96.9 Million Ways to Die

Choose one.

Jigs. Hits. The. Spot.

When's The Lady of Soul on, anyone know?

Memo To Austen: Make Sure London Citizens Has A Float At Next Year's Carnival

And whine, whine, whine, whine ....

What in the ...

What is he wibbling on about now?

Other than Citra Abbott, nee Sidhu, who didn't last very long, how many African Caribbean people have worked at The Catholic Herald in the last ten years, I wonder.

Funeral Arrangements

The church of Our Lady of Grace and St Edward in Chiswick will receive the body of our late and dearly beloved Father Edward Houghton on Wednesday 2nd September; the Archbishop of Westminster will celebrate Mass at 7pm. The funeral will be held at 12pm on Thursday.

More on Father Edward Houghton

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!"

More on the wonderful and sorely missed Father Edward Houghton here here and here.

Incidentally, I've seen that a few of you are landing here having googled Father Edward's name. One reader has come here from Doncaster. I know that Father Edward was from Preston and had sisters and a brother, who I understand is also a priest and based in the north of England. If you knew, or are related to Father Edward Houghton, please leave a message in the comments box.

RIP Father Edward Houghton

Sometimes, if you're lucky, you get an amazing priest in your parish. For me, it was Father Edward Houghton who died yesterday at the tragically young age of 40. He was killed in an road traffic accident in North Yorkshire.

Father Edward, who was born in Preston, was the assistant priest at Our Lady of Grace and St Edward in Chiswick. He'd only been with us for about a year but we knew he was someone very special. For one thing, Father Edward was just so sweet. He was a shy, unassuming man, quietly spoken and very gentle.

The other thing is that Father Edward, who used to teach English and RE at St Charles Sixth Form College in Ladbroke Grove, was very bright. Priests are usually learned men but I don't think I've ever heard more intellectually substantial homilies than the ones he would give. And the newsletters he would write were equally stimulating. One he wrote not long ago - I wish I'd kept it - explored the theme of work but what it was really about was alienation and how humans are frequently alienated from the work they do, which he contrasted with the Christian notion of work as freely given and amply rewarded.

Father Edward Houghton was a lifelong socialist and a Labour man to his marrow, though he was dispirited at the rightward direction the party was taking. Like so many of us he was deeply concerned about the rise of fascism in this country. But Father Edward was an inately charitable man; sections of the white working class were being tempted by fascists because Labour had let them down, he insisted. In truth, he was right about that.

Father Edward Houghton was kind, gentle and self-effacing but he also had guts. In December last year, distressed by Israel's invasion of Gaza and the awful toll of fatalities resulting from it and infuriated by the BBC's disgraceful censorship of the DEC appeal he put a notice in the parish newsletter requesting donations to the DEC for Gaza. There were some who didn't approve of this, complaining that Father Edward was "imposing" his politics on the parish. Stuff and nonsense. Father Edward was tender-hearted and courageous. He stuck a note up on the church door telling parishioners that if any of us wanted to go on the Gaza demo to join him at 11.30 on the day and he'd take a party of us up to Central London to protest the Israeli government's actions.

Justice 'n' peace types are sometimes sniggered at for their ostentatious goody-goodiness and overwheening political-correctness but Father Edward Houghton was nothing like that. He just was justice and peace and embued those values but without any kind of showing-off or priggishness. He couldn't help being politically engaged because his character was the opposite of insular. Rather he was outward-looking, a natural internationationalist and political leftwinger. But this shy and charming northerner was also orthodox in his faith and deeply committed to his priestly ministry.

The parish of Our Lady of Grace and St Edward is in mourning. We have lost a man of God and a true pastor. Our thoughts and prayers are with his brothers and sisters.

Requiescat in pace.

So it looks as if it was Sadie afterall

Well, well, well.

Is this the most nauseating man in Scotland?

Scottish "Justice" Minister Kenny MacAskill MSP.

Someone tell the good-for-nothing toad that he should keep his "compassion" to himself and his hammy speeches to the privacy of his bedroom.

Cruel and Outrageous

A sickening decision.

I'm with Brett, Iain and Tom Harris on this one.