Concerning the localised positivism of undifferentiated thought.

Now that is the title of a post. It is fantastic. If as you sit and read this your mind has started to think...

"Yeah, undifferentiated thought, now that is something that can easily lead to a form of positivism, and although I'm not sure I'd go that far, I suppose that you could argue that it is at times - though such language is not best used here - as kind of localised."

... then stop it, just stop it. Because I just made it up. Though I have to admit that it sounds just a bit spiffy and I am feeling distinctly cleverer for having written it down.

Now that's a well turned ankle

This is the danger of going back into academia. I had always loved the academic pursuit of a well turned phrase (rather like the bounder's pursuit of a well turned ankle - but I digress). But there are times when language can confuse rather than clarify, when it can make things much, much more complicated than what they actually need to be.

This is not to say that everything should be dumbed down to "John good. We do like John do" but if you get to localised positivism, then it's time to pack up and go home.

So what is the point of this. Well, apart from the fact I have been reading some dense theology and so I fear that my brain has started to leak from my ears, like jam that oozes from an overly filled doughnut, I am worried about the outcome of the synod in Rome on the family.

I just know that it is going to be very clever, and written in very clever ways, as Shakespeare said "full of sound and fury", and that in the process the purpose of writing it, namely to communicate to us what it is supposed to be saying, will be lost. Then we will spend years fighting over what it means. Sound familiar?

But then again, I may not want to know what the synod says, in which case I shall be as happy as Larry in not knowing what it is banging on about.

Anyway, here is a picture of a cat. They have no problems with undifferentiated thought, though some have been accused of positivism. It is, however, beyond my ability to say whether or not it was localised.


But I suspect it was.

Mass Times

From this Sunday there will be an extra Mass at Great Swinburne.

Holy Mass (Ordinary Form) 10.15am
Holy Mass (Extra-ordinary Form) noon

Everyone is most welcome. The postal code is NE48 4DQ, and here is a link to it on a map.

Listen to my voice

The church of Our Lady in Copenhagen. Now Lutheran, once Catholic.
When the Bishop of Copenhagen borrowed (sic) it for confirmations, he was forced to say Mass ad orientem.

Recently in Denmark, I went to some of the Lutheran churches and found them quite extraordinary. they were much more elaborate than I would have expected, but protestantism takes many forms.

The seating arrangement in one of the benches, rather similar to a train carriage.

Of note was the very strange seating arrangement. It seemed that in certain pews there were two benches facing each other. Now when I'm in Church I often wish I could put up my feet, so as to participate more fully in the homily, but here? In this Lutheran stronghold?

The answer is even better. The sanctuary is at the front of the Church, but the pulpit is in the middle. You could never be so rude as to have your back to the preacher, and so at homily time, you decamp to the other bench, so that the minister can eyeball you and remind you that time here is short and you'd better mend your ways!

I think we should insist on multiple pew benches, from now on.

Lines of phones

We three men of BT are. Two in a van and one in a car.

Yesterday, known sometimes as the feast of the Guardian Angels, shall from henceforth be know as "the day BT came".

At eight thirty a wonderful chap came to comment my telephone. It was his first day after training and working with someone else that he was working on his own. This was his first job, an easy job. Needless to say, of course, he only left at half past three in the afternoon, and after two other chaps came out as well!

They were, all three of them, charming and incredibly helpful. Good men, doing a diligent job. 

I think, from my limited experience (which immediately makes me an expert), that it is the relationship with BT and the customer at the first point of contact that makes it all so difficult. Why for example, can yoU not have an online chat? For me, I couldn't speak to them on the telephone because mobile coverage is so patchy here, and of course, I didn't have a telephone (hence the need to get in touch with the first place).

Oh well. The three men came and were excellent and now I have a telephone line. Now I start on trying to get internet...

Jesuit Gubbins

I'm staying in the Jesuit House in Copenhagen, the Jesu Hjerte Kirke. And it is marvellously Jesuit of a certain age. In many ways it reminds me of the clergy accomodation which you find in Rome.

One thing caught my eye. It is an electronic system for telling people if you are in or out. It must have been very technological at the time, and is still used. There is an electric box in the downstairs corridor with light that light up, depending on whether you have indicated you are in or not. It is shown in your own room, with a series of little light bulbs, and is changed by a simple connection system next to the door. It is wonderful!

There is also the older system next to the door of each room. You slide the pointer to show what you are up to, or where you are. Same thing a few decades later.

Monday's Mass

Den Hellige Messe

i den ekstraordinære form af den romerske ritus. 

Fejres på festen for den hellige Ærkeengel Michael

Den 29. september kl. 18:00 i Jesu Hjerte Kirke, Thorsgade 22, 8900 Randers

Med efterfølgende reception i Jesu Hjertes sognelokale.

This is from the site of Saint Canute (link here) which promotes the traditional liturgy in Denmark. Thanks to them I am here in Copenhagen where I will sing Holy Mass in the morning, and in Randers where I will sing it on Monday in honour of St Michael.

(By the way I can post this not because of the wonderfulness of any broad band packages, but because I seem to have got into the Jesuits of Copenhagen computer system! Gosh.)

BT

I have to come to an airport to be able to blog! My move has gone very well except for one thing: getting a BT telephone line. 

The problem seems to be that my house does not exist, even though the priest before me had a line there and received bills. 

BT asked me on the telephone if the house was a new build. Not for a couple of hundred years - I replied. 

Sarcasm didn't work and I'm still waiting. 

The reason I'm in an airport is that I'm off to Copenhagen to sing Mass. How cool!

(I've tried to post this a number of times. I think BT are following me... And not in a good way.)

Twilight at Great Swinburne

High Mass Pictures

Introit

Et Incarnatus Est

Preface

The Consecration

The Communion

Benedicat vos...

(photos thanks to Sara Harvey-Craig)

Pictures of High Mass

This is a picture of a cake at my farewell Mass in Dursley. Pictures of the Mass can be found here and here. I have some others which I'll put up.

It really was quite a do, And the wonderful thing is that the only part that should stop a High Mass is a want of Deacon and Subdeacon. Servers and musicians here in Dursley are aplenty.

Up north on Tuesday. Gosh.