root the more authentic doctrine they express will gradually become familiar too.
After years of having poor translations and often bleak, ugly phrasing, we are going to get something that might be in real English. The Holy Father has approved the new English texts and in due course - and with, we can assume, due muddles and controversies - they will be in use in our parishes.
Cue for a barrage from (a) those who don't want any improvement that might emphasise the grandeur and glory of the Mass and (b) the school of thought that says that any new English text is irrelevant, tee hee, who cares about the Ordinary Form of the Mass anyway?
Actually, having the Mass in better English will be a massive help in ensuring beautiful worship. Papa Benedict has given us a vision that is worthwhile: the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Mass, a sense of continuity, an emphasis on God.
We need a focus on liturgy as worship. It is God that matters here. The introductory rites, with the Confiteor, draw us, hesitantly, into the presence of God and in due course we have the exultant singing of the Gloria before there is, as it were, a drawing back as the Scriptures are read, and then the priest's movement towards the altar and the Offertory and the drama as the "Holy,holy,holy..." begins the awesome build-up to the Consecration. All of this, in Latin or in English, in 1962 form or in a newer form, is something that should all be expressed in beauty.
There will be muddles and mumbles and mess as the new texts are introduced. People will say what is already familiar, and then hesitate and get confused and it will all sound ghastly. It will seem as though the whole thing isn't worthwhile. And those of us who rather like the Latin tend also be be among those who have also been pleading for better English, and we'll be in anguish as people will say "Oh, why do we need any changes anyway?" But it will work out well. The new texts will eventually become familiar, and while they are still taking root the more authentic doctrine they express will gradually become familiar too.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
At Brompton Oratory...
...or, strictly speaking, at the Oratory House which adjoins the church, a meeting of the Board of the British section of Aid to the Church in Need. Much to discuss... projects, events, meetings - BTW, why not join us on the Pilgrimage to Walsingham?
Now, this Papal visit. Talking to the other people on the ACN Board, I realised how little we really all know about the plans. I mean, how do ordinary Catholics get to see the Pope? Airport arrival? Scottish Mass? London events? Beatification of John Henry Newman? How do people get to these events - how restricted will they be? When Pope John Paul came, back in 1982, there were coaches from parishes in the South of England to Gatwick airport - as I recall, in the parish where I was living at the time we gathered at about 3 am and arrived at the airport with hours to spare, which were spent singing and praying and it was all rather convivial. I suppose we must assume that this time, with threats from the likes of Hitchens and co (website of the National Secular Society is rallying people to turn up to do some hate-shouting etc), everything will be closely guarded, numbers restricted etc. Well, hmmmm, obviously there's a need for safety and so on, but it's also important that people are allowed to see and greet and cheer our Holy Father!
The Papal Visit website is, perhaps understandably, not at this stage hugely informative on details. But we do need info.
Now, this Papal visit. Talking to the other people on the ACN Board, I realised how little we really all know about the plans. I mean, how do ordinary Catholics get to see the Pope? Airport arrival? Scottish Mass? London events? Beatification of John Henry Newman? How do people get to these events - how restricted will they be? When Pope John Paul came, back in 1982, there were coaches from parishes in the South of England to Gatwick airport - as I recall, in the parish where I was living at the time we gathered at about 3 am and arrived at the airport with hours to spare, which were spent singing and praying and it was all rather convivial. I suppose we must assume that this time, with threats from the likes of Hitchens and co (website of the National Secular Society is rallying people to turn up to do some hate-shouting etc), everything will be closely guarded, numbers restricted etc. Well, hmmmm, obviously there's a need for safety and so on, but it's also important that people are allowed to see and greet and cheer our Holy Father!
The Papal Visit website is, perhaps understandably, not at this stage hugely informative on details. But we do need info.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Do not let...
...the foul-up by the Foreign Office spoil the plans for the Papal visit. That is precisely what those who hate the Church want to happen. So it mustn't.
There are two issues here. First is the Foreign Office foul-up, which needs to be tackled. The perpetrator is said to have been "moved to other tasks" Uh??? Other tasks? Good grief. What other religions or nations is he going to insult next? It would be much more reassurring to know that he has been invited to use his creative and amusing talents elsewhere than in the public service.
But the more important issue is that the Papal visit is secured, that full-scale apologies from the Foreign Office to the Holy See are accepted, and that plans go ahead for the September events, with the Church's right of free speech emphasised and the traditions of courtesy and goodwill honoured to the full. Recriminations and "I told you not to trust this Government" and so on and so on are an indulgence we cannot afford as Catholics.
It has long been apparent that the present Government and many people in official positions in Britain dislike the Church and her moral teachings: our Catholic bishops have often appeared naive in their refual to accept this reality. But a successful Papal visit, a good gathering of Catholics to honour the successor of St Peter, the beatification of John Henry Newman, and a public celebration of the Faith, are great and large things, and well worth the time, sacrifice, dedication and prayer put into them.
Do not let those who hate the Church wreck this Papal visit.
There are two issues here. First is the Foreign Office foul-up, which needs to be tackled. The perpetrator is said to have been "moved to other tasks" Uh??? Other tasks? Good grief. What other religions or nations is he going to insult next? It would be much more reassurring to know that he has been invited to use his creative and amusing talents elsewhere than in the public service.
But the more important issue is that the Papal visit is secured, that full-scale apologies from the Foreign Office to the Holy See are accepted, and that plans go ahead for the September events, with the Church's right of free speech emphasised and the traditions of courtesy and goodwill honoured to the full. Recriminations and "I told you not to trust this Government" and so on and so on are an indulgence we cannot afford as Catholics.
It has long been apparent that the present Government and many people in official positions in Britain dislike the Church and her moral teachings: our Catholic bishops have often appeared naive in their refual to accept this reality. But a successful Papal visit, a good gathering of Catholics to honour the successor of St Peter, the beatification of John Henry Newman, and a public celebration of the Faith, are great and large things, and well worth the time, sacrifice, dedication and prayer put into them.
Do not let those who hate the Church wreck this Papal visit.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
In the middle...
...of much family activity (see below) phone calls from TV and radio stations about the ridiculous, offensive, gross and vulgar rubbish produced in a Foreign Office memo about the Pope's visit. It is shaming to realise how low we have sunk as a nation: I suppose there have always been crude young men at the Foreign Office producing insolent material as a joke, but it is frightening that today such stuff gets taken seriously and circulated.
A new baby...
...in our family. Rushed to young relatives Edmund and Fiorella to share in the joy at the arrival of
NICHOLAS XAVIER NASH, born 24th April 2010
a brother for Hugh and Francesca.
A darling baby,warm against my heart as I cuddled him. The dear faces of a joyful young couple as they start this next exciting chapter of their family story. A house teeming with busyness and love, a fish-and-chip supper, cheerful grandparents arriving with hugs and with food and practical gifts and immediate quiet competence, great flurries of activity and much whooping and laughter combined with swapping of news and sudden tiredness and gratitude for togetherness. Joy, joy...
NICHOLAS XAVIER NASH, born 24th April 2010
a brother for Hugh and Francesca.
A darling baby,warm against my heart as I cuddled him. The dear faces of a joyful young couple as they start this next exciting chapter of their family story. A house teeming with busyness and love, a fish-and-chip supper, cheerful grandparents arriving with hugs and with food and practical gifts and immediate quiet competence, great flurries of activity and much whooping and laughter combined with swapping of news and sudden tiredness and gratitude for togetherness. Joy, joy...
Friday, April 23, 2010
David Quinn...
A Meeting...
...of the committee of the Association of Catholic Women. Much discussion of current issues...state of the Church in Ireland (problems of too close connection between Irish Church and State throughout much of 20th century, clericalism, etc), current attacks on the Pope, ghastly new appointment at the Catholic Education Service...this last is absolutely weird, and prompts questions of a most serious kind.
What possible reason can there be to appoint, to an official Catholic position, some one as a public official has consistently opposed Catholic teaching on every possible occasion? This new Deputy Director of the CES is a former Member of Parliament with a consistent record of supporting the work of the pro-abortion International Planned Parenthood, Family Planning Association and Marie Stopes International. He is now going to earn some £60,000 a year as an official of the body in charge of Catholic schools in England and Wales.
The Catholic Education Service proved its ineptitude in a quite dramatic way recently by failing to stand up for the rights of Catholics in the Govt's horrible plans for compulsory sex education. Thanks to the courageous campaigning of other groups, and despite the efforts of the CES to shore things up, the Government's legislation was eventually abandonerd, leaving the Catholic Education Service looking extremely stupid. Cue for a major re-think: opportunity to disband the CES and reorganise. But no - instead, a supporter of this discredited Government and an enthusiastic campaigner for National Condom Week is appointed as CES Deputy Director.
You couldn't make it up...
What possible reason can there be to appoint, to an official Catholic position, some one as a public official has consistently opposed Catholic teaching on every possible occasion? This new Deputy Director of the CES is a former Member of Parliament with a consistent record of supporting the work of the pro-abortion International Planned Parenthood, Family Planning Association and Marie Stopes International. He is now going to earn some £60,000 a year as an official of the body in charge of Catholic schools in England and Wales.
The Catholic Education Service proved its ineptitude in a quite dramatic way recently by failing to stand up for the rights of Catholics in the Govt's horrible plans for compulsory sex education. Thanks to the courageous campaigning of other groups, and despite the efforts of the CES to shore things up, the Government's legislation was eventually abandonerd, leaving the Catholic Education Service looking extremely stupid. Cue for a major re-think: opportunity to disband the CES and reorganise. But no - instead, a supporter of this discredited Government and an enthusiastic campaigner for National Condom Week is appointed as CES Deputy Director.
You couldn't make it up...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
THE GENERAL ELECTION...
...sometimes feels like a debate about rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic.
To get a sense of some of the real issues facing our country - and some questions to ask your local candidates - go to the Catholic Union website and use their excellent election booklet RESTORING FAITH IN POLITICS. This is also being distributed in booklet form with all the main Catholic newspapers, and is being sent to Catholic groups and organisations etc.
Christians of all denominations will find the material useful.
To get a sense of some of the real issues facing our country - and some questions to ask your local candidates - go to the Catholic Union website and use their excellent election booklet RESTORING FAITH IN POLITICS. This is also being distributed in booklet form with all the main Catholic newspapers, and is being sent to Catholic groups and organisations etc.
Christians of all denominations will find the material useful.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
An ecumenical note...
...which may be of interest: as chairman of a Christian charity, Christian Projects, which runs a big nationwide Schools Bible Project, I recieved an encouraging letter today. Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, has kindly agreed to be a Patron of Christian Projects, and we are really delighted that he is giving us this support. Some years ago, when the Schools Bible Project was really in its infancy, he gladly consented to present the prizes, and invited us all to Lambeth Palace. It was a wonderful day which the young prizewinners hugely enjoyed - we were made warmly welcome, were shown around this fascinating building, learned something of its history, and had a lovely celebration.
Yesterday...
...thanks to kindness shown through a chance encounter at Westminster Cathedral, I had a lovely day with a cousin I had not seen for years. It was a day of swapping memories and talking over many things.
Hanging in the hall was a picture that swept me back to my childhood - the angel, drawn by our great-grandfather, in the style of Burne-Jones under whom he studied. I suddenly realised how childhood images stay with you, shape your ideas, form the background to your life.
Hanging in the hall was a picture that swept me back to my childhood - the angel, drawn by our great-grandfather, in the style of Burne-Jones under whom he studied. I suddenly realised how childhood images stay with you, shape your ideas, form the background to your life.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
And you simply must read...
...the excellent Round Table honouring Papa Benedict's anniversary produced by Ignatius Press.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Under a silent sky...
...off to London for a meeting with Josephine Robinson of the Association of Catholic Women. Entries have been arriving for the Association's 2010 Schools' RE Project, in which children were invited to write about the Pope, explaining about St Peter being the first Pope and so on...a team of judges will be reading all the entries and, as in previous years, awarding book prizes generously donated by the CTS...
On to St Chad's in South Norwood, where a cheery group had gathered in the parish hall to hear Auntie speak about "Celebrating feasts and seasons". A well-attended gathering, organised initially for new converts who had been recieved into the Church at Easter, but open to everyone in the parish and we got a good mixture of people.
Home late, tackled emails, trawled through news on the Net. Continued attacks on the Pope...and I find the Comments on some Catholic blogs rather horrid, especially those sneering at ordinary parish life and at the Maltese enthusiasm for Papa B.
Over the past couple of years I've travelled more to different parishes and Catholic groups than ever before, and I realise that there is a living and thriving Faith that doesn't seem to get reflected in the blogosphere. It will be the loving prayers of ordinary Catholics rising to Heaven that support the Pope on this anniversary day of his succession.
On to St Chad's in South Norwood, where a cheery group had gathered in the parish hall to hear Auntie speak about "Celebrating feasts and seasons". A well-attended gathering, organised initially for new converts who had been recieved into the Church at Easter, but open to everyone in the parish and we got a good mixture of people.
Home late, tackled emails, trawled through news on the Net. Continued attacks on the Pope...and I find the Comments on some Catholic blogs rather horrid, especially those sneering at ordinary parish life and at the Maltese enthusiasm for Papa B.
Over the past couple of years I've travelled more to different parishes and Catholic groups than ever before, and I realise that there is a living and thriving Faith that doesn't seem to get reflected in the blogosphere. It will be the loving prayers of ordinary Catholics rising to Heaven that support the Pope on this anniversary day of his succession.
You won't...
... hear about this in the British media, of course, but look here and here for what really happened when Papa B. visited Malta.
Children in their hundreds singing to him, vast enthusiastic crowds packing out the streets and squares, the harbour filled with boats and cheering people...and a huge rapport between him and all these people as he spoke of their values, their commitment to marriage and family and human life...
And this good and decent man wept when he met victims of abuse, and prayed with them and they have spoken of what this has meant to them...
Children in their hundreds singing to him, vast enthusiastic crowds packing out the streets and squares, the harbour filled with boats and cheering people...and a huge rapport between him and all these people as he spoke of their values, their commitment to marriage and family and human life...
And this good and decent man wept when he met victims of abuse, and prayed with them and they have spoken of what this has meant to them...
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Jesuit...
...church in Wimbledon is having its floor relaid (over 100 years of use) so Masses have been transferred to the church hall, which has been transformed into a temporary church. They took a photograph of the (gothic arched) sanctuary, enlarged it to giant size and placed it to create a sanctuary in the hall, ditto with some pictures of the side-aisles, and all this, combined with clever use of curtains, has created a sort of church-atmosphere in which to house the altar and Tabernacle. The result is quite successful, and although the rows of chairs in the main part of the hall give a slight feel of a USA-style mega-church, there was a full sung Latin Mass complete with the "Domine, salvam fac.." for the Queen. Afterwards, at a food-sale in the lower hall, I bought a chocolate cake which I'm taking along to a friend this evening. She ought to be flying home to America but is marooned here in London because of the Icelandic ash, so we'll have cake and a DVD ("Lewis", successor to "Morse", recommended).
Jamie took Mother and me out to tea at Wimbledon and this was much appreciated. Blossom on the trees, bright sunshine, children running about, and Mother was delighted by the gardens at Cannizaro House.
There are good voices now telling the truth and defending the Holy Father against these vile attacks. Try here for instance. And the news reports about the trip to Malta are of interest. But there's something weird with The Times website: attempts to send in Comments seem to meet with resistance. What's going on?
Jamie took Mother and me out to tea at Wimbledon and this was much appreciated. Blossom on the trees, bright sunshine, children running about, and Mother was delighted by the gardens at Cannizaro House.
There are good voices now telling the truth and defending the Holy Father against these vile attacks. Try here for instance. And the news reports about the trip to Malta are of interest. But there's something weird with The Times website: attempts to send in Comments seem to meet with resistance. What's going on?
Friday, April 16, 2010
The election debate...
...was on the TV last night and I went to a friend's house to view it. Underwhelming. I thought Cameron sounded convincing on the subjects of crime and education. Nick Clegg sounded like a commentator rather than a potential leader. Gordon Brown looked a bit tired but was amusing on the subject of the election posters.
A meeting...
...in Chelsea on a spring evening, with judges of the Tamezin Young Journalists' Award. The Tamezin venture goes from strength to strength. It's a magazine produced by and for young people, it is attractive and glossy and fun to read and a subscription would be an excellent gift for any teenage girl you know...the annual presentation of the Young Journalists' Awards takes place soon and is always a wonderful day, with young people arriving from across Britain and a great air of excitement...winners get various prozes including opportunities for work experience at TV and radio stations and on newspapers and magazines. To find out more, click on that link...
Jack Valero...
...had a piece in yesterday's Guardian which is worth reading. Read it and also the 1985 letter from Cardinal Ratzinger which was taken out of context and used to make a fabricated story.
A gathering...
...of friends at the chapel of the John Fisher School, Purley, for the funeral of Aine Cooper, a dear and much-loved lady, wife of Daniel Cooper, a teacher at the school for many years. Aine was a friend to so many, a nurse whose medical skills and wisdom were of exceptional note and who shared them with loving generosity. Fr Roger Nesbitt was the principal celebrant, along with a good many other priests.Mgr Patrick Burke had flown from Rome and was the preacher, and spoke about the Eucharist,the real presence of Christ our Saviour...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A quick round-up of Auntie's activities...
...in recent days (been too busy to blog until now)...
A good crowd of Catholic Walkers met on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral on Monday evening. Began with prayers for the Holy Father's visit. Distributed copies of the important article by Phil Lawler (download it, print it off, and do the same). It being 6pm, at the suggestion of an Anglican clergyman who was of the group, we sang the Regina Caeli. Then off on a ramble through the City, taking in various churches, the Guildhall, and, finally, the plaque marking the birthplace of John Henry Newman, where we had a final talk and prayer. (The plaque is near the Stock Exchange. Newman was baptised at St Benet's church which stood nearby but which was demolished to make way for neccessary road widening in the mid 19th century - some of the artefacts went to a new St Benet's in what was then the expanding suburb of Tottenham).
Next day, off to Wales, where my travels took me to Pantasaph: there is a magnificent Franciscan shrine there, which I noted as I passed...I had never heard of it before, and learned that it dates back to the 19th century and is on land donated by the Earl of Denbigh.
I was staying at a local b-and-b, so after supper I went to explore the shrine. It has a fine outdoor garden-chapel, with a great statue of Padre Pio, to whom I confided various intercessions. A gate led through to some woods, so I opened it up...and there was a steep hill path, following by curls and zigzags the Stations of the Cross up to a great Calvary...as I followed the Way, I was alone in the woods in the dusk, with startled rabbits scampering away at my footfall, and birds suddenly rustling in the trees...at the great Calvary, Christ extends his arms from the hill, and takes in all sorrow, all worries...
A good crowd of Catholic Walkers met on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral on Monday evening. Began with prayers for the Holy Father's visit. Distributed copies of the important article by Phil Lawler (download it, print it off, and do the same). It being 6pm, at the suggestion of an Anglican clergyman who was of the group, we sang the Regina Caeli. Then off on a ramble through the City, taking in various churches, the Guildhall, and, finally, the plaque marking the birthplace of John Henry Newman, where we had a final talk and prayer. (The plaque is near the Stock Exchange. Newman was baptised at St Benet's church which stood nearby but which was demolished to make way for neccessary road widening in the mid 19th century - some of the artefacts went to a new St Benet's in what was then the expanding suburb of Tottenham).
Next day, off to Wales, where my travels took me to Pantasaph: there is a magnificent Franciscan shrine there, which I noted as I passed...I had never heard of it before, and learned that it dates back to the 19th century and is on land donated by the Earl of Denbigh.
I was staying at a local b-and-b, so after supper I went to explore the shrine. It has a fine outdoor garden-chapel, with a great statue of Padre Pio, to whom I confided various intercessions. A gate led through to some woods, so I opened it up...and there was a steep hill path, following by curls and zigzags the Stations of the Cross up to a great Calvary...as I followed the Way, I was alone in the woods in the dusk, with startled rabbits scampering away at my footfall, and birds suddenly rustling in the trees...at the great Calvary, Christ extends his arms from the hill, and takes in all sorrow, all worries...
Monday, April 12, 2010
Just off to...
...St Paul's Cathedral, where we are meeting on the steps for a Catholic History Walk. 6pm. See you there?
Well, if you are reading this from across the Atlantic, or in Australia, or somewhere, I'll write later and tell you all about it!
Well, if you are reading this from across the Atlantic, or in Australia, or somewhere, I'll write later and tell you all about it!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
This one is easy...
...and enjoyable. Sign here a letter of affection and support for Papa Benedict. Get your friends and family to sign. Get people in your parish to sign. Get your priest to sign. Pass it on to people in a quick email, urging people to sign and pass on. Do it now!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
That letter from Cardinal Ratzinger...
...has been headlined everywhere. Now get the facts.
Phil Lawler is an American journalist. This is from his column. Because what he says is so important, I'm simply reprinting it here. Read on:
"We're off and running once again, with another completely phony story that purports to implicate Pope Benedict XVI in the protection of abusive priests.
The "exclusive" story released by AP yesterday, which has been dutifully passed along now by scores of major media outlets, would never have seen the light of day if normal journalistic standards had been in place. Careful editors should have asked a series of probing questions, and in every case the answer to those questions would have shown that the story had no "legs."
First to repeat the bare-bones version of the story: in November 1985, then-Cardinal Ratzinger signed a letter deferring a decision on the laicization of Father Stephen Kiesle, a California priest who had been accused of molesting boys.
Now the key questions:
• Was Cardinal Ratzinger responding to the complaints of priestly pedophilia? No. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which the future Pontiff headed, did not have jurisdiction for pedophile priests until 2001. The cardinal was weighing a request for laicization of Kiesle.
• Had Oakland's Bishop John Cummins sought to laicize Kiesle as punishment for his misconduct? No. Kiesle himself asked to be released from the priesthood. The bishop supported the wayward priest's application.
• Was the request for laicization denied? No. Eventually, in 1987, the Vatican approved Kiesle's dismissal from the priesthood.
• Did Kiesle abuse children again before he was laicized? To the best of our knowledge, No. The next complaints against him arose in 2002: 15 years after he was dismissed from the priesthood.
• Did Cardinal Ratzinger's reluctance to make a quick decision mean that Kiesle remained in active ministry? No. Bishop Cummins had the authority to suspend the predator-priest, and in fact he had placed him on an extended leave of absence long before the application for laicization was entered.
• Would quicker laicization have protected children in California? No. Cardinal Ratzinger did not have the power to put Kiesle behind bars. If Kiesle had been defrocked in 1985 instead of 1987, he would have remained at large, thanks to a light sentence from the California courts. As things stood, he remained at large. He was not engaged in parish ministry and had no special access to children.
• Did the Vatican cover up evidence of Kiesle's predatory behavior? No. The civil courts of California destroyed that evidence after the priest completed a sentence of probation-- before the case ever reached Rome.
So to review: This was not a case in which a bishop wanted to discipline his priest and the Vatican official demurred. This was not a case in which a priest remained active in ministry, and the Vatican did nothing to protect the children under his pastoral care. This was not a case in which the Vatican covered up evidence of a priest's misconduct. This was a case in which a priest asked to be released from his vows, and the Vatican-- which had been flooded by such requests throughout the 1970s -- wanted to consider all such cases carefully. In short, if you're looking for evidence of a sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, this case is irrelevant.
We Americans know what a sex-abuse crisis looks like. The scandal erupts when evidence emerges that bishops have protected abusive priests, kept them active in parish assignments, covered up evidence of the charges against them, and lied to their people. There is no such evidence in this or any other case involving Pope Benedict XVI.
Competent reporters, when dealing with a story that involves special expertise, seek information from experts in that field. Capable journalists following this story should have sought out canon lawyers to explain the 1985 document-- not merely relied on the highly biased testimony of civil lawyers who have lodged multiple suits against the Church. If they had understood the case, objective reporters would have recognized that they had no story. But in this case, reporters for the major media outlets are far from objective.
The New York Times-- which touched off this feeding frenzy with two error-riddled front-page reports-- seized on the latest "scoop" by AP to say that the 1985 document exemplified:
…the sort of delay that is fueling a renewed sexual abuse scandal in the church that has focused on whether the future pope moved quickly enough to remove known pedophiles from the priesthood, despite pleas from American bishops.
Here we have a complete rewriting of history. Earlier in this decade, American newspapers exposed the sad truth that many American bishops had kept pedophile priests in active ministry. Now the Times, which played an active role in exposing that scandal, would have us believe that the American bishops were striving to rid the priesthood of the predators, and the Vatican resisted!
No, what is "fueling a renewed sexual abuse scandal" is a media frenzy. There is a scandal here, indeed, but it's not the scandal you're reading about in the mass media. The scandal is the complete collapse of journalistic standards in the handling of this story."
Phil Lawler is an American journalist. This is from his column. Because what he says is so important, I'm simply reprinting it here. Read on:
"We're off and running once again, with another completely phony story that purports to implicate Pope Benedict XVI in the protection of abusive priests.
The "exclusive" story released by AP yesterday, which has been dutifully passed along now by scores of major media outlets, would never have seen the light of day if normal journalistic standards had been in place. Careful editors should have asked a series of probing questions, and in every case the answer to those questions would have shown that the story had no "legs."
First to repeat the bare-bones version of the story: in November 1985, then-Cardinal Ratzinger signed a letter deferring a decision on the laicization of Father Stephen Kiesle, a California priest who had been accused of molesting boys.
Now the key questions:
• Was Cardinal Ratzinger responding to the complaints of priestly pedophilia? No. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which the future Pontiff headed, did not have jurisdiction for pedophile priests until 2001. The cardinal was weighing a request for laicization of Kiesle.
• Had Oakland's Bishop John Cummins sought to laicize Kiesle as punishment for his misconduct? No. Kiesle himself asked to be released from the priesthood. The bishop supported the wayward priest's application.
• Was the request for laicization denied? No. Eventually, in 1987, the Vatican approved Kiesle's dismissal from the priesthood.
• Did Kiesle abuse children again before he was laicized? To the best of our knowledge, No. The next complaints against him arose in 2002: 15 years after he was dismissed from the priesthood.
• Did Cardinal Ratzinger's reluctance to make a quick decision mean that Kiesle remained in active ministry? No. Bishop Cummins had the authority to suspend the predator-priest, and in fact he had placed him on an extended leave of absence long before the application for laicization was entered.
• Would quicker laicization have protected children in California? No. Cardinal Ratzinger did not have the power to put Kiesle behind bars. If Kiesle had been defrocked in 1985 instead of 1987, he would have remained at large, thanks to a light sentence from the California courts. As things stood, he remained at large. He was not engaged in parish ministry and had no special access to children.
• Did the Vatican cover up evidence of Kiesle's predatory behavior? No. The civil courts of California destroyed that evidence after the priest completed a sentence of probation-- before the case ever reached Rome.
So to review: This was not a case in which a bishop wanted to discipline his priest and the Vatican official demurred. This was not a case in which a priest remained active in ministry, and the Vatican did nothing to protect the children under his pastoral care. This was not a case in which the Vatican covered up evidence of a priest's misconduct. This was a case in which a priest asked to be released from his vows, and the Vatican-- which had been flooded by such requests throughout the 1970s -- wanted to consider all such cases carefully. In short, if you're looking for evidence of a sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, this case is irrelevant.
We Americans know what a sex-abuse crisis looks like. The scandal erupts when evidence emerges that bishops have protected abusive priests, kept them active in parish assignments, covered up evidence of the charges against them, and lied to their people. There is no such evidence in this or any other case involving Pope Benedict XVI.
Competent reporters, when dealing with a story that involves special expertise, seek information from experts in that field. Capable journalists following this story should have sought out canon lawyers to explain the 1985 document-- not merely relied on the highly biased testimony of civil lawyers who have lodged multiple suits against the Church. If they had understood the case, objective reporters would have recognized that they had no story. But in this case, reporters for the major media outlets are far from objective.
The New York Times-- which touched off this feeding frenzy with two error-riddled front-page reports-- seized on the latest "scoop" by AP to say that the 1985 document exemplified:
…the sort of delay that is fueling a renewed sexual abuse scandal in the church that has focused on whether the future pope moved quickly enough to remove known pedophiles from the priesthood, despite pleas from American bishops.
Here we have a complete rewriting of history. Earlier in this decade, American newspapers exposed the sad truth that many American bishops had kept pedophile priests in active ministry. Now the Times, which played an active role in exposing that scandal, would have us believe that the American bishops were striving to rid the priesthood of the predators, and the Vatican resisted!
No, what is "fueling a renewed sexual abuse scandal" is a media frenzy. There is a scandal here, indeed, but it's not the scandal you're reading about in the mass media. The scandal is the complete collapse of journalistic standards in the handling of this story."
More attacks on Pope Benedict ...
...and the ability of the authorities in Rome to respond seems limited. I think there's a hope that it will all go away. It won't. It is necessary to take action, and to be seen to be open and responsive to what is going on.
Nor is it wise for those on the wider scene who are trying to support Pope Benedict to attempt the ploy of deflecting the attack to Pope John Paul: the ghastly scandals within the Legionaries of Christ make this an attractive idea especially to people who disliked JPII's style, his rallies, World Youth Day, appeal to the young, etc. There is a feeling among some that now is a good time to play off old scores - they recall wincing at crowd scenes where Pope John Paul beat time to music along with teenagers, and they now sense a gleeful opportunity to tarnish his memory by emphasising that he liked and trusted the Legionaries, whose founder turns out to be an evil-doer and a fraud.
This is no time for such politics: the issue is not JPII's liturgical style, or the pleasure of trying to denounce his legacy. (It's also futile: this was a great man who inspired the Church and brought the message of Christ alive for millions).
The issue that is at the heart of all this media frenzy is still that of the evil acts of priests who abused children, and the need for the Church to be seen to be open and heartfelt in ensuring that such deeds will not be covered up. Pope Benedict will have us all with him if he announces a Church-wide act of sorrow and repentance...
It's essential to be well informed, and to get the full information as far as possible.
But make no mistake: among those who are currently pushing the attack on Papa B. are those, both inside and outside the Church, who now genuinely believe they can crush the Church's moral authority and render the voice of the succcessor of St Peter useless for decades to come. There's a shrill glee about this, and there's an evil in it which can only be stopped by prayer...
Nor is it wise for those on the wider scene who are trying to support Pope Benedict to attempt the ploy of deflecting the attack to Pope John Paul: the ghastly scandals within the Legionaries of Christ make this an attractive idea especially to people who disliked JPII's style, his rallies, World Youth Day, appeal to the young, etc. There is a feeling among some that now is a good time to play off old scores - they recall wincing at crowd scenes where Pope John Paul beat time to music along with teenagers, and they now sense a gleeful opportunity to tarnish his memory by emphasising that he liked and trusted the Legionaries, whose founder turns out to be an evil-doer and a fraud.
This is no time for such politics: the issue is not JPII's liturgical style, or the pleasure of trying to denounce his legacy. (It's also futile: this was a great man who inspired the Church and brought the message of Christ alive for millions).
The issue that is at the heart of all this media frenzy is still that of the evil acts of priests who abused children, and the need for the Church to be seen to be open and heartfelt in ensuring that such deeds will not be covered up. Pope Benedict will have us all with him if he announces a Church-wide act of sorrow and repentance...
It's essential to be well informed, and to get the full information as far as possible.
But make no mistake: among those who are currently pushing the attack on Papa B. are those, both inside and outside the Church, who now genuinely believe they can crush the Church's moral authority and render the voice of the succcessor of St Peter useless for decades to come. There's a shrill glee about this, and there's an evil in it which can only be stopped by prayer...
Friday, April 09, 2010
A round...
...of family visits over Easter. Church bells pealing in Oxfordshire as a wide smooth river flows between grassy banks where bright daffodils and pale primroses welcome the walkers enjoying the Easter break. Wobbly-legged lambs in Somerset meadows. Chocolate eggs and simnel cake and much family talk around a beautifully-laid table, four generations together.
I watched the Holy Father on TV on Easter morning. It was raining in Rome and he had been given a small, rather ugly chasuble and a little messy lacey collar round the stole - somehow it all looked bleak. People cheered and the crowds seemed undiminished by recent events, waving from beneath umbrellas. But they were not helped by the intervention of a formal Cardinalate speech before the start of the Easter Mass, offering the H. Father support in the face of recent "gossip". This really will not do: people are shocked and sickened by revelations of clergy abuse, and the Holy Father is at one with them in this, and has been the leader in seeking to rid the Church of what he has aptly named as "filth" - it is just all wrong for a formal Church spokesman to appear to be brushing the whole subject aside as "gossip". The Church must be seen to be open, truthful, humble and capable. Plenty to pray about this Eastertide...
I watched the Holy Father on TV on Easter morning. It was raining in Rome and he had been given a small, rather ugly chasuble and a little messy lacey collar round the stole - somehow it all looked bleak. People cheered and the crowds seemed undiminished by recent events, waving from beneath umbrellas. But they were not helped by the intervention of a formal Cardinalate speech before the start of the Easter Mass, offering the H. Father support in the face of recent "gossip". This really will not do: people are shocked and sickened by revelations of clergy abuse, and the Holy Father is at one with them in this, and has been the leader in seeking to rid the Church of what he has aptly named as "filth" - it is just all wrong for a formal Church spokesman to appear to be brushing the whole subject aside as "gossip". The Church must be seen to be open, truthful, humble and capable. Plenty to pray about this Eastertide...
Friday, April 02, 2010
Late on Good Friday...
...having spent a solemn day, I'm signing off for a family time starting from tomorrow. I'll be back, of course. Easter message can be read here.
Just seen...
...the crass remarks made by the preacher at St Peter's on Good Friday,quoting from a letter likening the current campaign against the Pope to anti-semitism. This is ridiculous and gross and will make an already bad situation infinitely worse. It hurts and offends Jewish people, who have actual memories of the murder of family and friends. Frankly, I think the preacher needs to be sacked.
What is happening to the Church is horrendous and wrong, but to link it with people who were actually slaughtered in concentration camps is just ridiculous, and it takes this whole ghastly mess deeper into a mire...
What is happening to the Church is horrendous and wrong, but to link it with people who were actually slaughtered in concentration camps is just ridiculous, and it takes this whole ghastly mess deeper into a mire...
The next move...
...watch for it...will be to attack Pope John Paul. It's already started, and the new lie will be to re-invent him as the big figure who covered up sexual abuse, creating a myth like that of Pius XII and World War II. These things are hard to dislodge once started. The difference with JPII is that he has people within the Church - claiming to be traditionalists - who simply loathe him and will try to help foist this new image on him for all sorts of reasons, while pretending to be helping Papa Benedict.
Don't be fooled.
Don't be fooled.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Youth leads the fightback...
...watch here to view university students thanking the Pope for his five years service......and bishops are speaking up...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
And here is a hymn...
...to sing for the Holy Father.
This was written in 2005 to mark his election - we took our inspiration from the Wiseman hymn "Full in the panting heart of Rome" and then produced a new version, to which musician Jeremy de Satge produced a new and very singable tune. We have now tweaked it to produce a final polished version, which we offer as we prepare for the Holy Father's visit.
Enjoy! And use it in your parish, school, youth group...
This was written in 2005 to mark his election - we took our inspiration from the Wiseman hymn "Full in the panting heart of Rome" and then produced a new version, to which musician Jeremy de Satge produced a new and very singable tune. We have now tweaked it to produce a final polished version, which we offer as we prepare for the Holy Father's visit.
Enjoy! And use it in your parish, school, youth group...
You need to keep up to date...
...on the topic which has dominated this Blog in recent days. Read here for an excellent commentary/ analysis...
The big CHRISM MASS picture...
...above, comes from the website of the Diocese of Westminster.
You can read here the statement of Archbishop Vincent Nichols at the end of Mass.
You can read here the statement of Archbishop Vincent Nichols at the end of Mass.
Support for the Pope...
...is now surging worldwide. The American Bishops Conference statement is worth readimg.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
AT THE CHRISM MASS...
...at Westminster Cathedral, we had a big placard saying THANK YOU TO OUR PRIESTS and gave them thank-you cards with a pic. of St John Vianney. The cathedral was packed, and at the end of the Mass, Archbishop Vincent Nichols made a special and strong statement about the current storm surrounding the Church, explaining the truth - including the fact that that there is no special "secrecy directive" - and indicating his firm support for the Holy Father. The whole of the cathedral was with him.
There were TV cameras outside the Cathedral as the great columns of priests walked up from Ambrosden Avenue, and were greeted with applause (and chants of "We love our priests!" from the young people in our group!)...but you won't see us on TV as the cameras instead focussed on three people who wanted to talk about sex-abuse. There was no opportunity for another side to be put, or for information to be corrected.
There were TV cameras outside the Cathedral as the great columns of priests walked up from Ambrosden Avenue, and were greeted with applause (and chants of "We love our priests!" from the young people in our group!)...but you won't see us on TV as the cameras instead focussed on three people who wanted to talk about sex-abuse. There was no opportunity for another side to be put, or for information to be corrected.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Good grief...
...the New York Times (no I'm not going to give the link, it's all too nauseating) has now arranged for its dishonesty and invective to be used as formal educational material in schools because "teachers and parents want to help their students and children understand the current sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church": it offers a schema for lesson-plans so that children can be duly instructed in its propaganda.
Your chance...
...to show support for priests and for the Church at this difficult time comes on Tuesday (March 30th) at 11.45 am when the priests of the Westminster diocese arrive at the Cathedral for the Chrism Mass. As in previous years, a group of us - organised by the Association of Catholic Women - will be there to say a big thank-you to our priests for the service they give. As always, we'll have a placard and be handing out thank-you cards. Join us!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Bishops - where are you?
There are Bishops speaking out for the truth in this dreadful time of lies and hatred aimed at the Holy Father and the Church. This list is not exhaustive, but these are some men to note:
Honour to:
Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster - see previous recent blog entries
Archbishop Timothy Dolan, New York
Cardinal Marc Quellet, Primate of Canada
Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia
Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Vienna
Catholic Bishops Conference of France
Among lay people, honour to Jack Valero of Opus Dei and, to a lesser degree, Christina Odone along with a number of Americans, including George Weigel, John Allen and Bill Donohue.
Among clergy - honour to Fr Dwight Longenecker - read the piece on his Blog.
Honour to:
Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster - see previous recent blog entries
Archbishop Timothy Dolan, New York
Cardinal Marc Quellet, Primate of Canada
Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia
Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Vienna
Catholic Bishops Conference of France
Among lay people, honour to Jack Valero of Opus Dei and, to a lesser degree, Christina Odone along with a number of Americans, including George Weigel, John Allen and Bill Donohue.
Among clergy - honour to Fr Dwight Longenecker - read the piece on his Blog.
Palm Sunday...
...and we met outside the church and processed in, remembering Christ's entry into Jerusalem.
Vile attacks on the Church and the H. Father in the press today, rather resembling those produced the Goebbels' propaganda teams.
But there's a story the press haven't picked up. Who was the Bishop who routinely dismissed child-abuse claims, admitted shredding files on priests accused of abuse, and who was then revealed as having paid out $450,000 from church funds to his own former homosexual lover?
Step forward Archbishop Rembert Weakland, currently posing as the "good guy" who wrote to Rome to reveal a child abuse case. The real facts? He dismissed sexual abuse time and again,then in the 1990s eventually contacted Rome twenty years after a serious abuser had been active in his diocese, and has given no reason for his failure to act before then. The priest in question was by then dying, so nothing useful could be done and the chap died a few months after his case had been discussed in Rome.
You can get a lot more about this here and do further research by checking Weakland's Wikipedia entry.
Vile attacks on the Church and the H. Father in the press today, rather resembling those produced the Goebbels' propaganda teams.
But there's a story the press haven't picked up. Who was the Bishop who routinely dismissed child-abuse claims, admitted shredding files on priests accused of abuse, and who was then revealed as having paid out $450,000 from church funds to his own former homosexual lover?
Step forward Archbishop Rembert Weakland, currently posing as the "good guy" who wrote to Rome to reveal a child abuse case. The real facts? He dismissed sexual abuse time and again,then in the 1990s eventually contacted Rome twenty years after a serious abuser had been active in his diocese, and has given no reason for his failure to act before then. The priest in question was by then dying, so nothing useful could be done and the chap died a few months after his case had been discussed in Rome.
You can get a lot more about this here and do further research by checking Weakland's Wikipedia entry.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Walking...
...from the Old Bailey to Tyburn, along the route we will take for the Martyrs Walk in June. (It's June 20th, mark the date in your diaries now).
All the time, the current storm surrounding the Church was in the forefront of all our minds, especially as we stopped to pray at the various churches along the way.
Where are the Church's defenders? Honour to George Weigel,who spoke up with clarity before anyone else, a lone voice and a brave one. Now a few others have joined in - including this correspondent. The French bishops and some others have spoken up, including Archbishop Vincent Nichols. IN the USA the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights has been working hard.
We need a group in Ireland which will rally to the Pope's letter and start taking action along the lines he urged - starting with prayer.There's a lot of talk about the impossibility of healing and so on - but healing has to start somewhere.
We need a lot less gloating - we don't need the voices saying "Oh, it's all due to the Church being harsh and repressoive in the old days" or "Oh, it's all the liberals in the Church since Vatican II". We need realism about the joy all this is giving to those who hate the Church and the Christian message. We need to work - now - to ensure that those who are seeking to use all this to crush the Papal visit to Britain are denied their goal.
All the time, the current storm surrounding the Church was in the forefront of all our minds, especially as we stopped to pray at the various churches along the way.
Where are the Church's defenders? Honour to George Weigel,who spoke up with clarity before anyone else, a lone voice and a brave one. Now a few others have joined in - including this correspondent. The French bishops and some others have spoken up, including Archbishop Vincent Nichols. IN the USA the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights has been working hard.
We need a group in Ireland which will rally to the Pope's letter and start taking action along the lines he urged - starting with prayer.There's a lot of talk about the impossibility of healing and so on - but healing has to start somewhere.
We need a lot less gloating - we don't need the voices saying "Oh, it's all due to the Church being harsh and repressoive in the old days" or "Oh, it's all the liberals in the Church since Vatican II". We need realism about the joy all this is giving to those who hate the Church and the Christian message. We need to work - now - to ensure that those who are seeking to use all this to crush the Papal visit to Britain are denied their goal.
Friday, March 26, 2010
And more...
...yes, yes, I know you'd like Auntie to write lots of cheery stuff about how she is whizzing about on her bicycle in the London springtime. But it isn't like that just at the moment in the life of this Catholic journalist. There's a war on, fought in no small measure through the Internet and the rest of the media, the former being a new and powerful weapon in the hands of those who loathe the Church. And most people aren't well-informed. Are you? Have you read this from New York? And this which goes into some detail?
And I'm assuming that most serious readers will have read this and been pleased that Archbishop Vincent has spoken out (BTW don't buy the wretched Times: look at it on-line).
Of course there are other things to tackle, work to be done. I spent today partly at Premier Radio, talking about Alive to the World and recording some talks (about Mary, among other topics) which will be broadcast in May. And of course I also took part in the main news programme which discussed....
And I'm assuming that most serious readers will have read this and been pleased that Archbishop Vincent has spoken out (BTW don't buy the wretched Times: look at it on-line).
Of course there are other things to tackle, work to be done. I spent today partly at Premier Radio, talking about Alive to the World and recording some talks (about Mary, among other topics) which will be broadcast in May. And of course I also took part in the main news programme which discussed....
Get yourself better informed by reading...
...this blog which has some useful material on Crimen sollicitationis, the Church document which deals with the evil of sexual solicitation in the confessional. Did you know that this document actually obliges a person to tell about any such solicitation? And that the promise of secrecy is given for just this purpose?
Look: it's like this. If I go to confession and confess adultery, and the priest is evil and makes a disgusting suggestion along the lines of "Well, if you've done that..how about you and me..?" it is my absolute duty to report this to some one in authority in the Church, and ensure that action is taken. But I might have an obvious reason for not doing this - because it might be that in explaining what happened, I have to explain that it began with my own confession of adultery. In order to protect my privacy, and to encourage me to come forward with the information about the priest, the Church insists that I am given a promise of secrecy. This does not extend to everything that subsequently occurs as the whole thing goes on, but it does remain absolute with regard to my part in the proceedings.
I have deliberately chosen adultery because it is one of the less disgusting sins which might be involved in this sort of matter.
The document is not, as it happens, very relevant to many of the issues being raised in the current storm. That of course it why opponents of the Church and her disciplines want to fudge things by pretending that it is, and simply randomly talking about "secrecy" and "Vatican documents" and "issued by Cardinal Ratzinger" and so on.
Look: it's like this. If I go to confession and confess adultery, and the priest is evil and makes a disgusting suggestion along the lines of "Well, if you've done that..how about you and me..?" it is my absolute duty to report this to some one in authority in the Church, and ensure that action is taken. But I might have an obvious reason for not doing this - because it might be that in explaining what happened, I have to explain that it began with my own confession of adultery. In order to protect my privacy, and to encourage me to come forward with the information about the priest, the Church insists that I am given a promise of secrecy. This does not extend to everything that subsequently occurs as the whole thing goes on, but it does remain absolute with regard to my part in the proceedings.
I have deliberately chosen adultery because it is one of the less disgusting sins which might be involved in this sort of matter.
The document is not, as it happens, very relevant to many of the issues being raised in the current storm. That of course it why opponents of the Church and her disciplines want to fudge things by pretending that it is, and simply randomly talking about "secrecy" and "Vatican documents" and "issued by Cardinal Ratzinger" and so on.
An early start...
...after a late arrival home last night. While busy with a project at Chelsea (helping to produce the cards that will be given to priests as part of our annual thank-you gesture at the Chrism Mass), media 'phone calls and much discussion as the storm rages.
Important to get the facts straight and to be alert for the next wave of attacks. My guess is that these will seek to besmirch Pope John Paul.
Who is it within the Church - in the USA? in Rome? - who is helping to feed all this? With what motive(s)?
Important to get the facts straight and to be alert for the next wave of attacks. My guess is that these will seek to besmirch Pope John Paul.
Who is it within the Church - in the USA? in Rome? - who is helping to feed all this? With what motive(s)?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Hurrying along...
...the Kings Road in Chelsea after a busy day (see below) and en route to another meeting, I answered my mobile phone. A voice asked "How are you?" and I answered rather curtly asking who it was. He said he was from the BBC, and would I like to do an interview that evening about the story in the New York Times? Assuming that this was all part of the escalation of the media storm I explained that I was on my way to give a talk and couldn't manage a BBC interview. Made a mental note that things were were racheted up still further, perused Internet when I got the first chance and scanned all the latest shrieking.
This is getting bizarre: it is no longer serious discussion of crimes by priests but a weird attempt to crush the Pope and the Church. It won't work, but what's the game here? Why are they so frightened of the Catholic Church?
This is getting bizarre: it is no longer serious discussion of crimes by priests but a weird attempt to crush the Pope and the Church. It won't work, but what's the game here? Why are they so frightened of the Catholic Church?
A splendid...
...Day of Art and Music for teachers and catechists, held at the Monckton Room, at the church of Our Most Holy Redeemer and St Thomas More in Chelsea. Superb presentation of glorious art by Lionel Gracey who works with the "Art Beauty and Inspiration" courses at Maryvale. Then a teaching session of plainchant with Jeremy de Satge of The Music Makers. Finally we went upstairs into the church for a beautiful Annunciation Mass, celebrated by Fr Sunny Paul from Woldingham School, with wonderful singing of the newly-learned chant. We sang a Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei, did a beautiful Ave Maria for the Offertory, and as Mass finished honoured the Annunciation again with Ave Regina Caelorum. We also sang the psalm and a new English version of the Gloria.
The day was hugely successful - the third such event organised by the Association of Catholic Women. We had teachers from a number of London primary schools, plus a team from St Patrick's School of Evangelisation, and from the Heralds of the Gospel, a new international movement with a branch based near Kingston...
After Mass, some of us lingered, talking and planning... much talk of the Papal visit, current and possible future media storms,the ghastly Children's Schools and Families Bill and its effects, likelihood of tough times ahead...
The day was hugely successful - the third such event organised by the Association of Catholic Women. We had teachers from a number of London primary schools, plus a team from St Patrick's School of Evangelisation, and from the Heralds of the Gospel, a new international movement with a branch based near Kingston...
After Mass, some of us lingered, talking and planning... much talk of the Papal visit, current and possible future media storms,the ghastly Children's Schools and Families Bill and its effects, likelihood of tough times ahead...
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
In London...
...for a meeting at the excellent Billings Family Life Centre run by Veronica Pierson. This Centre has helped to many couples, and Veronica is a person of immense commitment, courage and faith who has been working with dedication and skill since she founded the Centre in the 1980s.
This has been a week for friends. Yesterday a delightful lunch with a fellow member of the Association of Catholic Women, who had just returned from Rome, full of news and joy. She gave me a most beautiful scarf, and some medals and pictures and a lovely calendar with pictures of the Holy Father and we talked and talked. She is busy launching a Trust to raise funds for the school for blind children in India where her daughter has been working...a reminder that there are some wonderful young people who challenge and inspire us. (I'll be publicising more about this Trust in due course - a project hugely worth supporting).
And today an unexpected bonus - meeting a friend whom I had planned to see yesterday evening ...we had missed one another at the Cathedral but then were able to meet instead today. She has been working on the excellent Alive to the World series - amid all the controversy over Govt plans for Personal, Social and Health Education in schools here is something you can really trust as use while the debates rage. It really is a wonedrful resource, with modestly-priced books which children will love, use, read, and enjoy. Do visit that link for a closer look.
And then on to Tyburn, where I was visiting the nuns to make arrangements for the Martyrs Walk. (Book the date: June 20th: details from Continuity/Miles Jesu.) The Sisters at Tyburn are a tonic: I was welcomed with tea, the arrangements for the Walk were discussed with cheerful friendly efficiency, we chatted over dozens of other things, and I felt surrounded by affection and care.
Decided to drop in at Mass at Westminster Cathedral before I went home. We sang some wonderful traditional hymns as well as all the usual glorious Latin chant with the choir, and in honour of its being the vigil of the feast of the Annunciation made a special prolonged genuflection in the Creed. Huge congregation, Archbishop processing down the aisle with crozier blessing people... the Mass honoured Archbishop Oscar Romero, on the 30th annniversary of his death. He is not some one I have ever really studied: interesting info on the Mass-sheet - he prayed the Rosary daily, wore the Carmelite scapular, pleaded with people on both the political left and right in attempts to foster peace in his country. Those who have tried to portray him as a liberation-theologian seem to have rather missed the point.
On arrival home, a bonus - a simply wonderful email message from the dear Sisters at St Cecilia's on the Isle of Wight, with a copy of the message they have sent to the Holy Father. If I get their permission, I'll reprint it on this Blog.
This has been a week for friends. Yesterday a delightful lunch with a fellow member of the Association of Catholic Women, who had just returned from Rome, full of news and joy. She gave me a most beautiful scarf, and some medals and pictures and a lovely calendar with pictures of the Holy Father and we talked and talked. She is busy launching a Trust to raise funds for the school for blind children in India where her daughter has been working...a reminder that there are some wonderful young people who challenge and inspire us. (I'll be publicising more about this Trust in due course - a project hugely worth supporting).
And today an unexpected bonus - meeting a friend whom I had planned to see yesterday evening ...we had missed one another at the Cathedral but then were able to meet instead today. She has been working on the excellent Alive to the World series - amid all the controversy over Govt plans for Personal, Social and Health Education in schools here is something you can really trust as use while the debates rage. It really is a wonedrful resource, with modestly-priced books which children will love, use, read, and enjoy. Do visit that link for a closer look.
And then on to Tyburn, where I was visiting the nuns to make arrangements for the Martyrs Walk. (Book the date: June 20th: details from Continuity/Miles Jesu.) The Sisters at Tyburn are a tonic: I was welcomed with tea, the arrangements for the Walk were discussed with cheerful friendly efficiency, we chatted over dozens of other things, and I felt surrounded by affection and care.
Decided to drop in at Mass at Westminster Cathedral before I went home. We sang some wonderful traditional hymns as well as all the usual glorious Latin chant with the choir, and in honour of its being the vigil of the feast of the Annunciation made a special prolonged genuflection in the Creed. Huge congregation, Archbishop processing down the aisle with crozier blessing people... the Mass honoured Archbishop Oscar Romero, on the 30th annniversary of his death. He is not some one I have ever really studied: interesting info on the Mass-sheet - he prayed the Rosary daily, wore the Carmelite scapular, pleaded with people on both the political left and right in attempts to foster peace in his country. Those who have tried to portray him as a liberation-theologian seem to have rather missed the point.
On arrival home, a bonus - a simply wonderful email message from the dear Sisters at St Cecilia's on the Isle of Wight, with a copy of the message they have sent to the Holy Father. If I get their permission, I'll reprint it on this Blog.
Tenebrae...
...is the Church's traditional Office for Holy Week. Westminster Cathedral gave us a foretaste of it this week, with the most glorious and dramatic Tenebrae you could imagine - the great cathedral darkening as the tall candles were snuffed out one by one, the music soaring to the vast domes, the night sky visible beyond, an absolute and utter silence as the sharp loud clatter of the Strepitus ended and the solitary candle re-emerged to remind us of Christ. As we approach the great drama of Passiontide, here it was, utterly awesome. The great crowd departed in silence.
Monday, March 22, 2010
GOOD...
...commentary and analysis of the Pope's plans for Ireland here in a forthright piece accurately entitled "The end of Euphemism". Sample: "Benedict XVI’s striking combination of candour and hope in addressing what is, quite simply, a disastrous situation may be the beginning of the kind of reform that could make Irish Catholicism vital and vibrant once again."
"Those who see in these scandals an opportunity to cripple the Catholic Church and its moral teaching have long had the card of “cover-up” to play in the global media. That card has now been taken away by Benedict XVI. Those who care for the Church, on the other hand, must now hope and pray that the follow-up from the Vatican is as vigorous and unsparing as the Pope’s letter."
"Those who see in these scandals an opportunity to cripple the Catholic Church and its moral teaching have long had the card of “cover-up” to play in the global media. That card has now been taken away by Benedict XVI. Those who care for the Church, on the other hand, must now hope and pray that the follow-up from the Vatican is as vigorous and unsparing as the Pope’s letter."
Where is...
...the Millais portrait of John Henry Newman that is listed as being in the National Portrait Gallery? We went there on Sunday with the plan of seeing Newman in the context of other great men and women of the Victorian era. There they all were - Gladstone and Disraeli and Dickens and Baden-Powell and Florence Nightingale ("The Mission of Mercy", one of my favourite pictures)and Manning with his skull-like features...and no Newman!
"He's not here - just when we need him!" commented by young colleague. Just so. Has the portrait been taken for special display in connection with the forthcoming beatification? Where is it at present?
We need Newman's prayers from Heaven for Benedict XVI's visit. Misunderstood and misrepresented so often in life, Newman will surely understand the wretchedness of a Papal visit announcement mired in a fog of horror over scandals from previous decades. John Henry Newman, ora pro nobis...
"He's not here - just when we need him!" commented by young colleague. Just so. Has the portrait been taken for special display in connection with the forthcoming beatification? Where is it at present?
We need Newman's prayers from Heaven for Benedict XVI's visit. Misunderstood and misrepresented so often in life, Newman will surely understand the wretchedness of a Papal visit announcement mired in a fog of horror over scandals from previous decades. John Henry Newman, ora pro nobis...
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