...late last night, a phone call from the BBC, following reports of the H. Father's comments about the significance of being male and female, and why it is wrong to attempt to claim that these are merely artificial constructs...
...and so, v. early this morning, off to the Today Programme to discuss this, along with Cristian Odone. I felt we had a fair and useful discussion. Actually, this whole issue - why there are two sexes, and the human and spiritual meaning in this - is surely a most significant one for today and tomorrow. There are rich insights that have a message about God, and the Bride/Bridegroom relationship between Christ and the Church...
...and finding myself in London I went to Westminster Cathedral, and went to confession for Advent...there was a pleasing air of getting-ready-for-Christmas about the place, with the Crib awaiting the Christ-child in a side chapel, adorned with greenery...
...a quick pause with a newspaper and some coffee, and then shopping for final-groceries-for-Christmas and on home...where there was another phone call, this time for a TV news channel. Off again to another studio. This didn't go so well. I am sure I looked and sounded cross and disagreeable, and it is very difficult not to look a bit surprised when the interviewer says "but what has having children go to do with sexuality?" I gulped...er...surely there's a very intimate connection? I mean, that's how babies are created? I found myself saying "Didn't your mother explain things to you?" and then wished I hadn't said it, as she looked very steely indeed.
Home, and a rush of getting things done. We raised a good lot of money carol-singing again last night, this time at Victoria Station. It's going to worthwhile charities here that care especially for mothers facing problem pregnancies.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
To those who are intrigued by...
...the Calendar, and how we got it, the Pope's talk today (winter solstice), is of interest. Among other things, he noted that "The occurrence of the feast of the Nativity itself is linked to the winter solstice, when in the northern hemisphere, the days start to lengthen.
In this respect, perhaps not everyone knows that there is a great meridian on St. Peter's Square. In fact, the Obelisk casts its shadow along a line that follows the pavement towards the fountain beneath this window, and these days, is the longest that it casts during the year.
This reminds us of the function of astronomy in marking the times of prayer. For instance, the Angelus is recited in the morning, at midday and in the evening, and clocks and watches are timed to the meridian which in the past served precisely to determine the 'true midday'."
In this respect, perhaps not everyone knows that there is a great meridian on St. Peter's Square. In fact, the Obelisk casts its shadow along a line that follows the pavement towards the fountain beneath this window, and these days, is the longest that it casts during the year.
This reminds us of the function of astronomy in marking the times of prayer. For instance, the Angelus is recited in the morning, at midday and in the evening, and clocks and watches are timed to the meridian which in the past served precisely to determine the 'true midday'."
Friday, December 19, 2008
Carol singing...
...at Victoria Station. We were only a small group, mostly male, and rather elderly - but we had a lady with an accordion, and a good conductor, so we did rather well. Among the crowds surging past I suddenly spotted fellow-blogger Damian Thompson. I caught his eye and, grinning, he dutifully made a donation and gave us a cheery wave. I bet he doesn't mention us on his Blog...
We had lots of good reactions. One nice lady popped into Smiths and emerged with a box of chocolates for us! Some young girls, giggling, joined us for a few moments, grabbing hymn-books with enthusiasm...but only for long enough for a friend to take their pictures on her mobile phone, amid more giggles...almost everyone who had children with them stopped to let the children enjoy the carols and gave the children coins to drop into our bucket...another chap, with a fine singing voice, joined us for two or three carols and was a real asset, we were sorry when he had to go to get his train.
It was cold, and got a bit tiring after two hours' solid singing, but was most worthwhile, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. When we had finished a last rendition of "Adeste Fideles", and "We wish you a merry Christmas", we passed round the chocs and hugely enjoyed them. Christine, the conductor, gave the rest of the box to me, so on the train going home, I announced in the carriage that I'd been with a group singing carols, and that we'd been given these sweets, and would anyone like one, and the box went round and people grinned and enjoyed them, and said nice things like "Merry Christmas"...now, why can't life be like that more often?
We had lots of good reactions. One nice lady popped into Smiths and emerged with a box of chocolates for us! Some young girls, giggling, joined us for a few moments, grabbing hymn-books with enthusiasm...but only for long enough for a friend to take their pictures on her mobile phone, amid more giggles...almost everyone who had children with them stopped to let the children enjoy the carols and gave the children coins to drop into our bucket...another chap, with a fine singing voice, joined us for two or three carols and was a real asset, we were sorry when he had to go to get his train.
It was cold, and got a bit tiring after two hours' solid singing, but was most worthwhile, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. When we had finished a last rendition of "Adeste Fideles", and "We wish you a merry Christmas", we passed round the chocs and hugely enjoyed them. Christine, the conductor, gave the rest of the box to me, so on the train going home, I announced in the carriage that I'd been with a group singing carols, and that we'd been given these sweets, and would anyone like one, and the box went round and people grinned and enjoyed them, and said nice things like "Merry Christmas"...now, why can't life be like that more often?
Things to gladden the heart...
...at Christmas...a godchild sending by post in a jiffy-bag a carefully packed star and angel made from clay in a pottery project at school (star now hanging over our crib)...a small girl carefully hanging a tiny torch from the Christmas tree so that its beam lights up the Christ-child in the crib ...a primary school organising a tea party and carols for local elderly people (if they knew what great joy it gave their hearts would glow)...a Salvation Army band in traditinal uniform playing carols with gusto...
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Cold weather...
...Christmas cards, candles glowing on the Advent wreath as I scribble news and send love. Darkness by four o'clock, and hurrying to get shopping done. The local High Streets have a strange feel about them as Woolworths is closing. It's been such a part of British life for so long that it seems somehow shocking to see it stripped bare, with "BARGAINS!! 50 per cent off!!!" shrieking from posters, and everything in a mess.
There is a sense of rush as I have a lot of work to tackle before Christmas (new book out in 2009 - more on this later) and so does everyone else. And Christmas brings a sense of time passing - of goshcanitreallybeawholeyeargone...
Christmas feels more solemn as you get older.I still love it all, am going carol-singing again this Friday, have been spending happy times with tinsel and ribbon and wrapping-paper, deliberately play Advent and Christmas music as I work, have set up the Crib scene on the mantlepiece as I always do with the Christ-child waiting to be added at Christmastime. But the solemnity rings out from the beautiful Advent readings (yes, I'm using Magnificat, as mentioned in an earlier blog - do invest in it, a perfectly splendid way to have a daily and weekly prayer-book, all up to date with the readings for each day...)and the message of Christmas is glorious, but like the traditional spicy foods, is somehow bittersweet...
There is a sense of rush as I have a lot of work to tackle before Christmas (new book out in 2009 - more on this later) and so does everyone else. And Christmas brings a sense of time passing - of goshcanitreallybeawholeyeargone...
Christmas feels more solemn as you get older.I still love it all, am going carol-singing again this Friday, have been spending happy times with tinsel and ribbon and wrapping-paper, deliberately play Advent and Christmas music as I work, have set up the Crib scene on the mantlepiece as I always do with the Christ-child waiting to be added at Christmastime. But the solemnity rings out from the beautiful Advent readings (yes, I'm using Magnificat, as mentioned in an earlier blog - do invest in it, a perfectly splendid way to have a daily and weekly prayer-book, all up to date with the readings for each day...)and the message of Christmas is glorious, but like the traditional spicy foods, is somehow bittersweet...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
St Elphege...
...was an English Archbishop who lived over a thousand years ago, and was martyred by the Danes at Greenwich on the southern bank of the Thames.
One hundred years ago this week,the first Mass was said in a small Catholic church in Wallington, Surrey, then a quiet place surrounded by lavender fields. Today, in the modern church which has replaced the old one along what is now a busy main road teeming with traffic, we marked the 100th anniversary. The church, which is large (and frankly not beautiful), was full, and there were some nice touches to the celebration - Knights of St Columba wearing their formal ribbon sashes, Catenians with their banner, Union of Catholic Mothers ditto, Cub Scouts in uniform, some small Beavers in blue teeshirts...a group of children from the parish school sang, very charmingly, a special hymn in honour of St Elphege, written by the wife of a former headmaster. As Mass ended, we processed from the new church back into the old - which is now used as the parish hall - for final prayers and then sandwiches and mince pies and cake. So many old friends... I met Gwen Russell, who was a fellow patrol-leader in the Guides with me (8th Carshalton - any other members from that Company out there?) - we had a good chat, reminiscing...and I also discovered that it was she who found the words of that St Elphege hymn, and contacted Mrs Ryle to get the tune, the two of them humming away over the telephone.
Many Catholic churches in Britain have a dedication to a saint with no link to the local area. But, as parish priest Fr Paul Hough mentioned to the Bishop, St Elphege would have visited this area, doing confirmations at the old church of St Mary's (still there, at Beddington) and probably going on to All Saints at Carshalton (also still there, by the ponds). St E. was bishop of Winchester, and right up to 1907 St Mary's was part of the Winchester diocese.
Apparently there is also an older hymn to St Elphege, written by priest who served the parish, a copy of which was pasted into the back of parish editions of the old Westminster Hymnal.
I like the idea of continuity and tracing links down through the years...today's Wallington would seem unimaginable to the first parishioners of St Elphege's who gathered in the semi-rural Wallington of pre-WWI days...but something binds us to them, and to St Elphege, who came this way, celebrating Mass and confirming children, before the Norman Conquest...
One hundred years ago this week,the first Mass was said in a small Catholic church in Wallington, Surrey, then a quiet place surrounded by lavender fields. Today, in the modern church which has replaced the old one along what is now a busy main road teeming with traffic, we marked the 100th anniversary. The church, which is large (and frankly not beautiful), was full, and there were some nice touches to the celebration - Knights of St Columba wearing their formal ribbon sashes, Catenians with their banner, Union of Catholic Mothers ditto, Cub Scouts in uniform, some small Beavers in blue teeshirts...a group of children from the parish school sang, very charmingly, a special hymn in honour of St Elphege, written by the wife of a former headmaster. As Mass ended, we processed from the new church back into the old - which is now used as the parish hall - for final prayers and then sandwiches and mince pies and cake. So many old friends... I met Gwen Russell, who was a fellow patrol-leader in the Guides with me (8th Carshalton - any other members from that Company out there?) - we had a good chat, reminiscing...and I also discovered that it was she who found the words of that St Elphege hymn, and contacted Mrs Ryle to get the tune, the two of them humming away over the telephone.
Many Catholic churches in Britain have a dedication to a saint with no link to the local area. But, as parish priest Fr Paul Hough mentioned to the Bishop, St Elphege would have visited this area, doing confirmations at the old church of St Mary's (still there, at Beddington) and probably going on to All Saints at Carshalton (also still there, by the ponds). St E. was bishop of Winchester, and right up to 1907 St Mary's was part of the Winchester diocese.
Apparently there is also an older hymn to St Elphege, written by priest who served the parish, a copy of which was pasted into the back of parish editions of the old Westminster Hymnal.
I like the idea of continuity and tracing links down through the years...today's Wallington would seem unimaginable to the first parishioners of St Elphege's who gathered in the semi-rural Wallington of pre-WWI days...but something binds us to them, and to St Elphege, who came this way, celebrating Mass and confirming children, before the Norman Conquest...
Saturday, December 13, 2008
To Battersea...
...to the Salesian College, where two boys had gained special awards in the 2008 Schools Bible Project. These were presented at an Assembly in the school's beautiful small chapel, an enchanting building, with a vaguely Pugin feel. I hugely enjoyed my visit, was made most welcome.
In a sometimes vicious and ugly Britain, it is something to start the day with a group of school pupils gathered for prayer. The whole atmosphere of this big school is pleasant and friendly.It was a great start to the day.
Later, after a busy afternoon, a glorious gathering for carol singing at Victoria station. This is huge fun every year. We raise money for various children's charities. Bulk of the carollers come from St Joseph's parish, Roehampton, and they are terrific. We made a gladsome sound - a great railway statio actually has wonderful accoustics! Organiser is Yvonne Windsor, and she makes it all most enjoyable, with flasks of tea at half-time, and a sense of the fun of it all. I wore a Santa Claus hat and conducted...
In a sometimes vicious and ugly Britain, it is something to start the day with a group of school pupils gathered for prayer. The whole atmosphere of this big school is pleasant and friendly.It was a great start to the day.
Later, after a busy afternoon, a glorious gathering for carol singing at Victoria station. This is huge fun every year. We raise money for various children's charities. Bulk of the carollers come from St Joseph's parish, Roehampton, and they are terrific. We made a gladsome sound - a great railway statio actually has wonderful accoustics! Organiser is Yvonne Windsor, and she makes it all most enjoyable, with flasks of tea at half-time, and a sense of the fun of it all. I wore a Santa Claus hat and conducted...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
This week...
...has seen more than the usual juggling of domestic and journalistic obligations...it has included, in no particular order, a talk at the parish of English Martyrs, Goring-by-Sea, famous for the magnificent Sistine Chapel ceiling., the annual prizegiving of a major schools' project run by an ecumenical charity, and an evening event at one of the Inns of Court. In the intervals of doing verything else, I've been busy with reading for my Maryvale studies, and cannot adequately describe how deeply satisfying I am finding them: real nourishment for the mind, extraordinarily enriching...
Saturday, December 06, 2008
There hasn't been...
...much publicity about this in the British press, but here is a story about a man of honour. He has done the right thing. I expect people will sneer at him for it, but truth and the verdict of history will be on his side.
To Horsham...
...in Sussex, to the parish of St John, for an Advent talk on "Celebrating feasts and seasons". A wonderful welcome, with mulled wine and mince pies and a parish priest with his very friendly flock, a great atmosphere. A glowing candle, and prayers, and a sense of Advent expectation as we began the evening. I hugely enjoyed it. What a very delightful parish...
Friday, December 05, 2008
Excellent...
...celebration in London to mark the launch of an English edition of Magnificat by the Catholic Herald newspaper. Magnificat is a superbly-produced daily prayer book, with the readings for Mass, lives of the saints, and everything you need for daily/weekly devotions.
The launch was a delight - lots of people gathered in celebration and talk with wine and snacks...it was a pleasure to talk to Archbishop Mario Conti, to Scottish composer James MacMillan, to Father Dominic Allain who has edited the delightful Pastor Iuventus book, to Luke Coppen, editor of the Catholic Herald, to Jeremy de Satge of The Music Makers, and more...
The launch was a delight - lots of people gathered in celebration and talk with wine and snacks...it was a pleasure to talk to Archbishop Mario Conti, to Scottish composer James MacMillan, to Father Dominic Allain who has edited the delightful Pastor Iuventus book, to Luke Coppen, editor of the Catholic Herald, to Jeremy de Satge of The Music Makers, and more...
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Something to ponder...
Pope Benedict XVI, speaking to Catholic educators in the USA:
"In regard to faculty members at Catholic colleges and universities, I wish to affirm the great value of academic freedom. In virtue of this freedom you are called to search for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads you. Yet it is also the case that any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission; a mission at the heart of the Church's munus docendi and not somehow autonomous or independent of it.
"Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution's life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity, and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether intellectual, moral, or spiritual."
"In regard to faculty members at Catholic colleges and universities, I wish to affirm the great value of academic freedom. In virtue of this freedom you are called to search for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads you. Yet it is also the case that any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission; a mission at the heart of the Church's munus docendi and not somehow autonomous or independent of it.
"Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution's life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity, and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether intellectual, moral, or spiritual."
A prominent supporter of Planned Parenthood...
...has been invited to speak at a major Pontifical University in Rome. Read about it here.
Further information here, and also here.
It seems likely that the organisers of this event do not know about the speaker's strong association with Planned Parenthood. She is British and is simply well-known as a lawyer and the wife of a leading public figure. It is crucial, therefore, that the University is informed.
The speaker, Mrs Cherie Blair, hosted a major fund-raising event for Planned Parenthood at 10 Downing Street in 2003, promoting condoms for teenagers under the slogan "Lust for Life". She honoured the 75th anniversary celebrations of Britain's Family Planning Association - the leading campaigning movement for abortion in Britain - as the special celebrity guest, cutting the celebration cake and being photographed brandishing a condom. And no, it isn't the case that the FPA or Planned Parenthood do other things than abortion and contraception - so she wasn't helping them with other projects. They don't make quilts or serve tea to the poor, or teach mathematics or help Auntie with the housework...they promote abortion and contraception: that's what they were established to do, and that's what they do, and when Mrs Blair raises funds for them she knows that what the funds are for.
Mrs Blair is a leading supporter of organisations working at the United Nations to promote abortion worldwide. Read about this here.
There is no reason whatever why Mrs Blair should speak at a Pontifical University. The Church can draw on many excellent women speakers with superb credentials to tackle issues concerning women's rights and freedoms - it is absurd to invite instead some one who passionately supports organisations promoting abortion.
It might be useful to send a fax to the Congregation for Catholic Education about this. You can find out more about that here.
Further information here, and also here.
It seems likely that the organisers of this event do not know about the speaker's strong association with Planned Parenthood. She is British and is simply well-known as a lawyer and the wife of a leading public figure. It is crucial, therefore, that the University is informed.
The speaker, Mrs Cherie Blair, hosted a major fund-raising event for Planned Parenthood at 10 Downing Street in 2003, promoting condoms for teenagers under the slogan "Lust for Life". She honoured the 75th anniversary celebrations of Britain's Family Planning Association - the leading campaigning movement for abortion in Britain - as the special celebrity guest, cutting the celebration cake and being photographed brandishing a condom. And no, it isn't the case that the FPA or Planned Parenthood do other things than abortion and contraception - so she wasn't helping them with other projects. They don't make quilts or serve tea to the poor, or teach mathematics or help Auntie with the housework...they promote abortion and contraception: that's what they were established to do, and that's what they do, and when Mrs Blair raises funds for them she knows that what the funds are for.
Mrs Blair is a leading supporter of organisations working at the United Nations to promote abortion worldwide. Read about this here.
There is no reason whatever why Mrs Blair should speak at a Pontifical University. The Church can draw on many excellent women speakers with superb credentials to tackle issues concerning women's rights and freedoms - it is absurd to invite instead some one who passionately supports organisations promoting abortion.
It might be useful to send a fax to the Congregation for Catholic Education about this. You can find out more about that here.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Something lovely for Christmas...
...is this beautiful colouring-book Meet the Angels. It has the most fabulous illustrations that a child will really enjoy colouring. Do get it! An ideal stocking-filler. Details here.
I also like the booklet The Mass Illustrated for Children which is in a similar style. Parish priests: it would be a great buy for a First Communion class (discounts for 25 copies or more).
I also like the booklet The Mass Illustrated for Children which is in a similar style. Parish priests: it would be a great buy for a First Communion class (discounts for 25 copies or more).
Martyrs...
...of the Venerable English College, St Ralph Sherwin and his companions, were honoured at a Mass held at St Joseph's, New Malden, yesterday, with wonderful music and a glory of golden vestments. It was in the Extraordinary Form - which does not seen so "Extraordinary" if you have a lot of Latin as a regular part of parish liturgy anyway - and, most touchingly, at the end a Te Deum was sung - as was sung in Rome in the 16th and 17th centuries when news of a martyr's death reached the College. A sermon about martryrdom, noting that it doesn't begin with the arrest or trial or imprisonment, but with the decision to live for God and truth and the rest might be a result of that, accepted as part of that decision. Implications for today...
In the evening, to St Anselm's, Tooting Bec, for a meeting of South London members of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. This looks like a very ordinary London brick building from the outside, but once inside you suddenly have the feel of a basilica. Wonderful. Evening Mass was just finished, and people were still praying or generally about. In the adjoining hall, where we met, there is a fine picture of St Anselm, showing him in modern Tooting Bec with the children of the parish school in their maroon uniforms! I really like this idea, especially the Medieval saint alongside the Tube station...he realy did visit this area, and met the local tribe, the Totinge people...
I cycled back along the long straight road that runs through all this section of South London, following a very old route traceable back to Saxon times. What would St Anselm think of the mosques that are now part of the local scene? Probably he'd simply quietly continue with the plan of bringing Christ to everyone, whether Totinge's tribe or today's South Londoners...
In the evening, to St Anselm's, Tooting Bec, for a meeting of South London members of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. This looks like a very ordinary London brick building from the outside, but once inside you suddenly have the feel of a basilica. Wonderful. Evening Mass was just finished, and people were still praying or generally about. In the adjoining hall, where we met, there is a fine picture of St Anselm, showing him in modern Tooting Bec with the children of the parish school in their maroon uniforms! I really like this idea, especially the Medieval saint alongside the Tube station...he realy did visit this area, and met the local tribe, the Totinge people...
I cycled back along the long straight road that runs through all this section of South London, following a very old route traceable back to Saxon times. What would St Anselm think of the mosques that are now part of the local scene? Probably he'd simply quietly continue with the plan of bringing Christ to everyone, whether Totinge's tribe or today's South Londoners...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
If you are a teacher...
...in a Catholic primary school within reach of London, mark Feb 9th 2009 in your diary. There is a Day of Art and Music for such teachers - a visual presentation showing how the world's great religious art can be used to inspire children and teach the truths of the Christian faith, and a workshop on Gregorian Chant, finishing with a Mass at which the chant will be sung and newly-learned skills can be used....all this and a lovely lunch, and all in the attractive setting of Coloma Convent Girls School. For full details look here.
Friday, November 28, 2008
As Advent approaches...
...here are some news snippets about Britain today. I have not made up any of these.
- A town in Dorset where it has long been traditional for a local (17th century) militia to fire blanks from their muskets over the Christmas Tree has banned the practice on the grounds that the noise may frighten some children.
- A town has not put up any Christmas lights because going up the necessary ladders etc to do would would constitute a "health and safety risk" for the workmen.
- Young teenagers are to be given abortion pills in a pre-Christmas package, on the grounds that they will be sexually active at Christmas parties, and abortion drugs should be distributed well in advance.
- Police at a seaside resort will be handing out contraceptives to people at local pubs and clubs over the Christmas season.
Dear Lord, what has become of our country?
- A town in Dorset where it has long been traditional for a local (17th century) militia to fire blanks from their muskets over the Christmas Tree has banned the practice on the grounds that the noise may frighten some children.
- A town has not put up any Christmas lights because going up the necessary ladders etc to do would would constitute a "health and safety risk" for the workmen.
- Young teenagers are to be given abortion pills in a pre-Christmas package, on the grounds that they will be sexually active at Christmas parties, and abortion drugs should be distributed well in advance.
- Police at a seaside resort will be handing out contraceptives to people at local pubs and clubs over the Christmas season.
Dear Lord, what has become of our country?
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Pubs...
...are so much a part of life that it seems impossible to imagine a Britain without them. But start imagining now. A report in today's Daily Telegraph notes that some three dozen pubs in our country are closing every week. This is ghastly. The Telegraph quotes - and rightly - Hilaire Belloc: "When you have lost your inns, you may drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the heart of England."
It's partly extra taxes on beer, partly the smoking ban, partly the cheap alcohol available at supermarkets. More information here.
It's partly extra taxes on beer, partly the smoking ban, partly the cheap alcohol available at supermarkets. More information here.
To a party...
...to mark the launch of a new book St Paul in Art, by Sister Wendy Beckett. Book launch parties are a bit like wedding receptions, lots of talking and people being introduced to one another, a great roar of chatter, then speeches and people trying to applaud while holding plates and glasses.
This new book has some glorious pictures, and certainly makes one think about St Paul - what he taught, the sense of urgency in his message about Christ as the son of the living God. It helped me to understand why the Church initiated this Year of St Paul...
This new book has some glorious pictures, and certainly makes one think about St Paul - what he taught, the sense of urgency in his message about Christ as the son of the living God. It helped me to understand why the Church initiated this Year of St Paul...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
As regular readers of this Blog will know...
...I really love rain, so it was satisfying sploshing through gallons of it on my way to Mass this morning. Quite difficult to cycle, but I kept dry, thanks to J's excellent Army waterproof, much too large for me but a most useful garment once I had removed his rank-tag and also manouvered the hood into shape - huge because designed to cover a helmet.
Beautiful singing at the 11.15 Mass at the Sacred Heart (Jesuit) Church in Wimbledon. A sermon about Christ's words concerning the Last Judgement :"I was hungry..."
A cheery lunch with friends in a local pub. Later a walk with J. in the evening lamplight.
A late-night discussion with a friend about Govt plans to legalise forms of assisted suicide...have you notice that we are being softened up for this?
We'll hear all sorts of rubbish about how it would be really compassionate, practical, cost-saving etc etc etc to do this...
Don't be fooled. Think about it.
"I was sick you helped me to commit suicide..."
Beautiful singing at the 11.15 Mass at the Sacred Heart (Jesuit) Church in Wimbledon. A sermon about Christ's words concerning the Last Judgement :"I was hungry..."
A cheery lunch with friends in a local pub. Later a walk with J. in the evening lamplight.
A late-night discussion with a friend about Govt plans to legalise forms of assisted suicide...have you notice that we are being softened up for this?
We'll hear all sorts of rubbish about how it would be really compassionate, practical, cost-saving etc etc etc to do this...
Don't be fooled. Think about it.
"I was sick you helped me to commit suicide..."
Friday, November 21, 2008
There is so much jargon today about schools and education ...
...but the talk yesterday by the deputy headmaster of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in London was simply terrific. Amusing, forthright, forward-looking and with a positive outlook - and taking no prisoners in the battle against silly slogans. He rattled through a tally of them at one point - things like "social inclusion" and "personalised learning"... Promoters of a secularist agenda, he said "take a term with which no one will disagree and them rob it of all meaning". There is a campaign to marginalise the Church from Britain's educational system which at the moment is gathering all before it - "a never-ending centralisation masquerading as not being monolithic."
But did I say he had a positive outlook? Yes, and he has -emphasising that it is up to us, as Catholics, to be clear about the reality of Catholic schools: they should be places where true learning, Christ-centred learning,thrives. We should not in any way try to downgrade the centrality of the Catholic Faith in Catholic schools but to explain and promote it with clarity and courage. Catholic schools can be there for the future, precisely because they are intrinsically able to respond to the needs of each new era and generation in a way that others cannot: "Only the unchanging enables us to change. The certainties of the Church enable us to steer a course as we tack through time and history."
The meeting was organised by the Association of Catholics in Education. Worth clicking on that link and keeping in touch.
But did I say he had a positive outlook? Yes, and he has -emphasising that it is up to us, as Catholics, to be clear about the reality of Catholic schools: they should be places where true learning, Christ-centred learning,thrives. We should not in any way try to downgrade the centrality of the Catholic Faith in Catholic schools but to explain and promote it with clarity and courage. Catholic schools can be there for the future, precisely because they are intrinsically able to respond to the needs of each new era and generation in a way that others cannot: "Only the unchanging enables us to change. The certainties of the Church enable us to steer a course as we tack through time and history."
The meeting was organised by the Association of Catholics in Education. Worth clicking on that link and keeping in touch.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A Glimpse of Heaven...
...is the name of a beautiful new DVD, launched last night with a party at Farm Street (Jesuit church).
This is the beautifully-narrated, magnificently filmed story of some of England's churches. These are churches that are frequently ignored because they are Catholic. From the late 18th century onwards, Catholics were building churches and chapels - sometimes in fairly hidden places at first, but then gradually, as the law and public opinion allowed, more visibly in the streets of towns and cities. This new DVD tells about them - glorious ceilings and wonderful gothic arches, for schools and convents and parishes, Pugin and Bentley and more...it would make a wonderful Christmas present, and would also be useful for a parish to own, for showing to parish groups - old people's lunchtime gathering, Confirmation class, coffee-morning...you get good value for money as the DVD is in two halves, 120 minutes in all.
Find out more here, and here, where you can order a copy..
This is the beautifully-narrated, magnificently filmed story of some of England's churches. These are churches that are frequently ignored because they are Catholic. From the late 18th century onwards, Catholics were building churches and chapels - sometimes in fairly hidden places at first, but then gradually, as the law and public opinion allowed, more visibly in the streets of towns and cities. This new DVD tells about them - glorious ceilings and wonderful gothic arches, for schools and convents and parishes, Pugin and Bentley and more...it would make a wonderful Christmas present, and would also be useful for a parish to own, for showing to parish groups - old people's lunchtime gathering, Confirmation class, coffee-morning...you get good value for money as the DVD is in two halves, 120 minutes in all.
Find out more here, and here, where you can order a copy..
Monday, November 17, 2008
On politics and state power: I have found...
...this
an extremely interesting and informative read. You might, too.
an extremely interesting and informative read. You might, too.
Re students....
... I thought I'd put this pic. on my Blog. It's Catholic students at Bath, with the Nuncio at a reception following a special Mass at the start of the academic year. The pic was sent to me a few weeks ago, as I visited the Catholic chaplaincy at Bath - excellent chaplain Fr Bill - a while back.
Young Catholics are a sign of hope for the Church and a reminder that the Faith is being passed on and the future holds bright promise.
Now, if you are thinking...
...about Christmas, could I mention my books? Ideal stocking-filler for girls aged ten and up is We Didn't Mean to Start a School, paperback, fiction, just a happy read. Send a cheque for £6.95p (American readers - this means you, too. I can accept American cheques. $25.00 will cover book and air mail postage) and I'll rush you a copy. It's a traditional school-story, but set in modern times, and has had good reviews...Send cheque to me, Mrs J. Bogle, c/o Dept BLOG, OCU/Christian PO Box 44741 London SW1P 2XA.
You might also be interested in my Book of Seasons and Celebrations, especially if you have been enjoying the EWTN series. The book has ideas for things to make, do, eat, and sing for all the feasts of the year, stacks of interesting historical snippets, information on traditions, folklore, etc. Send me a cheque for £6.95p or $25.00...
You might also be interested in my Book of Seasons and Celebrations, especially if you have been enjoying the EWTN series. The book has ideas for things to make, do, eat, and sing for all the feasts of the year, stacks of interesting historical snippets, information on traditions, folklore, etc. Send me a cheque for £6.95p or $25.00...
On Sunday...
...I swept up and stacked leaves in the garden, cycled to Mass, ate some brunch, cycled on to Mother's (good natter, plans for the week ahead), cycled on to the station, put the bike on the train, got to London, parked and padlocked bike near Westminster Cathedral, got Tube to Kings Cross and thence to Hatfield where I was guest speaker at the University of Hertfordshire Catholic Society.
This was great fun, a good crowd, and a pleasure to spend the evening with them and with their splendid chaplain Fr Mark Vickers at St Peter's church, Hatfield This is a large church and has a particularly beautiful Crucifix in the sanctuary: a noble and arresting image to which everything else is somehow drawn. Evening Mass, and then people gathering in an adjoing hall for the talk.
I am constantly impressed by the young people at such gatherings: among some Catholics there is a sense of great loyalty to the Church, interest in the Faith, a desire to spread it. This is not the 1970s. The mood and "feel" of things among younger people in the Church contains so much hope...
Later, after a good dinner and most enjoyable conversation, a train back to Town, and I collected my bike and set off for home via Waterloo. I hadn't allowed for the hassle of weekend engineering works: trains replaced by buses at Clapham Junction. How to get my bike on to a double-decker red London bus? The other passengers v. supportive -"Oh, go on, let her on - look, there's room." But the driver said it was against safety regulations and I was in despair, thinking I'd have to leave it (vulnerably, outside Clapham Jn railway station) and face a long walk at the final end of my journey. But the team of bus staff were kind- "We'll get you home, don't worry"- the next one along would be a coach, with a big luggage compartment, not to worry...and they stacked it safely in and I rode home in style.
A good Sunday.
This was great fun, a good crowd, and a pleasure to spend the evening with them and with their splendid chaplain Fr Mark Vickers at St Peter's church, Hatfield This is a large church and has a particularly beautiful Crucifix in the sanctuary: a noble and arresting image to which everything else is somehow drawn. Evening Mass, and then people gathering in an adjoing hall for the talk.
I am constantly impressed by the young people at such gatherings: among some Catholics there is a sense of great loyalty to the Church, interest in the Faith, a desire to spread it. This is not the 1970s. The mood and "feel" of things among younger people in the Church contains so much hope...
Later, after a good dinner and most enjoyable conversation, a train back to Town, and I collected my bike and set off for home via Waterloo. I hadn't allowed for the hassle of weekend engineering works: trains replaced by buses at Clapham Junction. How to get my bike on to a double-decker red London bus? The other passengers v. supportive -"Oh, go on, let her on - look, there's room." But the driver said it was against safety regulations and I was in despair, thinking I'd have to leave it (vulnerably, outside Clapham Jn railway station) and face a long walk at the final end of my journey. But the team of bus staff were kind- "We'll get you home, don't worry"- the next one along would be a coach, with a big luggage compartment, not to worry...and they stacked it safely in and I rode home in style.
A good Sunday.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The organisers...
...of an Advent/Christmas party for young impoverished mums and mums-to-be, mentioned on this Blog a few days ago, have asked me to thank the kind anonymous lady who responded to the appeal for gifts and has sent some really beautiful soaps and toiletries which will be hugely appreciated.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
I don't have a telly, but if you do...
...you might be interested in the latest EWTN schedules: Auntie's Advent and Christmas series coming up...worth watching if just for the look on my face when the cookery goes wrong...try this link for info and scroll down to Nov 25th to find out about the series...
If you want to understand...
...something about English humour, you might try this link, in which the subject is explored...
This looks good...
...a talk sponsored by the NW Catholic Writes' Guild, at Manchester University: Christianity in the aftermath of Roman Britain. November 25th at 7.15pm, at the Catholic Chaplaincy, next door to Holy Name Church. Information here.
To Canterbury...
...and to a meeting of the Cathsoc of UKC.
For the uninitiated that means the students' Catholic Society at the University of Kent at Canterbury.
This meets at St John Stone House (named after a courageous English Martyr - read up his story) under the genial guidance of the splendid Fr Peter Geldard. Mass first, a good-sized weekday congregation crammed into the tiny chapel. Then I was the speaker at the meeting ("Women and the Catholic Church") and we had supper and lots of talk. A great atmosphere, friendly, enthusiastic. They do all sorts of things - visits to shrines and places of interest, retreats, talks, but above all this is a group with a unity of prayer and purpose, where the Faith meets academic life and engages with it...I hugely enjoyed the evening.
Exhausting, though. These people are of an age to sit and talk till 1 am. I'm a middle-aged exhausted lady, and by midnight was ready to sleep. As I made my way up to my room, the talk was still continuing, exploring issues we had raised and sharing ideas, anecdotes, opinions, laughter...
For the uninitiated that means the students' Catholic Society at the University of Kent at Canterbury.
This meets at St John Stone House (named after a courageous English Martyr - read up his story) under the genial guidance of the splendid Fr Peter Geldard. Mass first, a good-sized weekday congregation crammed into the tiny chapel. Then I was the speaker at the meeting ("Women and the Catholic Church") and we had supper and lots of talk. A great atmosphere, friendly, enthusiastic. They do all sorts of things - visits to shrines and places of interest, retreats, talks, but above all this is a group with a unity of prayer and purpose, where the Faith meets academic life and engages with it...I hugely enjoyed the evening.
Exhausting, though. These people are of an age to sit and talk till 1 am. I'm a middle-aged exhausted lady, and by midnight was ready to sleep. As I made my way up to my room, the talk was still continuing, exploring issues we had raised and sharing ideas, anecdotes, opinions, laughter...
Extraordinary...
...silence, profound, tangible, greeted all who, like me, joined the swelling crowd in Whitehall on Tuesday as 11 o'clock approached. People were pouring out of offices and leaving bus-queues. No one spoke. An unrepeatable event was about to unfold. The last 3 survivors of those who were on active service in WWI - each of them over one hundred years old - were to lay poppy wreaths at the Cenotaph on the 90th anniversary of the Armistice signed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Like, I suspect, a lot of the other people present, I was really there by chance - a meeting at a bank at Picadilly, a walk down towards St James' Park for the Tube, and then the realisation that something was happening. One might just stop by for five minutes or so, and then slip away. ...
Huge TV screens enabled us to see the band and dignitaries gathering, servicemen in uniform, a choir.Then a clergyman's voice welcomed us, and voices sang "For those in peril..." Then a great spontaneous wave of applause as three frail elderly gentlemen, wearing medals, and with mufflers against the cold, bearing poppy wreaths on their laps, were brought foward in their wheelchairs by young people with great gentleness and care. The young people - in uniform, representing each of the three Services - were each in turn handed a wreath from elderly hands, laid it at the Cenotaph, stepped back, stood for a moment, and saluted. Then the chimes of Big Ben, and the silence. Winds rustled in the plane trees and a couple of golden-brown leaves drifted down. No one coughed, whispered, or even seemed to move. Lots wept. I wept. The Last Post. Reveille. "They shall grow not old...at the going down of the sun, and in the morning..." The Our Father. Then God Save the Queen, and it was over. The crowd, by now huge, remained silent as it dispersed.
I don't think that I or anyone else present will ever forget it.
Huge TV screens enabled us to see the band and dignitaries gathering, servicemen in uniform, a choir.Then a clergyman's voice welcomed us, and voices sang "For those in peril..." Then a great spontaneous wave of applause as three frail elderly gentlemen, wearing medals, and with mufflers against the cold, bearing poppy wreaths on their laps, were brought foward in their wheelchairs by young people with great gentleness and care. The young people - in uniform, representing each of the three Services - were each in turn handed a wreath from elderly hands, laid it at the Cenotaph, stepped back, stood for a moment, and saluted. Then the chimes of Big Ben, and the silence. Winds rustled in the plane trees and a couple of golden-brown leaves drifted down. No one coughed, whispered, or even seemed to move. Lots wept. I wept. The Last Post. Reveille. "They shall grow not old...at the going down of the sun, and in the morning..." The Our Father. Then God Save the Queen, and it was over. The crowd, by now huge, remained silent as it dispersed.
I don't think that I or anyone else present will ever forget it.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Rainswept....
...the poppy wreaths on local War Memorials glow against the grey of steady November rain, especially at twilight. At our local one in the High Street, there are wreaths commemorating a holder of the VC, with touching hand-written messages from children three generations on. Tomorrow, the last surviving Tommies from the trenches of the Great War will parade at the Cenotaph at 11 o'clock.
For goodness' sake...
...have you signed the Live Chastely pomise yet? Why not? It's quite simple - you promise to live according to the Church's teachings and the natural law...it's for single people and married people, for everyone, regardless of age.
We need 1,000 signatures and we need to hurry up and get them. American readers: this is for you too.
We need 1,000 signatures and we need to hurry up and get them. American readers: this is for you too.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Hurrah...
...the Towards Advent Festival in Westminster Cathedral Hall was a big success...thus enabling my family to affirm their annual cry of "We told you it would be all right!" Oh, it was wonderful: Cardinal Cormac spoke warmly and enthusiastically, the choir of La Retraite School from Clapham sang a glorious Gaudete, the bookstalls flourished, there were stacks of lovely things on sale and display, the Association of Catholic Women sold cups and cups of tea and stacks of sandwiches and cakes, Fr Aidan Nicholls spoke about restoring the Faith in our country, Fr Nicholas Schofield - in the attractive setting of the Library at Archbishop's House, kindly loaned for the occasion - told the story of the Westminster Cardinals, and Jeremy de Satge led a rousing workshop on Gregorian Chant to round off the day...it was a grand Festival, and well up to the standard of its predecessors in what is now an 8-year-strong tradition and looks set to flourish for many more years...
It was an extraordinary day at Westminster, because Britain's massive Polish community was gathering at the Cathedral for a great celebratory Mass to mark the 90th anniversary of the resurgence of Poland's independence. (1918). We were aware of this, and had timed our own events so that things would not clash...the crowds at the cathedral were so huge that they couldn't all fit in, and an overflow stood on ths steps and into the piazza...after the Mass, in the evening lamplight it was grand to see the Polish procession, with red-and-white flags and some magnificent national costumes, gathyering in Ambrosden Avenue. All this, and on the same day the Lord Mayor's Parade was making its way through the City,ans culminating in fireworks, further down river...and earlier there had been commemorative events for the start of the Remembrance weekend. So a rainswept London was thronging with people, and on the bus travelling home we were warned by the driver that it would takes ages and ages to pass through the thick traffic across Westminster Bridge...
It was an extraordinary day at Westminster, because Britain's massive Polish community was gathering at the Cathedral for a great celebratory Mass to mark the 90th anniversary of the resurgence of Poland's independence. (1918). We were aware of this, and had timed our own events so that things would not clash...the crowds at the cathedral were so huge that they couldn't all fit in, and an overflow stood on ths steps and into the piazza...after the Mass, in the evening lamplight it was grand to see the Polish procession, with red-and-white flags and some magnificent national costumes, gathyering in Ambrosden Avenue. All this, and on the same day the Lord Mayor's Parade was making its way through the City,ans culminating in fireworks, further down river...and earlier there had been commemorative events for the start of the Remembrance weekend. So a rainswept London was thronging with people, and on the bus travelling home we were warned by the driver that it would takes ages and ages to pass through the thick traffic across Westminster Bridge...
Friday, November 07, 2008
Small Christmas gifts...
...and also donations of money, are needed for a Christmas party for young impoverished mothers. Can you help? What is needed is a small gift (value, say, about £2.50p), nicely wrapped - eg soap, sweets... Donations of money would be even more useful, as each mum also gets a big parcel of food and useful household and baby items...and in fact if you feel like posting something that could be added to such a parcel, that would be useful, too (packet of tea or coffee? a couple of nice tea-towels?). Send to: Good Counsel Network (Party Appeal), c/o 15 Maple Grove London NW9 8RD.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Confession...
...is one of those topics that make for good jokes. There were some of these whizzing around at a gathering at St Anne's church, Banstead, earlier this week where I was among those talking to families of First Communion children. It was a wonderful, friendly evening - the parish has a super priest and a great atmosphere. It was possible to explore issues of real depth, with a focus on prayer and a sense of tackling things that really matter.
The parish is using this excellent book for First Confession and First Communion preparation.
The parish is using this excellent book for First Confession and First Communion preparation.
Visits...
...to schools have been a major feature of life this week. Yesterday I went to give a talk about journalism to a Catholic girls' school in Upminster - this is part of a programme of talks given as part of the Tamezin project. I hope girls from the school - who were all attentive, friendly, and looked v. nice in their blue uniforms - will take part in the Tamezin Young Writers Award.
Earlier in the week, I was my own old school, St Philomena's in Carshalton, delving into historical records, for research into the life of a former headmistress, Sister Mary Alban, who went on to do some remarkable work at a college in India...extraordinary to be sitting there, overlooking the familiar grounds, studying the school magazines and other material from the utterly vanished world of the 1930s...the life and sub-culture of teenagers in those days so utterly different from the one I knew in the 1960s...
Earlier in the week, I was my own old school, St Philomena's in Carshalton, delving into historical records, for research into the life of a former headmistress, Sister Mary Alban, who went on to do some remarkable work at a college in India...extraordinary to be sitting there, overlooking the familiar grounds, studying the school magazines and other material from the utterly vanished world of the 1930s...the life and sub-culture of teenagers in those days so utterly different from the one I knew in the 1960s...
A kind American lady...
...who watched a recent EWTN show in which I was doing some cookery, noted my brief comment about biscuit-cutters which would make Christmas bikkies in traditional shapes and designs...I mentioned that I didn't have any, and she went out and bought some, and posted them to me! So now I have cutters to make a star, a tree, a reindeer, and more...
I am off to Alabama in january to make a further TV series, and am hugely looking forward to it. I do find the viewers v. delightful and friendly...
I am off to Alabama in january to make a further TV series, and am hugely looking forward to it. I do find the viewers v. delightful and friendly...
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
At the weekend...
...I went to Newman House, the central Catholic Chaplaincy for London University. An absolutely packed Sunday Mass, excellent singing, a glorious Litany of the Saints, Latin, incense, wonderful atmosphere with so many young people. Only problem was that it was uncomfortably hot - the chapel is too small for current numbers, and having been built into the back of the (??Georgian?) house in Gower Street it has no proper windows except some skylight ones into the roof. It was a glorious Mass, with a baptism of a baby, born to a young married couple who had met at the Chaplaincy...the baby yelled magnificently at the exorcism prayers, which is just what is meant to happen, and then was absolutely happy and gurgling after the baptism, all enchanting in white gown and downy head...afterwards a student lunch (excellent fish-and-chips) and I was guest speaker, on "Celebrating traditional feasts and seasons" and it was all enormous fun.
On to the suburbs, putting bike on the train at Victoria. A change of mood and "feel" as we chugged out of London. November. All Saints/All Souls... I arrived just in time for the Blessing of Graves in the small local cemetery. In slanting Autumn sunlight with golden and brown and orange leaves lining the paths, the priest from St Elphege's led prayers and blessed the graves with holy water, in the traditional way...I went to my dear father's grave and prayed there...afterwards, walking back with old friends, talking and exchanging news...memories...
On to the suburbs, putting bike on the train at Victoria. A change of mood and "feel" as we chugged out of London. November. All Saints/All Souls... I arrived just in time for the Blessing of Graves in the small local cemetery. In slanting Autumn sunlight with golden and brown and orange leaves lining the paths, the priest from St Elphege's led prayers and blessed the graves with holy water, in the traditional way...I went to my dear father's grave and prayed there...afterwards, walking back with old friends, talking and exchanging news...memories...
Monday, November 03, 2008
Scott Hahn...
...the evangelist, author, and lecturer, spoke to a packed church at Farm Street on Friday night. This was the Annual Lecture sponsored by the Catholic Truth Society and it was sold out. Deservedly so. It was an absolutely terrific lecture, immensely interesting. Taking as his theme the New Testament's description of the encounter on the road to Emmaus, he spoke about how the disciples had experienced their "hearts burning within them" when the stranger they encountered on the road explained the Scriptures to them, and then how they finally recognised Him "in the breaking of bread". Hahn showed how this is also the pattern of the Mass: the preparation in the Scriptures and then the reality of Christ in "breaking of bread". He set this in the background of his own journey to the Catholic Church beginning with a teenage involvement in a Bible study group, and then the massive influence of discovering the Church Fathers and the way they opened up the Scriptures for him...then the discovery of the Mass and the way it brings the Scriptures alive.
It was both inspiring and intellectually stimulating, and during his talk you could have heard a pin drop, the listening was so intense.
It was both inspiring and intellectually stimulating, and during his talk you could have heard a pin drop, the listening was so intense.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
TOWARDS ADVENT...
...is the name of the annual Festival of Catholic Culture, which will take placeNEXT SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8th
at Westminster Cathedral Hall.
BE THERE!
Doors open 10 am. Speakers include Fr Aidan Nicholls (11am) and Fr Nicholas Schofield (12.30pm). Workshop on Gregorian Chant. Wide variety of displays, bookstalls etc from Catholic groups and organisations. Christmas gifts and books on sale... Refreshments available all day...tours of Westminster Cathedral....
Do come!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
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.
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!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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...
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...
Monday, October 27, 2008
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.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
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...
Friday, October 24, 2008
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.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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!!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
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?
Monday, October 20, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
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.
Friday, October 17, 2008
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 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...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
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...
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.
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.
I have been doing...
...some interviews for EWTN, the Catholic TV network. They feature various Catholic personalities in Britain, under the title "Catholic Lives". Want to view them? They are all being broadcast during November. You can get the information here.
Where will you be...
....on Saturday? I'm planning to be with others at the prayer vigil/protest over the horrible plans to destroy and tamper with human life. JOIN US!
Auntie on her bike...
...this week: to Chelsea tonight to give a talk at St Mary's Cadogan Street, as part of a series for young engaged couples. To young relations on Wednesday, with Mother, to enjoy an afternoon with great-niece and great-nephew. To Balham on Thursday evening, for a Media Training Evening, ideas on how to get involved with writing for the press, using the Internet, TV and radio (interested? Send a Comment to this Blog WITH YOUR FULL NAME AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN CONTACT YOU). To a Coffee Morning on Friday which will raise funds for the St Patrick's Evangelisation School based in Soho...
Interested in London's Catholic martyrs?
...then get yourself a ticket to a talk to be given by Auntie on Thursday October 23rd. It's organised by the Friends of Westminster Cathedral and that link will tell you how to get tickets: £10 each and all funds will go to the Cathedral for its restoration work. Been there recently? Then you will know how urgently they need funds - it's all swathed in scaffolding, and lots of work going on.
Monday, October 13, 2008
...and while on the subject...
...of Brompton Oratory, there is be be an event there, in St Wilfrid's Hall, in support of Christians in Iraq this week: Tuesday, Oct 13th, 6.45 pm. A talk about the plight of the Church there, plus ligsht refreshments etc....suggested donation £10. WELL WORTH SUPPORTING. The speaker is one of this year's Catholic Women of the Year...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
I spent virtually the whole of Sunday...
...at Brompton Oratory! The Fathers v. kindly allowed me to give out leaflets about the Festival of Catholic Culture (Nov 8th, Westmin. Cathedral Hall - be there!) at all Masses. It was a wonderful place to spend Sunday morning. I arrived as the 9am Mass was about halfway through...it is well attended, the 10 am Mass more so - with many young families, and singing from the excellent Children's Choir - and then of course there is the famous 11 am Mass with the most glorious music from the most magnificent choir and the church absolutely full, again several families with children. Then there is a 12.30 Mass, where I just arrived for the end...yes, extremely well attended again.
After the 11 am Mass, at which I met many friends, it was fun talking in the Autumn sunshine while children frolicked about. In the afternoon I whizzed back to the suburbs and Mother and I went out for a lovely walk, and Tea at our favourite shop. A friend was taking care of the 4.30pm Mass for me. Off to the Oratory again for the 7pm Mass. Did you know there was a 7pm Mass at Brompton Oratory? V. handy to know - and yes, it's full, this time lots of young people, the girls all denim jeans and swinging hair...made me feel v. middle-aged.
After the 11 am Mass, at which I met many friends, it was fun talking in the Autumn sunshine while children frolicked about. In the afternoon I whizzed back to the suburbs and Mother and I went out for a lovely walk, and Tea at our favourite shop. A friend was taking care of the 4.30pm Mass for me. Off to the Oratory again for the 7pm Mass. Did you know there was a 7pm Mass at Brompton Oratory? V. handy to know - and yes, it's full, this time lots of young people, the girls all denim jeans and swinging hair...made me feel v. middle-aged.
The London trees...
...are turning golden and russet-brown and we are in St Luke's "little summer" with a sudden glow of warm weather as we approach his Feast Day. Yesterday, the annual Rosary Crusade took place in London. More than a thousand people processing from Westminster Cathedral to Brompton Oratory...it's perhaps not as large as it was when we used to go to Hyde Park back in the early 1980s, but it is still a grand day, and the Oratory was packed for the final prayers and a magnificent Benediction. I was among several who were kneeling on the floor, and the side-chapels were full as well. Many of us stayed on for evening Mass, at which there was glorious music provided by the Chamber Choir of the London Oratory School. This is one of several choirs at the school, and it was an impressive sight to see the pupils in their smart uniforms making their way up to the choir-loft with confidence.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
A charming...
...new book for children about St Paul, published for this Year of St Paul. Hardback, with delightful illustrations, shows him being converted on the road to Damascus, being shipwrecked, being bitten by a snake on Malta, and everything. This will make him come alive, and is ideal for any child who sits through the Epistles Sunday and after Sunday and needs to know - and enjoy - the life of the man who wrote these things and did so much to pass the Faith on to us.If you have a child who fidgets in church, try this. £4.99 from St Paul's UK ISBN 978-0-854-748-8.
The Catholic Women of the Year Luncheon...
...was held yesterday in London and was very enjoyable indeed. Each year, this event brings together a large crowd of people, to honour Catholic women who have served the Church and the community in various ways. My task was to do the vote of thanks and it couldn't have been easier or more enjoyable. There was a letter from the dear Holy Father with a beautiful message for his "beloved daughters". The Papal Nuncio attended, and said Grace before lunch, and our special guest speaker was Fr Aidan Nichols who was simply superb, inspiring and amusing, with a message that was interesting, intellectually stimulating and at the same time cheering and challenging. The theme of this year's Luncheon was "Communicating the Faith in our times", and Fr Aidan linked this with the martyrs of times past - "any problems we face today are pinpricks, compared to the dungeon, fire and sword they faced" and to our hopes for the future. He was followed,in a way that matched perfectly, by the speaker from the charity we had chosen to support this year - Youth 2000. Charlie Connor, young, energetic, and enthusiastic, gave a rousing account of this movement's excellent work among young people (1,000 at their Walsingham rally this summer) and it was a perfect celebration of our 40th anniversary.
Season of mists...
...and there is lots of mellow fruitfulness in England this year, as the rain has conspired to make the apple crop simply extraordinary.
Today I picked the most important apples of all. Some years ago, at the shrine of Ladyewell at Fernyhalgh, we bought a tiny cutting of an apple-tree, less than a foot high. You know the legend of Fernyhalgh? Well, part of it involves a man looking for a place where grow "apples without any core..." We planted our sprig, and it grew and grew, and this year produced apples...high up, hard to reach, all in a tiny bunch...and today I scrambled up to reach them, via the fire-escape, and grabbed the branches.
Well, the apples do have cores. But we munched with great delight, and thought of Fernyhalgh and Catholic Lancashire and it is a golden Autumn day with slanting sunlight and all is good.
Today I picked the most important apples of all. Some years ago, at the shrine of Ladyewell at Fernyhalgh, we bought a tiny cutting of an apple-tree, less than a foot high. You know the legend of Fernyhalgh? Well, part of it involves a man looking for a place where grow "apples without any core..." We planted our sprig, and it grew and grew, and this year produced apples...high up, hard to reach, all in a tiny bunch...and today I scrambled up to reach them, via the fire-escape, and grabbed the branches.
Well, the apples do have cores. But we munched with great delight, and thought of Fernyhalgh and Catholic Lancashire and it is a golden Autumn day with slanting sunlight and all is good.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Glowing pink...
...our main room looks beautifully warm on this chill evening. We needed new lampshades for this and for the tiny adjoining room where I work. The old ones were in a shocking state - I can't think why we didn't replace them years ago, they must have been at least 25 years old, and hanging there ever since we moved in....so I went to buy new ones. Practically no one in the big DIY shop which is usually packed with busy people. Is this a sign of things to come? Lampshades reduced to one-third of the original price. Anyway, they are a lovely pink colour, make the whole room look enchanting.
The Crusades...
....were the topic of an absolutely brilliant lecture yesterday at The Keys, the Catholic Writers' Guild, at St Mary Moorfields
Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith, who has written a number of books on the Crusades, gave us a real insight into the current Islamic mindset about the Crusades, and how it was formed. All sorts of things went into this talk - Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, and Kaiser Wilhelm, and Saladin (did you know he was a Kurd? No, nor did I) and much more.
BTW, all Catholic writers/journalists/broadcasters are eligible to join the Guild. Current Master of the The Keys, which is the London branch, is journalist Melanie McDonagh. There are also branches in the North-West (meeting in Manchester at the University chaplaincy) and in the North East. If you are interested, send a Comment to this blog, WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS INCLUDED OR I CANNOT REPLY TO YOU and I'll send you further information.
Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith, who has written a number of books on the Crusades, gave us a real insight into the current Islamic mindset about the Crusades, and how it was formed. All sorts of things went into this talk - Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, and Kaiser Wilhelm, and Saladin (did you know he was a Kurd? No, nor did I) and much more.
BTW, all Catholic writers/journalists/broadcasters are eligible to join the Guild. Current Master of the The Keys, which is the London branch, is journalist Melanie McDonagh. There are also branches in the North-West (meeting in Manchester at the University chaplaincy) and in the North East. If you are interested, send a Comment to this blog, WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS INCLUDED OR I CANNOT REPLY TO YOU and I'll send you further information.
Scripture, liturgy, and Scott Hahn...
...if you are interested in all of those, then here's an event for you. Oxford, Saturday Nov 1st. There's a conference, organised by the excellent Centre for Faith and Culture, exploring "Scripture and Liturgy in the Theology of Benedict VI
I am told there are still a few places left. It will be a terrific day: speakers include Fr Aidan Nicholls the Dominican scholar and Scott Hahn the American evangelist and speaker. Click on to the link I have given and book yourself in.
I am told there are still a few places left. It will be a terrific day: speakers include Fr Aidan Nicholls the Dominican scholar and Scott Hahn the American evangelist and speaker. Click on to the link I have given and book yourself in.
While studying...
...happily away yesterday in a coffee-shop, with two glorious hours to spare between meetings, and my Maryvale coursework and Bible and a pen and some coffee, I was completely blissful and absorbed. When the time came to leave, I had just finished the work I needed to do, and everything felt deeply satisfying. Then a thought: where is my mobile phone? Missing. Gone. I hurried out into Victoria Street - and immediately ran into various friends, who happened to be gathering for a Mass at Westminster Cathedral. "Hey - Joanna! How are you?" "Panicking" I answered "I've lost my mobile phone - must have left it somewhere - I'm about to start retracing my steps to all the places I've been - ". Quick prayer. Calmly, Sally G. had the thought of ringing my mobile's number. The voice that answered was that of the manager of the Internet cafe, where I'd been checking my emails earlier in the day...he was very pleased to be able to return it to me safely, big satisfaction all round... as I poured out my gratitude, other customers joined in the general celebrations...
I hadn't planned to go to the Westmin. Cath. Mass (which was commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of Opus Dei - cathedral packed, lots of families, sermon by Cardinal Cormac) but I dropped in anyway, to say a heartfelt "thank you"...
I hadn't planned to go to the Westmin. Cath. Mass (which was commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of Opus Dei - cathedral packed, lots of families, sermon by Cardinal Cormac) but I dropped in anyway, to say a heartfelt "thank you"...
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The Martyrs' Walk...
...in June began at Tower Hill where Saints John Fisher and Thomas More were beheaded, and went through London to Tyburn, honouring the English Martyrs who died for the Catholic Faith in the years of persecution in the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and beyond.
A DVD, based on the walk, and opening up the whole history, telling the heroic stories of some of the martyrs, explaining the background, etc, has now been made. Do get a copy! It could work well for a Confirmation class, or a prayer group or similar gathering. Contact the producers: mail@marysdowryproductions.org or follow this link.
A DVD, based on the walk, and opening up the whole history, telling the heroic stories of some of the martyrs, explaining the background, etc, has now been made. Do get a copy! It could work well for a Confirmation class, or a prayer group or similar gathering. Contact the producers: mail@marysdowryproductions.org or follow this link.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Today...
...was a day of odds and ends...a man came to mend and paint the ceiling of the bathroom and bedroom(leak from the flat upstairs) . This entailed much transporting of books from the bedroom shelves to the floor of the small den where I work. Books, books...Jane Austen and Walter Scott, jostling with Palgrave's Golden Treasury, G.M. Trevelyan's history, Newman's Arians of the Fourth century, (which I will need for my Divinity course and was v. glad to find), and E. Nesbit's Treasure Seekers, and other childhood books including the enchanting Lord of the Rushie River...then a great deal of cleaning and reorganising, and the transporting of books back again...everything clean and pleasing, and two suitcases of general clutter and papers to be taken gloriously away...
THANK GOD...
...for Bishop Patrick O'Donohue.
READ THIS
Thank God for a Bishop with courage and integrity. Let him know he has your prayers and full support.
READ THIS
Thank God for a Bishop with courage and integrity. Let him know he has your prayers and full support.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
An Autumn day...
...in Kent, on a family visit, a warm welcome, delightful young nieces, a delicious lunch, a happy day. We walked through Autumn fields, with fabulous views, gathering chestnuts to take home and bake. We stopped at the hop-pickers huts, once used every year by the teams of people who came out from London for the hop season - all empty and derelict now, but the tradition is remembered with an annual end-of-summer gathering and barbeque...
This has been a family weekend: on Saturday a visit from another dear niece, and an agreeable dinner with friends visiting from America. To get a flavour of the conversation over dinner, pick up the Catholic Times each week and read the delightful and amusing Stateside letter from America by Alenka Lawrence.
This has been a family weekend: on Saturday a visit from another dear niece, and an agreeable dinner with friends visiting from America. To get a flavour of the conversation over dinner, pick up the Catholic Times each week and read the delightful and amusing Stateside letter from America by Alenka Lawrence.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
In the Catholic press...
...there are reports of a set of "Ten Commandments" for bloggers, produced by a Christian group...with some good things that needed to be said.
Surely the most important thing for Catholic bloggers is to emphasise things that are true and large-minded and wise and cheering and beautiful. Of course we should not fail to denounce ideas that are wrong and unjust and dangerous to the common good - especially when they are being imposed on us all with the force of law. But each and every time we do this, we should ensure that this is part of a much wider piece of work which exalts what is good and lifts everyone up to what is great.
Surely the most important thing for Catholic bloggers is to emphasise things that are true and large-minded and wise and cheering and beautiful. Of course we should not fail to denounce ideas that are wrong and unjust and dangerous to the common good - especially when they are being imposed on us all with the force of law. But each and every time we do this, we should ensure that this is part of a much wider piece of work which exalts what is good and lifts everyone up to what is great.
Easily one of the best books...
...I have read for ages is ENGLISH CATHOLIC HEROES, edited by John Jolliffe. Do get it. Your Christmas present problems solved! It's a terrific read. They are all here: Edmund Campion and Robert Southwell, Fisher and More, Richard Challoner, and Manning and John Henry Newman and Leonard Cheshire and more...contributors include A.N.Wilson, Dom Aidan Bellenger, Lucy Beckett and Clare Asquith. The book was launched at a very enjoyable party held at St Wilfrid's Hall, Brompton Oratory, last week, but I have been waiting to write about until I had read the book from cover to cover. Do get it. Enjoy. Available from Gracewing Books
Friday, October 03, 2008
Christians in IRAQ..
...are having a very tough time of it, and Aid to the Church in Need sponsored a visit to Britain last week by Bishop Jean Sleiman, leader of the Catholic community there. In London he met Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, and senior Government officials, and addressed a packed conference at Westminster Cathedral Hall....read about it here...
And don't just read...let's keep this community in our prayers...I went to an evening gathering to meet the Bishop, and it was moving to hear him talk about how people are being forced out of their homes, leaving behind everything, and a whole way of life is vanishing.
And don't just read...let's keep this community in our prayers...I went to an evening gathering to meet the Bishop, and it was moving to hear him talk about how people are being forced out of their homes, leaving behind everything, and a whole way of life is vanishing.
I've been sent..
..a Parish Study Guide called WITNESS, which is aimed at preparing people for Confirmation. It would be particularly useful for adult candidates, or people going through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. No woffle about getting people into a circle and talking about feelings, or "each of us sharing our faith story". This is an information-packed scheme, full colour with pics, going systematically through the Catholic Faith, with answers to questions that people really ask, not ones that some campaigners think they ought to ask!
Thus it goes through the Creed, with detailed material on God the Father, the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Last Judgement, the Communion of saints, and more...and there are pages on the Church's seasons, on liturgical vestments, and sacred vessels, and symbols, and everything from incense to cassocks, from initials like AMDG to how St Boniface gave us the Christmas tree. It's published by Heart and Voice Publications
Thus it goes through the Creed, with detailed material on God the Father, the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Last Judgement, the Communion of saints, and more...and there are pages on the Church's seasons, on liturgical vestments, and sacred vessels, and symbols, and everything from incense to cassocks, from initials like AMDG to how St Boniface gave us the Christmas tree. It's published by Heart and Voice Publications
Thursday, October 02, 2008
I am hugely enjoying...
...the Maryvale Divinity course. For those who have asked me about it: last weekend we had lectures on "What is theology?", on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and on Church history, including the Arians of the 4th century (yes, Newman's book etc) and on the Crusades. The latter v. topical at present, and indeed Jonathan Riley-Smith is coming to speak to The Keys, the Catholic Writers' Guild, on the subject shortly.
I'm currently working on my first essay, which is about God, theology, and the human person....
I'm currently working on my first essay, which is about God, theology, and the human person....
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
A group...
...of young people, involved in theatre, writing, or the arts in general, gather for Mass together regularly at the Church of Our Lady and St Gregory in Warwick Street , just off Piccadilly Circus. It's the only surviving church in London that has a direct link going back to the old Embassy Chapels - it was originally the Portugese, later the Bavarian, embassy chapel. In the days when the practice of the Catholic faith was outlawed in England, and Catholics in London could go to Mass there in safety as such churches were technically foreign soil so the penal laws did not apply.On a cold wet evening, it was rather exciting to dive into the basement - for this small group, Mass was being said there rather than in the church above - and find an altar and glowing candles, and everything set for the sacred mysteries.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
In an 18th-century folly...
...in the grounds of my old school, I was giving a lecture on Friday evening. The Carshalton Water Tower Trust cares for this superb building, which is available for local events and celebrations, and commands an enchanting view of Carshalton House, the grounds, and what is now called The hermitage (we called it The Grotto, and were slightly scared of the big statue of St Joseph there).
It was fun giving a talk on "Britain's traditional feasts and seasons" in agreeable company in this setting. I stood on the very spot where I had begun my education at the age of four - the building was then used as the kindergarten of St Philomena's junior school...
It was fun giving a talk on "Britain's traditional feasts and seasons" in agreeable company in this setting. I stood on the very spot where I had begun my education at the age of four - the building was then used as the kindergarten of St Philomena's junior school...
A very, very early start...
...on Saturday morning, cycling to east Croydon station at 5am in order to make it to London to catch the train to Birmingham. I was off to Maryvale, to begin a degree in Theology! I'll let you know how things progress. This first weekend of lectures was simply terrific and I am feeling very enthusiastic indeed.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The young people...
...at St Patrick's, Soho Square, are having a special Vigil of Prayer on Oct 1st from 6pm to 9pm, and are asking you to join them. If you're in London, just turn up! If you are further away, unite yourself in prayer with them for a few minutes. This is important - they are praying for the future of the work there. The St Patrick's Evangelisation School (SPES) has a group of new students for the new academic year, and there is so much to be done...
One of the young people from St P's came to speak at the Association of Catholic Women meeting the other day (see Blog for last weekend) and gave us such a wonderful and vivid account of the glorious World Youth Day events in Sydney. You can get a tiny flavour of WYD here and here and here ....and if you would like to see something of the WYD spirit alive in London, then supporting SPES and St Patrick's is one way of doing it...
One of the young people from St P's came to speak at the Association of Catholic Women meeting the other day (see Blog for last weekend) and gave us such a wonderful and vivid account of the glorious World Youth Day events in Sydney. You can get a tiny flavour of WYD here and here and here ....and if you would like to see something of the WYD spirit alive in London, then supporting SPES and St Patrick's is one way of doing it...
On the radio today...
... comes news of Ruth Kelly's resignation from the Cabinet. In her speech to the Labour party conference, Miss Kelly said she was proud to have been part of a Labour Government which had "made life better for people" in Britain.
No, it hasn't made life better. In a number of hugely significant areas, life is immeasurably worse than it was before Labour took power in 1997. So far this year some 30 young people have been stabbed to death in London alone. Violent crime is now such a standard part of life that people have standard advice to cope with normal journeys down ordinary streets at night ("Hide your mobile phone!" "Don't look as though you are carrying money!" "Just hand your wallet over if you're asked!"). Violence against teachers is now not considered abnormal in schools. The destruction of family life has gathered pace with extraordinary speed - helped by Miss Kelly who didn't resign over acceptance of "same sex" unions by her Govt and steered forward legislation to ensure the removal of the rights of people to speak out freely against the wrongfulness of homosexual activity. Aborting babies is now considered so normal that it doesn't even get the debate it merits, and is routinely assumed to be a standard "right" that must not only be funded by taxpayers but taught as a central doctrine of the British health care system. Gross forms of sex education are imposed on schools. An unjust divorce system robs fathers of regular contact with their children. Academic standards in schools have plummeted: annually, more and more teenagers leave school unable to read and robbed of opportunities for learning and enjoying great things.
Poor Ruth Kelly. She could with honour have resigned over all sorts of issues of issue of morality and human dignity in recent years. She is a Catholic: we all longed for her to put her beliefs into action. She didn't. She' has now resigned because she wants to spend more time with her family. She's still praising the Government which has dumped cruel anti-family policies on Britain. There were so many opportunities, large and small, where she could have done good or, at the very least, mitigated great evil, by publicly renouncing her position with the Government and Party. Hers has been a political career of opportunities missed.
No, it hasn't made life better. In a number of hugely significant areas, life is immeasurably worse than it was before Labour took power in 1997. So far this year some 30 young people have been stabbed to death in London alone. Violent crime is now such a standard part of life that people have standard advice to cope with normal journeys down ordinary streets at night ("Hide your mobile phone!" "Don't look as though you are carrying money!" "Just hand your wallet over if you're asked!"). Violence against teachers is now not considered abnormal in schools. The destruction of family life has gathered pace with extraordinary speed - helped by Miss Kelly who didn't resign over acceptance of "same sex" unions by her Govt and steered forward legislation to ensure the removal of the rights of people to speak out freely against the wrongfulness of homosexual activity. Aborting babies is now considered so normal that it doesn't even get the debate it merits, and is routinely assumed to be a standard "right" that must not only be funded by taxpayers but taught as a central doctrine of the British health care system. Gross forms of sex education are imposed on schools. An unjust divorce system robs fathers of regular contact with their children. Academic standards in schools have plummeted: annually, more and more teenagers leave school unable to read and robbed of opportunities for learning and enjoying great things.
Poor Ruth Kelly. She could with honour have resigned over all sorts of issues of issue of morality and human dignity in recent years. She is a Catholic: we all longed for her to put her beliefs into action. She didn't. She' has now resigned because she wants to spend more time with her family. She's still praising the Government which has dumped cruel anti-family policies on Britain. There were so many opportunities, large and small, where she could have done good or, at the very least, mitigated great evil, by publicly renouncing her position with the Government and Party. Hers has been a political career of opportunities missed.
If you share...
..the frustration of many of us at the loopy and sometimes sinister ideological commitment of many who rule our lives today, you may enjoy this.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
For priests...
and deacons, and those training for the priesthood: I've been asked to mention this conference - it's on Oct 29th at St Wilfrid's Hall, Brompton Oratory, starts 11.15 am. "Pius XII and preaching the Gospel of Life". Organised by the Assn of Priests for the Gospel of Life. Speaker is Fr John Saward. Buffet lunch. The day includes Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, opportunities for confession.
More info from 0208 300 2697
More info from 0208 300 2697
At the weekend...
...I went to an excellent meeting of the Association of Catholic Women at St James' church, Spanish Place.
It's been a great year for the ACW, fittingly in our 20th anniversary. Our biggest-ever Schools RE Project, reaching Catholic primary schools across England and Wales, the continuing success of our "Catholic Identification cards", (go on, look at the website), a range of new booklets on various subjects, great plans for 2009 including a Day Conference (Feb 9th) for teachers, on Art and Music featuring Gregorian chant, with a workshop on how to sing it and teach it...
Next immediate project for us is our involvement in the Towards Advent Festival, Sat Nov 8th at Westminster Cathedral Hall. We are one of the sponsoring organisations. Admission free. Some terrific speakers including Fr Aidan Nicholls on his new book "The Realm", an unfsahionable essay on the Conversion of England." Be there. Doors open 10 am, official opening 10.30 am with music, speech by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, etc. Displays by a whole range of Catholic groups and organisations, with books, DVDs etc on sale...
It's been a great year for the ACW, fittingly in our 20th anniversary. Our biggest-ever Schools RE Project, reaching Catholic primary schools across England and Wales, the continuing success of our "Catholic Identification cards", (go on, look at the website), a range of new booklets on various subjects, great plans for 2009 including a Day Conference (Feb 9th) for teachers, on Art and Music featuring Gregorian chant, with a workshop on how to sing it and teach it...
Next immediate project for us is our involvement in the Towards Advent Festival, Sat Nov 8th at Westminster Cathedral Hall. We are one of the sponsoring organisations. Admission free. Some terrific speakers including Fr Aidan Nicholls on his new book "The Realm", an unfsahionable essay on the Conversion of England." Be there. Doors open 10 am, official opening 10.30 am with music, speech by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, etc. Displays by a whole range of Catholic groups and organisations, with books, DVDs etc on sale...
A delightful...
...booklet just out from the CTS: "100 Books you really must read"
This is compiled from ideas sent to the CTS from a range of people...and the result is a terrific collection, an enjoyable read in its own right, of recommendations: biographies, fiction, history...books that are funny, poignant, fascinating, memorable.
You can get this excellent booklet from the CTS - it's just £1.95p and worth every penny.
This is compiled from ideas sent to the CTS from a range of people...and the result is a terrific collection, an enjoyable read in its own right, of recommendations: biographies, fiction, history...books that are funny, poignant, fascinating, memorable.
You can get this excellent booklet from the CTS - it's just £1.95p and worth every penny.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
From Paris...
...via my Big Sis, who has been visiting there, a copy of Paris Match, with splendid coverage of the Pope's visit to France. Wonderful pix, excellent commentary.
The most interesting thing is the cartoon, which depicts an old grandpa - wearing a Che Guevara teeshirt,and his teenage granddaughter, wearing a teeshirt affirming that she loves Jesus. That's the new situation. That's the reality of France in 2008.
The most interesting thing is the cartoon, which depicts an old grandpa - wearing a Che Guevara teeshirt,and his teenage granddaughter, wearing a teeshirt affirming that she loves Jesus. That's the new situation. That's the reality of France in 2008.
September...
...has long been my favourite month, and today in wonderful mellow sunshine we were at a cheerful family gathering in a house near the Thames....Mass at the enchanting church of St Birinus in Dorchester, a place of happy family associations. Glorious singing, beautiful liturgy (ad orientem, rousing voices for the Gloria and Pater Noster, a Marian hymn to finish). St Birinus baptised, in the river at this place, the king of the West Saxons, Cynegils, in 635...and the same river flows, and this land still holds the Faith and oh, golly, let's never, ever, let it go from us...
A long and talkative family lunch, a large crowd of us round the table...a walk to the lock on the river, ice-creams, children playing, cousins talking and laughing, Uncle Jamie pushing a small great-niece in a swing...
A long and talkative family lunch, a large crowd of us round the table...a walk to the lock on the river, ice-creams, children playing, cousins talking and laughing, Uncle Jamie pushing a small great-niece in a swing...
Monday, September 15, 2008
This island...
(see below, previous post) has faint echoes of the England of my childhood...skinny-legged eager children running about on beaches, solitary men fishing, real pubs, boats, people being friendly on buses. Church yesterday evening was well-attended. There are tea-shops. Holiday brochures from the summer advertise walks and treasure-hunts and competitions.
Today's papers bring news of a dreary Govt initiative - I'm not making this up: British Day, an official public holiday on which we celebrate being British. After years of telling us we must be multi-cultural, teaching children a muddled version of our history - or practically none at all - sneering at our Christian traditions, attempting to crush our moral values, and remake the fabric of our everyday lives in things as fundamental as male/female marriage and begetting of children...do the Socialists really think they can invent a British Day and make us celebrate the version of things they have left? Probably they don't think they can...it's just a squelch from the last-ditch efforts of this hoples Govt and would be mildly funny if it wasn't so insulting.
Today's papers bring news of a dreary Govt initiative - I'm not making this up: British Day, an official public holiday on which we celebrate being British. After years of telling us we must be multi-cultural, teaching children a muddled version of our history - or practically none at all - sneering at our Christian traditions, attempting to crush our moral values, and remake the fabric of our everyday lives in things as fundamental as male/female marriage and begetting of children...do the Socialists really think they can invent a British Day and make us celebrate the version of things they have left? Probably they don't think they can...it's just a squelch from the last-ditch efforts of this hoples Govt and would be mildly funny if it wasn't so insulting.
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