Smeaton's Corner

Rosary at Tyburn for the conversion of Europe

2011-12-02T17:35:00.000Z

"Go out and convince the world that it must be dedicated to the Blessed Virgin if it will find peace" ~ Pope Pius XII

Inspired by a homily of Dom Andrew Southwell OSB Juventutem London are beginning a Rosary for the conversion of Europe on Tuesday 13th December, 6.30pm near the site of the Tyburn Tree. The site of the Tyburn Tree is at the southern end of the Edgware Road on the traffic island opposite the Odeon cinema. The closest tube station is Marble Arch. *UPDATE* We will meet at the Speakers Corner coffee hut in Hyde Park, opposite the site of the Tyburn Tree and begin our prayers in the park. We'll walk to Tyburn during the final decade and conclude there with a blessing from Fr Redman.

The Rosary will be led by Father Alexander Redman and will include a reflection on the English Martyrs and the power of the Rosary. Brown Scapulars will be available and it will possible to enrol after the Rosary.

Afterwards we'll go somewhere nearby for a social, albeit probably with an earlier finish for most of us than our Friday evening gatherings.

As ever, all our welcome, to join us in prayer, but the social afterwards is only for those aged 18-35, with an exception made for priests and religious.

Juventutem London pray at the site of the Tyburn Tree after the vigil with Pope Benedict XVI in Hyde Park, 2010

In the early part of the thirteenth century Saint Dominic, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Angelus the Carmelite, met one day on a street corner in Rome (a chapel still stands at the spot to commemorate this event). Saint Dominic then uttered a famous prophecy:

"To my Order, the Blessed Virgin will entrust a devotion to be known as the Rosary and to your Order, Angelus, She will entrust a devotion to be known as the Scapular. One day through the Rosary and the Scapular, She will save the world."

www.freebrownscapular.com

Please pray for the conversion of Philip Nitschke

2011-11-15T16:55:00.002Z

This is part two of a two part report.

Part one.

Please write to the venues still due to host Nitschke and also write to the venues which have already done so. It's likely that he will try to use them again. Also please write to local representatives in York and anybody you think might be able to alert people to the danger of allowing Dr Nitschke a public platform.

London, 12 Nov: Dragon Hall info@dragonhall.org.uk
Eastbourne, 14 Nov: Eastbourne Riviera Hotel eastbourneriviera@yahoo.co.uk
Edinburgh, 19 Nov: St Mark’s Artspace enquire@edinburgh-unitarians.org.uk
York, 21 Nov: Priory Street Centre psc@yorkcvs.org.uk

As in part one my comments are in red and in square brackets [like this].

~

In the final part of his talk Dr Nitschke instructed the audience in putting pressure on doctors to agree to covert euthanasia.

Nitschke then turned his attention once again to the limitations of euthanasia legislation. He cited the example of the Crofts, a healthy couple in their eighties who agreed to a suicide pact after attending a number of his seminars. The Crofts simply wanted to avoid any sufferings that might occur as they got older. Nitschke said that such non-medical deaths would never be allowed in legislation. [Nitschke is only interested in the law in so far as it supports his belief that anybody who wants to should be able to die whenever they want. He doesn't offer care or support. So somebody who is going through a tough time who would recover with the necessary support, won't get that support from Nitschke or from Exit International. They won't be helped to bear their sufferings. They'll get encouraged to get themselves all the necessary materials to cause their own death, while simultaneously being told that Exit isn't encouraging them to commit suicide.]

Nitschke then turned to the example of Lisette Nigot who for years told him that she intended to die at the age of eighty. Lisette was not ill and she claimed that she wasn't depressed [mental health experts have contested this] but simply that she didn't have anything to live for. A video was then shown of her story. Ms Nigot said that the only reason she wanted to die was that "she had had enough...that there is no point in living if there is nothing to live for". [This is deeply sad and hints at the biggest problem we face, which I will discuss below.]

The video later moves to a scene of Nitschke and Lisette sitting around a table with the lethal substances placed on the table before them. Dr Nitschke asked her: "don't feel like waiting for Christmas?" Lisette replied "I loathe Christmas. Anything that concerns Christ in any way I detest". [And there we have it. After an hour of a radical death promoter citing pseudo-ethics to justify his perverse work we finally see a glimpse of the spiritual darkness which engulfs the pro-death lobby. Ultimately all attacks on human life are attacks on Christ, and it is under His banner that our work combating the culture of death is most powerful.]

Dr Nitschke then discussed what he considers to be the growing problem of internet censorship. He said that governments use the excuse of censoring child pornography and in the same process would sites such as Exit. He asked rhetorically whether due to these consequences any form of censorship could really be considered acceptable. [They say you can know a man by the company he keeps. Nitschke can't condemn child pornography and say it should be censored for the good of the public well-being, because he knows that once you start tackling the sinister elements in society with censorship it won't be long before you come for a guy who encourages you to get illegal drugs any way you can so that you can kill yourself.]

Dr Nitschke then addressed the strategy of groups who wish to stop him doing his work. He noted that in the past venue after venue had been closed. He showed a slide of some of the recent blog-posts protesting the talks including Christian Medical Comment and SPUC. He said that on this occasion it was a particular concern that the Scottish talk would be cancelled due to the opposition of the Church in Scotland.

The meeting concluded and tea and biscuits were served.

~

My final reflections

In recent weeks I have attended an abortion rights meeting, I have prayed outside Blackfriars Oxford (a Catholic Hall of Oxford University who invited a pro-abortion MP to speak at a conference of theirs) and I have now attended a talk by Philip Nitschke, one of the most radical members of the pro-death lobby. Of all of these occasions I have no doubt that the vigil outside Blackfriars was the most significant.

In some ways the vigil at Blackfriars felt a little silly. Not because it wasn't a worthy cause for reparation, but because there are so many scandals within the Church today of such gravity that it almost felt like an arbitrary place to start. Ultimately we can only do what we can and I've no doubt our prayers there will bring forth fruit.

The Church is in a state of crisis, which few of her members recognise and fewer still understand and seek to improve. The scandals within the Church in England are so widespread that were I to organise vigils all week I would hardly begin to scratch the surface of the betrayal of the flock by our spiritual leaders. Consequently most people don't see the Church in all her glory. So is it any wonder that people like Lisette Nigot lose hope? The Church is the institution personally founded by God to give hope to the world. If we don't do this then we can't expect anybody else to.

There is always a reason to live: to return the love God constantly offers us. Without God it is easy to lose hope and look for short-cuts to suffering. It was with this in mind that I wrote to Philip Nitschke at the end of his talk. To memory the letter I wrote went something along the lines of:

Dear Dr Nitschke,
I have just listened to you speak for the past hour. Therefore I'm sure that you'll agree I'm prepared to listen to what you have to say.
You are correct in saying that having the knowledge of how to die is not the only reason people want to die. Nor is this the primary reason.
What you do not address is what happens after death. Should this ever interest you these two items will come in handy. Use them before it's too late! I will pray for you, but you shouldn't depend on me.
In Christ,
Paul

I then folded the note up with a Rosary and a Brown Scapular inside and handed it to Nitschke. Please pray for him.

"One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the world."

~ Words spoken to Saint Dominic by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1208 when she appeared to him.

Dr Philip Nitschke says get your own drugs to kill yourself - but he's not encouraging suicide apparently...

2011-11-14T17:30:00.043Z

"A person commits an offence under section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961 if he or she does an act capable of encouraging or assisting the suicide or attempted suicide of another person, and that act was intended to encourage or assist suicide or an attempt at suicide. This offence is referred to in this policy as "encouraging or assisting suicide". The consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is required before an individual may be prosecuted."

Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Encouraging or Assisting Suicide

What follows is my report of the public meeting held by Exit International and addressed by Dr Philip Nitschke this past Saturday at the Dragon Hall Community Centre. It's not too late to make your complaints known to Dragon Hall. They hosted Nitschke last year too, so it's likely they'll host him again. I called them last week and they dismissed my concerns out of hand. They're less likely to do so if lots of people contact them. My notes are in square brackets and in red [like this].

For background on Dr Nitschke you can see Dr Peter Saunders' recent post, a post by Wesley Smith earlier this year, a post by Alex Schadenberg or just search around - there's plenty out there and he tends not to hold back from saying what he thinks.

~

Tom Curran of Exit International Europe welcomed and introduced Dr Nitschke.

He said: "The concept of Exit is to provide information to help people make end of life choices". He stressed that it wasn't about prompting people one way or the other but about giving them information to make good decisions. [Tom knew and I knew that the only information that was going to be presented was information about how to kill yourself. Where's the helping to make good decisions in that?]

Dr Nitschke introduced the topic of the meeting as 'why it makes sense for every elderly or ill adult to know how they could peacefully and reliably end their life'. He said that he hoped everybody in the room would agree with him. [Please note: apparently this isn't encouraging suicide - it's just telling you how best to do it if you decide you want to. OKAY?...].

Dr Nitschke said that one of the difficulties surrounding the way you end your life is the structure of the law. He cited the UK Criminal Law 1961, Section 2. In light of this he urged the audience not to wait until you're sick to organise your end of life decision, because if you do you may need to involve somebody else and this still runs a legal risk. [Nitschke just told you to go out and get the necessary means to kill yourself. He's not just telling you how to do it, but he's telling you to make sure you have the means available should you decide you want to kill yourself. You see it's all about you. And how do you know that? Because Dr Nitschke told you so.]

Dr Nitschke analysed the recent guidelines on the prosecution of assisted suicide and said that it was a negative aspect of the guidelines that people could be punished for assiting in suicide if they encouraged the person to commit suicide, or if they could benefit financially from the person's death. [Nitschke isn't concerned about people being encouraged to commit suicide and the impact this might have on them. He doesn't think it's a problem if people who can gain financially from the death of another encourages that person to die. Could that be because he makes his living encouraging people to die?]

Dr Nitschke turned his attention to the 1996 law in the Northern Territory, Australia, where euthanasia was temporarily legalised. He said that the reason for the creation of the computer programme to administer death was that he found the responsibility of personally delivering death almost crippling. He said that nobody wanted someone to administer the lethal injection. The purpose of the suicide machine was to make sure a lucid person makes a free and independent choice to end their lives. [If this is a normal and good thing then why is it so difficult? If Nitschke's happy to assist with this process then why was personally delivering death almost crippling? How does he know that the person operating the machine was perfectly lucid and making an independent choice? They could be under pressure from someone else. They could be tied to the machine. They could be operating it drunk or stoned or exhausted or during a period of mental illness. People drive cars and operate machinery while in such states, so I'm sure they could answer questions on a computer.]

Dr Nitschke said that he thought the reason that the suicide machine couldn't be displayed in a museum in Sydney was that it was an icon of Australia's history and that Australia is not yet comfortable with its own history. [*cringe*]

Nitschke stressed that the world has changed a lot since 1996 with euthanasia now legal in six places including Holland, Belgium and Oregon. [Yep. And we all know how things work in those places...]

Holland
Belgium
Oregon

Dr Nitschke then turned his attention to the case of Graham Wylie. Graham was diagnosed with alzheimers and decided to commit suicide before his mental health deteriorated further. Dr Nitschke explained that Graham twice failed in attempts to commit suicide. He described Graham as "desperate, uninformed and crazy". At this point Dr Nitschke told the audience what he considered to be the best way to die and told us that he said seen a lot of people die adopting this particular method. Dr Nitschke explained that Graham Wylie enlisted the help of two women to help him kill himself. After assisting the death of Mr Wylie they were charged and found guilty. The judge delayed his sentence and in that period one of the women committed suicide. The other was given a two year periodic prison sentence - meaning part-time or weekend prison. The point was, Dr Nitschke said, her life was ruined through losing her job, getting a criminal record, etc. Dr Nitschke blamed this unfortunate sequence of events on Graham Wylie not taking care of things properly himself. He told the audience "don't sit on your hands and do nothing until it's too late. Don't do a Graham Wylie!" [Dr Nitschke tells you how to kill yourself, he tells you how to get what you need, he tells you to get what you need without delay and if you do decide to go through with it he'll watch you as you die, but he won't encourage you to commit suicide. No siree! Furthest thing from his mind and his intention. Er?

Oh and if that isn't enough if you fail to do any of the above without sufficient poise he will criticise you in public for ruining the lives of those encouraging you to commit suicide. Nice...]

Dr Nitschke explained that there were groups in society who had access to lethal drugs and encouraged those who knew such people well to put pressure on them to give them illegal, lethal drugs. [Nitschke encouraged his audience to get illegal substances by illegal means and to put pressure on others to assist them in their crimes.]

Dr Nitschke told us the story of a friend of his who had decided to end his life and sought Dr Nitschke's advice as to the best way to go about it. Dr Nitschke told him the best way to do it, but the man didn't think it would be possible for him. After a little while the man's wife spoke to Dr Nitschke in another room. She said she could get hold of the necessary drug because she had an affair with someone who had access to it and that he owed her a favour. The audience burst into laughter at this point. [It's at moments like this when you realise just how darkened ordinary peoples' consciences have become. What is funny about the described scenario? A man wants to kill himself, is being encouraged to do so illegally by a trained doctor and is only facilitated in doing so because of his wife's past affair. That affair will now bear the rotten fruit of enabling her to assist the suicide of her husband. What is funny about that?]

Dr Nitschke said that the government was wrong to think that promoting the sort of information he promotes would cause more suicides. He said that this sort of information keeps people alive longer. [aha! Don't you see? Why it's so obvious. Promote choosing your own death as your right to do whenever you want, tell people exactly how to do it either 'legally' or illegally and hey presto! you're in the life-saving business son! You look confused. I don't blame you...]

Dr Nitschke informed the group of the numerous different names used for lethal illegal drugs in countries where they were more easily available than in the UK. He explained that some drugs were now being sent in powdered form via letters and were therefore harder to trace by authorities. Dr Nitschke informed the group that he would show them how to test powdered drugs for purity in the following seminar. [All of this was in the newsletter which I alerted Dragon Hall Community Centre to prior to the event. Didn't bother them. Some 'community' centre...]

Dr Nitschke then restated the need to change the law, but also explored what he considers to be the limitations of euthanasia legislation. The first issue he identified was that euthanasia and assisted suicide legislation always involves safety checks and assessments of those wishing to die by medical professionals. He said that patients don't like this, they just want to be helped to die. He also said that legislation would only help [meaning help to kill] the extremely sick. Dr Nitschke said that there are good non-medical reasons for wanting to kill yourself and asked rhetorically "what has it got to do with the medical professionals?" [He has said this before. He's on record as saying that depressed teenagers should have access to the suicide pill and that he's in favour of it being available at supermarkets].

~

Please write to the venues still due to host Nitschke and also write to the venues which have already done so. It's likely that he will try to use them again. Also please write to local representatives in York and anybody you think might be able to alert people to the danger of allowing Dr Nitschke a public platform.

London, 12 Nov: Dragon Hall info@dragonhall.org.uk
Eastbourne, 14 Nov: Eastbourne Riviera Hotel eastbourneriviera@yahoo.co.uk
Edinburgh, 19 Nov: St Mark’s Artspace enquire@edinburgh-unitarians.org.uk
York, 21 Nov: Priory Street Centre psc@yorkcvs.org.uk

I'll be writing later about the conclusion of Dr Nitschke's speech, my interaction with him after his talk and my reflections on this sad event.

Religious imbeciles exposed!

2011-11-10T07:05:00.000Z

This is a very funny blog written by a very funny man. From the sidebar...

Just Don't Ask Us Why You Should Bother Getting Out of Bed in the Morning or to Define 'Good'

Check it out.

Sky-Fairy Myth Believing Cretins - A blog devoted to raising the awareness of the intellectual inferiority of those who believe in God

Irish music Saturdays - The Saw Doctors

2011-11-05T19:21:00.001Z

This is my favourite Saw Doctors song. Listen to it.

It's your favourite Saw Doctors song too now isn't it?

Well my dad just ruined it for me. He says...

You will soon see what a mistake the Irish people made by not electing a pro-life/pro-family candidate like Dana Rosemary Scallon. Our Lady of Knock and St Patrick, pray for Ireland!

Please write to Cambridge store and complain about blasphemous image

2011-11-05T13:00:00.000Z

A friend of mine sent this to me by email.

~

Friends,

I don't normally bother about this sort of thing (it so prevalent now) but today as I passed the "Scribbler" Greeting Card shop on Market Street, I noticed in the window a truly offensive image of Our Lord, in which he is depicted in two blocks of cheese with beards drawn on them surrounded by halos, carrying the depiction: "Cheeses of Nazareth" - and I thought I must do something. However witty this may seem (and I appreciate a good pun as much as the next man), it is objectively utterly appalling.

After weighing up what I should do, I decided simply to walk in and make known my objections to the shop assistant who informed me she would inform the management. I said I appreciated that the shop was a 'fun" store but that the image was truly offensive to Roman Catholics and to all Christians. I pointed out that the shop would not dare to insult Islam in this public way.

If you feel so inclined, I'm sure a polite word of objection would help convince them to remove the images, from the window at least.

The store concerned is at 2 Market St, Cambridge, CB2 3PA.
You may wish to make a comment on "their products" via the "Send us a message" option on this web page:

http://www.scribbler.co.uk/host.jsp?pg=contactus.jsp

Or email them directly: enquiries@scribbler.co.uk

Or phone the Scribbler Head Office (London) on 020 7091 2640.

If you feel there is any merit in the cause, please encourage others to make known their objections, either in person or in writing.

Bishop Hopes to lead London in praying for an end to abortion

2011-11-02T15:53:00.000Z

Bishop Hopes

40 Days for Life London say...

Bishop Alan Hopes will join 40 days for Life London to lead us in prayer on 4 November for an end to abortion. Bishop Hopes will arrive at the Bedford Square vigil for 7pm.

A few months ago Bishop Hopes joined the Helpers of God's Precious Infants in Twickenham to lead a pro-life vigil at a BPAS abortion facility.

We feel very blessed to have Bishop Hopes with us. This will be the first time 40 Days for Life London has had a bishop join us in prayer at the vigil.

You are warmly invited to join us.

I'm delighted that Bishop Hopes will be leading the 40 Days for Life vigil in prayer. There are more than five hundred and seventy abortions in the UK everyday, but together we can end abortion.

We urgently need our shepherds and our leaders to guide and inspire us in overcoming this great evil. When men like Bishop Hopes do that we should all respond and get right behind him. See you there!

There's a Facebook event page. Please feel free to use it to invite all your friends.

Dominican priest speaks out about pro-abortion MP's invitation to speak at Blackfriars, Oxford

2011-10-28T08:30:00.001+01:00

I said on Wednesday that I had received one apology from a Dominican regarding the scandal of Jon Cruddas, the pro-abortion MP, being invited to speak at Blackfriars, Oxford. Fr Leon Pereira OP has now kindly sent me his thoughts on the matter and given me permission to publish them here. They make for very interesting reading. Thank you Fr Leon.

...............

Dr Cruddas’ voting record as an MP on abortion and same sex unions is not in keeping with the teaching or mind of the Catholic Church. This matters all the more because I am given to understand that Dr Cruddas describes himself as a ‘practising Catholic’ - a designation at odds with his actions as an MP. His actions appropriate the dimension of scandal precisely because he is a public figure. Therefore what he says and does in public which is contrary to Catholic faith and morals, all the while describing himself as a ‘practising Catholic’, are a scandal to the Faithful and prone to reinforce the assumption that perhaps these things (abortion, same sex unions, etc) do not matter, and that Catholics may reasonably conform their mind to that of the age, and still somehow (mysteriously!) remain fully Catholic without incurring any penalties whatsoever. That is a grave wrong wrought against God and His Church.

Is the Church then unable to dialogue with institutions or individuals who hold certain beliefs contrary to our Faith? Not at all. From the beginning we prayed for the very same emperors and authorities who persecuted and killed us. We appealled to them, to their reason, for tolerance and for the truth (the sole truth that comes from God which they can still perceive by the use of their reason, and not necessarily faith) which enables genuine justice and peace in society.

Notice how in her history the Church has not hesitated to negotiate with authorities, no matter how evil their deeds. We hold out the hope for their conversion and salvation, beginning with the cessation of their evil deeds, but also we do not see anything or anyone as beyond hope whilst they are still in via, still alive.
So in our desire to spread the Gospel, we should never be reluctant to dialogue with anyone, whatever their beliefs, so long as they are genuinely open to dialogue. You cannot dialogue with soliloquists, but we can still pray for them. I see the invitation extended to Dr Cruddas as a great opportunity for the friars at Blackfriars, Oxford, to ascertain where exactly his faith has gone wrong, and how his conscience has come to be so deformed. I am not too surprised that he has ended up like this, because the Church in our country has for too long been filled with compromise on essentials, and tolerated error - error which has poisoned the minds of too many Catholics who take secular assumptions as their yardstick in morals, and not Christ and His authoritative teaching, expressed by His Church.

But when Blackfriars opens its doors to the public to hear Dr Cruddas, this becomes a different matter. The invitation, although not an awards ceremony, nevertheless takes on the air of an accolade. Out of politeness it is unlikely that Dr Cruddas will be asked serious (however awkward) questions. Instead it is most likely he will leave Blackfriars with a sense of vindication, confirmed in his erroneous position by our silence and misplaced courtesy. Is it inconceivable that he or his supporters may say that he was honoured by an invitation to Blackfriars, where he set forth his positions in a well-received and unchallenged lecture, etc? The false impression given then is that Dr Cruddas truly is what he calls himself: a ‘practising Catholic’. And it is the Catholic in the pew who will suffer - either by being misled into error, or by the scandal this will cause.

At the heart of this, I wonder why Dr Cruddas in particular was invited by the Las Casas Institute? There are many MPs to invite, so the reason is unlikely to be his membership of the Commons. I hazard that it is his Catholicism and perhaps his affiliation to the Labour Party. But, as I have said above, his distorted understanding of the Catholic Faith is a scandal because he is a public figure. There seems to be an assumption in this country that to be Catholic is to be Labour. This naivete reached a nadir in the fawning displayed by our Church over that most reprehensible couple Tony and Cherie Blair. In Mr Blair’s case, I cannot understand how he could be received into the Church without a public abjuration of his erroneous beliefs and practices - for example, his own voting record on abortion. These were errors he committed before he became a Catholic, but they were in the public sphere, and his reception as a Catholic without any recantation is a continuing scandal.

The Church must remember that her one Lord and Spouse is Jesus Christ, and not hurry to jump into bed blithely and blindly with any political party or establishment. It is such ‘promiscuity’ which infects us, infects our faith, and makes the Church weak, sick and compromised.

The assumption that the Church’s social teaching is more naturally alligned to the political Left is a false one. The great irony is that Dr Cruddas (who has woefully failed to stand up for the Catholic teaching on abortion by his voting) has been invited by an institute committed to ‘justice and peace’ (our normal shorthand for Catholic Social Doctrine) when the single greatest justice and peace issue in our country is abortion! Is that like inviting the BNP to speak on ethnic minorities?

Justice and peace has, in the U.K., often been interpreted as ‘soft’ issues, that the middle classes can protest safely, for example, nuclear weapons and their disarmament, or ecological issues. I call them ‘soft’ because they do not impact our daily lives, even though we live in the shadow of nuclear destruction and environmental pollution (I am suspicious of ‘Climate Change’ being treated as a pseudo-religion, one which supplants the Gospel in the minds of too many Catholics and Christians; the only unforgiveable sin for them seems to be one’s ‘carbon footprint’). The things which do impact our daily lives are abortion, employment, just wages, euthanasia, the poison of contraception, and the erosion of both marriage and the family.

Perhaps the ‘Cruddas Affair’ is a wake up call to Catholics. Why is the Church so sycophantically snuggling up to the Left? Why do we tolerate errors on this scale? Why are Catholic public figures not brought to task for the scandal they cause? Justice and peace must be at the heart of the Church’s faith and morals, and I mean true justice and peace, and not simply those ‘easy’ or ‘soft’ issues which the wider society will not object too much to, and which does not require individual Catholics to convert to the Gospel.

We sign agreements to make our parishes ‘Fair Trade friendly’. That requires a conversion of sorts, although I understand that Fair Trade as it now stands could be improved and made fairer. But why do we not make a covenant with all our families (remember, they are the ‘domestic Church’ according to Vatican II!) to be ‘Humanae Vitae friendly’? Is it a good use of our energies to chain ourselves to the gates of Faslane, when hundreds of thousands of children are slaughtered in our cities every year? Probably not, but it is easier isn't it? It's easier to moan about carbon footprints than to form our consciences according to the mind of Holy Mother Church. But then the Gospel isn't about what's easier.

Yours,

Fr Leon Pereira, O.P.

Quote a week Wednesday - Pope Pius XI

2011-10-26T13:20:00.001+01:00

I've used this comment before, but it seems fitting to post it again this week.

"This state of things may perhaps be attributed to a certain slowness and timidity in good people, who are reluctant to engage in conflict or oppose but a weak resistance; thus the enemies of the Church become bolder in their attacks. But if the faithful were generally to understand that it behooves them ever to fight courageously under the banner of Christ their King, then, fired with apostolic zeal, they would strive to win over to their Lord those hearts that are bitter and estranged from him, and would valiantly defend his rights."

~Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas, 1925

So far I have I had an apology from one Dominican for the scandal caused by Jon Cruddas, the pro-abortion MP, being invited to speak at a conference in Blackfriars, Oxford, this Saturday.

There's still time for the organisers to cancel his talk and repair some of the damage done by this event. If you have a blog then consider blogging about it. Should the talk go ahead then please join our vigil in reparation this Saturday.

Jon Cruddas hasn't been invited to Blackfriars so that Catholics there can engage in loving dialogue with him...

2011-10-25T16:36:00.000+01:00

People who think that somebody at Blackfriars is going to engage with him about his views and attempt to change them are hoping that's going to happen - there's nothing to suggest it will. If that was the case Blackfriars might come out and explain that they're inviting him to speak as a crafty way to speak to him about these major areas of concern. That would certainly be a novel way of lobbying an MP, but we've no reason to think that even that is happening. If that is happening they should change the title of his talk to "Dominican friars address Jon Cruddas MP on why his voting record and public statements are such a concern for faithful Catholics".

Join our vigil in reparation for this scandal.

I wonder...

2011-10-24T17:30:00.000+01:00

If Dr John Cruddas MP had spoken in favour and voted for the killing of Dominicans would he still be speaking at Blackfriars, Oxford, this Saturday?

Join our vigil in reparation for this scandal.

Catholics: Called to be faithful, not compromise

2011-10-22T23:47:00.004+01:00

Vigil of reparation outside Blackfriars, Oxford, for the invitation of Jon Cruddas MP, the pro-abortion politician to speak at their conference

Dr Jon Cruddas MP is due to speak at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, on Saturday 29th October at their conference 'The Modern State and the Kingdom of God'. Dr Cruddas will speak about 'Building democracy'.

In December 2010 Jon Cruddas told The Catholic Herald that abortion "should be safe, legal and rare" and in June 2007 he said to BBC Sunday AM , when questioned about abortion ,“I'm perfectly happy with the current situation”. The current situation in the UK is that there are 570 registered abortions on average each day, with abortions carried out up to birth.

Since 2000, Jon Cruddas MP voted 18 times with the anti-life lobby. For example:

voting in favour of the anti-life Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act at second reading - a law designed to kill millions of innocent human beings deliberately created never to be born.
voting for the pro-euthanasia Mental Capacity Act.

Dr Cruddas has also expressed his pride in his voting record in support of the homosexual agenda.
Prior to this campaign, Daniel Blackman wrote three times to the interim director of the Las Casas Institute Fr Richard Finn OP. The letters were dated 17th August 2011, 21st September 2011 and 7th October 2011.

These letters raised objections to Jon Cruddas MP being invited to speak, with a request that the invitation to him be withdrawn. Daniel received one reply to his first letter. Fr Richard said in his reply that they took their Catholic identity seriously, but that they thought it was acceptable to invite a speaker along with whom they wouldn't necessarily agree with on all issues. Fr Richard did not respond to Daniel's two subsequent letters and he has been informed several days in advance that this vigil will be taking place. Whilst there is still time, it is hoped Las Casas will withdraw their invitation to Jon Cruddas. In the absence of this happening, an act of public prayer and witness is felt to be a sensible and respectful course of action.

"The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." ~ US Catholic bishops' document Catholics in Political Life, June 2004
"Platforms which would suggest support for their actions" had been interpreted to mean "speaking invitations, as these invitations would suggest support for their actions."

Catholics are naturally scandalised that a Catholic institution have invited a speaker who has on several occasions voted for measures which deny human beings their fundamental right to life and which are in direct contradiction to Church teaching. Therefore we will be holding a vigil in reparation for this event outside Blackfriars, Oxford, from 3pm - 5pm Saturday 29th October. You are welcome to join us.

We are praying for the conversion of Dr Jon Cruddas MP, those who invited him to speak and those Catholics associated with Blackfriars who have not raised their voice in opposition to this scandal. We also pray for all those whose faith has been weakened or destroyed by scandals within the Church. We entrust them all to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In light of his record we are calling on Blackfriars to cancel Dr Jon Cruddas' address, just as the Catholic Parliamentary Internship Scheme recently cancelled their placement of an intern with him.

This event has been organised by Catholics: Called to be faithful, not compromise. You can contact us at faithfulnotcompromise@gmail.com or visit our blog http://faithfulnotcompromise.blogspot.com/

Most of the above information was taken from John Smeaton, SPUC Director: Jon Cruddas MP reappears on Catholic speaking circuit

Facebook event page

Irish music Saturdays: Seamus Moore

2011-10-22T05:00:00.001+01:00

Love it...

The Camino Real of Christ

2011-10-21T12:51:00.000+01:00

My friend Dr Stephen McInerney suggested I keep this in mind tomorrow on the pilgrimage in honour of the Oxford martyrs:

"The Camino Real of Christ is a chivalric way, romantic, full of fire and passion riding on the pure, high-spirited horses of the self with their glad, high-stepping knees and flaring nostrils... The one thing needed, the unum necessarium of the Kingdom, is to love as he loves, which is the love of joy, of suffering and sacrifice, like Roland and Olivier charging into battle to their death defending those they love as they cry 'mon joie'. That's the music of Christian Culture" ~ John Senior, The Death of Christian Culture

Quote a week Wednesday - Christopher Dawson

2011-10-19T05:42:00.001+01:00

"Western Civilisation at the present day is passing through a crisis which is essentially different from anything that has been previously experienced. Other societies in the past have changed their social institutions or their religious beliefs under the influence of external forces or the slow development of internal growth. But none, like our own, has ever consciously faced the prospect of a fundamental alteration of the beliefs and institutions on which the whole fabric of social life rests. . . .Civilisation is being uprooted from its foundations in nature and tradition and is being reconstituted in a new organisation which is as artificial and mechanical as a modern factory."

~ Christopher Dawson. Enquiries into Religion and Culture, p259.

The article I took this from is called 'The Frankfurt School - The Quiet Revolution Rolls Forward' and is well worth reading.

Juventutem London are going to Oxford

2011-10-17T05:22:00.003+01:00

Shamelessly taken from the excellent Juventutem Oxford blog...

~

This is the big event of the year for the Latin Mass Society locally, and involves not only a a really splendid Mass with beautiful singing, but a procession through the streets of Oxford from the place where some of the Catholic Martyrs were held, before their execution, to the place of execution itself. The priests who died in 1589 were dragged to their execution on hurdles; it seems right that we should retrace that route on foot, in thanksgiving for their witness to the faith, and in doing so make an act of witness ourselves.

This Pilgrimage has been instrumental in getting Oxford's two sites of martyrdom publicly recognised. This year we are going to the place where two priests and two laymen were hanged in 1589; there is a slate plaque marking the site at the end of Holywell Street (on number 100) which was blessed at the Oxford Pilgrimage by an auxiliary bishop of the Birmingham diocese, Bishop William Kenne, in 2008. Last year Archbishop Longely himself blessed another plaque, marking the site of the martyrdom of Bl George Napier, in the Castle, during the Oxford Pilgrimage. So look out for these plaques! They are not just tourist attractions, but sites of special spiritual significance. In these places the Catholic Faith was confirmed by the blood of martyrs.

So come along to Mass in Blackfriars at 11am on Saturday 22nd, Sat of 2nd Week, for a Solemn Mass in the ancient Dominican Rite celebrated by the Dominicans. The procession starts from outside St Michael at the North Gate, the Saxon church in Cornmarket which stood next to the Bocardo Prison in the 16th Century, at 2pm. We will walk down Broad Street and Holywell Street singing the Litany of the Saints, the Te Deum, and English hymns, and back again to Blackfriars for Benediction.

If anyone would like to be a marshall, or would like to volunteer to carry the LMS banner or the very exciting new processional statue which will be used for the first time on this procession, please email us!

(Photos: Archbishop Bernard Longley leading the procession in 2010; Solemn Mass in Blackfriars on the same occasion.)

Juventutem London will find our way to a local inn or restaurant at the conclusion of the pilgrimage. We've got a Facebook event page. Please feel free to use it to invite all your friends.

back to important stuff

2011-10-17T03:03:00.000+01:00

If I have one regret since I started this blog it's that I haven't posted nearly often enough about football.

I have really enjoyed the start of this season. I feel as though last season Blackpool banished the curse that Jose Mourinho cast on the Premiership (more on this later) and the game has really opened up. It's faster than ever, the players look physically stronger, there are loads of goals being scored, loads of tackles flying in and the game generally looks more aggressive and competitive than I can ever remember seeing it. Oh and there's loads of tattoos. Lots of players seem to be going for tattoos up the whole of both of their arms. I guess they're getting more fashionable generally, but the fad seems to be particularly strong among footballers. Like Steven Fletcher of Wolverhampton Wanderers...

I think the tattoo on the inside of his left arm might be of Our Lady, maybe Our Lady of Guadalupe. I haven't been able to confirm this through a quick google search, but I think I've seen him make the sign of the cross, and here's a picture of him doing a Messi-esque point up to heaven.

I'll do some more research when I've got the energy and the inclination and report back.

One of the best things about this season has been the high quality performances of so many young English players. Since I wrote in March about the reasons for hope for the English football team Tom Cleverley, Danny Wellbeck, Christ Smalling, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker and Danniel Sturridge have all shown they are potentially capable of breaking into the English XI. Ashley Young has taken his game to another level and Oxlade Chamberlain and Josh McEachran have shown signs of big things to come. The only annoying thing is that most of those young players play for Manchester United. Not so good for Arsenal, but quite exciting for England.

So I'm not too worried about Wayne Rooney's three match ban, frustrating as it must be for him. I thought he responded very maturely to the red card and it's nice to see that he really cares, with Sir Alex Ferguson judging it best not to start him in a massive game on Saturday because Rooney has been so upset by the decision. Nice to see you care, but all the same man up Wazza!

Rooney hasn't played at anywhere near his best for England for a long time, so maybe this isn't the worst thing that could have happened. Of course you would never choose for your best player to get suspended for three crucial matches in a knock-out tournament, but this could be what he needs to shake the cobwebs out of his England performances.

Anyhoo, I'm really quite looking forward to next summer. I'm not saying we're going to win, but I actually think there's a reasonable chance that watching England might not be horribly depressing...

Irish music Saturdays: The Pogues

2011-10-15T09:33:00.002+01:00

When I was a silly young man ("when?" you say...) I had a small obsession with The Pogues. I've had all their albums at one stage or another and I've been to see them three times at Brixton Academy. They're not one of my favourite bands any more, but I still like a few of their songs.

They lyrics to the below are great, plus it's a fun game to try and make them out!

They're on the youtube page for this video if you're interested...

And as it's getting dark and we are in London...

Chivalry...

2011-10-15T05:31:00.000+01:00

I saw this on my friend's Facebook page. Awesome...

Quote a week Wednesday - Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue

2011-10-12T05:33:00.003+01:00

"The Magnificat is God's manifesto for a Marian revolution, for Mary's revolution, which is more powerful, more dynamic, more radical than Karl Marx's manifesto, or any other man-made, political manifesto."

~ Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue

Ave Maria! You can read all of the sermon online at Robert Colquhoun's blog.

Together we can end abortion

2011-10-10T05:59:00.001+01:00

If you're on Facebook then click the picture and click 'Like' on the page. If you've got a blog, twitter account etc post it to that and encourage others to do the same.

Irish music Saturdays - Gaelic Storm

2011-10-08T13:14:00.001+01:00

Fish Fridays...

2011-10-07T05:05:00.001+01:00

Campionites on the Camino

2011-10-06T06:05:00.012+01:00

Way back in August I organised a talk by Michael Voris in London and immediately after headed off to Walsingham on a three day pilgrimage. Both were great occasions, but were also very tiring and so I decided I needed a holiday. I had originally planned to go away for a month, but this proved to be impractical.

There have been a great many dear Australian friends visiting me recently and several of them were going to be in Spain walking the Camino. They were each planning to walk for three to four weeks. So I decided that I'd head to Spain, catch up with a friend and fellow Juventutemer in Bilbao and join my friends for a few days on their epic walk. Now I know what you're thinking: you're thinking the Camino isn't a holiday, it's another pilgrimage. It's a really long and difficult pilgrimage and it isn't relaxing at all. This may be true for some people...

Above the entrance of Plato's Academy in Greece was written the inscription 'Know thyself'. Over the past few years I have learnt that for some reason I really enjoy pilgrimages and don't really get bothered by the things that bother most other people. I don't seem to get as tired as most people do, I like walking long distances through all sorts of terrains and environments, I like blisters (okay I don't like blisters, but I don't really mind them that much either) and there really isn't anything I'd rather do than take to the road with good friends, a bottle of wine in my bag and a book full of songs. So I went on pilgrimage again, only for me it was a holiday - a detail which I took great pleasure in sharing with the rest of the people walking the Camino. After all, I was only walking for three days, they were the ones who still had two or three weeks left to go.

Sean Wright insisted that the Ely to Walsingham pilgrimage was a re-enactment of The Hobbit. Apparently, according to Sean, Tolkein's steadfast avoidance of *allegory make his writings applicable to everything. If Ely to Walsingham was The Hobbit, then my short walk along the Camino was The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

This fine work has taught me numerous crucial lessons about life, which I was good enough to share with my companions. The chief lesson of the guide is simple: DON'T PANIC. It also has some very useful reflections on the importance of towels when travelling through the galaxy. In chapter three we learn:

A towel, it [the guide] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value — you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble‐sanded beaches of Santraginus Ⅴ, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand‐to‐hand‐combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindbogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you — daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: nonhitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might have accidentally "lost.". What the strag will think is that any man that can hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, ruff it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through and still know where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with. [my emphasis]

All of the above was confirmed to be true during my three days on the Camino and my companions no doubt gleaned great comfort from walking alongside a man with his towel so close to his heart.

Me (right) with my companions Eve (left) and Laura - and my towel.

The three of us are members of the 2009 graduating class of Campion College Australia and we have all been on big Catholic pilgrimages before. Unlike those pilgrimages you can get a bit of a shock on the Camino because most people who walk it aren't practising Catholics. A lot just walk because they enjoy walking, others do so because they are seeking meaning in life, others for a holiday, or a challenge or something else. It was strange and sad to walk a part of this ancient and holy route and see so little evidence of prayer along the road. Christ's Church and His saints who inspired this pilgrimage are largely forgotten, unknown and disregarded. One picture really summed this up for me.

The church in Boadilla looms in the background, ignored by the New Age spiritual exercise class

That being said, all those who encountered us praying the Rosary and singing hymns (and silly songs) along the road seemed to respond very positively. One young Danish bloke called Kasper had been given a miraculous medal along the road and was interested to hear the story behind this powerful devotion. Please say a prayer for him!

I have since learned that a French chapter from the Paris to Chartres pilgrimage walk The Way every summer, complete with priests offering daily Mass. More details will appear on this blog as I receive them.

On the second day of my walking with the group we saw evidence of somebody who had obviously walked the road with a very heavy cross. Laura noticed a tree, on a section of the road not especially noteworthy, with something stuck to it.

On closer inspection it showed an ultrasound of an unborn baby.

A picture of a baby in the womb with the words 'TOM RIP' beneath

Of course we don't know the story behind this picture, but it seems likely to me that whoever stuck that picture there was grieving the loss of an unborn child. In the UK alone there are more than five hundred and seventy abortions a day. There can hardly be a family in Britain that hasn't been touched by the tragedy of abortion. How many other people are there carrying around an unspoken grief? Anybody affected by abortion should know that there are people who can help.

I am sure there are many spiritual benefits to walking a pilgrimage alone, but it was great to be able to walk with two dear friends. There are a lot of decisions to make on a pilgrimage, like when to get up in the morning, when to stop, which way to walk at a confusing sign, what the notes are to a particular song (sorry readers that's an in-joke), where to sleep for the night and so on. It helps therefore to go with people you feel comfortable with and who you know will be considerate when the going gets tough.

Eve makes a simple mistake which I am good enough to clear up for her

Ultimately though a pilgrimage is a personal journey between the pilgrim and God. A pilgrimage is a definite act which you take in order to give God space to work in your life. You trust that He does so through the good times, the harder times, the boring times, the fun times, the really hard times and even the silly times...

Holiday-maker goes in desperate search of hydration...

Your friends are there to help you along. And when your friends aren't there you can trust in the angels and the saints to pick up the slack...

Saint *Roque encourages a weary pilgrim to get a move on!

*see the comments for evidence that I am human and occasionally make mistakes...

Quote a week Wednesday - Dr Margaret Ogola

2011-10-05T06:48:00.002+01:00

"Unless we recognise that each individual is irrepeatable and valuable by virtue of simply being conceived human, we cannot begin to talk about human rights. This includes the right to be born, as all of us have enjoyed. True justice should be for each human being, visible and invisible, young and old, disabled and able, to enjoy fully their right to life. The accidental attributes that we acquire such as colour, sex intelligence, economic circumstances, physical or mental disability should not be used as an excuse to deprive a person of life."

~ Dr Margaret Ogola. Quoted from a speech she gave: On the Dignity of the African Woman
Do read the whole speech. It's quite short and very powerful.

Dr Margaret Ogola passed away less than two weeks ago on Thursday, 22 September 2011. I echo my father's sentiments when he said last week:

May Dr Margaret Ogola, award winning author, medical doctor, and human rights advocate, and selfless friend of unborn children and their mothers worldwide, rest in peace.

See the difference...

2011-10-04T05:21:00.010+01:00

Bernard Nathanson, the famous abortionist who became a pro-life leader, said that if there were windows to the womb abortion would stop tomorrow.

Here's a window. Why not have a look?

If you prefer short youtube videos, then watch this.

Please pass these invaluable pro-materials on to everybody you know.

Anybody considering an abortion should know that there is help available.

Anybody who is suffering from the trauma of an abortion should know that healing and forgiveness is possible. There are people who can help.

A proper brunch for a proper blogger

2011-10-03T18:09:00.001+01:00

When I went to the *other* Rome blognic earlier this year, I confess that I didn't really feel like a proper blogger. That's because ever since I started this blog I've always had the habit of going AWOL when I get fed up with being on the internet more than I'd like to.

A few weeks ago, actually while I was on the Camino (more on this to come soon), I decided I'd make the effort to become a proper blogger. So I suppose the time has come. Here it is. My first food post.

I bought this in the Wetherspoon's opposite Tower Green, where Saints Thomas More and Bishop Fisher gave their lives for the faith. Both the food and environment then conveyed to me that 'tis good to be young, free and English!

Impromptu Juventutem London Mass + Social for the feast of Saint Therese of Liseux

2011-10-03T09:42:00.000+01:00

Tonight, Monday 3rd October, Juventutem London will be at the Missa Cantata of St Teresa of the Child Jesus (St Therese of Lisieux) at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7NB. Closest station is Charing Cross. Embankment, Covent Garden and Leicester Square are all also within walking distance. Map

Followed by Social at Cecil Court Piazza, 92-93 St. Martin's Lane, WC2N 4AP. Map

Facebook

'Picture of the year'...

2011-10-03T07:41:00.001+01:00

I got this from my friends Facebook page. I shared it on my Facebook page. Both of us had it removed by Facebook. I'm not sure who wrote the text below. In any case it wasn't me.

~

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the U.S. paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life."

Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person" Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful. Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome...incredible....and hey, pass it on! The world needs to see this one!

Autumn in London: a morning walk

2011-10-02T05:55:00.001+01:00

Last Thursday I posted about my Wednesday afternoon lunch break. Here's my Thursday morning walk to work...

The entrance to my local park

Misty morning

The next two photos were taken no more than a minute apart, but look as though they come from different countries.

Australia?

I've played on these pitches on a number of occasions, both for and against Saint Joseph's, the local football club.

Alcatraz?

If you asked my friend Amit he would probably tell you that I couldn't even have scored past the bird above, let alone a full sized goalkeeper. My friend Amit can be cruel...

Morning breaks over the tennis courts

As I edged toward the park exit our evil nemesis Modernity hove into view in the strange form of a voluntary torture zone...

It's good to see that those trapped within his evil clutches are keeping their spirits up...

A nice man trapped in a snare of Modernity...

Visiting Australian friends have been struck by the simple beauty of many ordinary English gardens.

And some things look the same all over the world...

Commuters ready themselves for the long descent into the working day

Juventutem London pray to end abortion

2011-10-01T16:36:00.004+01:00

This morning Juventutem London went to pray at the 40 Days for Life London vigil.

We began with 8am Mass at the Brompton Oratory.

Then we caught the Picadilly Line to Leicester Square and walked from there.

When you pray outside an abortuary, as Monsignor Reilly told the London pro-life community in May, the primary reason for being there is the saving of souls. This is even more important than the saving of the lives of unborn children, although of course it is a great blessing and cause for great joy that lives are saved when women choose not to go through with an abortion.

Juventutem London praying outside the bpas abortuary in Bedford Square

It can be very upsetting to watch people go into these chambers of death with the intent of having their children killed. But, as Monsignor Reilly says, unborn children shouldn't die alone. Moreover those involved with abortion shouldn't be without witnesses to the truth. They too are children of God with an eternal soul to save or lose and as Christians we are called to proclaim the Gospel to all.*

It was a lovely surprise to be joined by Father Leon Pereira O.P., who had decided to come to the vigil having been inspired by the great pro-life witness of Father Michael Williams, a young pro-life priest who died last week. Requiescat in pace.

No doubt the great pro-life witness of Father Michael Williams will inspire more and more clergy to stand on the front-lines of the pro-life movement. Thank you Father Leon for joining us today!

Fr Leon leads the young pro-lifers in prayer

Afterwards we went for a light lunch in nearby Russell Square and enjoyed the continued occupation of Autumn by Summer.

*Anybody affected by abortion should know that there are people who can help.

maybe it should be a Saturday thing....

2011-10-01T07:21:00.004+01:00

That I post Irish music...

This is my friend Eve's song of the moment and if it's good enough for Eve then it's good enough for you!

Smeatons praying to end abortion

2011-09-30T10:18:00.000+01:00

Juventutem London will be there tomorrow, 9.30 to 12.30 after attending the 8am Traditional Mass at the Brompton Oratory.

They need vigilers all the time for the next 38 days. Sign up today.

Good Counsel Network fundraising ball Saturday 19 November

2011-09-30T06:47:00.001+01:00

The Good Counsel Network has announced the date of its annual fundraising ball. Juventutem London are looking for ten people to sign up and go as a group. At least ten. The more the merrier!

Here's what the Good Counsellors say...

Good Counsel would like to invite you all to our Annual Fundraising Ball. Last year this was an amazing success, raising us lots of money to help more Mothers choose life for their children and a very good night out for all. This year we have a wonderful location in the heart of South Kensington where we will provide a 3-course meal, live music and a great night for all.

It is being held at Ognisko, 55 Exhibition Road, London SW7 2PN on Saturday 19th November, starting at 6.30pm. Tickets are £70 each with discounts for tables of 10 or 12. Please see our website for full details.

Last year we sold out and had to turn people away, so please book as soon as possible. It is essential that if you have any dietary requirements that you let us know in advance so that we can make the necessary arrangements.

We look forward to seeing you there!

I went last year and had a great time.

Autumn in London

2011-09-29T06:46:00.001+01:00

Kennington Park

Nice, isn't it? These pictures were taken during my lunch break yesterday.

My father enjoying his afternoon constitution

We're very fortunate in London to have so many beautiful parks. My father is always saying that London is two-thirds cultivated land. I've not seen this verified, but I can believe it.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the sunshine, as you can see...

This man does not work for SPUC

Quote a week Wednesday - Giorgio Vasari

2011-09-28T07:13:00.004+01:00

"Art owes its origin to Nature herself... this beautiful creation, the world, supplied the first model, while the original teacher was that divine intelligence which has not only made us superior to the other animals, but like God Himself, if I may venture to say it."

~ Giorgio Vasari

My thanks to Hilary White for alerting me to this quote. I've been in a few heated debates recently with a feisty post-modernist and Hilary is an endless reserve of anti post-modernist and anti-modernist battle gear. Plus it has been at least a week since I linked to Hilary, so I thought it was about time. The other day I noticed that I am now listed in a permanent link in her sidebar under the heading 'Friends'. Chuffed. I hope she knows that I pester all my friends to come on pilgrimage to Walsingham. I think she does...

Help to win London back for Our Lady - support 40 Days for Life London

2011-09-27T13:10:00.008+01:00

I've posted before about London being the geo-political epicentre of the culture of death. But it is important to remember that it is also a place with an incredibly rich Catholic history and where in a few places the faith still burns brightly.

In England there are more than five hundred and seventy abortions every day and there are more in London than anywhere else in the country. One abortion is a tragedy. The tragedy of today is difficult to comprehend.

It is important to remember that we also have at least one hundred and five Catholic martyrs in London, at Tyburn alone. How many cities can boast that? That's not including Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher who departed this vale of tears on Tower Hill.

I say at least one hundred and five because no doubt the exact records are open to question in the tumultuous period of the so called Reformation. I've heard people say that there are almost certainly more.

Many of the Tyburn martyrs were included in the Forty English Martyrs canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970. One of the Tyburn martyrs is Saint John Houghton. Richard Marsden has written an excellent account of Saint John's final moments.

St John Houghton is the protomartyr of the English Reformation. He was the first faithful Catholic in a long line to the gallows. The description of his execution is particularly excruciating to read. He was cut down whilst suspended in the air by his neck, agonisingly choking. He was cut down whilst still alive and after a brief moment to recover his senses, his body was ripped apart. The executioner had difficulty ripping out his heart, digging about in Fr Houghton’s body. When finding it (still beating), the executioner tore it from his body and held it in the air. The almost dead John gasped: “Sweet Jesus, what will you do with my heart?”

Saint John Houghton

The Site of the Tyburn Tree is located at the southern end of the Edgware Road, just north of Hyde Park and west of Oxford Street. For those who don't know London, that's pretty much plonk in the middle of the West End. That's less than two miles from the 40 Days for Life London vigil in Bedford Square. These Saints who made the ultimate sacrifice of love are our patrons and defenders. What shall we fear?

The Forty English Martryrs

Tyburn as it looks today, in the middle of a busy traffic island. It's about the size of two or three regular paving stones.

London is my family home. Regular readers of this blog will know that, having lived there for three years, I also have something of a soft spot for Australia and Sydney in particular. Naturally, I often think of the differences between both life generally and between the Church in England and in Australia. One of the differences is that Australia is home to a single canonised Saint - Saint Mary of the Cross.

In a country with only a single canonised Saint I have seen remarkable things happen and experienced moments of life changing grace. The Church in Australia experiences many of the same problems as we are experiencing throughout the Western world, but in a few places the faith is inspiringly strong. One such place is the regular Helpers of God's Precious Infants vigil outside the biggest abortuary in Sydney. For the past two years the Sydney Helpers have organised a 40 Days for Life campaign of their own, which has provided a great boost to their regular vigils.

Bishop Julian Porteus attends the final hour of the 2011 Sydney 40 Days for Life vigil. Fr Wong FSSP holds a relic of the True Cross, as young Australians pray outside the biggest abortuary in Sydney.

So if Australia can manage that - how much can we manage in England with the assistance of the London martryrs?

You might say that there is no obvious correlation between the number of Saints and the vitality of the Church in a particular area. I would say that there jolly well should be! Certainly the witness of the sixteenth and seventeenth century Saints is not sufficient for the making of Saints today. Those of us who by the grace of God have been called into His Church need to cooperate with His will. We are called to follow the heroic example of the English martyrs and burn with the faith of our fathers. In London we cannot complain of a lack of examples of how to do this.

While the evil faced by my generation may appear vast and terrifying, what we can be certain of is that the incomprehensible situation we find ourselves in today is nothing compared to the infinite love of God. Jesus Christ, King and Redeemer, the abyss of virtue, has conquered the world with love. In these times we are called, as all men have been called, to turn to Him. The first and most important challenge for us is that we assist Him in conquering us. Turning our vices into virtue, allowing Him to comfort us in our sufferings and beseeching Him to inspire us to be heralds of His kingdom.

One way to do all those things is to support the 40 Days for Life campaign which begins in London today. The launch event is at 7pm outside the bpas abortion facility in Bedford Square, WC1B 3HP. What follows is forty days of prayer, fasting and continuous witness outside of a London abortion facility. 40 Days for Life joins in solidarity with our unborn brothers and sisters and offers women, men and all those involved with the abortion procedure genuine hope, and a better choice than abortion.

Remember that Monsignor Philip Reilly, the man responsible for beginning prayerful witness and counselling outside abortion facilities, told the London pro-life community in May that the primary purpose of these vigils is not to save lives, but to save souls. The most important way you can assist the 40 Days for Life campaign is to pray and fast for the conversion of abortionists, for those considering aborting their children, for those who have already done and for those who will do so.

To make the campaign work there need to be people prepared to give up their time and pray outside the abortuary in Bedford Square. Juventutem London will be doing this as a group on Saturday.

We will be attending the 8am Traditional Latin Mass at the Brompton Oratory and then catching the tube to Bedford Square to pray with the 40 Days for Life campaign. We will stay at the vigil until 12.30pm and then go for lunch nearby. Weather permitting we'll be grabbing (or packing) sandwiches and heading to Russell Square. Individuals may stay longer at the vigil if they wish.

If you can't make it to the Oratory by 8am you are still very welcome to join us at Bedford Square.

Priests and religious would be particularly welcome to join us at the vigil!

8am Mass is early and you probably don't live near the Oratory, but remember that your sacrifices contribute to the salvation of souls.

Oh and if the London martyrs aren't enough to inspire you to come along then remember that when you take the hand of Our Lady and pray the Rosary, as is done throughout the forty day vigil, the entire celestial court of Heaven intercedes for you.

Please support my friend David as he walks 184 miles in eight days to end abortion

2011-09-26T16:16:00.002+01:00

My friend David Aron is soon to begin a 184 mile walk in eight days to support the fantastic pro-life organisation, the Good Counsel Network.

For those of you who think in kilometres, that's more than 296 Km. That's a long way.

a long road...

I first met David on the 2010 Paris to Chartres pilgrimage. I remember from that pilgrimage that his feet don't necessarily take the strain of walking long distances well. I know from my own experience that walking alone is easier said than done. I know from speaking to the Good Counsel Networkers that many women considering an abortion would never even contemplate abortion if they didn't feel that they were alone.

This walk is a big physical and spiritual undertaking. Please support David as he endeavours to support unborn babies and all men and women affected by abortion.

I include David's full explanation below. You can visit his page on Just Giving to donate.

~

Hello

I am walking the entire length of the Thames Path Way (184 miles long) in eight days (Fri 07 Oct 11 - Fri 14 Oct 11) for The Good Counsel Network.

The Good Counsel Network is a pro-life charity that helps women in the most difficult and desperate situations with financial, moral and spiritual support, who would otherwise feel they have no other option than to have an abortion. Their work is founded on the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church. The centres are open to all women regardless of background or beliefs.

If you want to find out more about them visit www.goodcounselnetwork.com or visit their blog http://mariastopsabortion.blogspot.com.

The Thames Path Way follows the course of the Thames River from the source (near Kemble, Gloucestershire) to the Thames Barrier (London). I will be walking the Thames Path Way solo and averaging 23 miles per day whilst carrying all my kit (tent, sleeping system and food etc), which will weigh approximately 28 lbs (12.7 kg), for eight days (Fri 07 Oct 11 – Fri 14 Oct 11).

On the first morning of my walk (Fri 07 Oct 11) I will hear the Traditional Latin Mass at St Dominic’s (Dursley, Gloucestershire). After completing my walk (Fri 14 Oct 11) I will hear the Traditional Latin Mass at Corpus Christi (Maiden Lane, Central London) in the evening, which the Latin Mass Society organises for the work of the Good Counsel Network.

Every donation, however small or large, is an essential contribution to the continuation of the great work that The Good Counsel Network does by saving thousands of unborn lives.

Thank you for your support!

David Aron

Bert tries his hand at the new evangelisation

2011-09-22T07:16:00.008+01:00

I think his brilliance is that he's detached, funny and has a beautiful singing voice. Note that for all that he doesn't hesitate to tell Mr Banks exactly how it is.

It saddens me to think very few people realise just how important a movie Mary Poppins is for the restoration of the Church and society.

Quote a week Wednesday returns! Blessed Pope John XXIII

2011-09-21T06:17:00.007+01:00

‎"[T]he Latin language 'can be called truly catholic.' It has been consecrated through constant use by the Apostolic See, the mother and teacher of all Churches, and must be esteemed "a treasure ... of incomparable worth."

~ Blessed Pope John XXIII quoting Pius XI in the Apostolic Constitution Veterum Sapientia.

My thanks to Dr Joseph Shaw for highlighting this quote in a recent post.

Juventutem London Mass this Friday 23rd September

2011-09-20T17:32:00.025+01:00

Juventutem London

Solemn High Mass

Ember Friday in September

6.30pm Friday 23rd September

St Patrick's Church, Soho

Followed by Social (for ages 18-35)

Sacred Ministers:

Celebrant: Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP

Deacon: Fr Jean Claude Selvini

Subdeacon: Fr Stewart Foster

Confessions

Confessions will be heard through Mass from 6pm by Fr Leon Pereira, OP. Absolution will be given using the traditional Latin form.

Music

Polyphony and chant provided by Cantus Magnus:

Orlande de Lassus Missa secundi toni (K, S, A)

Orlande de Lassus Benedic anima mea

Antonio Lotti Salve Regina

Due to a lack of responses to auditions for our own Juventutem Schola, October's Mass may have to be a Low Mass unless more men come forward to audition. If you are interested please email this address.

At present we plan to have a professional choir every other month, which non-professionals have the opportunity to join pending an audition. We would like to train a non-professional choir to sing the chant at alternate monthly Masses. This is a great opportunity to learn how to sing the most beautiful thing this side of heaven. All you have to give is your time.

"For he who sings praise, does not only praise, but also praises joyously; he who sings praise, is not only singing, but also loving Him whom he is singing to" ~ Saint Augustine [ref]

Servers

Men who are serving should be at the sacristy by 6pm with their own cassocks and cottas.

If you would like to learn how to serve the Traditional Latin Mass we are open to putting on a servers training day. If you're interested send us an email to this address.

Social

Please assemble outside the Church after making your post-Mass thanksgiving. Please note that though the Mass is open and welcomes those of any age, the social is strictly for those aged 18-35 (clergy and religious excepted).

If you are attending the social, it would be very helpful indeed if you registered as 'attending' on this facebook page (or emailed us)

Making comment-making easier at Smeaton's Corner

2011-09-19T18:07:00.003+01:00

A few people have mentioned to me in the past that they have tried to leave comments but my blog asked them for a google ID, to write out some distorted characters, answer three out of five general knowledge questions, hold their breath under water for ninety seconds, abstain from meat on Friday (whether your bishops say you have to or not!), sign up for the 2012 Ely to Walsingham pilgrimage and embrace numerous principles of Australianism. Apparently that was too demanding. I've adjusted the settings and I think it's easier to leave comments now...

Liveblogging the SPUC national conference

2011-09-18T02:12:00.000+01:00

James Preece did a quick liveblog earlier today and the SPUC team have been producing reports of each of the plenary talks.

Particularly noteworthy was Bobby Schindler's address, where he spoke of his family's battle to keep his sister, Terri Schiavo, alive after a court ruled that her food and hydration be withdrawn back in 2000.

Do read all the full reports. I believe that several youtube videos filmed during the conference will be published online soon.

This wouldn't be Smeaton's Corner without some coverage of some impromptu singing that broke out after most of the delegates had been worn out by the ceilidh. Here's my friend Annie singing beautifully, after speaking excellently along with SPUC's team of young interns on Friday night.

What's good for a blog might not be so good for the Mass...

2011-09-17T06:26:00.033+01:00

Hazaar! I have posted nearly every day this week. When I first started blogging I used to think you had to do so at least five times a week or people wouldn't read you. I also thought that blog posts should neither be too short, or too long.

I've since come to the conclusion that you can do whatever you want. That's the beauty of a blog. Oh and it's much healthier not to check your stats. I've removed that popular posts thing that I had at the bottom, because I could always tell whether a new post had been a hit or not if it ended up on there.

Speaking of misunderstandings caused by a lack of knowledge / lack of familiarity, here is a great new blog called New to the Extraordinary Form? Personally, I don't like that term to describe the Traditional Latin Mass, but that is the name of the blog and I like the blog. I prefer almost all the other names used to describe the Missal of Saint Pius V and it seems you can learn a new one every day.

It may surprise readers to learn that I did not enjoy my first experience of the usus antiquior. I can still remember asking the priest who was saying it (who normally says the Novus Ordo) to cut it out and go back to saying the Mass normally. Mea culpa! My first reaction was that I did not like extensive periods of kneeling (it was Low Mass) and when I first started going to sung Mass I knew that the priests and the choir were sometimes doing different things to each other, but I had no idea why or which of them was doing what! Then when I got a bit more familiar I began to feel quite intimidated by all of the people about my age who seemed to be spectacularly musically talented, or athletically talented in the case of servers. In order to appreciate that last point readers should understanding that the role of thurifer in Australia is akin to an Olympic sport. It's pretty cool. And then, well you can see for yourself, just look at that sidebar...

I've since learned that whether you enjoy a particular form of Mass or not is completely irrelevant to the worthiness of that form of the Mass. Without going too deep into this particular issue, just ask yourself: if we had Mass according to the tastes of each individual, isn't it likely that every Mass would be different? Even quite dramatically different? Then ask yourself: is that the situation in the Church today?

As The Tone once said to me before the start of a Mass con-celebrated by two bishops and three priests under an outdoor tent, which was said versus populum (facing the people), with lay readers (men and women) and accompanied by a choir singing chant and polyphony

"Remember Smeato it's the Novus Ordo - anything could happen..."

I had no idea what he was talking about when I went to collect my candle (with my name on it!) from the make-shift sanctuary between Communion and the final blessing.

Powerful video

2011-09-16T06:36:00.006+01:00

My thanks to John Smeaton for his blog from 22 August.

~

In 2008 two young North American film-makers produced a 15-minute pro-life film called "Volition". John Jalsevac of LifeSiteNews.com gave it a glowing review, saying:

"Volition is an astonishing achievement ... Volition places its central character, who goes unnamed, in the historical contexts of what the filmmakers clearly believe to be three of the greatest human rights violations in history: the holocaust, slavery, and abortion ... The premise is as clever and well-executed as it is effective."

Although "Volition" was released as a standard film in 2008, it has only now been released on YouTube, thus making it easy to share it with a global audience. Do watch it below or on YouTube and spread the word! The film also has a Facebook Page which you can 'Like'.

Post this powerful video to your blog, Facebook profile and Twitter account. Then email it to all your friends. Burn a copy onto DVD and post it to your local MP. Copy out a transcript of the text and hand it to your nearest pigeon. Make a comic-strip version, stick it in a bottle and lob it into the sea. If you think it's good, then do something with it. It might only be a drop in the ocean, but it might change somebody's mind, somebody's life...

SPUC calls on students to stand up for life in freshers' week

2011-09-15T13:39:00.005+01:00

SPUC is calling on students to stand up for life in universities around the country when the academic year begins. Last year students in thirteen universities handed out SPUC's Abortion - your right to know leaflet.

With more than five hundred and seventy abortions a day in the UK few remain untouched by this great tragedy. Your peers deserve to know the truth about abortion and some might desperately need to be reminded that there are alternatives to abortion and people who can help them make the choice to keep their child.

Unborn children deserve protection. Women deserve better than abortion and our generation urgently need to know the truth about abortion.

Will you help?

Email danielblackman@spuc.org.uk and request your leaflets for freshers' week today.

A Facebook event has been set up to help you spread the word and encourage others to defend life during freshers' week.

Spreading the joy of Walsingham [2]...

2011-09-15T06:16:00.004+01:00

Yesterday I posted about the impromptu session that a few us of held at my family home following the Ely to Walsingham pilgrimage. As on the pilgrimage, we began by singing the Veni Creator Spiritus. Later I asked Ronan to sing for us a beautiful hymn, which I heard for the first time on the road to Walsingham.

I heard the voice of Jesus

I heard of Jesus say "Come unto me and rest,
lay down thou weary one lay down
thy head upon My breast".
I came to Jesus as I was weary and worn and sad
I found in Him a resting place
and He has made me glad.

I heard of Jesus say "Behold I freely give
The living water thirsty one
kneel down and drink and live".
I came to Jesus and I drank of that life-giving stream,
My soul revived, my thirst was quenched
and now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say "I am this dark world's light.
Look unto Me thy morn shall rise
and all thy day be bright".
I came to Jesus and I found in Him my star my sun
And I'll walk with Him, my Lord my God
'til travelling days are done.

Ronan has since composed two new verses and has been kind enough to send them to me. If I were singing this then I would make them the third and fourth verse and leave the above third verse as the final verse, but I suppose if you do decide to sing this to yourself then you can jolly well do what you like!

I heard the voice of Jesus say "I am the living bread.

Take eat my flesh and drink my blood

for thus my sheep are fed."

I came to Jesus and I ate of His own flesh sublime,

I drank that blood the source of life

and now partake Divine.

I heard the voice of Jesus say "behold I give to thee

the Daughter, Mother and the Spouse

of God the Trinity."

I came to Jesus and received the Mother of my Lord,

From Hea'vn to earth He came through Her,

through Her we must return.

Spreading the joy of Walsingham...

2011-09-14T07:02:00.008+01:00

I have noted in a previous post that one always returns from pilgrimage a richer man. Richer in hope, richer in friends, richer in song and, of course, richer in countless graces which we will never fully understand.

Musical delights are perhaps among the most distinctive of the treasures laid out along the pilgrimage road. I can say with a great deal of confidence that one of the most significant moments of my life was the first time I heard the Rosary sung in Latin. It was Friday 24 October and the sun was rising on a cold morning in Ballarat as around four hundred pilgrims processed out of St Patrick's Cathedral, down the hill and onto the long road to the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo. Often when I am tired, or a bit weary or frustrated for some reason it is the thought of a particular round, hymn or motet that wakes me up or keeps me going for the day.

I have always felt that it would be a good thing to spread these little nuggets of joy. Of course the best way for these to be spread is for people to come along to one of the many traditional pilgrimages throughout the world.

This isn't possible for everyone and many people are quite removed from the sorts of communities and individuals who go on such pilgrimages. Following the pilgrimage to Walsingham, I did my best to spread the joys and delights of the road, beginning in my own home. Fortunately two fellow pilgrims stayed with us for a couple of days following the pilgrimage and we held something of an impromptu session at my family home with a couple of friends.

Below is us singing the Veni Creator Spiritus, which is sung on the pilgrimage at the beginning of the blessing of the pilgrims and their staves and scrips (or rucksacks). As on the pilgrimage, we began our musical evening by invoking the Holy Ghost.

Fr Bede Rowe blessing our banners, staves, scrips (and rucksacks!) at St Etheldreda's Catholic Church, Ely.

Veni Creator Spiritus

Veni, creator Spiritus

mentes tuorum visita,

imple superna gratia,

quae tu creasti pectora.

Qui diceris Paraclitus,

altissimi donum Dei,

fons vivus, ignis, caritas

et spiritalis unctio.

Tu septiformis munere,

digitus paternae dexterae

tu rite promissum Patris

sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus,

infunde amorem cordibus,

infirma nostri corporis,

virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius

pacemque dones protinus;

ductore sic te praevio

vitemus omne noxium.

Per te sciamus da Patrem

noscamus atque Filium,

te utriusque Spiritum

credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria,

et Filio qui a mortuis

Surrexit, ac Paraclito,

in saeculorum saecula.

Amen.

English translation

Come Holy Ghost Creator come

From Thy bright heavenly throne,

Come take possession of our souls,

And make them all Thine own.

Thou who art called the Paraclete,

Best gift of God above,

The living spring, the living fire,

Sweet unction and true love.

Thou art seven fold in Thy grace,

Finger of God’s right Hand,

His promise teaching little one

To speak and understand!

O guide our minds with Thy blest light,

With love our hearts inflame,

And with thy strength which ne’er decays

Confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our hellish foe,

True peace unto us bring,

And through all perils guide us safe

Beneath thy sacred wing .

Through Thee may we the Father know,

Through Thee the Eternal Son,

And Thee the Spirit of Them both

Thrice blessed Three in One.

All glory to the Father be and;

And to the risen Son;

The same to Thee O Paraclete,

While endless ages run.
Amen

Please note that the special earlybird offer for next year's pilgrimage expires tomorrow.

Back to Littleport...

2011-09-13T18:02:00.003+01:00

I have had an immensely enjoyable and busy three weeks. Immediately after the Michael Voris talk, I headed off on pilgrimage to Walsingham. I had hoped to blog more about the trip, but due to time and energy constraints I have had to keep things typically brief.

Just as we were last year, our pilgrimage was blessed with an absolutely wonderful chaplain - Fr Bede Rowe. Fr Bede preached beautifully throughout the pilgrimage. On the first day our Mass was at 6.15am, followed by breakfast, the pilgrims blessing and prayers for the healing of heresy and schism at Ely Cathedral. As the morning was so busy I asked Fr Bede to preach his first homily not at Mass but at our first break for the day. This was at The Swan pub in Littleport, on the banks of the Little Ouse. In the spirit of Saint Dominic Fr Bede duly obliged.

My apologies for missing the opening moments of Father's homily, which focused on the life of Saint Etheldreda, the seventh century East Anglian princess, Fenland queen and Abbess of Ely.

It strikes me that good quality youtube recordings of excellent homilies might be a very useful resource for evangelisation. I have been blessed to hear many excellent homilies over the years, some of which I remember in detail to this day.

Thank you Father Bede! We hope you and many more priests will join us next year!

You can sign up today for the 2012 Ely to Walsingham pilgrimage and receive the special earlybird discount. Priests and religious wishing to come need not sign up, but should get in contact with the Latin Mass Society.

Still on a high...

2011-09-05T07:00:00.005+01:00

One of the great thing about pilgrimages is that you go home a much richer man. Richer in hope, richer in friends, richer in song and, of course, richer in countless graces which we will never fully understand. I am still on a big high from the pilgrimage last week. Seán is still blogging like crazy over at Juventutem London. He and Laurence England are writing some profound and thoroughly entertaining reflections on what were a blessed three days. I'm not. I keep things short and simples on my Corner.

Moments after praying for the healing of schism and heresy, Seán and I spotted some lost sheep and grabbed the chance to evangelise with both hands.

As I say in the sidebar, conversation is better when conducted in spontaneous song. FYI, I was breaking into this catchy number at the end...

Michael Voris at Tyburn, London

2011-09-03T06:56:00.000+01:00

How fitting that Tyburn, arguably the holiest place in England, is marked by little more than a cracked paving stone in the middle of a busy traffic island. No fencing. No sign. No directions from the local train station. I should think that most people hardly know it is there.

Our Lord entered the world in the womb of the Virgin from Nazareth. He arrived in Bethlehem to no fanfare save that of the cattle and oxen. They wouldn't even have Him at the local inn. Only a few people came to see Him.

His true servants, like the Tyburn martyrs, are rarely glorified by the world. They are derided, cursed, spat on, attacked and forgotten. But not by all. We don't forget them and we proclaim their glorious memory from the rooftops, but we never forget that the servant is not greater than the master. They persecuted Him and if we stay true to Him they will persecute us too.

May our generation burn with the faith of our fathers.

Juventutem London at Tyburn immediately following the 2010 Papal vigil at Hyde Park.

You can now watch all of Michael's talk given at the Regent Hall last week.

I heard the voice of Jesus say...

2011-09-02T07:31:00.005+01:00

Okay so that was almost a week without blogging! I'm going away tomorrow and have got a few posts scheduled to come out while I'm gone. Lets get the ball rolling...

At the end of the second day's walk, on the third night of the Ely to Walsingham pilgrimage we stayed in a village hall opposite the Rose and Crown pub in Harpley. There we had a bit of food, a few drinks, song and good cheer. Here's the first of the songs I recorded. It is a beautiful Irish song. Watch out for the funny Irish lady and what she does at the end!

The person singing is called Ronan. He is three years younger than me, but is a personal hero of mine. I had him in the sidebar before under a pseudonym. I've added him again. In due course I will be doing a separate post about Ronan.

Loads of people are blogging about the pilgrimage:

Dr Joseph Shaw (King of the Latin Mass Society)

Seán Wright of Juventutem London

The Catholic Youth

Laurence England

Fr Bede Rowe, our chaplain for the pilgrimage

More will be added as Seán reminds me who they are.

Sign up for next year's pilgrimage today and get the special earlybird price. See you in Ely!

If you can't wait until then there is a Juventutem retreat next weekend in Reading. There are a couple of places left, but not many. If you're happy to camp (like I will be) then there are a number of places still left.

UPDATE: I've since uploaded another version of this song and written the lyrics in full beneath. The other video has better sound quality and a bodhran.

A very blessed week...

2011-08-29T15:49:00.000+01:00

This morning I posted on Facebook...

A very special week - Deo gratias, Ave Maria, jubilate Deo, Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia!

I don't really like the internet, but I use it a lot at present because I feel that it is an important tool for evangelisation. This week I'm taking a break. I have quite a few posts planned, but until then I suggest you skip over to Dr Shaw's blog.

I shall keep all my readers in my prayers!

Michael Voris speaking tomorrow night in London

2011-08-23T13:44:00.000+01:00

There are still some tickets available for the Michael Voris' talk tomorrow night. It would be great to see you there!

"Living the Catholic Faith Radically!" Wednesday 24 August at Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street, London W1C 2DJ. Doors open 7pm. The closest tube station is Oxford Circus. Bond Street and Marble Arch are also within walking distance.

If you haven't already booked a ticket then don't worry you will be able to purchase them on the door!

SPUC standing up for the unborn in Stratford this weekend

2011-08-16T15:38:00.003+01:00

Last month I reported on the SPUC pro-life stall at Lewisham People's Day. The event is the largest free festival in South East London and Lewisham has one of the highest abortion rates in the UK. We had a great day and I think we had a large number of various positive encounters. Do read more about the day.

One of our team discussing the issues with a member of the public in Lewisham.

This weekend a young team from SPUC are doing it all again, this time in Stratford. Here's what the organisers have to say:

Are you pro-life? Would you like the opportunity to help stop abortions taking place in London? Could you give up a few hours this Saturday to help spread awareness in East London?

SPUC OUTREACH IN STRATFORD

Newham Borough in East London has the highest abortion rate in the U.K. (39.9 per 1000 women) and has the sixth highest number in Europe, with 2,341 abortions taking place every year. BPAS have recently opened a new abortion centre in the area, and so the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children will be doing a pro-life outreach there on Saturday 20th August. We aim to inform the local public about the positive pro-life services available, raise awareness about exactly what is happening in the area, and campaign against the new opening. Join SPUC this Saturday as help is needed to man the stall, distribute pro-life literature and engage with the public.

Meet outside Stratford Tube Station at 10.30am. We will finish no later than 2pm. Other details are on our facebook event page. If you use Facebook, please use the page to invite others to this fantastic event in defence of human life.

Hope to see you there!

Any queries please contact: 0207 820 3140
Daniel Blackman – danielblackman@spuc.org.uk
Anna Gomes – anastasiagomes@spuc.org.uk
Frances Roxburgh – francesroxburgh@spuc.org.uk
Daniel Loughnane – danielloughnane@spuc.org.uk
Paul Smeaton – paulsmeaton@spuc.org.uk

Michael Voris speaking in London in less than two weeks!

2011-08-11T12:32:00.002+01:00

Unsurprisingly, Michael Voris' talk in London on Wednesday 24th August has generated a lot of interest. Here's a few of the people who have covered it:

A number of other popular bloggers have signed up to come on the night.

It's also great to see the poster going up at various churches around London and great to see so many non-Londoners sign up.

This is a fantastic opportunity for Catholics in England to reinvigorate their own faith and to evangelise. One of my hopes when organising this talk was that I could convince some of my lapsed Catholic and non-Catholic friends to come along. Please do the same and please pray for those attending.

You might not agree with Michael on everything - that's fine. Neither do I. You might not think he always expresses himself in the way he should - that's okay. Why not come along and take this opportunity to make a suggestion to Michael? He's a very friendly chap and easy to talk to. They'll be an opportunity for questions (that's questions, not separate speeches by members of the audience) and we'll probably continue talking somewhere nearby the hall immediately after the event.

If you haven't already then please post this event on your blog, facebook page, twitter or just let your friends know by email or (remember this?) word of mouth!

Michael is a champion of the Church and of the Catholic faith. He is loyal to the Holy Father and to the Magisterium. His experience in the media, during which time he won several Emmy awards for his work with CBS, means that he presents the Gospel in an attractive and compelling way. His motivation is that which should motivate all Catholics - the salvation of souls.

Plus, you'll get to meet me too

See you there!

All tickets are £5 and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. You can purchase them via paypal by clicking here:

awesome violinist at St Martin's in the fields

2011-08-06T23:24:00.002+01:00

I haven't done a busking post for a while...

I like buskers a lot. Good buskers contribute to the common good of the community.

You can still sign up for the conversion of England!

2011-08-05T15:52:00.004+01:00

This year's pilgrimage is already set to be at least double the size of last year's maiden journey, but there is still time to sign up!

You can read about last year's pilgrimage on Dr Joseph Shaw's blog.

This is a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty and depth of the Catholic faith. I like to think of pilgrimages as 'Catholicism unleashed'. In fact I recently wrote a report on this year's Paris to Chartres pilgrimage for the Westminster Record in which I elaborate on that idea. I've been meaning to post it on here for a while. I include it now below.

There has been an annual three day traditional pilgrimage in France for twenty nine years and in Australia for twenty years. The Ely to Walsingham pilgrimage continues the traditions established in France and Australia and enlivens our own rich Catholic history.

The pilgrimage begins in Ely, the home of Saint Etheldreda, the seventh century East Anglian princess, Fenland queen and Abbess of Ely. There will be an opportunity to venerate a first class relic of Saint Etheldreda before Mass on the first day at the Catholic church in Ely.

The pilgrims continue their journey through martyrs-country to Oxburgh Hall. This fifteenth century country house was a refuge to Catholic priests during the Reformation and Catholic worship continued here even during times of persecution. Mass will be celebrated here in Oxburgh Hall's private chapel, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and St Margaret.

Walsingham itself is one of the most important and historic sites of pilgrimage in all of Christendom. A lot of people continue to visit Walsingham, but my feeling is still that both within England and abroad we don't quite grasp just how special it is. Consider the following extracts from Anne Vail in her book Shrines of Our Lady in England.

More books have been written, more poems recited and more songs sung about Walsingham than about any other shrine in England. In the medieval world, this place of pilgrimage ranked fourth after Jerusalem, Compostela and Rome, and it was the only one of the four to be dedicated specifically to the Blessed Virgin. The history of this place stretches back to the eleventh century, and today Walsingham is once again the leading shrine dedicated to Our Lady in England, the focus of her dowry and the designated National Shrine
....
Towards the end of the reign of Edward the Confessor and only five years before the Norman invasion of 1066, Richeldis de Faverches, the lady of the manor of Walsingham, had a dream. In her dream, the Blessed Virgin transported her to the Holy House of Nazareth and, while Richeldis gazed at the home of the Holy Family, Our Lady requested that one of its like should be built in Walsingham. The dream was repeated three times, and Richeldis did her best to carry out Our Lady’s wish.
....
Try as they might, her builders were defeated. Richeldis retired to her room to pray throughout the night. As morning came she saw to her delight that the house had been built by angels, not in the place she had chosen, but some two hundred feet away, in the place where Our Lady wished it to be. In this place, Mary had explained, the people would celebrate the Annunciation, ‘the root of man’s gracious redemption’. She also delivered a promise to future generations who might visit Walsingham: ‘Whosoever seeks my help here will not go away empty-handed’. The little shrine was to become a place of prayer and consolation for people from all corners of the world.

I can't wait to go back again this year! Join us!

Pilgrims on their way to the Slipper Chapel in 2010

~

Report on 2011 Paris to Chartres pilgrimage

The Paris to Chartres pilgrimage has been organised by lay French Catholics for the past twenty nine years. Pilgrims walk for three days from the Cathedrals of Nortre Dame de Paris to Notre Dame de Chartres. Mass is offered each day in the traditional form and confession is available throughout the pilgrimage. It is the largest organised pilgrimage in all of Europe with approximately ten thousand pilgrims walking each year, with pilgrims from all over the world. An English chapter has walked with them for the past eighteen years.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that "The Catholic Church is like a caged lion. You don't need to defend it. Just open up the cage and let it out". To those who have never been or heard of the Paris to Chartres pilgrimage, perhaps the best way to describe it is 'Catholicism unleashed'. Much of the pilgrimage is an education in our great faith, but the pilgrimage does more simply than educate us - it calls us to live the faith to the full. The richest of the Church's treasures are laid along the road in banners, flags, devotions, reparations, supplications, and song. The ancient and ever new prayers of the Church resound from in our ears and we pray that they penetrate our hearts.

But the Paris to Chartres pilgrimage is not easy. We walk for seventy two miles in only two and a half days. The terrain can be challenging and the weather can surprise you. In embarking on this journey, pilgrims offer themselves to God and agree to walk along His path for three days - no matter what happens. The pilgrimage then is at once a snapshot and the model of the Christian life. It teaches us to trust in God and it challenges us to continue to follow Him when we return to our normal lives at home.

The pilgrimage is marked by a devotion to Our Lady. We walk from two of the oldest Marian shrines in Europe and place ourselves under Our Lady's maternal care as we go. It is from this powerful devotion that I believe the pilgrimage derives it's unique character and spirit. Under no other patron could the trials and difficulties of this life be met not only with so great a trust in God, but with so great a joy. Indeed, the joyous atmosphere of the pilgrimage is infectious. It is, of course, easy to grumble and complain when the going gets tough and we experience challenging moments on the journey. But it is extremely difficult not to be moved with happiness by the charity of your pilgrim companions, and finally not to overwhelmed by the grace God pours out upon us as we go. It is an opportunity to offer ourselves to God, and God responds by showering us with His love.

catching up again...

2011-08-05T15:51:00.002+01:00

My intermittent blogging bug seems to be hanging around. But I'm still reading the blogs! A lot has happened since I last posted. I don't intend to cover all of it. Dr Joseph Shaw has offered a timely analysis of non-directive counselling of pregnant women considering abortion. He then responded to the hatchet job done on this analysis by the Herald. I also enjoyed Dr Joe Shaw's analysis of Harry Potter (parts one and two). Dorothy Cummings Mclean has an interesting article on the continued religious devotion in Britain, with reflections on the death of Amy Winehouse. Hilary White has offered her analysis of World Youth Day. Fr Rowe has begun a petition to remove the ban on the English monarch being a Catholic, or converting to Catholicism. And somebody has started what appears to be the best blog ever. Somebody has asked if it is me. I wish it was.

And the Catholic bishops of Ireland have said "........................." about the threat by the Irish government to shut down the Catholic church in Ireland. That's the same Ireland as Michael Voris reported on recently, the one where there used to be a lot of Catholics. If you'd like to write to the bishops with your suggestions on how to improve things, their contact details are:

Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Columba Centre
Maynooth
Co. Kildare
Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)1 505 3000
Fax: +353 (0)1 601 6401
Email: columbacentre@iecon.ie

More importantly, please also take time to pray for the bishops. As a priest friend recently told me "if you're prepared to criticise, be prepared to pray for them too. As people to whom much has been given, much is expected and their judgement will be very severe. Your prayers could make all the difference".

With that in mind, please pray the following:

Heavenly Father,
in these trying times
when the spirit of the age
threatens Christian values,
give our bishop holiness of life
and wisdom to direct and guide the Church
so that we may grow in your love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

St Joseph, pray for us.

English Catholic bishop braves British summertime to end abortion

2011-07-19T17:20:00.001+01:00

This Saturday I had the privilege of walking side by side with a Catholic bishop to pray outside the Marie Stopes abortuary in Woodford Green.

I was able to get some good photos, but apparently the policy is that photos aren't to be taken and used by individual vigilers. Suffice to say we all got thoroughly wet!

Many thanks to the good Bishop Thomas McMahon. I pray that his successor will continue to support this excellent apostolate.

Contraception is the mother of abortion

2011-07-16T07:13:00.000+01:00

Michael Voris is speaking in London on Wednesday 24th August, 7pm.

They'll be an opprtunity to ask him questions after his talk and maybe even to grab a beer afterwards. Sign up today!

English Catholic bishop to lead prayers outside abortuary this Saturday

2011-07-14T14:18:00.002+01:00

Bishop Thomas McMahon (pictured right) of Brentwood will be leading a prayer vigil outside of the Marie Stopes abortuary in Buckhurst Hill, on Saturday 16th July.

Thanks to the Good Counsel Network for passing on this excellent news. They say:

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be offered in St Thomas of Canterbury Church, 557-559 High Road, Wood Green, IG8 0RB at 9am. At 9.45 approx the Bishop and the faithful will process to the abortuary saying the Rosary on route. We will then return at 12 noon to the Church and at 12.30pm break for tea and a get together. Please bring a packed lunch.

You can read more details about the vigil from the website of Helpers of God's Precious Infants. Although the vigil is not listed yet on their website, this site will explain the nature and purpose of the vigil.

I plan to go myself and I urge as many of our readers to attend as possible and to support Bishop McMahon and the Helpers as they courageously defend the unborn and offer real hope to women and men involved in abortion.

Young people stand up for the unborn in Lewisham

2011-07-11T18:00:00.013+01:00

This past Saturday I assisted with an SPUC outreach at Lewisham Peoples Day, South East London's largest and longest running free festival. The day was organised by Daniel Blackman, a colleague of mine at SPUC.

This was the first time that there has been a pro-life presence at this event. There is a serious need for pro-life witness all over the world. However, I think we have an especially urgent need in London and this particular corner of London has among the highest abortion rates in the UK.

On the same day Lewisham Council were launching their Condom Card scheme, which is all about giving teenagers free condoms. This scheme will include condoms being distributed in youth clubs, libraries, schools, colleges and leisure centres.

Over the river, at the Houses of Parliament, a group of pro-abortion feminists called Abortion Rights were holding a protest.

There were eleven of us in total, all of us under thirty five.

The gang's all here! (I'm third from the right in a blue t-shirt)

I was chuffed that Juventutem London was well represented, as well as 40 Days for Life London, which has been such a blessing for the pro-life movement in England.

On our stall we set up two sets of the How you Began child development models. These attracted a lot of interest.

We also gave away about 50 tiny baby models, with information about the Good Counsel Network on the back.

We used placards of the first nine months of human development, attaching them along the bottom of the stalls.

We offered free face painting to all....

Butterflies, tigers, hearts, and spidermen

I was personally really encouraged by the response we received from the public. We had a lot of discussions with people from a vast variety of backgrounds.

Of course, there were some people who opposed our presence and criticised us for being there. You have to expect that. I spent a long time in discussion with a woman, who after speaking with her for about twenty minutes told us that she was a former employee of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the world's largest abortion provider. She opposed our presence, but I was very pleased that we were able to speak openly to each other for such a long period. However, I was saddened that she was able to look at and even pick up the life-sized baby models and tell us that such children didn't have a right to live.

The text reads: 'A baby alive and well in the mother's womb at sixteen weeks of pregnancy, fourteen weeks after fertilisation. Life-size.

This lady was able to pick up a life-sized model of a sixteen week old child and say that it didn't have a right to live and that it wasn't akin to killing somebody who has been born.

If you'd like to learn more about child development watch this video.

We all existed from the moment of conception and from that moment we must recognise the humanity of all.

I also spoke at length with two women handing out condoms. They both told us that they were opposed to abortion and that they were very glad of our presence at the fair. I told them that, while I refused to judge them, I was not glad that they were there handing out condoms. I explained that by giving condoms to teenagers they were encouraging them to have sex at an early age. I explained that condoms are a part of the abortion problem. The more we encourage young people to have pre-marital sex, the more they will do so and the more unwanted pregnancies will occur. I explained to them that contraception has been a part of the abortion-lobby's agenda from the beginning, because the abortion lobby knows that all contraceptives have a failure rate and that when people become pregnant from a sexual act which has tried and failed to close itself to the possibility of new life, then abortion is the solution to what people see as the problem of their pregnancy. I told them that people deserve better than condoms.

Again I was saddened by their response. One of the women earnestly told me that she wished everybody would share my values and how much she admired them. But she wasn't prepared to promote them herself. She was there to promote condoms. She was instead acting out a tragic part in a culture that kills its young at a rate higher than any previous civilisation in humanity's history.

One thing that people who are staunchly pro-contraception seem not to realise is that human beings are capable of waiting for marriage and having loving relationships. Some seem to believe that teenage sex is inevitable and condoms are a necessity because of this.

Sure, human beings have a natural desire to engage in sexual acts. Sure, these desires are particularly strong when we're young. But it isn't unavoidably inevitable that everybody will engage in pre-marital sex. The reality is that when people are taught that there is a better way many of them respond.

If nobody - or at least very few people - are prepared to tell young people that there is a better way to love each other than through pre-marital contraceptive sex, then how are young people going to realise their true dignity in a culture which constantly pressures them into early sexual relationships?

These women might have been spending their time telling young men and women that they were made for more than sterile sex, but they chose to perform the function of a cog in what they seem to believe is a controlled, yet uncontrollable process.

I am very pleased to say that there were many people who were very receptive to what we had to say. I spoke to a number of people who considered themselves anti-abortion, but they were unsure about pregnancies caused by rape. Through our conversations I'm confident that some of them came to realise that abortion is another attack on a woman, as well as her unborn child and that it can never be the compassionate response to rape.

Other people I spoke to were opposed to abortion in all circumstances, but didn't appreciate the urgency of our present situation with hundreds of babies being killed every day. One abortion is a grave tragedy. The tragedy of our present time is difficult to comprehend.

A number of people were openly grateful to us for being there. I hope we can do more. I hope all of us who were there will be confirmed and emboldened in our pro-life conviction. I hope more people, old and young, will join us in standing up for the lives of unborn children and reaching out to women considering abortion and to those who falsely believe they are doing good by assisting abortions.

Anthony and Omar - SPUC's newest supporters!

UPDATE: Apostolate of the Laity has also now blogged on this.

Great news from the Good Counsel Network

2011-07-09T10:07:00.002+01:00

From their post 'NINE babies saved from abortion at one London abortuary during June! Support the vigil so we can offer helpt to many more'

Our vigil at marie stopes abortuary, 108 Whitfield St, London W1T 5EA (nearest tube Warren st or Great Portland St) is just over seven months old now and God is blessing this type of work and witness because in June alone there have been sixteen turn arounds from abortuaries across London, nine of these have been at the daliy Vigil at Whitfield St. These women chose life for their children after speaking to a person and witnessing people praying outside the modern day Calvary of the abortuary . These woman would have just walked in and aborted their child if there had had been no prayer supporters or counsellor present at the abortuary.
One couple changed their mind by just seeing the supporters praying, they went into the "clinic" after less than five minutes they came back out and came over an shook each of the supporters hands, thanked them and told to keep up the good work. the couple both had tears in their eyes and left very happy.
It was a moving experince. It is essential that type of peaceful Pro-life Vigil continues. We are managing to do this with the help of a small number prayer supporters who come regulary. But it would really help if we could get more people to commit to some slots between 9am-1.30pm Mon-Fri even if it was only for fifteen minutes (approx. the time to say one Rosary) once a week this would really help. If you cannot commit to anything but are in central London between 9-1.30 you would be more than welcome to join us, even if it's only to say a decade of the Rosary. Also, could you pray that we get enough people to continue the vigil. Please tell all your friends and family. Here is a link that has contact details, address etc. of the vigil.
Thank you,God bless, Eddie Bauer

School children defend use of Latin in Church

2011-07-05T22:57:00.005+01:00

My friend Conor told me about this link on Taylor Marshal's Canterbury Tales blog.

Taylor says:

I spoke to the pastor, Father Bart Reynolds, and he confirmed that the words of the children were not scripted. They are speaking off the cuff.

I should add that I know a three year old who could sing the Ave Regina Caelorum before I had even heard of it! It's quite a wonderful sight to see him belt it out!

Michael Voris on Ireland

2011-06-30T14:33:00.003+01:00

In theory...

And the evidence from the ground...

Michael Voris is coming to England too. You can buy your ticket today. Click the link in the sidebar.

A little round-up

2011-06-28T18:16:00.006+01:00

My slow posting bug has returned. Generally I keep up with the blogs I read even when I don't keep up posting myself. Here's a little round up of my favourite stuff from the blogosphere last week.

I enjoyed Fr Finigan's post about the sorts of bloggers St Thomas More and St John Fisher would have been. I'd add that I think they would have counselled their readers on the dangers of internet addiction, even addiction to edifying Catholic blogs!

I thought Mulier Fortis made a good assessment of the Preston Eucharistic Flash mob. I also thought a few of her commenters made worthy points, and I chucked my own comment on there too.

The Relucatant Sinner has given us cause for urgency in our prayers and work to help restore the Church. I wonder if anybody skilled with a camera might be able to provide the sort of service to the Church that Gloria TV did in alerting Rome to the abuses of the now cancelled 'Western Mass'. Bones is trying to restore the Church through folk music - folk music outside of the liturgy that is!

I had a great night with Juventutem London for the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist at St Patrick's Soho on Friday. Joe Shaw has loads of photos of the Mass and Bones did an excellent report. There were a number of people there experiencing the Traditional Mass for the first time or for the first time in a long time and I've had a number of people contacting me saying how much they enjoyed it. Deo Gratias! I plan to write a report on last week's Mass and on Juventutem London's progress since we began last November.

I also really enjoyed James Preece's post about an organisation I had never heard of, behaving in a way many of us are all too familiar with.

In summary: lots of reasons for hope and lots of reasons to continue to pray and work with urgency to help the Church recover from her present crisis.

P.S. me thinks that the picture I just found for this post goes rather well with my most important post thus far.

P.P.S. I meet a lot of people who have the idea that blogs are just a platform to rant, as expressed in the above cartoon. I think I provide ample evidence in this little round up to show that idea couldn't be further from the truth.

Michael Voris announces talk in London!

2011-06-20T19:51:00.007+01:00

For those who can't read the poster...

Michael Voris will be speaking live on "Living the Catholic Faith Radically!" at Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street, London W1C 2DJ. Doors open 7pm

There will be an opportunity to ask Michael questions after his talk.

All tickets are £5 and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. You can purchase them via paypal by clicking here:

Doors open 7pm

Regent Hall is owned The Salvation Army amd I'm grateful to them for giving us the use of the hall for this talk.

Here's a little clip of Michael - the first video of his I saw and it is still my favourite.

However, please note that this will be a new talk for us in London, so even his biggest internet fan won't have seen or heard it before.

There's a Facebook page but you can only confirm your place by booking online via paypal. Any queries please email voristalklondon@gmail.com

Paris to Chartres: a pilgrim's tale

2011-06-16T14:27:00.007+01:00

I took a lot of videos on the Paris to Chartres pilgrimage. Upon returning home I realised that most of them were of the 'you had to be there' variety. But that's okay, I like to keep things simple here at Smeaton's Corner. So, here's a one-stop guide to how to distribute Communion reverently at an outdoor Mass, attended by lots of people - I believe there were between six and eight thousand people present this year. That's a much smaller turnout than normal, I was told that was due to the lateness of Pentecost.

Note the umbrella and the scout with the Communion plate. Note the priest distributing Communion. I hope that the same reverence is shown to the Blessed Sacrament throughout the liturgies at World Youth Day later this year.

Here's perhaps the best of my videos. My friend Ouzo tells us why he came on the pilgrimage this year and what he enjoyed about it. Ouzo isn't somebody with much experience of the Traditional Latin Mass, but it has clearly made a deep impression on him. Lets pray that more and more young people get to experience this great treasure of the Church.

Ouzo is wrong about one thing. There is a great opportunity to go on precisely this sort of pilgrimage in the UK. You can sign up today!

More photos and reports on the pilgrimage can be seen at Rorate Caeli and on the Papa Stronsay blog.

the best busker in London

2011-06-15T15:57:00.003+01:00

I met this lady in the entrance of Tottenham Court Road underground station last Thursday.

Her name is Debbie Bridge and she must be the best busker in London. She is certainly my favourite. As cool as he is, she definitely trumps the clown.

Debbie told me she has her own blog. She took down my url and hopefully she'll leave a comment so that readers here can check her blog out.

I shall be posting about the Chartres pilgrimage in the coming days. Photos and reports have already gone up on Fr Rowe's blog and on the New Liturgical Movement.

every time I try to get away....

2011-06-10T04:00:00.003+01:00

Despite my best efforts to avoid it this year, I am off to Chartres this weekend. It's a blessing really. A seventy two mile blessing...

Just kidding. I love pilgrimages. I shall endeavour to post photos and a report upon my return. Maybe even videos, you just never know these days :-)

I wish you all a very blessed Whit Sunday and Pentecost octave. I shall offer a 'Jubilate Deo' for you all!

I shall be printing this verse from The Lord of the Rings and bringing it with me.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

People involved with abortion have help available to them

2011-06-09T20:16:00.001+01:00

If you or anybody you know has been involved with or affected by abortion you should know that there are people who can help. This video was produced in America, but there are people who can help all around the world. Some of the best groups are right here in England.

Quote a week Wednesday returns! The question of decision making...

2011-06-08T16:00:00.000+01:00

"I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite."

~ GK Chesterton

This week's quote may be useful for those readers still discerning their vocation, or who have any another big decision to make.

Some people are praying for the intercession of GK Chesterton. I think this is very interesting.

There is a pilgrimage to Chesterton's tomb in London on Tuesday 14th June, the anniversary of Chesterton's death. If I can go then I will.

Sydney abortion vigil documentary

2011-06-08T15:42:00.003+01:00

I went to these vigils a lot while I was in Sydney. I never once saw any of the pro-lifers abusing anybody. If something like this did happen it would be very difficult for it to have escaped police attention, because these vigils are monitored constantly by the police.

The Pro Ecclesia 'Faith of Our Fathers' Conference is still going to be great!

2011-06-06T17:04:00.007+01:00

It's unfortunate that Cardinal Burke won't be coming to London. I had been looking forward to hearing him speak.

The organisers have publicly apologised for wording the advertising flyer the way that they did. They are good people and, like all good people, they make mistakes. The Pro Ecclesia organisers are people working humbly in the service of the Church at a deeply confusing and difficult period in its history. They should be receiving support from the rest of the Catholic community.

But this cancellation isn't a big deal. Let me give you an example of a big deal.

The Catholic bishops of England and Wales are playing the part of Herod. If you click that link and read the linked to blog you'll see clear evidence that the bishops in England unashamedly allow groups into Catholic schools whose staff are trained to offer children access to abortion and contraception without their parents knowledge. That's just the start. Click the link.

People need to wake up. We are in a crisis and we need to combat this through prayer and works. Pray for our bishops and the Church. Work to restore the Church.

Nothing has changed for the better on that front since the linked to post was written. That doesn't mean that Pro Ecclesia were right to word the flyer the way they did. A far more robust sentence might well have been true, but writing what they did on the flyer made it inevitable that Cardinal Burke would cancel.

But this isn't a big deal. Not at all. Not even slightly. A cardinal was going to say Catholic things to a conference in a hall in Westminster one sunny Saturday afternoon. Okay. Great. I was looking forward to it. But it's not a big deal that he has cancelled. It's just a talk.

As it happens it sounds like the conference is going to be great anyway. I've spoken to the organisers and apparently hardly anyone has cancelled and there have been more bookings since the news broke. I'm really looking forward to it! I hear Fr Kramer is a great speaker and I'm delighted to get the chance to meet him. There's even still a bishop coming - a Dutch bishop. Everybody knows that Dutch people are cool...

If you haven't already done so, sign up today!

~

PRO ECCLESIA ET PONTIFICE are very happy to announce that FATHER PAUL KRAMER will now be the main speaker at the FAITH OF OUR FATHERS FATIMA CONFERENCE 2011 at Westminster Central Hall, Storeys Gate, SW1 9NH, on Saturday 18th June 2011 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Doors open at 1 p.m.

Father Kramer will be speaking on THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA

The supporting speaker is Bishop Robert Mutsaerts from Holland on “The Dutch Disease”

Tickets £10 from 4,Fife Way, Bookham.Surrey.KT23 3PH, Tel. 01372 454160 or on the door for early arrivals.

Don't think I've thrown the towel in

2011-06-05T18:42:00.004+01:00

I haven't blogged since 21st May. More than three weeks! My absence has been unexplained and without apology.

No doubt some of you are thinking 'he's on the ropes, maybe he's backing down, maybe he's running out of ideas, maybe he's not the blogger we thought he was...'

Well I've got news for you. I'm coming back. And I'm coming back Strong. That's right - Strong with a capital S.

Rocky knows what I mean...

*Non-English and non-Australian readers may wish to note that this post was completely and utterly tongue in cheek. Well, sort of...

that time again

2011-05-21T07:20:00.001+01:00

In honour of Monsignor Reilly's conversation with me earlier this week...

the big game of life

2011-05-20T12:54:00.000+01:00

the coolest thing...

2011-05-19T10:13:00.002+01:00

I met Monsignor Philip Reilly yesterday. I was at a talk of his which was just incredible. I think he may be a saint.

I went to introduce myself and a friend of mine at the end. Having shaken hands, he held my hand with a firm grip, looked straight and deep into my eyes and said:

"You're a typical....you're Irish aren't you?"

Awesome.

I explained to him that I am the son of a beautiful Irish mother.

UPDATE: Here's the talk I was at last night.

My thanks to Robert Colquhoun for posting this.

Quote a week Wednesday - Hilary White

2011-05-18T07:00:00.001+01:00

"People know perfectly well where babies come from. But they want abortion because they've discovered that as long as you have legal abortion, more often than not paid for by the state, you can have as much sex as you want all the time with anyone you want. "

~ Hilary White

Hilary's original post

Monsignor Reilly speaks at St James', Spanish Place tomorrow

2011-05-17T11:26:00.005+01:00

This from the Good Counsel Network

Monsignor Philip J Reilly, the founder of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants will be in London on Wednesday. He will be giving a talk at St James' Church, Spanish Place, 22 George Street, London, W1U 3QY, on Wednesday 18th May 2011 at 7.30pm.

The number of babies, as well as Mothers & Fathers saved from the horrors of abortion by God's Grace, through this Priest is amazing.Should we go to the abortuary and pray? What should we do when we are there? Do Bishops and Priests need to go? Will me going really make a difference? Over years I've heard Monsingor answer all of this and much more besides.

I am very much looking forward to this. I have a number of friends who have told me what a wonderful experience it is to hear Monsignor Reilly speak and to meet him. Don't miss this great opportunity to meet a genuine hero of our time.

this definitely passes my 'ridiculously-cool test'

2011-05-16T07:25:00.001+01:00

My thanks to Bones for alerting me to this incredible story.

A man in Brighton has converted his council house into a copy of the Sistine Chapel!

Here's the TV report.

Just a tip to other Catholic bloggers. If you want to link to a story in the Daily Mail, you can click on the 'Print' option at the bottom of the story and then paste a link to the new window that pops up. That way you avoid linking to all the soft-porn that the Daily Mail post down the sidebar of their website.

The sacred and profane memories of Captain Paul Smeaton

2011-05-15T19:28:00.004+01:00

Sometimes when I miss Australia, I listen to this

and have happy recollections of places like here, here and here.

Other times I play this and have happy memories, of well the sorts of places shown in the video, and especially the Cricketer's.

Such a happy place...

Fr Dermot Fenlon exiled for a year today...and it's still a scandal

2011-05-12T15:22:00.006+01:00

Last year, prior to the Papal visit to England three Oratorians were ordered to "spend time in prayer" at three separate monasteries hundreds of miles apart and indefinitely. Of the three, Father Dermot Fenlon (described by the Oratory's own spokesman as "entireley guiltless of any wrong doing whatsoever") remains silenced and in exile.

It's no insignificant thing to be ordered out of your home. It's not clear whether Father Fenlon will ever be allowed to come back. Nobody other than Father Fenlon knows all the details of what has happened since in the year of his exile, but an unexpected eviction is quite a serious punishment. Especially when you consider that Father Fenlon was sixty eight when he was exiled.

The eviction occurred last year, 13 May 2010, just weeks before the Pope was to visit England to beatify Cardinal Newman, founder of the Birmingham Oratory.

The official line is that this is an internal matter. But that's where things get even more confusing. Jack Valero, spokesperson for Opus Dei, who was made spokesperson for the Birmingham Oratory on this case last year, said that 'healing' was required both for the community at the Oratory and those who were exiled. But the rest of the community hasn't been exiled. The rest of them have been able to continue living at the Oratory, serving as priests. Their healing regime has been quite different to Father Fenlon's. In the words of Ruth Dudley Edwards, journalist and long-time friend of Father Fenlon, his healing process has involved his reputation being trashed and being moved all over the place. It seems that a major part of Father Fenlon's healing has been to be forced to become a vagrant in exile.

According to Jack Valero, the healing was required to resolve things like things like "pride, anger, disobedience, disunity, nastiness, dissention, the breakdown of charity, that kind of thing." So it would seem that something has gone wrong at the Birmingham Oratory. But apparently Father Fenlon didn't do anything wrong. So why he was exiled from his home? Why can he still not come back?

When Ruth Dudley Edwards told Jack Valero that "Dermot Fenlon has lived in that place for twenty years and it was to be his home forever. His reputation has been trashed, all over the place. Where can he go? He’s at the moment, he’s a vagrant."

Jack Valero said:

"well it must have been serious, it must have been a very serious thing to have gone on in that house for that to happen. That’s what I am saying, it's very serious things going on in that house."

Jack Valero didn't directly accuse Father Fenlon of anything, because Father Fenlon, as Jack admits, has done nothing wrong. But this association with him and pride, nastiness (and the list goes on) is a further slur on the good man's reputation.

Because Father Fenlon was ordered not to speak publicly, he has never been able to defend himself publicly.

Since then, things have gone pretty quiet. It was a contentious issue within a small corner of the Catholic population last year, but it seems to have really slipped under the radar now.

But Fr Fenlon still can't come home. His suffering is just being ignored really. Forgotten about.

You can learn more on this most pressing and most serious issue within the life of the Church in England here and here.

The story in pictures...

The Birmingham Three Press Conference

Walk to Walsingham for the conversion of England

2011-05-12T07:53:00.001+01:00

"When England comes back to Walsingham, Our Lady will come back to England"

On 26th -28th August The Latin Mass Society are walking from Ely to Walsingham for the conversion of England. There will be a sung traditional Mass every day, and Confessions will be available throughout. This event is open to all ages and to families. This pilgrimage takes it leads from and extends the tradition established in the Paris to Chartres pilgrimage of walking over three days to a major shrine of Our Lady. It is also a continuation and renewal of many great English traditions. The pilgrimage begins in Ely, the home of Saint Ethelreda, the seventh century princess and martyr. There will be an opportunity to venerate a relic of Saint Ethelreda before Mass on the first day. The pilgrims continue their journey through martyrs-country to Oxburgh Hall. This fifteenth century country house was a refuge to Catholic priests during the Reformation and Catholic worship continued here even during times of persecution. Mass will be celebrated here in Oxburgh Hall's private chapel, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and St Margaret. The pilgrimage concludes on Sunday with Mass in Walsingham, followed by the walking of the Holy Mile.

For more details and to sign up please visit: http://www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/2011-walsingham-walking-pilgrimage

If any priests are interested in coming on the pilgrimage, or assisting at one of the Masses please get in touch with the Latin Mass Society.

If you are unable to attend the entire pilgrimage it is possible to simply attend one of the Masses. There is also a separate coach group leaving London on Sunday to join the pilgrims for Mass in Walsingham. Please contact the Latin Mass Society for more details.

Pilgrims on the Holy Mile, led by our 2010 Chaplain, Fr Alexander Redman.

To see the full set of photos from last year's pilgrimage click here.

Quote a week Wednesday - Winston Churchill

2011-05-11T18:01:00.004+01:00

"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes."

~ Winston Churchill

A trail of flowers...

2011-05-10T07:42:00.002+01:00

I just discovered this blog. It's lovely. Check it out.

Reflections on the other Rome blognic

2011-05-07T14:25:00.000+01:00

Two days later than I *promised* but there you have it.

I found myself reflecting not only on the blognic, but naturally on blogs generally.

The good blogs do...

Blogs have given a means for ordinary people to get their views to a mass audience instantly, for free.

In a world starved of voices proclaiming Catholic truth, many blogs have become beacon points which people flock to.

In terms of advertising they have also really helped the little guy with a good cause. For example, the success (in terms of the number of people attending) the LMS pilgrimage to York this year was attributed largely to the blogs.

As a community which is getting smaller and smaller, blogs are a way of helping people find and connect with other Catholics. The event in Rome and the York event are examples of that.

Another point that was raised is that by highlighting scandal, blogs often are able to stop it in its tracks.

From my own perspective, I greatly appreciate the tackling of tough issues in the Church by blogs and other forms of the new media. Whenever something happens within the Church that might upset/disturb us that action has an ongoing impact. For a long time now, leaders of the Church have stopped apologising for actions that would in the past have been recognised as scandalous. A lot of the time they act like they're actually good things. Since I possess the ability to reason I can often see that they're not. So can most other people. Blogs have been a great way of getting the message out to people: hey! that's not actually the Church's position.

Other observations

Most of the bloggers had an awareness of just how addictive the internet can be and a concern that too much time on the internet has a negative impact on us.

I can't help thinking that were a blogger-saint to emerge one of their great messages would have to be 'you gotta spend less time on the blogs'....

Contraception because....?

2011-05-07T13:36:00.005+01:00

Contraception: Because having men treat you like a lady just isn’t worth it.

Contraception: Encouraging men to take more and more and give less and less.

Contraception: Robbing women of the commitment they deserve.

Contraception: Because feminism is all about making yourself as much like a man as possible.

Contraception: Because you’re not worth waiting for.

Contraception: Because the guys you sleep with are gentlemen who would respect you and would still be with you if you couldn't use contraception.

Contraception: So men can have sex with you and all those other girls too.

Contraception: So men can have sex with you, and then leave and forget all about you.

Contraception: Because it’s OK for you to use it but it wasn’t for your mum when you were conceived.

What do people who have been aborted think about abortion?

2011-05-06T07:53:00.004+01:00

I think that it's important to listen to a number of views on abortion. Here are some thoughts from somebody that was on the receiving end of an abortion.

I saw this on Robert's blog, again !

This is one of those videos that I would urge you to post on your own social media profiles, be it blog, facebook, twitter, whatever...

If you don't think that's appropriate then think about some people you know who you think might benefit from seeing this and send them an email. These videos are great and an important way of promoting the culture of life, but they won't make any difference if nobody sees them.

You never know the impact you're having...

2011-05-05T13:38:00.004+01:00

I have just seen a post on Robert Colquhoun's blog, which relays an email from an inter-sexed person who was deeply moved by the witness of 40 Days for Life London.

The post really confirms the words of Archbishop Chaput, which I pinch from Robert's Facebook page!

"Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Don't ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work."

the other Rome blognic report

2011-05-04T23:42:00.002+01:00

Some people might think that they needn't have gone to the *other* Rome blognic thanks to this great video of the keynote address...

But you wouldn't have have been able to cheers a beer with the participants afterwards, or stroll the streets of Rome, or APPEAR IN THE VORTEX! :-)

Chuffed to bits to see this and glad it could be shared in such a professional format. I shall post my reflections on this event tomorrow...

Quote a Week Wednesday - DOUBLE WHAMMY!

2011-05-04T07:17:00.001+01:00

One of the ironies of the present situation is that the person who experiences scandal at the gravely sinful public actions of a fellow Catholic is accused of a lack of charity and of causing division within the unity of the Church. In a society whose thinking is governed by the "dictatorship of relativism" and in which political correctness and human respect are the ultimate criteria of what is to be done and what is to be avoided, the notion of leading someone into moral error makes little sense. What causes wonderment in such a society is the fact that someone fails to observe political correctness and, thereby, seems to be disruptive of the so-called peace of society.

~ Cardinal Burke

And Cardinal Burke is speaking in London soon! Book your place today!

Cost: £20 for adults, £10 for students, £5 for priests and religious.

Email graham@cathud.com or call 01322 409 231 to book your place today.

An online sign-up option will be available soon.

Tickets are limited so book soon to secure your place!

Please note: parking around the hall is free and the congestion charge does not apply on weekends.

There's a facebook page, but just remember that clicking 'attending' doesn't mean you're booked. You still have to book in the way indicated above.

And to compliment the good Cardinal here's the second part of this week's double whammy...

"It is better for scandal to arise than for the truth to be suppressed"

~ Pope Gregory the Great

If you're scandalised by the reporting of scandalous decisions and actions taken by leaders within the Catholic Church, it's those scandalous actions that are a problem, not the reporting of them. Personally, I'm immensely grateful for the reporting and criticism of them. Otherwise there's really nothing to suggest that we don't all agree...

What's your blog about then?

2011-05-03T07:50:00.005+01:00

Since I started posting some of my blogposts on Facebook and presumably getting readers from friends I have made over the years, rather than just the Catholic bloggy world, I've had a few questions from people unfamiliar with blogging. Mostly it seems a number of people aren't really familiar with blogging, what it is and why people would bother doing it.

My answer...

A blog is a twenty-first century soap-box and I'm just another bloke yelling in the park.

You see the fella in the title picture, on the right, standing and pointing? You might have already guessed that I like to pretend that's me.

I aim to be both charming and persuasive. Here's a picture of me being both those things...

Now the chap to my left in the funny hat and with the pointy finger, now he's Trouble...

I'm off to Rome...

2011-05-02T06:48:00.001+01:00

For the *other* Rome blognic.

I don't intend to live-blog, or live-tweet, or take any photos. This is actually a holiday for me.

I shall keep you all in my prayers in the eternal city and post a report next week - I'll probably try and pinch some photos off some other bloggers!

Oh Mary we crown thee with blossoms today

2011-05-01T07:55:00.003+01:00

The May Magnificat, by Gerard Manley Hopkins

MAY is Mary’s month, and I
Muse at that and wonder why:
Her feasts follow reason,
Dated due to season—

Candlemas, Lady Day;
But the Lady Month, May,
Why fasten that upon her,
With a feasting in her honour?

Is it only its being brighter
Than the most are must delight her?
Is it opportunest
And flowers finds soonest?

Ask of her, the mighty mother:
Her reply puts this other
Question: What is Spring?—
Growth in every thing—

Flesh and fleece, fur and feather,
Grass and greenworld all together;
Star-eyed strawberry-breasted
Throstle above her nested

Cluster of bugle blue eggs thin
Forms and warms the life within;
And bird and blossom swell
In sod or sheath or shell.

All things rising, all things sizing
Mary sees, sympathising
With that world of good,
Nature’s motherhood.

Their magnifying of each its kind
With delight calls to mind
How she did in her stored
Magnify the Lord.

Well but there was more than this:
Spring’s universal bliss
Much, had much to say
To offering Mary May.

When drop-of-blood-and-foam-dapple
Bloom lights the orchard-apple
And thicket and thorp are merry
With silver-surfèd cherry

And azuring-over greybell makes
Wood banks and brakes wash wet like lakes
And magic cuckoocall
Caps, clears, and clinches all—

This ecstasy all through mothering earth
Tells Mary her mirth till Christ’s birth
To remember and exultation
In God who was her salvation.

Cardinal Burke to speak in London on Church discipline and evangelisation

2011-04-30T07:57:00.001+01:00

I can't believe I only just heard about this. This is great news. I am really looking forward to this.

For those who can't read the above

Cardinal Burke speaking on 'The Restoration of Church Discipline and Evangelisation' on Saturday 18th June, 1pm, at at Westminster Central Hall, Storey's Gate, London, SW1 9NH

I'm not sure if you're able to sign up online. It doesn't seem so from the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice website. I hope they put up an online form soon. I've forgotten how to use pens, let alone send things in the post! And all I ever wanted was a simple life....

Great news for London! St Patrick's reopening at the end of May

2011-04-29T09:50:00.006+01:00

Saint Patrick's, Soho, is reopening in London at the end of May. This is great news for the Catholic Church and for the whole of London. St Patrick's is on my route home from work and I have been going to this Church regularly to pray and to be involved with some of its outreach activities for over a year. I am really excited and chuffed to see it on its way to being so beautifully restored for the fitting worship of God.

I am particularly pleased to see this as I have had the great blessing to be friends with some of the people most responsible for this transformation. And I don't just mean Ambrose, the parish dog who is a dear friend of most of the regular visitors to St Patrick's.

I must confess that I hadn't realised, as Fr Finigan explains, that the parish is probably the oldest in the Westminster diocese. My thanks to Fr Finigan for the wonderful photos above.

Readers may also be interested to read of the great fun Archbishop Fulton Sheen enjoyed while living at Saint Patrick's.

Please keep Fr Alexander Sherbrooke, who is the parish priest of Saint Patrick's, all those involved with the parish and the continued development there in your prayers. This is a wonderful development and will no doubt bring great blessings on our capital.

Saint Patrick, pray for us.

Michael Pearce ~ Requiescat in Pace

2011-04-28T09:24:00.003+01:00

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the death of Michael Pearce, a great servant of the Church and a personal friend of mine. May he rest in peace.

The below comes from the blog from the Saint Bede Studio.

"On 27th April, an old friend of mine died peacefully after a long struggle with cancer. I had the privilege of attending his funeral - a beautifully sung Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form celebrated on Monday 3rd May in St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney (see photograph at left). For 25 years, Michael Pearce has been a friend and a mentor to me. He taught me many things about the Sacred Liturgy and offered me hospitality at his Sydney home many times. He was a man of great learning, generosity, good humour and perseverance. He it was who first shewed me that remarkable book Vestments and Vesture by Dom Roulin OSB, which in many ways led me to the work I am now doing for the Church. Following the Mass, a splendid sermon was preached by Father Glen Tattersall of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, which I am pleased to publish here as a fitting tribute to Mr. Pearce. Requiescat in pace."

If you click the link you'll see from the blog that the fruits of Michael Pearce's influence were great indeed. I know that Michael had a tremendous influence on the lives of many people in Australia. In fact I would say that you could probably follow the path of Michael's influence by looking at the most vibrant and authentic expressions of the Catholic Faith in the Church in Australia. You'll see that he's listed as one of my heroes in the sidebar.

For my part he was a dear friend and I continue to miss him greatly.

Please continue to pray for the repose of his soul. Offer a Pater Noster, Ave Maria and Gloria Patri too. Wherever Michael's soul currently resides, I am confident that he is a powerful intercessor especially for those promoting the Church's traditional liturgy.

Requiescat in Pace.

Fr Glen Tattersall's eulogy

I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in Me, although he be dead, shall live; and every one that lives, and believes in Me, shall not die forever. Do you believe this?

This question with which Christ challenged Martha in the midst of her grief over the death of Lazarus, her brother, Our Lord poses – in some sense – to every man born into this world.

Michael Pearce’s answer, in life and in death, was a resounding "Yes! I do believe!"

We are not here to canonise Michael. We all know he would wince at the suggestion. But he was a humble and faithful disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ – and therefore, a faithful son of the Holy Catholic Church which the same Lord founded for our salvation. Michael had a keen awareness throughout his entire life that Christ and the Church are inseparable realities: and therefore, that Christ cannot be found outside the Church. He was not blind to the weaknesses, sins and follies of Catholics – he knew his own weaknesses too well for that – but when he looked at the Church he looked beyond the merely human element of its personnel: he saw instead the sublime supernatural reality of Christ’s mystical body. He saw the mysterious Lover of whom David prophesied: “The Lord pours gifts on His beloved while she slumbers.” Michael could never be scandalised by slumberers.

Foremost among those gifts of Christ to His beloved, the Church, was the Divine Liturgy: above all, Our Lord’s gift of His very self and the perpetuation of his redeeming Sacrifice in the Holy Eucharist; and then the other sacraments. Even the Church’s response to this lavish dowry, the Divine Office – a perpetual song of love and praise – was also God’s gift. An unerring Catholic instinct placed sacramental practice – and love of the Sacred Liturgy – at the centre of Michael’s life. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Michael recognised the Lord “in the breaking of the bread”, that is, the Holy Eucharist. He never missed Sunday Mass in his entire life, unless constrained by serious illness. He was frequently at weekday and festal Masses. And he loved the Divine Office, which he rightly understood as something not meant only for clergy and religious, but as truly the prayer of the Church – the whole Church.

Michael began to serve here at St Mary’s Cathedral in 1955, at the age of 8. He became a senior server here, and eventually Master of Ceremonies: a position he held for some 10 years during the 1970’s.

Great changes were abroad at that time. Michael’s boyhood had known peace and triumphalism – but also, in Australia, complacency - in the reign of Pius XII; then the heady optimism that corresponded with John XXIII’s brief reign and the years of the Council, quickly dissolved, and turned to confusion, and in some quarters, dissolution.

By the time he was a young adult Michael was well read in the history and theology of the liturgy. He applauded the general principles laid down by the Vatican Council in its decree on the liturgy. Although in many respects the subsequent liturgical changes went well beyond what the Council mandated, Michael’s expert and steady hand ensured, as much as possible, continuity with tradition and a sense of the sacred, wherever the liturgy was conducted under his direction.

Here, I must record my own particular debt of gratitude to Michael: for it was at the annual conferences of the John XXIII Fellowship – later the Campion Fellowship – that I had my first real experience of the solemnity of the liturgy in the early 1980’s. These conference liturgies were celebrated substantially under Michael’s inspiration and direction. For me, these liturgies – Mass, Office, Benediction - were a revelation of the beauty and majesty of God, and a truly life-changing experience.

Michael greeted the retrieval of the classical Latin liturgy – what we now call the Extraordinary Form or More Ancient Use of the Roman rite – with joy and enthusiasm. This began modestly in 1984 with Pope John Paul’s indult, and gathered force with the Ecclesia Dei decree of 1988. From this point, Michael increasingly devoted his talents and energies to the traditional liturgical forms. He rejoiced at the election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (a renowned liturgist) to the Papacy. The new Pope, Benedict XVI, would move swiftly to ensure an unassailable place of honour for the traditional liturgy. This the Pope achieved in his motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum.

Together with many of us here today, Michael was a founding member of the Ecclesia Dei Society; he was also a key collaborator in the foundation of the community at the Maternal Heart Chapel, Lewisham, where he gave many years of selfless service. At the same time, Michael never lost touch with the wider Church, and he continued especially his lifelong association with the Cathedral. On the Sunday before he died, he attended Vespers here. Just six weeks ago, when I met him here one Wednesday afternoon for Vespers, he told me of his excitement about the re-introduction of regular choral office at St Mary’s: “Just like Westminster!” he exclaimed, with boyish glee.

None of this was about “mere externals”: it was actually all about love of Christ and His Church. Just as the Lord intended, the liturgy formed and fed Michael’s daily Christian life: he was remarkable for his kindness and generosity, and was always ready to see the best in others, including wherever necessary furnishing excuses for them (sometimes these were as improbable as they were charitable). May it be to his eternal credit that he never burnt bridges, but always built them. In his battle with cancer over the last two and a half years, one sensed in Michael a deepened intimacy with Christ and a child-like confidence in the Lord’s gracious and particular Providence for him.

As a good Jewess – not of the party of the Sadducees – Martha already believed in the resurrection of the dead: “I know that he shall rise again in the the resurrection at the last day.” But more was asked of her: “Ego sum resurrectio, et vita…”. “I am the Resurrection and the Life”. The Resurrection is not simply something God does for us from above, as it were, by His serene power issuing from Heaven. No. The Resurrection is a person. Christ has come down from heaven, died and risen again by His own power, for us. As his disciples, our own suffering and death are united to his – in order that the victory of His Resurrection might be extended in us, so that we too might share the joy of His own boundless Divine Life!

Having received and nurtured the gift of faith, the priceless pearl, Michael was able to say with Martha: “Yea Lord, I have believed that Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God, Who art come into this world.”

We grieve Michael’s death, for death was never part of God’s plan: we weep, as Christ wept for Lazarus, though he was about to raise him from the dead! But as St Paul reminds the Thessalonians, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Our hope is true, for it is based on a sure faith. And so, aware of our common frailty and sinfulness, in faith, hope and love we pray for our dear friend, Michael, that he may be freed and purified of whatever may yet detain him entering into the full and perfect vision and possession of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And we entrust him to the Maternal Heart of Mary, Help of Christians.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Juventutem London Mass followed by social 13th May

2011-04-28T09:07:00.004+01:00

Juventutem London have announced their next Mass and social on Friday, 13th May, at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane. This is the feast of St Erkenwald / St Robert Bellarmine. May is also the month of Our Lady. It would be great to see you there!

Click here to sign up on Facebook.