I Think It's Time To Comment...

I've given this post a lot of thought, and prayed hard too. Originally I was reluctant to blog about the recent events at Blackfen, and, from the lack of blogposts, I think that other Blackfen bloggers must have felt the same reluctance. However, a few people unconnected with the parish (but geographically close) have recounted what they have heard from other sources, and it seems obvious that the whole story is being given a very definite spin.

I do not claim to be impartial. On the other hand, I'm rather good at analysing facts and being objective about it - I wouldn't be much of a scientist otherwise. So I think the time has come for me, as one of the people caught up in the events at Blackfen, to set down a few of the facts, and to explain my conclusions. You do not have to accept my conclusions, but I think they stand up to scrutiny. The facts, however, cannot be denied.

The first fact is that there was no conflict in the parish which needed to be "sorted out".

There had been some conflict in the past, but this was back in late 2008 - early 2009. That is over five years ago. A small group of parishioners had become unhappy that, following Summorum Pontificum, Fr. Finigan had introduced (slowly and with detailed catechesis) one TLM on a Sunday (out of four Sunday Masses.) They wrote to the Archbishop to complain. A parish survey was carried out. This demonstrated that, although there was a very small number of parishioners strongly opposed to the TLM, and an equivalent number of parishioners strongly in favour of the TLM, the vast majority of parishioners were happy for Fr. Finigan to get on with whatever he thought best for the spiritual needs of the parish.

The area Bishop, Patrick Lynch, chaired a meeting in the church to discuss people's concerns. After this meeting, which was one of the most shoddily-run meetings I have ever been unfortunate enough to attend, Bishop Lynch had to concede that the people opposed to the TLM were being less than reasonable in objecting to one Sunday Mass out of four being celebrated according to the usus antiquior. Having failed to make any headway, a small group of around nine parishioners wrote to the Tablet to complain. Contrary to intention, the article actually gave rise to widespread support for Fr. Finigan's implementation of Summorum Pontificum.

The people (a very small group) who really couldn't stomach the successful introduction of the TLM at Blackfen left the parish - but since Welling parish church is about 10 minutes away and Sidcup parish church is about 5 minutes away, this isn't particularly surprising, and quite a few people cross parish boundaries anyway because of convenient bus routes. Other people crossed over into the parish, attracted by the reverent style of worship at Blackfen (and not just at the TLM.)

This happened over five years ago. Things settled down. There was a stable congregation at the 10:30am Mass, but a sizeable majority of the regulars at the TLM would happily attend one of the Novus Ordo Masses if they couldn't make it to the 10:30am Mass. Some people regularly attended two Sunday Masses. There wasn't a division. Most people just went to Mass, even if they preferred one form over another.

The next fact is that the parishioners who were devoted to the Extraordinary Form were not antagonistic to the arrival of Fr. Fisher.

On the contrary, we were delighted that we were to have a parish priest who had celebrated the Extraordinary Form in the past. The first Saturday morning Mass was to be the usual Missa Cantata, and, since many servers and singers went to a local pub for lunch afterwards, we had invited Fr. Fisher to come along too, informing him well in advance (at least a month previously). He declared himself unable to attend, which was fair enough, but we had attempted to welcome him.

We had expected changes - a new parish priest will want to do things in his own way, but we were led to believe that the TLM would continue at Blackfen, and would do almost anything in our power to keep that going. The comment, made by Fr. Fisher, in the combox of Richard Collins' blogpost reassured us that there were no plans to change the 10:30am Mass...

In view of subsequent events, one might question whether the specification of the time of Mass rather than the form was deliberate. After all, Mass continues to be offered at 10:30am on Sundays, just not in the Extraordinary Form.

The suggestion that the cessation of the TLM at Blackfen was planned in advance is given further credence by a couple of other incidents.

Fr. Fisher arrived in Blackfen on Wednesday. On the next day Fr. Fisher cancelled the schedule of extra Masses which had been planned for some Marian and other feasts. He explained that this was because it was not permitted for a priest to binate (to say two Masses) on a weekday. In fact, for pastoral reasons, a priest can binate - and one might speculate that a stable group requesting a Mass for a feast of Our Lady in a parish dedicated to Our Lady might qualify as a sufficiently pastoral reason. Nevertheless, it was always possible that Fr. Fisher felt that he was already over-committed, or that he just didn't wish to celebrate extra Masses, which was his right. Therefore an offer was made to arrange for other priests to celebrate the Masses instead. This offer was refused. No parish priest is obliged to allow Mass to be celebrated in his church, but it is difficult to comprehend why he might not wish to do so, especially if he is not expected to do anything other than allow it to happen.

On the third day of Fr. Fisher's tenure, he told a parishioner that these extra Masses would be stopped, and when she expressed regret at the removal of evening Masses he stated that he had had hours of meetings with Archbishop Smith and Bishop Lynch to discuss the direction the parish would be taking, and he declared that Blackfen was a Novus Ordo parish.

He had already introduced changes at the weekday Masses. The speed of change was a little unexpected but things would probably have continued quietly if it hadn't been for one major turning point. During his first Sunday Extraordinary Form Mass, after the Domine, non sum dignus and, holding Our Lord prior to giving Communion to a server, Fr. Fisher stopped and declared loudly to the congregation that there had been considerable confusion expressed over the correct way to receive Communion at the TLM, and that, according to the 1983 Code of Canon Law, Communion could be received kneeling or standing, on the tongue or, in England and Wales, in the hand.

That is untrue.

Universae Ecclesiae, the Instruction on the application of the provisions of Summorum Pontificum, issued by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei states quite clearly that:

"by virtue of its character of special law, within its own area, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum derogates from those provisions of law, connected with the sacred Rites, promulgated from 1962 onwards and incompatible with the rubrics of the liturgical books in effect in 1962."

In other words, if it wasn't allowed in 1962, then it's not allowed at the Extraordinary Form. That applies to Communion in the hand, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and female altar servers, for example.

Now, it is possible that Fr. Fisher was not aware of this.

Nevertheless, this statement caused a great deal of scandal to members of the congregation, especially because of when it was made, and the manner in which it was made. The inappropriateness of the timing and manner of the announcement was really shocking. After Mass, several people expressed their feelings, and there was much discussion of the laws concerning the rubrics of the Mass.

If the rubrics concerning Communion in the hand were to be ignored, then that begged the question of what might follow. The intention of having Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion at all Masses had already been indicated in the newsletter. An Extraordinary Form Mass in Wales had been cancelled because of a failure to observe the 1962 rubrics, and there was, understandably, speculation that this might happen at Blackfen. Quite a few people wanted to know how things were going with the new parish priest. News travels fast, and bad news travels even faster...

Unfortunately, Fr. Fisher did not appreciate the criticism.

On his second Saturday morning in the parish, at the Extraordinary Form Low Mass, he delivered a strongly-worded address to the congregation, telling them that the people at the TLM at Blackfen were toxic and uncharitable, and the cause of major division in the parish. He stated that two friends of his (he referred to them as his "spies") had been shocked at the views expressed by people on the previous Sunday after the Old Mass, and because of this, he was going to cancel the Extraordinary Form Mass from the end of the month, and would hold a Novus Ordo Mass at that time instead. He also pointed out that someone had "denounced him" to the editor of the Spectator magazine, and that to discuss private parish business with outsiders was gossip and a mortal sin.

The parishioners at the Sunday morning Latin Mass were given the same speech instead of a homily.

Yes, to be fair, I suspect that people had been less than complimentary the previous week - remember that they themselves had been shocked and scandalised by the announcement about Communion in the hand. Even so, cancelling the TLM as a result of a few unpleasant remarks seems somewhat extreme.

One might even be led to speculate that the announcement at Communion the previous week had been made on purpose, especially recalling that on at least two occasions previously, deliberate disregard for rubrics had led to the cessation of the Extraordinary Form Masses. I wouldn't like to think that this could be the case.

UPDATE: It would appear, from one of the comments I have received, that something along these lines was the case. Fr. Fisher has declared in the parish newsletter that he had not intended to end the Extraordinary Form Masses and was surprised by the fall in numbers... however, in view of this drop, he is going to have to consult with the Parish Council. Since the chairman of the Parish Council, appointed just over a week into Fr. Fisher's tenure, is known to be strongly opposed to the TLM, the outcome is predictable. Be that as it may, the intention to cease the TLM provision from the end of September had been announced from the pulpit on Fr. Fisher's second Sunday.

On Fr. Fisher's third Saturday in the parish, Mass was offered in the Ordinary Form instead of the usual TLM. It was explained that this was because there wasn't a server who was able to serve Low Mass, and therefore all Saturday Masses from then would be in the Ordinary Form.

If there isn't a server, it is permissible for someone to make the responses from the pews for Low Mass... or even for the celebrant to make the responses...

So, the result is that, after seven years, the usus antiquior is no longer celebrated at Our Lady of the Rosary.

It was suggested that parishioners affected by the changes should write to the Bishop and Archbishop to complain, citing Summorum Pontificum. There isn't really any point - if, as Fr. Fisher said, he has discussed this over many hours with them already, this was probably planned from the beginning. After all, there was nothing to stop the Archbishop from moving Fr. Fisher to Margate rather than Fr. Finigan.

And this brings me to another point: it has been suggested that Fr. Finigan was moved to Margate as a promotion. I find that rather hard to believe.

I doubt very much that Fr. Finigan thinks in ecclesiastical careerist terms. If he did, he might consider that being sent to Margate was very much a demotion. A brief look at the Southwark diocesan directory indicates that the parish of Margate, although geographically bigger than Blackfen, has a much lower Mass attendance. Being in a deprived area, the income of the parish is correspondingly lower. In addition, there is far more work, with two churches and a busy hospital to look after. His blogposts indicate that he is, despite this, very happy in his new parish.

Finally, no-one is suggesting that Fr. Fisher, as parish priest, doesn't have the right to make whatever changes he wishes in his parish. But to make so many changes so rapidly suggests that this was carefully planned from the outset. I think that the most upsetting aspect of it all is the lack of honesty. We were deliberately led to believe that the usus antiquior would be allowed to continue as before. And since Fr. Fisher did not arrange to move himself to Blackfen, then one might reasonably conclude that Archbishop Smith and Bishop Lynch have orchestrated the whole affair.

If that is the case, it suggests that honesty and integrity are as lacking among the hierarchy of Southwark as they were in Arundel and Brighton.

Please pray for everyone concerned.

Kitty News Update...

I'm sure you're dying to know how the Cardinal and Monsignor are getting along...

No? Well, you'll need to skip this post.

Cardinal Furretti is as affectionate and indolent as ever. She seems to spend the majority of her time asleep, but likes to do so in my company - and preferably on my lap. She is also displaying a jealous streak towards Miaowrini. I haven't seen any overt violence, but there must be some subtle form of communication going on.

The process goes something along these lines: Miaowrini finds a comfortable spot, and starts to spend more time there. Suddenly, Furretti is seen spending time there instead, so Miaowrini has to go elsewhere. Finally Furretti returns to her favourite spot (on my bed) but Miaowrini seems unwilling to go back to reclaim her spot.

In addition, Furretti sulks if I pay attention to Miaowrini. She actually turns her back on me, and moves away if I try to stroke her. Therefore I have to be careful to stroke Furretti first, if the two of them are present, or stroke Miaowrini when Furretti isn't watching...

After I've been away, Furretti does her best to show her disapproval by sulking. The problem is that she's such a "needy" cat that she has a really hard time doing this. She comes running towards me to greet me, then stops herself, turns her back on me and stalks away. That lasts all of two minutes, and then back she comes, eager to be petted and made a fuss of.

Monsignor Miaowrini, when I first got her, bolted whenever I turned to look at her, something I attributed to her experiences as a rescue kitten. Gradually she became less nervous, but she was a difficult cat to approach, and she hated to be picked up. She spent most of her time outside, and I vaguely wondered whether she was spending time in another house. Then, earlier this year, she had her accident, and was caged up for a few months. After that, she became far more affectionate, and of late she has started to run towards me to greet me when she comes home - she's also home much more than before. In addition, she now frequently allows herself to be picked up for a brief cuddle and head scratch.

I am moved by the fact that, despite the dreadful injury to her leg, Miaowrini had made her way back home, even though she must have had real difficulty getting up the kitty steps to the catflap. She obviously considers it a place of safety.

Miaowrini has been catching lots of mice and bringing them in, and, if I'm at home (and awake), she miaows loudly until I come to see what she's brought back. She has a very distinctive miaow for this purpose - almost triumphant. Furretti loves to chase whatever Miaowrini brings in, but I have only seen her bring in a mouse of her own on one occasion, so I assume that Miaowrini is responsible for most of the kills.

At the moment, I'm having one or two problems with feeding. The cats are being fussy. They have Purina One dried food available all the time, but both cats like (demand) wet food in the morning and in the evening. I've tried giving only dry food, but then the cats seem to throw up more frequently, and I'm not too keen on clearing up cat vomit.

Both of them dislike Felix, and they only like certain flavours of Sainsbury's own brand. They both like Purina One wet food, but that is prohibitively expensive, and the portion sizes are ridiculously small. Iams was initially received well by Furretti but not by Miaowrini. Whiskas has to be generously laced with (expensive) Felix cat treats before either cat will consider it. Furretti will often eat stuff if it is in Miaowrini's bowl, but Miaowrini won't eat stuff from Furretti's bowl. Both cats really like tinned tuna, but, as well as being expensive, and despite it being the variety with spring water rather than brine, it is apparently not good for the cats to have too much of it...

Don't waste time telling me that the cats will eat whatever there is if they're hungry enough. They don't. And cat food that has been left out for a day smells horrible. And I'm too soft to let them go hungry...

This Blog Isn't Dead Yet...

Work commitments mean that I haven't blogged for ages. I will do so soon.

I don't wish to comment on anything concerning Blackfen at the moment, other than to say that the accounts I have read on the blogosphere to date have been very restrained.

In the meantime, your prayers for all concerned would be greatly appreciated.

Help Desperately Needed...

The Good Counsel Network has posted an impassioned plea via Facebook. It seems that the organisation is so short of funds that they have been unable to give out food vouchers to some of the mothers they help, and they have been unable to pay their staff.

The Good Counsel Network is doing vital pro-life work, giving advice and, above all, practical help to mothers who might otherwise have an abortion. They don't receive any government assistance at all. Things are tight for everyone, but the Summer is apparently a really low point donations-wise at the best of times, and clearly they are up against the wire.

If you can, please consider going to their donations page - there are lots of options on how to get the money to them. And if you can't, then please pray for them to receive the support they need in order to be able to continue supporting mothers and their children.

In The Sacristy...

As a bit of a trad, I am aware that the laity, and especially lay women, should not handle the sacred vessels for Mass. I am also fully cognizant of the Old Testament passage which records the unpleasant fate of the two men who - albeit from the very best of motives - touched the Ark of the Covenant. Unfortunately, in my role of Assistant Sacristan, it isn't always possible for me to avoid handling the chalice and paten, especially when there aren't any servers around. So I try to use a purificator, but this hasn't always been practical. And yes, I know that I have been "permitted" to handle things by my parish priest, but I'm not entirely comfortable doing so. And the sense of unease has been growing.

It occurred to me that museum curators wear gloves when handling precious manuscripts, and I wondered whether this might provide a solution. I happened to mention it to a few of the senior servers (partly to test whether they thought I was Upton Park*) and today Mattheus brought me a present:

I strongly refute the suggestion of the Senior MC that this is the first step in getting the relevant vestments sorted for my new appointment as a womyn bishop.

Now I just have to find out if there's a blessing for gloves...

*Two stops short of Barking.

No Contest...

On Sunday, Fr. Finigan gave an excellent sermon, with much food for thought. One thing which really hit home was the information that the hymn by St. Thomas Aquinas, Adoro te devote, was added to most missals as part of the priest's thanksgiving prayers because of the beautiful way it encapsulates our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

It struck me that the same cannot be said of the majority of "modern" hymns (I use quotation marks as the term is generally applied to hymns written back in the 1970s and 1980s... this hardly qualifies as "modern" after forty years!)

"If I was a wiggly worm" doesn't quite cut it...

Corpus Christi...

Maybe I am being uncharitable, but, when the Bishops of England & Wales decided to cancel (sorry, transfer) the Holydays of Obligation, I'm sure that they didn't realise that this would result in so many Extraordinary Form Masses happening instead...

You see, the usus antiquior follows the traditional calendar, and the various Holydays are therefore celebrated on their proper days... and, since the extra Masses (which would have been held to allow he faithful to fulfil the obligation) are no longer being celebrated, there are plenty of priests around who are only too happy to oblige the more traditionally-inclined members of their flock by offering a TLM.

This is the case in Blackfen. Since the obligation of Corpus Christi has been transferred to the Sunday, we were free to hold an extra Mass on Thursday. And since, in the usus antiquior, Thursday was the Feast of Corpus Christi, we had a Missa Cantata with all the trimmings: and, as the weather was rather fine, that meant an outdoor procession.

I have to confess to a slight trepidation as the procession passed the Parish Club - quite a few people were inside watching the World Cup match between England and Uruguay, and I did wonder what might happen if someone scored...

There are a few more photos over on Flickr...

Forty Hours...

Blackfen celebrated the Forty Hours a week ago, but, although I managed to load up my photos, I was first too tired and then too busy to blog about it.

We started off with a Solemn High Mass...

I had to work on Friday, so couldn't stay long on Thursday night. I did manage to take a quick photo before I left...

However, after Mass on Friday evening, I was free to spend some quality time with Our Lord...

And the Quarant'Ore finished with Mass, the Litany of the Saints and a Procession (and Benediction) on the Saturday morning.

There are more photos over on Flickr, including one or two of my more "arty" shots, so do go and have a browse.And, if you should be in a parish which puts on the Forty Hours' devotion, do make the effort to attend, even for a short while - it's definitely a spiritual booster!

Kitty Killing Spree...

Some of you might be wondering about how Monsignor Miaowrini has been getting on since her accident. I have to confess that I thought she would find it slightly more difficult to catch mice, and almost impossible to catch birds. That knee was pretty badly wrecked, and she limps quite badly when the weather is damp.

One look at the Kitty Kill Count in the sidebar should give you a clue. Cardinal Furretti is happy to chase mice when they are presented to her, but she seems to be rather indolent, and rarely spends time outside. The majority of live captures (and therefore, I assume, the majority of kills) are down to the predations of the feisty Monsignor.

I don't know what is happening, but she seems to be ramping things up. It's a rare morning when I don't discover a little something left out for me to find. Fortunately Miaowrini likes to leave things by the front door, so I haven't been unfortunate enough to tread on the offerings as I stagger barefoot and bleary-eyed to the bathroom. One night I rescued a live mouse from under her nose, and the next morning I found two birds and another dead mouse. On Thursday morning I found three dead mice.

I'm considering loaning her out for a small fee...

Storming Heaven...

Blackfen's annual celebration of the Quarant'Ore, (Forty Hours') Devotions starts this Thursday evening. We kick off with a Solemn High Mass at 8pm, followed by a Blessed Sacrament Procession and a Litany, and then Our Lord is left exposed on the altar for forty hours...

It really is a wonderfully prayerful experience, and there is something incredibly moving about adoration during the "silent watches of the night." In fact, after the end of the Quarant'Ore, there is a palpable sense of loss as Our Lord is reposed in the tabernacle. I imagine that a similar sense of loss would have been experienced by the disciples after the Ascension.

There will be Missa Cantatas on Friday (8pm) and Saturday (10:30am) but the church will be open for people to come and spend a little time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament right through the Forty Hours. Not everyone is in a position to be able to watch through the night, but most of us can spare 20 minutes at some time during the day...

If you feel the need to recharge your spiritual batteries, then directions to Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen can be found here. If you'd like to know a little more about the devotion, then Zephyrinus has a great post on it.

Papal Award At Blackfen...

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has awarded the Benemerenti to one of Blackfen's parishioners (we are now a three-Benemerenti parish!) and we had a Mass to celebrate the occasion and make the presentation.

Bishop Pat Lynch celebrated the Mass, and presented the medal and citation to Hilda, who has been a stalwart of the parish for more years than it would be polite to mention...

In an interesting twist, Hilda had to help the bishop out by figuring out how the pin fastening actually worked...

Warmest congratulations to Hilda on such a very well-deserved award! You can see more photos on my Flickr page.

A Little Night Music...

Actually it's an evening of French, German and English organ music, played by local organists, at St. Mary's Chislehurst. The evening is to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the church, and all proceeds will go to charity. It starts at 8pm on Saturday 14 June, and there will be refreshments during the interval. £5 payable at the door (£2 for children)...

Bartrès...

When St. Bernadette was a baby, she had to have a wet-nurse for a while, as her own mother was unable to breastfeed her after being badly burned in an accident. Later on, when the family were suffering dire financial hardships, Bernadette was sent back to her former foster-mother, partly to reduce the number of mouths to feed in the family, and partly so that she could benefit from good food and clean air.

Bernadette was to work for Marie Laguës, looking after the sheep and helping with Marie's own children, and, in return, Marie promised to allow Bernadette to attend school and help her learn her catechism so she could make her First Holy Communion. Bernadette's ill health following a cholera outbreak and her family's poverty had prevented her from attending school in Lourdes, and so, at the age of 13, she was still unable to read or write.

With all the work she was expected to do, Bernadette never got the chance to attend classes in Bartrès, despite the assurances which had been given. Marie herself didn't have much patience, and St. Bernadette found it difficult to learn her catechism. When the priest at Bartrès announced that he was leaving to enter religious life in a monastery, Bernadette realised that she had no chance of making her First Holy Communion if she remained at Bartrès, and she decided to return to the family home in Lourdes. Three weeks later, St. Bernadette saw Our Lady for the first time at the Grotto of Massabielle...

We were very privileged to be able to visit the parish church at Bartrès this morning, and to celebrate Mass according to the usus antiquior, the form which St. Bernadette would have experienced. The High Altar is basically the same as the one Bernadette knew, as is the tryptich of St. John the Baptist, but the church was just the single nave.

After Mass we were able to venerate a relic of St. Bernadette, and to see an example of her handwriting practice from when she was learning to write...

Sadly, the farmhouse where St. Bernadette stayed with the Laguës family was closed. I assume that they don't usually get many visitors on a Wednesday morning, as that is when the International Mass is celebrated in the Pius X Underground Basilica, and the vast majority of organised groups attend. However, I did remember that the stream where the village women would gather to wash clothes was around the corner, so we went along to have a look...

Ad Multos Annos...

Our hotel, the Grand Hotel d'Angleterre, is a favourite with many pilgrimage groups. The Birmingham Diocesan Pilgrimage occurs during the May half term week, and over the years we have bumped into many regulars who are staying at the hotel.

One of the priests we regularly meet is Fr. Paul Devaney. This year he is celebrating his Golden Jubilee of priestly Ordination, and tonight at dinner there was a little celebration. Archbishop Bernard Longley came over for dinner, a cake was brought out, and, after we sang a rousing chorus of "For he's a jolly good fellow", all the priests present launched into a very moving rendition of "Ad multos annos" the anthem traditionally sung for a priestly anniversary. His Grace gave a lovely speech and pointed out that he and Fr. Tim had sung together in the schola at Wonersh.

Never one to miss a photo opportunity, I asked the Archbishop if I could take a photo for the blog...

From left to right, Fr Dominic Coslett, Fr. Tony Rohan, Fr. Tim Finigan, Fr Paul Devaney and Archbishop Bernard Longley...

I was surprised to find that His Grace knew of my blog... and especially the exploits of my two cats. He was keen to tell me about the famous Birmingham Oratory cat, Pushkin, who, since his meeting with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, has been seen sporting a red biretta and a (small) red cape. No doubt Cardinal Furretti will be having words with me about the paucity of her own ecclesial apparel... I will probably have to invest in a cappa magna and lace rochet just to keep the fur from flying...

In the Footsteps of Bernadette...

We started the second day of our pilgrimage with a guided tour of the main sites in the town associated with St. Bernadette. It is a while since I have done this tour, and I particularly wanted to get some new photos, so, mindful of the fact that my knees and ankles are getting worse - which means that I may not be capable of navigating the hills and cobbles for much longer - I made a bit more of an effort this morning.

After meeting at the Information Office and registering our group, we were teamed up with a group from Grimsby. We went first to the Museum of St. Bernadette to get a brief overview of her life and the Apparitions. They have a model of the way the grotto looked and its relation to the town which helped me to picture the whole scene...

Next we made our way to the Boly Mill where Bernadette was born, and spent the first 10 years of her life. The time spent here was a time of happiness for the Soubirous family...

A combination of factors led to the family suffering financial difficulties - in particular the generosity of the family towards the poor, and their reluctance to press for payment of debts. The situation was compounded by a famine in the area, during which the government distributed free flour, thus bankrupting Bernadette's father. The family was evicted from the Mill, and eventually became so poor that the only refuge they could find was the Cachot - the old jail which had been condemned as too unhealthy a place to house criminals.

En route to the Cachot we passed the house bought for the family by the bishop after Bernadette had gone to the convent at Nevers...

We ended the tour with a visit to the parish church. It isn't the one which existed at the time of St. Bernadette - that burned down - but it does still have the Baptismal font where St. Bernadette was baptised. Unfortunately there was a Mass being celebrated, so we couldn't have much of a look round...

I did manage to get our group to pose in front of the statue of Dean Peyremale (one of Fr. Tim's heroes, I think.)

The tour guide indicated that the last place we were due to visit was the English Bookshop, where we would be given coffee. None of our group was keen on the idea and so we finished the tour here. I was starting to feel the effects of the hills and cobbles (I think my Guardian Angel had been working overtime up to that point, pushing me up the hills to ensure that I didn't give up!) and I returned to our hotel for a short rest before lunch...

There are a few more photos from the tour and the rest of Day 2 on my Flickr page.

And Here We Are...

The Blackfen pilgrimage started this morning with Low Mass at the Lady Altar. Annie Elizabeth's eldest son kindly gave up the opportunity to have a Bank Holiday Monday lie-in and served the Mass... this was after a Sunday where, at the ripe old age of 12, he MC'd the Sunday Missa Cantata, served two consecutive Baptisms and then served Mass for Fr. Michael Mary of the Transalpine Redemptorists who happened to have dropped by with Brother Martin for a visit. Give that young man a medal...

The pilgrimage group is very small this year - several people expressed an interest, but then pulled out. However, I think I've managed to get a good programme of events lined up. We don't have a server, unless someone happens to materialise, so it will be Low Mass each day, but the silence and stillness of Low Mass has a special charm once you get to appreciate that silence doesn't mean "doing nothing!"

The journey by minibus from Blackfen to Heathrow was uneventful, and the Groups check-in at Terminal 5 was wonderfully smooth. Security was a bit of a pain - taking laptops and kindles out of bags when the bags are being x-rayed anyway seems a little excessive - but there was still time for people to go and get lunch or do a little shopping.

British Airways are very civilized about seat allocations, so we didn't have a mad scramble, and the flight was pretty straightforward - even the turbulence announced by the captain didn't disturb my gin and tonic. Once at Toulouse we were met by another driver who had been sent to collect us. Rush hour traffic in Toulouse is no joke, but once we were in the suburbs it was all plain sailing. I was able to put my mobile phone camera through its paces, and was delighted to find that it coped really well with the rapidly-moving landscape - I am even more impressed by the phone's capabilities than before!

Dinner was waiting for us in the hotel when we arrived. The hotel is lovely - it reminds me of an Agatha Christie novel (minus the bodies and the Belgian detective) and I wanted to get some new photos on my phone camera. My knee and ankle are playing up - a combination of travel and rather wet weather - so I thought I'd skip tonight's Torchlight Procession, and I'm now enjoying a cup of gorgeous hot chocolate before retiring.

I've brought the laptop and so plan to blog about each day's activities. If anyone is in Lourdes and wants to join us for Mass, tomorrow it is in the Jeanne d'Arc Chapel (in the Upper Basilica) at 3pm. 

And in case anyone is around, on Wednesday morning we will be in Bartrès for Mass in the parish church at 10am...

Lourdes Pilgrimage Approaches...

The time of the Blackfen Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes is rapidly approaching. It's been three years since the last one, so I'm really looking forward to it. Mass every day according to the usus antiquior will be a real treat. Sadly we don't have any servers with us, so it will have to be Low Mass...

Fortunately we have managed to get the same hotel as before - it's a wonderful place, with a real family atmosphere... and it's less than five minutes' walk from the Domaine. I'm still waiting to hear from the Parish Priest of Lourdes, to find out if we can use the church Crypt for Mass on two of the days. We are having Mass in the church at Bartrès - the only church that St. Bernadette actually attended regularly (the church in Lourdes burnt down, and only the Baptismal font is original, while the Basilica itself wasn't finished until she had gone to Nevers. She did visit the Crypt of the Immaculate Conception Basilica, but only a few times.)

I am looking forward to getting some really good photos with my latest mobile phone, which performs far better than the digital camera I have. If, however, you really can't wait to get a dose of Lourdes, do go over and visit Richard Collins, of Linen on the Hedgerow,who has written lots about his recent pilgrimage. He even managed to get a picture of a cat and dedicated it to this blog (Mewlier Fortis, indeed!!)

Richard wondered why there were always so many women in the queue for the baths compared to the number of men. I think the women's queue just appears to be longer - we take much more time to get undressed, wrapped, dunked and dressed again... there are more bits of apparel, and they do rather need to be adjusted "just so" for the sake of modesty!