In which I rant. Plus update.

I don't 'do' politics...

...but sometimes the sheer idiocy of the people in power beggars belief.

I'm talking about the latest harebrained idea floated by our PM on child care.

His 'big idea' is that schools open til 8.00pm , so parents have a chance to work even longer hours without the bother of having to think about their children.

This is wrong on so many levels it's hard to know exactly where to start.

Does he not see a link at all between the strain and erosion of family life, and the extension of working hours and necessity for two incomes in order to keep a roof over their heads? Does he really not think that parents are the first and best educators of their children? Well, obviously not the last one, because parents might not share the establishment right-on views. And as we all know, if you aren't liberal, you have no real right to be listened to.

Flip it round, Mr Cameron, think about what's best, first, for families who might actually like their kids, want to be with them, and shockingly, bring them up themselves. Incarcerating, in fact, ghettoising, children in institutions for up to twelve hours a day is just wrong.

Update:

Now we have Mrs Blair wading in with her critique of the stay-at-home mum as she perceives it. I can't comment for fear of having to head straight for the nearest confessional...Nuff said.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

Father Z Heads Line-up of Speakers at LMS One-Day Conference

When we throw a pebble into a pond, it sends out ripples in all directions. When we celebrate Mass it is just the same – whether celebrated well or badly, it will affect the whole Church for either good or ill. This was the stark view that Fr John Zuhlsdorf, better known as the blogger ‘Fr Z’, shared with his audience at the Latin Mass Society’s One-Day Conference in London on Saturday, 9 June.

This was the first ever conference that the LMS had organised and it was greeted with widespread and enthusiastic praise from the conference floor. As headline speaker, Fr Z delivered a punchy and inspirational talk centred on his own slogan 'Save the Liturgy; Save the World'.

Other speakers included Dr John Rao of St John’s University, New York, who touched on the topics of faith and history raised in his latest book 'Black Legends and the Light of the World’.

Stuart McCullogh's talk about the work of the Good Counsel Network, who provide counselling for women who are facing crisis pregnancies, held the audience spellbound. Of those women who come to the Network, around 95 per cent are intending to go ahead with an abortion when they first meet, but, as a result of the Network’s efforts, around 70 per cent change their minds and keep their babies. Stuart emphasised that the Network places traditional Catholic devotions at the heart of their work – especially Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary and the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

Priest-blogger Fr Tim Finigan spoke about his experience of introducing the Traditional Mass into his parish, looking back at the problems he'd faced and also the improvements to parish life that it had brought about.

The final speaker was Rev John Hunwicke of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. By turns erudite and witty, he brought much learning and humour to the conference hall as he looked at the Anglican patrimony that he anticipated the Ordinariate would bring to the Catholic Church. For many attending the conference, Rev Hunwicke was the 'discovery' of the day. Many had not heard of him before and were won over by his knowledge of his subject and by his schoolmasterly charm.

The day ended with a very successful panel discussion in which the speakers gathered together to answer questions submitted by the audience.

Photo: Father John Zuhlsdorf addresses the LMS Conference

Photo credit: LMS

For further information, please contact Mike Lord, General Manager, on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) michael@lms.org.uk

More photos can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55776120@N08/sets/72157630032523751/

Tenterhooks...

...Nail-biting stuff today; will it be a Yes or a No?

Pipped at the post!

I haven't posted about this for a while, and wrote the draft post for this very subject only last week, ready for next week (well, I like to have something up me sleeve for slow weeks!). But as LMS Chairman Joe Shaw posted this today, I think now's as good a time as any!

So, here's a heavily tweaked version of 'what I wrote', removing the repeated Biblical bits, so this kind of covers what you have to overcome to be able to wear anything on your head at Mass, even a beanie.

After all, mantillas must be the only (modest) bits of fabric I know that can get people positively frothing at the mouth, and not in a good way.

Head covering can be considered old fashioned, irrelevant, counter-cultural (therefore horribly backward looking) and are worn, some say, by the more intellectually challenged kind of females, or just by the bloshie to be deliberately provocative.

So, old fashioned : Yes and no. It's always been traditional for women to wear some kind of head covering when they are in Church, and was until 'you-know-when'. Superficially, what's wrong with a bit of 'old fashioned' - although I prefer to think of the custom as 'timeless'. There's also the Biblical basis for it, see Joe's blog.

Irrelevant : Yes and no. Yes in terms of it not affecting the price of beans, but it does say something about how special Mass is, and indeed, how very special being a woman is.

Counter-cultural and backward looking : Given the state of the world at the moment? Bring it on! I have no problem being counter-cultural. It's even invigorating at times, if you regard the prickly stares at the OF in the right way. And there's nothing wrong with remembering where you come from, traditionally speaking, or otherwise.

Provocative : This is a tricky one, because wearing anything on your head at Mass can be tantamount to making a huge political statement. There isn't much wiggle room here. Do I wear a mantilla to be provocative? Absolutely not, but there are some who might interpret it that way, and who might interpret it as a criticism of them.  This is a pity, because being different really isn't the easy option. It's something you feel you simply have to do. I wear one for the OF (yes, funny looks all over the place, but if you go often enough eventually they just think you're eccentric, or foreign, and ignore you) and the EF (where blessedly no-one bats an eye).

And the future? I'm not expecting women up and down the country to have simultaneous epiphanies regarding veils at Mass, and suddenly come out over night causing a world wide lace shortage. But it might be nice to encourage just thinking about the reasons for the custom of wearing something on the head at Mass. I think, for me, it's absolutely necessary to wear something special whenever I'm in Church and in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It's something I do for Him. And women are special, to pinch a popular phrase, we're worth it!

So ladies, if you feel you'd like to scarf/veil/mantilla/hat, whatever you want to call it, have a try, and don't be put off by being the only one, even at the Ordinary Form.You never know, you might start a trend...

Interesting Times

There was an awful lot to digest after the LMS conference on Saturday, yet all of it, essentially, could be summed up by Fr Z's famous phrase : 'Save the Liturgy, Save the World' (I've always loved that particular catch phrase, especially as I'm a fan of Heroes, at least was for the first couple of series until it got particularly daft).

The speakers were all incredibly interesting, but I'd like to draw your attention mostly to the second talk we had, from Stuart McCullough of the Good Counsel Network (- please see their blog, Maria Stops Abortion, which is on the sidebar on the right). His talk illustrated in the clearest way possible the immensity of the power of prayer, especially Adoration, when confronted by one of the greatest evils of our time. I know prayer is powerful, but to have the evidence of it presented to us was, quite simply, amazing. So, what can you do? Well, pray! Say a rosary a month, join the prayer list and receive text messages whenever prayer is urgently needed, wherever you are. This I think is a particularly good idea, a text, you say an Our Father and a Hail Mary, how immediate is that? And, uhh, donate (thought I'd leave that bit til last!).


It was really encouraging to be among so many like-minded people, and of course, no Catholic gathering would be complete without a very welcome and equally illuminating trip to the pub afterwards.


As a rule, I'm not a tremendous fan of conferences. This one made me change my mind. It was great, and a privilege to be there.

The day re-emphasised something I learned when I first found (was led to?) the Latin Mass :

That there is nothing like it on earth.

Conferences? Boring? Ha!

I had a great day yesterday at the first LMS one day conference, so much so, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow when I have more time.

About Saturday

We had a lovely day on Saturday on Pilgrimage in honour of Our Lady to the shrine of Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead. Fr Hurley celebrated a Missa Cantata at noon, accompanied by the quite simply wonderful Seaford Schola, led by Tom Hagger, some of whom (along with the man himself) are pictured rehearsing, below.

The weather was just right for the picnic, and groups of us went to see the Secret Chapel, where we were told the history of the Shrine and Blessed Francis Bell, before we met up at the Rosary Walk.

Benediction followed, which was absolutely beautiful. The musicians were marvellous, the singing was fantastic.

But did the afternoon end there, gentle readers? Oh dear me, no! To conclude, we had more tea, followed by more Catholic culture in the form of some resounding declamations of selected Cautionary Tales at the graveside of Hilaire Belloc, read by some of the people you can see pictured below:

We heard Matilda,  and Jim,

and Algernon!

And what just had to be the highlight, Mr Hagger, declaiming Heretics All!

It was a wonderful day. Many, many thanks to Fr Hurley for the Mass, and Rosary, and Benediction, to the serving team (you know who you are!), and very special thanks to Tom and the Seaford Schola, whose music made the day. Thank you all very much.

I think we all had a really good day!

Pilgrimage Tomorrow!

This is your final reminder that the Pilgrimage to Our Lady Of Consolation, West Grinstead, is

TOMORROW!

Missa Cantata at Noon, followed by picnic, Rosary, and Benediction. Day ends about 4 o'clock.

Good news of Feast Day Masses at St Pancras, Lewes.

There will be Low Masses at St Pancras

for the Feast of Corpus Christi, 7th June, at 8.00pm,

and

 for the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, 29th June, also at 8.00pm.

Advertising and Promotion

If a car manufacturer rediscovered some blue prints, long consigned to the basement in an old filing cabinet for the most amazingly timeless and elegant car ever, and gave orders for its manufacture, but there was no-one bothered to advertise it, promote it, however wonderful the car is, it won't sell.






Similarly, if a fantastic recipe for a unique chocolate bar is rediscovered, and everything is in place for its marketing and distribution but no-one can be bothered to put in an order for it, even though they would probably acquire a taste for the most delicious confectionery ever invented, it won't sell.

We have the Extraordinary Form, unique and timeless. If you can, could I ask you to write to your parish priests asking for an EF Mass? Let me know how you get on. If you have already, let me know how you got on.

Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead

Is this Saturday, 2nd June.

Missa Cantata at Noon, Rosary, and Benediction at four (ish).

Bring a picnic, and hope to see you there.

Pentecost

Wishing you a very blessed and holy Whitsun!

OK folks, time to make your voices heard.

Fr Tim has a great post, 'What God has separated, let no man join together' in which he gives links to the Coaliton Marriage Petition (SIGN it if you haven't already) and the Government consultation papers regarding this issue. I've sent in my thoughts, please send in yours to whoever is supposed to be being consulted, and to your MP. So go to Fr Tim's blog, and sign, and follow the links to the consultation. There are sample answers you can look at if you're feeling in need of inspiration.

Hans Who (does-he-think-he-is)?

I've never liked suspense, although I'm a great believer in keeping the right feast on the right day, not having birthday presents early, and not peeking under the Christmas tree. And I like a book with a happy ending.
Which is why I like being a Catholic. We know how the story ends. I think that's one of the reasons reincarnation has always felt really rather cruel. You go round and round, never knowing the end.

The other thing I like about the church is its continuity. Here we are, assailed by all kinds of worldly rubbish and views that range from the irritating to the downright harmful, and the church remains ultimately a refuge for us. There are rules which make us free. I like rules as well. There is nothing more freeing than having a sensible, well-defined boundary. It's counter-intuitive, but it's true. Within a boundary, you are free. Outside it, you have a really huge potential to get entirely lost and mess up.

So, pondering what it means to be free takes me back to the blog title.

Really, Hans who? Putting aside the vast ego of the man (he comes across oddly enough a bit like Richard Dawkins wearing a slightly different hat), he is so free he seems to have lost the plot. What's the man on? We are reforming, under the amazing Holy Father God has given us, we're slowly and gently being allowed to return to our roots. Kung obviously loathes tradition (with a big and small T I'm guessing), and fails to see how important unity is to the Holy Father, and indeed to all of us.

He should really have kept up with the Spirit of the Times. Things have moved on, man, wake up and smell the incense.

Now, I wasn't going to post anything until after the Novena below ended, because I wanted to keep it at the top of the blog, but it's still there below this one, so please don't forget it's there! And also please remember the Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Consolation, 2nd June!

If you feel so moved...

...please say a Novena for the successful reconciliation of the SSPX and the Holy See! The reporting of the talks between them (and indeed even the possibility of a split within the SSPX) have been reported all over the blogosphere. There's a good report here in the Catholic Herald, and an intervew with Bishop Fellay on FR Z's blog here.

With a successful outcome in mind, the LMS is asking for Novenas to be offered from Friday, 18th of May until the Vigil of Pentecost on 26th May.

Please pray the Veni Creator Spiritus and the Memorarae

VENI, Creator Spiritus, mentes tuorum visita, imple superna gratia quae tu creasti pectora. Qui diceris Paraclitus, altissimi donum Dei, fons vivus, ignis, caritas, et spiritalis unctio. Tu, septiformis munere, digitus paternae dexterae, Tu rite promissum Patris, sermone ditans guttura. Accende lumen sensibus: infunde amorem cordibus: infirma nostri corporis virtute firmans perpeti. Hostem repellas longius, pacemque dones protinus: ductore sic te praevio vitemus omne noxium. Per te sciamus da Patrem, noscamus atque Filium; Teque utriusque Spiritum credamus omni tempore. Deo Patri sit gloria, et Filio, qui a mortuis surrexit, ac Paraclito, in saeculorum saecula. Amen. V. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur: R. Et renovabis faciem terrae. Oremus: Deus qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti: da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere, et de eius semper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen. MEMORARE, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo, quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia, esse derelictum. Ego tali animatus confidentia, ad te, Virgo Virginum, Mater, curro, ad te venio, coram te gemens peccator assisto. Noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea despicere; sed audi propitia et exaudi. Amen.

COME, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God’s hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts overflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created. R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Let us Pray: O God, Who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost: grant that, by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be always truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ Our Lord. R. Amen. Remember, O Most Gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to Thy protection, implored Thy help and sought Thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto Thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother; to Thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in Thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

I'll admit to being very excited by the merest possibility of this actually happening, and it's been a Rosary intention of mine for quite a while. So popping an extra intention on your Rosary might also be a nice idea, everything I'm sure will help! Thank you!

Ascension at St Mary Magdalen, Brighton

This Thursday there will be a Missa Cantata at 7.30 pm at St Mary Magdalen, Brighton.

The music will be Palestrina Missa Brevis in F.

There is also Mass at 6.00pm at St Pancras Lewes

There must be a special alignment of the stars, or something.

Here's a talk...

...by Mgr Wadsworth. Have a look at Clare's blog.

Ooh, now this...

...is one of my (many) hobby horses :

Children's Liturgy, or Children's Belittle-gy, as I prefer to call it.

It came into my mind today because I experience the mass exodus of smallish people fairly regularly when I assist at the Ordinary Form, and  today read His Hermaneuticalness and Creative Minority Report.

It narks me mightily when the kiddies are syphoned off at the beginning of Mass to colour in piccies of 'Jesus and me' when they could actually be meeting Jesus for real throughout the whole of the Mass. It narks me that they sing worthless ditties about wiggly worms and butterflies, or are sung out of Church to the hall with a cringey 'circle' song. It really narks me that the lowest common denominator is the default setting.





Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the wee brains of kids, but kids mostly aren't stupid.

Here's an example. I've just returned with a bunch of children from the annual nail biting week that is the French Trip.


It was a freezing cold late afternoon, and I was standing with some girls on the one of the D Day landing beaches in a biting wind, when one of the girls (Catholic) suddenly asks if she could ask me a question. Course, I said, blithely.







She looked very serious. "Miss," she said. "What do you think about infinity and heaven?" It took a while.
Then she asked about hell, and we had a very spirited discussion. She's ten.





So it really bothers me that kids who are naturally very intellectually curious can be fobbed off with paraphrased Bible stories, a spot of colouring, and a really awful song (because it isn't always just the pre First Holy Communion children that go out at the beginning).

This has nothing to do with age-appropriateness, it has everything to do with not being apologetic about the Faith.

Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead

A reminder that the Pilgrimage is soon, Saturday, 2 June!

Missa Cantata at noon, followed by a picnic, rosary, and Benediction, with plenty of opportunity to to chat, and visit the Secret Chapel.

The day ends with Benediction at about 4 o'clock.

Hope to see you there!

Masses at St Pancras, Lewes

In addition to the regular Saturday morning and first Sunday of the month Masses, there will be:









Low Masses at 6.00 pm on 17th May, Ascension Thursday
















and at 12.30 pm on 27th May, Pentecost Sunday

Technical hitches...

...mean I shall have to refer you to the LMS website for all information regarding the Holywell Pilgrimage, on 1 July, and the LMS Conference on 9 June.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

2 May 2012

Bishop Rifan of Campos Brazil to visit Britain this Summer

The Latin Mass Society is pleased to announce that Bishop Fernando Rifan, Apostolic Administrator of the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney in Brazil, will be visiting Britain this summer and will celebrate Pontifical High Masses at three locations across England and Wales at events organised by the LMS.

The main events are as follows:

Saturday, 30 June, 3pm: Pontifical High Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 294 Harrogate Road, Moortown, Leeds LS17 6LE

Sunday, 1 July, 2.30pm: Holywell Pilgrimage, St Winefride’s Catholic Church, Well Street, Holywell, Flintshire CH8 7PL (Pontifical High Mass)

The Mass and Pilgrimage will be filmed by EWTN as part of a forthcoming television series. There will be a coach leaving for Holywell from London (Contact Graham Moorhouse on 01322 409231) and also, we hope, from Birmingham (phone 020 7404 7284), Liverpool (phone Jim Pennington on 0151 426 0361) and Wirral (phone Anthony Sibert on 0151 625 9033).

Saturday, 7 July, 11.00am: Annual General Meeting and Pontifical High Mass at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, London SE1 6HX (Mass at 11.00am, AGM at 2.00pm, addressed by the bishop).

We are hoping to run coaches from Cambridge, Reading and Brighton if there is sufficient demand. Please phone the LMS office (020 7404 7284) to book a place or for more information.

There will be a buffet lunch at the AGM for all paid-up members of the LMS. The cost per head will be £5, payable on the door. But if you are intending to come, please tell us beforehand so that we can budget for the catering.

Bishop Rifan will also be visiting Scotland during his time in Britain and will celebrate Mass in Edinburgh (venue to be announced by Una Voce Scotland) on Monday 2 July at 7pm.

This promises to be a wonderful week of events in the summer giving full witness to the Traditional Mass and the Faith that goes with it. We warmly encourage everyone to make the effort to attend at least one of the Masses.

For further information, please contact Mike Lord, General Manager,

on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) michael@lms.org.uk

If...

...this has actually happened (and somehow I can't quite believe it yet), this will be so amazing! What a birthday present for the Holy Father.

Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead

 

Our Lady of Consolation, West Grinstead,

Saturday, 2^nd June.

The day begins with a Missa Cantata at noon, followed by lunch, and ends with Benediction at about four o’clock.

The celebrant will be Fr Hurley, the choir will be the Seaford Schola

Please bring a picnic lunch, and all are very welcome.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY

‘Father Z’ Heads Impressive Line-up of Speakers at LMS’s First One-Day Conference on 9 June

Father John Zuhlsdorf, best known as the blogger ‘Fr Z’, will be one of the speakers at the Latin Mass Society’s Conference on Saturday 9 June in central London. This is the first time that the LMS has organised such an event and we are very excited to have such a strong line-up. In addition to Fr Zuhlsdorf, Fr Tim Finigan (parish priest, blogger and newspaper columnist), Dr John Rao (of ‘The Roman Forum’), John Hunwicke (blogger and well-known member of the Ordinariate) and Stuart McCullough (of the Good Counsel Network) will address the audience on the conference theme of ‘The Traditional Mass and the Catholic Life’. We hope that our guests’ talks will demonstrate that there’s more to Traditional Catholics than simply attending the Traditional Mass. Following the end of the talks, there will be a panel discussion to round off the day. The conference is aimed principally at ordinary LMS members, although non-members are very welcome to join us.

The Conference Venue is: Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street, London W1C 2DJ (opposite BHS, less than 5 minutes’ walk from Oxford Circus)

Admission is by ticket only. Full price tickets are £20 each, but there is a discounted price for paid-up LMS members of £15 each. In addition, we are supplying an optional buffet lunch for which there is a £9 supplement. So far, most people have booked in for the lunch (drinks are included). We are hoping that lunchtime will provide conference attendees with the chance to meet and chat with their fellow LMS members from up and down the country and to some of the speakers.

Tickets are available from the LMS office on 020 7404 7284 or online at:

www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/lms-one-day-conference

There is a Low Mass before the Conference begins at St James’s, Spanish Place at 9am, for those who can attend. Doors open at Regent Hall from 10am and there will be a number of stalls for you to browse round (during which refreshments will be available – there will also be afternoon tea) before the first speaker begins at 11am. The Conference will close at 6pm.

Here is the full timetable and a summary of booking information:

9am Low Mass at St James's, Spanish Place.

10am Doors open.

10am -11am Registration. Stalls in the Conference Hall will be available to browse

11am - 11.50am 1st talk: Dr John Rao (Roman Forum)

12 noon - 12.50pm 2nd talk: Stuart McCullough (Good Counsel Network)

Lunch

2pm - 2.50pm 3rd talk: Fr John Zuhlsdorf (Fr Z)

3pm - 3.50pm 4th talk: Fr Tim Finigan (columnist and blogger)

4pm - 4.50pm 5th talk: John Hunwicke (of the Ordinariate)

5pm - 6pm Panel discussion

6pm Close

BOOKING INFORMATION:

Admission is by ticket only.

Ticket prices:
LMS Members £15
Non-LMS Members £20
(includes morning and afternoon refreshments)
Optional: Buffet lunch including drinks £9 supplement

You can buy your ticket by phoning the LMS office on 020 7404 7284, sending a cheque (payable to 'LMS') to LMS, 11-13 Macklin Street, London WC2B 5NH or online here: www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/lms-one-day-conference

For further information, please contact Mike Lord, General Manager,

on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) michael@lms.org.uk

Happy Easter!

Changes

A reminder that there is no Mass at OLOC, West Grinstead on Easter Day.

From Low Sunday, Mass at St Mary Magdalen, Brighton is at 6.30 pm.

All Mass times can be found on the sidebar.