3:10 to Southwark.....plus, some good news

                                     Time is running out for the prayer room lobby

Yes, just 24 hours to go before the letter goes to Archbishop Peter Smith asking him to investigate Muslim Prayer Rooms that have become established in some Catholic Madrassas Schools within his Archdiocese.

We do have a goodly number of signatures but, more are always welcome.

If you feel that it is wrong to provide such resources and would like to add your name to the letter, please leave your name in the comment box or email me on r.collinsassoc@btinternet.com 

So far, 63 people have stepped up to the mark for the Faith.

And the good news.....from Wales, no less.

Some may recall the brouhaha over Bishop Burns' plans to flatten an old(ish) church in the centre of the University town of Aberystwyth and sell off the site to some decent, kind hearted developers who will give him shedloads of cash as a result.

With some of the proceeds, the Bish aims to build a new (nu?) church some way outside the town centre, inconvenient for the old and also for the many Catholic students in this University town.

A group of parishioners oppose the plan whilst some, are in favour.

The planning application went before the Town Council a few days ago and they came out firmly in favour of restoring the old church of St Winefride rather than building a new round one looking like a 1950s spaceship somewhere in the bogs of Ceredigionshire.

Now, this is only the Town Council I am talking about, the decision really rests with the County Council but, I am sure they will listen with interest to what their colleagues have to say.

I am not a crystal ball gazer (how could I be?) but I wouldn't mind putting my beer money on a victory for those who prefer a central location and a church with character and ambience.....and a touch of the hermeneutic of continuity.

Please pray for all concerned, including the Bishop.

A church torn apart

This is another post on the parish church in Aberystwyth.

Bishop Tom Burns wants to flog off the site and build a new church (probably round and concrete) out of town, just too far for elderly and infirm parishioners and anyway, shouldn't the church be at the heart of the parish?

Those who oppose claim that the old church is basically sound and certainly salvageable, but of course, it needs a bit of cash thrown at it to get it up and working again.

The Bish would say, that those in opposition have added to the cost of re-building by inflicting delays upon proceedings, and, he is probably right.

But, my friend informs me that two thirds of the parish are opposed to the move and, if Bishop Tom runs a listening church in his diocese of Menevia, he must be a little hard of hearing.

There are claims and counter claims, surveyor's reports for and against.
I don't pretend to have an intimate knowledge of all the rights and wrongs but, a commentator has left some information which I post verbatim.

Only to say, if you wish to make an official comment to the authorities, you only have until 5th June:


St Winefride's Church: Diocese of Menevia application to demolish the church. Objections to be sent by 5 June, 2013. Quote planning application number (A130337 & A130338CA): Contact Mr Owain Davies Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion Penmorfa Aberaeron Ceredigion UK SA46 0PA Reasons for objections could be:- • Destruction of a historical church within the conservation area in Aberystwyth. • Evidence as given in SAVE report and Barratt reports show that church is structurally sound. • No one has seen the purported Insurance reports mentioned by the diocese that condemn the church. • Serious neglect of the building is the reason for recent fall of roof masonry. • That majority of parishioners want the church to remain central to Aberystwyth and not moved to the outskirts of the town. • A feasible option to develop and refurbish the church and Queen’s Rd site has not been explored fully by the diocese. 

Bishop Burns of Menevia credits bloggers with the ability to influence the Papal election

The Bishop may be over egging it slightly but there is a kernel of perception in what he says. Catholic bloggers have proved time and time again how they can influence both secular and Church affairs.

Sadly, it ends there. The remainder of the Bishop's statement to the press is absolutely crass and, some might say, disloyal to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

How much longer are we prepared to put up with such behaviour from those who are supposed to be the Princes of the Church?

The following is an extract from the 'Wales Online' report, as I am hurrying to catch a train, I have not had time to add my comments; perhaps that is just as well.

Pope Benedict XVI

Bishop of Menevia, Tom Burns wants a new freedom to discuss “currently prohibited” issues including contraception and the remarriage of divorced people.

He further suggests that the cardinals should look beyond their number to choose a successor to Benedict XVI.

The former Royal Navy chaplain writes: “If the cardinals have to look outside their own group, so be it. The last time was in 1378.

“The scene is set for yet another precedent.”

Among the radical changes he has proposed in the Catholic journal the Tablet, he calls for church government to be “stripped of status and elitism” and suggests “a root-and-branch review of the method of appointing bishops” and a third Vatican council.

He expects the internet to shape the decisions of the papal conclave, writing that “electors can probably not avoid being swayed by Twitter, Facebook, and blogs”.

In his article the bishop applauds the former Pope’s 2010 visit to Britain in which there “not a word out of place” but writes that “views emerging from the Vatican on homosexuality as ‘disordered’, appeared excessive, lacking Benedict’s usual distinctions.”

He continues: “He renewed the Church’s historical opposition to women priests, methods of stem-cell research, and enlightened thinking by liberal theologians.”

The bishop then lays out a vision for sweeping change, writing: “Whoever is elected, the time has come to re-open the doors and windows for a new blowing of the Spirit, even a Third Vatican Council, a freedom to discuss key ministerial concerns, freedom of research for ways ahead on key issues affecting marriage (eg the implications of re-marrying after divorce); re-examining ethical questions (eg just war theory, the sale of arms, acceptable intentions and methods of birth control, integrity in public and financial affairs); Church governance (eg developing a simpler and humbler servant Church model, less hierarchical and more collegial, stripped of status and elitism); promoting Vatican II’s principle of subsidiarity (eg through de-centralisation and greater transparency); improving relations between the Holy See and dioceses (eg a root-and-branch review of the method of appointing bishops); and bringing into the College of Cardinals a wider representation (eg of views, experience, traditions to be set and handed on into the future).”

The Welsh bishop argues that the former Pope should not be held personally responsible for the child abuse scandals, writing: “In the minefield of child sexual abuse, the blame attached to him was really unmerited, and his humble and heartfelt apologies were genuinely appreciated by many. It is not Benedict, but the priests convicted of such crimes, who have reduced the Church’s influence and doctrinal credibility.”

Praising Benedict’s decision to retire rather than die in the post, he writes: “In his last days in office, Benedict unwittingly showed a further dimension of his humility and selflessness, by opening the door to future popes to lay down their office freely, yet still respond to God’s call to contemplative prayer.”

He urges the conclave to “ open all doors and considerations,” adding: “The Spirit’s influence is needed to free the cardinal electors of considerations involving electoral blocs – nationalistic, geographical, conceptual, ageist – and there is no place for self-interest, ambition, or career benefits at lower levels.”

Stressing the personal strengths of the individual to take the helm of the church, he states: “Whoever is chosen has to be the right man in the right place at the right time, someone who can bring about much needed change and take others with him because his reputation is untainted and his future will not be enmeshed or smothered by Church bureaucracy, politics, and loneliness.”

He concludes with a final plea for change: “Let the new wine fill new wine skins.”

Read more: Wales Online 

A Priest stands up to his Bishop

More on the Aberystwyth Church of St Winefride, the one that the Bishop of Menevia, Thomas Burns, is keen to demolish so that the land may be sold for big money.
To be fair to the Bishop, he plans to spend £2.6 million on providing a new church, trouble is, it's well out of town and that does not appear to be so sensible.

But, the newly appointed Parish Priest, Fr Neil Evans, is having none of it.

He has resigned from his post on the Bishop's board of trustees.

Here is how The Cambrian News reported the matter:-




A CATHOLIC priest has resigned from the diocese board of trustees just days after taking command at St Winefride’s Church in Aberystwyth, writes Antony Gedge.
Father Neil Evans stood down as a Diocese of Menevia trustee because he opposes controversial plans to demolish the church, replace it with a housing development and build a new church in Penparcau.
It was also revealed this week that Father Neil has been homeless since taking over at St Winefride’s because the presbytery used by outgoing priest Father Ross Patterson has now been closed on health and safety grounds.
Church bosses say insurers won’t allow it to be occupied. And it is feared that the church will close at the end of the month for the same reason.
Church bosses say the buildings are too costly to repair but objectors have produced a surveyor’s report which suggests they can be easily repaired.In a letter sent to Bishop Tom Burns and copied for parishioners, Father Neil launched a scathing criticism of how the church authority has dismissed the possibility of renovating the church.
He said: “As you know, I have been unhappy about the failure of the trustees to adequately address, with conviction and resolution, other possible solutions to the problems facing us in Aberystwyth. Unfortunately the perception exists that the trustees have from the beginning pursued with conviction and resolution only the last option.
“Of course, it may well be that, in the end, this last option proves to be the only option left to us (even if not the best option), and so there will be no choice but to knock down the present church and presbytery and build new in Penparcau.

Fr Neil is a humble and holy man and also, obviously, a brave one. It takes real courage to face up to Bishop Burns. Please remember him (and the Bishop) in your prayers.

NB The full text of Fr Neil's letter will be posted tomorrow, Saturday 20th October.....here!

And after the Feastday Mass - a feast!

I was prompted, by Fr Tim Finigan's post (see HERE) to remind all about the Latin Mass in England for the great feast of The Assumption, that we, here in wild and woolly Wales, also have a Latin Mass on that great day.

                                                       Source: The Hermeneutic of Continuity

It is, in fact, the ONLY EF Mass to be celebrated in Wales on 15th August.....shame on you Cardiff and Wrexham.
What are you thinking of? A country of an estimated 250,000 Catholics and it can only lay claim to one TLM on this great feast of Our Blessed Mother?

It's a real SP failure, I mean, of course, a Supremely Pathetic failure.

Cardiff has a relatively new Archbishop and Wrexham a very new Bishop, time for them to follow the lead of the Bishop of Menevia (Thomas Burns) and extractum digiti (or whatever).


But...I nearly forgot the good news......Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the parish of the Sacred Heart, Morriston, just outside Swansea at 12 noon...to be followed by a bunfight feast of decorous proportions.

All solvent and insolvent Catholics and those interested in the Catholic Faith are welcome...but bring a pork pie or something in the way of a provender contribution.

You will meet an array of interesting folk from all walks of life and also have the chance of kicking a Catholic blogger in the shins!

Of course, you may also wish to bring what in Somerset they used to call a bit of "O be joyful" - whatever that may mean.

* Please note: I have been informed that there will be a 7pm EF Mass at Abergavenny on 15th August but, sorry to appear ungrateful, that is not an appropriate time for families with children.