...I was visiting some young relatives. We had agreed to meet at the 6pm Mass. Trains were tricky and I had to rush by cab from the station. Mass was already under way. A modern church, well filled and with one of those glass doors, slightly embarrassing when you are arriving late and people are standing at the back...
But up by the sanctuary was a sight to make Auntie suddenly go gulpy...two small beloved figures, solemnly handing over the Offertory gifts for the holy Sacrifice...my great-nephews...doing it all beautifully and then returning to the rest of the family, wriggling baby sister and all, in the pew...
Moments like that can't be discussed or noted within the family...part of the gulpiness is the very ordinariness of it. Just family. At Mass. On a rainy evening.
Deo gratias.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Thursday, March 09, 2017
Book your place...
...on the 2017 St John Paul II Walk to Walsingham!
It's an absolutely superb experience...walking through some of the most glorious countryside in England, in good company, and with Mass at places resonating with history. We gather at Bury St Edmunds - where Magna Carta was first drawn up - and our pilgrimage takes us to meadows and abbeys and rivers and country towns...and we finish at Walsingham where there is a wonderful welcome at the big Pilgrim Mass at the shrine.
You can book your place here...
It's not for the faint-hearted...we walk some 20 miles a day, and sleep in halls and schools, with sleeping bags and mats...but we have a good picnic lunch each midday, and a hot meal every evening, all our luggage etc is carried by van, and everything is well organised with a great spirit of goodwill and efficiency. It's all run by the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph with their infectious sense of joy and fun. An added bonus is that we share something of the Dominican life, with the Dominican daily offices of prayer, and some inspirational talks...
Come and join us!
It's an absolutely superb experience...walking through some of the most glorious countryside in England, in good company, and with Mass at places resonating with history. We gather at Bury St Edmunds - where Magna Carta was first drawn up - and our pilgrimage takes us to meadows and abbeys and rivers and country towns...and we finish at Walsingham where there is a wonderful welcome at the big Pilgrim Mass at the shrine.
You can book your place here...
It's not for the faint-hearted...we walk some 20 miles a day, and sleep in halls and schools, with sleeping bags and mats...but we have a good picnic lunch each midday, and a hot meal every evening, all our luggage etc is carried by van, and everything is well organised with a great spirit of goodwill and efficiency. It's all run by the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph with their infectious sense of joy and fun. An added bonus is that we share something of the Dominican life, with the Dominican daily offices of prayer, and some inspirational talks...
Come and join us!
Wednesday, March 08, 2017
On Good Friday...
...I will of course be taking part in the 3pm devotions. Earlier, I will be in Trafalgar Square, to watch the Passion Play that is now presented there each year. It's powerful, the story of Christ's Last supper, trial, and crucifixion, right in the heart of London and with vast crowds...info here
Monday, March 06, 2017
TO LANCASTER...
...for a meeting of the Editorial Board of FAITH magazine. We meet at this parish, with its beautiful little church and fascinating history....
Current issue of the magazine includes an editorial noting the mood of the Church as we leave the post-Vatican II era, features on grace, the Wojtyla message about the human person, book reviews looking at the plight of modern pagan Britain, the horrors of the WWI Gallipoli campaign, and more...sample copy available if you write a Comment to this Blog WITH YOUR FULL POSTAL ADDRESS (which I will not publish). And you can read back issues of the magazine here
Current issue of the magazine includes an editorial noting the mood of the Church as we leave the post-Vatican II era, features on grace, the Wojtyla message about the human person, book reviews looking at the plight of modern pagan Britain, the horrors of the WWI Gallipoli campaign, and more...sample copy available if you write a Comment to this Blog WITH YOUR FULL POSTAL ADDRESS (which I will not publish). And you can read back issues of the magazine here
Pouring rain...
..meant that valiant Catholic History Walkers along the Thames got cold and wet tackling the route along the river from London Bridge to the Tower...but spirits remained warm and there was a cheery atmosphere - it turned out to be a memorable and enjoyable afternoon....
Come and be with us on the next Sunday Walk: March 19th, meet 3pm at the main door of the Church of the Most Precious Blood, O'Meara Street, London SE1.
And make a note of the other dates listed here...
Saturday, March 04, 2017
Anonymous letters...
...including anonymous messages to this blog, are always the hallmark of cowardice and spite. If anonymous correspondents wish to have their comments considered for publication, they must:
1. Apologise for having sent an anonymous message
2. Send something with their name attached.
Their messages might - no promises - then be published.
1. Apologise for having sent an anonymous message
2. Send something with their name attached.
Their messages might - no promises - then be published.
Friday, March 03, 2017
Crusader Justine Greening...
...announces horrible plans for something called "Relationships Education" for children with an emphasis on "boundaries and consent", An odd title, and it's important to find out what it means. Schools, often doing heroic work trying to protect children from the worst excesses of a sex-obsessed culture and to offer a larger vision of life based on values of courtesy, kindness and the common good, are now to be nagged and bullied into pushing material on sexual matters at the youngsters. What on earth does "consent", when discussing sexual activity, mean for a child? Already, homosexualist lobby groups have announced enthusiastically they plan to get involved with producing material...
All will suffer, but the chief victims will be children who do not have parents who can counter the propaganda or make alternative education arrangements at home. There are so many children who come from broken families and already are bruised by the lifestyle choices of the adults around them. Who will speak up for these children? Read up about this here and make your voice heard to your MP.
From helping out with voluntary work in a prison, I have realised again and again how the current culture of Britain, with its endless promotion of "safe sex" emphasising sexual activity as a sort of sport has destroyed lives and hopes. Teaching children that sexual activity can be between anyone and that the main thing is "consent" within "boundaries" (whatever that means) will make this much, much worse.
It is very tempting for Christians who have been fortunate in their own upbringing and have secure homes and marriages to retreat into a comfort zone and think only of their own children and grandchildren. But we are not called to do that.
We cannot, must not, leave the vulnerable young people of Britain to the Secretary of State and the lobby groups with a sexual agenda.
And let's pray for poor Secretary Greening.
All will suffer, but the chief victims will be children who do not have parents who can counter the propaganda or make alternative education arrangements at home. There are so many children who come from broken families and already are bruised by the lifestyle choices of the adults around them. Who will speak up for these children? Read up about this here and make your voice heard to your MP.
From helping out with voluntary work in a prison, I have realised again and again how the current culture of Britain, with its endless promotion of "safe sex" emphasising sexual activity as a sort of sport has destroyed lives and hopes. Teaching children that sexual activity can be between anyone and that the main thing is "consent" within "boundaries" (whatever that means) will make this much, much worse.
It is very tempting for Christians who have been fortunate in their own upbringing and have secure homes and marriages to retreat into a comfort zone and think only of their own children and grandchildren. But we are not called to do that.
We cannot, must not, leave the vulnerable young people of Britain to the Secretary of State and the lobby groups with a sexual agenda.
And let's pray for poor Secretary Greening.
Recently...
...had a long and useful talk with David Alton at the Hse of Lords, longtime family friend and campaigner...it was good to catch up...info here on some of his latest projects...
Blessed John Henry Newman...
...and a wonderful evening studying his life and work...led by the excellent new Pivotal Players DVD presented by Bishop Robert Barron.
We have Evensong and Mass, then the DVD, a,light supper and a session of teaching and discussion with Bibles and Catechisms. There are excellent notes and questions with references...the sessions are proving popular and I really look forward to Thursday evenings.
We have Evensong and Mass, then the DVD, a,light supper and a session of teaching and discussion with Bibles and Catechisms. There are excellent notes and questions with references...the sessions are proving popular and I really look forward to Thursday evenings.
Thursday, March 02, 2017
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