Peace in Palestine and the world.....

"This is the image of Our Queen......"

1st May 1948 was the date that Pope Pius XII issued his encyclical 'Auspicia Quaedam' - a call Peace and for Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other Ordinaries to consecrate their parishes and Dioceses to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Virgin and Mother.

Did they do it? One assumes so.........here is the encyclical:-

Venerable Brethren:
Peace and Apostolic Benediction.

Today there are appearing certain tokens which give clear proof that the vast community of nations, after such destruction and ruin brought on by the long and terrible war, is resolutely turned to the saving paths of peace.

2. At the moment, a more willing ear is given to those who are striving to restore lost prosperity, to heal discords and to rebuild from the mighty ruins under which we groan than to those who are inciting to mutual and bitter dispute, to hate and dissension, from which nothing else can arise but fresh and more serious evils to the nations.

3. Nevertheless, although We and the Christian people have no light motives of solace and of hope for better times, there are not lacking circumstances and events which cause anxiety to our paternal heart.

4. Even though the war has ceased in nearly every land, still benign peace has not yet dawned on the minds and hearts of all men; indeed, the sky is still heavy with threatening clouds.

5. We, on our part, do not cease to do all in our power to stave off from the family of nations dangers of threatening disasters; but when human means are unequal to the task, then do We appeal in prayer first of all to God; further, We also exhort all our children in Christ, throughout the world, to implore, together with Us, in ardent prayer the Divine assistance.

6. For this reason, it was comforting for Us in past years to appeal earnestly to all - especially to the young so dear to us - to crowd around the altar of the great Mother of God during the month of May imploring the end of a cruel war; so now, similarly today, by means of this encyclical letter, We invite you not to cease from this pious practice and further to prayers add resolutions for Christian renewal and salutary works of penance.

7. Above all, speak to the Virgin Mother of God and our most tender Mother words of most heartfelt thanks for having obtained, through her powerful intercession, the long desired termination of that great world conflagration, and also for so many other graces obtained from the Most High.

8. At the same time, implore her, with renewed prayers, that at long last there may shine forth, as a gift from Heaven, mutual, fraternal and complete peace among all nations and the longed for harmony among all social classes.

Let there be an end to dissensions that redound to no one's advantage.
Let there be a reconciliation of disputes that often sow the seeds of further misfortunes.
Let international relations, public and private, be fittingly strengthened.
Let religion, the foster mother of all virtues, enjoy the liberty to which she is entitled.
And let men set about their peaceful work of abundant production for the common welfare - with justice their guide and charity their motive.

9. But you are aware, Venerable Brethren, that our prayers are most readily welcomed by the Most Blessed Virgin when they are not merely fleeting and empty words but the outpouring of hearts adorned with the required virtues.

10. See to it, then, as your apostolic zeal will suggest, that these prayers in common during the month of May are matched by a corresponding reform and revival of Christian conduct.

11. For only from Christian virtues may we hope to see the course of history take its proper, orderly direction, and men empowered not only to achieve prosperity in this world with God's help but also to enjoy, with the infusion of sanctifying grace. unending happiness in Heaven.

12. But there is another special reason today which brings affliction and keen anxiety to our hearts. We mean to refer to the Holy Places of Palestine, which have long been disturbed.

13. Indeed, if there exists any place that ought to be most dear to every cultured person, surely it is Palestine, where, from the dawn of antiquity, such great light of truth shone for all men, where the Word of God made flesh announced, through the angels' choir, peace to all men; where, finally, Christ hanging on the Cross acquired salvation for all mankind, with arms outstretched as if He were inviting all nations to fraternal harmony; and where He consecrated His precept of charity with the shedding of His blood.

14. We desire, therefore, Venerable Brethren, that supplications be poured forth to the Most Holy Virgin for this request: that the situation in Palestine may at long last be settled justly and thereby concord and peace be also happily established.

15. We place great confidence in the most powerful patronage of Our Heavenly Mother- a patronage which, during this month dedicated to her, innocent children especially will implore in a holy crusade of prayer.

16. It will be precisely your task to invite and stimulate them with all diligence - not only children but also fathers and mothers, who in great numbers should give them leadership and example.

17. We know well that We have never appealed in vain to the ardent zeal which inflames your hearts. That is why We seem to enjoy already the sight of dense multitudes of children, of men and women, crowding the churches to beg from the great Mother of God all the graces and favors of which we stand in need.

18. May she, who has given us Jesus, obtain for us that all those who have wandered from the path of rectitude may straightway return to Him, moved by salutary contrition.

19. May she obtain for us - she is our kindest Mother, who has shown herself always, in the face of every danger, our powerful helper and channel of grace - may she obtain for us, We say, that even in the midst of the grievous need surrounding us a just solution will be found for disputes, and that a firm and free peace will finally dawn resplendent for the Church and for all nations.

20. Some years ago, as all will remember, while the late war was still in its fury, when human means showed themselves to be uncertain and inadequate to that terrible conflagration, We addressed our fervent prayers to the all merciful Redeemer, invoking the powerful patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

21. And even as our predecessor of immortal memory, Leo XIII, at the dawn of the twentieth century saw fit to consecrate the whole human race to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, so We have likewise, in the guise of representative of the whole human family which He redeemed, desired to dedicate it in turn to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary.

22. It is our wish, consequently, that wherever the opportunity suggests itself, this consecration be made in the various dioceses as well as in each of the parishes and families. And We are confident that abundant blessings and favors from Heaven will surge forth from this private and public consecration.

23. In token of these blessings, and in pledge of our paternal affection, We impart from a full heart the Apostolic Benediction to each of you, Venerable Brethren, to all those who make generous answer to this our letter of exhortation, and particularly to the numerous throngs of our most dear children.

Given at Rome at St. Peter's, the first day of May of the year 1948, the tenth of our Pontificate.

PIUS XII

BRING FLOWERS OF THE FAIREST

Bring flowers of the fairest,
Bring flowers of the rarest,
From garden and woodland
And hillside and dale;
Our full hearts are swelling,
Our Glad voices telling
The praise of the loveliest flower of the vale.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,
O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,

Our voices ascending,
In harmony blending,
Oh, thus may our hearts turn
Dear Mother, to thee;
Oh, thus shall we prove thee
How truly we love thee,
How dark without Mary
Life's journey would be.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,
O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,

O Virgin most tender,
Our homage we render,
Thy love and protection,
Sweet Mother, to win.
In danger defend us,
In sorrow befriend us,
And shield our hearts
From contagion and sin.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,
O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,

Of Mothers the dearest,
Oh, wilt thou be nearest,
When life with temptation
Is darkly replete?
Forsake us, O never!
Our hearts be they ever
As Pure as the lilies
We lay at thy feet.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,
O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,

Beatification Live

Nobody does a Royal wedding like the Church of England.

Nobody, but nobody does a Beatification like the Church of Rome!

Watch the Vigil and the Beatification of Ven. Pope John Paul II live, here.

A good Catholic monarch would be a fine thing, but watching this Vigil, it is difficult not to be impressed by the prayerful devotion, especially of the Polish, to God and the very soon to be Beatus. There is 'round the clock Rosary going on in Rome. It serves to remind us that the Lord's Kingdom, 'is not of this World'.

What we will see tomorrow in Rome is the joyous celebration and jubilation expressed by thousands lining the streets, because the Resurrection has brought someone, Pope John Paul II, to reach the Beatific Vision of God Himself, the destiny to which we are all called.

Certainly, Pope John Paul II led the great Polish nation out of the captivity of Communism and, more importantly, into the arms of Our Lady in prayer. As well as consecrating himself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary ("Totus tuus" was his heartfelt daily prayer), he established devotion to the Divine Mercy through the canonisation of St Faustina and established both her Feast and the Feast of Divine Mercy (tomorrow) into the Church's calendar. His achievements on Earth are possibly too long to list. His evangelical mission continues in Heaven! Deo gratias!

I'm still relatively new to the 'liturgy wars' but even while now considering the Traditional Latin Mass to be the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven, I do also believe Pope John Paul II was an heroic and very holy Pope. More important than what I think, however, is what Heaven thinks and since the Holy Spirit guides the Church into raising men and women to the Altar of God, I can't see how any faithful Catholic worth his salt can put his arms up in the air decrying anyone's Beatification. The Church has spoken! End of! I suppose you could say I'm something of a Johannine-Pauline convert, in as much as reading his book, 'Crossing the Threshold of Hope' was perhaps the most influential contribution on the road leading to my decision to knock on the door of Westminster Cathedral and ask for instruction to become a Catholic. That will always be the single most important decision that I have ever made or ever will, even if the road ahead is unsure, long, arduous or even painful.

Tomorrow is a great Feast of God's great mercy and a celebration of a Pope who proclaimed this great mercy, 'in season and out of season.' He never tired of proclaiming the Gospel in its fullness and entirety to all the nations. While Bishops and Priests ran away from Catholic teaching on marriage, family life and the Church's teaching on sexuality and artificial contraception, Pope John Paul II reaffirmed, through his theological contributions to the Church, the beauty of human love, fidelity and sexuality expressed in the Sacrament of Marriage.

May his intercession obtain for us many graces on our earthly pilgrimmage, so that we may follow where he now is, for he is reigning with Christ! Alleluia! Whether he is having further discussions with Lefebvre or not, is another matter altogether. It should be of no interest to us. God is with His Church. Christ is with His Popes! Let us rejoice in God, our Redeemer! Pope Benedict XVI, now gloriously reigning, is to make an appearance live tonight apparently.

I know that the Royal weddings are naff, vulgar and at times quite moving, but then Royal weddings are about the dead honouring and celebrating the dead. On the other hand, people who cannot celebrate the glorious Beatification of the living, of a holy Pope who is counted as one of the living, are big time killjoys who need their heads examined. Gosh, there are so many languages and different songs from all the different cultures from around the World at the Vigil, though...so many! The Cardinals on the stage, however, keep praying the Pater Noster and the Ave Maria. Interesting! I look forward to the highlights of the Beatification tomorrow after Mass.

I believe that the death of Princess Diana overshadowed greatly the funeral of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta. It would be sad, if supremely ironic, if the media's thirst for Royal wedding post-union analysis, while running reels of that 'second kiss' and engaging in endless discussion about the the dress, overshadowed the Beatification of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta's friend, Holy Father and Leader - the 265th Successor of St Peter, Pope John Paul II.

Are you really a Catholic?

Fr Simon Henry on Offerimus Tibi Domine posted recently and the subject was 'On actually being a Catholic'. That article has gnawed away at me as I am sure the good Father hoped it would, and prompted me to add my small contribution to the cause (less eruditely than OTD). The essence of the post is really, are you just a chattering classes Sunday Mass Catholic? (That's my paraphrased version).

Bishops, as well as laity, need to ensure
Mass is reverent!

When I look around at my fellow Catholics - and, of course, when I examine my own conscience, I am struck by the fact that, we are all rather fixed on the Sunday Mass element and rather slothful  forgetful with regard to other essential practices that will, hopefully, go some way towards ensuring our eventual progression to Heaven.

Here is a brief bullet point checklist of some of the elements that I see missing from today's Catholic society:-

• Daily Rosary
• Grace before meals, even in public (especially in public)
• Reverence for the House of God (there is an unholy chatter that emanates from the congregations both before and after Mass (not the EF Mass though)
• Morning and evening prayers
• Educate yourself regarding the Faith, read good books regularly
• Involve yourself in Catholic culture and society (Juventutum, SVP or whatever)
• Regular confession - not once every three months but once a week if possible
• Acts of charity whether that be dropping money into a beggar's hand or planned giving and actual, physical aid to those in need

We have to shake off this concept that being a Catholic is something that you turn on and off as the need arises. It is a mantle that should embrace us and those close to us throughout our lives but we need to work at it.

Finally, the list is not exhaustive, I am sure that you will be able to add more bullet points, feel free to do so...one might be 'Spend less time blogging and more time praying'.....That's a bullet point through the foot for you!

The Conspirator

My first theatrical viewing since January, Robert Redford's The Conspirator (2010) is an unexpected treat. Covering much the same ground as The Prisoner of Shark Island and The Andersonville Trial, it intelligently examines difficult questions about guilt, justice and civil liberties.

In April 1865, the American Civil War is finally ending, but another traumatic event shatters the peace: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Conspirator John Surratt escapes custody, but his mother Mary (Robin Wright) is arrested and charged as an active member in the plot. Senator Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) takes Mary's case, entrusting it to his protege Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy). Aiken is initially convinced of Mary's guilt, but finds himself more disgusted with her trial, a military tribunal manipulated by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline), where Mary is assumed guilty and witnesses are "influenced" or made unavailable.

The Conspirator follows a routine trial movie structure but remains compelling all the same. The courtroom scenes are gripping and Redford opens things up just enough with flashbacks and montage to make things appropriately cinematic. James D. Solomon's script definitely wants to consider the Lincoln Assassination in light of Gitmo and 9/11, with Stanton mouthing very Bush-like comments about national security, and concerns that disregarding the Constitution in wartime is a betrayal of American values.

Whether it's fair to frame things this way is debatable. Mary Surratt was probably guilty in real life, and any analogy between the War on Terror and Reconstruction is farfetched, to say the least. In the film, Mary's guilt is unclear but it's largely beside the point: her trial is unconstitutional and therefore wrong regardless of her guilt or innocence. One can accept Surratt's guilt and Redford's argument at once.

For all his speechmaking, Redford doesn't veer into Stanley Kramer territory, investing his plot and characters with welcome nuance. Aiken is sincere in his convictions, but comports himself obnoxiously both in and out of court. Mary isn't a high-minded idealist but a relatively simple woman concerned for her son - a very interesting (and unusual) characterization in this sort of film. She's also an uncooperative witness, complicating Aiken's case to the extreme. There's no "a-ha!" moment when Aiken suddenly becomes Perry Mason-lite, as in Breaker Morant, with the tribunal decidedly unimpressed by his antics. Despite its occasional bows to formula (Aiken's love interest and social life), this film treats its audience with respect.

James McAvoy (Atonement) is a decent protagonist, going through the motions of righteous indignation and hopelessness. Robin Wright (Forest Gump) owns the film: intelligent, calm, restrained yet fiery, more concerned with personal matters than her own guilt. I'll posit her as an early Oscar candidate. Kevin Kline gives a smart, subdued performance, making Stanton human if not sympathetic. Danny Huston's (John Adams) fiery prosecutor, Tom Wilkinson's (Valkyrie) principled Senator and Stephen Root's (The Men Who Stare at Goats) suspect witness steal their respective scenes. Evan Rachel Wood (Across the Universe) makes an impression as Surratt's sister, but Johnny Simmons and the other assassins don't really register. Alexis Bledel (Sin City) has a throwaway part as Aiken's love interest.

The Conspirator is an intelligent, well-executed courtroom drama. It does preach on occasion, but it also entertains and provides some food for thought.

"It's a Nice Day to...Start Agaaaaaaiiiiin!"

Was Billy Idol calling for the disestablishment of the CofE?

Tip of the cap to Fr Ray Blake, who has thrown a hand grenade into the Royal Wedding party. He will, I expect, be rewarded with another Argus headline this week! And he's called a commenter a heretic for denying the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Our Blessed Lady! Way to go, Father!

I didn't watch the wedding myself and opted for busking on St James's Street in Kemptown with Jason and 'Mister Paul'. I think we made about a quid or two, even with a union jack flag from Sainsburys and a Sun front page exclusive picture of Kate and Wills stuck up on the disused 'Taj' shop window. Everyone looked miserable as sin. Morrissey was right.

Turns out, down where we live, nobody seemed to give two figs for the Royal Wedding - not even on the campest street in Brighton, one of the side streets of which has a cafe dedicated to the Royals! All the bunting in the World couldn't cover up the fact that nobody was arsed about it in the slightest and it wasn't because they were inside watching it. We were out in the sun between 11 am and 4.45pm, making merry and trying to be as medieval as we could. Nobody was buying it! Nobody was interested in merry-making!

Kemptown: Not interested in Royal merry-making

No street parties, no drinking, no people laughing, no merry-making, dancing, jigs, singing, guitars, lyres, lutes, tambourines, harps, fights, hurrahs, 'Jerusalems', shouts of God save the Queen - nothing - not even people blowing whistles with excitement. It must be the aftershocks of Protestantism rippling down the centuries to the present day and hitting them in the knackers. Unfortunately, one of my friends was so drunk that Jason said, "I can't work with this man! He's impossible!" I understand how he feels.

God save the Queen and all her subjects, but news from Brighton is that nobody really cares about the Royals or their weddings - not in Kemptown at any rate. God bless the happy couple, mind, and give them a long and fruitful marriage. As for Christianity and the Royals, well isn't this the grandson of the 'Christian' Queen who gave Royal Assent to the Abortion Act (1967) and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (2008), writing into death the lives of well over 200,000 innocent babies annually? I wonder whether William is 32nd or 33rd degree Freemason, yet? Probably 33rd, but that's just me gossiping and speculating wildly.

Remember Bishop Li today, may his soul rest in peace!

From Asianews comes a report of the death of one of the faith's great contemporary leaders, Bishop Li of Luoyang, China.
The Underground Catholic Church in China is precisely that; a hidden community persecuted and punished by the Communist authorities at every opportunity while those in the Patriotic Catholic Church (State controlled) are tolerated.
Chinese Catholics have not always been well supported by the Vatican yet they have kept the Faith against all the odds and in the face of Taoist and Communist ideologies.
Many Catholic Bishops have spent many years incarcerated, tortured and seemingly forgotten and many more have been forced into grindingly hard labour for most of their lives
Bishop Li Hongye was one such hero, today is the day that his Requiem Mass will be celebrated so please remember his soul in your prayers.


From Asianews........
Death of underground bishop of Luoyang. Decades under house arrest and hard labour
by Jian Mei
Bishop Li Hongye, sick for a long time, died during the Easter Vigil, in his 67th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. He suffered imprisonment for his loyalty to the pope. The funeral will be held April 29.



Luoyang (AsiaNews) – Mgr. Peter Li Hongye, 91, bishop of Luoyang (Henan) died of a heart attack on April 23 last, during the Easter Vigil, as he blessed the water before baptisms. He was approved by the Holy See, but not recognized by the government in Beijing. His faithful remember him for his fortitude in living his vocation and his suffering in the forced labour camps and the time spent under surveillance.
A priest from the diocese told AsiaNews that the funeral of Mgr. Li will next be held April 29 at the birthplace of the Prelate, Gong County, halfway between Zhengzhou and Luoyang.
Other sources tell AsiaNews that Mgr. Li knew Latin perfectly. During the 50s and 60s was sent to forced labour camps ("reform through labor") in Qinghai. Since the late 80's he has always lived under close surveillance or house arrest.
Bishop Li was in charge of the Religious sisters of the Diocese of Luoyang in the underground community and surrounding areas characterized by extreme poverty and lack of personnel, rendering even more heroic the work of Mgr. Li and his priests.
Bishop Li was born on January 6, 1920. From a deeply Catholic family from 1937-1943 he studied at the Seminary of Kaifeng. Ordained priest 22 April 1944, he became pastor at Yanshi.
From 1955 to 1970 he was arrested and sentenced to hard labour for his loyalty to the pope. The obituary prepared by his faithful describes this period as one of a "test of blood and fire."
On August 7, 1987, he was consecrated underground bishop of Luoyang, he continued his pastoral work in Yanshi and other areas in Henan.
Since 2004, he suffered from heart disease, has spent periods in hospital and was always ill.
The Diocese of Luoyang has about 10 thousand Catholics, 20 priests and 30 nuns. In 1929, Luoyang became a apostolic prefecture, separating it from the Vicariate of Zhengzhou. Administered by the Italian Xaverian missionaries, it became an apostolic vicariate in 1935 and a diocese in 1946.

                                       May his soul rest in peace - Amen

If TinTin is banned what about Wopsy?

Anything wrong with this picture? No!
Anyone who has taken a ride in a Tuk tuk
or rickshaw would agree I think

Andrew M Brown blogs in the Daily Telegraph about how his local library have put the popular TinTin series of pictorial adventures of a boy and his dog, under wraps, considered politically incorrect don't y'know!
Well, they do feature black people.....hmmm......and Belgians....but I cannot see anything too wrong in that.

Compare it with a series of books written by a White Father, Gerard F Scriven, back in the 1940s. The series featured a Guardian Angel by the unlikely name of Wopsy (I know for a fact that my Guardian Angel has got a pretty manly, Christian type name, not some poncey made up monicker like Wopsy, but there we are).



Enough to put one off devils for life!

 The series was tremendously popular and now the books are collector's items but, I guess, few have read them.
Wopsy (shudder) is GA to a small black boy by the name of Shiny-John and he steers him through life in the jungle, coping with devils (the Business that Walks by Night and the Mid-day Devil) and Leopard Men, (animist sacrificers of young children).
It does have the stuff of nightmares about it but I grew up on it and apart from a nasty twitch and an addiction to a dirty old blanket, it has not affected me in the least.

Seriously, the books do scare but I believe only in the same way that Struwwelpeter or Grimm's Fairy Tales scare. It can do one good to learn fear of God from such a source. One also learns, very well, to have a concern for falling under the influence of the devil - 'not a subject for five year olds' I hear being spluttered in leafy Leamington Spa but, delivered in the right way it is no bad thing to develop a dislike of evil from an early age.

The colour issue is, admittedly, a little dated and tends to treat the African peasant as slightly basic but....hang on to your socks......that is often how African peasants are! Shock, horror! The Equality Gestapo are on the way to my house right now. So, just to set the record straight, peasants the world over can be a little unworldly and simple in their approach to life. So can some marketeers and educationalists that I have worked with!

I grew up in Heston, a White Father's parish on the edge of what is now Heathrow Airport and so began to inhale the Wopsy stories from a very early age and with the encouragement of a great Bishop (we had them in those days). Bishop Walsh who went on to work in Dundee and was finally sent to a monastery because he had a housekeeper who was a divorcee and, despite huge pressure from uncharitable Catholic laity, he refused to sack her, quite rightly so. Not everything was good about pre Vatican II Catholicism.

The Wopsy adventures hammered home, very effectively, the power of God and His angels. Wopsy always triumphed over the devil and Shiny- John was always pulled to safety, physically and spiritually, on every occasion.

Here is a passage from Wopsy and the Witch Doctor, one of a series of four books:-

"The path to Bikonda was very narrow, as were all the paths made by the black men, being made for people who walked not one beside the other, but behind each other. On either side the great trees of the forest rose as high as church steeples as if they were fighting each other to get to the sun. From their high branches great creepers hung down and trailed over the ground. Now and then Shiny-John saw little monkeys climbing up and down them and it seemed to him that they sometimes chattered to him as they rested for an instant. He would have loved to stay and watch them, but Margarita-Maria hurried on with her rosary in her hand. She knew that the great forest was the home of other animals, larger and fiercer than the little monkeys.

Wopsy flew ahead for some distance on either side of the path looking for anything that might be a danger. Now and then he did see something that moved quietly through the undergrowth, in and out the thick tangle of creepers, but he had a way of dealing with such things. Now it was a crafty looking snake slipping along and making a hissing sound, but Wopsy patted it on the head, for he wasn't a bit afraid even, of the most wicked snakes, and made it go to sleep until Margarita-Maria and Shiny were a long way ahead".



All good stuff in my book, metaphors and all but I guess the educational psycho folk will be having spasms right now!
Father Scriven died in 1949 aged thirty seven and despite a wealth of historical data concerning the White Fathers (bit of a non PC name right now) I have found nothing biographical about him other than the fact that, with his white habit he wore a fez, a throwback to the time spent in the missions in Zanzibar I believe.

Congratulations to the "Benefits Scroungers"

"So I broke into the palace/With a sponge and a rusty spanner/She said, "I know you and you cannot sing"/I said, "That's nothing you should hear me play piano"

It's been a long time since Morrissey has said anything witty or interesting. Usually nowadays he bemoans the fact that animals are still eaten. Yawn! Still, I thought his comment that the Royals are just "benefits scroungers" was quite incisive. There's not many on State benefits who can command such public adulation, vast media attention and get the taxpayer to pay for palaces, corgis and massive weddings. Mind you, there's not many who can command such a high rate of benefits allowances. Every now and then they do some volunteering, but then so do a lot of people on benefits. I don't think Morrissey is in line for a knighthood, somehow! Still, it is important that Catholic musicians only accept knighthoods from Catholics...

May God bless the wedding of Kate and William and grant them a long and happy future together. I wonder whether the Royal Wedding will result in more people getting married and taking marriage seriously. Most people on state benefits can't afford it, of course, but it is good that marriage should receive some good PR today.

Altar server shortage? Not any longer!

I just had to feature this from Acts of the Apostasy, read the whole post HERE

"Because the circus had trained the chimps so well for their acts, it didn't take long for them to learn the motions and actions required of altar servers - the procession, assisting at the altar, holding the paten during communion, and so on.

"About the only things they can't manage," Fr. Bailey said, "are lighting the candles and handling the thurible. Fire and smoke sorta freaks them out, so the deacon takes care of those responsibilities."

Hmm....I know of some human altar servers who can't serve as well as these chimps! (but none that I serve alongside, phew!)

                         

Britain's Monarchy can be Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or Bush Born Baptist but they can't be Catholic

A country that prides itself on its even handedness and sense of fair play, that opens its doors to all and sundry in need of state support, that invokes laws promoting homosexuality, abortion and euthanasia in its attempt to be 'forward thinking and unprejudiced' actually does not allow a Roman Catholic to become an heir to the throne.
 A massive throwback back to the Dark Ages!

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales profess to be ambivalent towards this inequality, not really concerned with a Catholic becoming an heir to the throne, happy to  maintain the status quo. Happy, also, for their Cardinals to be relegated to the back of the VIP pews when it comes to Royal Weddings.

But I find it distinctly unhealthy and an indicator of a hard core prejudice against Catholics. Nick Clegg (bless him) was all set to sort out the Act of Settlement and change it so that Catholics could join the ranks of those eligible to be king or queen  along with Seventh Day Adventists, Monster Raving Loony Born Again Christians and the Ba Hai Reformed Church members (who have been eligible for that honour since the Act was passed in 1701).

Now it appears that the Government is cooling down any notion of making any changes, well we have had 310 years of prejudice against Catholics, what's another century or two?

Whom, one might ask, has put the dampers on change? EF Pastor Emeritus claims that no less a personage than the Queen is behind it and I believe that he is correct.
Her Majesty has never evinced any love or even empathy for the Catholic Faith; she is Low Church Anglican and put a stop to a small private Mass that was celebrated regularly in the cell of St Thomas More in the Tower of London a few years ago; that seemed to be a spiteful act. She referred, patronisingly, to Cardinal Hume as "My Cardinal" and he also played the part well.




"A Papist on the throne? - Never"

 She has not gone out of her way, in any sense of the phrase, to embrace the British members of the Catholic Church as her subjects.

British Catholics, however, continue to show temporal fealty to the Crown and, by large, are a loyal and true bunch of people.

Of course, no self respecting Catholic would wish to marry or be born into the British Royal Family. They do not have a great record in terms of marital fidelity or sensible behaviour. I once stood for nearly two hours in the rain with a group of Special Needs students outside our College, awaiting the arrival of the Princess Royal. When she arrived her aide pointed out the group but she totally ignored them and swept past. All that was needed was a quick wave and all would have been fine.
I would like to be a Royalist but my support is waning fast and the fact that this state prejudice is likely to continue only contributes to my feelings that they should all get proper jobs like their European counterparts and start behaving with some decorum.

I also question the role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission - shouldn't they be taking action against such bigotry?

But then I looked at the list of Commissioners and speculated how many of them were Catholic or, even, Christian.....here they are:-

Trevor Phillips OBE (chair)Baroness Margaret Prosser of Battersea OBE (deputy chair)Stephen Alambritis Ann Beynon OBE
Professor Geraldine Van Bueren
Kay Carberry CBE
Baroness Sally Greengross OBE
Baroness Meral Hussein Ece OBE
Dr Jean Irvine OBE
Kaliani Lyle
Angela Mason
Michael Smith
Simon Woolley


If you check their EHRC profiles you will find that many of them are Labour Party activists and a few of them are also supporters of Stonewall, the Homosexual Charity. Quite a few list trades unions as being their key interest. One also claims representation of black people - that's fine but why no evidence of Catholicism?

We are the only faith of any reckoning in this country after all! 

A small victory for Catholic blogging

Coughton Court - a haven for Recusant Catholics but not assassins!

Some weeks back I posted on the National Trust property and Recusant house of Coughton Court in Warwickshire. I was concerned that one guide in particular was claiming that the Pope issued a decree to all English Catholics "to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I".


Also, other guides were 'dumbing down' the effects of the Dissolution of the Monasteries by using terms such as "Henry VIII closed the monasteries" - some closure!
Well, a stout hearted blogger, one, Umblepie, decided to take the matter up with the National Trust and, as a result, has received a letter promising a review of the interpretational literature and a promise that the issue will be discussed at the next team meeting of the guides. 
A good result I would say and a not insignificant victory for Catholic bloggers. Next issue.......more EF Masses! 

Here is the Trust's response:

Dear Mr ...............

Thank you for your letter dated 6 April and your interest in Coughton Court.  Our Administrator has passed your letter to me so that I may reply to you, as I lead the team who support our room guides.

We are keen to provide an accurate and balanced interpretation of the house, the people who have lived here or who have been associated with it, together with the times in which they lived. Your comments regarding the 'Reformation' and the comments made by my colleagues will be presented at our next interpretation work group meeting. I have also passed a copy of your letter to our Interpretation Officer who is responsible for the presentation material for the house.

We always welcome discussion about our presentation and thank you for taking the time to share your views.

Yours sincerely,

Julie Brunton,

Volunteer Support and Development Team Leader,

Coughton Court.

Watch 'The Mission' on Gloria

Click here to watch the full length movie courtesy of Gloria TV!

'The Mission is based on true events surrounding the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, in which Spain ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay (a mission territory) to Portugal. 

The film's narrator, "Altamirano", speaking in hindsight in 1758, corresponds to the actual Andalusian Jesuit Father Luis Altamirano, who was sent by Jesuit Superior General Ignacio Visconti to Paraguay in 1752 to transfer territory from Spain to Portugal. He oversaw the transfer of seven missions south and east of the Río Uruguay, that had been settled by indigenous Guaranis and Jesuits in the 17th century. As compensation, Spain promised each mission 4,000 pesos, or fewer than 1 peso for each of the circa 30,000 Guaranis of the seven missions, while the cultivated lands, livestock, and buildings all built created by the natives in conjunction with the Jesuits were estimated to be worth 7-16 million pesos. The film's climax is the Guarani War of 1754-1756, during which historical Guaranis defended their homes against Spanish-Portuguese forces implementing the Treaty of Madrid. For the film, a re-creation was made of one of the seven missions, the large São Miguel das Missões.

Father Gabriel's character is loosely based on the life of Paraguayan Saint and Jesuit father, St Roque González de Santa Cruz. The waterfall setting of the film suggests the combination of these events with the story of older missions, founded between 1610-1630 on the Paranapanema River above the Guaíra Falls, from which Paulista slave raids forced Guaranis and Jesuits to flee in 1631. The battle at the end of the film evokes the eight-day Battle of Mbororé in 1641, a battle fought on land as well as in boats on rivers, in which the Jesuit-organized, firearm-equipped Guarani forces stopped the Paulista raiders.'

1986 British drama film. Directed by Roland Joffé. Starring Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAnally. 18th century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American Indian tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal. 

Gods and Generals

Childhood nostalgia is a fickle thing. Some things you liked as a kid still evoke pleasant memories of a simpler time, while others are frankly embarrassing. I'll never lose my affection for Jurassic Park or the Goosebumps books, but I refuse to even think about Pokemon or the Spice Girls.

I was a bit older than that when I saw Gods and Generals (2003) in theaters with my brother. Yes, at least two people saw Gods and Generals in theaters. As a budding Civil War buff, I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Rewatching it again almost ten years later, I sadly find it to be a dull, obnoxious piece of dreck. Watching it back to back with Ron Maxwell's previous Civil War epic, Gettysburg, makes the deficiencies more obvious.

The United States stands on the verge of Civil War, with Southern states leaving the Union in a dispute over slavery. Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall) turns down an offer to command the Union Army when his home state of Virginia secedes. Thomas J. Jackson (Stephen Lang), an instructor at the Virginia Military Institute, raises a crack brigade which he leads with distinction at Bull Run, earning the sobriquet "Stonewall." Meanwhile, Bowdoin College instructor Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) enlists in the Union Army and becomes the Lt. Colonel of the 20th Maine regiment. Events shift to the December 1862 Fredericksburg Campaign, where Union General Burnside (Alex Hyde-White) leads charge after suicidal charge against well-entrenched Rebels, and finally the May 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville, where Jackson executes a brilliant flank attack - but also meets a tragic end.

On one level, at least, Gods and Generals is more cinematic than its predecessor. With a much larger budget than Gettysburg ($65 million vs. $25 m.), there's no chance of Gods and Generals being mistaken for an overblown miniseries. The battle scenes are even more impressive than Gettysburg's, attaining full cinematic grandeur and a real sense of scope, if not the gritty realism of Glory's battles. The best scene is a skirmish between the Union Irish Brigade and a Confederate Irish regiment, an extremely emotional and affecting set-piece. The Chancellorsville scenes are equally impressive in scale and staging. However, spectacle is only part of the film.

Gods and Generals, the novel, is not a literary masterpiece but it's good historical fiction. Rather than Jeff Shaara's ensemble approach, Maxwell focuses on Stonewall Jackson, whom he depicts as a military genius, religious fanatic and devoted family man. Most of this rings true, but in beatifying Stonewall, Maxwell cuts out both the nastier edges of his character - say, his feud with Stonewall Brigade commander Richard Garnett - and, perversely, his more interesting exploits in the Shenandoah Valley, making Jackson a flat and uninteresting cipher.

The movie botches the slavery-vs.-states-rights issue. Maxwell gives us token black characters (Frankie Faison, Donzaleigh Abernathy) who decry slavery, with Jackson assuring them that they'll be free one day. Statements by Lee, Jackson and Virginia politicians that the war is fought against Federal tyranny go virtually unchallenged. Ahistorical scenes like Union artillery shelling Fredericksburg civilians don't help. The historical Jackson had no love of slavery, but surely there's a more honest way to convey this debate? A few anti-slavery speeches by Chamberlain don't adequately balance this viewpoint, least of all with Jackson's protracted death and extravagant funeral. Gettysburg avoided this messy topic with its relatively neutral approach. By focusing on Jackson, Gods and Generals becomes a Lost Cause apologia.

The structure of the film is a real mess. Despite the ostensible focus on Jackson, the movie begins with Lee's fateful trip to Washington and the narrative flits all over the place. We don't meet Chamberlain until about an hour in, and battle scenes are interspersed with stale, forced melodrama and pompous proclamations of purpose. Maxwell skips over Jackson's exploits in the Valley (not to mention the Seven Days' Battles and Antietam) to focus on Fredericksburg, the purpose of which seems to be shoehorning in some token Yankees. The Fredericksburg scene goes on interminably: by the time Chamberlain's 20th Maine finally goes into action, we've already seen three attacks by General Hancock's (Brian Mallon) division falter. Where's the drama? Why spend so much time on the war's most one-sided battle?

Not helping matters, Maxwell crams the film with pointless vignettes of Southern life and soldiers' travails. These provided some of the highlights of Gettysburg, but merely bog this film down in forced pathos. There's a wonderful scene of Union and Confederate pickets exchanging goods, but this is the exception. When two soldiers we met briefly in the first hour get killed at Chancellorsville, we don't even recognize them. A VMI cadet who defies his father, enlists with Jackson and is much later executed for desertion serves no purpose because those are his only scenes. The worst is Jackson's friendship with an aggressively cute Virginia girl, a subplot that defines cloying.

The basic problem is this: Gettysburg had trouble fitting a three-day battle into its run-time. How could Gods and Generals hope to cram three years of war into a four-hour in film? The material screams for a miniseries treatment, and despite its handsome photography and epic scope the film is a congested, underdeveloped mess. There are persistent rumors of a director's cut with additional battle scenes, but I shudder at the prospect of watching a longer version of this film.

Stephen Lang is dependably fiery, and getting to see this great actor in a lead role is a treat. The rest of the cast, unfortunately, is weak. Jeff Daniels brings back some of his thoughtful intensity, Kali Rocha is sweet as Jackson's wife and Brian Mallon expands on his role as Hancock. Robert Duvall is a much better physical match for Lee than Martin Sheen, but his Lee is a talking statue, an emotionless visage with a quip for every occasion. Bruce Boxleitner is a poor replacement for Tom Berenger, and Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite), Alex Hyde-White (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and William Sanderson (Blade Runner) have roles that barely qualify as cameos. Many actors from Gettysburg - Kevin Conway, C. Thomas Howell, Joseph Fuqua, Patrick Gorman, William Morgan Shepherd - reprise their roles, to little effect.

Unfortunately, Gods and Generals is a treacly, pompous mess. I'd say it was for Civil War buffs only, but I'm a pretty big Civil War buff and found it dull. I can only imagine what I lay viewer would take away from it. Except my brother; he liked it.

Catholic Radio Roadshow Coming to Brighton

"Starry, starry night...", or not in this case...

I was terribly excited when I was was told a Catholic Radio Roadshow coming to Brighton. When I learned more about it, I realised that Don Mclean was performing...but alas not in Brighton. It looks like Don's involvement with the roadshow will end in Coventry or somewhere. [Update: It is not THE Don Mclean, it is a comedian who goes by the same name - not the musical legend, Don Mclean!]

Inspired by the Papal Visit the 'Heart Gives Unto Heart' Catholic Road Show is coming to Brighton on Thursday 26th May at the Meeting House, Sussex University, Station Approach, Falmer BN1 9RH.

The Programme runs as follows:

1.30 pm - 9.00 pm Free Catholic Art / Photo / Icon Exhibition - all day

• Free Vatican Stamp Exhibition - all day

1.30 pm - 5.00 pm Catholic Charities will be have stalls in the Main Hall

• Catholic Books, CDs and other Religious items will be on-sale

• Refreshments available throughout the day in the Main Hall

• A free souvenir newspaper will be available

1.30 – 3.30 pm Free Workshops “Helping Your Priest and Parishioners”

• Debt Counselling

• How To Run A Soup Kitchen

• How to make the most of your Repository and Parish Events

5.00 pm Mass

6.00 pm - 7.00 pm Pre-concert Reception

7.15 - 9.45 pm Gala Concert - Artists include: Fr Stan Fortuna / Edwin Fawcett / Jo Walkden / Charley Pinfold (Rise Theatre) / Gerry Coates / Bobby Jo (Mime and Dance) / Martin Brown / Paul Dempsey / Teresa Brown (Violin)

Tickets on sale Friday April 8th - Concert only - £8; Concessions - £5; Concert + Pre Concert Reception (inc. Wine and Cheese) £12.

Postal tickets: Send cheques/postal order (made payable to “Heart Gives Unto Heart Radio”) to Southwark Catholic Youth Services, St Vincent Centre, Castle Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 2ED

In Person: Tickets on sale after weekend Masses from selected parishes

Online tickets: see websites from Friday April 8th – Booking Fee – Credit Cards accepted

ARCHBISHOP STACK - DO YOU BELIEVE IN OUR LADY'S INTERCESSIONARY POWERS?

"Not an English and Welsh Bishop again"

                                                     

The new Archbishop Designate of Cardiff, His Grace, George Stack gave an address to the General Synod of the Church of England in which he, apparently, denied the role of Mary, Mother of God with regards to her intercession.

Now the important word is "apparently" because, as William Oddie of The Catholic Herald points out, the Archbishop's phraseology is open to some interpretation - but it damn well shouldn't be! Surely that's why our priests rise up the hierarchical ranks, because of their ability (among many other things) to pronounce clearly and without error on the teachings of Holy Mother Church.

It is not good enough to make a statement that leaves a number of speculative options open as to the meaning behind the words.

I am not one of ++ Stack's biggest fans, I disliked the way he handled the Vaughan School debacle and how he responded to letters with a letter of his own (standard response) plus a computerised signature......very low grade in my books.

However, I would like to think that, on this occasion, the Archbishop has been misunderstood and I would also hope that he will issue a corrective statement in which he clearly lays out the role of Our Lady as part of Church teaching.

BUT..........more than that I would hope (and strongly recommend to his Grace) that he leads a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Wales, Our Lady of the Taper, in Cardigan.

Our Lady of the Taper - what is the
relevance of Lourdes if we do not
believe in Our Lady's intercession?

 In fact, it would be a very good thing for Welsh Catholics if the new Archbishop were to lead the Latin Mass Society Pilgrimage to the shrine this year - and even celebrate a Latin Mass (EF, that is).

You see......it's not just the people of Cardiff who want to know, it's not even the Catholics of the rest of Wales, it's all Catholics from all over the world who want to be reassured of the Archbishop Designate's belief in Our Holy Mother.

Rosary Wall Posters

Found this image on the interweb.

This is what every Catholic teenager's room looks like.

Gettysburg

Ron Maxwell's adaptation of Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels seems tailor-made to torment high school social studies students. Long, historically accurate to a fault (if you ignore certain bits of dramatic license), it's every lazy history teacher's dream - and every non-history student's nightmare.

Gettysburg is an admirable achievement, even if it's a dramatically mixed bag. Produced by Ted Turner at the height of his media empire, with a cast of thousands, it effectively captures the scope and fury of the Battle of Gettysburg despite a relatively modest budget. On the other hand, it's also talky, long-winded and just a bit pompous, with its filmmakers not quite grasping the finer points of page-to-screen adaptation. That's not to take away its virtue as a spectacle, or as a depiction of America's bloodiest and arguably most important battle.

July 1863. The Civil War has reached a critical point, as Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Martin Sheen) launches his second invasion of the North. With the Union Army of the Potomac, now under George Meade (Richard Anderson), scrambling to find Lee, the two sides collide at the crossroads town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Union officers take initiative - cavalryman John Buford (Sam Elliot) choosing to fight on "good ground," corps commander Winfield Scott Hancock (Brian Mallon) preparing a defensive line - while Lee's subordinates bumble and hesitate. After a successful first day, Lee orders an attack on the Union left, where Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) and the 20th Maine regiment engages in a desperate stand on Little Round Top. Over the advice of his second-in-command James Longstreet (Tom Berenger), Lee orders George Pickett's (Stephen Lang) elite division to spearhead the third day's assault on the Union center, into the teeth of Hancock's crack II Corps.

Gettysburg is probably the closest modern equivalent to the old-school battle epics like The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far. Recent war films are largely variants on the old "unit picture," more interested in the privates on the ground than the verities of high command. There's something to be said for the battle epic, which allows for a true appreciation for a campaign's huge scope and tactical details. But it also has its flaws: too many underdeveloped characters, an obsession with tactics and battles that are impressive in size but mostly impersonal.

Maxwell faithfully (perhaps too faithfully) captures Shaara's depictions of men in high command. Everything that could go wrong for the Confederates pretty much does: Lee's cavalryman Jeb Stuart (Joseph Fuqua) engages in a pointless raid that leaves his army blind, corps commander Richard Ewell (Tim Scott) fails to seize a key position, and Lee himself seems overwhelmed by the situation. The Union commander, Meade, proves more competent than expected, and his cagey subordinates make the right decisions on their own initiative. Gettysburg is basically an exercise in hubris: believing his men "invincible," Lee ignores Longstreet's sound advice and orders a suicidal frontal assault with no chance of success.

Gettysburg has its share of quiet moments. Chamberlain, a former college professor, makes a wonderfully thoughtful protagonist, and his speeches and monologues, at least, are convincing. Irish Sergeant Kilrain (Kevin Conway) gets a nice scene explaining his philosophy to Chamberlain. A scene where Chamberlain's brother (C. Thomas Howell) chats candidly with Confederate prisoners has genuine poignance. The most affecting plot thread, however, involves Lewis Armistead (Richard Jordan), a Confederate brigadier who dreads the day he faces pre-war friend Hancock on the battlefield.

Despite these scenes, the movie has several major dramatic flaws. By focusing on the Confederate high command and comparatively low-ranking Union officers, Gettysburg fails to maintain dramatic balance, despite the film's admirably objective portrayal of the conflict. Maxwell further stumbles trying to capture Shaara's detailed internal monologues and narration. This leads to a lot of pompous soliloquies and clunky voiceovers that bog down the narrative. Lots of useless scenes - a discussion of Charles Darwin, Armistead's "Virginia" speech just before Pickett's Charge - could easily have been cut without hurting the film.

On a technical level, the film is mixed. The battles are truly impressive spectacle, with authentic Gettysburg locations and thousands of Civil War reenactors filling the screen, and Maxwell makes the battle's complicated tactics understandable to the lay viewer. But there's not much intensity to the fighting itself, a sterile, bloodless affair which often has the quality of a History Channel documentary. Audiences I've seen it with groaned at the extremely drawn-out depiction of Pickett's Charge. The exception is the Little Round Top scene, an intensely focused, twenty-minute long set-piece that ranks among the best battles in screen history. Another hindrance is Randy Edelman's obnoxious score: it's fine for the battle scenes but makes the soppy monologues even more unbearable.

Tom Berenger (Platoon), hiding behind a laughably fake beard, gives a nuanced and sensitive performance, torn between his doubts and his duty. Jeff Daniels has never been better, providing an intelligent, quietly intense turn. Less successful is Martin Sheen (O): he's all wrong physically, and his one-note portrayal of Lee as outwardly confident but privately worried isn't very interesting. Sam Elliot (Tombstone) gets a few nice scenes before bowing out early. Stephen Lang's (Avatar) flamboyant Pickett steals the show, and Richard Jordan (The Friends of Eddie Coyle) handles the big emotional scenes well.

The supporting cast has its moments, too. Kevin Conway's Irish accent is phony but he does a good job espousing Kilrain's cracker barrel wisdom. Brian Mallon makes a strong impression as Hancock, the Yankees' elite corps commander. William Morgan Shepherd gets an intense monologue as a Confederate officer disgusted with Lee's subordinates ("Give me one regiment and I'll take that hill!"). Familiar faces C. Thomas Howell (Red Dawn), Richard Anderson (Seven Days in May), Buck Taylor (Rough Riders) and John Diehl (Nixon) play Union soldiers. James Lancaster's (Leprechaun 2) caricature Englishman is irritating and Joseph Fuqua's Jeb Stuart wins the booby prize for worst facial hair in history. George Lazenby (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) has a tiny bit, and attentive viewers can spot Ted Turner and Ken Burns in cameos.

For all its flaws, Gettysburg is a worthwhile watch for history buffs, even though lay viewers might struggle with it. It's certainly better than its successor, the overwrought, laughably pro-Confederate Gods and Generals - but that's another review.

BROTHER HORSE - REMIND YOU OF ANYONE?



Photo: BBC
Brother Horse "His look was turned towards God"


Some readers have been kind enough to comment on my first post about The Animals of St Gregory by Brian (Brendan) O'Malley. They have picked up on animal characteristics that either they or those close to them have observed but, in almost every case, the character alluded to is a human or animal trait whereas, what St Gregory and Brendan O'Malley have in mind are spiritual marks that may also be associated with an animal.

So, today I have selected Brother Horse for a little closer scrutiny and it would be interesting to see if you agree with my identification of  the living person who closely resembles O'Malley's assessment. Here is a precis of his character.

Brother Horse, above all else, is an animal who with every ounce of his body and soul has surrendered himself to God and become totally absorbed in God's love as a result.
He is, of course, beautifully proportioned 'with supple, rippling muscles and a high prancing action' (keep thinking spiritual, not temporal).

Through the medium of prayer and meditation he knows his innermost self well and is able to rein in any earthly tendencies towards sin by chastity and continence.
These gird him well and he is, as a result, able to enter any arena without fear. He responds to the 'hidden word' of his Master and is confident in his humility and charity so that he can cope calmly with the uproar that often surrounds him.

O'Malley writes: "The immediate fruit of the horse's prayer was tranquillity gained through constant attention to the presence of God. His pasture was prayer, the nourishment and inward refreshment of his soul. He gazed on lofty heights gained through travelling long in the valley of tears".

As Brother Horse draws ever closer to God so his white body becomes more luminous, brilliant with the light of righteousness and the burning fire of chastity. Truly, he is the very essence of goodness and authority.
Through prayer and mortification he is able to accomodate a series of hurdles and, at the same time, place all his energy into one concerted leap
 '..through being co-centred with Christ into Being itself'.

The book, The Animals of St Gregory by Brian O'Malley is beautifully illustrated with exceptional wood engravings by Simon Brett.

Click on the Lions Head for his website.

Oh, and the person whom I most closely associate Brother Horse with is, of course, The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI - but then you knew that already!

Rosary Leaflets...

I've been working with the old desk top publishing package and have come up with some nice looking Holy Rosary leaflets, because I have ran out of the ones published by other groups and don't know how you order such things in bulk. Anyway, I love the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on the front of my new leaflet.

I'm going to invest some money by getting them printed on some nice paper/card, so if any missionaries out there would like to order some leaflets, let me know. I don't know what printing is like in terms of cost, but I expect it will end up being something like 20p per leaflet, as they'll be in colour and on nice paper. On the inside the pictures are nice and fairly big (no Luminous Mysteries, I'm afraid!).

Hope the feasting is going well for everyone? Has anyone been sick yet? If you want to share your strict Easter feasting plan for the next 50 odd days, I'd be interested in how you will glorify God and keep the commandment of the Church to indulge in all manner of exotic foodstuffs. How many courses do you have for breakfast? Are you having champagne with every meal or sticking to Lambrini? Share your Easter resolutions here. It still needs some work, a few typos here and there and I'm working on the finished draft. Let me know if you'd like to order some...Yes, I could do them in Latin as well! I suppose if I were really kind I could just put the jpegs up and people could print them out themselves. Still, even though I've just realised the CTS have got this area well and truly covered, let me know if you'd like some.

This is what guilt looks like...

hi Lawrence its Megan we were in Brighton on Tuesday P.S U SAID U WERE SENDING A PACKAGE. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD BLESS U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was from my Goddaughter. I haven't seen her in years...It's her First Holy Communion this year. I am the absent Godfather. I hang my head in shame.

Programme on the Vatican on IPlayer

BBC Four has a programme on the Vatican. Might be rubbish, might be good, not sure yet.

Click here to watch.

Is this the most blasphemous song ever recorded?

I think it is about the euphoric effect of certain drugs. The link between Christ's risen and glorious state and euphoric highs is clever, but just because it is clever does not stop this from being perhaps one of the most blasphemous songs ever recorded. Or am I being over the top? Just on the surface level, the search for bliss, blessedness, paradise, Heaven, union with God, immortality are surely elements of drug use. St Augustine described the man looking for love in all the wrong places, as is our habit, as a man searching for God, that somehow, even notorious sins are an expression of that search for the Lord, for eternal union with the Blessed Trinity. Still, with all that said, there is something outrageously sacrilegious about a man singing "I am the Resurrection and the Life", even more so when what he really means is that he is just high on various chemical drugs.

Happy Easter

He has risen as He said. Allelulia! A very nice painting, indeed. Alleluia! Not like modern garbage. Alleluia! It is by Castagno, Andrea del Castagno. Alleluia! Circa. 1421/23-1457. Alleluia!

What sort of a Catholic animal are you?

Would Brother Camel fit your character?

St Gregory, in his writings, made reference as to how he alluded to the monks in his charge as various types of animal, each according to its imagined spiritual character.
So, he has Brother Rhinoceros, Brother Locust and so on. In all, Gregory the Great characterized some 72 different Christian animal types.

This must have been a foreunner to the management training programme so popular in the 70s and 80s (and, maybe now, for all I know). We were taught (as young, green marketeers) to identify those sitting around the conference table and to give them animal identities according to their character. So, the Lion was the blustering, bullying type and the snake was the office......you've got it! The idea was that, once one knew the characters you were dealing with, you could handle them accordingly and I am sure the same thought must have been in the mind of Abbot Gregory, as he then was.

Now this is where the story becomes a shade tortuous but, stick with me and, hopefully all will soon become clear. Back in 1989 when, we,  as a family, decided that we could not take any more mullarkey at Sunday Mass we declared UDI and set up our own chapel in a wing of the old schoolhouse where we lived in Pembrokeshire. There, only the traditional Latin Mass was celebrated by visiting priests. Our immediate neighbour was a 9th century church, now part of the Anglican Church of Wales and ministered to by a vicar by the name of Brendan O'Malley. Now it transpired that Brendan was an ex priest, in fact he was an ex Benedictine monk and had a marvellous academic and learned mind. I like to think that he peaked during his Catholic period and never since then has repeated his excellent works and writings but that might be a little unfair on him. Both then and today, Brendan and I have little in common as he has a most liberal Anglican approach to life. In fact, whilst he was vicar of this gem of a Pre Reformation church he ordered the oak pews ripped out and miles of carpeting laid, on top of which went a series of sofas and armchairs - more House of Fraser than House of God.....so you may see how we differ essentially.

Nevertheless, after he left the priesthood (but was still a Catholic) and with the images of the monastery fresh in his mind, one of his writings was published under the title of 'The Animals of St Gregory' under the name Brian O'Malley. A rewarding book to read and to use to identify the characteristics (less desirable ones) that manifest themselves within one's own character.
The characteristics outlined by Brendan O'Malley are interesting because, of course, they are a blend of both the good and the bad that are in all of us. So, Brother Lizard is a slow and apparently, untalented Brother, here is a passage from his chapter:-

"....he was not attractive to look at nor was he clever or quick-witted. Everything he did was accomplished with painstaking endeavour. He was the monastery cook and from his kitchen he poured out his love in the service of others. He had a happy heart and his attitude was transmitted in his work, so that the simple fare he served took on the element of a sacrament. Through his work his love was made visible. In his work, he found the reality of himself, something no one else could know....."

While Brother Ostrich was a shade less loveable:-

"...Brother Ostrich had a certain amount of time for God; he felt that it wasn't so much a matter of his belief in God as of the feeling that God believed in him. If he had worked as hard at prayer as he did on his image of sanctitiy, he would, in all probability, have been able to fly, but he could not fly in prayer, because of his need to impress all beholders. Grovelling in his heart in things below, Brother Ostrich could not maintain a life of sanctity. He could not, in truth, even rise from the ground, but walked along the broad spaces of his thought, silently uttering his own praises, such was the weight of his hypocrisy....."

The blurb on the cover informs us that: "The animals of St Gregory can be met in any High Street. You will find Brother Rhinoceros and Brother Locust in any bar. They are also to be found in the heart of each one of us"

Which poses the question, what sort of Catholic animal are you?


The Animals of St Gregory by Brian O'Malley
Published by: Paulinus Press   ISBN 0 907740 00 6

AND A VERY HAPPY AND HOLY EASTERTIDE TO YOU ALL!