The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma

The Brandsma Seven!

2012-02-24T20:41:00.000Z

Blessed Titus - Ora pro nobis

The pick of the week's top posts from the Catholic blogosphere......

1. What is the link between poultry and Catholicism?

Well, as a poultry keeper myself, my eye was taken by this intriguing post from Katie Sciba.

Sadly, Katie is referring to our Christian courage rather than advice on how to get your hens laying more eggs but she does go on to quote from St Francis – are you an ostrich, chicken, swallow or eagle?

Read the post and find out HERE

2. This one is for priests who want to celebrate Ad Orientum (Usus Antiquior) but who need the assurance that it's kosher, well, not quite kosher but it's OK.

Thanks to The Eponymous Flower for an interesting post.

3. It's good to know that we have some strong Bishops out there; men who boldly state the truth. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia is one such man, bravo! This is a news agency report on him HERE

4. At first you might say: "Oh, no, not more on Vatican II!" but this piece on how it is being misinterpreted is sound and interesting. Thanks to Jay Boyd of Philothea on Phire.

5. One for the brick by brick file as Fr Z might say. Roma Locuta Est reports on Liturgical Changes - but good ones, doing away with the 'greeting' at the start of Mass and calling a halt to the removal of infants for whatever it is they do when they are Hamelined off backstage. More to follow, hopefully.

6. Our very own Fr Simon Henry reports on Catholic education and how Cardinal Bertone is locked in a tussle with the University of Peru who wish to move things along in a manner foreign to Holy Mother Church's teachings. They have until Easter to submit before His Eminence brings the Canons to bear.

7. Finally, for those who enjoy theological enigmas, here is one from

Fr Ryan Erlenbush. "If Christ could not sin, how was He tempted in the Desert?"

Discuss.

Posted by Linen on the Hedgerow

De Maria, numquam satis.: Our Lady and St Peter

2012-02-23T23:33:00.000Z

De Maria, numquam satis.: Our Lady and St Peter: De Maria, numquam satis. I am afraid I have already made retreats from my Lenten battlefield. I am trying hard not to be despondent but I...

An extremely enjoyable and successful second meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma...

2012-02-18T19:17:00.008Z

For good food, good company and good liturgy,
Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen is the place to be!
Taken during lunch at today's Guild of Bl Titus event

The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma for Catholic bloggers and those who use the new social media gathered at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, today for its second official meeting. All those who came along to this event were warmly welcomed by the parish and its parish priest, the well-known and acclaimed blogger, Fr Tim Finigan (The Hermeneutic of Continuity).

The day began with Holy Mass celebrated in the Lady Chapel, followed by Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on the high altar. This period of worship was followed by a talk by one of the Guild members.

Unfortunately, our guest speaker, Fr Sam Medley SOLT (Medley Minute), was not able to be with us, so the Catholic journalist and writer, Mary O'Regan (The Path Less Taken), graciously volunteered to address the Guild in his place. Fr Sam had planned to speak on the theme of blogging as a way of enhancing ecclesial communion, but Mary developed this idea in her own way, concentrating on the relationship that exists between print journalism and the new media. Being both a blogger and a journalist, Mary O'Regan was aptly qualified to speak on this interesting subject. Her informative and entertaining talk left her listeners with much food for thought!

Lunch was a time for catching up, laughing, sharing stories and discussing various aspects of Church life and the Catholic blogging community. The food was superb - really wonderful, as always! In fact, if parishes were ever to receive awards for culinary excellence, Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, would probably be given a Michelin star!

After lunch, about 15 Catholic bloggers - plus some others who use the new media (Facebook, YouTube, etc) or who comment on blogs - met for the second meeting of the Guild since it was formed last year. Amongst some of the issues raised at the meeting were: the contribution made by Catholic bloggers to the New Evangelisation, how members could make better use of the Guild blog, and the best way for Catholics to respond to cyber bullying. It was also decided that the Guild should next meet in another part of the country, so as to make sure that members from outside London and the South-East are able to attend future events.

Mary O'Regan addresses the Guild of Bl Titus Brandsma
(Photo: (c) Mac McLernon at Mulier Fortis)

It was also noted during the meeting that several apologies had been sent, and that many internationally well-known bloggers, such as Tito Edwards (Editor of The Pulp.it) as well as the blogging members of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, had expressed a desire to come to the next Guild event. During our prayers before and after the meeting, members of the Guild remembered those who could not be with us due to ill health - especially Fr Sam Medley and Stuart James (eChurch).

Here is a list of those Catholic bloggers who were present at the Guild of Bl Titus Brandsma's meeting today - it does not include participants who do not have their own blog, or those who use Twitter or Facebook only: -

Me (A Reluctant Sinner), Richard Collins (Linen on the Hedgerow), Hilaire Belloc, Laurence England (That The Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill), Paul Priest (On The Side Of The Angels), Karen Horn (Gem of the Ocean), Plain Talking, Mac McLernon (Mulier Fortis), Anthony Radice (A Tiny Son of Mary), Fr Tim Finigan (The Hermeneutic of Continuity) and Mary O'Regan (The Path Less Taken). Annie Elizabeth (Defende nos in proelio) was present in the morning, but had to leave before lunch. Two future bloggers called Therese and Jimin were also present, as was a reader on Catholic Answers, called Sonia. One or two blog followers, such as Roy Hobson, also made it to the Guild meeting.

The day ended with the public recitation of the Rosary - which was more than a fitting way of bringing the Guild meeting to a close, especially seeing that we had gathered at the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary!

I would like to express my gratitude to all who supported this event, to those who travelled far and wide to be at it, and, of course, to Fr Tim Finigan and his parishioners, especially those who helped with the liturgies and cooked and served the excellent lunch!

Dylan Parry (A Reluctant Sinner)

The essence of Catholicism

2012-02-16T14:29:00.000Z

                                          Bruce Marshall normally looked
                                                                      to the right

The recent flurry of lists of favourite books that have shot around the blogosphere over the past week, (thanks to Mulier Fortis), prompted me to reflect on books that I believe are quintessentially, Catholic.

By that I mean that they reflect elements of the faith that we aspire to and, in may respects, they show glimpses of the days when the Catholic Church enjoyed better times.

Of course, I am speaking only of Catholic fiction and what a lot of that there is to choose from.

One other thing that is very apparent when one looks at the great Catholic authors, is that they are mainly all converts to the Faith.

What a debt we owe to converts, they have rejuvenated the faith when it needed it and made us cradle Catholics re-appraise our stance and improve our piety.

It is the converts, very often, who are the fount of all wisdom on matters theological and one such author is a favourite of mine.

Bruce Marshall, author of many books and, in particular, a very fine account of Catholic life in

Scotland

in the 19^th century – ‘All Glorious Within’

This is Marshall’s account of the beginning of Sung Mass on a Sunday morning, it sets a scene that would be especially appreciated by altar servers.

The priest is conducting the Asperges and he and his server walk down the aisle, facing all in the congregation……

“The congregation stood up as Father Smith marched in to give the Asperges, with Tim O’Hooley and Angus McNab holding back the sides of his cope.

“Asperges me”, he intoned in his throaty voice which the Bishop had once said he was afraid would never be quite the real Mackay, and Miss O’Hara and her billiard markers, insurance touts and untouched virgins zoomed and screeched back: “Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor.”

Down through the files of the faithful went Father Smith, with Patrick O’Shea walking in front, carrying the bucket of holy water.

Railway porters, dockers, sailors, schoolmistresses, shop girls and servant girls all crossed themselves as the silver glistening blobs came flicking out at them.

Across hats and shawls and bold bald pates the priest sprinkled the holy water, symbolically washing them from their weekday thoughts and ambitions, out across the old women at the back wearing their husband’s tweed caps stuck on with a big pin, because, although St Paul had said that a woman’s crowning glory was her hair he had also said that she ought to keep it covered when she went into the House of the Lord.

To the three chorus girls with hair like wood shavings Father Smith gave a special sprinkle because he thought their pale yellow faces looked so awful, and to Professor Brodie Ferguson in the third row because he thought that the metaphysician suffered from intellectual pride….”

What a great scene that paints. Every word is an individual gem that contributes to the whole and it just exudes what I believe to be the essence of Catholicism.

I especially like the last line dedicated to the Professor who suffered from ‘intellectual pride’- so true, even today.

Still available on Amazon.

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

The Joys of Catholic Guilt

2012-01-31T20:39:00.001Z

Graham Greene
(picture by Forgács Máté).

One of the things I often heard about in vague terms before becoming a Catholic was ‘Catholic Guilt’. There were those who seemed to pride themselves upon it. I picked up some notion of it from reading Graham Greene’s novels, with their heroes tortured by a sense of wrongs which could never be righted, evils which could never be undone, sins which could never be forgiven. In those days I could easily dismiss anything Catholic as not really being Christian, so I came to a vague conclusion that Catholics couldn’t therefore believe in Divine Grace.

That’s the problem with picking up your ideas about Catholicism from non-practising Catholics. You’ll encounter a jumbled assortment of half-truths, corrupted truths and distorted truths, which are far more dangerous than lies. In fact, I’ve come to learn from painful experience that the non-Catholic Catholics are very good at leading others swiftly down the broad road to destruction. The US health secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, being a prime example.

So what is this Catholic Guilt? What is peculiarly Catholic about having a strong sense of sin? Archbishop Fulton Sheen put it well when he said that a Catholic suffers more from wrongs he commits, simply because he loves more. It becomes so much more personal. If you have the idea of church as something like a police force, trying to catch you committing sins so you can be hauled before the courts and publicly disgraced, or like a stern schoolteacher who enforces conformity and insists that you do what they say ‘just because I say so’, then of course you will come to feel that offending this authority is no great matter. In fact, such offenses may be the way to liberate yourself from a burdensome responsibility which is only preventing you from reaching your individual potential.

But when you come to know the Church as your Mother, and when you come to know that this loving Mother was born from the womb of Our Blessed Mother, and is identical with the Body of Our Lord, who suffered so intensely out of love for each one of us, then it becomes a personal matter. Then you know that to break with this tender Mother is to separate yourself from one who loves, nurtures, protects.

I will never forget the deep sense I had in my first week following reception into the Church, when I had received Holy Communion for the first time: I just knew that there was a Presence inside me that I did not want to offend. Why would I want to do anything to separate myself from that great love?

The true understanding of Catholic guilt is that it is so painful because it is a fall from such heights of grace. The deeper the love affair, the more heartbreaking is the sense that this love is endangered, that it could even come to an end. And we know, as Catholics, that it could. We know we could lose that state of grace, not because God rejects us, but because we reject Him. The guilt is a blessing, because when we feel it, we know that something is wrong, and we can do something about it through the Sacrament of Confession. God forbid that I should ever cease to feel the pain of separation from Our Lord.

Posted by Anthony Radice (A Tiny Son of Mary).

A great Jesuit - in the days when the Society of Jesus was a great order

2012-01-31T18:52:00.002Z

                                                                    Fr Henry Morse
                                                                   1st February 1645

I had occasion to visit a Jesuit website this week and was not a little knocked back by the photographs of priests of the order - not a clerical collar in sight!

It seems rather sad that, after receiving the vocational call and undergoing years of study and sacrificing so many of life's comforts, a priest should discard his 'badge of office' to appear as an ordinary layman.

St Henry Morse SJ did not wear a dog collar either but, the times in which he lived were somewhat different, as were the style of clothes worn by a Catholic priest. But I somehow believe that this man, if he lived today, would not walk around wearing a shirt and a tie but the clerical black.

Interestingly, this website carried a history of the order in England and Wales and made much of their priests through the years but one of their greats, Fr Clement Tigar, late of this world and Campion house in Osterley, was missing.

Was it because this quiet man was a traditionalist I wonder?

But back to Fr Morse, born into the Protestant faith in 1595 in rural Suffolk.

What follows now is Fr Morse's statement from the scaffold at Tyburn, uttered as preparations were made for him to be hanged, drawn and quartered on February 1st 1645.

It is a most moving statement and one that, in these troublesome times for the Faith, we can draw a great deal of comfort from:

"I am come hither to die for my religion, for that religion which is professed by the Catholic Roman Church, founded by Christ, established by the Apostles, propagated through all ages by a hierarchy always visible to this day, grounded on the testimonies of Holy Scriptures, upheld by the authority of the Fathers and Councils, out of which, in fine, there can be no hope of salvation.

Time was when I was a Protestant, being then a student of the law in the Inns of Court in town, till, being suspicious of the truth of my religon, I went abroad into Flanders, and upon full conviction I renounced my former errors and was reconciled to the Church of Rome, the mistress of all Churches.

Upon my return to England I was committed to prison for refusing to take the oath of supremacy, and banished.
After even years I returned to England as a priest, and devoted myself to the poor and the plague-stricken".

"No self-glorification here" interrupted the Sheriff,

"I will glory you only in God" continued the martyr, "who has pleased to allow me to seal the Catholic faith with my blood, and I pray that my death may atone for the sins of this nation, for which end and in testimony of the one true Catholic faith confirmed by miracles now as ever, I willing die"

                                   St Henry Morse SJ - Ora pro nobis!
               And pray also that the Jesuit order returns to its greatness!

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

BE the Sign of Jonah to Bring About Repentance and Faith

2012-01-22T16:08:00.000Z

Repent! This is the message of Jonah, St John the Baptist, of our Lord Jesus, and even what any human person with a conscience can know. Cease doing evil and learn to do good. It isn't anything fancy, profound, or eloquent, but when it comes from a man who spent three days in the belly of the whale or three days in the belly of the earth, then we'll sit up and listen.

Listen to my homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Your browser does not support the audio element.

If you have trouble listening click here.

Look at the Mass Readings for today.

Nowadays it is theologically fashionable to question the historicity of the story of Jonah. Yeah, it is pretty weird. Quite odd to think about a man spending three days in a whale and then getting spit out. But c'mon, isn't that why they listened to him? To me, the fact that the Ninevites repented after hearing Jonah is the first reason why I think we shouldn't question if it really happened. The next thing people quesion is if the Red Sea really split, if the miracle of the loaves really happened, and even if Jesus actually historically rose from the dead!? Nonsense. Hogwash fiddle faddle! The second reason is because Jesus himself called the Cross and Resurrection, "The Sign of Jonah" (Mt 12:39-40; Mk 8:11-12; Lk 11:29).

Jesus is the sign of Jonah. He is "The Resurrection and the Life" (Jn 11:25) who suffered for our sins and on the third day rose again. For this reason, that Jesus Christ knows us inside and out, and loves us unconditionally, it is very difficult NOT to listen to him. For it is only the love of God that can really give us the true hope for change. It is only the Love of one who wept tears of blood and already repented in his own flesh for our sins, which gives us the strength not only listen but to obey the one who says, "Repent and believe in the Gospel" (from today's Gospel Mk 1:15).

Jesus gives us two chief ways of repenting and believing. These are the two chief Sacraments of the daily Christian life, the Sacrament of Repentance and the Sacrament of Faith, Penance and the Holy Eucharist. In the Sacrament of Penance, Jesus applies his most precious blood to our sins, cleansing our inmost heart of sin, so that "Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow" (Is 1:18) giving us a new innocence like that of a newborn baby. In the Most Holy Eucharist Jesus gives us the primary reason for believing in him, that he loves us here and now and says to us in the person of the priest, "This is my body, which will be given up for you" (Lk 22:19). For not only can we say, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (Jn 3:16), but also as Jesus said, "the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world" (Jn 6:51). He gives himself to me. Here. Now. Not just 2000 years ago in a land far away, but at every Catholic Mass throughout the entire world.

HE IS that supersubstantial bread that we eat, that we consume with faith, "for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Most Holy Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324) of faith, hope, and charity, of acquiring and exercising the virtues, of service to God and man, and of discipleship. When we receive the Holy Eucharist with dispositions of a lively faith, real humility, and also with the authentic hope that it will change us, it will bring about the very repentance and faith that Jesus speaks about. In receiving him we hear him say, we hear the living God say, "Repent and believe!" This is the same God, that, when he speaks, things happen. Just as he said, "Fiat Lux! Let there be light!" (Genesis 1:3) and light itself was created. When we hear God speak to us the words, he gives us also the strength to follow them.

Our Lady lived these words of Jesus the best. She is the first and best disciple, who "pondered all these things in her heart" (Lk 2:52). She is the Mother who helps us to hear these life giving and transformative words of Christ. May her prayers open our hearts to the One who loves us and helps us repent and believe in his great love for us.

Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma's second meeting - a day of devotion, socialising and discussion for Catholic bloggers

2012-01-21T10:57:00.000Z

I would like to encourage all those who can and who often share their Catholic faith online to come along to this special day for those who use the new media (Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, comments pages, etc). It will be a great opportunity for those of us who normally only commune via the sometimes 'dark glass' of computer monitors to actually see each other 'face to face' (cf 1Cor 13:12).

The first Guild meeting was an extraordinary day in more ways than one. Not only was it one of the hottest October days on record, but all three sacred ministers at the High Mass were priest-bloggers - surely a first for the Catholic Church! It was also good to be at Fr Tim Finigan's parish, where we received a most generous and warm welcome.

During the day, Saturday 18 February, Fr Sam Medley SOLT (Medley Minute) will speak on "Blessed Bloggery", reflecting especially on blogging (or the new media) as a form of ecclesial communion. We will also be able to gather for Mass, celebrated by Fr Tim Finigan (Hermeneutic of Continuity), followed by Adoration and Benediction. Those who wish to may also avail themselves of Confession at this time.

All Catholics who make use of the new media are welcome to attend this day, especially those who comment online, have their own blog, have a Facebook page, and so on. For the past few years, Pope Benedict XVI has specifically encouraged Catholics to share their Christian faith online. He has also pointed out the challenges involved in communicating both the Gospel and our own personalities via the internet. This day at Blackfen, sponsored by the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma, is a genuine attempt to respond to the Pope's invitation to use the new media as a tool for the New Evangelisation.

For directions to Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, please visit the parish website. It is quite easy to get to from central London.

For those who are interested in coming along, please do so - the fact that you are reading this shows that you have an obvious interest in Catholicism online or Catholics on the internet.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the day!

Dylan Parry (A Reluctant Sinner)

Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma - Meeting at Our Lady of the Rosary, 18 February 2012

2012-01-17T00:02:00.000Z

If you happen to be a Catholic blogger or use the new media (Facebook, YouTube, etc) in any way, please keep Saturday 18 February free as the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma will be meeting at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, on that day.

All Catholics who express their faith online, especially bloggers, are welcome to attend this special event.

During the day, Mass will be celebrated and there will also be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. After a period of worship, Fr Sam Medley SOLT will address those present (as well as possibly those joining us online) on the theme of blogging as an instrument of ecclesial communion. Following lunch, the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma will meet to discuss issues that affect those who blog, comment or generally share their Catholic faith on the internet.

On behalf of the Guild of Bl Titus Brandsma, I would like to express my gratitude to Fr Tim Finigan who has once more kindly agreed to host the Guild at his parish. Those who were present for the Guild's first meeting at Blackfen during last October's mini-heatwave already know the generous hospitality of Fr Tim and his parish.

More details and a poster will soon be available...

But, for now, please spread the word and make a note of Saturday 18 February in your diaries!

Dylan Parry
A Reluctant Sinner

Santorum Rosary Campaign Hits the News in Spain

2012-01-08T18:55:00.000Z

Word is spreading about the Rosary crusade for Rick Santorum. A Spanish news website has picked up the story:

http://www.religionenlibertad.com/articulo.asp?idarticulo=19932

Spread the word!

Why do we blog?

2012-01-04T19:25:00.000Z

I mean, specifically, why do we as Catholics, blog?

What is the purpose of this exercise?

Is it merely a chance to air one’s views much as one might debate a topic in the local pub (always assuming you can find a Christian interested in discussing matters such as the hypostatic union and its various implications)

Or, do we blog because we wish to influence a larger audience and perhaps convert them to our way of thinking?

Or, is it just a personal whim and we have no cares about who reads our posts, what they think of them or how many read them?

I have the greatest respect for bloggers who can, hand on heart, claim that they have no interest in viewing their blog statistics; they must be saintly people.

I try very hard not to fret as to whether X or Y numbers of hits have been received concerning a post but, it’s in my DNA to measure what I am doing and to determine if it is for good or not.

If we have no cares for what we post then surely we must become as an empty gong or a clashing cymbal?

In the past twelve months, in particular, we have witnessed the power that may be wielded by the Catholic blogosphere; the odd Bishop about to be promoted quickly dropped from the list, Tesco calling a halt to sponsorship, beyond 2012, of Gay Pride, the Cardinal Vaughan School battle to retain its Catholic identity and many other incidents.

And we are still in an embryonic state as far as refining and honing that ‘power’ is concerned.

There are many facets yet to be explored and developed.

One of those facets is the power to inform and even educate, in short, to evangelise.

I do not mean that we can take the word of Christ and actually convert people (although that might happen from time to time).

I mean that we have an opportunity to bring many thousands of Catholics up to speed with what is going on in the Church and guide them to a more profound faith.

Is that a bad objective? Is it, perhaps just a shade patronising?

Possibly it may smack of that but it is not intentional; the bulk of the laity have little or no concept of how the Church is changing, reforming, developing and, even, succeeding in the world.

They do know that the Church is now infamous for its muddle headed thinking on the clerical paedophilia issue but ask the Catholic man on the Clapham bus what they know about Summorum Pontificum and you will draw a blank stare before being thrown off!

Try telling a group of the laity that practicing homosexuality is a sin and see how many walk away.

Or that Purgatory is an approved doctrine of the faith (I know of some nuns who deny that this is so).

Or, even that we have returned to Friday abstinence from meat – you will get some funny looks I assure you.

The Sunday sermon does not usually focus specifically on current church affairs. It focuses on the Gospel or Epistle of the day or, if it is a special feast, then, possibly a homily on that.

The Catholic press struggles to maintain a readership that is way below the number of Catholics in the country.

Therefore, the Catholic blogging community has a great deal to offer (as our blogging priests have shown).

Take this concept one step further. Why not expose the Catholic world of blogging to the laity en masse?

Show them that the Latin Mass is legitimate, that there are forms of church music other than folk Masses - open their eyes to the reform of the reform that is moving at a faster pace in many other countries than it is in Great Britain.

And what better vehicle to undertake this role than the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma?

A Guild poster distributed to key parishes and available as a download would not take too much effort and would spread the word much faster than the man with a cleft stick.

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

The Legend of the Letter from the Lord

2012-01-02T13:53:00.000Z

Since 2003, I have had a devotion to St Jude, Patron of hopeless cases. I endeavour to pray to him every morning in my daily prayers. His intercession is without doubt very powerful indeed with God, and his fame for procuring favours for the Faithful in desperate need is nearly global.

Recently, I acquired a CTS book on the Saint and discovered the Legend of the letter from the Lord. By pious tradition St Jude is involved in a remarkable story involving a letter said to have been either written by, or dictated by Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The CTS pamphlet says...

'One of the most well-known stories about St Jude begins in Edessa, the capital of a small kingdom in the area of what is now Urfa in Southern Turkey. The king of Edessa, Agbar V 'The Black', had contracted leprosy and, having heard of Jesus's miracles, wrote to ask Jesus to come and heal him. Eusebius quotes the letter as well as Jesus's alleged reply:

Agbar, Ruler of the city of Edessa, to Jesus the Saviour, the good physician, who has appeared in Jerusalem, Greetings -
I have heard about you and about the cures you perform without medicine or herbs. What I have heard is that you make the blind see again and the lame walk, you cleanse lepers, expel unclean spirits and demons, cure those who have suffered from chronic and painful diseases, and raise the dead. On hearing all this about you, I concluded that one of two things must be true - either you are God and came down from heaven to do these things, or you are God's son doing them. I am therefore writing to ask you to come to me and cure the illness from which I suffer. I have heard that the Jews are treating you badly and wish to cause you harm - my city is very small, but very noble, adequate for both of us to live in peace.'

Jesus's reply:
'Blessed is he who has never seen me and yet believes in me. Long ago it was written that those who see me will not believe in me and that those who have not seen me will believe in me and be saved. As to your request that I visit you, it is better for me to stay here and finish the work I was sent to do. After I have finished, then I will be taken up to him who sent me. Then I will send you one of my disciples to heal your disease and bring salvation to you and your people'.

Eusebius says he read these letters in a Greek translation of the original Aramaic and did not question their authenticity. These days they are dismissed as forgeries, although some people believe these were spoken messages which were written down later. In any case, the letters were cherished relics in Edessa and were widely believed to protect the city - so much so that, when the Persians besieged the city, Christ's letter was held aloft on the city walls and hte Persians were defeated. The letters, forgeries or not, have disappeared in the mists of time but are rumoured to be held in a monastery in Kyrgyzstan.

King Agbar had also commissioned a portrait of Jesus, but the painter was unable to paint him. Jesus, feeling sorry for the man, pressed a cloth to his face and an image miraculously appeared. This was called the mandylion (a small cloth or handkerchief). One tradition says that this cloth was delivered to Agbar by St Jude and this is one explanation of the large portrait medallion of Jesus that statues of St Jude are shown wearing. The cloth was venerated in Edessa and then, after AD 945, in Constantinople, in the Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom). During the Fourth Crusade in 1204 the cloth disappeared. There are many claims as to what happened to it next. It could be hte cloth in the church of San Bartolomeo degli Armeni in Genoa. It has also been linked to the Sudarium, another cloth kept in Oviedo Cathedral.

Various sources say that when the disciples went out to the world, Jude went first to Edessa to fulfil Jesus's promise to Agbar. Eusebius says Jude stayed there in the Jewish quarter with a man called Tobias. According to The Golden Legend, Jude cured Agbar by wiping his face with Christ's letter and Agbar was converted, as were many other people in Edessa.'

Skimmed Culture

2012-01-01T08:44:00.000Z

Have you noticed how often the word ‘decadent’ is used by advertisers to promote some unctuous product, high in saturated fats? Very often they will use the words ‘sin’ and ‘temptation’ as well, to suggest that the eating of double cream (or, more likely, large dollops of spooky vegetable fat) is some kind of transgression.

But the real decadence of our culture is surely in the skimmed milk, not the full fat. Would any of our ancestors have imagined that people would pay the same, or sometimes more, for food that had had the nourishment extracted from it?

It’s the same reverse logic which sees large families as ‘irresponsible’ and persuades women who actually look like women, not pre-pubescent girls, to submit to endless programmes of self-flagellation. Fundamentally, life itself is under attack here. We naturally want creamy milk, and families naturally expand, because we have a God-given thirst for life. These elements of nature point us towards the loving bounty of God. That’s why Satan is so determined to divert us from them.

[This has also been posted on A Tiny Son of Mary]

Te Deum laudamus! In thanksgiving to God for all his mercies and blessings throughout the past year

2011-12-31T15:34:00.001Z

The Te Deum, chanted by the Schola of the Benedictine Pontifical University of St Anselmo, Rome

The Guild would also like take this opportunity to express its thanks to Mary O'Regan for highlighting our work in her piece for the Christmas edition of the Catholic Herald.

May all the Guild's members and supporters enjoy a Happy and Holy 2012!

A Prayer for Christmas, composed by one of our readers

2011-12-26T12:43:00.005Z

Adoration of the Shepherds by Charles Le Brun (1689)

Christ is with us!

Rejoice, the Christ child is born!
Not of lofty or rich estate,
but, God's only Son sent to us.

Praise God the Father and Rejoice in Christ the Son,
Holy Emmanuel, come among us to save us from sin.

You are beyond the power of speech,
yet all that we speak stems from You.
You are beyond the power of thought,
yet all that we can conceive of springs from You.
All things proclaim You,
All the joys and pain of the world meet in You.

All things utter a prayer to You,
a silent hymn composed by You.
You sustain everything that exists,
and all things move together according to Your Will.
You are the summit of all that exists.
You are one and You are all.

Lord Jesus may your light shine on our way,
as once it guided the steps of the Magi:
that we too may be led into your presence
and Worship you, the Child of Mary,
the Word of the Father,
the King of Nations,
the Saviour of Mankind;
to You be Glory Forever and Ever.
Amen.

This beautiful and thoughtful prayer as well as the image of the Adoration of the Shepherds by Le Brun were both sent to me by Anne, one of the Guild's supporters.

May I also wish all the Guild members and supporters and all readers of this blog a holy and joyful Christmas season!

Dylan Parry (A Reluctant Sinner)

A Group To Remember In Your Prayers

2011-12-18T20:10:00.000Z

My Grandmother had been a widow for many years and when she came to live with her daughter and son-in-law, after they moved in the early 1950s into a council house on one of the great overspill estates constructed to free people from the slums, had become friendly with the other widows in the parish. There were two sorts: the first comprised wives whose husbands had died young, whether killed by Germans or Japanese, or by industrial accidents in those pre-Health and Safety-conscious days, or by illness in days when far more people died from things that are now curable or because of things like pollution or heavy smoking which belong to the past. The second group was of spinsters of her age: the women who had never had the chance to marry and become mothers, because so many of the young men of their age whom they might have married had gone to sea, or to France, or Turkey, or Italy, or wherever, between 1914 and 1918 and hadn't come back.

As we got to the 1960s, a group of these ladies, by then in their 70s began to come to our house every year for their Christmas dinner. They simply couldn't be left on their own, and were parcelled in groups around various families where they were welcomed as we might have hoped to have been able to welcome the Holy Family, had we had a room in Bethlehem: "why put a candle in the window on Christmas Eve if you aren't prepared to give someone a dinner on Christmas Day?" my Grandmother would ask. "Why indeed" my mother, who would cook and clear up would answer, if only to herself. But they were always welcomed.

These ladies were all of a type. They had all been brought up in the same way: they were the daughters of labourers in the factories of late nineteenth century Manchester, had received such limited education as the state was prepared to enforce, had left school in the main at the age of 12 or 13 to go to work either in the factories or in service. They had worked all their lives until when they were 60 a grateful state had told them to stop working and had given them a small pension.

They were all practising Catholics: not just Mass on Sundays, but Novena and Benediction on Thursdays; and First Fridays, and Adoration when there was Adoration; and processions, and Confraternities. Confession was on Saturday: either weekly or fortnightly, but regular as clockwork. The Rosary was daily: at least once daily. The Rosary could be said alone or in a group.

When I knew them they were old: in their seventies they no longer had to keep up any appearances other than those they chose to. Their clothes were shabby, because they were never going to spend large amounts of cash on clothes that might not see them out; they tended towards the unembarrassedly flatulent; they liked rum, and whiskey: rum and pep, whiskey and dry ginger; and tea, sweet tea in beakers.

They had just enough to live on but they saved out of the little they had. They saved for two things: first, for their funerals, and for Masses to be said for them after their deaths. Second, for Lourdes.

If you read the popular histories of travel, you will find that overseas travel began in the UK in the 1960s, and that by the end of that decade the package holiday to the Mediterranean had become the norm for the British, but if you look at working class Catholics in Manchester, you will find that from the 1950s the package pilgrimage to Lourdes had already become established. They flew from Ringway, a converted RAF base in the south of Manchester in converted ex-military aircraft, sucked boiled sweets to cope with the lack of pressurisation, suffered institutionalised French mass catering (foreign food can sometimes really be muck), endured (and offered up) sleeping conditions which would have led an army to mutiny; but Lourdes was theirs. Few of them could afford to go every year, but every second year or third year was enough.

Why Lourdes? Why not Fatima? Why not Rome? I've no idea, but I might guess that the idea of Our Lady appearing to a poor, not very clever, girl, who lived in poverty in a family where the father wasn't particularly bright, and everybody looked down on them because they had few brains and less money might have rung a few bells.

It was the girl She appeared to, too. Her Son knew how bad they were; She could tell Him how good they could be if He would help them.

That, the Communion of the Saints, and the fact that the priest turned bread and wine into God's Body and Blood were pretty well all the theology they knew. You never argued with a priest and were blessed literally and metaphorically when he visited you. When, every few years, the Bishop came you knelt to kiss the ring which said that he was truly in the line of succession of the Apostles, and, when you were really old, there was somebody to help you kneel, and get up afterwards. There was a Pope in Rome: some of the men who had been in the Army had seen him in 1944; but he was a long way away and while you prayed for him, you could leave it to the Bishop to worry about what he was up to.

All of these women have been gathered to God, and we who are left are privileged to have known them. They understood more than I do, and believed more profoundly than me.

Pray for them at Christmas, and let's pray that we might attain their faith.

Catholic history - courtesy of Pluscarden Abbey

2011-12-17T20:18:00.005Z

I came across this unique piece of invaluable Catholic history whilst searching for some Advent chants from Pluscarden Abbey in Scotland.

Pluscarden has a wonderful history that, in many respects, reflects the history of the faith in Great Britain, a mix of failure, defeat, renewal and triumph.

Some years ago TV journalist, Selina Scott, carried out a fly on the wall type of documentary programme on Pluscarden. She asked the Prior why the community had such a reverence for a woman (the Mother of God).

The Prior replied (as best I can recall):

"Because, as a community of men we need the softening influence of Our Lady. Life would be very hard and austere for us without our Blessed Mother"

That is a sentiment that, I believe, would have a resonance with all Catholics. The influence of Our Lady prevents us from spilling into a Calvinist type of belief. It keeps us in touch with the virtues of faith, hope and charity and leads us to "the Word made Flesh".

This clip dates from c. 1945 when the Priory passed back into Catholic hands and the monks returned to restore the balance of liturgy and worship to Almighty God.

It is grainy and the sound is far from ideal but...it is a part of our living history.

Posted by - Richard Collins Linen on the Hedgerow

Advent: Memories of goodness that lead us through the door of hope - and a prayer for the Successor of St Peter

2011-12-05T23:30:00.003Z

Pope Benedict XVI celebrating First Vespers
on the First Sunday of Advent 2007
from the Throne of Pope Leo XIII

Here is a quotation from a book written by the then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. It comes from his reflection on Advent as contained in the book Seek That Which Is Above, which was first published in 1986. I happen to think these words are beautifully profound and enlightening: -

"Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.… It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."

Let's thank God for all the beautiful memories we might have, especially ones from our childhood, as well as for that joyful gift: Hope. Let us also thank Him for our compassionate and wonderful Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

A Prayer for the Pope
(composed by Pope Leo XIII)

O Lord, we are the millions of believers, humbly kneeling at Thy feet and begging Thee to preserve, defend and save the Sovereign Pontiff for many years. He is the Father of the great fellowship of souls and our Father as well. On this day, as on every other day, he is praying for us also, and is offering unto Thee with holy fervour the sacred Victim of love and peace.

Wherefore, O Lord, turn Thyself toward us with eyes of pity; for we are now, as it were, forgetful of ourselves, and are praying above all for him. Do Thou unite our prayers with his and receive them into the bosom of Thine infinite mercy, as a sweet savour of active and fruitful charity, whereby the children are united in the Church to their Father. All that he asks of Thee this day, we too ask it of Thee in unison with him.

Whether he weeps or rejoices, whether he hopes or offers himself as a victim of charity for his people, we desire to be united with him; nay more, we desire that the cry of our hearts should be made one with his. Of Thy great mercy grant, O Lord, that not one of us may be far from his mind and his heart in the hour that he prays and offers unto Thee the Sacrifice of Thy blessed Son. At the moment when our venerable High Priest, holding in His hands the very Body of Jesus Christ, shall say to the people over the Chalice of benediction these words: "The peace of the Lord be with you always," grant, O Lord, that Thy sweet peace may come down upon our hearts and upon all the nations with new and manifest power. Amen.

Posted by Dylan Parry

A prayer for Advent, grounded in the spirituality of St John the Baptist: "Illum oportet crescere, me autem minui"

2011-12-03T00:40:00.006Z

Recently, a friend called Anne sent me this prayer, which she has especially composed for Advent. It is a beautiful prayer, written by a beautiful soul. I hope you like it...

A Prayer In the Cave of My Heart

Illum oportet crescere, me autem minui (Jn 3:30)

O Lord, ever Loving and Faithful God,
help me to be little in your eyes,
and in the eyes of men.
May I shrink until there is nothing left of my will.
Take my wilfulness and admonish it,
reduce it to nothingness, so that I may reside,
with Mary, the most chaste spouse of the Holy Spirit,
and Saint Joseph, her earthly husband, alone in the light
of Your Divine Will.

Our Father, may your Will reign in me as it does in heaven.
By Grace may I be buried in the ocean of Your Will,
so that it is not my life, but Yours.
Not my living, but You living in me.
Not my prayer, but Your prayer in me.
Not my love, but Your love returned to You.
Not the glory You have given me,
as a creature created in your image and likeness,
may Your Glory be returned to You in full.

May I be so little as to no longer count, but
to live only in You, Dear Saviour, Child Jesus,
only-begotten Son of the Father Almighty.

In these days of Advent, as the Church struggles with anxieties
and hopes for the coming celebration of Your Nativity,
may this prayer be pleasing to You,
so that I may be nothing,
and, in my nothingness gain true servitude to You,
one, Holy and True God. Amen

This prayer reminds me of those famous words of St Paul: "And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me. And that I live now in the flesh: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself for me" (Gal 2:20).

May this Advent be a time of preparation for all people of good will, for all those who search for the truth, as well as for all us poor sinners who already have the joy of knowing Christ - even if we only know him dimly (cf 1 Cor 13;12). May we also be given the grace to prepare a place in our hearts for Christ's birth by dying to self - so that our knowledge of him, our love for him and our unity with him will grow deeper through the grace of his Incarnation and Nativity. May he be born in all people this Christmas - anew or for the first time - so that all of us may eventually come to share in the fullness of St Paul's joy: "And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me."

Posted by Dylan Parry (A Reluctant Sinner). Prayer composed by Anne C

Could you crack a joke in the face of death?

2011-11-29T11:04:00.003Z

Today is the Feast of St Cuthbert Mayne, first of the secular martyr priests. A man who was sought by the Queen's men and, when finally confronted by the High Sheriff and a gang of 100 followers, was ice cool but still showing a great sense of humour.

The High Sheriff was one, Richard Greenville and he and his men had surrounded the house of a Mr Tregan near Launceston, Cornwall in the hope of capturing the priest.

When Fr Mayne confronted them he said: Who are you looking for? Much as Our Lord once said: "Whom seek ye?"

Greenville replied: "We are looking for a man"

And, quick as a flash Fr Mayne responded: "Well, I am a man"

I believe that riposte was not only funny but, also, a reply that was honest. He was not going to lie and try to pretend that he was not Cuthbert Mayne.

Of course, they seized him and, in so doing, found about his neck an "Agnus Dei" a small disc made of wax imprinted with the symbol of a lamp.

Fisheaters describe the origins of the Agnus Dei -

The symbolism of the Agnus Dei is the same as that of the Paschal Candle; the wax is the pure flesh of Christ, and their protective qualities are like those of other blessed objects, with the Pope's blessing mentioning specifically protection in combat, and protection against tempests, lightning, fire and water; malice of demons and of every adversity; pentilence, sickness, and a sudden and unprovided death.

Normally, the disc would have the imprint of a lamb (Lamb of God) or, as in Fr Mayne's case, a lamp symbolising Christ the light of the world. These discs would also have been blessed by the Pope and were much loved by the Recusant priests.

Fr Mayne was thrown into prison while charges of High Treason were trumped up in order to secure his execution.
Finally, he went to trial but the jury found no charge against him. Nonetheless, Judge Manhood instructed them that the guilty verdict had to be imposed,
alleging "that where plain proofs were wanting strong presumptions ought to take their place." Not a very safe basis of law.

Three days before he was executed his gaoler came to tip him off regarding his impending death and he replied: !I wish that I had something valuable to give you for the good news you bring to me..."

The night before he faced the gallows a bright light was seen emanating from his cell, a not uncommon occurrence for those about to receive their martyr's crown (St Maximilian Kolbe's cell also showed the strong, bright light before he died).

A day or two prior to his execution his jailers had approached him offering pardon if he would swear upon the Bible that the Queen was the Supreme Head of the Church of England.

He answered that "the Queen neither ever was nor is nor ever shall be the head of the Church in England" and that answer sealed his fate.

On November 30, 1577, after having been dragged through the streets of Launceston feet first, he was hanged by the neck and then his body was drawn and quartered.

He was not allowed, as was customary, to make a gallows address to the crowd. Instead he humbly bowed his head in silent prayer.

One of The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales he is witness to the great sacrifices made by our priests both then and today.

St Cuthbert Mayne Ora pro nobis

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

Catholic Church Opposed to Sight Control

2011-11-27T16:51:00.000Z

Suppose that the whole world, or at least a significant proportion of it, decided that in order to curb the excesses of the human senses, it was necessary to go around blindfold, and with stoppers in one’s ears. Before too long there would be a papal encyclical abhorring this unnatural practice, and proclaiming that the ear was made for hearing, and the eye for seeing.

And then the terribly well-intentioned exponents of hearing and sight control would denounce the Church for being opposed to their programme, declaring everyone’s right to suppress their senses. ‘Who are they to tell me not to wear a blindfold?’ they would self-righteously proclaim. ‘They’re my eyes, and I’ll gouge them out if I want to!’

After a period of normalisation, hearing and sight control would become almost universal, with the Church alone maintaining the natural law, the necessity of using the senses that were given to us. And the practice of gouging out one’s eyes or slicing off one’s ears would become increasingly widespread, with the procedure being provided by the NHS. Any doctor or nurse who refused to become involved in the mutilation would find it increasingly difficult to work in this culture, with many cases of unfair dismissal for those who were pro-sight and hearing.

How many years of this madness would it take before humanity returned to the natural use of the bodies which God gave them?

(I am indebted for this idea to the late Archbishop Sheen. You can find twenty-four wonderful hours of his talks here).

Posted by Anthony Radice (A Tiny Son of Mary)

Advent: Preparing for Our Lord's Nativity and for his coming as Judge of the living and the dead

2011-11-26T19:00:00.005Z

A voice crying out in the wilderness, make straight the
way of the Lord

Throughout the year, the Church seeks to aid her children by offering them seasons and times that concentrate on some aspect of Our Lord's life. By meditating on the various mysteries of Christ's life and ministry, we who do so grow in our love for him, become more attached to him and enjoy the benefits of the salvation that he has gained for us. Each year we are given the grace to delve deeper and deeper into the mystery of Jesus Christ as we follow the liturgical seasons and feasts that he himself has given us through his Church.

Advent is a special season in that it helps Christians to prepare for the coming of Christ - his advent. At Christmas, which is what Advent prepares us for, Jesus will be born once more in our hearts. But Advent also prepares us for that other coming of Christ, his Second Coming, when he will come again to "judge the living an the dead." He who comes to set captives free and who comes as the Daystar of our lives is also the judge who is already standing at the door (cf James 5:9). He will grant to our souls at Christmas the same graces which he gave the Shepherds and the Magi at that first Christmas. When he comes again in glory at the end of time, he will judge us on how we used these graces - these free gifts of salvation. Advent is therefore a time of preparation both for the many graces already won for us and still being offered to us through the Incarnation as well as for the day on which we will stand before Jesus Christ face to face. If we love him, we will rejoice in calling out during Advent, "Come Lord Jesus, do not delay!"

In former times, on this First Sunday of Advent, the people of Rome would join their Bishop, the Pope, for a celebration of Solemn Mass at Santa Maria Maggiore (a basilica I mentioned a few days ago on my own blog). This particular church was chosen because it is the Blessed Virgin Mary who gave us Jesus at Christmas and because the relics of the crib in which she placed him are preserved at Santa Maria Maggiore. Of course, Our Lady prepared for Christ's coming more than anyone else - her pregnancy was a precursor to our Advent and along with her fellow Jews she was full of expectation for the promised Messiah, the Saviour. Let us therefore ask Mary, our Mother, to guide us throughout this Advent season - so that, both at Christmas and at the end of time itself, she may show unto us the blessed fruit of her womb, Jesus.

℣ Rorate coeli desuper et nubes pluant justum
(Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just)
℟ Aperiatur terra et germinet salvatorem
(Let the earth be opened and send forth a Saviour)

Mary With Child

Alma Redemptoris Mater

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
Porta manes, et stella maris, sucurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat populo: tu quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Usque ad diem 23 decembris:

℣ Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.
℟ Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.

Oremus. Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut, qui, angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem ejus et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

A die 24 decembris:

℣ Post partum, Virgo, inviolata permansisti.
℟ Dei Genitrix, intercede pro nobis.

Oremus. Deus, qui salutis aeternae, beatae Mariae virginitate fecudna, humano generi praemia praestitisti: tribue, quaesumus, ut ipsam pro nobis intercedere sentiamus, per quam meruimus auctorem vitae suscipere, Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Filium tuum. Amen.

O Loving Mother of our Redeemer

O loving Mother of our Redeemer, gate of heaven, star of the sea,
Hasten to aid thy fallen people who strive to rise once more.
Thou who brought forth thy holy Creator, all creation wond'ring,
Yet remainest ever Virgin, taking from Gabriel's lips
that joyful "Hail!": be merciful to us sinners.

Up until the day before Christmas Eve:

℣ The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
℟ And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

From Christmas Eve onwards:

℣ Thou gavest birth without loss of thy virginity:
℟ Intercede for us, O holy Mother of God.

Let us pray. O God, Who by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary hast offered unto the human race the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech thee, that we may know the effects of her intercession, through whom we have deserved to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son. Amen.

Posted by Dylan Parry A Reluctant Sinner
Image attribution for this post can be found on my blog

Blessed James Alberione, pray for us

2011-11-26T01:14:00.001Z

Today is the 40th anniversary of the death of James Alberione, Founder of the Pauline Family. He was born in San Lorenzo di Fossano (Cuneo), Italy, on 4th April 1884. At the age of 16 he entered the seminary of Alba and was ordained a priest on 29th June 1907.

During a vigil of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament on the night of 31st December 1900, a "particular light" seemed to come from the Host and roused in him a sense of obligation "to do something for the Lord and for the people of the new century" - he felt "obliged to serve the Church". The result of this was to gather together men and women who would dedicate their lives to follow in the steps of St Paul to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to all nations.

Today, the Pauline Family is made up of five congregations - the Society of St Paul, the Daughters of St. Paul, Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of Jesus Good Shepherd and Sisters of Mary Queen of Apostles; four associated institutes - Jesus the Priest, Saint Gabriel Archangel, Mary Most Holy Annunciation and Holy Family; and the Association of Pauline Co-operators. These ten Congregations and Institutes continue the work James Alberione started.

During an audience with the Pauline Family on 28th June 1969, Pope Paul VI said, "There he is: humble, silent, tireless, always vigilant, recollected in his thoughts, which run from prayer to action; always intent on scrutinising the ‘signs of the times,' that is, the most creative ways to reach souls. Our Fr Alberione has given the Church new instruments with which to express herself, new means to give vigour and breadth to her apostolate, new capacities and a new awareness of the validity and possibilities of his mission in the modern world with modern means. Dear Fr Alberione, allow the Pope to rejoice in your long, faithful and tireless work and in the fruits it has produced for the glory of God and the good of the Church."

Pope Paul VI visited Alberione during the final hours of his earthly life, a life which ended on 26th November 1971. On 25th June 1996, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognising Alberione’s heroic virtues and he was declared Beatus on Sunday 27th April 2003.

The Society of St Paul was founded in 1914, which means we are soon to celebrate our centenary. The Society was given official recognition by the Holy See on 27th June 1949.

Today, more than any other day, the Pauline Family throughout the world asks the prayers of Blessed James Alberione to sustain us in our work and we ask you, the reader, to do the same.

The Sign of the Cross

2011-11-24T23:12:00.000Z

Early in my investigations of the Catholic faith, I was very struck by a scene in Brideshead Revisited, when Lord Marchmain is visited in his final hours by a priest, and despite having apparently lost consciousness, finally makes the sign of the cross over himself. It is a wonderful image of an encounter with grace at the point of death.

It was in spring and summer of 2010, when I was devouring the Catechism with great wonder and delight, that I began making the sign of the cross over myself. With my Protestant background, it felt like a transgression, but it began to make a difference. At that time I often rode a motorbike to work, and one cannot help being conscious of the proximity of death when biking. Making the sign of the cross before setting off thus takes on an added significance.

And I felt, in a way I can’t really describe, that as I made the sign, I began to step into a more public witness. I was carrying the cross with me wherever I went. It was becoming part of me.

I want to keep remembering that mystical sense of entering into a new world of faith, not by words and ideas but by a simple gesture. May God preserve me from taking lightly this wonderful gift of the sign of the cross.

(Posted by Anthony Radice - A Tiny Son of Mary)
(Image source: Wikimedia Commons. Author: Vassil Makarinov).

Souls lost at sea, April 1943

2011-11-22T09:01:00.004Z

We are still in the month of November, the time dedicated specifically to the Holy Souls and especially to those who died while fighting for the cause of good over evil.

Death comes upon us, often without prior notice.

Equally, we stumble across death in the most unexpected of places.

Freshwater West beach in South Pembrokeshire, is one of the wildest and most beautiful in

Britain

. It is unknown except in recent years it has provided the main scenic backdrop to Robin Hood a la Russell Crowe and the latest Harry Potter films.

When the film crews and hordes of extras left, the beach returned to its normal solitary existence, the haunt of a few hardy walkers.

In the car park there is a small memorial stone and plaque dedicated to another drama that took place here some 68 years ago. A single poppy is at the foot, a sign that someone or some organisation has not forgotten.

Landing crafts LCG 15 and LCG16 and their crews were on their way from Holyhead to an unknown destination. Tragically, they tried to shelter in Fishguard Harbour but were refused permission to enter. Continuing on up the Pembrokeshire coast they ran into difficulties and in the dark the two craft lost contact with one another and LCG15 sank. A rescue lifeboat from the nearby HMS Rosemary went to the aid of LCG16 but that sank along with the landing craft. One can only imagine the horror of the situation; both vessels embroiled in the rough seas and both sunk with the loss of all hands. Little time for a perfect act of contrition. Just men screaming as the panic and realisation set in and some, no doubt, ploughing on in an effort to retrieve the situation.

Seventy nine men died in those seas and their bodies were washed ashore on Freshwater West, some were still warm and locals tried in vain to resuscitate them.

Ah, love, let us be true

To one another! for the world which seems

To lie before us like a land of dreams,

So various, so beautiful, so new,

Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,

Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;

And we are here as on a darkling plain

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,

Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Matthew Arnold

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord,

And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen

26^th April 1943

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

Christ in Majesty - A reflection for the Feast of Christ the King

2011-11-19T22:13:00.000Z

The theme of Christ in Majesty is the most magnificent in all iconography. We could say that this is the essential icon. Now that Jesus has ascended and is no longer physically with us, this is the icon which strives most of all to honour and reveal to us what He is. Jesus is God made Man, a mystery beyond our comprehending. This is the mystery in which we live, through faith.

This icon is traditionally written large and prominently displayed. The throne of Jesus, diaphanous and transparent in the light of eternity, is held within a pattern of two geometric shapes of scarlet. First there is a great scarlet diamond, and then, behind it, a hanging oblong with four sharp points. These eight pointed edges represent eternity, because eight is considered the mystical number of fulfilment (God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, and on the eighth, all had been accomplished). Between the two areas of scarlet is an elongated oval of the deepest blue, the heavens. Within, swarm the Seraphim, the dark blue angels of wisdom, with their six wings and invisible bodies. Here amidst the white swirl of those glittering wings we can dimly distinguish angelic faces. Within the scarlet of the central diamond, we can see the wings of the angels of love, the Cherubim, and, third highest of the angelic hierarchy, the Thrones, wheel around the base of the throne on which Jesus sits. To complete the complexity of the symbolism, each corner of the scarlet rectangle at the rear contains an image of one of the ‘living creatures’ that Ezekiel saw in his Vision, and John the Evangelist saw in his Apocalypse. There are the symbols of the gospels: eagle (John), man (Matthew), ox (Luke), lion (Mark).

Angels and evangelists are only there in homage to Jesus, now ascended to His natural glory. His garments are bright with gold, yet what transfixes us is the beauty of His face - grave, thoughtful, tender. Different icons show different messages in the book that Jesus holds open. This one has a quotation from St John: "Judge not according to appearances, sons of man, but judge with right judgement". Judgement is one of the themes of Jesus’ teaching: it is a function reserved to the Father. We are told: "Judge not that you may not be judged".

We are asked to tread a delicate line, to see people as they are, and yet not to imagine that we can see into their hearts. The right judgement is the judgement of Jesus, and that will always be loving and true. In this icon, if one hand offers a gentle admonishment, the other offers an unambiguous blessing. However foolish the sons and daughters of men and women, we have "an advocate in the heavens". Christ in His majesty is majestic for our sakes, never for His own.

Picture: Christ in Majesty, 15th century icon. National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kiev.
Text: Chapter 25 Sister Wendy Contemplates the Iconic Jesus by Sister Wendy Beckett. © ST PAULS Publishing.

Pray the Psalms - an exhortation from the Holy Father

2011-11-16T16:30:00.001Z

Pope Benedict has made no secret of his wish for the faithful to return to regular and frequent reading of the Psalms, The Divine Office, The Liturgy of the Hours.

He repeated his call at his audience today, attended by over 110,000 pilgrims (see Fr Z for a fuller report).

So, tonight, I have posted Compline complete with English text.

Now, for those who think that Compline is a compound that can be made into a milky drink for invalids, there is little hope!

Drink this!...

....and say this!

Posted by Richard Collins Linen on the Hedgerow

Christian Christmas postage stamps

2011-11-06T23:09:00.000Z

The Royal Mail should be praised (perhaps you would like to do so by writing to them) for honouring the birth of Our Saviour in their Christmas stamps this year. The first and second class stamps show Jesus in the Arms of Mary and the Angel appearing to Joseph. The relevant biblical reference from Matthew’s Gospel is clearly given on each stamp.

All Christians should ensure that they buy and use these stamps for their Christmas mail and also encourage their Christian friends and contacts to do so as well. The stamps should be available from all Post Offices and stamp retailers from Tuesday 8th November.

If we as Christians can demonstrate massive support for these stamps, maybe, just maybe, the Royal Mail will reconsider its policy of promoting a purely secular view of this great Christian festival in alternate years. Meanwhile, if we fail in that, remember that the "Madonna" stamps remain available throughout the year and use those in the "secular" years.

Posted by ST PAULS

Air Maria: Media in the Tradition of St Maximilian Kolbe

2011-11-03T15:27:00.002Z

I recently visited the wonderful Friars of the Immaculate at Lanherne, and they pointed me in the direction of Air Maria, a website following the tradition of St Maximilian Kolbe. What a wonderful resource it is! Here's a link to a succinct and persuasive video on the importance of praying the Rosary.

Video – How to Pray the Rosary – Dr. Miravalle: Mcasts136

Go forth and blog?

2011-11-02T09:23:00.000Z

The Catholic blogosphere has mushroomed over the past five years or so and even the Holy Father has paid tribute to the potential value it has as an evangelising force.

But, is it me or are Catholic bloggers just a little bit spiritually retentive?

We relish the snippets of outrage and enjoy the odd internet spat and the learned posts but, we are preaching to one another are we not?

We indulge ourselves and not the masses.

That is a shade overstated; there are, of course, quite a few readers of blogs out there but I do mean quite a few, I do not mean many.

Ask the average Catholic man on the Clapham bus when he last read a Catholic blog and you will be met with a stare of bafflement. Blog? Catholic? What?

Stand in a roomful of Catholics with a glass of something alcoholic in your hand and tell the group you are with that you are a Catholic blogger – and watch their eye movements as they mark the nearest emergency exit.

Blogging, to the uninitiated, still carries a faint twang of something not quite nice; something that Uncle Rupert did on his own in an upstairs room before he emigrated to

South Africa

in a hurry.

So, the first step must surely be to bring the Catholic range of blogs to the attention of the faithful – we are not (I assume) setting out purely to evangelise when we commence blogging; I am sure that there is a diverse and varied range of reasons for this self inflicted wounding. But, whether we like it or not, there is a strong evangelical element to all that we do and that is a good and fine thing.

Provided that we open ourselves up to all and not to the select few.

I hesitate to speculate as to how many thoroughly decent, everyday Catholics know nothing of Summorum Pontificum and all that accompanies it; most of them do not even know whether an Extraordinary Form Mass is said in their parish (most parishes appear to leave it off the notices) and, as far as the Diocese is concerned, the old Mass is precisely that. It no longer exists.

And then, of course, there is the stigma attached to the Latin Mass – “it’s banned” “it’s turning the clock back” – there is much work for the blogosphere (and for Guild members) here.

At the recent Guild meeting at Blackfen there did not seem to be much enthusiasm for spreading the word with regard to Catholic blogs – or did I read the mood wrongly?

But I believe that it is incumbent upon us to do so. Did not Our Lord tell us to go out and teach?

This concept, I confess, is not my own; it came from another blogger, A Catholic Gadfly. But, I support it totally.

Gadfly’s view was that the Guild should produce an online poster with one or two lines of copy explaining its purpose and the blog address.

This could then be posted up on parish notice boards with the agreement of the PP.

That seems very reasonable to me.

Posted by Richard Collins – Linen on the Hedgerow

Why do Catholics celebrate the feast of All Saints?

2011-11-01T00:36:00.001Z

Saints of God: Come to our aid!

One of our greatest abbots and Doctors of the Church, St Bernard of Clairvaux, answered this question in an eloquent homily, parts of which I have reproduced below: -

Of what profit to the saints are our prayers and the honour we pay them? Of what use is this feast-day? Of what use to them are honours paid on earth when our heavenly Father, fulfilling the faithful promise of his Son, has raised them to glory? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints have no need of honour from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Surely we are the ones to benefit, when we venerate their memory. I confess that at the very thought of them I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning to be with them.

Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. We long to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the blessed, to join the assembly of patriarchs, the ranks of the prophets, the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble college of confessors and the choirs of virgins. In short, we long to be united in the communion of all the saints. The Church of all the first followers of Christ in glory awaits us, but we turn aside; the saints lovingly call us, and we make little of it; the host of the redeemed look for us, and we are not interested.

Brothers, at long last let us shake off our torpor and rise with Christ to seek the things that are above, to set our mind on the things of heaven. Let us long for those who are longing for us, hasten to those who are waiting for us, and with our prayers come into the presence of those who are looking for us. We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their joy. While we desire to be in their company, we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no peril in setting our hearts on such glory.

When we commemorate the saints we are inflamed with another yearning: that Christ our life may also be made manifest to us as he appeared to them and that we may one day share in his glory. Until then we see him, not as he is, but as he became for our sake. He is our head, crowned, not with glory, but with the thorns of our sins. As members of that head, crowned with thorns, we should be ashamed to live in luxury when the purple robes are put on him in mockery rather than honour. When Christ comes again, his death shall no longer be proclaimed, and we shall know that we also have died, and that our life is hidden with him. The glorious head of the Church will appear and his glorified members will shine in splendour with him, when he forms this lowly body anew into such glory as belongs to himself, its head.

So, let us strive to attain this glory with a passionate desire and an ambition that is entirely praiseworthy. That we may rightly hope and strive for such blessedness, we must above all seek the prayers of the saints. Thus, what is beyond our own unaided efforts may be granted to us through their intercession.

St Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon 2 (emphases mine)

Today is the Solemnity of All Saints, one of the Church's holiest and most ancient of feasts. This festival has been celebrated on 1 November in the Latin Church since the mid-8th century - although had previously been kept on 13 May since AD 609. Eastern Christians have celebrated this feast since the 5th century, and continue to do so on the Sunday after Pentecost (which is called All Saints' Sunday).

In reality, today's feast is a celebration of the fullness of Christ's glory made manifest in the members of his Body, the Church. Those men and women who conformed themselves to Christ in this life are now one with him in Heaven - they are where we long to be, they have achieved our own life's ambition. The Saints are completely one with Christ, living in the heart of the Trinity. They are the first-fruits of Our Lord's Holy Resurrection.

All Saints is therefore a day when we rejoice in the true and eternal vocation of every human being - one which Christians have been especially called to achieve through God's grace. It is also a day when we should ensure that we do not turn aside from Christ's first followers, or ignore those souls who are already waiting us in the blissful joy that is our heavenly and everlasting home! It is a day, then, for us to rededicate ourselves in our ambition for the things of Heaven.

Omnes sancti Angeli et Archángeli, oráte pro nobis!

Posted by Dylan Parry (A Reluctant Sinner)

Do you know this man?

2011-10-20T19:14:00.000+01:00

One Solitary Life

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village.

He worked in a carpenter’s shop until He was 30 years old and then for 3 years He was a travelling preacher.

He never wrote a book, He never held an office, He never owned a house, He never had a family, He never went to college.

He never put his foot inside a big city except one. He never went 200 miles from the place where He was born.

He never did one of the things which usually accompanies greatness.

He had no credentials but himself. Whilst still a young man the tide of popular opinion turned against Him.

His friends ran away, some of them denied Him, He was turned over to His enemies, He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.

His executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had upon earth while he was dying; and that was his garment. When He was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave, through the kindness of a friend.

20 centuries have come and gone. He is the cornerstone of the human race and the keystone of the Kingdom of God.

When I say that all the armies that ever marched and all the navies that were ever built and all the parliaments that have ever sat and all the kings that have ever reigned have not affected the life of man as powerfully as that one solitary life, none will ever be found to disagree.

Unknown

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

Dr Joseph Shaw will be giving a talk on 'A Political Future for England - Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Common Good' on Tuesday the 25th of October at 7.30 PM

2011-10-16T19:21:00.000+01:00

Under the auspices of the 'Inn Catholics' :

http://theinncatholics.blogspot.com/

Venue: The Star Tavern, Belgrave Mews West, London, SW1X 8HT

No entrance fee. Voluntary contributions welcome.

Dr Joseph Shaw teaches Philosophy at Oxford University at St Benet's Hall, a Benedictine Permanent Private Hall. He is a Governor of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre and External Examiner of the Maryvale Institute's BA in Philosophy and the Catholic Tradition. He has published articles on Philosophy of Religion and Ethics.
Outside academia he is Chairman of the Latin Mass Society, founder and Chairman of the St Catherine's Trust, and a homeschooling father of four. He has a blog on Traditional Catholic matters at www.lmschairman.org and on his philosophical interests at www.casuistrycentral.blogspot .com.

Derided, mocked and spat upon – our priests are truly other Christs!

2011-10-13T10:08:00.000+01:00

As standards have plummeted over the last fifty or so years, so there has been a noticeable lowering of respect in society.

The rude shop assistant, the stand up comedian who cracks jokes about having ‘an imaginary friend’ (being a Christian), the blasphemous piece of ‘art’.

And, over the past few years, thanks to the awful way that those in authority in the Church handled paedophilic priests and to those priests themselves, we have a very broad section of society that loves nothing more than to hit out at those good priests who cannot hit back.

I believe that, it is not that unusual for a priest to be spat upon in a public place or to be jeered at or be the subject of a snide remark uttered just loud enough to hear.

Why anyone should wish to be a priest is one of life’s great mysteries.

As a boy I well remember nuns saying to the class:

“Examine your inner self boys and see if any one of you has the vocation of the priesthood”…for me that was the stuff of nightmares.

It was then left to some smart Alec to pipe up and ask:

“But how will we know, Sister?” and the answer would come:

“Because God will call you Aelfric” (or whatever the boys’ name would be).

I prayed fervently every night that God would not call me; in fact I stormed Heaven asking for God to remain silent when the name Collins came before him – and it worked!

St John Vianney - suffered greatly

throughout his priesthood

Because our priests are so very special, there used to be a code of good manners regarding them. Always, of course, use the pre-fix ‘Father’ and always stand whenever a priest enters the room. Not many people do that these days, it is not something that one need do if the room is full of people but, when a small group are gathered together it is a good thing to do. When serving food or drink, the priest should always be served first, even if there are women present.

And also, at the time of speechmaking when a priest is present, all addresses should begin with “Father Brown, Ladies and Gentlemen" or whatever.

Why should we do these things? Because a priest is there in the place of Christ, an alter Christus, and we would do no less for Him.

Now Father Simon Henry of Offerimus Tibi Domine has written a very moving and reflective post on the subject of the priesthood. The post came as I was composing this one, this is not in response to Father's one.

I would like to contribute this extract from The Imitation of Christ for all priests and seminarians – it is sad but it is also uplifting….

THE VOICE OF THE LORD:

“My son, anyone who tries to escape from obedience is really escaping from grace, and anyone who pursues private schemes loses communal blessings.

If a man does not submit to his superior gladly and willingly, it is that his old nature has not yet learned complete obedience, but is kicking and murmuring still.

You must learn to submit to your superior quickly, if you wish to desire to bring your old nature under control. The enemy outside, is defeated sooner, when the man within is not in chaos.

There is no enemy more troublesome and dangerous to your soul than you are to yourself when you and your spirit are not in harmony.

You must learn a real indifference to self if you want to win the victory over flesh and blood.

It is because your self-love is still undisciplined that you are afraid to abandon yourself to the will of others.

Is there anything wonderful in the fact that you who are dust and nothingness submit to men for God’s sake, when I, the Almighty and Most High, who created all things from nothing, humbly submitted to men for your sake?

I became the humblest and lowest of all, so that your pride should be broken by my humility.

Learn obedience, for you are only dust. Learn to humble yourself and to put yourself beneath the feet of all, for you are the clay of the ground. Learn to crush your own desires, and surrender yourself in complete subjection.

Savagely stamp out any sign of pride within you, and show yourself so humbled and insignificant that everyone can walk over you and tread you down like the mud of the streets.

You worthless creature, how can you complain when men find fault with you?

You blackened sinner, what defence can you make?

You have offended God on countless occasions, and have earned the punishment of hell.

Yet your soul was precious to me, and I looked down and spared you, so that you should acknowledge my love, live in continual thankfulness for my benefits, strive towards true subjection and humility, and submit patiently when you are treated with contempt”.

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

Exorcist dies for the faith!

2011-10-08T10:59:00.002+01:00

The Angel St Giles High Street, aka 'The Resurrection Gate' - next stop Tyburn!

The Reformation period produced many great men and women who suffered for the faith. It was a time when the ‘recrudescence of evil’ was manifest throughout the country and beyond and it remains a mystery that so many young men courageously stepped forward to undergo seminary training in preparation for the priesthood, knowing that they were committing themselves to an almost certain death.

One such was Father Robert Dibdale*, brought up in the English heartland of Warwickshire, went to Douai and was ordained in Rheims Cathedral on March 31^st 1584.

Five months later he set sail for the English Mission and, in the course of the next two years he became a skilled exorcist; a calling much in demand at the time.

Here is a brief account of his all too short ministry.

“….at Sir George Peckham’s, Denham, near Uxbridge, and other places, by the virtue and power that Christ has bequeathed to the ministers of His Church, the martyr showed his mastery over evil spirits.

They were forced to leave the bodies of the possessed, and to bring from their mouths pieces of metal and other things which could never have entered a human body.

In obedience to the prayers and exorcisms of the Church, they declared, to their own confusion, the virtue of the sign of the cross, holy water and relics, both of the ancient saints and of those suffering in England in those days for the Catholic faith.

These manifestations were slighted indeed by some incredulous and hard-hearted heretics; yet others who were not so prejudiced by passion, but more reasonable, were convinced by what they saw, and thereupon renounced their errors.

Father Dibdale was condemned to die for his priestly character with BB. Lowe and Adams, driven to Tyburn and there hanged, drawn and quartered, October 8, 1586”

*also listed as Richard Dibdale (Debdale)

Blessed Robert Dibdale, John Adams and John Lowe

ORA PRO NOBIS!

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

Priests as Instruments of Grace

2011-10-06T11:08:00.001+01:00

Fr Daniel Seward, of the Oxford Oratory, preached a wonderful sermon on the priesthood last Sunday, following the ordination of Fr Nicholas Edmonds-Smith on Saturday 1st October. He reflected on the role of priests as servants and instruments of God, and commented that a vocation to the priesthood is not found by demonstrating certain abilities, as though anyone were properly ‘qualified’ to act as Christ himself. It is all done by the grace of God. This is clear when one reflects on the liturgy, and how the priest must submit himself entirely and faithfully to it, with no room for imposing his own personality on what God has instituted in the Holy Mass:

‘We should not come away from Mass conscious of the personality of the priest who celebrates, rather, it is the person of Christ in whose person the priest acts that is the only important factor. This is why, as Pope Benedict says, there is no room whatever for creativity in the liturgy. Every word, every gesture, should come from the Roman Missal.’

I had already been reflecting on this following my visit to Blackfen for the 1st October meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma. It was my first experience of High Mass in the Old Rite, and I was very struck by the beauty of the vestments worn by the celebrants. For those who do not understand that the priest is Alter Christus, it might seem that these splendid robes are an arrogant affectation, a sign that the priest considers himself somehow more holy or more spiritual than the laity. But of course, the more splendid the robes, the less focus there is on the priest as personality, and the more clear is his role as an instrument of Divine Grace. And this is especially true when one is looking at his back!

This applies to the Sacrament of Confession as well. It is so helpful not to be able to see the priest. At the Oxford Oratory there is a screen, and a crucifix to look at as one kneels to make confession. All of this reminds one that the priest is acting as an instrument of Grace, a channel which God has chosen.

It seems to me that in these times when so few people have any real understanding of the sacred, it is more important than ever for priests to take every opportunity to show to the faithful the fullness of the truth about what ordination means, especially by their administration of the Sacraments. Ordination is an astonishing work of God, whereby he demonstrates that he can take useless human materials and transfigure them, so that they can do infinite good.

And of course it is also possible for priests to do infinite harm, which is why we so urgently need to pray for holy priests. Fr Daniel quoted Therese of Lisieux: "Alas! how many bad priests there are, priests who are not holy enough...Let us pray, let us suffer for them." He also mentioned the comment of St John Bosco, that the walls of hell are lined with birettas.

But in many ways this infinite capacity and great responsibility applies to every one of us. When we make ourselves into a living sacrifice, offering everything up through the Immaculate Heart of Mary and united with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, then we too become channels of God’s grace, mysteriously participating in the divine plan of redemption. When we submit to God’s plan by praying the devotions given to us by the Church, and particularly by Our Blessed Mother, and by receiving the Sacraments instituted by Christ, then we too can leave behind our personalities, instead becoming the person that God made us to be.

Posted by Anthony Radice (A Tiny Son of Mary).

The full text of Fr Daniel's sermon can be found here.

Photo by Mac McLernon (see her Flickr site).

The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma at Blackfen, Saturday 1 October 2011 - A short report on a wonderful day!

2011-10-02T01:00:00.018+01:00

Fr Tim Finigan discusses Catholics and the new media

The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma held its first official meeting yesterday, on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year! Around 15 Catholic bloggers and users of the new media travelled from all over Britain to meet at Our Lady of the Rosary parish, Blackfen. The day started with High Mass (EF) and included a talk by the well-known priest-blogger (and member of the Guild), Fr Tim Finigan. It also included some socialising and an informal meeting, and ended with a celebration of Solemn Vespers and Benediction.

A Catholic first? Three blogging priests as sacred ministers

Many of the Catholic bloggers who belong to the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma were present for High Mass, which was celebrated at 10:30am as part of the parish's Saturday devotions. This Mass, though, was rather special not only for the excellent serving provided by the team of servers and the beautiful singing offered by the Schola, but because all three sacred ministers were Catholic priest-bloggers. The celebrant was Fr Tim Finigan (The Hermeneutic of Continuity), whilst Fr Sam Medley SOLT (Medley Minute) acted as Deacon and Fr Simon Henry (Offerimus Tibi Domine) was Sub-deacon.

During the homily, Fr Finigan reflected on the importance of Our Lady within salvation history. He also quoted St Louis de Montfort, who deplored the fact that even Catholics can sometimes seem embarrassed by the Church's devotion to Mary. Over the centuries, as Fr Tim Finigan pointed out, there have been iconoclastic or puritanical movements that seek to downplay or threaten devotion - especially in the form of images - to Our Lady and the Saints. Some have even suggested that certain events following the Second Vatican Council, when many churches were needlessly re-ordered and statues were removed, was a kind of iconoclasm. But it seems, partly thanks to those Catholic bloggers who often post beautiful images of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints on their blogs, that the Church is currently re-embracing Catholic art and culture, as well as her devotions to Our Lady and the Saints.

My Lord and my God!

After Mass, Fr Tim Finigan addressed the assembled bloggers and parishioners in the parish hall. His talk was on "Catholics and the new media", and he spoke with great eloquence on the need for Christians to be present online. In saying this, Fr Finigan was re-echoing the words of Pope Benedict XVI, who has often spoken explicitly - in his messages for World Communications Days, for example - of the need for Catholics, and especially priests, to blog and be active users of the new media. It was sad to note, then, that one priest (a Diocesan Communications Officer, no less) has recently stated in an email to Richard Collins (Linen on the Hedgerow) that "blogging as currently manifested should be made a serious criminal office because of the significantly negative comments that are so often made about people who are trying to do their best are so destructive to the good of society" (emphasis mine).

After reflecting on the fears that many in the Church have regarding blogging and the new media, Fr Finigan concentrated on the good that blogging can achieve; though he also suggested that bloggers do need to examine their consciences from time to time - just as all Christians should. It is sometimes best not to publish some posts, and prayer can often help us discern the blogging choices we make. Having said that, one of the joys of blogging is that other bloggers will usually temper uncharitable or harsh posts or comments, or will seek to offer another opinion or way of approaching a controversial topic. Another benefit that blogging and social media have brought humanity (and the Church) is the fact that ordinary people are now able to hold to account those who are in authority over them. This shifting of power has been an uncomfortable experience for those used to being in control, and has led many authoritarian regimes to try and shut down the blogosphere altogether. In that sense, it could be said (this is my interpretation) that blogging can be a prophetic tool. As Fr Finigan said, it is certain that many of our greatest and most prophetic saints - such as Blessed Titus or St Louis de Montfort - would have been bloggers if they had been alive today.

You have prepared a banquet for me...

After Fr Tim Finigan's very interesting and enlightening talk, all the Guild members were invited to the parish social club, where we were treated to the most delicious buffet lunch I have ever tasted! Many bloggers got to chat and catch up over a drink and some food - making valuable contacts and sharing some of their blogging stories with one another.

The Guild then met for an informal meeting, which began and ended with prayer, and during which many practical concerns were discussed. Amongst these was the planning of the next meeting and Guild Day, as it was agreed that the need for Catholic bloggers to meet and pray together is a highly important one. It was also agreed that one of the main functions of the Guild is to enable bloggers to offer help to one another. It was also felt that the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma had achieved some amazing things since its inception (only 5 months ago), and that the present informal structure was working remarkably well - though this might change in the future. A few members suggested that it would be good for one of the group to write an article on Catholic blogging, and other plans for the promotion of the work of Catholics who use the new media were also drawn up. Richard Collins handed out Guild prayer cards, which we used at the end of our meeting. Please contact me (arelucantsinner@gmail.com) if you would like one of these cards, which were kindly made by one of Richard's daughters. Proper minutes of yesterday's meeting will be sent to Guild members during the next few days.

The Guild Day ended with members joining parishioners from Blackfen for Solemn Vespers for the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Yesterday at Blackfen was a most enjoyable, prayerful, enlightening and wonderful day - and on behalf of the Guild I would like to thank all involved: Fr Tim Finigan and his parishioners, the sacred ministers (Fr Medley and Fr Henry), the MC and servers, the choir and musicians, those who prepared the buffet meal and opened the bar, as well as those who travelled so far to be at the event. Blessed Titus Brandsma will have his work cut out for him to ensure that the next Guild Day and meeting will be as good as this first one!

Here is a list of the Catholic bloggers and users of the new media who were present at yesterday: -

Fr Tim Finigan (The Hermeneutic of Continuity)
Fr Sam Medley SOLT (Medley Minute with Fr Sam)
Fr Simon Henry (Offerimus Tibi Domine)
Fr Michael Clifton (Fr Mildew)
Stuart James (eChurch)
Paul Priest (On the side of the Angels)
Mac McLernon (Mulier Fortis)
"Hilaire Belloc" (The Hilaire Belloc Blog)
Leutgeb (bara brith)
Annie Elizabeth (Defende nos in proelio)
Anthony Radice (A Tiny Son of Mary)
Richard Collins (Linen on the Hedgerow)
Roy Hobson (the commentator "Vesper")
Me (A Reluctant Sinner)

Those Guild members who wanted to be at the event, but couldn't make it were: Laurence England (The Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill); Chris Owens (Benedictus Dominus); James Preece (Catholic and Loving it!); Greg Beaman (A Brief Encounter); Sean Gough (Trust in You); Jane Mossendew (Thoughts from a Catholic Oasis); Stephen Moseling (St Pauls Bookshop Blog); as well as these two anonymous or semi-anonymous blogs: Juventutem London and Catholic with Attitude.

Blessed Titus Brandsma, pray for us

Photos by Mac McLernon (please see her Flickr site)

By Dylan Parry (A Reluctant Sinner)

Is she the world's favourite saint?

2011-09-30T09:46:00.000+01:00

Feastday Saturday 1st October

I mean, of course, St Therese de Lisieux, the Little Flower, the patron saint of the missions who never left her native

France

, the nun who, despite dying at the age of 24, made a massive impact on the world - by doing what?

By living the life of Christ! By embracing all that surrounded her in a fervent manner! By suffering for Christ as He had suffered for her on the cross!

"I only love simplicity, I have a horror of pretence"

Good words for Catholic bloggers to abide by

From Frances Parkinson Keyes’ biography ‘St Teresa of Lisieux’ comes this extract……….

“She observed every conventual rule for sefl-discipline meticulously, anticipated and expanded every precept for self-sacrifice.

Though stll beset by a sense of her own unworthiness, she bent her will and her spirit toward cleaving a pathway to Light.

“I will wait to make my profession” she told herself firmly, “as long as God may require. Only I could not bear it if were through my own fault that my communion with Him was indefinitely deferred.

I will put forth my best efforts to weave for myself a shining garment of goodness incrusted with the precious stones of righteousness.

When it is rich enough in His sight, He will not refuse to receive me as His own”.

We cannot doubt that it was “rich enough in His sight” long before the authorities of Carmel recognized its glory.

Being human they “saw through a mirror in an obscure manner” though yet “face to face”. But in heaven Teresa’s worth must have already been known; her name already “written”; and the time came, as it had come before, when her will – and heaven’s – could no longer be thwarted.

She made her profession on the eighth of September, in the year of Our Lord eighteen hundred and ninety.

The ceremony itself was not dazzling, as taking the habit had been, but the day was one of utmost splendour. No still snowbound night, this, but a mellow morning when the light seemed drenched in amber.

As the procession advanced, a great flock of swallows, sweeping across the glittering sky, suddenly swooped down and circled over the convent, skimming so close to it that their wings seemed to brush the walls.

As the procession passed, the bright birds shot upward again and vanished into etheral space.

They had gone as quickly as they had come. But none who saw their flight did so unmoved.

Was it only the wings of birds which brushed over the convent that day?

Or were there hovering angels, too, in that strange, swift flight?”

The church of St Therese de Lisieux, Laos - a country still oppressed by communism and in need of the intercession of St Therese

Tomorrow – Saturday 1^st October is the Feast of St Therese and the date set for the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma (Catholic bloggers) meeting at the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, commencing with Mass at 10.30am – all are welcome

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

Angelology or Angelolatry?

2011-09-29T13:45:00.000+01:00

A little gift on this Feast of the Archangles

If you have trouble viewing, click here.

The Hilaire Belloc Blog makes it into the press...

2011-09-25T21:59:00.000+01:00

Fame at last...

From the Mail

A View From England

A Wanderer reader from England recently tipped off From the Mail to a wonderful new web site devoted to Hilaire Belloc, which, for the first time so far as FTM knows, provides direct links to just about everything Belloc ever wrote as well as to commentaries on Belloc’s work. Readers can see it here: http://thehilairebellocblog.blogspot.com/.

FTM asked this longtime foreign friend what he thought of the riots sweeping England, and he replied: “ Riots reinforce our cry for ‘ Parents as the primary educators and protectors of our children’!”

This longtime Catholic activist added: “I think almost every one of our government ministers is divorced, living in sin, or ‘ gay’…. So much for supporting the family.”

The Defect Of Tyranny Within Us

Among Belloc’s writings that FTM had never seen before, which appears on this new Belloc blog, is an essay he wrote for the Catholic Truth Society in March 1918 titled, “ Religion and Civil Society.”

Belloc was responding to an article published a month earlier by England’s leading atheist, Mrs. Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner, called “ Christianity Versus Liberty,” in which she advocated ( successfully) for the repeal of a British law which prohibited the Rationalist Press Association from inheriting money from wills and trusts, because it propagandized against Christian doctrines.

In this brilliant essay — which every U. S. Catholic should read this political season when so much of what our government does is under review — Belloc tells us what the purpose of a state is: “The authorities of the community exist for the purpose of maintaining the community, that is, of maintaining 1) its material existence, and 2) the character or tradition which makes it what it is. This end to their action gives those actions all their validity. You could not have a community in which civil authorities did not exercise power of restraint over the members thereof. In the absence of such, the mere material framework of the community would fall to pieces, and it is an implied injunction upon the authorities which civilly govern the community that they should preserve not only its material structure, but its character or soul. In proportion as this end is perfectly attained we speak of the community as politically free, although the restraints to which members therein are put by the common authority may be very severe. “ For instance, in time of war, when the community is threatened with foreign conquest, the authorities may compel the full service of any man, including the sacrifice of life itself, in the defense of the state; yet the man so conscripted is politically free, and the state to which he belongs is essentially a free state.

“If such orders came from a foreigner, compelling a man to such sacrifices for a community that was not his own, then that man would be unfree, and the community thus subjected to alien authority would be unfree also. But this ‘ Political Liberty,’ the most necessary form of liberty, is only a condition of the narrower thing which we call especially ‘Civil Liberty.’ A community must be free from alien government for its citizens to be free at all, and must have the right to preserve its own character by the extrusion of practices which it feels fatal to that character. . . .

“ In practice the area of such ‘ civil liberty’ in a healthy and practically free state, the proportion of acts which the individual or the corporation may perform at will, without restriction by the state, is always very large. It always includes by far the greater part of one’s daily activities, at any rate of normal times; and we regard the extension of this ‘ civil liberty,’ quite apart from national or political liberty, as a good; we jealously watch encroachments upon it as dangerous, that is, as liable to produce great evil, for four reasons: “ First, we know by our reason that the state is not an end in itself, but only exists for the happiness of its members — real bodies and souls — that make it up. Therefore each must have the power of testifying to the success or failure of state measures toward that end, and of himself furthering it.

“ Secondly, we discover by experiment and from the example of history how necessary to the health of the state as a whole, how necessary to its vigorous common life, is this power of reaction to it.

“ Thirdly, we know that there is in human nature a defect of tyranny — the love of ‘ running other people,’ of seeing them obey you. Therefore, the human agent of civil authority must be subject himself to restriction and limits as of appointment or custom. “ Lastly, one of the attributes of a conscious individual being is the desire and instinct, or what might be called ( without too much exaggeration), the sheer necessity for self- expression. An undue restriction exasperates this instinct and forbids satisfaction of this desire. In so much it warps and weakens and inflames the individual, makes him unhappy and defeats the end for which the state exists, which is the happiness of its members.

“ Now civil liberty being of this nature, and being by common consent a good, and any unnecessary loss of it an evil, it will at once be granted that the imposition of a special form of thought or philosophic express upon the mass of free men against their will, is a restriction of the gravest kind. In common (and true) language, it is tyranny.”

In other words, Belloc prophesized against the then coming “dictatorship of relativism” that penalizes Christian thought and action, and wars against both personal and civil liberty.

What’s In Your Beer?

Fans of Belloc will also find on this new blog all of his interventions in Parliament, where he served as a Liberal member from Salford from 1906 to 1910, as recorded by Hansard, Britain’s equivalent of the Congressional Record.

In 1906, Belloc stood in support of the Pure Beer Bill, introduced by Sir George Courthope of Sussex, after a number of his constituents died from arsenic- laced beer.

The entire debate is utterly fascinating, pitting as it did the advocates of “ healthy” beer made of barley malt, hops, water, and yeast — really a “ whole food” — and “ chemical” beer made of sugar, arsenic, and whatever else the industrial beer manufacturers wanted to put into it.

In pushing his bill, Sir Courthope argued that chemical beer was not only increasing drunkenness, but was also a major cause of disease and ill health.

In support of this Pure Beer Bill, Belloc argued, according to Hansard’s account, “ that in the constituency which he represented a number of people had died from drinking impure beer. What was still more important, for electoral purposes, a great number survived. So far as his memory served, something like this happened. When the friends of those who died from arsenical poisoning brought an action, the brewer said, ‘ I am innocent. I used glucose.’ They then brought an action against the glucose manufacturer. He said, ‘ I am innocent. I used pure sulphuric acid.’ The sulphuric acid manufacturer said that there was ‘ no more than the usual proportion of arsenic.’ “ Unfortunately there was, and by the use of these three different ( or identical) substances used in the making of beer a large number of people suffered acute agony. He stood there for those people. Those who listened to the debate on the address would know that they had all been returned for a large number of different reasons, but among the other questions was the question of pure beer. He wanted to insist upon the fact that they were a representative as well as a deliberative body, and there was not the slightest doubt that if they put this bill to the votes of the people they would get an overwhelming majority in its favor. They were told that the populace did not understand the deep chemical mysteries by which the preparation of beer was ruled. The financial secretary to the Treasury had said with some force that it was impossible to tell the difference between beer brewed from malt and hops and beer brewed in other fashions.”

What’s in your beer? Maybe that question should be part of the public debate.

Nothing Less Than An Attack Upon The Church

Another Belloc essay FTM was not aware of posted on the Belloc blog is a March 1910 Catholic Truth Society publication: “ The Ferrer Case.”

Francisco Ferrer was a Spanish anarchist who went from humble beginnings to a top position in international Freemasony, accumulating extreme wealth along the way and developing contacts among all the wealthiest Church- haters in major European cities. Among Ferrer’s special interests was publishing children’s schoolbooks for use in government schools. While Ferrer was in London in June 1909, his handlers suddenly called him back to his home city of Barcelona to foment riots against the Spanish government’s unpopular military action in north Africa — riots which he directed against the Church in a precursor to the Spanish Civil War of 1936. After that, Ferrer was arrested, tried, and executed.

Who could read this section and not think about how “ conspiracies” against the Church really do work? Belloc opened: “ The readers of the following lines may remember the excitement in the month of October of the year 1909, an explosion of excitement and anger took place simultaneously in a certain number of great towns with regard to the execution of a Spanish criminal of the name of Francisco Ferrer.

“ This man’s name had been hitherto unfamiliar to all but a narrow circle of people, who were interested in his educational work and in his remarkable personality. He was very well known in the town of Barcelona, near which he had been born, in the suburbs of which he resided, and which latterly had been the scene of his political efforts. But he was not in any sense a public figure in Europe, nor were the public in general acquainted with his name.

“ Of a sudden, within two days, that name was talked and shouted about in Paris, in London, in Rome, and one or two other great cities where secret organization can be prompt and thorough in action; and it filled public attention to the exclusion of every other subject. In Pisa an attempt was made to burn down the cathedral. In London a hostile demonstration was made outside the cathedral of Westminster; in Paris a large mob was gathered, great injury was done to municipal and private property, many policemen were wounded, and one was killed. . . .

“ Now that we can look back upon that strange episode, we see it marked by certain characters which every man of independent judgment and common sense, no matter what his philosophical or religious opinion, must recognize.

“ In the first place it was organized; it was not spontaneous. It is self- evident that a spontaneous explosion of sympathy with an unknown person cannot take place. It is further self- evident that a spontaneous explosion does not take place in five or six widely separated centers at the same moment. That the movement was organized artificially is further proved by the fact that it was put an end to as secretly, as suddenly, and as abruptly as it was aroused. The moment the facts began to leak out, the moment the truth about Ferrer’s life became known, the same power which had spoken in Rome, in Paris, and in London discovered the topic to be uninteresting and dropped it. . . .

“ Now, not only did this incident bear the plain character of organization, and of secret organization: It bore a character which very often accompanies phenomena of that sort in Europe — to wit, that its whole energy and meaning were an attack upon the Catholic Church. The cry in favor of the condemned criminal was identically the same as the cry against the faith. No one joined in it save from hatred of the Catholic Church, or under orders from, or duped by those, who hate and would destroy the Catholic Church. Conversely, no Catholic, not even those isolated and illinformed Catholics who in Protestant countries are so easily deceived by the falsehoods ’ round them, joined in that demonstration.

“It was nothing more nor less in its inception, character, and meaning than an attack upon the Church. The weapon used was a familiar one. First, the assertion that a great injustice had been done — and that presented in a light which made the deed seem inhumanly wicked; next it was suggested or asserted that the authors of this monstrous iniquity were the priests of the Catholic Church. In precisely the same manner are the events of the past of Europe presented by those who hate Jesus Christ and the Institution He founded. The mark of persecution — and especially of persecution by falsehood — was stamped upon the whole business.”

After detailing Ferrer’s rise from poverty to wealth, and his abandonment of his family which he left in dire poverty for a succession of mistresses, Belloc turned to Ferrer’s abrupt return to Spain while in England, and his activities there: “ Official buildings were spared and the persons connected with the unpopular government and its action were not attacked. Though the movement was nominally proletarian, neither the goods of the capitalist class nor their palaces, which are many and sumptuous in Barcelona, suffered. The whole movement was canalized against the Church, which had nothing to do with the African Expedition nor with any part of the quarrel! The poorest parish churches as well as the greatest and wealthiest of the monastic foundations were sacked and burnt, and the movement was organized with as much method as might be the movement of an army.

“Picked men went from place to place conveying the instructions of the hidden organizers; petroleum and firearms were always found ready for these attacks upon the clergy and the churches. The only efforts made against the military were made with the object of preventing them from defending the churches, the nuns, and the priests. In a word, the rising which had begun as a vague, spontaneous, and general protest against the military expedition, against unpopular officialdom, and against the capitalism which was supposed to inspire it, was directed, when once organization and method appeared, not against army, officials, or capitalists, but solely against the Church, upon the lines with which Ferrer’s name was locally chiefly connected, and in the interests of that section of opinion of which he was locally the acknowledged head.”

Reading this leads one to think how easily public opinion can be directed against the Church, does it not?

Click here to view The Wanderer website

Click here to view the Hilaire Belloc Blog

England's Nazareth: Our Lady of Walsingham's solemn crowning in 1954 is often referred to as the "miracle of the doves"

2011-09-24T14:02:00.003+01:00

Our Lady of Walsingham watched over by two white doves

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom (Mercy), which is kept in England and Wales as the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. England has been known as "Our Lady's Dowry" for several centuries. So it's only appropriate that the Blessed Virgin's most honoured title in England is celebrated on this day - as we trust that she will surely ransom her own Dowry at the appropriate time.

In honour of Our Lady of Walsingham, then, I would like to draw your attention to a little miracle (or marvel) that happened in England's Nazareth during the Feast of the Assumption, 1954.

That year had been declared a Marian Year, and to mark the occasion Pope Pius XII wished to honour Our Lady of Walsingham by having her new statue solemnly crowned. Only a few statues in the world have been crowned in the name of the Pope, so this was a big event! Over 15,000 pilgrims attended the ceremony at the old Abbey's grounds, and the Archbishop of Savannah, Gerald Patrick O'Hara - who was about to become the Papal Delegate to the UK - crowned Our Lady of Walsingham, using a crown made from precious jewels and metals donated by various Catholics - mainly women - from around Britain.

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee (Lk 1:35)

Straight after the solemn crowning, two white doves settled on the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham and remained on the Blessed Virgin's lap during the mile-long procession to the Slipper Chapel. The two birds then stayed with Our Lady for a whole night, as if they were keeping watch with her. This little miracle was much talked about at the time, and the spectacle was even caught by a Pathé News cameraman (the above picture is a screen shot from this piece of film).

As the story of Our Lady of Walsingham centres around a vision of the "holy house" at Nazareth, the Annunciation (cf Lk 1:26-38) has always been an important aspect of the Shrine's preaching mission. One of the great mysteries of the Annunciation, of course, is the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Mary, which led to the conception of Our Lord. It's quite strange, then, to recall that the Spirit of God is nearly always symbolised by a white dove! One wonders, therefore, whether these doves were sent by God to remind us of Our Lady's submission to His will and to help us meditate on her perpetual virginity and on the fact that she conceived through the "overshadowing" power of Holy Spirit?

Strangely, this event in Walsingham mirrored a similar spectacle, also known as "the miracle of the doves", which happened a few months after Our Lady of Fatima had been solemnly crowned on behalf of Pope Pius XII on 13 May 1946. Although it's hard to find many eye-witness accounts of the Walsingham spectacle, we do have several statements from those who saw the doves at Fatima. These "Fatima doves" stayed so close to Our Lady during a two-week nation-wide procession in December 1946, that it's believed they didn't even leave her side to consume food or water. Here is part of the account given by one of the priests, called Fr Oliveira, who was present at the the procession in honour of the solemn crowning of Our Lady of Fatima - it's well worth reading: -

"Let me tell the incident of the doves, about which the newspapers here in Portugal have spoken so much and which is on the lips of every person in the nation.

"It began in a town called Bombazral, a short time after the statue had left Fatima.

Scenes from the Portuguese "miracle of the doves"
"As part of the ceremony in that particular town, while the streets filled with people were singing hymns to Our Lady and pressing to be near the statue someone freed four white doves. The greater part of the crowd hardly noticed it.

"After flying off into the air, three of the doves ... instead of flying from the great crowd to some roof-top ... made several evolutions over the statue and then suddenly, to the amazement of all who saw them, plummeted downwards, and alighted at Our Lady's feet!

"This was the beginning.

"During the days that followed, midst ever-changing crowds, moving from one town to another night and day for almost two whole weeks, the doves did not leave the statue. They remained there at the very base of the statue, as though vying one with the other actually to stand on Our Lady's feet. Yet bands played, people shouted, the bier on which the statue was mounted moved and swayed, rockets exploded at night and cascaded fire, while giant searchlights burned at them. They were constantly buffeted by flowers tossed to the statue from the surging crowds.

"But they did not fly. They blinked, shook off flowers that hit them, occasionally stretched their wings to keep balance. But they remained there at her feet during the entire two-week journey. They refused food or drink.

"When the statue was carried into Lisbon, I had the honor of walking at its side as Carmelite Tertiaries bore it triumphantly into the city. I was so close to it, and to the doves, that I could reach out and touch either. Cordons of militia and police were holding back the crowds of many thousands of people who had gone far out of the city to meet this most famous representation of the Virgin, coming for their greatest Marian centennial.

"All during the night of December 5th, in the Church of Our Lady of Fatima of Lisbon, the doves remained standing at the feet of the statue. By now they were more the object of comment than the beautiful statue or the glory in which it was enthroned. The newspapers had been filled with the story of their perseverance, their utter fearlessness, the strangeness of their position. Many must have wondered what would happen ... now that they had actually accompanied the statue into the church that had been prepared for its reception, refusing to be brushed off or frightened away.

"The next morning, at Mass, they had their answer.

"The next morning, the doves flew.

"From midnight, Masses were constantly recited at the altar near the statue. As I mentioned in the beginning, the church was crowded to the doors with Lisbonites keeping vigil.

"In the morning, after the many Masses of the night, came the solemn High Mass, which was to be followed by a general Communion.

"During the Solemn Mass, most of the people in the great church had undoubtedly stopped watching the doves, to which they were now accustomed, to concentrate on the Mass. This was especially true in the solemn moment when the bell sounded, and a great hush fell over the crowd just before the elevation.

"In that moment of hush, there was a sudden fluttering of wings.

"To the utter amazement of all, two of the doves suddenly flew ... after two weeks of refusing food or drink and of remaining at the feet of the statue ... one sped straight to the gospel side of the altar, and the other to the epistle side! There, as the bishop straightened to raise the Consecrated Host, they alighted and folded their wings ... one on each side ... as though in adoration!

"As the Mass progressed, the two doves remained there to the bewilderment of the celebrants and servers and the stupefied congregation.

"But this was still not the climax.

"The third dove had not left the statue.

"Suddenly, at the moment of communion, the third dove flew up and perched on top of the statue's golden crown ... placed there by the cardinal Legate who personally represented the Holy Father the previous May 13 at Fatima ... and as the celebrant turned and held up Our Lord, saying 'Ecce Agnus Dei' ('Behold the Lamb of God'), it spread its white wings and held them open!"

Of course, the appearance of doves or gentle animals has often been a sign of God's special blessing upon a person or thing. Our Lord himself was visited by the Holy Spirit "in the form of a dove", which "rested upon him" (cf Lk 3:22) after his baptism at the beginning of his public ministry. Others, such as Pope St Gregory the Great, have also been graced by doves as a sign of God's blessing on their ministry. Even the present Pope has spoken about the joy he felt when a lark (the bird that sings at Heaven's gates) suddenly appeared from behind the high altar during his own ordination to the priesthood. And we all know that Bl Pope John Paul II often seemed to be greeted by white doves that wanted to settle on him during his pontificate.

These little miracles seem to suggest that God's innocent creatures enjoy being around those who are close to Him. These signs can also point to some providential blessing upon men or women dedicated to the Gospel, or to the fact that the Holy Spirit - the giver of Life - is moving amongst us!

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us
Our Lady of Ransom, pray for us
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love!

Poster by Dylan Parry A Reluctant Sinner
This is a slightly edited repost from my own blog.

Now Is the Time to Rebuild

2011-09-24T09:24:00.001+01:00

Over the last few days, there have been some wonderfully inspiring readings from the prophet Haggai, which speak directly to the current situation of the Church. After a time of darkness and confusion, which may be best understood as a time of refinement through suffering, we are faced with the task of rebuilding the beauty and majesty of the ancient Church, so that it will be even more splendid than in former days.

Even while persecution increases and liberalism is still so widespread, it is a time of great hope:

‘Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you.’ (Haggai 2:4).

‘The latter splendour of this house will be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts.’ (Haggai 2:9).

Just as in the time of Haggai, God used the high priest as an instrument for rebuilding his house, He is now using the Vicar of Christ, the Holy Father.

But there is a solemn warning for those who would rather build up their own wealth than build the house of the LORD:

‘You have looked for much, and behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while you busy yourselves each with his own house.’ (Haggai 1:9).

This reminded me of a point made by Fr Benedict Groeschel about the modest neighbourhood in which he grew up in the thirties, filled with factories and tenements, but each neighbourhood nevertheless having its beautiful church, paid for from the modest incomes of the devout people who lived there. And how many beautiful churches has the last fifty years produced, a time of unrivalled material prosperity? We have looked for much, and it has come to little. ‘He who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes.’ (Haggai 1:6).

The rewards for devotion are very concrete in the Old Testament: better harvests and prosperity. But the riches we are promised are far greater: the eternal reward of salvation as we co-operate with Christ in his redeeming sacrifice.

Take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you.

Posted by Anthony Radice (A Tiny Son of Mary)

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham

2011-09-24T00:05:00.002+01:00

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham.

In 1061 Our Lady appeared to Richeldis of Walsingham, asking her to build a replica of the Holy House of Nazareth, where the Angel Gabriel had sought her consent to become the Mother of God.

This Holy House, and the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham it contained, became the greatest Shrine of Our Lady in the world, and was ranked alongside Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. It was known as ‘England’s Nazareth’ and was renowned for miraculous cures, answers to prayer, penance and thanksgiving.

In 1538 the Shrine was destroyed under the orders of Henry VIII, and the sacred image, along with many others, was publicly burnt in London. The Augustinians who looked after the Shrine, and the Franciscans in the village, were dispersed, and their religious houses ruined. Some men were put to death; hung, drawn and quartered on what is known today as the Martyrs’ Field, trying in vain to save the Shrine and Priory.

The restoration began in 1897 with the creation of a new Holy House within the Catholic Church at nearby King’s Lynn, for which Pope Leo XIII blessed a new statue. The first pilgrimage since the Reformation was made in that year to the fourteenth-century Slipper Chapel that had been preserved and restored. In 1934, the Slipper Chapel, containing a copy of the original image of Our Lady of Walsingham, was designated England’s National Shrine of Our Lady, by the bishops of England and Wales, with the approval of the Pope. Meanwhile, Anglicans too restored pilgrimage in 1922, by placing in their parish church an image of Our Lady of Walsingham. This was transferred in 1931 to a new Holy House and Pilgrimage Church built in the village.

Walsingham today is once again a powerhouse of prayer, and a major centre of pilgrimage for Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox and others. It bears witness to the remarkable way in which Our Lady draws together the followers of her Son in unity and reconciliation. Devotion centres on the mystery of the Annunciation and Our Lady’s willing response to the Word of God, assisting us to respond in the same way to God’s will and to live out the meaning of the Incarnation, God made man, in our daily lives.

Prayer for England

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 didst
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.

Picture © ST PAULS
Text © ST PAULS taken from Novena in Honour of Our Lady of Walsingham

For Many - Last of 4 Part Catechesis on the Corrected Translation

2011-09-18T18:51:00.001+01:00

Before looking at the corrected translation let's look at the Gospel for today. Blessed Pope John Paul in his exhortation for the lay faithful, Christifidelis Laici, says that this Gospel is excellent for illustrating the lay vocation.

God doesn't pay by the hour. Perhaps there could be no greater payment than simply being called, being uniquely, personally, and intimately chosen by him to work with him, or rather, to allow him to work through us. Those who labor longer with him are rewarded with being in his presence longer. You can't put an hourly wage or any other reward on that. He is the best reward.

Listen to my homily for today:

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If you have trouble listening click here.

He sends us into different vineyards: to our family, our relationships, and our work. In order to bring a fruitful harvest we must first be equipped and sent. This happens at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

There are three different phrases which have been made more accurate in the corrected translation of the Mass. The first one we will will look at is the most important phrase, the consecration:

Accipite, et bibite ex eo omnes: hic est enim calix Sanguinis mei novi et aeterni testamenti, qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum. Hoc facite in meam commemorationem.

Which translates:

Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the New and Eternal Covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.

We notice that it is no longer translated as "cup" but "chalice." Fitting considering nothing else goes in the chalice except the precious Blood of the Lamb while a cup is what I drink water from the kitchen sink. We also notice that instead of "everlasting" the translation is "eternal." Amazing that God eternally has called us to partake of his very life.

However, the most drastic change her is the phrase, "MANY" instead of "ALL." First we have to not that this is simply a translation. Those in the past falsely used the principle of equivalence and tried to make everyone think that many should mean all. Why? Well, it simply is not Christian to believe that Christ did not die for all. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states in number 605:

The Church, following the apostles, teaches that Christ died for all men without exception: "There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer."

Yet do all accept the gift of his redemption? Well obviously not. "Many are called but few are chosen" (Mt 22:14). Even Origen was guilty of a heresy called αποκαταστασις (apokatastasis), which basically teaches against the 27 times Jesus mentions hell in the New Testament basically saying that everybody is going to heaven. Many people sitting in Catholic pews probably ascribe to this heresy. Yet we have to follow the teachings of Jesus, not of the spirit of this age.

St Thomas Aquainas gives us his usual crystal clear clarity commenting on "the many". He says that Christ died for all and grants all sufficient grace to be saved, but only those who accept it have efficacious grace to save their souls. For a more lengthy treatment of this, read Pope Benedict's statement from his book that he wrote while still a Cardinal, God is Near Us: the Eucharist, the Heart of All Life.

The next phrase we will look at is:

Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi. Beati qui ad cenam Agni vocati sunt.

Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

This is much better than the previous translation simply because its reference to the book of revelation is much clearer. One day the Father will have gathered all, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, all will bow down before the Lamb of God and all will know that he is Lord. How blessed are those who participate in the Eucharistic foretaste of that moment! It is such a grace to know who he is now. Our response is with faith and that is why the next phase is a biblical allusion to the faith of the centurion:

Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum: sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Again, the corrected translation is far superior because it simply points to that encounter with Christ, the only one recorded in the Gospel where Jesus was "astonished" at his faith, of which he said,

"Greater faith I have not found in all of Israel" (Mt 8:10)

This shows us that we must receive the Eucharist with faith. Only then will we permit God to be God and transform us into himself.

May the corrected translation bring about a greater harvest of faith and fruitful participation not only in the Eucharistic Mystery but in the apostolate of the lay faithful.

Four Part Catechesis on the Corrected Translation

Part I - Lift Up Your Hearts

Part II - And With Your Spirit

Part III - The Word of the Lord
Part IV - For Many

Do we have an obligation to evangelise?

2011-09-14T18:11:00.000+01:00

Well, Our Blessed Lord urged that we should ‘Go forth and teach all nations’ but that just applies to the ordained does it not?

I think not. Just imagine, if we washed our hands of the evangelisation bit we could be stealing the chance of Heaven from those whom we meet. We would become shallow and inward looking, turning up to Sunday Mass as spectators rather than doers.

The rather sticky issue is, just how do we go about evangelising today?

The Jehovah’s Witnesses route is a closed door (literally) and standing on a soapbox, if you could find one, and haranguing the Saturday morning shoppers places us in the same category as the Islamists (except that we would be the ones to be arrested).

The Legion of Mary have proved their worth by setting up a stall in Oxford on a busy Saturday, that is a possibility but not all of us live near major conurbations or have groups such as the Legion nearby.

The good old Catholic fall-back answer is to say that we teach by our example. As of tomorrow when meat comes off the Friday menu that is yet another possibility, it was always good as a conversation opener years ago when one declined the sausages and chips on the office cafeteria menu. But that’s a bit passive really. What will St Peter say to us when we present our record of achievement at the Heavenly Gates:

“What! When faced with abortion, euthanasia, apostasy, sacrileges, blasphemy, acceptance of homosexual practices, war, poverty, famine, disease, and secularism in general you opted for the egg and chips?”

Are we egg and chips Catholics?

I don’t see setting an example as the prime weapon in our Christian Witness war chest.

We need an action that is a little more demanding, a little more effective but, before we get to action perhaps we should consider targets and those, according to the blogger called Catholic Gadfly, who left a comment on my blog, could be much closer to home than we think.

Gadfly’s point is that we need to catechise contemporary Catholics who, generally speaking, do not know a great deal about what goes on in Rome or their Diocese today.

I am not being patronising; I know many Catholics from diverse backgrounds who would describe themselves, in all modesty as being average, good Catholics but who have little concept of what Summorum Pontificum is or, even, what an EF Mass is.

So possibly, Gadfly is right, this is the audience that needs evangelising to make them aware. Now he goes one step further and asks why the Guild of Bl Titus does not shoulder this responsibility and produce an online poster giving blog details of all members, the theory being that, if it was posted on church notice boards, this might open the eyes if not the minds of the faithful.

The concept is a good one but whether the Guild sees this as part of its portfolio is another matter; perhaps we could place it on the agenda for the October 1 meeting. And before anyone gets upset by this proposal let me say that the Guild has always stated that it is open to all shades of opinion.

Now it is a matter for Guild members to consider.

I would not like the conceit of believing that reading my blog would help deepen a person's appreciation of the faith (it may quite possibly, have the opposite effect) but there is value in reading a broad spectrum of blogs, it certainly opens my eyes.

Maybe a poster placed on church noticeboards could be one step in the right direction?

Oh, and just for the record a gadfly is a fly that has a nasty sting that it inflicts on the thick hides of livestock - perhaps it's best left there!

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself."

2011-09-14T08:29:00.000+01:00

Today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which the Church has kept since soon after St Helena, Empress and mother of Constantine the Great, found the relic of the true Cross in the early 4th century. To celebrate one of the most important as well as one of the most ancient of Christendom's feasts, which sees both East and West united on this date, I thought it might be good to republish today's meditation from The Saint Andrew's Daily Missal (published 1945). I think these few words capture something of the essence of what this glorious feast is about.

On September 14 , in 335, took place the dedication of Constantine’s basilica, which enclosed both Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre. “At this date,” says Ethelria [also known as Egeria, who wrote her Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands at the end of the 4th century], “the holy Cross was discovered. And the anniversary is celebrated with as much solemnity as Easter or the Epiphany.” Such was the origin of the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. [Other sources differentiate between the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and St Helena's discovery of the true Cross, also on this date, in AD 326]

“When I shall be raised on high, I shall draw everything unto Me,” Jesus had said [cf Jn 12:32]. It is because the Saviour had humbled Himself, being obedient even to the death of the cross, that God exalted Him and gave Him a name above all other names [cf Phil 2:9]. Wherefore we must glory in the Cross of Jesus, for He is our life and salvation [cf Gal 6:14] and He protects His servants from the wiles of their enemies [cf today’s Communion antiphon: Per signum Crucis de inimicis nostris libera nos, Deus noster].

Towards the end of the reign of Phocas, Chosroes, King of Persia … took Jerusalem [AD 614], where he put to death several thousand Christians and carried off to Persia the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which St Helena had placed on mount Calvary.

Heraclius, the successor of Phocas, has recourse to many fasts and prayers, imploring with great fervour the help of God. He assembled an army and defeated Chosroes [AD 628]. He then insisted on the restitution of the Cross of the Lord. Thus the precious relic was recovered after an interval of fourteen years. On his return to Jerusalem, Heraclius carried it on his shoulders in great pomp to the mountain where the Saviour Himself had borne it (AD 629).

An extraordinary miracle marked the occasion. Heraclius, who was loaded with ornaments of gold and precious stones, was held back by an invincible force at the entrance gate of mount Calvary and vain were his attempts to enter.

As the Emperor and all those who witnessed the scene were astonished, Zacharias, bishop of Jerusalem, said to him: “Consider, O Emperor, that with these triumphal ornaments you are far from imitating the poverty of Jesus Christ and His humility in bearing His cross.” Heraclius thereupon doffed his splendid garb and walked barefooted with a common cloak on his shoulders to Calvary, where he again deposited the cross. The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the original spot, the anniversary of which was celebrated on this day, became of great importance.

Let us join, in spirit, the faithful who in the Church of the Holy Cross in Rome venerate on this day the relics of the sacred wood exposed for the occasion, so that, having been privileged to adore it on this feast when we rejoice for its exaltation, we may likewise possess for all eternity the salvation and glory the Cross has won for us.

Collect for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: -

Deus, qui nos hodierna die Exaltationis sanctae Crucis
annua solemnitate laetificas:
praesta quaesumus; ut cuius mysterium in terra cognovimus,
eius redemptionis praemia in caelo mereamur.
Per eundem Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Filium tuum,
qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus,
per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

O God, who year by year, dost gladden us by
the feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross:
we beseech Thee, grant unto us, who on earth have known its mystery,
to be found worthy to enjoy the rewards of its redemption in heaven.
Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God,
world without end. Amen.

[Image: St Helena and Heraclius taking the Holy Cross to Jerusalem; source: Wikimedia Commons]

Posted by Dylan Parry - A Reluctant Sinner

The Martyr Priest Who Points Us to Mary

2011-09-09T10:35:00.002+01:00

When I heard the story of St Maximiliam Mary Kolbe’s sacrifice in Auschwitz, I knew I had heard it somewhere before. But when I heard it the first time, there had been something vital missing, something which St Maximilian would never want to be left out: the centrality of his devotion to Our Blessed Mother Mary.

I remembered how I had heard the story of a Polish priest who had sacrificed his life for another man when I had first attended, then helped to teach on Alpha Courses while I was still an Evangelical Protestant. I had been deeply moved and impressed by the story of course, but had never taken the trouble to investigate more deeply who this amazing man was, and how he obtained his astonishing faith. As the story is told on the Alpha Course, we hear that the priest led the inmates of the starvation bunker in prayers and hymns. But we don’t hear that central to those devotions were hymns and prayers to Our Blessed Mother Mary.

Mary Immaculate was helping and sustaining St Maximilian at the time of his final trial, but it would be embarrassing for Evangelicals to admit this, so they are forced to censor this most powerful of modern stories of faith in the midst of suffering. And by truncating the story in this way, they are not removing some superficial detail; they are removing a central plank of St Maximilian’s faith, stretching all the way back to his childhood, when Our Lady appeared to him and offered him two crowns, a white crown of purity and a red crown of martyrdom. He chose both.

The example of St Maximilian teaches us that it is false ecumenism that tries to brush references to Our Lady under the carpet for fear of offending Protestants. She is the surest way to Jesus, and the tragic denigration of her central role that has occurred since the Reformation has done nothing but harm. To leave Our Lady out is to perpetuate the sad orphan status of our separated brethren, when their Mother wants nothing more than to embrace them and show them the way to Our Lord, so that they can become full members of his Body, the Church.

Posted by Anthony Radice (A Tiny Son of Mary)

The Legion of Mary - 90 years old today!

2011-09-07T14:35:00.001+01:00

Founded in Dublin on 7 September 1921 by the redoubtable Frank Duff, the Legion of Mary is a lay organisation for both men and women who undertake good spiritual and welfare works at parish level.

On their website they describe their activities as follows:-

"The Legion sees as its priority the spiritual and social welfare of each individual. The members participate in the life of the parish through visitation of families, the sick, both in their homes and in hospitals and through collaboration in every apostolic and missionary undertaking sponsored by the parish.

Every legionary is required to carry out a weekly apostolic work in the spirit of faith and in union with Mary".

Member groups (known as a praesidium) hold weekly meetings that are a mix of prayer, discussion and action plans.
Among recent reports of their activities was their Saturday information stall in Oxford where Catholic literature and information was freely available alongside the Islamic and Protestant stalls.

Still more recently, ten days or so ago, in fact, saw a group of Legion of Mary volunteers descend upon the parish of The Sacred Heart, Morriston, near Swansea, where, with guidance from Fr Jason Jones, Parish Priest, and Gail Mills from Bath, a programme was put into action in order to reach out to non practising Catholics in the parish.

Within the course of a few days some 4,285 households had been visited and 117 lapsed or non practising Catholics identified together with ten people who were interested in becoming Catholics.
From those visits came an invitation to go to Confession and, of those that went, two penitents had not received the Sacrament for more than 15 years.

Today, on the 90th Anniversary of The Legion, Fr Jason Jones is holding an inaugral meeting to establish a praesidium at the Sacred Heart parish, so far, 34 people have committed themselves to attend.

I am sorry to bombard you with figures but this is one of those occasions where statistics reveal both a very great need and a very real success.

The Legion of Mary has a worldwide membership of over 10 million (about the same number as the population of Portugal) making it the largest lay organisation within the Church.

Here is their very beautiful prayer, The Catena Legionis

Antiphon. Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?

(Make the Sign of the Cross)
v. My soul glorifies the Lord.*
R. My spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
v. He looks on His servant in her lowliness;*
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.

R. The Almighty works marvels for me.*
Holy His name!
v. His mercy is from age to age,*
on those who fear Him.

R. He puts forth His arm in strength*
and scatters the proud-hearted.
v. He casts the mighty from their thrones*
and raises the lowly.

R. He fills the starving with good things,*
sends the rich away empty.

v. He protects Israel His servant,*
remembering His mercy,
R. The mercy promised to our fathers,*
to Abraham and his sons for ever.

v. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit..
R. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon. Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?

v. O Mary, conceived without sin.
R. Pray for us who have recourse to you.

Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, our mediator with the Father, Who has been Pleased to appoint the Most Blessed Virgin, Your mother, to be our mother also, and our mediatrix with You, mercifully grant that whoever comes to You seeking Your favours may rejoice to receive all of them through her. Amen.

Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

Tiaras, Etc

2011-09-06T20:34:00.000+01:00

It's taken me quite a while to shake off my wish for a Papal Coronation, or at least for the Pope to wear a tiara. There is something about the triple crown that speaks of a more muscular Catholicism: a Catholicism which faces up to the world, at least, but looks as though if the flesh and the Devil want a go, then we're ready.

The fact of JPs I and II doing without Coronations, and settling merely for Inaugurations felt a bit wet. It was a though a dimension of the Pontificate had been sacrificed merely to give a good impression; as though the "temporal rule" bit was being somehow downplayed, merely to act in harmony with the spirit of the age.

Benedict XVI's decision to remove the tiara from his arms and to replace them "merely" with a mitre is actually a much richer and more symbolic gesture, and one which situates the Church in the new Millennium. The Church needed to develop its independence through the Papal States in the Middle Ages so that the Papacy and the Church did not become prisoner or vassal of the Emperor or some lesser monarch. But the independence became an end in itself, and the revenues accruing to the States became an end in themselves to a succession of Popes. Their capture by Garibaldi in 1870, and the "imprisonment" of the Pope until the time of the Lateran Treaty in 1929 seemed like a disaster, but was in fact the start of an era of liberation. The Vatican City State might look odd, but showed how the Papacy could maintain its independence during the Second World War. In more recent years, it has ceded many of the trappings of statehood - such as a completely independent police force - because its independence is guaranteed.

Thus the logic of the abolition of the tiara: the Pope doesn't need the trappings of authority any more. He is the Bishop of Rome, and his curia can work independently of Italian civil authority, as long as it behaves honestly.

And this leads me on to the title of Patriarch of the West. I must admit to having been mystified when the Pope stopped using the title, but in the light of his renunciation of the tiara, things become clearer. The Petrine Ministry is exercised by the Bishop of Rome, and any title which appears to outrank, rather than complement, the title of Bishop of Rome has to go. His Primacy goes with his See and nothing else. To use the title of Patriarch might in some way detract from or dilute the fact that as Bishop of Rome, he has all the title and authority he needs.

This is not to detract from the title of Patriarch as used in the East - I think that in taking this decision the Pope's mind, for once, was not on the East. It was more on liberating Catholics from thinking of the Papacy in terms of temporal authority so they could concentrate on what the Petrine Ministry has to offer the twenty-first century.

And With Your Spirit - Homily on the New Translation of the Mass

2011-09-05T16:12:00.000+01:00

This is the second in a four part series to help the faithful transition to the new translation of the Mass.

Listen to my homily here:

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If you have trouble listening, click here.

I said my first Mass as a priest in Latin. It is the same Mass of Vatican II, just in Latin. I just couldn't bring myself to use the translation, which I found, only with a rudimentary knowledge of Latin, to be deeply lacking in conveying the meaning of the original text.

On of the phrases that was deeply lacking in its translation is

Et cum spiritu tuo. And with your spirit.

This phrase is spoken by the faithful five times during the Mass: at the beginning when the priest greets the people in the trinitarian communion; at the Gospel before he is to proclaim the saving Word of truth; at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist before he will stand in the very place and person of Christ to consecrate the bread and wine to become the living Jesus Christ; at the peace of Christ given from the newly consecrated elements; finally at the sending of the people into their lives with the grace received at holy Mass.

What does it mean?

In the first few centuries of Christianity, it was a phrase only found in the Church. No where else did people use this interchange. St Paul used it in his epistles, but he took it from the early liturgy that was prayed in the first Christian homes of the faithful before there were even basilicas or churches.

The ordained minister is the only one to cry out, and when you hear it in Latin sung in a high pitched tone, it really pierces you and wakes you up:

Dominus vobiscum. The Lord be with You.

The reason why only an ordained priest would say this is because it is a priestly invocation, whereby the power of the Holy Spirit working through the prayers and gestures of the Liturgy makes himself present in a way he was not before, so that when he says, "The Lord be with you," the Lord becomes more present in the hearts of those who heart it with faith.

The faithful for their part, by responding, "and with your spirit," are referring to an ancient response that is singles out the spirit of the person, yet meaning the whole of the person. Blessed Pope John Paul II explained this Hebraism in his Encyclical, "Rich in Mercy." Although we speak of the heart, soul, mind, or even more obscurely in some scriptural passages to the liver or bowels of a person, we mean the whole person, yet in reference to that aspect of them signified by the part. If we say the Heart of Christ, we mean all of Jesus, yet in reference to his inmost core, which is pure and divine Love. Because it referred to the whole person, the translators of the Mass after Vatican II, took it upon themselves to translate it, "and also with you."

In the most ancient liturgies of Slovanic, Georgian, Syrian Armenian, and Arabic, it was never translated from Greek and Latin in any other way than, "and with your spirit." Also after Vatican II, all major languages of Italian, Spanish, French, and German, translated it as "and with your spirit." Why was English not translated that way? That is a very good question. Often times translators inappropriately overstep their authority to translate also the meaning, not just the words. At times there are good reasons for this, especially with euphemisms and cultural associations, but with Vatican II, there is no pretty way of saying it. We were robbed. They believed that referring to the whole person was better than referring to the spirit of the minister and so they took liberty, too much of it, to change the words.

Why is it important to refer to the spirit of the minister?

The minister stands in the place and person of Jesus Christ himself. He is a frail clay vessel holding the treasure of heaven. In the old covenant, the minister would enter the holy of holies once a year and if he had not been courageous in repenting fully of his sins before entering the sacred sanctuary, he would have been struck dead. They even used to tie a rope around his waste so that his corpse could be pulled out with little trouble. Yet in the new covenant, the minister enters the holy of holies, every time he confect the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Do priests need prayer? Yes. A lot of it. I would encourage you to really truly pray this from the heart, that you ask God to build up the spirit of the minister to make him holy, so that when you say, "And with your spirit", you truly are saying, may God sanctify your spirit, may he make your spirit holy, may the Holy Spirit sanctify your spirit.

Allow me to take this moment to speak personally to the hearts of those reading this. If you have been hurt, offended, or in any way scandalized by a priest, allow me to offer you a personal apology on behalf of my brother. I am sorry. He should not have hurt you. Please forgive us. Please also remember that he is merely a stand in, a substitute, an image, an icon for the real Father, the one who will not fail you, abandon you, or do anything to bring you unnecessary affliction or pain.

So when you say, "And with your spirit," pray it from the heart for priests. Let it be a sincere act of love to the one for whom he unworthily stands in his place. Let it be an act of worship.

Novena for Doctrinal Discussions (re-post)

2011-09-05T12:45:00.000+01:00

"It seems to me that the coming meeting between Cardinal Levada, the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Bishop Fellay, Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, on the coming Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14th) has some potentially very broad-reaching importance.

Many would look at the so-called "Traditionalists," and say that this is all about the celebration of the Mass, those folks who want to turn the clock back to the "Tridentine Rite," or what we now should properly call "The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite," and who dismiss the New Mass, don't recognize the Pope, etc, etc.

However, this is all a propaganda to mask the underlying issue, and that is the fact that this Society is essentially calling for a proper interpretation of the documents that were produced by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council. In point of fact, the members of the Society do recognize the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, and they do recognize the validity of the New Mass..."

Continue Reading at Benedictus Dominus

Catholic England

2011-09-03T14:57:00.000+01:00

Are we elitist? I hope so!

2011-09-03T13:23:00.001+01:00

Sometimes the meaning of words becomes distorted over time and gradually a quite different meaning from the original one creeps in. Elite or elitism is a good example; quite often Traditional Catholics are accused of elitism but I believe that it is a word that all Catholics should strive to comply with – after all, it just means being, or trying to be, the best…..doesn’t it?

Here is a dictionary definition:-

( often used with a plural verb ) the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.

We speak of an elite corps of troops as being military who, by their considerable efforts to be the best, have acquired the accolade. The same word could be applied to any group of people who perform to the best of their ability – an orchestra, a special needs drama company, the Wigan and Bury Streetcleaners Association – it’s not class sensitive!

Definitely the elite!

We claim that we are the ‘one true Church’ – that may well be part of being elite but we know that we need to do much more than just prance around a claim such as that. We need to be holy, apostolic, mindful of Christ’s teachings and those of his Vicar on earth, the Holy Father.

We must abide by the civil structure that surrounds us and, at the same time remember that we are God’s servants first. We must, above all else, love God and then our neighbour.

And, finally, when we are deserving of the word we should use it with caution; it should not be a brag or a boast but a good, honest statement of fact.

And when our time comes and, we hopefully, receive the acclaim: “Well done thou good and faithful servant” it will be the ultimate acknowledgement that we are well and truly elite.

Posted by Richard Collins – Linen on the Hedgerow

Guild Announcement: Day out in Blackfen, including High Mass and the first ever official meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma

2011-08-29T19:00:00.012+01:00

It is with great pleasure that I can now announce the first official meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma, which is an association of Catholics who use the new media. The Guild is very grateful to Fr Tim Finigan of The Hermenuetic of Continuity for agreeing to host the meeting and arranging it so that members will be able to join his parish on Saturday, 1 October, for the celebration of High Mass as well as Solemn Vespers and Benediction.

The meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma will be held on Saturday 1 October 2011 at Our Lady of the Rosary (Blackfen), 330a Burnt Oak Lane, Sidcup, Kent DA15 8LW. The day will begin with High Mass (EF) at 10:30am, which will be followed by a talk by Fr Tim Finigan. Lunch will be kindly provided by the parish (donations may be offered). The Guild then will meet (relatively informally) at 1:40pm to discuss its aims and mission, as well as any other matters arising from its preliminary meeting, which was held last May. At 2:30pm, Guild members will be able to join the parish in celebrating Solemn First Vespers of the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, which will be followed by Benediction. Of course, Mass, Vespers and Fr Finigan's Talk are parish events, open to all.

Any Catholic who uses social media - blogging, Facebook, YouTube and the like - is more than welcome to join the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma. It is a group specifically for those who engage online with the world, other faiths, philosophies or Christians. One of its principal aims is to support members in their desire to promote the Gospel and to deepen their spirituality, especially as they face the many trials and temptations that arise as a result of being present on the Web. In that sense, the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma is a response to Pope Benedict XVI's call for a truly Christian witness on the internet, as voiced recently in his Message for the 45th World Communication Day ("Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age").

Membership of the Guild is free and details on how to join may be found above (How to Join). Those members wishing to write posts for the Guild blog are required to abide by two rules only - the first being that posts remain faithful to the Church's magisterium and the second being that personal insults or overly controversial or uncharitable remarks should be avoided.

Blessed Titus Brandsma was chosen as our patron, thanks to an inspirational suggestion made by Fr Tim Finigan. It is really wonderful to have such a courageous and loving witness to the Gospel as our heavenly mentor. Those wanting to know more about Bl Titus might like to read this short blog post on his life (here).

Please do not hesitate to contact me at areluctantsinner@gmail.com if you require more information about the Guild or the planned day in Blackfen. Directions to Our Lady of the Rosary can be found on the parish website.

"They who want to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come into conflict with it."

Blessed Titus Brandsma

Bl Titus Brandsma, pray for us

Posted by Dylan Parry A Reluctant Sinner blog

Our Lady: Key to the New Evangelisation in Britain (re-post)

2011-08-25T18:17:00.000+01:00

Ever since having been invited to participate in this fine establishment of Catholic bloggers, I have been thinking of this post. My thought has been "what does an American really contribute to a guild of English bloggers?" I came up with this.

(originally posted at http://benedictus-dominus.blogspot.com/)

Many blogs and news reports that you read will speak of the dire straits that the Bishop's Conference of England and Wales is in-- in fact, according to these sources, perhaps the one thing going for the BCEW is that it is not as bad off as the Scottish Bishop's Conference!

In light of the riots and other news coming out of the UK, I thought I would share a bit of my experience living and working in ministry there for three years, as this “moderately pessimistic” viewpoint shared by many has not been my experience at all.

In October of 2006, as a new convert I travelled to Scotland to be a part of the Living Water Ministry, a lay community of young Catholics who committed themselves to a year of retreat ministry throughout all of the dioceses in Scotland, primarily targeted toward secondary schools and parish programmes. I travelled quite a bit, but had as a base of operations Taynuilt, a tiny village in the West Highlands, not far from Oban, and, incidentally, not far from the Craig Lodge Community. Canon Fraser, the spiritual director for the community, was a wise priest, full of wit, and "a true Scotsman".

At the end of my year, I discerned that God wasn't finished with me yet in the UK, and so I took up a position at the Maryvale Institute in north Birmingham. While working there, I lived at the Newman House at nearby University of Birmingham, living in a small community of men under the direction of Fr. Julian Green, doing ministry at the chaplaincy. I also was blessed to have a spiritual director in Fr. Philip Cleevely of the Oratory, just up the road in Edgbaston, where I served Mass, and was first really introduced to the Extraordinary Form, and where, later, I would propose to my wife.

During my three years of living in the UK, I came into contact with some extraordinary movements, and some even more extraordinary people. I was involved with Youth2000, I came into contact with folks from the Faith movement, as well as attending the Evangelium Conferences. I made a pilgrimage to Walsingham, to Glastonbury, to Ladyewell, to Harvington, on several occasions to the martyr's shrine at Tyburn, to the cells of Thomas More and John Fisher at the Tower of London, and even on a hunt to find the remains of Thomas a' Becket through Canterbury Cathedral.

I had the opportunity to go on retreat both at Pluscarden Abbey in the far north of Scotland, and at Quarr Abbey in the far south of England. I have met many a fine diocesan priest, such as notable blogger Fr. Tim Finigan, Fr. John Saward, vocations director extraordinaire Fr. Stephen Langridge of Southwark, and I could go on, but then, there would be no room for mentioning the great CFR friars, the blackfriars in Oxford, the Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph, the SOLT community... With all of these fine leaders already present in the Church, and now with the influx of Catholics through the Ordinariate-- of people who have actively chosen the truth in spite of great adversity-- Catholic presence in the public forum (both positive and negatively spun) is sure to increase.

The point is, God in his providence really blessed me greatly. As a new convert, I had no concept of "liberal" vs. "conservative," or "progressivism," or "orthodoxy"-- yet he placed me into the heart of the Church to be found in one of the ancient centres of the Faith: Britain, of all places!

Now, I won't name names, but there are plenty of ministries that if you live in England you know that I could have been involved in that would have not given me near the experience and formation in the Faith that I gained while living abroad. To throw darts at a board, I more than likely would have ended up in such a ministry. And yet, without even knowing, I stumbled into this epicenter of orthodoxy, and came to more fully root myself in a Catholic identity.

I write all of this, hopefully to encourage and inspire-- in spite of the problems in English society, and yes, even within the Church herself, her parishes and schools, there is a mighty vine underneath the soil of Great Britain, simply waiting for the right moment to spring up. There is a faith deeply rooted in the spirit of a Briton-- and, dare I say it, that faith is Roman Catholic.

Now, for a challenge.

How do these various groups of people: academics, “trads,” “charismatics,” youth and adults alike, all come together to drive a wedge of orthodoxy into the culture? I’ll give you one idea. This weekend, in the wake of World Youth Day and over the bank holiday weekend, there are two separate groups converging on the National Shrine to Our Lady in Walsingham-- the annual Youth2000 festival, and also the Latin Mass Society walking pilgrimage. Combined, there are sure to be 2,000 or more pilgrims in the same place this weekend. And yet, neither of these communities have traditionally related at all with each other, in spite of the fact that many folks involved in the LMS had some exposure to Youth2000 in the past. I use this as an example, not to be critical of either movement (perhaps there will be some interaction between the two this weekend?), but to point out a trend that many of these groups seem not to interact with each other very much, and many not at all.

The challenge is this: in loving the Church, in cultivating “the Benedict Bounce” further, it seems that it would be prudent to form some strategic plan in order to bring about the New Evangelisation in Britain. Somehow, folks who perhaps come back into the Church through the gateway of Youth2000 or another movement, get passed forward to movements like Faith, or invited to the Evangelium Conference, or perhaps get mobilized into the pro-life movement through the university SPUC Conferences.

I can already hear the nay-sayers complaining that the Bishop’s Conference won’t support it, that they already don’t vocally support these movements individually, let alone collectively. Rather than enter into a political game, which is what too often people reduce some of these rather complex pastoral decisions to, I’d simply say this: the Bishops will never be able to do anything in this arena without a well-mobilised laity.

This is where the ball is in your court. Rather than simply waiting for “the biological solution,” there are a ton of priests and religious (and even Bishops!) today, now, to support this effort. In the face of an increasing secularism and loss of identity, these groups of faithful Catholics need to come together, in spite of disagreements over liturgical preference, methods of youth ministry, etc-- or maybe even because of these disagreements-- in order to form a unified front, rallied around this great “romance of Orthodoxy” that Chesterton spoke of.

I’ll close with one final thought: this “organisation” need not be a bureaucracy by any means. I think that, if you look at what all of these individual organizations have in common, you’ll find the answer: Prayer, the Sacraments, and Our Lady. In 1061, the mother of Christ asked that a chapel of the Annunciation be built there in Walsingham, and though that structure no longer stands, I think that this event holds the key-- the surest way towards achieving this “new evangelisation” is in fulfilling the request that was made nearly a thousand years ago: to, not unlike St. Francis, re-build the church, one that presents the Annunciation, the Incarnation of Christ, to all people.

If this happens, and I believe it has already started and will continue over the next coming years, then the renewal of the Church in England will be a glorious revival-- something that Bl. John Henry Newman dreamed of in his day, and, by God’s grace, will result in the re-awakening of the Catholic in the heart of every Briton.

The American Cardinal who backed a man called Sarto

2011-08-22T18:46:00.003+01:00

Cardinal James Gibbons, 1834 to 1921 was one of America's great prelates. He was appointed Bishop of Richmond in 1872 and was made Cardinal in 1886 during which time he became the face of the Catholic Church in the USA and a powerful advocate on behalf of the people and a man not afraid to fight his country's corner in Rome.

Cardinal Gibbons - the Pope maker!

He served initially, under Pope Leo XIII and upon his death he worked hard behind the scenes to secure one Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto as Leo's successor. He had recognised, in the then Cardinal Sarto, a man who had visions beyond Europe and who was intuitively driven to appreciating the emerging Catholicism in the USA.

It was to Cardinal Gibbons that Cardinal Sarto went in a state of doubt over the decision of the Conclave to appoint him Pope and it was Gibbons strength that saw him accept the Papal crown.

Cardinal Sarto is, of course, Pope St Pius X whose feastday was celebrated yesterday, Sunday 21st August.

This is an extract from Theodore Maynard's book, The Story of American Catholicism......writing about Cardinal Gibbons.....

"In a unique sense he was the American Cardinal. It was fortunate indeed that he was a Bishop for fifty-three years, the Archbishop of Baltimore for forty-four, and a Prince of the Church for thirty-five.

He came to be so much of an institution that it was impossible for anyone, here or abroad, to think of the Catholic Church in America without also thinking of Gibbons. ....Quite literally he grew up with the Church in America, and it was under him that the Church grew.

There was no Catholic movement in which he did not take part or, in his unobtrusive fashion, make himself felt.

He came to the rescue of the Knights of Labour; he was one of the chief targets for attack by the Conservatives during the School Controversy and the 'Americanism' misunderstanding; he was sympathetic to Dr McGlynn and worked with Cardinal Manning in England to prevent Henry George's Progress and Poverty being placed on the Index. ....If he had an incalculably great influence at home, both in the Church and in regard to the relations of American Catholics with their Government, he brought off at least one master-stroke that affected the fortunes of the Church throughout the world. ...It was really Gibbons, more than any other man, who made Pius X Pope.

....No great man was ever more accessible than the Cardinal. His romps after Benediction with the altar-boys were proverbial (Remember, these were times of great integrity and innocence).

All Baltimore was full of people who would tell you proudly, 'I'm a friend of Cardinal Gibbons.'"

ends/..................

If we recognise no other achievement of this fine Cardinal, we should be immensely grateful to him for his support for one of the greatest Popes of recent history, Pope St Pius X.

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

The Art of Greg Tricker with reflections by Sister Wendy Beckett

2011-08-20T22:38:00.002+01:00

An exhibition of works by the contemporary Christian artist Greg Tricker is to be held in Westminster Cathedral from Monday 26th September to Saturday 15th October.

Greg Tricker uses a variety of materials, ranging from ink, paint, wood, stone and stained glass, to produce works of art which illustrate the Gospels and the Christian tradition. His style is greatly influenced by Vincent van Gogh, and he continues the mystical tradition in modern British art pursued by Eric Gill, Cecil Collins and others from the last century. Tricker has previously produced collections on St Francis of Assisi, St Bernadette and Kaspar Hauser. His current collection is entitled "The Christ Journey".

ST PAULS is publishing the book to accompany the exhibition, which contains reflections on Greg’s work by Sister Wendy Beckett. As Sister Wendy writes in her Introduction to the book,

"One might expect the Christ Journey to be pictures illustrative of the life of Jesus. The natural assumption would be of a journey beginning with the Annunciation, or at least the Nativity, and ending with the Resurrection and the Ascension. Tricker, as so often, confounds these expectations and exceeds them.

There are, indeed, wonderful images of Jesus but they are highly selective. Tricker will show us only one miracle, and yet he depicts, most movingly, several of the great ‘I Am’ sayings of Jesus. He deliberately passes on to post Ascension time, with paintings from the lives of St Paul and St John, and there is an amazing emphasis on St Joseph of Arimathea and St Mary Magdalene.

He sees Christ as embarking on a cosmic journey through time, and so he adds images of saints, some from later centuries, especially dear to him: St Bernadette, St Francis, St Clare. He is revealing his profound conviction that the Christ Journey is for each of us, our own journey. We do not make it alone or in our own power.

Of ourselves we are helpless spiritually to put one foot ahead of another. But in Jesus, we journey strongly and surely. It is not that we take the same journey. Jesus is our Journey. If our faith cannot accept this and live out its consequences, then we have no faith at all. We either journey in the Christ Journey or we stay lost, on the shore."

The book will be available on 26th September and can be purchased here.

Here are some examples of Greg’s work from the exhibition

The Boy Christ

The Grail Boat

St Francis of Assisi

Mary Magdalene

Sister Wendy's reflections that accompany these pieces will be posted on ST PAULS blog over the next few days.

Man of the Beatitudes: Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati - From a talk given at this week's World Youth Day in Madrid

2011-08-17T00:30:00.005+01:00

The talk which is gratefully reproduced below was recently given by one of our most talented Catholic bloggers, Catholic with Attitude. It was addressed to young Dominican friars attending this week's 26th World Youth Day in Madrid.

“I would like to thank the Dominican brothers for allowing me to speak to you all today about a young blessed to whom I have a particular devotion, and whose life, I feel, is a great example of joyful and holistic Catholic living. This particular blessed had a deep love for our Lord Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was given permission to receive Holy Communion daily, which, during the time he lived, was a rare occurrence; he was also an ardent proponent of the Rosary. At the same time, he loved to drink with his friends, smoke, and climb mountains. He played practical jokes and even boxed with a young Karl Rahner! He was nicknamed “Terror” by his closest friends, got into fights and was even arrested during a Church-organised demonstration. This blessed has been described as, ‘The Man of the Beatitudes’ by Cardinal Karol Woytyla, later Pope John Paul II, and in a litany in honour of this man, he is invoked as, ‘Athlete for God’s kingdom’. One book calls him, ‘An Ordinary Christian’, yet I would argue that this young man is perhaps one of the most extraordinary Christians of the twentieth century. Karl Rahner says what struck him most about this young blessed, ‘was his purity, his radiant joy, his piety, his freedom as a child of God for all that is beautiful in the world, his social conscience, the awareness he had of sharing the life and destiny of the Church.’ In a time when purity, piety, and faithfulness to the Church are treated disparagingly and viewed as out-dated, the example of this ‘ordinary Christian’ serves as a reminder that, in his words, ‘true happiness… does not consist in the pleasures of the world or in earthly things, but in peace of conscience, which we only have if we are pure in heart.’ The name of this blessed is Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Pier Giorgio Frassati was born into the well-known and wealthy Frassati family of Turin, a town in northern Italy, in the year 1901 on the 6th April. His father, Alfredo Frassati, was the founder of the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, which till this day still exists; he was also an Italian senator and from 1920, Italy’s Ambassador to Germany up until Mussolini’s rise to power. His mother, Adelaide Ametis, was a painter and had a turbulent marriage with Alfredo, which almost resulted with the two separating. Pier Giorgio had one other sibling, a sister who was one year younger than he and whom he loved dearly, called Luciana. Neither of his parents were particularly religious and could best be described as ‘cultural Catholics.’ Pier Giorgio, on the other hand, from a very young age, developed a close relationship with Christ, which could be seen, but not always understood, by those around him. As I mentioned previously, he received permission to receive Holy Communion daily, which at that time was a rarity, at least for someone of Pier Giorgio’s age. He was a member of various lay movements, including the Marian Sodality and the Apostleship of Prayer. Pier Giorgio’s deep spiritual life manifested itself to others in his many acts of charity. He was an ardent defender of the poor and sick, even from a very early age. In one instance, when Pier Giorgio was only a few years old, a gypsy lady with child in arm knocked on the front door of the family home. Pier Giorgio opened the door and realised that the child she carried had no shoes. Immediately, Pier Giorgio removed his shoes and gave them to the child. Pier Giorgio also used any money he had to buy food for the hungry and medicine for the sick in Turin. He kept a little logbook, which I have seen myself, and in it he used to write the names of the people to whom he had given money and how much he had given. Always, his charity was performed in secret. The generous giving of himself to others, both financially and with his time, often meant he was late for various appointments and regularly late for dinner at home, much to his mother’s annoyance.

Pier Giorgio was very much an outdoorsman and loved the mountains. He loved to climb them with his friends and he loved them as a place to pray. On the back of his bedroom door he had a note saying: ‘Mountains, mountains, mountains, I love you!” It was not unusual for him to spend the entire night adoring the Blessed Sacrament before climbing the mountains with no sleep in between. So great was his love for the Blessed Sacrament, that he would rather postpone a mountain climb so as to attend Mass or Adoration. There is one instance recorded in a biography of Pier Giorgio that he had asked a priest friend to celebrate Mass at 4am so that he could then climb the mountains nourished by the Holy Eucharist. Pier Giorgio had a great love too for the writings of St. Catherine of Siena, which encouraged him to become a third order Dominican, or ‘lay Dominican’ in today’s terminology. At his summer home in the mountainous village of Pollone, lies laid out one his bed his fifteen-decade rosary bead.

Pier Giorgio was also a mining engineer student, though he struggled most of his life with academia and had to receive extra tuition during his school years. Somehow, he managed to balance his academic studies with his service to those most in need, never neglecting his spiritual life, which sustained him through difficult times.

The strength he received from the sacraments and from a deep prayer life propelled him to take an active role in the political life of his day so as to bring about social change. Pier Giorgio was totally anti-fascist and the way Italian society was heading troubled him greatly. He took Catholic social teaching very seriously and saw it as just as an important and necessary part of his Catholic life and faith, as were attending Mass and praying the rosary. The two were inextricable from each other.

Pier Giorgio lived a full-on life, cut short by an untimely death. In 1925, Pier Giorgio contracted polio and died within the space of a week at the young age of 24. It is believed that he caught the disease from one of the sick that he had been visiting. Even in his final moments, his concern was not for himself and his own comfort, but instead for the sick and needy. He managed to scribble on a piece of paper a reminder to collect some injections for a gentleman whom he had been tending. His funeral was intended to be a small affair with a few dignitaries who knew the Frassati family; instead, the streets were lined with crowds of mourners who had been on the receiving end of Pier Giorgio’s charity. His parents were unaware of the extent of his charitable activities and the poor and needy only realised then that Pier Giorgio was in fact a member of the reputable Frassati family.

Blessed Pope John Paul II took the unusual initiative of visiting Pier Giorgio’s tomb in Pollone when Pier Giorgio was only a servant of God. He was a role model and inspiration for the late pontiff as a young man living in war-torn Poland and they both shared a great passion for the outdoors. Typically several people are declared 'blessed' together in the same ceremony. But unusually, Blessed Pope John Paul II beatified Pier Giorgio Frassati alone in a Beatification Mass in St Peter's Square on 20th May 1990. A few years prior, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s body was found incorrupt in the family tomb and was said to have had a smile on his face. His body now lies in a side altar in Turin’s cathedral.

What I have attempted to present to you is really a brief overview of Pier Giorgio Frassati’s life and death; I could, honestly, go on for hours talking about him and if you are daring enough to start such a conversation with me, then you shall see and indeed hear! Before finishing, I would like to share with you one reason why Pier Giorgio Frassati has been a great influence on me and why I think there is for each of us, layperson and religious, something to learn from this remarkable individual. Pier Giorgio not only talked-the-talk but also walked-the-walk. He preached not only in words through his letters to friends and family, but ultimately through his actions: his helping those most in need. The fact that he managed to feed, clothe and tend a vast number of people is indeed extraordinary. However, what particularly attracts me to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is the way in which he was able to discern God’s call in his day-to-day life. We often speak of vocation in terms of priesthood, religious life and marriage, but I think we are prone to forget that God not only calls us to these particular lifelong vocations, but actually He invites us daily to serve Him within the situations and circumstances in which we find ourselves. In Pier Giorgio’s situation, the poor were all over Turin and nobody was helping them. He responded. What is God asking of us today? How does he want us to serve him in our university, work and religious communities? Will we say ‘yes’ to Christ’s call?

Pier Giorgio Frassati lived life to the full in its truest sense. The fact that he died at the age of 24 in no way suggests that his life was somehow less lived; rather it serves as a reminder to us all that we do not know the exact moment in which God will call us from this life. When I see Pier Giorgio’s image I am reminded that I must listen to Christ’s gentle voice and I must discern and respond to His call with courage and joy daily. I urge you all in your own time to take a deeper look at the ‘Man of the Beatitudes’ and like he, make of your life a great adventure.”

Father,
You gave to the young Pier Giorgio Frassati the joy of meeting Christ and of living his faith in the service of the poor and the sick.
Through his intercession may we, too, walk the path of the beatitudes and follow the example of his generosity, spreading the spirit of the Gospel in society.
Amen.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, pray for us.

Posted by Catholic with Attitude

Sacramental Catechesis and Mint Toothpaste

2011-08-11T10:43:00.001+01:00

Although there are all kind of flavours available nowadays for children's toothpaste, I've always insisted that they have some kind of mint. I don't believe the new flavours exist in adult toothpaste (although perhaps soon they will, for the 'kidults' among us), and even if they did, I suspect that most grown-ups would prefer the bracing taste of mint in their mouths as they approach slumber. It's just part of the bedtime routine.

Ritual is so much part of everyday life with small children, and without it, solid food will not be eaten, sleep will not be sound; chaos and misery will ensue. It's another area where we would do well to consider what Our Lord means when he tells us that we must become like these little ones to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

But we are also aiming for maturity, and early foundations are being laid through these rituals. The taste of mint will always be part of the sensual experience of bedtime for my children. Even if they stray from it in older years, it will be deeply based in their subconscious as a necessary part of preparing for sleep.

And I don't want them to have strawberry toothpaste at Mass either. I want them to have the sensual experience, the sights, sounds and smells of the ritual. What they do with their body and what they experience with their senses will build up into an intuitive sense of the sacred which will serve them well in the future. By the grace of God, I hope and pray that they will be at home in sacred ritual, in prayer and in reverence.

Posted by Anthony Radice (A Tiny Son of Mary)

The statue that refused to accept the will of men

2011-08-11T10:09:00.004+01:00

In Pre Reformation times, religious shrines to Our Lady were richly spread around England and Wales. With the degeneration of Henry VIII, the very public and very Catholic shrines suffered obliteration, or most of them at any rate.

Many of them had been maintained at the hands of monks in the Abbeys and Monasteries and, as the monks were expelled and the buildings destroyed and the finery of Catholic worship vandalised and stolen, so the shrines disappeared.

But the history of Our Lady of Cardigan or Our Lady of the Taper as this image of the Holy Mother is also termed, begins long before Reformation times.

The church of St Mary of Cardigan together with a chapel of St Peter were known to be in existence in the 12^th century and, possibly, much earlier but the first official records relate to the year 1165 when one Rhys ap Gruffydd, Prince of South Wales, had won Cardigan back from Norman rule. He then granted Cardigan to the Benedictine Monks of Chertsey, Surrey as a Priory Church.

Quite how Cardigan came to be a shrine is lost in time; we do know that, very soon after the Benedictines arrived, a statue of Our Lady "and her sonne upon her lappe, and the taper bernynge in her hande" was found on the banks of the River Teify or Tivy.

The statue was placed in the parish church but, according to legend, on no less than three or four occasions it returned to where it was found on the banks of the river. Our Lady was not to be moved by the will of men:

…that the same ymage was caryed thens unto Christes Church of Cardigane, and the sayd ymage wold not tarry there, but was

found thre or fowre tymes in the place where now ys buyIded the church of our Lady, and the taper brunnynge in her hande, which

contynued styll burnynge the space of nyne yeres without wastynge, untill the tyme that one foresware hymselfe thereon, and then it

extincted and never burned after.

As a result, a new church was built and the statue duly installed and the pilgrimages began. A priest daily celebrated chantry Masses (special bequests) for the pilgrims and the Knights Hospitallers of St John offered accommodation on the site of what is now The Angel Hotel.

St Mary’s Church today is owned by the Church of Wales (Anglican).

The image of Our Lady and taper seems to have been more common in medieval times as the town of Haverfordwest, some 26 miles from Cardigan also boasted a “lesser taper shrine”. Today, Arras in France, Cagliari in Sardinia and shrines in Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Guatamala and Tenerife are the only known homes, outside of Wales, of Our Lady of the Taper.

In 1538 the Dissolution of the Monasteries campaign by Good King Hal and his merry men reached West Wales and the statue of Our Lady of the Taper was taken to London for ceremonial sacrilege and burning and that, for many centuries was the end of both the statue and the shrine.

Until, 1904 when a community of Breton monks (the Llechryd one?), called their Abbey Church, Our Lady of Cardigan and the devotion was revived once more. It did not last long; they left the area in 1916 and it was to be a few years before the title was heard of again.

September 2010 and the Holy Father

blesses the statue and lights the candle

in Our Lady's hand symbolising

Christ the light of the World

In 1956 Bishop Petit of Menevia commissioned a new statue and, after a grand tour of Wales it was installed in the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Cardigan (you see, Our Lady never deserted Cardigan, she was ever present under one of her titles). And on 23^rd July 1970, Bishop Petit consecrated a new Church as “Our Lady of the Taper” (we shall gloss over the fact that it was and still is an architectural monstrosity). Here days later and the statue was transferred there and the shrine was re-born.

That statue did not last very long and a new one in bronze was created by Mother Concordia OSB and installed in 1986. Some 4,500 Welsh Catholics attended the installation – now that’s what I call a pilgrimage!

I shall leave the last words of the story to the website dedicated to the history of the shrine (click here)

“Its symbolism is that Mary presents her Son to us, as she did to the Wise Men, to be adored. The taper testifies that He is Light of the World. Pilgrims come to pray individually and in groups. May they learn to treasure the word of God in their hearts, as Mary did, and live by the light of her Son, who is her Saviour and ours.”

Our Lady of the Taper – Pray for Wales

Our Lady of the Taper – Ora pro nobis

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

John Henry Cardinal Newman 21st February 1801 - 11th August 1890

2011-08-11T00:22:00.001+01:00

Today, 11th August, is the anniversary of the death of John Henry Cardinal Newman in 1890.

This great Englishman, whose own life was filled with turmoil, deprivation and loneliness but also with the love, power and guidance of God, will be horrified to see what has been happening in the country he loved and to the city of Birmingham that he served so faithfully for many years.

Today, more than ever, we should follow the example of Blessed John Henry Newman in caring and praying for each other rather than self, and pray for those who have been affected by and caused recent events in his beloved city and country.

The picture above is from the book Blessed John Henry Newman: Heart Speaks to Heart written by Fr Daniel Seward of the Birmingham Oratory and illustrated by Susan Bateman. We cannot but hope that the "kindly light" that guided Newman throughout his life and through his death will now guide and protect us all at this time.

Demonic ape gets fingers burnt!

2011-08-08T09:50:00.000+01:00

That could have been a headline in a 13^th century newspaper if they but had such things in those times. It refers to todays feast, that of St Dominic, scourge of demons, curse of the Albigensians and founder of course, of the Order of Preachers – a great order that has suffered a few spiritual troughs in the last 30 years but has weathered the Radcliffe/McCabe years and is now aspiring to gain possession of the high ground once more.

If I sound a little biased in favour of St Dominic and his order it is because I was educated, or partly so, by Dominican nuns; a particularly fierce and warlike community who came fresh from the African bush to North London to impose their brand of rough and tough Catholicism on some fairly basic boys and girls (no mixing of the sexes, of course, all lessons were run in duplicate).

I am sure that there will be many good posts today on the life of St Dominic so I have chosen to highlight one of the many episodes of his life rather than go down the road of a complete biographical approach.

You can't monkey with St Dominic!

There are many accounts of St Dominic's fights with Satan and one, in particular, caught my attention, at the time he was resident at the monastery of San Sisto and, after praying for some time before the tabernacle he left to retire to his dormitory to undertake some writing.

As he lit a candle a demon in the form of an ape appeared and capered around the saint emitting foul verses and taunting him.

St Dominic commanded him to stand still and then placed a lit taper in his hand. The ape continued with his obscenities but as the candle burnt down so it began to burn his fingers. The demon began to howl and scream but St Dominic again commanded him to be quiet.

After a short period the candle had burnt so low that the fire had consumed the ape's index finger and he carried on howling and dancing in pain.

At last, the saint, taking up a walking cane, whacked the demon so hard that the sound was described as like a balloon bursting.

With that the ape disappeared through a wall never to return.

The only thing left behind was a terrible stench.

Prayer of St. Dominic

May God the Father who made us bless us.
May God the Son send his healing among us.
May God the Holy Spirit move within us and
give us eyes to see with, ears to hear with,
and hands that your work might be done.
May we walk and preach the word of
God to all.
May the angel of peace watch over us and
lead us at last by God’s grace to the
Kingdom. Amen.

Posted by Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow