A wonderful walk with children...

...across London Bridge, learning the story of St Olaf, and the Viking  battle, and finishing at The Monument with the story of the Great Fire...and the song...

Want to join in the fun of this sort of thing?

COME ON A CATHOLIC HISTORY WALK!!!

Lots of Walks planned for March.  Read here...

Well, it was quite amusing, wasn't it?

There had been quite a lot of plotting....much  internet  chatter...preparation, one suspects, of joint letters of indignation with hints of  necessary schism...emails and phone calls and texts and worry... slightly gleeful anticipation of exciting times with stand-offs and so on.

And in the end the Pope affirmed orthodox Catholic teaching and the noises wafted away and became silent.  So it was all a bit disappointing, perhaps, for some. Some wistful hopes among Lefebvrists  who had half-believed in renewed zeal for schismatic opportunities? All gone.

Worth reading Pope Francis' Exhortation  Querida Amazonia.   And this commentary is useful.   But there will be plenty of people who are  unhappy,  both among those who think the Church can have priestesses, and those whose dislike of the Pope is so deep-rooted that it will be annoying to discover that they can't justify it with his latest action.

There's still the German bishops and their synodical aspirations to come, which won't be enjoyable.  They are being very tiresome,  and will achieve nothing useful.

Meanwhile the real tasks are to worship God (and give him thanks, as with Humanae Vitae), to evangelise, and to help the poor.

Affirming traditional Catholic teaching....

...who said this?

This summons us to broaden our vision, lest we restrict our understanding of the Church to her functional structures. Such a reductionism would lead us to believe that women would be granted a greater status and participation in the Church only if they were admitted to Holy Orders. But that approach would in fact narrow our vision; it would lead us to clericalize women, diminish the great value of what they have already accomplished, and subtly make their indispensable contribution less effective.

 Jesus Christ appears as the Spouse of the community that celebrates the Eucharist through the figure of a man who presides as a sign of the one Priest. This dialogue between the Spouse and his Bride, which arises in adoration and sanctifies the community, should not trap us in partial conceptions of power in the Church. The Lord chose to reveal his power and his love through two human faces: the face of his divine Son made man and the face of a creature, a woman, Mary. Women make their contribution to the Church in a way that is properly theirs, by making present the tender strength of Mary, the Mother. As a result, we do not limit ourselves to a functional approach, but enter instead into the inmost structure of the Church.

When the Church of England...

....issued guidelines stating that marriage between a man and a woman was the only proper place for sexual union, I thought "Well, at least they've made the right stand, at last!"

But no. Poor Dr Justin Welby and his counterpart of York have now apologised for the statement and announced that the CofE is still...er...finding its way forward. Or something.

Oh dear.

Have you signed this petition?

It's important...a matter of freedom

https://www.change.org/p/itv-get-alastair-stewart-reinstated-back-on-itv

The Candlemas lantern-lit Walk across London Bridge...

was a great success...a cheery group and we finished at St John Henry Newman's birthplace, round at the back of the Bank of England.

DO COME on one of the next HISTORY WALKS...

Friday 21st February 2020 NEWMAN WALK:  to mark the Birthday of St John Henry Newman. 

We will walk to Newman's birthplace near the Bank of England. 

5.00 pm at the Newman Shrine, Church of the Most Precious Blood, OMeara Street London SE1 1TE 

Nearest tube: LONDON BRIDGE  

Saturday 22nd February  LONDON BRIDGE:  Viking battles, and the City.    HALF TERM SPECIAL 

Families specially welcome,  this walk includes information and fun for any children who come along.

2.00 pm,  Church of Our Lady of La Salette and St Joseph,  Melior Street, London SE1 3QP 

Nearest tube: LONDON BRIDGE 

MARCH

FRIDAY March 13th, 11am (note time, there is Mass at 10am) St Elizabeth's RC Church, The Vineyard, Richmond. Nearest tube and main line train RICHMOND.  We will explore the Old Palace (Henry VII, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I) and then walk along the river to St John Henry Newman's family home at Ham

SUNDAY March 15th, 3.30pm at St John the Divine, Islington, London N1 (nearest tube ANGEL). We will learn about the ancient shrine of Our Lady of the Oak, and a modern Catholic heroine.

Thursday March 19th, 7.30pm at Ham Library. A lecture on St John Henry Newman, organised by the Ham amenities society. Nearest stations RICHMOND or KINGSTON, then 65 bus. Check map for details. All welcome. Admission £3.00p

SUNDAY March 22nd. 3.30pm History Walk RICHMOND. Meet St Elzabeth's RC Church, Richmond

MONDAY March 30th, 6.30pm (after 5.30pm Mass) meet steps of Westminster Cathedral.  We will explore Westminster, the Abbey, Parliament etc.