Advent

We've just finished putting out the crib and setting up the wreath. The calendar is up and waiting for the first, and here's my favourite Advent hymn.

On Fr Z's blog...

...I found this, Saint Antoine Daniel Gregorian Chant Ordinaries. It's a simply brilliant site. Click on the 'Ordinaries' header and it takes you to a list of Masses, with a list of options, here's what you get if you click on YouTube, for the Mass I Gloria:



Guess what I'll be doing this evening?

Oh, double click on the video to bring it up in a full sized window :)

Benedictine nuns of Our Lady of the Annunciation at Le Barroux

A lovely YouTube video, enjoy.

Anti-Life Sex Education

John Smeaton has posted details of Spuc's campaign highlighting the government's desire to make anti-life sex ed compulsory. Details are on the blog roll, but to save you time, click here.

Oh I say...

...how could I have been so slow in seeing this?

If you know me a bit, you'll know I have a thing about polyester and nylon vestments, you know, the crackly kind that would probably give you a shock after you take them out of the tumble drier even if you have used industrial quantities of fabric softener? Well here is my kind of blog. Think Trinny and Susannah in What Not to Wear but with a liturgical vibe.

It's so groovy, you'll need shades, so rad, you'll need to join a protest group, so right on, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. And, glory, it's ecumenical.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Bad Vestments.

Here's a sneak peek:





Really, I cannot encourage you enough to have a look at the entire blog.

I cried, honestly...

Everyone's talking about...

...the MANHATTAN DECLARATION. Find all about it here, and here and here and sign here.

Traditional Rite Confirmations and Annual Requiem 2009

Traditional confirmations took place on 12 November, and you can read all about them and see the pics here. Congratulations to everyone there.

On 23 November, the annual Requiem was celebrated at Westminster Cathedral, you can read about that and view the photos here.

Here's a lovely resource

As we all know, the propaganda/spin industry surrounding the 'pro-choice' - no, let's call a spade a spade - the baby killing industry, is a juggernaut.

So here's a lovely resource on the side of the foetus and mother, a no frills, does-what-it-says-on-the-tin website.

Please do have a look at Just the Facts. It's a very clear and easy to navigate website about life before birth, with lots of pictures, info, and it's beautifully presented.

Along with the work done by Jorge Lopes (below) they should be obligatory reading and viewing for every man, woman, and young person in the country.





Mantilla twitch to Mike for sending me the link.

Last Sunday after Pentecost

At Our Lady of Consolation this afternoon Mass was said by Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith. Father preached a sermon on the end times, highlighting Our Lord's words from the Gospel that we should be on our guard against following false prophets and false signs. He then went on to link an erroneous belief in the imminent end to a tendency to not be mindful of our stewardship of the planet; that the world will end is no excuse for squandering our God-given resources.


Thanks to Father for braving the awful weather. In fact, considering how atrocious the weather is (one might even say a bit 'end-time-ish'!), OLOC was pretty full, and lots of folk stayed behind after Mass to catch up and chat, which was great.
Of course, chatting wouldn't be half as much fun without the tea and coffee, and I haven't mentioned them before, so a big thank you to the ladies who make the tea and coffee, you know who you are..!

St Peter's Shoreham

There won't be an EF mass this coming Saturday, 21st November, as Fr.Sean will be at Worth Abbey with confirmation candidates for their retreat, I hope they have a memorable time!

Our Lady of Consolation

For Remembrance Sunday, a Requiem was said by Fr Agley, who also preached on the value of sacrifice. Thanks to Fr Agley.

I think The Dies Irae is just amazing, which is why you'll find it below!





There was tea and talk afterwards, which is always great, and I must say thanks to all who bought calendars

Check this out!

All Souls Day at St Mary Magdalen, Brighton:



Fabulous or what?

Remembrance Day

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine:
Domine, exaudi vocem meam:
Fiant aures tuae intendentes,
in vocem deprecationis meae.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine:
Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est:
et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo eius:
speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem:
speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia:
et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel,
ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius.
Gloria Patri, et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord
Lord, hear my voice.
Let Thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities,
Lord, who shall stand it?
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness
and by reason of thy law, I have waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on His word, my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy and with him plentiful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Rant time...

...ok folks, so when did it become de rigueur to talk before Mass? Anyone else sometimes get the incredible urge to stand up and yell at people to shut the -I mean, ask them to be quiet please? I'm not talking about please-excuse-me-do-you-mind-if-I-sit-here, or keeping the babies appropriately entertained, I'm talking about full on conversations between adults that last til the bell rings. Even an EF isn't always immune.

So, an interesting anthropological question: at what point did reverence become optional?

Parkminster

For All Saints, we decided we'd do something a little different this year, and went to St Hugh's Charterhouse.

St Hugh's is a Carthusian monastery near Partridge Green in West Sussex, and as Parkminster had been recommended by several people we know as being a Mass to get to if you can, when we could, we went.

The chapel for the public is to the left of the main gate, and a wall sized grille separates the people from the sanctuary. The Mass is in Latin, it isn't overly long and gets to the point (if you get my drift) yet in no way does it feel rushed. Communion can be received kneeling (yay!) as there's a handy step by the part of the separating grille which opens and through which you receive. And I didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable that I had a scarf wrapped round my head (unfortunately, that's not how it feels at a *normal* parish church).

If you're ever in West Sussex on a Sunday in need of Mass, it's a lovely, quiet, prayerful experience. Wear warm clothes though, it's a bit nippy in the chapel!

La Grande Chartreuse in the French Alps is the most famous Carthusian monastery, and was the subject of the DVD Into Great Silence a couple of years ago (highly recommend seeing it if you haven't already).
I'm not a tremendous fan of Chartreuse liqueur, I think it's like drinking a soggy medicinal hay field, but the DH likes it very much, so it's all the more for him. We both agree though that Into Great Silence is one of the best adverts for monastic life we've ever seen. So here's a clip, because I like it:

All Souls

Just a reminder that this evening at 7.30 there is Mass at St Mary Magdalen's Brighton, details of which can be found here.