At home in my Father's House

From the Holy Father's Wednesday audience

2012-01-12T16:11:00.000Z

"The Eucharist sustains those who are tired, worn out or lost in the world and transforms human sin and weakness into new life.

Taking part in the Eucharist today is “indispensable for Christian life” and is still a source of strength so that “our life is not lost, despite our weakness and our infidelity, but is transformed”.
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The Holy Father's words above, from his speech at this week's Wednesday audience, offer such comfort and encouragement to us all.How beautiful is that phrase "Our life is not lost, despite our weakness and infidelity, but is transformed".

Thank you, Holy Father.

Thanks to the Catholic Herald

Forthcoming Marriage

2012-01-10T18:57:00.000Z

Mr. E. Morton
Miss M.M. Wheelan

The engagement is announced between Edward, second son of Mr and Mrs Alan Morton of Lincolnshire, and Margaret Mary, second daughter of Mr and Mrs Neville Wheelan of Devon.
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Congratulations to our daughter Margaret Mary and to Edward. May God bless them both as they prepare for the great Sacrament, vocation and adventure of married life!

No excuses!

2012-01-10T18:40:00.002Z

You don't want to read a list of excuses for why I haven't been posting lately, just the truth: the time I would have spent commenting/composing/posting has been spent on other matters that had to take the priority. That's how life is, sometimes, isn't it? Sometimes, you just can't do the things you would like to, but the things you must do.
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The builders have been in for the last three or so months, making an extension to the ground floor with full disabled access and equipment. They are now renovating the old rooms our sons used, making them ready for general use.
It has been noisy, dusty and exhilarating as the new build rose up and joined the old. Plasterers, (amazing how they get that glassy finish),carpenters, builders, electricians, plumbers, and the man from the hoist company have all combined to make a really lovely and much needed suite of rooms for our disabled sons.
Just days before Christmas, there was a flurry of painting,(thanks Ed and Bunty),the carpets were laid, and the boys were able to move into their new rooms.
Now that the work is so near to completion, I hope to be able to return to more frequent blogging, perhaps a new year resolution?

Confession

2011-09-25T21:58:00.001+01:00

I suppose I am not the only Catholic who finds it hard to go to Confession; if the queues for Confession are anything to go by, it seems that very many of those whom I would recognise as parishioners, are absent at this weekly slot. Perhaps they too, experience that silkily persuasive inner voice which reminds them of the 101 things which need to be done, the fact that no major transgressions have taken place, or a fulsome reminder of virtuous accomplishments in hope of lulling the soul into a false sense of security and placing Confession somewhere low down on the priorities schedule.
If that doesn't work the next step often seems to be throwing confusion on attempts to examine the conscience. Did I do/say/will that?
Did I really, or is it just the product of an over-scrupulous conscience?
Am I trying to get myself off the hook? So, if I witnessed someone else do/say those things, would I believe it was wrongdoing or not? Surely it should be the same for me?
Is it sin that is so complicated, or is it me?

The only way to find out is to bring such issues to Confession; this is where a priest acting in the person of Christ, can bring light, forgiveness and healing.

I have recently been reading and re-reading ' The Warfare of the Soul' by Rev. Shirley Hughson, published I think, in 1909.So, this publication is over one hundred years old, yet as fresh as a daisy.
It feels a bit like holding up a mirror to the inner life, the spiritual life.

On Confession, and the temptation to almost despair of ever making progress in the spiritual life, Rev. Hughson has this to say:

"I do not know whether I have done this or not.I know not if my life is changed for the better,or if I am living more as Christ would have me live than I did a year ago.Moreover, I am not concerned to give you, God's enemy and mine, any answer to these questions. I have no account to render to you. But one thing I know; when I sin I can come back to Him. I kneel at His feet, I put my hands in His, I look up into those eyes brimming with love, and I say, 'Dear Lord, here is my poor heart all full of sin again; I lay it at Thy feet. Wash it in Thy Precious Blood, and make me strong to serve Thee better. I am sorry and I purpose to amend, but I am weak. Be Thou my strength; fight Thou against them that fight against me, and let me be the victor in the end.'

I speak to Him thus, and leave it all with Him. I sin again, and again I come and kneel at His feet;and though I have come daily to Him with the same burden, His embrace is never less tender, His words not less sweet, His eyes are ever full of the same old love.

Am I amending my life? I know not-He knows. Is my soul a saintlier thing than it was a year ago? I know not-He knows. All I know is that I love Him, and I want to love Him more; and that when I think on Him my heart is at peace,"

Are you still there!

2011-09-25T21:57:00.000+01:00

The last few weeks have been very busy on the domestic front, so much so that I have really had no time to construct a post. It's a poor excuse, I know, but the truth all the same.
With everyone back at school/college/university/seminary, I hope from now to be able to resume....and hope further that I still have some readers!

Communion in the hand

2011-08-22T18:46:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Orthometer

A partial comment on Fr Ray's post

2011-08-07T18:14:00.000+01:00

Hoodie available from Catholic with Attitude

In his latest post, 'Coercion', the great Fr. Ray Blake raises a number of questions about how Catholics who fall short of or deny aspects of Catholic teaching/practice, should be encouraged to live fully their Catholic Faith. Such encouragement, as the title of his post suggests, might involve a degree of insistence on the part of those who have authority over those subject to such authority.
I won't presume to comment on all the examples Fr. Ray gives, just the first one, because it falls within my sphere as a Catholic mother, to have authority and responsibility, jointly with my husband, for our children.

So, this is the question posed:
"Should a parent insist his child goes to Mass? Obviously if child is seven but what about seventeen?"

Catholics believe that the Sacrifice of the Mass is the source and summit of the Christian life (CCC1324). The action of the Holy Spirit during the Mass confers graces on those who are open to receiving them.
At every Mass, we, His creatures, are united with the ultimate sacrifice, the Sacrifice of God the Son, on Calvary. His life for our salvation.
At every Mass, Heaven touches earth and we are in the presence of Almighty God who loves us with a love which knows no bounds.
At every Mass, Jesus, the Son of God, desires to be united with us through our reception (in a state of grace) of Holy Communion.
Attending Mass is not an action done in isolation from living the Catholic life, as if being a Catholic only counts for one hour of the week. It is from the Mass that we receive the help we need to meet those difficulties, problems, challenges and crosses that He permits, before we meet Him next.
Perhaps we have a tendency to regard the gifts that the Lord would give us through the Mass as optional. Well, it is true that they are optional in the sense that we are not forced to receive them. God knocks at the door, we open the door, or leave it shut. But they are not optional in this sense: that God only gives us what we need to live a faithful life in an unfaithful world.By ourselves, we cannot live this life in preparation for the next life, the life of heaven, without His help. We are simply too weak.We need His help. The Mass, summit and source of Christian life, is where He chooses to give us this life giving help. We could think of it as kind of a spiritual life-support system.

On the particular question of a teenager who doesn't want to go to Mass...dare I say it....the trick is to not allow dissent to develop to a point where the teenager believes with confidence that he doesn't need the Mass.
Start early, no child is too young (and no teenager too old), to receive the gifts and graces available at the Mass.
Be the devout Mass attender that you want to encourage your children to be, explain the Mass to them (not during Mass) before, and after.
If necessary, (how can I put this delicately?) find a Mass which is offered in a most dignified way, and where the homilies do not patronise, tell us how wonderful we are, but challenge us to be the saints God wants us to be.
Have a strong prayer life at home. Daily prayer is essential, Organise things so the children have experience of leading family prayer. Make sure they are all involved in the daily prayer, let it become a habit. Remember Grace before and after meals. Don't think that you can't introduce spiritual topics during meals, of course you can! Encourage your children to join in the conversation.
Be vigilant about the influences in your child's life: friends, school, social media, books.Don't be afraid to insist that the book/film/website is unsuitable, but explain why.
Take care that your young children understand the importance of being sorry for wrongdoing, (receive their apologies gracefully), and when they are old enough, the primary importance of the great sacrament of Confession. Keeping your children close to the sacraments is as important as doing the same for yourself.
Use the saints!
Have some good quality spiritual reading at home, read it yourself and pass it on to your children.
Make sure to teach your children that everything they receive, including life itself, is a gift from God, who gives because He loves.

Back to the stroppy teenager; he needs to understand that when tempted to omit doing something which God through the Church, and through the legitimate authority of his parents, asks of him (going to Mass), such a refusal without a just cause i.e. illness, would be a kind of disobedience, and it would be sinful.
Yes, the 'S' word.
Sometimes you have to call a spade, a spade. To deliberately avoid Mass on Sunday is sinful. There, I've said it, but the Church said it first.

What would you do to avoid your child falling into a sinful habit such as Mass avoidance?

Rocco Buttiglione: A call for truth in politics

2011-08-07T13:48:00.000+01:00

photo courtesy of Fr.Ray Blake's blog

Leading Catholic political thinker calls on new generation to defend Christianity

By Deacon Nick,on August 4th,2011

Rocco Buttiglione,the vice-president of the Italian Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies,has called on a new generation of politicians to defend and promote Christianity. Rocco Buttiglione is widely known for having his nomination to the European Commission blocked for upholding Catholic teaching on homosexuality.
Rocco Buttiglione stated:

‘We need people with conscience in politics. And,I think the great reservoir of values today is in the Christian people and we must tell them,you must make politics,you must enter into politics,you must make with your hands the future of the land.

‘Good things have a high price,but they are worth it,of course. If you want to be Catholic in politics,sometimes you have to make sacrifices and value your conscience more than your position,more than your seat in politics. But,would you trust a man that put his political career higher than his conscience?’

‘I think that we very often forget that democracy is a very delicate creature,” he stated pointing toward the first flourishing of democracy in ancient Greece which collapsed after 171 years.

“And,what is the reason that Greek democracy died? Because of moral relativism,corruption,” he said adding that the moral relativists of today are,in fact,the intellectual descendents of the sophists of ancient Greece.

“Western democracies run the danger of dying because political activity is not based on principals.”

Despite the dire predictions,the 63-year-old academic and politician is not without hope for the future. The key to success,he said,lies with a five-letter word – truth.

“We must bring truth to politics again. We must be able to tell the truth to the people. Very often politicians don’t tell the truth. Very often politicians tell the people what they want to hear. And,what the people very often want to hear is not the truth.”

The Catholic News Agency reports:

‘Already several young Catholic politicians in Italy are responding to the challenge laid down by Buttiglione and others.
“Politics must be done by heroes,” said Simone Budini,the 24-year-old co-founder of a new Italian political party,Giovani Liberi e Forti (Young,Free and Strong). The new party is based on Catholic social principles.
“Heroes are men who are in politics because they love their city and they are ready to give their lives for their city. And,nowadays,we have the opposite example. We’ve got people who are ready to sell their city to have pleasure for their lives.”

Protect the Pope comment:

Ideology has replaced truth in western culture as soft totalitarianism becomes entrenched in political institutions,the judiciary,the media,health services,education,and even sections of the Church,such as dissenting development agencies,and dissenting clergy,for example in Austria,Ireland and England.
The response of compromised institutions to those who speak the truth is often silence,a refusal to even recognize those who speak the truth.
If people persist in speaking the truth then the compromised institutions start whispering campaigns,attempting to discredit the truth speakers by insinuations of fanaticism,even insanity.
The next response of compromised institutions is to ridicule and demonize those who speak the truth,to portray them as dangerous,unreasonable,and wicked.
Rocco Buttiglione is right when he says we need a new generation of Catholic politicians who have the courage to speak the truth,but we also need such courageous individuals in the Church,where sometimes the silence is deafening.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/european-politician-calls-new-generation-to-defend-christianity/

Thanks to Deacon Nick Donnelly of Protect the Pope

Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Hince!

2011-07-27T23:13:00.000+01:00

Photo by John Pollard
On Saturday 23rd July 2011, our daughter Maria, married Will Hince.
Their nuptial Mass took place in the stunningly beautiful Birmingham Oratory,( picture below thanks to Catholicism pure and simple).

The bride with her bridesmaids:

photo by Julie Hince

More pictures later as they become available....

Eucharistic Adoration Flashmob in Preston

2011-06-28T21:27:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Catholic Youthwork

Aid to the Church in Need : Petition

2011-06-27T17:39:00.000+01:00

Aid to the Church in Need, a great Catholic charity which supports Christians in many countries, will be presenting a petition to the (UK) Prime Minister in support of justice and human rights in Pakistan.

The petition reads:

We, the undersigned, petition the Prime Minister to call upon the government of Pakistan to take action to promote justice and equal human rights for all irrespective of faith or any other diversity.

The Blasphemy Law of Pakistan (sections 298A and 295 B&C of the penal code) is being used to settle personal vendettas. We ask that the Blasphemy Law provide universal protection for all faiths, with better auditing of authorities involved with its practical application, or that the law be repealed in its current form.

It would be great if as many as possible would sign the petition which is after all, just one small way of demonstrating our solidarity with Christians and other suffering minorities in Pakistan. Here is the link:
http://www.acnuk.org/pages/petition-signup.html

Invocation 2011

2011-06-22T15:49:00.000+01:00

There is lots more about Invocation 2011 at the website here , including a wonderful sermon, given during the final Mass of Invocation 2011, by Archbishop Antonio Mennini the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain.

Here's a little of what the Archbishop said:

In time we discover that the longing within us cannot be fulfilled by what we accumulate, experience, or by the power we wield. If we want happiness we must resist the temptation to act in ways that will alienate us from God and from our neighbour. Without God something will always be lacking. This was the experience of St Augustine who in his youth looked for excitement in external pleasures. It was only when he found that he remained unsatisfied and started to look within that he was able to recognise the presence of God and so discover true happiness and deep joy.

Never forget too, that when God calls us by name and asks us to follow him, he offers us true freedom, which is not just a freedom from..important though that be. Rather we are being offered a positive freedom and loved and trusted enough to be his workers in the world. God asks us, in the face of all that seems wrong in our world, to be positive, to build up his Kingdom and to change the world for the better. There is no place for pessimism here, for his call to each one of us is, in fact, liberation.

Our daughter's wedding....

2011-06-21T17:01:00.000+01:00

Will, if you're looking, this is NOT the dress!

.....Is now a matter of weeks away; and is one of the reasons that things have been rather quieter than usual on this blog.Some months ago, I offered to make my daughter's wedding dress, which we have designed from scratch as we couldn't find any dress patterns that she liked. It's almost there, now, and I have so enjoyed making it! (pictures to follow, after the big day)

Fr. John Corapi...

2011-06-21T16:41:00.000+01:00

The disturbing news about Fr. John Corapi is now all over the Catholic blogosphere, and I keep bumping into the many views and commentaries on what Fr. Corapi has done/hasn't done. Clearly, Fr. Corapi is in a difficult and dark place; and others are affected by the events which seem to epicentre on him.
I don't want to comment on reports about reports, but I do want to draw your attention to two of the most charitable posts I have read on this sad matter. Try Fr. Finigan and Fr. Zuhlsdorf, and if you can, remember to pray, pray and pray for priests.

Congratulations, Mary and David!

2011-06-09T15:47:00.000+01:00

My niece Mary, and her husband David, have announced the arrival of their first baby, a daughter, Margaret Mary.

As well as being a name that appears in several generations of my family, Margaret Mary is the name of the great saint who made known to the world the wish of Our Lord to be venerated under the title of the Divine Mercy.
The Church has always encouraged the faithful to name their children after saints because of the powers of intercession that saints have, and because, to use a modern phrase, saints are the real 'role models'.

St Margaret Mary Alacoque, now there is a patron!

Baby Margaret Mary has the further distinction of being the heaviest baby of my extended family (11lb12oz) as well as the first of this new generation.

So, now I'm a great-aunt.....

Abstain, be faithful, choose chastity, not condoms

2011-06-01T21:36:00.000+01:00

The Catholic Truth Society (CTS) will be shortly publishing a report about the world wide Aids crisis.

From The Catholic Herald:

The report, The Catholic Church and the Global Aids Crisis, cites research estimating that if, instead of condoms, fidelity and abstinence were promoted across sub-Saharan Africa some six million new infections would have been averted in less than a decade, with four million fewer Aids orphans created. Such programmes might have saved 3.2 million lives in South Africa alone from 2000 to 2010, and prevented 80 per cent of HIV infections in the hardest hit areas of the continent, the report says.

The overwhelming body of epidemiological evidence tells us that we have very little to show for all the investments in risk reduction measures, despite assurances that they were the indispensible solution to the problem,” said the author, Matthew Hanley, an American public health expert who has worked on HIV prevention programmes in Africa. “Many would be surprised to learn that condoms … have not delivered as promised in the fight against Aids.

“They have, quite simply, not accounted for declines in HIV prevalence that their advocates had expected. Though condoms have been the priority intervention, and been promoted time and time again, they have a rather poor track record in general – for Aids in Africa as well as a range of other sexually transmitted infections in the West. Quite simply, each of Africa’s declines in Aids rates are most attributable to … changes in sexual behaviour – especially fidelity or what the public health community sometimes calls ‘partner reduction’.”

Pope Benedict XVI was severely criticised after he publicly doubted the efficacy of condoms to combat Aids during a visit to Cameroon in 2009. Among the few public figures to defend him, however, was Professor Edward Green, an adviser to US President Barack Obama and the director of the Aids Prevention Research Project at Harvard University.
“The best evidence we have supports the Pope’s comments,” said Dr Green. (my emphasis)

Thanks to the Catholic Herald

Will not sin or Will try not to sin...

2011-05-31T23:34:00.000+01:00

I will not sin again

I will try not to sin again

When saying the act of contrition during Confession, I use the simple act of contrition which I was taught many years ago in preparation for 1st Confession:

O my God, because You are so good, I am heartily sorry that I have sinned against You and with the help of Your grace, I will not sin again.

I have always understood that the last words of this prayer, I will not sin again, show my intention at the moment of confession, to reject sin. At this precise, holy moment, it is my will that I do not commit any further sins.
Some years ago when I was saying this act of contrition at confession, the priest corrected me saying that as I would commit sins in the future, it would be better to substitute I will try not to sin again for the original words I will not sin again. This substitution would better reflect that owing to my fallen nature as a sinner, the likelihood is that that I will commit sins in the future.

I have found it difficult to go with this correction: 'try not to' seems a weaker intention than 'will not', and, to receive absolution , the penitent needs to express a firm intention (at the point of confession) to avoid sin (in the future), doesn't he?
In saying will not, the penitent fully intends at the present moment, not to fall into future sin, even though he realises that he may eventually succumb to temptation......in which case he would seek the Sacrament of Confession at the earliest opportunity, and having confessed, make an act of contrition, in which he would restate his intention not to sin again.

Mary's Meals - feeding over half a million children

2011-05-23T22:28:00.001+01:00

Mary's Meals - The Difference A Meal Makes from Mary's Meals on Vimeo.

Check out the new website of this excellent charity.

The Pastoral care of couples who are cohabitating...

2011-05-23T13:37:00.000+01:00

Archbishop Sheehan

I probably wouldn't have come across this letter had it not been pointed out to me, (thanks J), and it is a great letter because it gives clear, authoritative and succinct direction (no waffle) to any Catholic party affected by the monster that has insinuated itself into the precious, intimate, God ordered relationship, that we call the vocation of marriage, between man and woman.

Most Reverend Michael J. Sheehan, Archbishop of the Diocese of Santa Fe, has written to his flock on the subject of the pastoral care of couples who are cohabitating.

Here's a snippet, with some emphasis and (comment in brackets) from me.

" there are only two lifestyles that are acceptable to Jesus Christ for His disciples: a single life of chastity or the union of man and woman in the sacrament of Matrimony. (the Bishop reminds us that it's about conforming ourselves to Christ, not Christ to us. I note that matrimony itself is also understood as a chaste lifestyle unmarked by adultery, infidelity)
There is no third way possible for a Christian. The Bible and the Church teach that marriage is between one man and one woman and opposes same sex unions." (You are either married or you are not)

" We have three groups of people who are living contrary to the Gospel teaching on marriage: those who cohabit, those who have a merely civil union with no previous marriage; and those who have a civil union
who were married before.These people are objectively living in a state of mortal sin and may not receive Holy Communion.They are in great spiritual danger.(Does that sound urgent?)

At the best and this is, sadly, often the case, they are ignorant of God's plan for man and woman.(And they are ignorant because...) At the worst, they are contemptuous of God's commandments and His Sacraments.
(how often is this 'contemptuous' related to this 'ignorance'?)

Archbishop Sheehan reminds his flock that "Christ loves all these people and wishes to save them not by ignoring their sin or calling evil good but by repentance and by helping them to change their lives in accordance with His teaching."
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Christ cannot ignore sin: it is dangerous and, unchecked, leads to a separation of the soul from the life giving source of grace, God. Without God, separated from Him, we have nothing, we are nothing.Our situation could not be worse.
The tool that is used to make judgements about, and discern, what is good and what is evil, is the conscience, given to us by God for that purpose.We have a duty to educate our conscience in accordance and in the light of the teaching of the Church.
Calling evil good, evil which the Church has always taught is evil, creates confusion and distortion in the conscience.Anyone who, in the name of the Church, distorts its teaching, in such a way as to make what is evil appear as a good, does a grave injustice to those who hear him.

These are serious matters, and the Archbishop is right to show such concern for his people by employing
a truly pastoral approach which encourages people to look at their situations, in the context of the truth about marriage, instituted by God, and taught by the Church through the ages.We can and should, hope and pray that more Bishops will emulate him.

Blessed John Paul II commemorated as..... a bus shelter?

2011-05-19T19:02:00.001+01:00

I just don't get it....

Fr. Finigan has all the details

Admissions criteria in Catholic Schools: Round II?

2011-05-09T18:48:00.000+01:00

Damian Thompson has an interesting piece concerning the admissions (oversubscription) criteria of a leading Catholic school -The London Oratory School.
It seems that the London Oratory School revised its oversubscription criteria.

So,where the Oratory School previously had followed the advice of the Diocese of Westminster's Education bosses,(see what Cardinal Vaughan School's parents thought of this advice, here and here), it seems it will now be asking prospective parents about their committment to parish life, over and above Sunday Mass attendance. The idea, I think, would be that parents and families who are demonstrably committed to the Catholic faith, might be prioritised ahead of those who are, well, er, not.

The London Oratory School, unlike Cardinal Vaughan School, is not run by the Diocese of Westminster Education Department, which presumably puts it in a stronger position to make its own mind up, when it comes to decisions about whom to admit.
At least, I hope so.

While I was waiting for the rice to cook....

2011-05-02T18:00:00.001+01:00

.....I picked up a Catholic diary, one of those pocket sized, plastic covered mini books which are distributed by parishes all over the UK, at about Christmas time.
They usually contain some helpful information including which cycle the Sunday readings/weekday readings are from, feastdays, days which are marked 'Feria', the address of the local church and its Mass/confession times, Parish Priest contact details and in this case, notable dates for the year 2011.

Among the notable dates are bank holidays, important days within the liturgical calendar such as Easter Sunday, days of national importance such as the Queen's birthday and .......the first day of Ramadan.

So there you have it: there is no excuse for Catholics in my area at least, to neglect the Muslim season of Ramadan, which apparently begins on 1/8/11, even if they did think they were going on holiday!

Blessed John Paul II

2011-05-02T16:42:00.000+01:00

"Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed! Continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. Amen." -from the closing words of Pope Benedict's beatification homily

Thanks to the Catholic Herald

Christ is Risen

2011-04-25T22:12:00.000+01:00

Christ is Risen Alleluia!

I hope all readers have had a very happy and Holy Easter and that God's blessings may continue throughout this joyful Eastertide.
I have been very busy-no time at all time to post anything over the last week or so, or catch up on other blogs. I'd love to add that the busyness was because we all attended every Holy Week Mass, liturgy or service available as special effort for the holiest week of the year, but it was not so.

It seems God had a different Holy Week in mind for us.
Our eldest had a respiratory crisis in the small hours of Tuesday morning: gasping for breath, a grey/blue pallor hovering over his face.
The ambulance staff arrived very promptly with oxygen mask, suction kit, blood tests and heart monitor.They whisked us off to A+E where he and I spent the rest of the night: more blood tests, X-ray and various monitoring machines.
He was admitted to a ward and treated for a chest infection- antibiotics, paracetamol, physiotherapy and continued with the oxygen throughout the next few days.
And, thank God, the treatment worked!
So, we're home again taking special care of our eldest son who, we are advised, is at risk of further respiratory crises, owing to his complex disabilities and health needs.

Please remember him in your prayers, if possible, at Holy Mass.

What does the 'Youcat' really say?

2011-04-13T19:44:00.000+01:00

I suppose I'm just too simple really....

Just about everybody who isn't a Catholic knows the Catholic Church teaches that the use of contraception is considered sinful. They might not agree with the Church on this matter, but that isn't the point.

How is it that when the Church publishes a 'youth Catechism' aimed at those who will attend World Youth Day in Madrid this year, different language translations come up with such errors as this?

Who does the proof-reading?

Just asking..,,,

'Not responding'...'.waiting for'.....'cannot find the server'....

2011-04-12T22:28:00.000+01:00

Picture from eHow

There are some very interesting developments in blogland at present, the Vatican blognic, an alternative (also Roman) blognic, and a proposed Guild of Catholic Bloggers.
My humble laptop chooses this moment, when I might prefer to post some updates about these things, to display disorderly symptoms, extreme sluggishness and a frequent sulky refusal to connect to the internet.

I'll have to take some action- show who's boss and all that.
Apologies meanwhile, for scanty posting while I try to get things sorted out.

Something to do with de-fragging...? maybe..?
Speak to the nice people in the computer shop.

Thanks to Fr Finigan, Orwell's Picnic and A Reluctant Sinner

Bishop Alan Hopes to lead pro-Life Vigil

2011-04-06T18:17:00.000+01:00

This really good news comes from Maria Stops Abortion.

Bishop Alan Hopes, an Auxiliary Bishop in the Diocese of Westminster, is to lead a pro- life prayer witness outside a BPAS abortuary in Twickenham, this month.

I know of one other UK Bishop who has attended a pro-life vigil such as this, Bishop McMahon of Brentwood.
We all understand that Bishops have heavy schedules and responsibilities. The needs are very great in every diocese. Time is often short, therefore things have to be prioritised.
How great it is therefore, that Bishop Hopes has made time in his heavy workload to give this witness, he has prioritised the need to pray for the victims of abortion, and for the conversion of those who perpetrate this evil.

Thank you, Bishop Hopes, may your witness be emulated widely.

April Fools?

2011-04-01T10:19:00.000+01:00

Here are my five contenders for the best April Fools' day stories:

1) Council survey about speed bumps asks about sexual preferences

2)Daughter cut out of mother's will over the name of a child

3)Annual 'life chance' tests proposed for population aged under 30

4) Youngster who almost died after being impaled on railings told to pay for damage

5)Education Chiefs write note to pupils with 15 mistakes in 52 words

You couldn't make it up, could you?

Michael Voris on 'Taliban' Catholics

2011-03-29T18:42:00.001+01:00

Ok, you know who you are!
Thanks to Linen on the hedgerow

Cell lines from aborted babies used in food flavour enhancing tests

2011-03-29T17:37:00.005+01:00

"LARGO, Florida, March 29, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pepsico, Kraft Foods, Campbell Soup, Solae and Nestlé are among the corporations partnered with a biotech company found using aborted fetal cell lines to test food flavor enhancers.

The internationally recognized biotech company, Senomyx, boasts innovation and success in “flavour programs” designed to reduce MSG, sugar and salt in food and beverage products. Senomyx notes their collaborators provide them research and development funding plus royalties on sales of products using their flavor ingredients.

Pro-life watchdog group, Children of God for Life (CGL), has called upon the public to target the major corporations in a boycott, unless the company ceases to use aborted fetal cell lines in their product testing.

“Using isolated human taste receptors,” the Senomyx website claims, “we created proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems that provide a biochemical or electronic readout when a flavor ingredient interacts with the receptor.”

“What they do not tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors,” stated Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director for CGL, the watch dog group that has been monitoring the use of aborted fetal material in medical products and cosmetics for years."

Lynn Stratton, freelance writer and independent investigative reporter based in the U.S. sheds some further light on the activities of Senomyx, including its collaborating companies, i.e. Nestle, Cadbury, Tropicana, Campbell Soup and others, here

And as she further points out, it's all about making money:

And why is Senomyx collaborating with the largest companies on the planet? From an annual report dated February of this year: "Our current collaboration agreements provide that we will receive royalties of up to 4% on our collaborators' sales of retail and food service products, and in some cases higher on our collaborators' sales of ingredient supplies containing our flavor ingredients." I recommend taking a look at that document (a link follows this article), especially Page 5, where you'll see that Senomyx has noted that worldwide sales of products that might potentially include their products are in the hundreds of billions. So 4% of that is, let's see . . . a lot.

Thanks to Lifesitenews and Lynn Stratton

Update:

Campbell Soup has said it is no longer in partnership with Senomyx
Source: Catholic Culture

Go Sisters!

2011-03-28T22:39:00.000+01:00

I've just found the blog iBenedictines, and it looks very good.

From iBenedictines 'about' page:

"The World seen from the Cloister . . .
This is a blog written by Benedictine nuns from Holy Trinity Monastery, East Hendred, UK. We prefer to call ourselves cloistered rather than enclosed because the word “enclosed” may suggest a closed mind. We have a special interest in using contemporary technology to reach out to people who would never otherwise come to the monastery.
Our community web site is at http://www.benedictinenuns.org.uk (desktop and large-screen devices) and at http://www.benedictinenuns.net (small-screen mobile devices). Our Online Retreat Service will be found at http://www.onlineretreats.org."

Thanks to the Anchoress

Archbishop Dolan on the seriousness of sin

2011-03-24T21:48:00.000Z

From St. Patrick's Day Pastoral letter to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of New York:
+ Timothy M. Dolan
Archbishop of New York

"If the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance are at the very heart of the Christian life, why is the latter neglected? It is a lamentable characteristic of the Church’s life in our time. Almost thirty years ago, soon to be Blessed Pope John Paul II convoked a Synod of Bishops addressed to the very topic of Reconciliation and Penance in the Mission of the Church. The penetrating analysis of the Holy Father’s subsequent apostolic exhortation retains its force today. He wrote in 1984 that, in an age when God is pushed to the margins, the awareness of our need for forgiveness will diminish, for “the loss of the sense of sin is thus a form or consequence of the denial of God: not only in the form of atheism but also in the form of secularism.”[4]

We do not only observe a diminishing sense of sin in the secular culture around us. We find it in the Church herself. Perhaps it is an over-reaction to an earlier period, as the late Holy Father suggests:

“Some are inclined to replace exaggerated attitudes of the past with other exaggerations: From seeing sin everywhere they pass to not recognizing it anywhere; from too much emphasis on the fear of eternal punishment they pass to preaching a love of God that excludes any punishment deserved by sin; from severity in trying to correct erroneous consciences they pass to a kind of respect for conscience which excludes the duty of telling the truth.”[5]

Fair enough. Not everything was perfect decades ago when most Catholics routinely went to confession – perhaps too routinely. But whatever problems existed in the 1950s are now a half-century in the past, and subsequent generations have grown up without any knowledge of whatever excesses may have existed. They have indeed grown up without what belongs to them as part of the patrimony as Catholics – the liberating, joyful experience of God’s mercy in the sacrament of penance.

We receive the gift of mercy to the extent that we realize our need for it. We desire forgiveness only if we acknowledge the seriousness of sin. The recently-beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman expressed the magnitude of sin with his characteristic literary force:

“The Catholic Church holds it better for the sun and moon to drop from heaven, for the earth to fail, and for all the many millions on it to die of starvation in extremest agony, as far as temporal affliction goes, than that one soul, I will not say, should be lost, but should commit one single venial sin, should tell one wilful untruth, or should steal one poor farthing without excuse.”[6]

Do we think today that Blessed John Henry Newman is right? How many of us would argue that opposite – that a little sin here and there is no big deal? How many, both inside and outside of the Church, argue that a little sin here and there is worth this technological advance, or that public policy goal, or is an acceptable means to some desired end? As someone jokingly observed to me, “It’s the Lamb of God, not our culture, that’s supposed to take away the sins of the world!”

We just heard this past Sunday, the First Sunday of Lent, the account of the temptations of the Lord Jesus. Satan offers to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would just bow down in worship. A little “devil worship” and Jesus would have the whole world! Wouldn’t that be more efficient than God’s own plan – the passion, death, resurrection, ascension, Pentecost, and two thousand years of evangelization? But no sin is worth even all the kingdoms of the world.

Blessed Cardinal Newman is only one in a tradition of saints who have spoken with great ferocity about the horror we should have for sin – including our own beloved Saint Patrick, who emphasized the essential role of penance in his conversion of Ireland.

We can speak so boldly about the horror of sin because the good news is that the Lord Jesus did not just die for sin in general, but for my sins, and yours. So our horror at sin should be accompanied by a serene confidence that forgiveness is ours should we ask for it with true contrition. Together with Saint Paul we can give thanks that where sin increases, grace abounds all the more (cf. Romans 5:20)! We’re not “hung-up” on guilt and sin; no, we’re obsessed with God’s mercy."

The Church in the public square: Bishop Crispian Way

2011-03-15T21:06:00.000Z

"The road outside Bishop’s House, Portsmouth and St John’s Cathedral was re-named Bishop Crispian Way on Sunday, to mark his forthcoming retirement after 22 years service.

The road naming was a surprise for the Bishop and was revealed to him after Mass on Sunday morning by the Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson.

Bishop Hollis was installed as the seventh Bishop of Portsmouth on 27 January 1989.

Bishop Crispian said: "I am overwhelmed by the honour that is being done to me by the renaming of what I might call our section of Edinburgh Rd. As far as I know, no such honour has been done to any of my predecessors and I am still at a little bit of a loss to know what I have done to deserve this honour.

"I have now lived in the city of Portsmouth for nearly 23 years and I have come to love it as my home. I have always tried to engage myself in the life of the wider community of the city and when the time comes for me to leave, I will do so with great sadness.

But I don't want to dwell on that today. Suffice it to say that I thank the Leader of the Council and his colleagues for the honour that they do me and the honour that they do to the whole diocese at the heart of which is our great city of Portsmouth."

Congratulations to Bishop Crispian on receiving this well deserved honour.
I wonder if other councils are contemplating similar honours for Catholic bishops who are likely to retire over the next few months or years?
Might we see a Bishop Thomas Avenue, or a Bishop Christopher Close, or possibly an Archbishop Patrick Walk?

Thanks to Independent Catholic News

Equalities and Conscience Petition

2011-03-12T19:38:00.000Z

An Equalities and Conscience Petition has been launched by Christian Concern, following the recent case of Owen and Eunice Johns.

The Petition reads:

Recent Equalities legislation and its interpretation in the courts has led to several individuals who hold to mainstream Christian teaching being barred from different areas of public life and employment, running counter to our country’s long heritage of Freedom of Conscience, and creating a serious obstacle to the Christian community's full and active involvement in the Big Society initiative.

We call on the Prime Minister to act decisively to address this situation, securing the change necessary to ensure that the law provides a basis for widespread involvement in serving society whilst properly upholding the dignity of every individual, including those who seek to live with integrity to Christian conscience and teaching.

(The petition can be downloaded and printed, so if you are feeling brave, you might ask your parish priest to give it some space at the back of the church).

Lent

2011-03-10T21:02:00.000Z

O Jesus who for love of me
did bear Thy cross to Calvary
in Thy sweet mercy grant to me
to suffer and to die with Thee

I remember this prayer from my childhood, it was said during the Stations of the Cross, between stations, as the priest walked from one to the next. I knew the prayer by heart, but, as a small child, I was a little worried about the 'suffer and die with Thee' part, imagining the pain and torture of death by crucifixion. So, there was always a certain reserve in the way I prayed: how could God want me to suffer and die a horrible death? After all, He loves me. When you love someone you want good things for him/her: in my childish mind, good things were always nice things-sweets, treats, trips out and so on. It would not occur to me until sometime later that suffering can be a blessing in disguise, almost always so, when freely undertaken for the love of God.
The season of Lent calls us to accept freely a degree of suffering through renunciation of self. We deny ourselves something that we enjoy or find pleasurable. Choosing to 'give up' or deny ourselves, helps us on the road to gaining mastery over our selfish desires. It teaches us to say 'no' to our own will and 'yes' to God's will for us.
For many of us, I suspect, the 'giving up' of something for Lent can mean certain savings to the wallet or purse.In Lent, we are often encouraged to donate what we have saved to charity, which is one way to help others. On that subject, I agree with Fr. Ray Blake:

"One of the things that annoys me is that Lenten discipline; fasting, abstaining, even almsgiving, has been taken over by Catholic aid agencies. Despite sharing many people's problems with Cafod, I have to ask where else do we send money for emergency relief?
I do resent the notion that fasting and abstainence should be presented, especially in our schools, in terms of the cash value to aid charities. "I fast in order to save, in order to give to an orgainisation that gives to the poor", has a hint of commercialisation, literally the cash value of fasting.
Primarily fasting and abstainence are acts of worship, they go together with prayer. A by product is a strengthening of the will, a cutting loose of ties that bind us to Self, much less important might or might not be more spare cash, health benefits etc. Almsgiving is important too but Jesus expects us to use it as a way of getting involved with the poor, using a "agency" of some kind seems a bit like "buying in services" to distance ourselves from face to face giving."

Happy Lent to all readers- just think of the riches you will be storing up in Heaven by self denial and the taking up of your cross to follow Jesus!

News of the Ordinariate in the Southwest

2011-03-07T14:37:00.000Z

Southwest Ordinariate Clergy give notice of their resignations

"As part of the preparation for the Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham arising in the West Country the following stipendiary clergy gave notice of their resignations at their parish churches today, Sunday 6^th March. They are as follows:

Rev Fr David Lashbrooke, Vicar of St Mary's, Marychurch and pastor of the Torbay Ordinariate group who will be attached to the Catholic Church of the Holy Angels, Chelston (TQ2 6BP). Tel 01803 329054. The group will be meeting this Ash Wednesday at Holy Angels for 7pm Mass.

Rev Fr John Greatbatch, Vicar of St Paul, Charlestown, St Austell and pastor of the St Austell Ordinariate group who will be attached to St. Augustine of Hippo, St Austell. Tel 01726 73838.

Rev Fr Ian Hellyer, Rector of the United Benefice of Moretonhampstead, Manaton, North Bovey and Lustleigh, and also Priest-in-charge of St John's, Bovey Tracey, and pastor of the Buckfast Ordinariate group who will be attached to Buckfast Abbey. Tel 01626 833451 or email: swordinariate@btinternet.com The group will be meeting for mass on Ash Wednesday at Buckfast Abbey (12noon) or Chelston, Holy Angels (7pm) or in local catholic parish churches. The group is also meeting on Thursday at 2pm (contact us for more details), and for Sunday Mass at Buckfast Abbey at 10.30am.

Rev Fr Simon Chinery, Asst Curate of St Peter and the Holy Apostles, Plymouth, and assistant pastor of Torbay Ordinariate group meeting at Holy Angels, Chelston (see above).

God-willing they will be ably assisted by four 'retired' clergy also entering the ordinariate in the area, including Fr Robin Ellis (former Archdeacon) and Fr Colin Furness. It is estimated between 50-80 members of the laity of all ages will be joining them.

The Rite of Election held at Plymouth Cathedral (Sunday 13^th March, 3pm) will also welcome the prospective members of the Ordinariate for the first time."

The Southwest Ordinariate blog has a number of final sermons and statements from Anglican clergy in the region who have now resigned their offices, starting with one given yesterday by Fr. Lashbroke. He includes the main reason for his decision to join the Ordinariate:

"I believe that The Church is not a human institution but a gift of God perfectly expressed on that wonderful day of Pentecost. I believe that bishops are the successors to the Apostles and that Saint Peter and his successors have a unique role within The Church. I believe God calls the bishops to lead and to help us be faithful to all that we have received especially what we receive through Word and Sacrament.I believed that through our ordination rites the Church of England, with the exception of the Petrine Ministry, held that view. I believed that with the work of ARCIC and with The Papal visit in 1982 that the Church of England was serious in her desire to find unity again and anything less than the full visible unity of The Church is not good enough as The Church should reflect the perfect unity of The Trinity and should strive ‘to be one’ and anything less is a scandal.

However, this important desire for unity became sidelined when a new understanding emerged within The General Synod and over these last years the General Synod has taken powers upon itself which it had no right to do which has moved us further away from unity. Many are now of the opinion that The Church of England is ‘Episcopally led and synodically governed’ and that the power is within The Synod and in 2010 The Synod refused to listen to the Archbishops and was not prepared to be episcopally led Like other parts of the Anglican Communion The Synod is paying scant regard to Scripture and Tradition and is consequently making decisions that both the Catholic and Orthodox Church regard as moving the prospect of visible unity further and further away. I believe that Synod is trying to make The Church conform to the culture rather than being faithful to New Life found in Jesus Christ."

May God bless these clergy who have in this particular way, left everything to follow Christ. May they find a warm welcome in the Catholic Church and may God richly reward their trust in the Lord who calls them to

" Follow Me".

"Britain is now leading Europe in intolerance against religious belief.”

2011-02-28T20:52:00.000Z

image courtesy of Being is Good

The Christian Legal Centre reports on today's High Court ruling in the case of a Christian couple who wished to foster, but were refused by their local authority because the couple were not willing to promote homosexuality to a young child:

"In a landmark judgment, which will have a serious impact on the future of fostering and adoption in the UK, the High Court has suggested that Christians with traditional views on sexual ethics are unsuitable as foster carers, and that homosexual ‘rights’ trump freedom of conscience in the UK. The Judges stated that Christian beliefs on sexual ethics may be ‘inimical’ to children, and they implicitly upheld an Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) submission that children risk being ‘infected’ by Christian moral beliefs.

Today’s ruling relates to the dispute between married couple Eunice and Owen Johns and Derby City Council. The Johns applied to the Council in 2007 to foster a child but the Council blocked their application because they objected that the Johns were not willing to promote the practise of homosexuality to a young child. In November 2010 both parties jointly asked the Court to rule on whether the Johns were able to foster children, or whether they could be excluded from doing so under equality law because of their Christian beliefs.

Today (28th February) that judgment has been released. The judges declined to make the statement that the Johns, wanting to re-establish their fostering application, had sought. Instead, the judgment strongly affirms homosexual rights over freedom of conscience and leaves the Johns currently unable to foster a child as desired, despite their proven track record as foster parents. There now appears to be nothing to stop the increasing bar on Christians who wish to adopt or foster children but who are not willing to compromise their beliefs by promoting the practise of homosexuality to small children.

The nature of the judgment means that Christians who hold orthodox Christian views on the family, marriage and sexuality will continue to face difficulties in the fostering and adoption process and the Courts will not intervene to stop this from happening. In fact, the summary contained in the judgment sends out the clear message that orthodox Christian ethical beliefs are potentially harmful to children and that Christian parents with mainstream Christian views are not suitable to be considered as potential foster parents.

In their judgment, the judges stated:

• That if children are placed with parents who have traditional Christian views like the Johns “there may well be a conflict with the local authority’s duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children”, [1]

• That there is a tension between the equality provisions concerning religious discrimination and those concerning sexual orientation. Yet, as regards fostering, “the equality provisions concerning sexual orientation should take precedence”, [2]

• That a local authority can require positive attitudes to be demonstrated towards homosexuality, [3]

• That there is no religious discrimination against the Johns because they were being excluded from fostering due to their moral views on sexual ethics and not their Christian beliefs (This is incredible and very disingenuous as the Johns moral views cannot be separated from their religious beliefs), [4] and

• That “Article 9 [of the European Human Rights Act] only provides a ‘qualified’ right to manifest religious belief and ... this will be particularly so where a person in whose care a child is placed wishes to manifest a belief that is inimical to the interests of children”. [5]

Equality and Human Rights Commission

The tax payer funded EHRC played an important role in this judgment. They intervened in the Johns case, and they suggested to the Court that a child should not, in their own words, be ‘infected’ with Christian moral beliefs. Suggesting that Christian moral beliefs on sexual ethics could ‘infect’ children is an extraordinary position for a statutory body to take. It is also deeply insulting both to the Johns, who have a proven track record of successfully raising children, and to Christians in general."

THE HIGH COURT IMPLICITLY UPHELD THIS SUBMISSION BY THE EHRC.

Johns Reaction

The judgment was greeted with disbelief and sadness today by Eunice and Owen Johns. In a statement, the couple said:
“We wanted to offer a loving home to a child in need. But because of this ruling we are unsure how we can continue the application process. We have been excluded because we have moral opinions based on our faith, and a vulnerable child has now probably missed the chance of finding a safe and caring home. We do not believe that our ordinary Christian moral views are infectious, contrary to what the Equality and Human Rights Commission believes. Being a Christian is not a crime and should not stop us from raising children. Today, it looks as though a child has missed out on a home.”

Christian Legal Centre Reaction

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre said:

“The Johns are a mild mannered, ordinary Christian couple, yet they may never be able to foster children again. They were willing to love a child regardless of sexual orientation, but not willing to tell a young child that practising homosexuality was a positive thing. Now, a child has likely missed out on finding a home, at a time when there is a desperate shortage of willing parents.

“Eunice and Owen Johns have been humiliated and sidelined and told by a Government body (the EHRC) that their mainstream Christian views might “infect” children. They have also effectively been told by British Judges that their views may harm children.

“The Judges have claimed that there was no discrimination against the Johns as Christians because they were being excluded from fostering due to their sexual ethics and not their Christian beliefs. This claim that their moral beliefs on sex have nothing to do with their Christian faith is a clear falsehood made in order to justify their ruling. How can the Judges get away with this?

“What has happened to the Johns is part of a wider trend seen in recent years. The law has been increasingly interpreted by Judges in a way which favours homosexual rights over freedom of conscience. Significant areas of public life are now becoming out of bounds to Christians who do not want to compromise their beliefs. If Christian morals are harmful to children and unacceptable to the State, then how many years do we have before natural children start being taken away from Christians?

“At the Christian Legal Centre our clients have included, amongst many others, a nurse suspended for offering prayer; a Council worker suspended for talking about God to a client, a teacher suspended for offering prayer; a nurse forced off frontline nursing because she wouldn’t take off her cross. We have dealt with Civil Registrars who have been demoted because they did not want to officiate at civil partnerships, and a Christian counsellor who lost his job for not wanting to give sex therapy to homosexuals. In the last few years, several Catholic adoption agencies have been forced to close because they refused to place children with homosexual couples.

“There is a great imbalance in the law at the moment, resulting in ordinary people suffering. The situation must be addressed by Parliament as the Judiciary have failed to stand for civil liberties but have capitulated to the agenda of the homosexual rights lobby. We cannot have a society where you are excluded just because you don’t agree with the sexual ethics of the homosexual lobby. Britain is now leading Europe in intolerance against religious belief.”

The Catholic Pick-up line song!

2011-02-24T16:16:00.000Z

Lifted at Harrogate

2011-02-17T18:11:00.000Z

Lifted@Harrogate 2011

"Fri, 02/18/2011 - 18:00 - Sun, 02/20/2011 - 14:00

The count-down begins.... for Lifted@Harrogate! Don't miss out

Does your faith need a kick start? Are you looking for a weekend with a difference?

Would you like to meet new people?

Yes?... then come to Lifted@Harrogate - Starts Friday 18^th February at 6pm

A Youth 2000 weekend for young adults – with a difference!

Time for discussion, deepening faith and meeting other young people! The inspiring talks will help us to understand different aspects of our faith, the adoration and the lively music will give us new ways to pray and the workshops on real life issues will challenge us and help us see how faith can be part of everyday life... Come along - be lifted! We can’t wait to see you there."

More information at the Youth2000 website

We are off to Harrogate tomorrow, for this Youth2000 weekend retreat, the young folk can't wait......got to go and pack....
....and thanks to my lovely husband, who made a great job of cleaning the campervan ready for the journey.
Campervan? Well yes, it's spacious, very comfortable (particularly in the driving seat), on long journeys, and caters very well to our disabled daughter's needs.

Southwark Vocations blog back on blogger!

2011-02-14T20:56:00.000Z

I knew there was a reason for the delay in facelifting/springcleaning my blog!

Now I don't have to find the link to the newly re-activated Southwark Vocations blog, which I never got round to deleting when Fr Stephen took the blog to Apple. It's still there, or indeed, here!

Why has Southwark Vocations come back to blogger?

Fr Stephen explains:

"Over the last few months many people have asked me what has happened to the Blog? The answer is surprisingly mundane: having updated the website on Apple's excellent iWeb, I found I couldn't update the newly integrated Blog unless I was at the office computer. This meant that a lot of potentially interesting posts got delayed and eventually the Blog fell into disuse.
However, since so many people have asked me, and since quite a few have said they found it helpful, I've decided to go back to the more flexible Blogger in order to start posting again."

Welcome back Fr. Stephen!

Did I miss something?

2011-02-14T19:11:00.000Z

Is it April Fools' Day?

'Food fight' parties - when things don't go according to plan, there's always plan B- recourse to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Has someone informed 'elf 'n'safety?

Thanks to the Daily Telegraph

How to write a love letter....(a man's guide)

2011-02-14T18:08:00.001Z

If you haven't already penned a beautiful, heartfelt, St. Valentine's Day declaration of your love for your wife/fiancee, or the woman you hope to persuade to become your wife, help is at hand,(and there's still time).
Here's the how-to...

Get busy now!

Thanks to First Things

Una Voce report on the Implementation of Summorum Pontificum

2011-02-09T13:09:00.001Z

Una Voce has presented its report on the progress of the implementation of Summorum Pontificum, to the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, In fact it was presented last September, and thanks to Laurence England, , I just found it.
I haven't read the entire report yet, just looked at those parts which pertain to the UK.

As part of its report, Una Voce commissioned a UK survey, conducted by a professional and independent institution, the results of which show that 43% of weekly Mass goers would attend the Traditional Mass if it were offered in their parish.
For those who attend Mass every week together with those who attend Mass one a month, the percentage rises sharply to 66.4%.
60% of Catholics are still not aware of the Motu Proprio's existence,

I certainly would not have known about the existence of the Motu Proprio, had it not been for the Catholic blogs! It hasn't received publicity in my parish, and not as far as I am aware, in my diocese.

One sometimes hears of priests being told that they cannot 'advertise' the Traditional Mass in the Parish newsletter-why not, if not to discourage attendance?
Some enquirers are still being told that there would need to be 25+ attendees for a Traditional Mass to be offered.
Mostly, there is just silence on the matter.

The best source of information regarding the local availability of the Traditional Mass is still the Latin Mass Society.

Among Una Voce's conclusions:

"In Great Britain as elsewhere, the argument resting on the lack of interest among the Faithful for the application of the Motu Proprio is unfair. When their point of view is solicited in an opinion poll, the results are quite different to those obtained when one merely speaks in their name...all the while taking care not to consult them, unless it's through parish councils, which as a matter of principle(whether because of ideology, fear or simple post-conciliar conservatism) are not inclined to favour the reform of the reform undertaken by Benedict XV1."

"Above all, this new survey underscores the(in this case British) Bishops' astounding deficiency-to put the best face on it-when it comes to communication.Indeed a full three years after the publication of the Motu Proprio on 7th July 2007, only 40% have been informed of it. In fact one must call a spade a spade, particularly in so serious a matter as liturgical and sacramental life: in Britain as elsewhere, the issue is pastoral blindness to the expectations of the Faithful. This blindness on the part of the Bishops has once again been measured and put into figures."

Communication:
(def. Oxford Dictionaries)

Pronunciation:/kəmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/

noun

1 [mass noun] the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium:television is an effective means of communicationat the moment I am in communication with London
[count noun] a letter or message containing information or news.
the successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings:there was a lack of communication between Pamela and her parents
social contact:she gave him some hope of her return , or at least of their future communication
2 (communications) means of sending or receiving information, such as telephone lines or computers:satellite communications[as modifier] :a communications network
[treated as singular] the field of study concerned with the transmission of information.
3 (communications) means of travelling or of transporting goods, such as roads or railways:a city providing excellent road and rail communications

Who's next in the facelift yer blog mexican wave?

2011-02-06T18:20:00.000Z

It might be me!

Well, mine is beginning to look quite tatty by comparison with so many including this one and this and this, and plenty others, too.
Sooo... I'm going to spend a little time looking at what can be done..

Light text/dark screen, dark text/light screen, I get that bit.
Background picture of my choice, yes, I can do that.
Wibiya toolbar......what....um?
We'll see.

Whatever happens, and to almost quote Fr. Finigan, 'It'll still be the same blog'!

Prayer request

2011-02-06T17:53:00.000Z

Of your charity, please say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Kathleen, my husband's aunt, who died yesterday.
Kathleen lived to the grand age of 91, she was a lovely woman and a great mother, who was widowed when her children were still young. Despite the grief of bereavement and the challenges of motherhood combined with widowhood, Kathleen continued to dedicate her life to her family, her sons and daughter, eventually making her home with one of her sons, together with his wife and children.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.
Amen

Cardinal Vaughan Prayer Vigil on Youtube

2011-02-04T11:41:00.000Z

600 people, parents, Old Vaughnians and young people left the Governors in no doubt that:

" This school should be protected, cherished, left free to continue to do the fantastic job of educating young Catholics that it's done for nearly 100 years. This legacy, this inheritance, cannot be sacrificed on the altar of here today, gone tomorrow ideology and social engineering. This is too precious to squander. It must be guarded, protected, cherished and maintained, now, and in the years to come."

And, one might add, emulated as widely as possible in the Catholic Education world.

Are the Governors/Westminster Catholic Education Service listening?

'The boys stand up when anyone enters the classroom..'

2011-02-02T18:58:00.000Z

BBC News has some coverage of the ongoing dispute about the Vaughan School opening with:

"The Vaughan in Holland Park feels like a grammar school (grammar schools can select children by ability, The Vaughan is not a grammar school), boys stand up when anyone enters the classroom (shock horror!), teachers wear gowns, lines are still a punishment,"(they punish misdemeanors).

~~The Catholic Education Service~~ Archbishop Vincent Nichols has issued a statement:

"I am fully committed to the flourishing of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. This includes maintaining its fine traditions of academic rigour and musical excellence. I thank God for the work and achievements of the school which are always to be understood as an expression of Catholic faith and a part of the life and mission of the Diocese of Westminster. The Catholic character of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, of which it is rightly proud, should be evident in all aspects of its life."

Will the Vaughan parents be reassured by the Archbishop's words?
Given that he has made no mention of the parents' role as primary educators of their children, I think not.
It looks as though the Archbishop will be backing the Diocesan Education Service all the way, despite an apparent conflict of interests by virtue of its Director, Paul Barber, being recently appointed by the diocese to the Governing Body of the Vaughan.

Catholic parents may be left wondering if their primary role in the education of their children is reduced to that of providing children for Catholic schools, and, as one headteacher once said to me:
"leave it (education) to the professionals".

Good news

2011-01-27T16:52:00.000Z

It was heartening to read this good news from the Christian Legal Centre.

Any chance of NHS managers who act unjustly in such cases as this, being suspended or sacked?

Thought not.

New Mass Translation to be used from September

2011-01-18T12:49:00.000Z

Perhaps the Bishops do read the Catholic blogs after all!!
As the Mulier Fortis speculated recently, isn't it time we got down to the business of preparing for the new, improved English translation of the Mass?
Well, we are about to be instructed, no, catechised.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of E+W has announced that the new English translation of the Mass will be introduced into parishes from September. This will allow some time for “in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in the manner of its celebration”, before the expected publication of the new Missal in Advent.
On the Bishops conference website, there is some further information about the introduction of the new translation and .....an interactive DVD

Bishop Roche- with thanks to the Catholic Herald

“The new translation is a great gift to the Church. The Mass is at the heart of what the Church is, it is where we deepen our faith in Christ and are nourished by him so that we can glorify the Lord by our lives.

“In the new translation we find a text that is more faithful to the Latin text and therefore a text which is richer in its theological content and allusions to the scriptures but also a translation which, I believe, will move people’s hearts and minds in prayer.”

- Bishop Roche, chairman of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL),

The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham

2011-01-15T14:01:00.000Z

From the Holy See's Press Office:

"In accordance with the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus' of Pope Benedict XVI (4 November 2009) and after careful consultation with the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has today erected a Personal Ordinariate within the territory of England and Wales for those groups of Anglican clergy and faithful who have expressed their desire to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church", reads an English-language communique released today. "The Decree of Erection specifies that the Ordinariate will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and will be placed under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman.
"A Personal Ordinariate is a canonical structure that provides for corporate reunion in such a way that allows former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their distinctive Anglican patrimony. With this structure, the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus' seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be fully integrated into the Catholic Church.
"For doctrinal reasons the Church does not, in any circumstances, allow the ordination of married men as bishops. However, the Apostolic Constitution does provide, under certain conditions, for the ordination as Catholic priests of former Anglican married clergy. Today at Westminster Cathedral in London, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, ordained to the Catholic priesthood three former Anglican bishops: Reverend Andrew Burnham, Reverend Keith Newton, and Reverend John Broadhurst.
"Also today Pope Benedict XVI has nominated Reverend Keith Newton as the first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Together with Reverend Burnham and Reverend Broadhurst, Reverend Newton will oversee the catechetical preparation of the first groups of Anglicans in England and Wales who will be received into the Catholic Church together with their pastors at Easter, and will accompany the clergy preparing for ordination to the Catholic priesthood around Pentecost.

"The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church. The initiative leading to the publication of the Apostolic Constitution and the erection of this Personal Ordinariate came from a number of different groups of Anglicans who have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has now come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion".

The Bishops Conference website has a Statement from Rev. Keith Newton, (pictured above), the first Ordinary, and the Archbishop of Westminster's homily given today at the Mass for the Ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of the three former Anglican Bishops, recently received into the Catholic Church.

O Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God,
and our most gentle Queen and Mother,
Look down in mercy upon England thy dowry
and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee.
By thee it was, that Jesus, our Saviour and our Hope,
was given unto the world
And He has given thee to us that we might hope still more.
Plead for us thy children whom thou did receive and accept at the foot of the cross,
O sorrowful Mother.
Intercede for our separated brethren that with us in the one true fold,
they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son.
Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works,
we may all deserve to see and praise God together with Thee in our Heavenly home.
Amen

Our Lady of Walsingham, Pray for us
Blessed John Henry Newman, Pray for us

Catholic Schools: for whom?

2011-01-14T19:03:00.001Z

Christina Odone, who blogs over at the Daily Telegraph, has an interesting and timely post concerning the disputes between the Diocese of Westminster and the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School.
The issue in dispute seems to be over the admissions policy of the school:

"The school’s critics are ideologues who see education as a tool for social engineering: teachers should not cater for their brighter charges, but lower their sights to include all students equally; if this means lowering standards, or using simpler texts and dropping more challenging subjects, then so be it – all’s fair in class war. Incredibly, these ideologues are not the beards-and-sandals atheists who stuff the teachers’ unions; they are Catholic educationalists who enjoy top jobs within the Church’s education bureaucracy. Such is their enthusiasm for equality and sameness, they cannot abide the idea of a school intake that is overwhelmingly Catholic; to them, this smacks of exclusion, just as a rosary offends the sacred spirit of multiculturalism.

A school that promotes these divisive practices must be brought to heel. In its first engagement with the enemy, the Diocese of Westminster changed the school’s admissions policy. As a result, the school can no longer give priority to those families active in their parishes."

I don't always agree with the views expressed by Miss Odone, and not being connected with the school, I have no first hand knowlege that would either support or disclaim what she has said in her article. But if the comments on Miss Odone's article are any indicator, it seems she has articulated the views and feelings of a number of current ' Vaughan' parents:

"Cristina, very good article that describes the situation exactly as it is. All supporters of this great school must make their feelings known to the Archbishop. He has been very badly advised by the so called Westminster Diocese Education Service. He needs to take a personal interest and reverse these very damaging changes."

"Like many CVMS parents we are dismayed by the actions of the Diocese. Why is Paul Barber not concentrating his efforts on failing Catholic schools?"

"The curious thing about this dispute is the fact that the Church's own teaching is that it is the parents who are "the primary and principal educators" (the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Catholic Education) of their children; the role of the Church is to support them in that endeavour. The centrality of parents in this educational role was underlined by Pope John Paul, who wrote that "...it is irreplaceable and inalienable, and therefore incapable of being entirely delegated to others or usurped by others" (Apostolic Exhortation, 'Familiaris Consortio').
The anxieties of the Vaughan Parents' Action Group must be seen in the context of this teaching, which is far more congruent with government policy on parental involvement than the Diocese's decision that parents of current pupils are unsuitable for appointment as Foundation Governors.

The Vaughan has been an outstandingly successful school since its foundation as a national memorial to Cardinal Vaughan, providing excellent educational opportunities to pupils of all backgrounds from all parts of London. The fact that it is always heavily oversubcribed demonstrates the high level of demand for more schools in the Vaughan mould, rather than for the Vaughan to be made more like other schools." (my emphasis)

Christina Odone concludes:

"Michael Gove has made it clear he supports faith schools, and has invited many of them to become Academies, with greater parental involvement and greater autonomy from local authorities. Cardinal Vaughan parents would dearly love to take advantage of these freedoms; the Westminster Diocese, however, is openly hostile to Academies.

The irony of a Catholic education service turning its back on a Secretary of Education who actually supports faith schools is not lost on Michael Gove. He is, as one political source admitted, “exasperated by the Diocese and its heavy-handed attempts to take over Cardinal Vaughan”. As a consummate politician, Gove will not want to take sides in a diocesan dispute, but will wait for Archbishop Nichols to take the matter in hand. On February 2, the Parents’ Action Group at Cardinal Vaughan will hold a prayer vigil to protest against the diocesan interference in the running of their school. The prayer vigil could turn into a deeply embarrassing photo-op.

The Archbishop must act now, before the vigil makes headlines, and before his hitherto sparkling reputation is tarnished."

Faithful Catholic parents, those 'primary and principal educators', with or without connections to the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School will be watching to see what resolution the Archbishop will bring to the question of which Catholic children should be offered placements at this school.

The 'ripple' effect of what he decides could be much wider than the Archdiocese of Westminster.

JPII to be beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday, 2011

2011-01-14T16:42:00.000Z

"On 1 May, the second Sunday of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, Benedict XVI will preside at the rite of beatification for John Paul II in the Vatican.

According to a note released by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, "today 14 January, Benedict XVI, during an audience granted to Cardinal Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, authorised the dicastery to promulgate the decree of the miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Servant of God John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla). This concludes the process which precedes the rite of beatification."

More from VIS

Archbisop Nichols welcomes members of the new Ordinariate

2011-01-11T17:08:00.000Z

From the Catholic Herald:

"A Statement from Archbishop Vincent Nichols
President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
THE ORDINATION TO THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD OF THREE FORMER ANGLICAN BISHOPS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT IN ENGLAND AND WALES OF A PERSONAL ORDINARIATE
On Saturday 15th January, it will be my privilege to ordain John Broadhurst, Andrew Burnham and Keith Newton to priesthood in the Catholic Church. This ceremony will take place in Westminster Cathedral.
On or before this date, I expect the Holy See to announce the establishment of the first Ordinariate for groups of former Anglicans and their clergy who seek full communion in the Catholic Church. The three men ordained on Saturday will be the first priests of this Ordinariate.
This is a unique moment and the Catholic community in England and Wales is privileged to be playing its part in this historic development in the life of the Universal Church.
We offer a warm welcome to these three former bishops of the Church of England. We welcome those who wish to join them in full communion with the Pope in the visible unity of the Catholic Church. We recognise the journey they are making with its painful departures and its uncertainties. We salute their depth of searching prayer and the desire which leads them to seek to live within the community of the Catholic Church under the ministry of the Bishop of Rome. This is the faith we share.
We are deeply grateful for the depth of the relationship which exists here between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. This firm, positive and on-going relationship is the context for Saturday’s important initiative. We are grateful, too, for the sensitive leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury. He graciously acknowledges the integrity of those seeking to join the Ordinariate and has assured them of his prayers. This is the noble spirit of true ecumenism between the followers of Christ.
Pope Benedict has made clear his own intentions: that the Ordinariate can serve the wider cause of visible unity between our two churches by demonstrating in practice the extent to which we have so much to give to each other in our common service of the Lord. With this in mind he describes this step as ‘a prophetic gesture.’
With great trust in the Lord, we look forward to Saturday, to the new phase of Church life it brings and we ask God’s blessing on its future development."

Warm words, and carefully chosen, from Archbishop Nichols.

The Catholic Herald has also published a brief and helpful guide to the Ordinariate, issued by Fr Marcus Stock, General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales.

Archbishop Longley appointed to Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation

2011-01-05T22:13:00.000Z

From VIS:

"- Appointed as members of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation: Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, archbishop of Vienna, Austria; Cardinal Angelo Scola, patriarch of Venice, Italy; Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia; Cardinal Josip Bozanic, archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia; Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, archbishop of Monterrey, Mexico; Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity; Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops; Coadjutor Archbishop Pierre Marie Carre of Montpellier, France; Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan of New York, U.S.A.; Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti Vasto, Italy; Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham, England; Archbishop Andre Mutien Leonard of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium; Bishop Adolfo Gonzalez Montes of Almeria, Spain, and Bishop Vincenzo Paglia of Terni Narni Amelia, Italy."

Europe seems to be well represented amongst the membership of this new Pontifical Council, perhaps it is in Europe that the battle for souls is seen to be the most urgent.

Magnus McFarlane Barrow OBE

2011-01-03T22:47:00.000Z

Congratulations to Mr. Magnus McFarlane Barrow, founder of Marys Meals, on being awarded an OBE in the New Year's Honours List.
It's good to see an OBE bestowed on such a worthy man.
Mary's Meals

Thanks to Independent Catholic News

Back again..

2011-01-03T15:00:00.000Z

I hadn't intended to take a blog break, but that's what happened during the wonderfully busy last few days.
We celebrated the birth of Our Lord together as a family, such a blessing to have everyone home again.

It is a little late for New Year greetings, I know, but may I wish all readers the peace and joy of Christ now, and throughout 2011.
God bless you all, and thank you for reading my blog!

A Happy and Holy Christmas to all

2010-12-25T17:53:00.000Z

Cedar (and old chestnuts, circa1970)

2010-12-21T00:11:00.001Z

What happens when you bring feminist ideology, selective statistics and the National Board of Catholic Women (an advisory body to the Catholic Bishops Conference), to bear on the problem of domestic violence?

You get a publication with the title: 'Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse', which I found on Cedar, the recently announced resource for Catholics who experience domestic abuse.

One section, by Prof. Mary Grey, is packed with helpful nuggets such as these:

"..through its institutions, laws and use of power, patriarchy has sanctioned the control of male over female cross-culturally.."

"Frequently Mary the mother of Jesus is used as a role model as 'Virgin-Mother'. In Mulieris Dignitatem, Pope John Paul II wrote that all women are called to be either real mothers or spiritual mothers[....]To assume that motherhood is synonymous with being female and to lump all women together as mothers, while simultaneously idealizing motherhood, only serves to mask the suffering and vulnerability of many reak mothers, And Christianity's frequent stress on the importance of suffering and sacrifice in Christian discipleship makes it worse."

"The Church must be seen to be facing the truth about the violence in womens' lives[...]and overcome the reluctance to face the truth about female sexuality."

And there's more:

"Eradicating the roots of violence means facing the truth about patriarchal structures which maintain this violence. It means querying the subordinate position of women both in Church and society, and exposing false theories of gender and sexuality,"

" Public valuing of women needs to be reflected in the language we use for worship. Sadly, despite a few token changes, the language of liturgy is still exclusive of women.[.....] the tacit message remains powerful: that she is not valued."

Without doubt, the Cedar website has some helpful advice and links for sufferers of domestic abuse, and we would all want battered wives, mothers or girlfriends to get the help and support they need, even volunteer our own support.

But, piggybacking aspects of a rigidly feminist worldview to the tragic problem of domestic abuse, to imply that the Church, in her structure, has responsibility for this evil done by some men (and, incidentally some women), sounds suspiciously like agenda setting.

Finding space on the 'to do' list

2010-12-20T16:08:00.000Z

This is for all busy mothers and fathers!

Thanks to Fr. John Bartunek

Ordinations, lots of snow...and prayer request

2010-12-20T14:48:00.000Z

Phil did get home on Saturday, eventually, and the last mile and a half was on foot. My husband walked down to the train station to meet him, bringing wellingtons and an extra layer or two of clothing against the freezing cold.

They made their way home by the light of the moon and a couple of torches, over snow crusted roads which even the most robust of four wheel drives have hardly attempted.

Earlier, on Saturday, Phil sang in the seminary schola, led by Fr Stephen Dingley, at the ordinations of four seminarians to the Diaconate by Bishop Kieran Conry. Sadly, Bishop Hollis, who had been expected to ordain the candidates, was taken ill.

Mulier Fortis has some lovely photos of the great day at Wonersh.

Please remember Bishop Hollis in your prayers.

Snowed in!

2010-12-18T14:23:00.000Z

This is a view of our village this morning. From upstairs, I can't tell where the village hall car park ends and the road begins!
I don't know how long the white stuff will last; the trouble with being snowed in, is that that others are also 'snowed out'.

We are hoping that Phil will make it home from Wonersh today, but we're not quite sure how......the last mile or so, might have to be on Shanks's pony!
And our daughters are due back from university .....

(Shanks's pony=on foot)

The Digital Nativity

2010-12-17T19:45:00.000Z

Anglican Nuns to join the Ordinariate

2010-12-13T12:17:00.000Z

Three nuns of the Anglican Society of St. Margaret in Walsingham, have left their community for a period of discernment with a view to joining the Ordinariate, which was announced by the Holy Father last year, and is about to be established.

"Statement from three sisters of the Society of St Margaret, Walsingham, regarding the Ordinariate:

“On 2nd December 2010, Sr. Wendy Renate, Sr. Jane Louise and Sr. Carolyne Joseph left the Priory of Our Lady in Walsingham for a period of discernment with the intention of joining the Ordinariate when established. We ask prayers for ourselves and for the Sisters remaining at the Priory of Our Lady."

According to the website of The Society of St. Margaret, Walsingham, one of the nuns, Sr. Carolyn Joseph, was elected as Mother last year.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for them.

Thanks to Damian Thompson and the Ordinariate Portal

Our Lady of Good Help-Marian Apparitions approved

2010-12-09T16:38:00.000Z

"GREEN BAY, Wis. (December 8, 2010) — Bishop David Ricken announced today that he officially approves the Marian apparitions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help at Champion.
The announcement was made during a special Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help at Champion.
Declared with moral certainty
Reading from his decree, the Bishop stated, “I declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October of 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful.”
Today’s declaration makes Our Lady of Good Help at Champion the first and only site in the United States of an approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

Thanks to Catholic Vision and Stella Maris

Happy Feast Day!

2010-12-08T15:28:00.000Z

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, and a very special day on which to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Congratulations to John Gilbert, a former Anglican vicar, who became a Catholic today.

May Our Lady continue to guide and direct him to the vocation to which God calls him.

Liberal idealistic notions

2010-12-05T16:47:00.000Z

I have read of a couple in the last week, both of which I find not only scary, but quite frightening.

According to a report in the Guardian newspaper, Helen Preece of the London School of Economics, is proposing that sex offenders ought to be considered as potential adopters, that is, a conviction for a sex offence should not necessarily be considered a contra indication where someone applies to adopt a child, because that would be discriminatory.

"A report by a family law expert argues that some sex offenders should be allowed to adopt or foster children, and claims that the current blanket ban is discriminatory.

"Sex offenders shouldn't all be tarred with the same brush," said Helen Reece at the London School of Economics, who wrote the report. "People need to be carefully screened for adoption and fostering, but each case should be taken on its merits.

"There shouldn't be blanket rules. What somebody has done before is not necessarily what he or she will do again. When someone has served a sentence, as far as you can, you should treat them the same as anyone else."

The UK 2003 Sexual Offences Act spells out what constitutes a sexual offence. I wonder which category(s)
Helen Preece would have Adoption Panels disregard?

Then, there's 'Ecocide'

"The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference, which opened in Cancun, Mexico on Monday, has yielded another example of how supposedly idealistic notions concocted by Western liberals, no matter how daft, can be transformed into weapons for international power politics. Bolivia has renewed its call for the establishment of an International Tribunal for Climate Justice that would be able to sanction governments that engage in "ecocide," defined as crimes against biodiversity, nature and Mother Earth."

"The tribunal idea did not originate in Bolivia, but in the United Kingdom last April. It is the brainchild of labor lawyer-turned-Green activist Polly Higgins. Her idea was to prosecute industries such as fossil fuels, mining, agriculture, chemicals and forestry before the existing International Criminal Court at The Hague. Even more alarmingly, some supporters want to prosecute ''climate deniers'' who oppose actions to combat global warming as eco-criminals. It's the stuff from which fears of world government grow."

So, being off-message, having a different point of view or simply disagreeing, would become a prosecutable offence?

Matthew Archbold cautions:

"remember that liberal ideas start off as being jeered at as crazy but they just keep returning again and again until they're taken seriously and finally enforced."

Thanks to Creative Minority Report and Orwell's Picnic

The Bishops' Conference and the Magic Circle

2010-12-01T21:32:00.000Z

Among the comments made by Dominic Scarborough, in an article with the title 'Outside the Magic Circle' , are the following:

"Where an English bishop has dared to step out of line and question the BCEW’s liberalism, the result has been criticism and ostracism by colleagues"

"One of the most controversial issues affecting the BCEW is its continued support for the so-called “Soho Masses” in the Westminster Archdiocese, Masses that minister to “homosexual Catholics.” The current archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, has made several public interventions in interviews recently where he speculated as to whether the Church might in time approve gay marriage.

He also confirmed that when the Labour Government introduced civil partnerships legislation, the BCEW made a deliberate and conscious decision not to oppose it

.He continues to support the “Soho Masses” and told a radio program that those who do oppose them should be silent. He also declined to disagree with a fellow panelist’s assertion in a television debate after the papal visit that the policy of the BCEW on homosexual rights follows a markedly different line from that of the Vatican’s policy."

"The BCEW also organized three-week-long “training” classes for Polish priests and other foreign priests who intended to work in England. These classes were delivered by the then-president of Ushaw Seminary (which is shortly to close), Msgr. Terry Drainey, who has said, “Some foreign priests working in Britain tend to be too dogmatic about the Church’s moral rightness on just about everything.” He added, “That’s not how we do things here. This course shows how we deal with a whole range of issues affecting Catholics, including the role of women, divorce, the lay ministry, and homosexuality.” Shortly after delivering the courses, Msgr. Drainey was selected to be the bishop of Middlesbrough."

Disturbing? Yes, I think so; the link to this article is above, do take a minute to read it yourself.

I hope and pray our Bishops would be Shepherds, in unity with the Chief Shepherd, the Pope, thinking with the mind of the Church, teaching what She teaches, upholding the Magisterium and witholding nothing of the Truth.
But, as Dominic Scarborough puts it:

"No observer of Catholic affairs in England is in any doubt that the BCEW in its current form has pursued policies that distance itself from the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI and criticize and marginalize those lay Catholics who openly support papal teaching."

Thanks to Catholic World Report

Pope Benedict: The Church must be free to preach the Faith....

2010-11-30T19:36:00.000Z

There is much in the Holy Father's Address given on Monday to the Bishops of the Philippines on their Ad Limina visit, and so much of what he says applies far beyond the geographical boundaries of the Philippines.
The full text is here.

Pope Benedict touches upon a number of themes including one we heard recently, during his visit to the UK, concerning the voice of the Church in the public square:

"..the Church’s prophetic office demands that she be free "to preach the faith, to teach her social doctrine ... and also to pass moral judgments in those matters which regard public order whenever the fundamental human rights of a person or the salvation of souls requires it".

The Holy Father also gave some encouragement to Catholics working in the vineyard of social communication...a contemporary example of which is of course, the the blogosphere:

"A specific area in which the Church must always find her proper voice comes in the field of social communications and the media. The task set before the whole Catholic community is to convey a hope-filled vision of faith and virtue...........

............It is important that the Catholic laity proficient in social communications take their proper place in proposing the Christian message in a convincing and attractive way."

Say a prayer for those Bishops, they are great defenders of life who have just had their Conference's website hacked.

Advent Wreath...

2010-11-28T17:07:00.000Z

Thanks to the kindly Curt Jester who has provided this year's Advent wreath.
Again.

Censorship and the Internet

2010-11-28T16:54:00.001Z

Should law enforcement agencies i.e. the police be given powers to require the taking down of a website, without a court order?

It seems this is under consideration by the Serious Organised Crime Agency, which has asked nominet (which runs the.uk part of the internet) to discuss ways of dealing with domain names used in connection with criminal activity.

If by 'criminal activity' they mean things such as money scams, terrorism, child porn, I would have no problem with such sites being closed. Even so, I think the police should be in possession of a court order. This would go some way to protect them (the police) from the suspicion of acting arbitrarily and it reinforces the notion of the police service as being accountable.

Richard Baron at Analysis and Synthesis has some apposite comments on this proposal, particularly this:

"Fourth, there are sites that express extreme political, social or religious views, or that give general advice (as for example www.fitwatch.org.uk , which was recently closed down at the request of the police, and soon afterwards reappeared).
It would be totally unacceptable for Nominet ever to close down such a site at the request of law enforcers, without a court order. This is so, however extreme the views expressed.
If law enforcers could close sites like this, it would hand them a huge power of censorship. Of course they would promise not to abuse it, but future law enforcers might well abuse it. The power would also lead to self-censorship, as people moderated their comments for fear of provoking the authorities into asking Nominet to act.
So as far as this fourth category goes, the only acceptable policy for Nominet to have would be that it would always reject requests that were not in the form of court orders".

Fr Finigan mentions difficulties which could be faced by Catholic (and other Christian) bloggers:

"The danger for Catholic blogs is that "equality" legislation is increasingly opposed to the free expression of Catholic doctrine. Pope Benedict reflected on this in some of the less controversial parts of his recent interview "Light of the World" and in his excellent book "Truth and Tolerance". If law enforcement agencies are allowed to decide motu proprio that a site must be closed down, we have then moved another step nearer to a police state. "

Quite.

That Interview given by the Holy Father...

2010-11-22T00:39:00.000Z

The Holy Father gave an interview.. a series of interviews.....which are about to be published in the form of a book, "Light of the World". The book is embargoed until Tuesday 23rd November, but the Vatican's own newspaper, 'L'Osservatore Romano' drove a coach and horses through the embargo yesterday, by publishing extracts from the book.

Among the extracts were some relating to the problem of prevention of AIDS by the use of condoms.

The Pope's remarks were quoted, out of context, by L'Osservatore Romano, and this has given rise to huge media speculation and comment, mostly of the 'Pope OK's Condoms' kind.

An interview given by the Pope is an interview...given by the Pope.

It is not an official teaching of the Church.
It is not part of the Magisterium
It is not a Papal Bull, an Encyclical, or a Motu Proprio

The Holy Father is permitted to have personal opinions (which are fallible, not infallible, just as mine or yours are), isn't he?
The Pope's personal opinions will certainly be of much more interest than, say, mine, but they remain personal opinions.

So, what did he say? The CWR has a report here

Jimmy Akin has a helpful perspective here

My comment would be that the Holy Father's personal view, if I have understood it correctly, seems to be that the prophylactic use of condoms against sexually transmitted diseases is not a solution to the problem of STD's.
The western world has been awash with condoms for years and they haven't helped. Even the manufacturers of condoms admit that condoms are not, by themselves, effective.
We need to have an honest look again at the whole truth and meaning of human sexuality.
A first step towards this, in some cases, might be a recognition that to knowingly risk the passing on of such a disease might itself be immoral.

Thanks to Jimmy Akin
The Bones
CWR

I write like......

2010-11-20T00:19:00.000Z

I've been having some fun with the 'Analyse your Writing' website, following Mulier Fortis's latest post.
Using a fairly random selection of my blogposts has produced a certain lack of consistency in the results:

I apparently write like: PG Wodehouse, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, James Joyce, Dan Brown, Ian Fleming, David Foster Wallace, HP Lovecraft, Vladimir Nabokov and William Shakespeare!

It seems I do not write like any authoresses... should I be concerned about that?

Prayer Request

2010-11-19T22:43:00.000Z

Of your charity, please say a prayer for my elderly uncle- he's had a fall which has put him in hospital. Probably he has a broken hip, together with some dehydration and hypothermia.

Thank God my brother called in earlier today, to visit him.....because of that unannounced visit, my uncle is now being looked after on a warm hospital ward instead of lying on the cold floor of his front room, semi-conscious and immobile.

Not quite Advent......

2010-11-15T14:16:00.000Z

............But it's not far away. I found the lovely unborn Baby image ( in the sidebar) on Fr. Z's great blog, and promptly 'borrowed' it.

Many thanks to Fr Z.

Please pray for the Reverend John Gilbert

2010-11-11T20:25:00.000Z

Please say a prayer for Rev.John Gilbert, an Anglican vicar who has informed his parish that he is to join the Roman Catholic Church.
It appears that Rev. Gilbert will not be crossing the Tiber on board the great ship, Anglicanorum Coetibus, but under existing provisions.
After he announced the news to parishoners, Rev. Gilbert received a spontaneous round of applause.
So, maybe...others might be inspired to join along with him....?

The parish he leaves behind is listed on the Forward in Faith website.

It could be said.....

2010-11-09T18:20:00.001Z

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE EUCHARIST
"It could be said that the bits and pieces of each day’s jigsaw puzzle are put together at the altar;that the separate, often discordant notes of a day in our life are fused into one flowing symphony;"

"...at Mass we are astonished at the nearness of a God who comes to us disguised as our emotions, our bodies and our needy lives..."

"The Eucharist guarantees that every relationship is sacred; "

But would that be true.....?

Fr Finigan has a great fisk (I think that's the word) of an article in a diocesan paper, from which the statements above are quoted.

Founder of Mary's Meals needs your vote!

2010-11-07T20:05:00.000Z

From the website of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal:

Feed 10,000 hungry children for a year without spending a dime?
A click of your mouse here is all it takes http://heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx to cast your vote for Magnus MacFarlane–Barrow for CNN Hero of the year.

Magnus is the founder of Mary's Meals: a grassroots charity feeding more than 420,000 impoverished children in their place of education in 15 countries. It only costs $10 USD to provide a daily meal to a school child in Malawi. The $100,000 CNN prize will enable Magnus to offer nourishment and hope to 10,000 new children through Mary’s Meals. Learn more ways to help at www.marysmealsusa.org

I don't know much about current exchange rates, but the Mary's Meals website mentions that it costs about £6.15 to feed a hungry child for a year. Mary’s Meals provides daily meals in school for over 400,000 children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Plymouth Diocese launches Vocation Survey

2010-11-04T21:37:00.000Z

A vocations survey has been launched in the Plymouth Diocese with a questionnaire about how we promote vocations in our communities. Members of the laity are invited to participate in this survey.
Bishop Christopher writes: "Vocation is basic to understanding the Christian life, rooted in the gift of God's grace in baptism. There is no one living their Christian life, who has not received a personal calling from God to do some service for the Lord's Kingdom. This thought was very dear to our newly beatified John Henry Newman.
"This survey has a narrower but very important focus - the calling to priestly ministry, or diaconate ministry, or consecrated life. The community of the Church needs these more particular vocations in order to maintain its true character. It needs, above all, the ministry of the priest so that the whole community can become more and more the Body of Christ built up through the Eucharist, a community of faith, hope and love.

More information and link to survey here

Half Term Visitors

2010-11-01T12:03:00.000Z

It's been a lovely, if slightly crazy, half-term week.

In fact, I could rename this year's October break from school as 'Family Week', as we were visited by five families, most of whom stayed for a few days (though not all at once!) and, of course, our own student son and daughters managed to get home for most of, or part of the week.
There was a great deal of cooking... meals for up to twenty people at a time. Arranging seating at the dining table, with a garden table to supplement worked very well, and no-one seemed to notice if the crockery or the cutlery didn't match...
There was laughter, conversation, walking (sometimes of the dog), playing, collecting and dropping off at the train station, food shopping (Sainsbury's might have been a bit puzzled at my repeated visits)and sightseeing. There was the joyful renewal of old friendships as well as newer ones, catching up, opening up, exchanging news advice and views.
There was prayer, its highpoint of course, Mass on Sunday, where we managed to fill two pews.....

And there were the fond farewells- some of our visitors travelled hundreds of miles to be with us at half term; it's the sort of compliment we can't fully repay since travelling for our two disabled sons has to be limited. But they too, need to meet people, make friends, socialize. What a true gift it is, to have family and friends who understand this and are prepared to honour us all with their wonderful company.

Congratulations to One of the World's Greatest Pro-Life Champions

2010-10-22T23:48:00.002+01:00

“Cardinal-designate Burke is one of the Church’s greatest defenders of faith, and one of the pro-life movement’s greatest allies.”
-Lifesite News

"To help celebrate this new step in the Archbishop's career, LifeSiteNews.com has co-sponsored a website (CongratulateBurke.com), along with The Cardinal Newman Society, that allows you to easily send a note of congratulations to the Archbishop. These notes will be personally delivered to the Archbishop at his office in Rome."

Thank you Lifesite News/Cardinal Newman Society, it will be a pleasure...

Return to the Scene...

2010-10-22T13:41:00.001+01:00

I spent much of yesterday praying with 40 Days for Life, outside the Marie Stopes abortion facility. It seemed that Marie Stopes was doing a brisker business yesterday, than on the day of my previous visit; we stood our ground and prayed.

Impatient as I often am for results, there was that little hope in the back of my mind, that Almighty God would give us a sign that our fervent prayers were heard; maybe that a pregnant woman or a Marie Stopes employee would cross the road and tell us that they had turned away from abortion. But, yesterday that didn't happen at least, not on my shift. We prayed.

A man walked along the pavement on which we stood and spat rather aggressively as he passed. A young woman shouted accusations at us, beginning with ' You should be ashamed of yourselves....!'
Another made mocking gestures as he passed, but for the most part, the passers by simply passed by. In the late afternoon as the temperature began to drop, we prayed as we shivered.
The spitter came back and spat aggressively once again, one of the counsellors attempted to speak with him but was met with a response I wouldn't wish to record here.

And it dawned on me that Almighty God was answering our prayers as we made them: in granting us that peace which remains despite angry verbal and non verbal gestures and in the certainty that our prayers will help someone, though He may not grant us the satisfaction of seeing the results, because God always answers our prayers.
All that the verbal aggression, mockery and spitting amounted to was that a hornet's nest in hell had been stirred into action, because one of the 'successful' operations of the father of lies was being threatened by the power of prayer.

Update:

Clare from Battlements of Rubies has also posted about yesterday's experiences outside Marie Stopes.

Pope Benedict's Letter to Seminarians

2010-10-18T20:36:00.000+01:00

From Pope Benedict's Letter to Seminarians on the Vatican Information Service website

"1. Anyone who wishes to become a priest must be first and foremost a “man of God”, to use the expression of Saint Paul (1 Tim 6:11). For us God is not some abstract hypothesis; he is not some stranger who left the scene after the “big bang”. God has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. In the face of Jesus Christ we see the face of God. In his words we hear God himself speaking to us. It follows that the most important thing in our path towards priesthood and during the whole of our priestly lives is our personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. The priest is not the leader of a sort of association whose membership he tries to maintain and expand. He is God’s messenger to his people. He wants to lead them to God and in this way to foster authentic communion between all men and women. That is why it is so important, dear friends, that you learn to live in constant intimacy with God. When the Lord tells us to “pray constantly”, he is obviously not asking us to recite endless prayers, but urging us never to lose our inner closeness to God. Praying means growing in this intimacy. So it is important that our day should begin and end with prayer; that we listen to God as the Scriptures are read; that we share with him our desires and our hopes, our joys and our troubles, our failures and our thanks for all his blessings, and thus keep him ever before us as the point of reference for our lives. In this way we grow aware of our failings and learn to improve, but we also come to appreciate all the beauty and goodness which we daily take for granted and so we grow in gratitude. With gratitude comes joy for the fact that God is close to us and that we can serve him."

Catholic Schools Admission criteria: church cleaners need not apply!

2010-10-15T13:11:00.000+01:00

Oona Stannard, Chief Executive and Director of the Catholic Education Service has written to the Tablet regarding admissions criteria for entry to a Catholic school.
In her letter Oona Stannard says:

"When Father Beck talks about writing additional references and asking parents to complete a “pre-reference” form detailing their involvement in the parish he is being discriminatory and undermining the Admissions Code. The definition of Catholic is baptism. The opportunity of the priest to note the level of practice of the faith for the purpose of school admissions should be limited to worship and must not be extended to other activities such as those suggested by Father Beck. Too often other activities and involvement in the life of the parish would favour those who are already advantaged by time and other resources; luxuries not open to everyone in an even handed way. Interviews are, whether intended or not, an exercise in discernment way beyond baptism and worship. Both interviews and additional form filling can place unfair burdens on families, for example, disadvantaging those new to this country or for whom English is a second language."

Oh dear!

Soon any parent who brings their child to Sunday Mass at all, and who can read, will be stigmatised as being 'already advantaged' and therefore not in the target client group!

James Preece over at Catholic and Loving It has a couple of relevant questions for Oona,

I'm intrigued by Oona's assertion that:

"Too often other activities and involvement in the life of the parish would favour those who are already advantaged by time and other resources; luxuries not open to everyone.."

Assisting with church cleaning, parish youth group, school governance, UCM, CWL, care of the housebound, parish council, KSC, are among the many voluntary activities which generous Catholic parishioners undertake week in week out on in service of the parish, and often to raise funds for the parish.Surely the desire to help out in parish activities arises from the Christian call to love our neighbour, therefore to serve?

The Church does not call us to consider our luxuries and resources, but to love our neighbour as ourself. To love others is to serve them. It is open to Catholics to 'love their neighbour as themselves' by voluntary activities within the parish, sacrificing their time and energies for the good of others.

Love is sacrificial; the one who loves does not seek his own advantage, but receives an advantage nevertheless: the advantage of becoming more Christ-like. Is that really the sort of advantage Oona Stannard disapproves of?

John, I disagree...

2010-10-14T20:19:00.000+01:00

Here in the epicentre of the culture of death it's not often that I find myself in disagreement with the leading pro-life advocate, John Smeaton, whose organisation, SPUC, does such sterling work in the pro-life battle.
But, the news that the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group is to be axed (part of the government's quango cull), prompts me to call for three loud cheers!

Communicating the Church's Truth on Sexuality in a Hostile Culture

2010-10-13T16:48:00.000+01:00

This is one of those really excellent talks that deserves to be as widely circulated as possible, so I'm doing my bit by quoting a little (below), and encouraging you all to take a little time to read the whole thing.

"Where can we begin to reverse the cultural tsunami of distortion of sexuality?

We must begin with CARITAS IN VERITATE. It is the answer of Christ, of His Mother and of the Church.

It is not love to allow your children to rampantly misbehave without correcting them. Speaking as a father of seven children I will admit that it is often easier to turn the other way and purposely fail to notice misbehaviour. But out of love parents must correct and discipline their children.

So too the Church, especially Her shepherds – the fathers of souls - must feed the flock, must teach the truths however difficult and politically incorrect. That is true love."

- John-Henry Westen, co-founder and editor of Lifesite news, in a powerful and challenging talk to the Fifth Annual World Prayer Congress for Life in Rome.

Read the full text of J-H Westen's talk here

Thanks to Lifesite news and Love Undefiled

Handicapped Babies: God's answer to prayer.....

2010-10-10T18:42:00.000+01:00

I was prompted some months ago, by this post on Gerard Nadal's excellent blog, to consider putting some of my own experiences as a mother of three handicapped children out there, in the blogosphere. What held me back? Not sure if I have a complete answer, but there was a desire to protect my family's privacy and a feeling that perhaps this aspect of my daily life was so ordinary, so day-to-day normal and natural as to render it un-newsworthy.

When I read Gerard's piece, there was one sentence which struck. In all the many words that are spoken about handicapped children, pro-life or pro-death, I have never heard any one else say :

“If God has a set number of handicapped children who need to enter the world, then He can send one our way.”

I was about thirteen, a schoolgirl, when I first understood the meaning of the word 'abortion'. It was discussed in the cloakrooms and on the netball courts at school, the consensus among my then third year (now it would be year 9) peers being that abortion was repugnant as it involved killing unborn babies.
Gradually I came to understand how handicapped babies were particularly at risk of abortion, targetted for no other reason than that they were handicapped.

I didn't know any handicapped people, but I knew of them; the brother of one of the girls in my class had Down's Syndrome, the severely disabled brother of another lived, not at home, but in a special home, and before that, I could recall a boy at primary school who wore calipers to both legs. I knew that handicapped people often needed more help than non- handicapped people. They were more vulnerable.
It seemed to me that aborting babies because they had handicaps or disabilities, must be utterly wrong; surely the most vulnerable of all required the greatest protection and help?

Without knowing anything about the reasons women give for having an abortion, it was at least clear to me then, that killing the weakest and most vulnerable did not solve the problems they face.
I prayed about it, and this was my prayer:

Dear God,

If You are going to send any more handicapped people into the world, when the time comes, send one to me. I will look after him/her and I won't abort him/her.

As good Catholics know, God always answers prayers!

40 Days for Life

2010-10-07T22:54:00.002+01:00

London: 40 Days for Life

I hadn't ever thought about praying the Rosary (out loud) in the middle of a London street, but yesterday I spent some time outside the Marie Stopes abortion facility in London, doing just that. For about five hours, it was my privilege to join others in the 40 Days for Life initiative, in constant prayer for an end to abortion, specifically at this Marie Stopes abortion facility.It was particularly humbling to see a prayer volunteer, an elderly woman, join us for over an hour of prayer, on her knees.
Those five hours (which slipped past very quickly) were a time of great peace and grace: there was a recognition of the need to surrender to God the evil that man does so that He can heal us of it; a sense of abortion as one of the enemy's most vicious tools in a spiritual battle. There was also a sense of our need to pray, especially to Our Lady to plead for her intercession for the lives of the unborn as indeed, for their mothers.
I hope to join the vigil again, soon, God willing.

40 Days for Life began in the States, about three years ago I believe, and I found the picture at the top of this post on their website's blog, together with the following information about how it's been going in London.

“We had the first member of staff tell us she has quit her job there,” said one of the 40 Days for Life prayer volunteers outside the Marie Stopes abortion facility in London. “We should continue praying and being there for the rest.”

In addition, at least three more babies have been saved from abortion!

The London campaign is receiving a lot of support — though not every passerby has a favorable view.

“I am used to abuse in the hospital,” said one volunteer, who is a nurse. “But the anger I heard out of the businesswomen was difficult to take. ‘Stop abusing women!’ I heard repeatedly. They seemed completely unaware that I am a woman, too!”

The London team has received inquiries about the campaign from interested people in Russia, Ghana and Colombia. I’ve also gotten e-mail from people in France and Spain, asking about to bringing 40 Days for Life to those countries.

Let’s see what God has in store!"

'Don't wash your car before going to that church.....'

2010-10-05T18:12:00.000+01:00

It's been a very busy few days, and I don't seem to have got much done; the domestic intray overfloweth, so to speak. So I really need to get on....

But before I do, I just have to post this picture, which I found at the irrepressible Bad Vestments blog:

~~Does anyone know if~~, no, just... why?

Youth2000- young folks' view

2010-09-29T19:59:00.000+01:00

Praying for the Holy Souls- with the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society

2010-09-29T11:36:00.000+01:00

Having lost three members of our wider family this year, my eye was caught by a post over at Rorate Caeli.
Briefly, it's publicising an opportunity for the readership (pretty large, I would think) of Rorate Caeli to pray for deceased souls. All that's required is for the name(s) of the deceased to be forwarded to Rorate Caeli for inclusion on the list.

An update from Rorate Caeli:

Just 24 hours ago we announced the new Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society (see previous post below). I would like to personally thank everyone who has wished us well on this new apostolate and offered prayers for its success.

In terms of the response, we have already received names to be enrolled by nearly 40 people, most of whom each sent numerous names of passed loved ones.

Possibly even more remarkable is that we also have already secured three holy priests to offer weekly Traditional Latin Masses for all the souls enrolled in the Society! I will make two of the priests' names known on Friday when the first listing of souls is posted (one of the priests must remain anonymous for now). The first TLM will take place this Friday, October 1, at 11 a.m. CST for those here who would like to unite themselves spiritually to the Mass. If there are other priests who would like to do the same, please email me. Also, for our readers, please remember these good priests in your prayers as well.

That's starting this Friday- better get that list of deceased family members in quickly!

Rorate Caeli has details of 'how to' .

Special needs

2010-09-27T16:06:00.000+01:00

I haven't posted about disability related issues for a while; things have been going relatively smoothly on that front, however it seemed appropriate to do so today, since we have so far, fielded about eight phone calls in relation to:

1) our elder disabled son's pressure relieving mattress -(it broke down)
2) both our disabled sons' feeding systems- (the local NHS has appointed a different supplier)
3) our disabled daughter's Statement of Special Educational Needs- (her statement is being amended i.e. the wording is being changed, and as with all legal documents, the wording is very important.

1.The mattress:- he has been supplied with a temporary substitute which is too short! However, the engineer promised that " someone will come out with something that will close the gap".

2. The feeding systems:- the caller introduced herself and said that the new system to include pumps, feeds and plastics would start from 1/10/10 and she would send someone out to train us and we had been sent a letter to tell us, and have a nice day.....whoa....hang on there! What's this all about? What letter? we haven't a letter!

3.The lady from the County Special Needs Team:- our daughter changed schools 12 months ago, the county would now like to change (amend) her Statement to reflect the change of school and changes in the way her SENs are met.

We have appealed no less than three times to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal where we have believed our childrens' SENs are not being statemented, or met, properly, and will have to be quite vigilant over the new proposed Statement, to ensure that the Local Authority fulfils its duties properly.
Sorry to lapse into jargon: SEN means 'special educational needs'; where children have a Statement of Special Educational Needs, the Local Authority is legally bound to meet all those special educational needs. For parents of affected children, it's imperative to ensure that the description of the child's Special Educational Needs on the statement is comprehensive, and that the statement has provision to meet each and every one of those special educational needs. As I said earlier, it's a legal document, and binding on the Local Authority.

An excellent source of help and information for parents of children with SEN in the UK is IPSEA. They have a dedicated helpline advertised on the website, and some very experienced advisors.
(If you experience difficulty in getting through, persist, IPSEA is an invaluable source of help.

Empty Catholic cradles and empty Catholic schools

2010-09-24T22:41:00.000+01:00

"ROME, September 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Europe will grow more “Islamicized” if Christian Europeans do not start having more children, and going back to Church, a senior Vatican official said this month. Msgr. Piero Gheddo, a famous missionary and an official with the Vatican’s Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, told Zenit news service that Europe’s indigenous inhabitants have abandoned Christianity and are becoming “paganized.”

“The fact is that, as a people, we are becoming ever more pagan and the religious vacuum is inevitably filled by other proposals and religious forces,” said Msgr. Gheddo, who founded AsiaNews, the Christian missionary news service. As religious practice diminishes in Christian Europe, “indifference spreads; Christianity and the Church are attacked.”

“If we consider ourselves a Christian country, we should return to the practice of Christian life, which would also solve the problem of empty cradles.”

Hmm..is that scaremongering? Someone trying to force Catholic parents to have more children ?

No; actually it's quite simple: if there aren't enough Catholic children of school age there's less justification for Catholic schools. So, there will be less of them.

"Sacred Heart primary in Blackburn could become the first Catholic school in Britain to be converted into an Islamic faith school following a dramatic change in the pupil population.

More than nine-in-10 of the school's pupils were Catholic a decade ago but that number plummeted to just three per cent this year....

In the latest case, the Diocese of Salford has informed the local council that it no longer believes it is appropriate to continue running the school as the number of Catholic pupils has dropped to just “five or six”.
Daily Telegraph

Thanks to the Daily Telegraph and Lifesite News

Bishops' statement on the Papal Visit

2010-09-23T21:31:00.001+01:00

"The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales are delighted at the success of the recent Visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom.

The Bishops wish to express their sincere appreciation to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for extending the invitation to the Holy Father to make this State Visit and their thanks to the countless number of people who came to express their affection and support for His Holiness. Particular tribute must be paid to all those who helped to organise and implement the Visit, both nationally and locally.

Most specially, the Bishops extend their profound gratitude to the Holy Father for the time that he spent among us. His four day visit has been remarkable in so many ways and has given new life and hope to people both within and beyond the Catholic community in these lands. There is much to be gained, in many different ways, from further reflection on this Visit not only for Catholics but for our wider society too."

Blogwalk Fashion!

2010-09-22T21:59:00.001+01:00

Did you know :-

"To be a devout and faithful Catholic blogger, there are some simple fashion rules that ought to be followed, with no exceptions!!! Women must wear skirts or dresses while blogging, and their shoulders ought to be covered, and absolutely no cleavage! Men's beards must not be shorn, and a shirt and tie are required. Priests must wear their clerics on-line, and bishops ought to be wearing their miters. Nuns have to be in full habit, unless they're fauxrdained. That bunch will wear tacky polyester pantsuits no matter what the rules say.

This is all in the Catechism, you know. There are some bloggers out there who believe that these rules can be abrogated. Foolish people.

AoftheA is honored to have been awarded the "Faithful Catholic Blogger Fashion Seal Of Approval". After all, how we dress for others while blogging is just as important as how we address others while blogging. By displaying this button on your blog, then readers will have the assurance of knowing that you are 100% faithful to the dicta of ~~uber-conservative~~ ~~Catholic culturecrats~~ the Catholic Church, and won't be assailed by immodesty while visiting your site."

Thanks to Acts of the Apostacy from where this came!

Why women cannot become priests..!

2010-09-22T10:44:00.000+01:00

Reason no. 89,734- Why women cannot become priests of the Catholic Church:

At ordination, there is no promise of 'loyal dissent' to the Bishop or Superior.

Petition to Thank the Holy Father for His Visit to Britain

2010-09-21T21:05:00.001+01:00

Jeffrey Steel over at De Cura Animarum, has started a petition of thanks to the Holy Father for his recent visit to the UK. It's beautifully written, as I'm sure you will agree:

We, the undersigned, wish to express our warm gratitude to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, for a very successful and encouraging visit to these isles. We are very grateful to you, Your Holiness, for faithfully and charitably challenging us in our journeys with our Saviour. You have modelled humility, compassion, and in the spirit of Blessed John Henry Newman, the grace of 'heart speaking unto heart'. Thank you for coming to Scotland and England and blessing us with your presence. We promise our full support and prayers for you as you lead and guide us into the joy of our salvation. God bless you, Your Holiness, and may the prayers of our Lady be effectual for giving you the grace to continue building up the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do go over and show your support!

'He came for everyone'

2010-09-21T12:00:00.000+01:00

I've just returned from school having dropped off our daughter after her appointment with the optician.
As we waited for the teaching assistant to arrive at reception, the school secretary and I chatted for a few moments: she wanted to know if I'd been to see the Pope, explaining that although she herself was a Methodist, she had followed the TV coverage of the Papal visit and felt it had been a wonderful occasion for the whole country, not only the Catholic element of the population.
In her own words:

" Like David Cameron said, he (the Pope) came for everyone."

Early fruits from Pope Benedict's Visit?

2010-09-20T14:12:00.002+01:00

A commenter over at Damian Thompson's blog reports:

"Returning to our bus at Cofton Park we find that someone has given our driver a pile of commemorative Tablets to distribute. By the time he gets to the top deck our affable but somewhat puzzled driver is asking what is wrong with the Tablet as he cannot even give them away. Multiply that by 400 buses in each coach park"

Update: the link is now reset and the comment (above) can be found on the third page about 3/4 down.

Joy in the Park

2010-09-20T12:27:00.000+01:00

The joy of yesterday's celebration of the Beatification Mass was evident on the faces of all who came; there was a strong sense of being one among a vast group of friends which neither rain, wind, lack of sleep nor hours of waiting could dim. Pilgrims shared what they had: their stories, food, drink, chairs, umbrellas, a spot on a piece of tarpaulin...people made way for each other, there was no pushing or shoving, just a deep contentment and gratitude at the privilege of being there.

For the Church, and in a special way for Oratorian Fathers, the announcement of our new 'Blessed' is a moment of great joy, hope and grace.
One could feel the warmth of the joy that radiated from the Holy Father, though I was not close enough to him to get a decent picture.

I did however manage to snap these two beaming priests who I believe, are Oratorian Fathers.
Those smiles I saw repeated a thousand times, on the faces of the pilgrims all around me.

Just a note..

2010-09-19T21:58:00.000+01:00

It was a most wonderful experience to be somewhere among that huge crowd of pilgrims in Cofton Park today!

I arrived home just about an hour ago, and to be honest, I'm way too tired to write anything sensible about today.
For now, I just want to thank God that He made it possible for me to be there.
I'll try to post more tomorrow...