Our Lady Queen of the May

Twitterers: Stop What You Are Doing and Promote This!

On Tuesday 1st May, Mgr Andrew Wadsworth, dubbed the 'man behind the new Missal' will be giving a lecture at St Mary Magdalen Church, Brighton.

It is a must-be-there event for those interested in the liturgy of the Catholic Church and the direction in which the Church's liturgy is heading in the future.

If you are anywhere near Brighton or live further away but have the means to attend the event, do try to go.

Mgr Andrew Wadsworth is the Secretary of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) and is therefore exceedingly well-placed to give his thoughts on the future of the Liturgy to both clergy and the lay faithful, especially at these times of liturgical renewal promoted by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

There is, I believe, a Diocesan event taking place on the same evening, in which members of the lay faithful will be revisiting the documents of the Second Vatican Council. It is a shame that many of those people attending that Diocesan event shall not be able to make it to this undoubtedly fascinating lecture from Mgr Andrew Wadsworth, since his lecture will surely touch on some of the issues facing the Church as Her members learn about the Second Vatican Council and its influence on the future of the Catholic Church's mission to the World. Share it on Facebook if you can. Perhaps those Catholics on Twitter would like to take a break stabbing each other in the back and tearing each others throats out in order to share this advertisement on the World's most slanderous social network forum in order to use it for the spread of the Gospel in the United Kingdom. Just a suggestion.

Good news, and yet more good news!

Firstly, thank all of you who sent us good wishes for our 40th wedding anniversary and also to those who remembered us in your prayers.
We did manage an excellent fish and chip supper on Broadhaven Beach in St Bride's Bay; the sun (albeit a weak one) came out for about 30 minutes before we scooted for home and real warmth!

And then, at Mass yesterday I met the renowned blogger, Chris Gillibrand who has now taken up residence in the Diocese of Menevia - a definite case for a huzzah! Chris's blog is Catholic Church Conservation which is a rather "top of the league" sort of blog.

I cannot help feeling that, when Catholic bloggers meet, there should be some sort of established form of greeting. No, not a masonic handshake and certainly not a high five but, maybe a hearty Ave et vale! Does anyone have any polite suggestions to make?

                                  A good form of greeting for Catholic bloggers?

Of course, the next portion of good news was that the Mass was, as always, wonderful and the singing of the choir......just breathtaking.

We are so fortunate to have The Newcastle Emlyn Schola.
 I got to contemplating what it would be like in this diocese without them and
came to the conclusion that they are the force that binds us together around our priests and the Holy Mass - long may they continue.

And yet more good news, this time from Rome. A priest friend reports that it is now quite hard to celebrate an OF Mass in St Peter's as all the altar servers are up to speed with their Latin and only wish to serve at EF Masses!
That is definitely one for the brick by brick file.

All in all, not a bad start to the week.

Imperial Migraines: The Lives of a Bengal Lancer and Simba

Regular readers know that Groggy is an unrepentant Anglophile. After recently checking out several Byron Farwell books, I visited two imperial adventure films: The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) and Simba (1955). These movies are essentially Westerns in a British setting, using frontier warfare to explore issues of race, colonialism and masculinity. However, the films approach the formula in decidedly different fashions.

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935, Henry Hathaway)

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer is a seminal entertainment. It was director Henry Hathaway's breakthrough film, ushering in a wave of imperial adventures like The Charge of the Light Brigade and Gunga Din. Depicting the Raj's "imperial migraine," the unceasing tribal skirmishes on India's Northwest Frontier, it's a fun old-fashioned action film.

Lieutenant Alan McGregor (Gary Cooper) is a brash officer in the 41st Bengal Lancers. He initially butts heads with two new subalterns, the sarcastic Forsythe (Franchot Tone) and Donald Stone (Gregory Cromwell), the son of the regiment's Colonel (Guy Standing). The three men quickly bond, growing disgusted with the Colonel's cold treatment of Donald. Personal matters go aside when Lt. Stone is kidnapped by Mohammed Kahn (Douglass Dumbrille), a rebellious Muslim chieftain. Disobeying the Colonel's orders, McGregor and Forsythe try to rescue Stone - and end up saving the regiment as well.

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer establishes most of the genre tropes. There's a trio of plucky protagonists, stiff-necked Brit officers, treacherous Indians and a finale where the heroes save an army from ambush. Hathaway focuses on regimental comraderie, the initially disparate heroes who form a brotherly bond and learn the value of patriotism. It's also extremely solemn, occasionally to its detriment. All the platitudes about regimental loyalty make one wish for Gunga Din's irreverent tricksters or the craven Harry Flashman.

Bengal Lancer is obviously a transplanted Western. The British never subdued the Muslim tribes on its borders, engaging in constant fighting with the Afridis and Pathans, occasionally thrusting into Afghanistan. In this regard, Lancer presages John Ford's Cavalry Trilogy, where perpetual frontier warfare builds a glorious military tradition. The upholding of regimental honor and father-son Stone dynamic certainly resonate with Ford. But few Indian Westerns feature so delicious a villain as the affably devious Mohammed Kahn: "We have ways of making men talk!"

Henry Hathaway built a career on Westerns and action flicks. Bengal Lancer is fairly slow, dragging in its middle sections, but the focus on character dynamics works well enough. The curtain-raising skirmish is only fair, but the violent, exciting finale provides a wonderful payoff. In a memorable bit, McGregor sling-arms a Vickers machine gun identically to Lee Marvin in The Professionals. Hathaway and Cooper later reteamed on The Real Glory (1939), combating Moro insurgents in the Phillipines with similar derringdo.

Gary Cooper is perfectly cast as a plucky, headstrong hero. Franchot Tone (Mutiny on the Bounty) provides some humor, accidentally charming a cobra with a flute. Richard Cromwell (Young Mr. Lincoln) is overly callow, while Kathleen Burke's (Russian?) femme fatale makes little impression. C. Aubrey Smith (The Four Feathers) and Guy Standing give well-rounded supporting turns, while Douglass Dumbrille makes a surprisingly likeable villain. Akim Tamaroff (Lord Jim) and J. Carroll Naish (Rio Grande) have smaller parts.

Simba (1955, Brian Desmond Hurst)

If The Lives of a Bengal Lancer is a John Ford film in khaki, Simba is a colonial Broken Arrow. Brian Desmond Hurst's look at Kenya's Mau Mau Rebellion is an underrated political drama.

Alan Howard (Dirk Bogarde) arrives in Kenya to find his brother killed by the Mau Mau, a secret society of nationalist rebels. Encouraged by hardnosed Inspector Drummond (Donald Sinden), Howard instantly develops a hatred for the natives. Sweetheart Mary (Virginia McKenna) tries to convince Howard to see the good in Africans, citing the educated, friendly Dr. Karanja (Earl Cameron) as evidence. But the Mau Mau's escalating violence, and Karanja's possible connections to them, grievously complicate matters.

The Mau Mau rising was still ongoing when Simba was made. British dispossession of Kikyu tribal land inspired resentment against white settlers. A radical secret society, the Mau Maus engaged in a terror campaign, murdering thousands of Africans and a few dozen Britons. Britain declared a state of emergency, initiating a brutal crackdown (including mass arrests and concentration camps) that crushed the revolt. The Mau Maus forced concessions that led to Kenyan independence, but their violent legacy remains mixed.

Simba presents a disqueting portrait of colonial violence. The Mau Maus deliberately target moderate, well-liked Brits, hoping to polarize Kenyan opinion. Stewart stages a prolonged murder scene in chilling detail. The settlers react in a variety of ways, some advocating punitive violence while others encouraging a more moderate approach. This dramatic balances doesn't match the historical record, where even the military grew disgusted with settler intransigence. On the other hand, the movie never considers whether the Mau Maus have legitimate grievances, portraying them as simple, inscrutable fanatics.

The main thrust is racial tolerance, and Simba scores here too. Karanja is a wonderfully drawn character. Likeable and Western-educated, he nonetheless readily stands up to bigots and interlopers. A black man with pride and a spine, he compares well to Sidney Poitier's roles in contemporary American films. Howard's arc is more predictable but it's not a straight evolution; writer John Baines allows his racism to develop situationally, using Mary as a foil. In the tragic finale however, a middle ground can't be found: eradicating the Mau Mau takes precedence over tolerance.

Simba stands especially tall next to its peers. One egregious example is John Guillermin's Guns at Batasi (1961). Posing as a "significant" drama about African decolonialization, it falls back on condescension and war movie cliches. The African characters (including Earl Cameron) are fanatics or fools who pose no threat to the plucky Brit heroes. Whatever its liberal intent, Batasi plays very badly today, while Simba holds up reasonably well.

Dirk Bogarde makes a fine conflicted hero, in one of his first "serious" parts. Virginia McKenna (Carve Her Name With Pride) is an interesting character, a passionate liberal who packs a revolver just to be safe. Earl Cameron does an excellent job, playing Karanja as tough, smart and highly moral. Donald Sinden (The Day of the Jackal) plays a straightlaced policeman and Basil Sydney (John Paul Jones) and Marie Ney (The Lavender Hill Mob) make a strong impression as a doomed English couple.

Exeunt April! In spite of work and other things this was an extremely productive blogging month. Thanks to all of my loyal readers and here's to a super May.

Feast of Pope St Pius V - Quo Primum - worth a re-read

Was Archbishop Lefebvre disobedient? Read the Papal Encyclical of Pope St Pius V and decide for yourself. This encyclical  normalised what became known as the Tridentine Latin Mass so that, with very few sensible exceptions, there was one Faith and one Liturgy.   If you read nothing else, read the last sentence.    PIUS: BISHOP OF ROME Servant of the Servants of God FOR AN EVERLASTING MEMORIAL      Upon our elevation to the Apostolic throne We gladly turned Our mind and energies, and directed all Our thoughts, to the matter of preserving incorrupt the public worship of the Church; and We have striven, with God’s help, by every means in Our power to achieve that purpose.     Whereas amongst other decrees of the Holy Council of Trent We were charged with revision and re-issue of the sacred books, to wit the Catechism, the Missal and the Breviary; and whereas We have with God’s consent published a Catechism for the instruction of the faithful, and thoroughly revised the Breviary for the due performance of the Divine Office, We next, in order that Missal and Breviary might be in perfect harmony, as is right and proper (considering that it is altogether fitting that there should be in the Church only one appropriate manner of Psalmody and one sole rite of celebrating Mass), deemed it necessary to give Our immediate attention to what still remained to be done, namely the re-editing of the Missal with the least possible delay.     We resolved accordingly to delegate this task to a select committee of scholars; and they, having at every stage of their work and with the utmost care collated the ancient codices in Our Vatican Library and reliable (original or amended) codices from elsewhere, and having also consulted the writing of ancient and approved authors who have bequeathed to us records relating to the said sacred rites, thus restored the Missal itself to the pristine form and rite of the holy Fathers. When this production had been subjected to close scrutiny and further amended We, after mature consideration, ordered that the final result be forthwith printed and published in Rome, so that all may enjoy the fruits of this labor: that priests may know what prayers to use, and what rites and ceremonies they are to use henceforward in the celebration of Masses.     Now therefore, in order that all everywhere may adopt and observe what has been delivered to them by the Holy Roman Church, Mother and Mistress of the other churches, it shall be unlawful henceforth and forever throughout the Christian world to sing or to read Masses according to any formula other than that of this Missal published by Us; this ordinance to apply to all churches and chapels, with or without care of souls, patriarchal, collegiate and parochial, be they secular or belonging to any religious Order whether of men (including the military Orders) or of women, in which conventual Masses are or ought to be sung aloud in choir or read privately according to the rites and customs of the Roman Church; to apply moreover even if the said churches have been in any way exempted, whether by indult of the Apostolic See, by custom, by privilege, or even by oath or Apostolic confirmation, or have their rights and faculties guaranteed to them in any other way whatsoever; saving only those in which the practice of saying Mass differently was granted over two hundred years ago simultaneously with the Apostolic See’s institution and confirmation of the church, and those in which there has prevailed a similar custom followed continuously for a period of not less than two hundred years; in which cases We in no wise rescind their prerogatives or customs aforesaid. Nevertheless, if this Missal which We have seen fit to publish be more agreeable to these last, We hereby permit them to celebrate Mass according to this rite, subject to the consent of their bishop or prelate, and of their whole Chapter, all else to the contrary notwithstanding. All other churches aforesaid are hereby denied the use of other missals, which are to be wholly and entirely rejected; and by this present Constitution, which shall have the force of law in perpetuity, We order and enjoin under pain of Our displeasure that nothing be added to Our newly published Missal, nothing omitted therefrom, and nothing whatsoever altered there in.     We specifically command each and every patriarch, administrator and all other persons of whatsoever ecclesiastical dignity, be they even Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, or, possessed of any other rank or pre-eminence, and We order them by virtue of holy obedience to sing or to read the Mass according to the rite and manner and norm herein laid down by Us, and henceforward to discontinue and utterly discard all other rubrics and rites of other missals, howsoever ancient, which they have been accustomed to follow, and not to presume in celebrating Mass to introduce any ceremonies or recite any prayers other than those contained in this Missal.     Furthermore, by these presents and by virtue of Our Apostolic authority, We give and grant in perpetuity that for the singing or reading of Mass in any church whatsoever this Missal may be followed absolutely, without any scruple of conscience or fear of incurring any penalty, judgment or censure, and may be freely and lawfully used. Nor shall bishops, administrators, canons, chaplains and other secular priests, or religious of whatsoever Order or by whatsoever title designated, be obliged to celebrate Mass otherwise than enjoined by Us. We likewise order and declare that no one whosoever shall be forced or coerced into altering this Missal; and this present Constitution can never be revoked or modified, but shall forever remain valid and have the force of law, notwithstanding previous constitutions or edicts of provincial or synodal councils, and notwithstanding the usage of the churches aforesaid established by very long and even immemorial prescription, saving only usage of more than two hundred years.     Consequently it is Our will, and by the same authority We decree, that one month after publication of this Our Constitution and Missal, priests of the Roman Curia shall be obliged to sing or to read the Mass in accordance therewith; others south of the Alps, after three months; those who live beyond the Alps, after six months or as soon as the Missal becomes available for purchase.     Furthermore, in order that the said Missal may be preserved incorrupt and kept free from defects and errors, the penalty for nonobservance in the case of all printers resident in territory directly or indirectly subject to Ourselves and the Holy Roman Church shall be forfeiture of their books and a fine of 100 gold ducats payable ipso facto to the Apostolic Treasury. In the case of those resident in other parts of the world it shall be excommunication latae sententiae and all other penalties at Our discretion; and by Our Apostolic authority and the tenor of these presents. We also decree that they must not dare or presume either to print or to publish or to sell, or in any way to take delivery of such books without Our approval and consent, or without express permission of the Apostolic Commissary in the said parts appointed by us for that purpose. Each of the said printers must receive from the aforementioned Commissary a standard Missal to serve as an exemplar for subsequent copies, which, when made, must be compared with the exemplar and agree faithfully therewith, varying in no wise from the first impression printed in Rome.     But, since it would be difficult for this present Constitution to be transmitted to all parts of the world and to come to the notice of all concerned simultaneously, We direct that it be, as usual, posted and published at the doors of the Basilica of the Prince of the Apostles, at those of the Apostolic Chancery, and at the end of the Campo de’Fiori; moreover We direct that printed copies of the same, signed by a notary public and authenticated with the seal of an ecclesiastical dignitary, shall possess the same unqualified and indubitable validity everywhere and in every country that would attend the display there of Our present text. Accordingly, no one whosoever is permitted to infringe or rashly contravene this notice of Our permission, statute, ordinance, command, direction, grant, indult, declaration, will, decree and prohibition. Should any person venture to do so, let him understand that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.     Given at Saint Peter’s, Rome, in the year of Our Lord’s Incarnation one thousand five hundred and seventy, on the fourteenth day of July in the fifth year of Our Pontificate. Given at St. Peter's, Rome, in the year of Our Lord's Incarnation, one thousand five hundred and seventy, on the fourteenth day of July of the fifth year of Our Pontificate.                      H. Cumin Caesar Glorierius

"in perpetuity" doesn't that mean forever?

Preparing for Battle...

This week Archbishop Antonio Mennini has called for the Catholic Church in England and Wales to join forces with other faiths in uniting to combat the Government's plan for homosexual marriage to be introduced in the United Kingdom.

It's been quite a couple of weeks on that front, at least in terms of the media coverage and let's face it, this is a national 'debate' that is being directed by the media.

Recently, I've been wondering whether, due to recent spats that have taken place between Catholic friends, whether the World would be a better place without Twitter.  Would the United Kingdom be a better place without 'the media'? Certainly the Fourth Estate are there to hold Government to account. It's meant to be another check on the power of the Executive. So often, however, it merely perpetuates its own agendas or the agendas of its owners towards either directing Government policy ('the Government must do 'this' and 'that') or laying the groundwork for new policy to be accepted. What we are in the middle of now is a concerted propaganda campaign to lubricate the nation in order that the nation be shafted from behind. That is the Church and wider society and freedom in general. I'm sorry to be crude but that's how it is.

The Guardian, that bastion of public morality, reacted with fury when a Catholic school had the audacity to encourage or ask Catholic children whether they might like to sign the Coalition for Marriage petition to keep marriage between one man and one woman. Worse than this, the Catholic Education Service, the arm of the Church that we so often have lamented as ripe for amputation, actually defended the Catholic school in question because Catholic schools were, you know, founded so that children may not only understand the water table, learn to read and write and add up, but so that Catholic children may know and proclaim their faith.

For the school to do that was, however, a shocking crime because to do such a thing is 'political'. It was so 'political' that Michael Gove is to investigate the school in question. What rot. Everything we think, say and do is 'political'. Politics and religion don't mix, so they say, but they do when Government decides that it would be a good idea to mix them by trampling over an institution that Catholics and people of other faiths, as well as those who recognise the inherent good of marriage, are, by their sacred consciences, obliged to defend. And what a hideous cocktail of politics and religion the Government have concocted! A veritable molotov!

Of course, it wouldn't be 'political' for the CES to roll over and allow the government to tickle their tummies so much as they have done in the past and it wouldn't be 'political' for Catholics schools with their little, vulnerable lambs to be dumb before the shearers and indeed the slaughterers of their innocence. Strangely, it is, however, 'political' for Archbishops and Bishops to address these lambs in a school assembly and to warn them of the Government's intentions to alter first of all the fabric with which society is knitted together first and the school curriculum second, because it isn't at all 'political' to shape the PSHE lessons of the 21st century to include a portrayal of 'marriage' that is completely at odds with natural law and Catholic social teaching. No, that isn't 'political' is it? That's just good and sound governance, right? Of course! The very fact that Gove is planning to investigate the CES and the schools that read out the Archbishops' letter for being 'political' does rather confirm that the Government's proposals for same-sex marriage might just be shaping up to be more than a little totalitarian in how it deals with 'dissent'.

PM David Cameron: The gay-friendly sock puppet

While I agree with Archbishop Mennini that the battle against the Government's proposals require a concerted effort that demands some 'joined-up thinking' with leaders of other faiths, I do believe that what the United Kingdom requires in order to stop the Government going ahead with the plan is something that does not fall a millimetre short of a Miracle.

We should remind ourselves that the marriage for gays juggernaut has driven through democracies across the World far more tuned in to religion than ours with an ease which is nothing short of staggering.

If they did not stop this Pride float for same sex-marriage ram-raiding through Parliament in Catholic Argentina, what on earth makes people think it will not go through the heart of the British Establishment with even greater ease?  I've made the point before, but this is a global effort to reshape every democracy possible - an effort funded and guided by globalists for ends which have little to do with the liberation of that incredibly thin strand of gay men who hitherto were not the marrying kind, but now desire marriage.

Few governments have either the integrity, the will or the balls to stand up to the most powerful (mostly) men on Earth driving this agenda through every country in the West and beyond. We know that money buys you access to power and influence in this country because you can get a dinner date with David Cameron for £250,000. How much more power and influence can you get with all the leaders of the West, or at least members of their cabinets, if you are a billionaire or a trillionaire? Going by this list, it looks like rather a lot. I would be incredibly surprised if the subject of 'gay marriage' had never been discussed there, what with its spread across the West like a case of avian flu.

Of course, I've no hard, concrete evidence. I'm just joining up the dots of circumstantial evidence that suggests that I might just be right. Ah, maybe not. Maybe the richest and most powerful men on Earth just play blackjack and Scrabble with the CEOs of giant corporation and the West's ministers and shadow ministers, but then why would that kind of meeting need to be held in secret with none of the subjects under discussion published? Whether you believe what I believe or not, there can be no doubt that a petition is not going to stop this agenda from passing Parliament. The liberty of speech, Catholic education and the Church Herself will be crucified by its being enacted in law. The decision to go ahead with gay marriage has already been made. The 'national debate' is illusory. There is only one outcome that will be deemed acceptable by the political and media elite of the United Kingdom and only a Miracle will have a chance of stopping it. May I politely suggest that we give Twitter a break and intensify our prayers. Hey. Lucky all those globalists aren't on Twitter. Otherwise all of hell would break loose.

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady (2011) generated controversy far outweighing its critical reception and box office performance. It's a testament to how polarizing Maggie Thatcher remains that this movie was heavily protested and boycotted in Britain, with hardly anyone bothering to actually see it. One of my college professors once called Thatcher his least favorite person of the 20th Century!

As someone largely ignorant of the Thatcher era I cannot judge The Iron Lady on versimilitude. Its portrait of Thatcher is fairly compelling, and Meryl Streep gives an excellent turn. But it's fairly typical biopic stuff, celebrating Thatcher while superficially treating her policies and politics.

Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) grows from a grocer's daughter in post-WWII London to the head of Britain's Conservative Party. Smart, feisty and resolute, Thatcher overcomes the scorn and patronization of her peers and becomes Britain's Prime Minister in 1977. Thatcher's economic policies generate angry backlash, but her victory in the Falklands War against Argentina shoots her popularity into the stratosphere. Eventually though, continued economic difficulty and distrust within her own party lead to Thatcher's ouster.

Director Phyllida Lloyd presents The Iron Lady as Oliver Stone-lite. Lloyd employs the same jerky narrative style, frantic editing and liberal use of stock footage as Nixon, without the political posturing. The flashback structure grated on this viewer, with Maggie's dementia-induced hallucinations of hubby Dennis (Jim Broadbent) growing tiresome. Once the story properly started it grows compelling, if a bit shallow.

Iron Lady views Thatcher as a generally admirable person, politics aside. Writer Abi Morgan depicts Maggie as a tough cookie, insecure about her background, looked down upon by male politicos and never taken seriously. Her steely resolve and determination in the face of habitual condescension certainly comes off well. Thatcher's only fault here is growing too big for her own boots, leading to the unprecedented step of her own party ousting her. In this incarnation though, I couldn't help comparing her to Richard Nixon, a similarly resentful striver turned conservative icon.

Viewers like me won't learn much about the Thatcher era. The movie skims over most of her tenure as PM, showing troubles with the IRA, the Falklands War, the fall of the Iron Curtain and economic turmoil without explaining any of it. A figure as polarizing as Thatcher needs some exploration and analysis beyond slogans. Perhaps Lloyd and Morgan wished to skirt controversy while focusing on Thatcher personally, an understandble biopic expedient. Given the film's reception though, they didn't really succeed.

Meryl Streep won another Oscar for her performance. Her Maggie is more likeable than the real thing but Streep's striking resemblance and layered performance are remarkable. Streep handles the character very well as the social climber, the tough party leader, the abrasive PM and the doddering old woman. Good show.

The Iron Lady is an entertaining but superficial movie. A film that probed more deeply into Thatcher's policies and beliefs would have been better but this is a decent-enough try.

A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread - and Thou.....

Tomorrow is a special day.

It marks forty years of wedded bliss for Mrs Linen and me.

The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is one that is so often taken for granted. But, it is not a one off sacrament; it remains with you throughout your married life and its graces will rise and fall according to how much one applies the required acts of patience, humility, love and forbearance that a successful union demands.

We have been blessed with a happy marriage and four children. What more could one desire?

And we now crave the simple life, no bright lights and swish restaurants for us. We plan to celebrate tonight (as we shall be at Mass on Sunday and it's a long drive back - thank you Bishop).

We shall wend our way far from the throng to a lonely beach (weather permitting).

In my knapsack will be a bottle of wine and.......err.....um.....fish and chips for two...ahem.....to hell with the expense!

That is how we wish to celebrate our first forty years together. How romantic say some; how mean say others...but it's our choice.

So, "A jug of wine, fish and chips and Thou..."  may not quite have the same poetic ring to it that Omar Khayyam may have intended but it will do nicely for us.

Not quite what Omar had in mind

And just for the record we were married at The Church of the Holy Name, Esher, Surrey.
Father Richard Sutherland RIP (son of the famous Halliday) did the necessary and provided a fine sermon that I can still remember quite well today.

He took the Wedding Feast at Cana as his homily (an obvious choice perhaps but Fr S had a fine way with words).

One sentence in particular still rings in my ears:


"Love has no levels; you cannot half love someone, you either love them wholly and fully or not at all. A married couple must remember that and ensure that their marriage reflects that fact; just as Almighty God loves us all wholly and without reserve."

It's easier than skiing - celebrating the Latin Mass

I posted earlier in the week stating that celebrating the Latin Mass was not exactly easy but neither was it hard.

Now, after scratching around in my press cuttings file I find a letter that was published in The Catholic Herald that makes it quite clear that it is actually easy - the author of the letter?

None other than Father Julian Large, Cong. Orat., new Provost of the London Oratory.

Fr Large must have written the letter at least six years ago and I hope that he does not mind me bringing it to the light of day but, some young seminarian may draw great comfort from it.

Here it is...........

"Sir - I never passed a driving test, I do not ski and I can hardly swim.
My violin teacher advised me to give up all hope of learning to play any musical instrument on my second lesson.

I failed Maths O -level twice, and my French makes Parisian waiters wince.

I did, however, manage to teach myself how to celebrate the Traditional Mass (report, February 22nd).

It took one week reading J O'Connell's 'The Celebration of Mass' and practising on the desk in my room, and an hour's dry run with a patient priest the day before my ordination in 2003.

It can't be so difficult."

Great! Now it just requires that a Bishop upon reading my blog (extremely unlikely) takes the initiative (a word seldom found in or around Cathedrals) and orders 50 copies of this wonderful book and instructs orders his priests to do as Fr Large did and learn it, pdq!

And here's another example of a 'Distance Learning' resource that is also available (aka training video).......credit to the FSSP....

                                      The EF Mass - "It can't be so difficult"

Your Classic Movie SUCKS #6: American Beauty

The word pretentious has a bad rap. Overused by web dwellers and faux-cineastes, it's certainly apropos for movies that profess significance while delivering nothing. Rarely is such approbation more deserved than with American Beauty (1999), an irredeemably hollow piece of garbage.

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is going through a midlife crisis. His menial job is in jeopardy, his marriage with status-obsessed Carolyn (Annette Bening) is on the rocks, his daughter Jane (Thora Birch) will barely speak to him. But when he meets Jane's friend Angela (Mena Suvari) he suddenly becomes rejuvenated. Lester gets in shape, quits his job and befriends videographer/pot dealer Ricky (Wes Bentley), son of an oppressive Marine Colonel (Chris Cooper). Lester finds contentment, even as Carolyn cheats on him and Jane falls for Ricky. Of course, his transformation won't be complete unless he seduces Angela.

Critics and audiences love American Beauty: it won Best Picture, and currently has an 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Loaded with obvious symbolism and pointed "themes," it's an easy film to dissect and defend. This viewer found it thoroughly facile, a live-action cartoon loaded with self-indulgence.

Let's start with Lester. Presented as a repressed Everyman, he's a seriously warped character. His myriad neuroses could, in better hands, make for a fascinating story, if recognized for what it is. Instead, the movie celebrates his descent into puerility as righteous rebellion against "the System." Watch Lester tell off his wife while jerking off! See him blackmail his stuffy boss! Marvel as he contemplates statutory rape! What a guy. Maybe next he can beat up Brad Pitt and fashion bombs out of soap.

Director Sam Mendes and writer Alan Ball don't help by surrounding Lester with contrived caricatures. Ricky is the worst, a voyeuristic creep presented as a pop philosopher. Angela is equally ill-conceived, a faux-nympho with a laughable "revelation." The homophobic Colonel and materialistic Carolyn are convenient strawmen to kick around. None are remotely believable except as tools to elevate Lester's moral status.

Beauty's phoniness extends beyond its characters. Ball presents stilted sitcom dialogue as barbed wit. All of the character arcs and story threads come together with deadening predictability. Will a homophobe be outed? Will Lester get to publicly shame his philandering wife? Will the "bad girl" turn out to be all talk? Where did Beauty come up with such fresh, original ideas? No wonder it won five Oscars.

Mendes and legendary photographer Conrad Hall craft a slick-looking product, beautifully shot and visually crafted. But too often the visuals are either contrived or skull-crushingly ostentatious. The rose petal motif becomes tiresome through overuse. Then there's the plastic bag, an empty symbol apropos of nothing.

Here lies the crux of the problem. If Beauty were a broad satire, or had a scintilla of self-awareness, it would be easier to swallow. Instead, it postures as a deep, penetrating drama when it's really vacuous nonsense. Its targets are easy, its "symbolism" subtle as an H-Bomb, its message celebrating irresponsible narcissism.

Kevin Spacey tackles an impossible role with aplomb. His performance is certainly daring and I'd be apt to praise it, if I could buy Lester for a second. Other good actors fare even worse: Annette Bening plays a one-note shrew, Chris Cooper's (The Town) character is thoroughly fake, Allison Janney catatonic, Thora Birch somnambulistic, Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games) an eyebrow-slanting pervert. Then there's poor Mena Suvari, mixing smut talk with an unbelievable last-minute transformation.

American Beauty sucks. That this won Best Picture over The Insider is a crime worthy of prosecution by the Hague. Heck, I enjoyed Orca more than this overstuffed compost heap.

It's too late to ask Catholic schoolchildren to respond

News is coming through about the Catholic Education Service and its request to 385 Catholic Secondary schools to support the campaign opposing homosexual "marriage".

It would be interesting to hear from some Secondary school teachers on this issue but my estimate is that it is too late, Catholic schools, or most of them, are Catholic in name only.

There is no longer any depth of knowledge leading to a fervent faith, no spirit of concern for moral issues other than saving the whale and recycling old copies of The Tablet to make bedding for rabbits and guinea pigs (you see, it does have a use).

With most young people that I meet (and I do meet a fair number in the course of earning my crust), you cannot tell if they are Catholic.

They display an almost total lack of ignorance about the faith and they tend to have very liberal views on issues such as homosexuality, IVF and cohabiting together.
Their lives are dominated by their regard for 'self' and if 'self' reckons that it's OK for two men or two women to live together as husband and wife....what's the problem?

This is a cynical view but it is a realistic one. There are exceptions and there are some exceptional schools but they probably account for less than ten per cent of the total, just 38 decent schools in the whole of England and Wales, probably a lot less.

Dear me. Somebody has not been doing a very good job - who could that be?

Of course, the Godless ones have jumped on the bandwagon and have started their mantra about it being a "political" issue and therefore outside the remit of the Church Authorities. The Humanists and Secularists are also promising to pursue any breach of the laws that may occur as a result of this lobbying.

Sadly, I don't think they have much to fear. I would love to be proved wrong.

We are Catholic gypsies

This phrase was used recently by a friend to describe our present state: we travel long distances to Mass, we are disenfranchised, homeless, despised by our fellow Catholics and disliked by those who have authority over us.

Good morning Bishop!

We are the wanderers who live hand to mouth, never sure that, should the time come, there will be a proper priest to bestow the final sacrament upon us.

A romantic notion is it not? A self pitying one? No, not that.

Romantic, maybe. But it also happens to be true and there are times when I get *****y fed up with it.

I mean, what would be so difficult about providing a Latin Mass in say, ten percent of the parishes (instead of one per cent).

Living in a large city as a traditional Catholic may mean a train or bus journey to Mass but here in wild and woolly Wales, every Mass we attend costs us around £28 each Sunday and, in terms of time, it takes up most of the day.

Tsk, tsk! you say; how dare you reduce Mass to calculations regarding petrol costs and your own precious time.

And, indeed, there are others worse off than us "gypsies" but that argument wears a bit thin after the first twenty years or so.

It is not as if we were asking for something unachievable, for something that was inherently bad that would lower our spiritual defences; quite the opposite.

The Holy Father has determined that we should have both an "Ordinary" Mass and an "Extraordinary" one - so why then do Bishops only make provision for the Ordinary one?

How can a Bishop sleep easy in his bed at night knowing that he has failed (and failed wretchedly) to comply with the Pope's express wishes?

Does he go to sleep blissfully happy that he has fulfilled his pastoral role to the letter?
Thinking that his flock all believe that he is the best thing since sliced bread?

Or, does he fretfully toss and turn in the knowledge that, in reality, a section of his flock believe him to be of slightly less use than a chocolate teapot?

The Latin Mass....outside an abortuary

H/T to New Advent for flagging up this one. Click HERE to see the post in full including one great photo of the Denver priest, Fr Joseph Hearty, at the moment of the Consecration.

"According to the Register, over 300 people attended the rally, which ended with a second Latin Mass celebrated by Fr. Hearty. There were so many at the final Mass that the priest returned to the altar four times to break up the hosts for distribution before finally running out".

Brazillian Bishop Honoured by Freemasons

How bizarre.

If I saw pictures of our Bishop being honoured at a local Masonic event, I would be going ballistic right now.

Rorate Caeli reported that Brazillian Bishop, Luiz Demetrio Valentini of the Diocese of Jales, went on April 10th to the Masonic Lodge "Colonel Balthazar" in Jales, in honor of its 53rd anniversary.

Here is His Lordship being welcomed into the Lodge. Why is everyone in 'clerical dress' except His Lordship, I wonder? It couldn't be, could it, that involvement with Freemasons diminishes Catholic truth, Catholic belief and Catholic identity? All very odd and more than a little concerning. Hopefully, the involvement of Bishops with Masonic lodges is confined to the Diocese of Jales. 

"Death where is thy sting?"

There are some people who are quite phobic about death. Understandable, in a sense, especially if they do not have a faith.

Others refuse to discuss the subject or refer to it euphemistically as though it does not exist or will never happen.

But it does happen.
 Sometimes without warning, sometimes in illness and, inevitably, in old age.

We cannot avoid it but we can, as Catholics, prepare ourselves for a new and much better life; and one that will be eternal.

This clip shows a young boy who, at the time was terminally ill and who has since died.
He shows an amazing acceptance of the situation and an equally amazing appreciation of what lies ahead for him.

H/T to Fr Z for covering it and to Kathryn Lopez who first posted on Garvan.

Imam jailed for child molestation

You would think that such a headline would command lead position in the tabloids, at least for a few days.

After all, a Muslim cleric in a position of trust, attacking small boys....it's a red top journalist's dream is it not?

Actually, it is a journalist's nightmare because all crimes of paedophilia, as any fool knows, are committed by Catholic priests and they are easy targets while, a Muslim in the dock could produce all sorts of repercussions for any reporter involved  - you know what I mean.

Teachers, Vicars, Sports Coaches, Bus Drivers and especially Muslims, do not indulge in such perverted acts.

Policemen never do it, Doctors don't.

And Members of Parliament and Lawyers never do (well, I'm half right).

But this particular crime, together with the threats made by the local Muslim community to the mother of the boys (telling her that she was the sinful one), never saw the light of day beyond the local paper.

Of course, there will be some among you who will be thinking that this is a case of "double standards" but I could not possibly comment.......ahem.

Extracts of the local news coverage below:

"AN IMAM who sexually assaulted two boys has been jailed for three years.
Yazeid Osama Aqqad, 24, of Alfreton Road, Radford, touched one boy when he was sitting on his lap on two occasions and abused another boy after inviting him to sit on his lap.

The mother of the two boys has been "vilified" by the Muslim community for reporting the assaults, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
She has been subjected to "a number of unpleasant incidents" including an episode at her home and damage to her car, Sarah Knight, prosecuting, said.
The mother told the court she felt the acts were aimed at encouraging her to withdraw the allegations because in the eyes of the Muslim community, she had committed a sin.
Aqqad denied the offences during his trial, but was found guilty unanimously of three allegations of sexual assault on a male child under the age of 13 years".

From: This is Nottingham

Oh to be in Richmond......

.......now that bigotry's there



The Godless ones are at it again, this time in the leafy borough of Richmond-upon-Thames - home of boating, bijou brasseries, baristas and many pubs serving delicious Young's beer (almost as good as.....well you know the rest).

You see, something terrible is happening in this peaceful town, the Catholic authorities wish to build two new schools, one primary and one secondary.

Shock! Horror!
It's enough to make one spill one's Earl Grey.

The nerve and cheek of Catholics - wanting to bring their children up in their own faith, indoctrinating them (if only) and brain washing them so that they, in turn will have children themselves when adult (and in a heterosexual married state) and so the Catholic faith will be passed on from generation to generation.

What was it Cromwell said when he exterminated Irish Catholics willy nilly? (to such a degree that the holocaust, viewed per head of population, was positively liberal) - he said: "Nits make lice"

That's a good reason for a Humanist or a rancid Puritan to annihilate children as well as adults, "Nits make lice", a chilling phrase if ever there was one.

I'm surprised that BPAS or Marie Stopes have not adopted it as an advertising banner.

So, well done for Westminster Diocese for pushing ahead to seek planning approval and here is how Francis Phillips reported on the matter in The Catholic Herald.....

"....The BHA argue that if the council ratifies the plans they are flouting new rules from the Education Act 2011 that state: “If a local authority in England think a new school needs to be established in their area, they must seek proposals for the establishment of an Academy’ [i.e. a Free School]. Proposals are then adjudicated by the Department for Education (DfE).”

A statement from the BHA continues: “Richmond Council has been clear that it thinks the borough needs a Catholic secondary school to complement its existing Catholic primaries, and that there is also a need for a new Catholic primary to provide additional places. They say that the Act allows them to go ahead with Voluntary Aided Catholic schools without first following the above rule.

“The BHA is concerned that this offers a way of opening religious schools in the face of public opposition by the back door, avoiding the competition that would otherwise be required.”


This challenge to the Church looks as if it is a sign of things to come.

Who else will contest a planning application for a new Catholic School in the future? 

The Freemasons, the Communists, Liberal Democrats (same thing), The Royal and Ancient Order of Water Shrews?


So enjoy this verse while you may.....England may not be around for much longer.

Oh, to be in England
Now that April 's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!

And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossom'd pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray's edge—
That 's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children's dower
—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

Nuns on the Run

The 1980s comedy worked only because the robbers actually dressed as nuns...

Both Sister Act and Nuns on the Run, the lesser known 1980s comedy worked as nun-based musicals or comedies because the characters dressed distinctively as nuns.

Yet, people dressing up as a nun nowadays appears to be more common at stag parties and hen nights than in convents. Many nuns have outgrown their habits and fallen into new ones.

Well, you can imagine that there are nuns out there either going into hiding or dusting off their wimples in the attic in case there is some kind of inspection of the convent because the times 'they are a-changin'.

Meanwhile, great supporters of nuns who openly disagree with doctrine and tenets of the Catholic Faith, like The Tablet, are speaking up in defence of those poor sisters whose only crime was to move 'beyond Jesus'.

Professor Margaret Susan Thompson, writing for The Tablet's blog says that support for the renegade nuns is 'overwhelming'. It certainly is in The Tablet's office and perhaps, to a point, support for dissenting nuns is 'overwhelming' in parts of the Church which believe that the Second Vatican Council called for the Church's members to distance themselves from Catholicism. Professor Thompson reports on the recent investigation into 'the orthodoxy of the US's Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and the "visitation" of active congregations of US sisters'...

'Although carried out entirely in secret, its outcome was made public on Wednesday, 18 April, when it was announced that a three-man committee of bishops, chaired by Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, Washington, has been appointed to "oversee" and "reform" its operation.'

The key phrase there is that this investigation was led by a committee of Bishops. Guess what! Those Bishops were men! A secretive three-man patriarchical power grab over women has taken place and they're working from Seattle! Sisters! Rise up! Just going by the tone of The Tablet's writer, you get the sense that the movements taking place within the Church, as She calls to account those Catholic orders and religious that refuse to recognise dissent for what it is, or who aim to move 'beyond Catholicism', are getting some people rather worried.

Perhaps, The Tablet are a little concerned that one day they may come in for some serious investigation themselves. By that time, of course, the 'overwhelming' support for The Tablet which they could rely on in bygone times will have dwindled somewhat. Who would mind if The Tablet disappeared or lost its claim to be a 'Catholic weekly'? Re-defining Catholicism has been The Tablet's big idea for a long while now. Now, however, that the Catholic definition is being defined - re-presented - by Rome, assertively and authoritatively, the Tablet board must be wondering when it will be their turn for some close inspection.

Another Tablet blogger, Fr Kevin Hegarty complains that the investigation into the LCWR is an indication that the Church is becoming a cold place to be for liberal Catholics. Hmm...that's because, Father, someone, somewhere has worked out where the heating switch is, having gained access to the boiler room. It had to happen sooner or later. There's only one answer: Send pullovers to liberals.

Celebrating the Latin Mass is easy!

Actually, it would be more accurate to state that celebrating the Latin Mass is not difficult, "easy" is, perhaps, not the right word to use.

To those who have never witnessed a Latin Mass I urge them to watch the video clip below; to those who maintain that the Novus Ordo is the Mass for them - again, watch the video clip.

As an altar server I have been privileged to witness at close quarters, the intimacy between the celebrant priest and the Body and Blood of Christ.
The complex and detailed moves of the priest's hands, the blessings and reverent actions that weave themselves throughout the fabric of what is truly an Extraordinary Form of Mass. The whispered prayers, the sense that God is truly present.

These are missing in the new Mass, the Ordinary Form of Mass. As Father Baker of Downham Market used to say: "They have put the liturgy into a boiler suit".
 I can find no finer way of expressing the change from the Mass in the sacred Latin form to the bland and indifferent vernacular.

I was brought up to serve the Dominican Rite of the Latin Mass - now, alas gone from my memory. But for those who have converted to the faith within the past 40 years or so there is no need for alarm. If I remember correctly, there are no major differences between the rites, a few tweaks at the prayers at the foot of the altar is all that those in the pew might notice. Both are holy and both are good and I would dearly like to attend a Dominican Mass once more.

Two elements are wrong in this Mass. Can you spot them? Answers in the comments box please.

Why?

A friend of mine emailed me to tell me that the above music makes him feel like the music below...

He asked me to do a blogpost on why it might be that 'Bread of Life' and such ditties repulse him so much. 'There must be a reason', he said. There is, Bro, most certainly.

It's because the 'Bread of Life' song is sh*te. The Church's back catalogue of incredible, transcendent music written by geniuses inspired by the Holy Spirit is extensive and yet parishes still wheel out 'hits'  from the 1970s. It's enough to make anyone want to slit their wrists in desperation.

However, if you have any more penetrating thoughts on the subject of quite why the music still sung in many Catholic parishes is so repellent, do go over to my friend's blog and give him your ideas. My opinion is that 'Bread of Life' isn't the music of the Catholic Church. It's the music of a strange 1970s cult. That's presumably why so many people fled the Church in droves.

The vast majority of Catholic music before the 1970s is surely either itself prayer inspired by God, or prayerful music to dispose us towards Him, or, more common than not, both. 'Bread of Life', in trying to praise the Divine on man's terms, instead of God's, fails to honour either the Divinity or even our humanity. That's the key to it.  It's not reality. It's a smokescreen.

It speaks of a concept of God or a notion of God, rather than of God Himself. It is trying to 'explain' God, rather than allowing God to explain Himself or reveal Himself on His terms. The psalms contain the vast range of human yearning for God and desire to seek His Face. Similarly, the music of the Catholic Church is a prayer, expressing joy, gratitude, sorrow or awe in the Presence of God. The 'feelings' associated with those prayers are not the focus, however. The focus of prayer is upon God who has given us the 'spirit of adoption' so that we could do Him praise and worship with due reverence.

Secular music works in its proper setting because it is from the heart, whether they be tales of woe or joy. Take Portishead, for example. You can tell that woman was heartbroken for some reason or another. It respects our humanity.

Music used in the worship of God works in its proper setting because it is from God Himself.  Man could not find a way to praise God so God gave man the prayers and the music in order that He may be praised as is fitting for Him to be praised.  Gregorian Chant respects God's Divinity and in doing so, not only respects our humanity, but lifts our humanity out of whatever bizarre hovel we happen to be inhabiting in our lives in general at any given time. Prayer is about Christ condescending to us and us being taken up by Christ to glory. Then along came the 1970s and some men thought they could improve on the genre of Church music altogether by completely destroying it and replacing it with something entirely new, but incredibly dated.

The fact that the vast riches of the Church's traditional music and liturgy are a gift from Almighty God consigned to the history bin in the vast majority of parishes in the United Kingdom is something else altogether, something that really needs to be discussed, hopefully at Episcopal level.  I think the Holy Father wrote a letter or an encyclical to the Bishops about it.  What were those documents, again? Anyway, whatever it was, whatever they were, I'm sure their Lordships will read them one of these days.

It must be somewhere in the 'in-tray'. They'll get around to it, its just there's so much paperwork nowadays.

Orca

In the years following Jaws, theaters were overrun by killer creature features. Among the non-shark offenders: alligators, ants, barracuda, bats, bears, bees, bigfeet, crocodiles, dogs, elephants, giant squid, Loch Ness monsters, octopuses, piranha, prehistorical fish, sea turtles, sharktopuses, spiders, worms. Almost all of these ripoffs suck bilge, some achieving epochal bad movie status. Who can forget Grizzly, where Christopher George dispatches the titular bruin with a bazooka?

The most infamous is Orca (1977). Producer Dino De Laurentiis seriously thought he could outdo Steven Spielberg, resulting in this overblown monstrosity. It has moments of camp hysteria, but is mostly boring and ponderous.

Drunken sea captain Nolan (Richard Harris) kills a pregnant female killer whale, earning him the wrath of its mate. The surviving orca goes on a vendetta, laying waste to the Newfoundland town Nolan takes refuge in. After several of his buddies are killed, Nolan sets out to settle scores, with marine biologist Rachel (Charlotte Rampling) and a wise Indian (Will Sampson) in tow. Through a tragedy in his past, Nolan feels a personal connection to the whale, but his finny antagonist won't let bygones be bygones.

Orca hilariously kicks off with a whale killing a great white shark (take that Spielberg!) and goes more insane from there. Apparently thinking Jaws lacked sufficient pathos, the filmmakers jam early scenes with nauseating sentimentality. We see carefree orcas frolicking through the ocean. Director Michael Anderson provides close-ups of a whale eye weeping as its mate gets harpooned. Then the damned thing roars like a bear as Mrs. Orca miscarries a fetus onto the ship's deck (!).

I did not make up any of the proceding paragraph.

Orca sadly abandons this silliness for stultifying pretension. Characters spew an incomprehensible mixture of biology, nautical nonsense and tribal lore that undermines any credibility. Nolan and Rachel fall for each other, seemingly to mark time as they have nothing in common. Writers Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Donati (far removed from their Sergio Leone films) provide Nolan a tragic backstory which, all things considered, is laughable. Killer whale rampages don't lend themselves to deep character drama.

But the last straw is the ludicrous attack scenes. This is a resourceful cetacean, blowing up half the town by gnawing through a gas line, then pulling an entire house off its stilts. Of course it gloats over the destruction, leaping in the harbor as the town burns. Most amazingly, this marine Macguyver wants a mano-a-aleta showdown with Nolan. Perhaps Donati and Vincenzoni conceived this as a Spaghetti Western, complete with stylized flashbacks, ocular close-ups, and Ennio Morricone score. Even so, the protracted polar finale slavishly recycles Jaws.

Richard Harris's scenery-chewing provides some laughs, especially when the film tries for pathos. By contrast, Charlotte Rampling and Bo Derek find emotion a foreign concept. Will Sampson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) is an annoying stereotype, while Robert Carradine (The Long Riders) and Keenan Wynn (Dr. Strangelove) play whale munchies.

Orca is a whale of a flop. The movie neither makes sense nor scares, and even the unintentional humor wears thin pretty fast. If you're inclined to check out Jaws ripoffs, stick with Alligator, which is at least intentionally funny.

Abortion: Live with the BBC

The Daily Mail reports...

'The BBC will make broadcasting history when it runs a live two-hour show from an abortion clinic, it has been revealed.

Victoria Derbyshire, one of Radio 5 Live's top presenters, will interview patients and staff at an as yet unnamed clinic. The programme is due to be aired next month and is likely to feature conversations with women set to undergo terminations.

The show comes after a series of high-profile attempts by hackers to bring down the websites of abortion clinics and jeopardise their work. Since early March there have been at least 2,500 attempts to hack into the British Pregnancy Advisory Service's website with a third of those in the cyber-attack traced to computers in North America and a third to Russia.

James Jeffery, 27, was jailed for two years and eight months recently for stealing about 10,000 personal records of women held by BPAS. Derbyshire told the Independent: 'We have asked an abortion clinic for permission to broadcast and they have agreed. 'We appreciate the sensitivity around it and I would hope listeners would trust us to do it carefully.'

 She added that the show would 'give us an insight into an area of British life which is taboo'. Last month an undercover investigation revealed doctors at some abortion clinics were illegally allowing women to have terminations just because they wanted a baby of the opposite sex.

The Government told the Care Quality Commission to urgently investigate 320 abortion clinics and it has since emerged up to a fifth may be breaking the law. While visiting the clinics the watchdog’s inspectors found doctors were signing off consent forms for women to have abortions despite knowing nothing of their circumstances. Doctors are meant to have either seen patients in person or at the very least read their medical records.

A spokesman for the Prolife Alliance said that she felt the programme should not be aired. 'I think it will promote abortion more and trivialise it even more and show how easy the process is. 'We oppose all abortion but we would like to see a more robust implementation of the law. I think it will inevitably just promote the clinic that's doing it and will trivialise the issue even more.'

She added: 'This is the abortion lobby fighting back and if you do get on the websites you will find promotions that show how squeaky clean it all is, but this doesn't sound like cutting edge journalism. It's more like advertorial product placement.'

Darinka Aleksic, campaign co-ordinator at Abortion Rights said: 'We welcome the news that Radio 5 Live is planning to broadcast from an abortion provider. There is so much scaremongering and misinformation about abortion, in the media and especially online, that any move to destigmatise the procedure is a step forward.

'Provided it is handled sensitively, then this could be a useful way to let women know about the reality of abortion: that it is a safe, legal and common medical procedure. 'It's not about trivialising the issue – no woman takes the decision to have an abortion lightly. It's about letting people know that if they experience an unplanned pregnancy, abortion is one option open to them. 'One in three women will need to have an abortion at some point in her life, yet the issue is shrouded in so much shame and secrecy that it can be very hard for them to talk openly about.

Anything we can do to reduce that stigma is to be welcomed.' Last week it was revealed that women will soon be able to have the morning-after pill delivered by courier to their office. A 'pill-by-bike' emergency contraception service is being launched in London to save women from visiting their GP or waiting for the post to arrive. This is the first time the morning-after pill will be delivered to the door like a business contract, with the service prompted by customer demand. Women will be asked to fill out a form online and confirm they are 18 or over. The form is assessed by a doctor, with the pill delivered up to two hours later on a normal working day, although it may be possible to order online overnight and book a time for delivery the next day.'

St George, please pray for the BBC.

Look Back in Anger

An early entry in the British "kitchen sink" genre, Look Back in Anger (1959) is a challenge. Tony Richardson's adaptation of John Osborne's play is very unpleasant - deliberately so yes, but no better for it. Richard Burton's remarkable performance makes it easier to swallow.

Jimmy Porter (Richard Burton) epitomizes the "angry young man." Well-educated but working class, Porter sells candy at a market, moonlighting as a jazz musician. He's abusive to everyone, especially his roommate Cliff (Gary Raymond) and passive wife Alison (Mary Ure). Alison becomes pregnant, which in combination with the death of his mother (Edith Evans) pushes him over the edge. Alison's actress friend Helena (Claire Bloom) comes to live with them, and she falls for Jimmy just as Alison prepares to move out.

Look Back in Anger is fairly typical of this genre, mixing gritty direction with a downbeat view of '50s Britain. Jimmy can't get satisfaction out of life; despite his education he's stuck in a menial job and takes out his frustration on everyone. In a way he's shown as no better or worse than anyone else: others make an easy target of Indian Kapoor (S.P. Kapoor) for "stealing" their business. Richardson and Osborne ascribe no specific blame for Jimmy's plight, though a slimy inspector (Donald Pleasance) makes his job hell. He's merely the product of a society rotting inside out.

All this works up to a point, but Anger occasionally grows tiresome. Jimmy is such a fierce protagonist that his co-stars seem false or contrived. With no one willing to fight back, Jimmy's harangues start to lose their dramatic impact. For all the misanthropy, the plot is awfully conventional: we know Jimmy and Helena will hit it off the moment they trade blows, and the ending just cheats. Richardson's later Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner is much better realized, especially the brilliantly pointed finale.

Richard Burton had a checkered career, from the highs of Becket to excretia like Exorcist II. Often stiff and overblown, Burton is absolutely perfect here, full of passion and naturalism often lacking. He makes Jimmy completely warped and bitter, giving him a human core and roguish charm that don't ease his animal nastiness. It's easily Burton's best screen work.

Claire Bloom's headstrong Helena makes a perfect mismatch for Jimmy's misanthropy. On the other hand, Mary Ure (Where Eagles Dare) is such a doormat she quickly forfeits our sympathy. Gary Raymond's (El Cid) Cliff similarly comes off as a sucker for putting up with Jimmy. Donald Pleasance (Halloween) has an early supporting turn and Nigel Davenport (A Man for All Seasons) gets a walk-on.

Look Back in Anger isn't for all tastes, and even my patience was tried at times. Still, Burton keeps it mostly on an even keel.

Happy St George's Day

A very happy St George's Day, readers. St George is the patron Saint of England, as well as a host of other countries. You can read his biography here. According to this BBC description, yes, BBC...(St George, please pray for the BBC!)

'Very little, if anything, is known about the real Saint George. Pope Gelasius said that George is one of the saints "whose names are rightly reverenced among us, but whose actions are known only to God." 

According to the Beeb, these are the 'facts in brief'...

'Everything about Saint George is dubious, so the information below should be taken as mythical rather than real.

• Born in Cappadocia, an area which is now in Turkey 
• Lived in 3rd century AD 
• His parents were Christian 
• Later lived in Palestine 
• Became a Roman soldier 
• Protested against Rome's persecution of Christians 
• Imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith 
• Beheaded at Lydda in Palestine 
• 23rd April was named as Saint George's day in 1222'

I know we don't know that much about St George, but if these are 'facts in brief' about the life of St George, then why should these 'facts' then be described as 'mythical'. Is there such a thing as a 'mythical fact'?

I'm planning to go and see my friend George today, so will wish him a happy St George's day from long-term readers. These days we need St George's sense of chivalry, devotion, honour and love for Christ and His Church.

St George's Day!

On one plane...............

Tintoretto - St George slaying the dragon





And, on another..........................



And, yet another........................

Prayer to Saint George

Almighty God, who gave to your servant George boldness to Confess the Name of our Saviour Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.