A scheme has been launched...

...for a national monument to honour the airmen of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command who died in World War 11 (reports in today's press).

There is a fine Royal Air Force Memorial, on the rising crest of the hill overlooking the Thames at Runnymede. My uncle, John Campbell, is among those who served and died with Bomber Command honoured there. The names are engraved in panels in cloisters of simplicity and beauty, and above them are the words of the Scriptures "If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the innermost parts of the sea... even there shall Thy right hand lead me..."

Rather than another monument, it would be a fine thing if the planned £2 million were to be spent on a Trust which would fund projects to pass on to the next generation a knowledge of the things for which these men gave their lives: our country's history, culture, traditions, and Christian faith, a love of true human freedom and the worth of each individual.

These thoughts are prompted by the viewing, yesterday evening of a classic wartime film, Mrs Miniver. It was created partly to emphasise to an American audience the sort of spirit and community life which an (idealised) England represented, and to show why British people felt it was something worth fighting for. It's a moving and tender story, and watching it now is rather heart-breaking.

Catholic students and Humanae Vitae...

...a conference is to be held at the Catholic chaplaincy at Manchester University, to honour the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. November 14th-16th, with some excellent speakers including Luke Gormally of the Linacre Centre and Edmund Adamus from the Westminster diocese. More details from: info@rc-chaplaincy-um.org.uk It's aimed at young people, but ALL are welcome. This is something well worth supporting. Be there!

Latest nasty idea...

...from an official Govt source is that little children of five years old should be given "sex education". Who produces these vile policies? The horrible schemes of sex-ed that have been used in many secondary schools over the past two decades have made their own contribution to the inexorably rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers...I suppose the people who relish that sort of thing are now keen to involve little ones, too.

How horrible it all is, and how miserable. And I'm so sickened by the fatuous arguments that are used to prop up the claim that children "need" this sex-ed. This isn't the 1950s. The notion that Britain's young people are growing up with no information about sexual matters, to arrive at the altar for matrimony ignorant of what it all involves, is just ridiculous, and to claiming such tosh to justify talking about sex to five-year olds is disgraceful.

Children today get so much material about sex on the television, especially in the soap-operas ..school should be one place which is free from this pressure, a safe place, where children can be happy, and allowed to use their minds to think along large lines, to discover the great things of the world.

Today in golden Autumn sunshine a cheerful team from the local Council arrived to collect garden rubbbish. Joy!! I hurried out with armfuls of branches, and they were helpful and kind, with laughter and talk as the greenery got stacked away. In the afternoon a neighbour knocked on our door with a small box of sweets "It's Divali, and these are for you" and to say that his little baby daughter was celebrating her first birthday... They are a very nice family. Later his wife brought some delicious rice and chicken and a slice of birthday cake for us. The baby is sweet and beams back agreeably when you smile at her. Just think: in four years' time she'll be ready for school and her first sex-education lessons...

Oriel College Oxford...

...looked absolutely glorious in the Autumn evening light as we arrived yesterday for Evensong, to be followed by dinner at High Table. We were guests of Dr Peter Nockles who is an old friend and a fellow-member of the Catholic Writers' Guild, of which his father was a distinguished Master. Evensong was beautiful, with some lovely singing by the College choir, a really interesting sermon about the (15th cent) Bishop Carpenter who founded the College... and we sang "He who would valiant be" and concluded with "Jerusalem", both among my most favourite hymns...dinner, candelit in the splendid Hall, with Latin grace and the chatter of dozens and dozens and dozens of gown-glad undergraduates, was delicious and hugely enjoyable. Earlier, we had visited John Henry Newman's rooms, including the tiny one that he used as an oratory, and which now has a stained-glass window commemorating him, and his motto Cor ad cor loquitor, engraved on the wall. A wonderful evening.

Saturday...

...was spent partly in a general tidying-up at Bogle Towers. Rushed to charity shop with some clothes. Noticed a vast bulging orange bag outside. Team at the shop - whom I know well, having offloaded many books etc there - v. friendly as always. "What do I do with all these old wire coat-hangers?" Sigh "Add them to the hundreds of others in that orange sack..." WHY isn't there a recycling-system for all this metal? You can't take the wretched things back to the dry-cleaners. Why not? I just bet there's some "Elf-n-saeftee" reason. The way to tackle our disgusting problems of junk and litter is to offer commercial incentives to the public for getting rid of the stuff: a modest (5p?) for each coathanger returned to a dry-cleaner, ditto (but, say, 30p or 50p) any glass bottle returned to a supermarket, would be a start...

Westminster Cathedral...

...doesn't look like this at the moment, the front entrance currently muddled with by fencing, workmen's huts, and stacks and stacks of equipment...and inside the whole is dominated by the MOST ENORMOUS ARRAY OF SCAFFOLDING YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE, up and up and up to the roof itself... all neccessary because of massive repairs and renewal of the whole electric lighting system. It's urgently necessary because the lighting system was set up in 1902, and hasn't really had any renovation since...

We gathered, holding flickering candles, for prayer at the tomb of St John Southworth, hero priest of the Plague era. The sung evening Mass had just finished, and the air was still scented with incense. The Scripture reading reminded us about not being afraid "to give an account of the hope that is in us". The skeletal scaffolding and layer upon layer of planking leading up to the great darkness above made the cathedral seem especially awesome. Out into the rainy night and round to the cheerful hall, where people settled for a talk given by Auntie about St John Southworth and our other London martyrs. Attendance was good, we netted a comfortable sum for the Friends of Westminster Cathedral, there was lots of lively talk over wine afterwards.

It was a most wonderful experience to be speaking at an event connected to this great cathedral which, for me as for so many other Catholic Londoners, holds so many memories. Long ago - oh, long ago - I stood in that great aisle, holding a flag at a Girl Guide parade, and looked up at that vast dark ceiling and then down to the great glowing sanctuary, from where Benediction was given, and across to the packed cathedral, hundreds and hundreds of people at prayer. Unforgettable. Times without number, throughout my adult life, I've dropped into the Cathedral for a weekday Mass, for confession, to say a quick Rosary, to meet a friend...day after day people go in and out - there are queues for confession, people lighting candles, packed Sunday Masses, a Blessed Sacrament chapel where there are always people kneeling...

The cathedral is a great reminder of the presence of God and an absolutely crucial place for the Faith in our country. The repairs are costing a terribly worrying amount of money - and at the moment the funds just aren't there. Please, please help.

A fascinating conference...

...at the Institute for Economic Affairs in London, exploring the links between taxation, welfare, and families. An impressive speaker was Philip Booth - look out for his forthcoming feature in the Catholic Times newspaper. There is a growing recognition that Catholic social teaching is not about making more and more demands for Government action and expenditure on welfare schemes. The centrality of the family unit, based on marriage, the negative effect of current taxation policies, which favour the break-up of families as benefits go to single-parents, the increasingly uncomfortable pressure being placed on Catholic projects which receive public funds, all got due discussion and analysis. Naturally the current difficulties faced by the Catholic adoption agencies was at the forefront of people's minds. Other issues tackled included those connected with the natural environment, use of resources, the debate over climate...Discussion was lively, interesting, challenging. A useful day.

I'm following...

...the progress of the Live Chastely campaign. Go on, sign up. The witness of married couples who are glad to affirm their commitment to their vows of lifelong faithfulness would be especially valuable. Just scroll down to my previous blog of a couple of days ago, click on and join in! We need 1,000 signatures and are on the way but NEED MORE NAMES!!

The plight of Christians...

...in parts of India at present is rather bleak. Worth getting more information on this from the website of Aid to the Church in Need. Spent today at a meeting of the UK Board of this charity. It is doing good work, and held an excellent conference in London recently. Speakers go to parishes around Britain to talk about the work - if you'd like such a speaker in our parish, I'm sure the office would be glad to hear from you...

We spent some time...

...at the weekend trying to get rid of domestic rubbish. It's not so easy. For some reason, the local dump requires you to produce evidence that you are a local resident before taking rubbish there. Why? Surely it should be made as easy as possible to put rubbish in the correct place? As it happens, it was no problem for us - J. had his driving licence with our address on it, and we conscientiously placed the paper rubbish in one place, the old suitcase in another, the big old tray in another...but suppose we had been without the relevant papers, and were, for example, helping out some other family who were about to move in to a new home and wanted to clear domestic junk from its surroundings first? I just don't understand why the local authorities are so keen to encourage people to dump their rubbish out in the countryside or on the roadside, by making them carry documentation before using the correct place. What possible sanity can there be in this Soviet-style emphasis on bureaucracy?

And please...

...do click on this link to add your name to the brilliant Live Chastely campaign. It's a terrific call, and it needs lots and lots of support. The blog link is a good read, too - enjoy.

Going the rounds...

...of Catholic blogs is the ghastly, revolting, but of course extremely funny suggestion for a "youth liturgy" produced by some twerp and being officially promoted by the Bishops' Conference. Who honestly imagines that anyone will take this sort of rubbish seriously? Click on the link for a good laugh.

Like most of us, I've been to some fairly unattractive Masses in which young people have used loud, well-intentioned, but very poor music (see below). But they DON'T WANT idiotic bogus "liturgies" written by middle-aged sillies who think that worshipping God is less important than walking around with banners with fashionable meaningless slogans on them. Young Catholics want to to to church to worship God. It is they who are leading the crusade for more adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, it is they who have brought Confession back into the forefront of Catholic retreats and events, it is they who go to Walsingham with Youth 2000 and fill the halls and chapels at events run by the FAITH Movement, in huge numbers. They are not - repeat NOT - interested in having some inane rubbish instead of the timeless reality of the Mass as offered by the Church.

In the diocese...

...of Arundel and Brighton, yesterday was celebrated in a special way because it was the feast of St Philip Howard, the diocesan patron. Want to know more about him? Mary's Dowry Productions has a good DVD which you would enjoy. It is a moving story, and it all happened in London and Sussex...

We live just where Greater London begins to look out towards Surrey - this Sunday a family tea party took us right out into the countryside, well over the diocesan border into A-and-B. A packed Mass in a large church crammed with young people, which is great but...oh dear....much crooning into a microphone and lots of electronic strumming and bashing of drums, and then a round of applause at the end of Mass... is it crucial for the young singers to stand with their backs to the altar and assume the poses of performers? I don't see why the enthusiasm need be any less if they were further down the church, with the sound thus coming up from behind us, which in any case would make congregational participation easier.

By Westminster Abbey...

...we gathered this afternoon, holding white crosses. We knelt on the ground and prayed. It was embarrassing, necessary, and important to be there. We were asking for God's mercy and forgiveness for the deliberate killing of unborn babies through abortion in Britain. The Human Embryology and Fertilisation Bill goes to Parliament shortly. If passed into law it will mean yet more destruction of human life in our country.

How am I getting on...

...with my Maryvale course? I'm loving it. Lots to learn: had to 'phone Jamie from the Tube the other day to ask what "epistemology" was (yes, yes, I've got it now...) but otherwise I'm getting along swimmingly.

The Church of...

....the Holy Ghost at Balham is a delight to visit - dropping in on an Autumn evening, I was not alone as various other people also came in to pray, candles glowed in front of statues, the marble altar gleamed with its silver candlesticks, the Crucifix above was illuminated, the Tabernable light indicated the Presence which gives the church its welcome...

I had been given the use of the parish room at Visitation House, adjoining the church, to lead an informal Media Presentation, with ideas and practical work for those interested in getting involved with TV and radio etc. We had Greg Clovis from Family Life International with TV cameras, and did some interviews and debates - a chance for people to learn some practical skills, discuss techniques - and also looked at the Internet, letters to the press, use of Catholic materials and publications...it is a joy to work with young people who are enthusiastic and the evening sparkled with good humour and a sense of zest.

The evening went well and we'll do more. Interested? Send a Comment to this blog with your full name and email address and I'll keep you informed...

I've been re-reading...

...the prison notes of Cardinal Stefan Wyszinski, published some years ago by Aid to the Church in Need under the title A Freedom Within. When I first read the book, some years ago, it all felt somehow securely centred in an Eastern Europe dominated by Stalinist Communism, all terribly dreadful but far away. Now the notion of a Bishop being arrested by a Government set on an ideological path which seems to be carrying all if history before it doesn't seem so far away at all...more timeless and ever-possible. It has happened in other places since Poland in the 1950s, and the possibilities in the Middle East, Africa and so on seem worryingly possible...

A delightful...

...visit to young relatives in Surrey. Glorious Autumn colours as we sped along the railway line from Epsom. An enchanting small great-nephew with an appropriate interest in toy trains and some very jolly teddy bears. A small great-niece with a gurgling grin.

Also delightful: a very jolly book of jokes and anecdotes on sale via a local church. I laughed aloud while browsing through a copy before giving it as a present: I'm now ordering two more. Funds raised from its sales go towards necessary maintenance work at the Sacred Heart Church in Wimbledon, one of the finest of London's 19th century churches and well worth cherishing. You can get a copy by post, £5, from: Sacred Heart Bookshop, Edge Hill, Wimbledon, London SW19 4LU.

Life in modern Britain (2)

The newspapers often have reports of people being fined large sums of money for putting all their rubbish in a rubbish-bin to be collected, instead of putting some of it in different open containers so that it can be blown around the street. Aware of this, I have been carefully using the complicated system of open green boxes and purple boxes that we have been told to use in our district. Cardboard, carefully torn up, in one box, newspapers in another, tins in one, plastic bottles in another. Working at my desk, I can then watch the chaps coming to empty the boxes - which they do by cheerfully putting the contents of both purple and green boxes into one big bin and wheeling it away...

Wine bottles, however, are a different matter. They are meant to go in to the purple box. But sometimes people who put them carefully there recognise them again, dumped at the end of the street. Some believe (but this may be "urban myth" ) that if the staff on duty belong to a religion that denounces alcohol, they don't like them into the big bin because that would mean they would be wheeling away bottles that had once contained alcohol. So the wine bottles are left...to join the rotting sofas and the other clutter...

Life in modern Britain (1)...

...today the garden needed some work, so, glad to be out of doors and away from the computer, I pruned the apple-tree, tackled the mess of the gooseberry/rosemary bush/brambles and generally tidied things up. It was a cool Autumn day and I enjoyed chatting to a neighbour who is one of a group of us at this end of the street who enjoys gardening - and whose garden, along with that of another neighbour opposite, is lovely in all seasons, a joy to see.

What to do with my resulting pile of wood and greenery? No bonfires now allowed. Oh, it's quite simple. You find out the right telephone number, telephone the local authority, get their automated answering service, hang on for a long while while various recorded announcements are made, and then find none of them are helpful. You do this a number of times and then find some one from the wrong department who will finally put you on to another department which isn't the right one either, but where you can leave a message, and then you put in a request for a Green Bag. When this is delivered to you some while later, you fill it with your garden rubbish, and then telephone for them to collect it. Apparently it only takes a week or so...

There is a lot of ghastly rubbish around at the corner where our street joins the main road - there are some sofas, armchairs, and other items all starting to rot there where the fence has long since been destroyed and the owners do not care to mend it, or indeed to do anything except use the area, and the surrounding roadside, as a place to put old furniture. Apparently it's OK to do that, but not to stack wood and leaves and then have a bonfire in November.