Catholic blogging and blogging Catholics

Here is the text of my talk Catholic blogging and blogging Catholics for the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma at Blackfen last Saturday. Sorry for the delay in posting it. The day went very well, I think. Several people had not experienced the older form of the Mass before and the solemn High Mass was perhaps the best introduction for them. Trisha and her team did us proud with the food, and it was good to be able to celebrate solemn vespers more Romano.  The photo above is from Mulier Fortis who has more on her blog and on Flickr.

Dylan Parry posted a comprehensive report of the day at the Guild blog and several other bloggers posted their own impressions so to save time, here (courtesy of the Guild blog) is a list of the Catholic bloggers and users of the new media who were present:

• 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")
• Dylan Parry (A Reluctant Sinner)
• (and me)

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.

Memories of Michael Davies

The Sunday before last (25 September) I offered Mass for the repose of the soul of Michael Davies on the occasion of his anniversary. The Mass was kindly requested by the latest of my parishioners to start a blog (The Hilaire Belloc blog) and was attended by Maria Davies, Michael's wife.

Michael and my father were good friends. Their primary concern in the late 1960s as Catholic primary school teachers, was the collapse of Catholic catechesis and the rampant spread of modernist teaching which spread throughout Catholic schools in a few short years after the second Vatican Council. Along with others from Pro Fide, they campaigned tirelessly against the teaching of the Corpus Christi College which promoted the New Catechetics. It was eventually shut down by Cardinal Heenan after he was confronted with materials that undermined the divinity of Christ, though there was no official recognition of the problems it had caused or the justice of the cause of those who opposed it.

On a lighter note, I remember an experiment that Michael used to run with his class of 11 year old juniors. At the end of term, he would leave several piles of holy cards on his desk and simply tell the children that they could take whichever ones they wanted. Some of the cards had traditional devotional pictures of the Sacred Heart, the Crucifixion, or Our Lady; others (in equal numbers) were the sort that had come into vogue in the late 1960s with trees, flowers or snowscapes overlaid with a meaningful verse from scripture or some other source. He would chuckle and tell us that the children took most of the traditional ones but left the modern ones behind.

Michael's energies became particularly focussed on defence and restoration of the traditional liturgy, and it is his writings on this subject which are best known.

Michael came to my ordination in 1984 and attend the first usus antiquior Mass which I celebrated: the funeral of Agnes Waddelove on 7 January 2002. Agnes died on 27 December and her family asked me to say the old Mass. I immediately said that of course I would, and then on my way home realised that I only had a few days to learn how to celebrate it. I went carefully through the Ritus Servandus, then had a run-through with Fr Charles Briggs. With a good server I managed to get through without disaster. Michael Davies attended the funeral and was most encouraging to me. Afterwards he sent me some altar cards and a book of instructions.

Michael's funeral was at Fr Briggs' parish of St Mary's, Chislehurst on 22 October 2004. He had asked for Fr Edwards to be celebrant, Fr Briggs to be deacon, and myself to be subdeacon. In the event, Fr Briggs was not well enough to be deacon and Fr William Hudson of the ICKSP stepped in - but I remember thinking that Michael must have had his characteristic Welsh twinkle in his eye when making the request for three serving parish priests of the Archdiocese to celebrate Solemn High Mass in the old rite. (Remember that this was before the pontificate of Pope Benedict and Summorum Pontificum.)

When I think of Michael and my father, I often feel a little sad that they did not see the developments that have taken place in the Church. They would both have been ecstatic at the election of Pope Benedict and the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. I'm quite sure they both would have started blogs. Imagine what a Michael Davies blog would have been like!

After our recent Mass for Michael, a correspondent reminded me of the message sent by the then Cardinal Ratzinger for the occasion of his funeral:

I have been profoundly touched by the news of the death of Michael Davies. I had the good fortune to meet him several times and I found him to be a man of deep faith and ready to embrace suffering. Ever since the Council he put all his engergy into the service of the faith and left us important publications especially on the sacred liturgy. Even though he suffered from the Church in many ways in his time, he always truly remained a man of the Church. He knew that the Lord founded His Church on the rock of Peter and that the faith can find its fullness and maturity only in union with the successor of Saint Peter. Therefore we can be confident that the Lord opened wide for him the gates of heaven. We commend his soul to the Lord's mercy.

There was a very good Memorial notice for Michael in the Remnant. If you scroll down to the foot of the page there are links to several other articles about him.

Petition to repeal or amend SORs

David Skinner has started a petition which reads as follows

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to remove or amend the Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs, enacted 2007) that Outlaw Discrimination in the Provision of Goods and Services on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans sexual etc etc.) These violate our human right to choose goods and services supportive of traditional family life where there is a father and mother, husband and wife at its centre and simultaneously refuse us the right to reject goods and services that force us and our children to conform to gay and secular ideology, or be in an environment that condones or promotes it.

As this is a petition to HM Government, you have to be a British citizen or normally resident in the UK.

Sign the petition here.

Who is going to be "Parent 1"?

World Encounter of Families. Valencia 2006

In the latest piece of PC nonsense, the Home Office is to alter applications for British passports in accordance with their Diversity Strategy (and in response to lobbying by Stonewall) so that instead of naming Mother and Father, people will be able to name Parent 1 and Parent 2.

Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust has been quoted widely, saying among other things:

Like the Labour administration before it, the Coalition seems to be in Stonewall’s grip. It is high time ministers started to represent the interests of the country as a whole and not capitulate to every demand made by a vocal and unrepresentative minority.

It is good to see him representing the reaction of most ordinary people at this ridiculous proposal.

It also occurred to me that the new form could pose problems of its own. It could well be a source of throwing-things-around-the kitchen and not-speaking-to-each-other sessions if same-sex couples have to decide who is Parent 1 and who is Parent 2.

Mgr Pozzo's primer on the present liturgical situation

I have just had a chance to watch Mgr Pozzo's interview broadcast on Gloria TV (Thanks again to Rorate Caeli.) The interview begins with questions about the discussions between the Holy See and the SSPX but then broadens into an exchange where Mgr Pozzo sets out succinctly (and in beautiful Italian) many of the important questions concerning the present state of the liturgy, the value of the usus antiquior and the problems that we face in the celebration of the Missal of Paul VI. Gloria TV has posted a full transcript of the interview translated into English.

Mgr Pozzo focuses heavily on the problems in the manner of celebration of the Novus Ordo, often celebrated in a way that seriously contradicts the provisions of Vatican II and the mind of the legislator. Some of us would also want to explore, for example, the problems with the altering of ancient collects and the doctrinal implications of those alterations; but Mgr Pozzo's interview would be a very useful primer for somebody puzzled by the present disputes.

He summarises well and diplomatically why it is worthwhile to promote "the Latin Mass" (a designation he does not correct - but this is, after all an interview):

Because the ancient rite of the Mass makes explicit and highlights certain values and certain fundamental aspects of the liturgy that deserve to be maintained, and I am not speaking only about the Latin or Gregorian chant, I am speaking about the sense of mystery, of the sacred, the sense of the Mass as a sacrifice, the real and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the fact that there are great moments of interior recollection, interior participation in the divine liturgy. All these are fundamental elements which are particularly highlighted in the ancient rite of the Mass. I am not saying that these elements do not exist in the Mass of Paul VI's reform, but I am saying that they are highlighted much more and this can enrich even those who celebrate or participate in the ordinary form of the Mass.

(The expression in the first sentence is "la Messa nel rito antico" - "Mass in the old rite" would be simplest literal English translation. This expression, used by the Secretary of Ecclesia Dei, has also been used by Pope Benedict. It is not a naughty expression.)

A deeper question was posed to me today. At the end of a Day of Recollection for some intelligent (and impressively well-mannered) sixth formers, we had a "Grill the Priest" session where they could ask questions either viva voce or by submitting them on paper. There were many thoughtful questions on various subjects. The one relevant here was "Why was it thought necessary to rewrite the Mass?" It seems that the balance of enquiry might be shifting in some young minds from "What is the value of the old rite?" to asking why it was felt necessary to have a new rite in the first place.

Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis

Blessed John Paul II on freedom

It is good to hear from Andrew at Unam Sanctam after a bit of a break from blogging. He came up out of the blue with this quotation from Blessed John Paul II's homily at Orioles Park in Camden Yards USA in October 1995:

Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.

That should be posted up in every sixth form philosophy classroom.

Pope Benedict determined to stop syncretism personally at Assisi

Photo credit: Mr G's travels

Yesterday, Rorate Caeli has an important article with Pope Benedict's own resolution concerning the forthcoming meeting at Assisi. Many Catholic have expressed concerns about the meeting and especially the danger that it might promote or condone syncretism. To a Lutheran pastor who expressed such concerns, the Holy Father wrote:

"I understand quite well - Benedict XVI wrote on March 4, 2011 - your concern regarding the participation at the Assisi meeting. However, this commemoration would have to have been celebrated in some way and, all things considered, it seemed to me that the best thing would be for me to personally go there being thus able to determine the direction of it all. I will nevertheless do everything in order that a syncretistic or relativistic interpretation of the event will be impossible and so that what will remain is that I will always believe and confess that which I had called to the attention of the Church with [the Declaration] 'Dominus Iesus'."

This quotation was read by Cardinal Burke at a conference promoted by traditional Catholics last week in Rome. I hope that it can offer some reassurance to those who are worried about the Assisi event, since it would obviously be the Holy Father's own desire that his thoughts on the matter be made known.

The Declaration Dominus Iesus is one of the highlights of Cardinal Ratzinger's time as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Declaration states:

Theological faith (the acceptance of the truth revealed by the One and Triune God) is often identified with belief in other religions, which is religious experience still in search of the absolute truth and still lacking assent to God who reveals himself. This is one of the reasons why the differences between Christianity and the other religions tend to be reduced at times to the point of disappearance. (Dominus Iesus n.7)

Pope Benedict will surely have this in mind when he visits Assisi.

Southern Faith Priests

The other day I was at the Southern Faith Priests Day at the Bridgettine Guest House in Iver Heath. It is a great place to stay and I recommend it if you want a day off or a few days peace and quiet, or even if you just want a nice place to stay before going to Heathrow Airport. I did not know where Iver Heath was until researching my travel arrangements. It is near the much-maligned Slough and other more happily named places such as Gerrards Cross, Stoke Poges and Shredding Green, tucked in between the M4, the M40, and the M25.

On Thursday evening, Fr Mark Vickers spoke to us about his work as chaplain to the University of Hertfordshire. He began celebrating an extra Mass on Sunday evening for the students which started with just a few but has grown in numbers. Other areas of apostolate have grown up so that the Catholic chaplaincy is now thriving and there have been several vocations. I have been before to speak to the students and will be going again this autumn. Nowadays, Catholic university students who go to events organised by a Catholic chaplain are not looking to attack the Church's teaching but to learn about it.

On Friday morning it was my turn to speak and the topic was the new ICEL translation. I based my talk on the article that has just appeared in Faith Magazine and will be on the Faith website soon. I'll post a link when it is there.

The Bridgettine Guest House is used by ordinary travellers, especially as a reasonable guest house in reach of Heathrow Airport. They have a Lourdes shrine in front of the house which might help some travellers think about things eternal:

Inside, there is more than one painting of Blessed Richard Reynolds, a Bridgettine priest who was martyred by King Henry VIII along with the Carthusians:

Ordinariate reception at Westminster

The Catholic Herald and the Friends of the Ordinariate hosted a reception this evening in the throne room of Archbishop’s House, Westminster. Priests and laity who are friends from many different apostolates were gathered to support and encourage this generous provision of Pope Benedict in the cause of Christian unity.

I was glad of the chance to have a chat with Luke Coppen, Editor of the Catholic Herald. We normally correspond very briefly by email each week when I send in my article and he is busy getting the paper together, so it is always good to hear how the paper is getting on.

Mgr Keith Newton spoke warmly of the support that the Ordinariate had received, and made a heartfelt appeal for that financial assistance that is urgently needed. Cardinal Levada was present and explained something of the background of the Ordinariate and its importance to the Holy Father.

It was something of a mini blognic at the same time with Fr Ray Blake, Fr Sean Finnegan and Joanna Bogle – and I guess probably some others as well. I took my camera with me and got a photo of Fr Ray with Mgr Newton who greeted us very warmly and thanked us for the support that bloggers have given to the Ordinariate.

I managed to get a photo with Cardinal Levada:

If you are able to help the Ordinariate financially, please contact:

The Administrator
Friends of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
19 Spencelayh Close
WELLINGBOROUGH
NN8 4UU

(The photos on this post are my own. The great Mazur was there and so I expect that the Flickr photostream for the Catholic Church in England and Wales will have some fine photos on show sometime tomorrow.)

A busy week

This week is rather busy. I was teaching at Wonersh on Monday morning, spent some time there working on one of the talks that I have to give, travelled over to celebrate Mass at the house of Simon and Margaret-Mary Fitzgerald - it was a good opportunity to catch up with Daphne McLeod and others.

Yesterday I was at Parkminster in the early afternoon and then in Belgravia for the Inn Catholics for whom I was speaking on the theology of the Sacrament of Penance. That went on a bit later than expected because the pub had double-booked the room we were supposed to be using and we had to walk to another pub where they had a room spare.

This morning I was at Amigo House, next to St George's Cathedral for the Council of Priests meeting. We always routinely moan about these meetings but actually it is a good opportunity to get together with other priests from the diocese. At the end of the meeting, I raised the question of whether we should start thinking about some formal reception or other gesture of welcome to the Society of St Pius X in the event that the negotiations with the Holy See are successful and they have a regular canonical status. (We do have three Mass centres in the Archdiocese of Southwark.) The words "balloon" and "lead" came to mind but that may be unfair of me. I did have one or two interesting conversations over lunch.

This afternoon, conveniently as I am already up in town, I'll be going to the reception organised by the Catholic Herald and the Friends of the Ordinariate. Cardinal Levada will be there and I expect there will be many familiar faces.

Tomorrow morning I have a funeral (please remember David and his family in your prayers) and then it is off to somewhere in Berkshire for the Faith Priests Study Day. I'll be speaking on Friday morning on the new (corrected) translation.

A week like this does mean that I run the danger of getting behind with email so do bear with me. I am looking forward to seeing some of you at the meeting of the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma on Saturday at Blackfen.

A blog on the daily battle

For an example of the philosophical problems that can arise when teaching catechism to toddlers, see: Toddler Catechism Fail. The author, Annie Elizabeth is the latest of my parishioners to start blogging and a find blog it is too (défende nos in proélio.) There are hilarious and heartwarming stories of the day to day business of bringing up children. For another chuckle, see Who says traditional habits aren't cool?.

 These posts are light entertainment among other substantial articles which offer analysis especially on pro-life issues. Worth a place on your blogroll.

Mass for success of SSPX negotiations

Rorate Caeli reports that the superiors of the Society of St Pius X are to discuss the "Doctrinal Preamble" at their Italian District Headquarters in Albano from 7-8 October. I was delighted to read this, since 7 October is the patronal feast of my parish.

Thankfully I do not have a Mass intention booked for the evening High Mass and so I will make the intention of offering the fruits of that Mass into the hands of Our Lady of the Rosary that her prayers in heaven will bring about that speedy, charitable, and just resolution of the juridical status of the Society which is so desired by the Holy Father.

We must be patient, but I dare to hope that the fact that the meeting is at Albano, and therefore only a few miles from Rome, means that perhaps the superiors of the Society may be in a position to communicate a positive response to the Holy See with the minimum inconvenience.