Ex Umbris Et Imaginibus

Mother Dolores Hits Tinsel Town

2012-02-27T18:15:00.000Z

As you all know, no doubt, Mother Dolores Hart, once an actress who worked with some of Hollywood's leading men, Montgomery Clift, Stephen Boyd, Robert Wagner and Elvis among them, and now a Benedictine nun, was at the Oscars last night. A documentary dealing with her life was nominated for a gong, and so Mother Dolores got permission to attend the ceremony in LA.

What a wonderful example! A Benedictine nun in full habit walking down the red carpet - there's witness for you! She was radiant - the most beautiful woman there I think, as her life of prayer and dedication to Christ shine through her eyes and her whole demeanour.

As members of the Fraternity we should be delighted with this: a most obvious witness to the Christian faith in the midst of the glitz and glamour. I hope her presence touched some of those in the business, not only as a challenge, but as a reminder that Christ is everywhere, seeking to reach out to everyone, even those dolled up for the gongs.

Another Patron For The Cause Of Life

2012-02-27T08:00:00.000Z

Speaking of Saints and future Saints in recent days, I see the Cause of Jerome Lejeune is progressing: the diocesan phase has been completed and the documents are to be sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and, I presume, the Postulator will begin to write the positio, the position document which will summarise his life and virtues and propose him as a candidate for beatification.

As the assault on life seems to gain momentum, God is giving us patrons and models to help us in our struggle to witness to the Gospel of Life. St Gianna Beretta Molla has been canonised, and now Jerome who was a great defender of life is on his way. Lejeune was a paediatrician and geneticist - he is best known for his discovery of Trisomy 21 which is the cause of Down Syndrome. A discovery, which should have helped humanity became, in the hands of the anti-life brigade, a weapon to destroy life. Following his discovery, Dr Lejeune had to defend the unborn, and particularly those who Down Syndrome, from abortion.

A friend of Blessed John Paul II, Lejeune assisted him in the cause of life and was appointed President of newly founded Pontifical Academy for Life, but only served for a few months as lung cancer claimed his life on Easter Sunday 1994. We pray for a speedy outcome to the Cause, the granting of a miracle and the joy of his beatification soon.

In related news, the Holy Father has urged Catholics to shun artificial methods of procreation - that means IVF, AI and surrogacy. These methods are deeply sinful and denigrate the act of procreation, and the life and dignity of the child.

With regard to IVF alone there are so many moral problems with it it is a veritable nightmare. Unfortunately many Catholics are so desperate to have a child that they resort to this evil and in doing so allow the creation and destruction of many children. The awful statistic is that for every live birth in IVF around thirty children have perished - this does not include the children who are suspended in freezing facilities, most of them forgotten: they are alive, but "on hold" - not even able to die so they can be released.

Another problem with this method is that those who are using it close their hearts to the truth - they deny that it is wrong, or if they know its wrong, they are prepared to suspend their consciences and God's law to get their child. This is serious as it places those souls in immortal peril. I have even heard of Catholic priests encouraging couples to go down the road of IVF, telling them that it is not a sin to do so. God forgive these priests - they are leading souls into sin: if they do not repent of this and try to undo the damage they have done, they may well be damned.

We certainly need the prayers and example of the Servant of God, Jerome Lejeune: through his intercession may the Lord bring us out of this Dark Age into the light of the Gospel of Life, where human life is cherished and protected.

The Living Tomb: storage tank in which children conceived through IVF are frozen.

Neither Praise Nor Threats

2012-02-25T18:02:00.001Z

One of my great heroes is Blessed Clemens von Galen - I have mentioned him before on this blog. In the face of Nazi persecution, he stood up and preached the Gospel of Life fearlessly. Hitler both hated and feared him: the power of God, his mercy and justice emanated from this bishop, and his voice and message thundered around Germany and beyond. Last year I was given a relic of the Blessed and I can tell you, in prayer with it, the strong presence of this fearless witness can be felt.

Well my attention has been drawn to a good article on the Blessed Cardinal, concentrating on his episcopal motto: Nec laudibus, nec timore which means "Neither praise nor threats", meaning nothing will prevent him proclaiming the Gospel. It is worth reading.

We are in dark times, and Blessed Clemens stands as an example to all of us to raise our voices in defence of our faith and the moral order. If the prevailing culture wants us to stay silent in face of the great evil which is claiming innocent human life in abortuaries and clinics all over the world, then we defy that culture and proclaim the Gospel of Life.

Blessed Clemens serves as a model and intercessor for our bishops the world over: may they, like him, find the courage given them in the Sacrament of Holy Orders to do what he did. We pray for the bishops of Ireland and the US who must deal with anti-Catholic governments intent on aborting the Church from public life and forcing believers to violate their consciences. May the great "Lion of Munster" put his strong hand on the shoulders of our beloved pastors and assure them of his presence and intercession, and may he rally all of us to the cause of Christ and the cause of life!

In related news: the Thirsty Gargoyle has taken on The Irish Times and its Patsy.

Msgr Giussani's Cause: The Whinging Begins

2012-02-24T12:59:00.002Z

I was going to leave blogging for the weekend, but I have an update to the opening of the Cause of Msgr Giussani which I would like to share with you: the resistance has begun, it seems.

The London Independent has the story, and, strangely, juxtaposes the opening of the Cause with the Holy Father's recent speech about the need for more humility and less hunger for power. They are implying that one contradicts the other.

Describing Msgr Giussani as anti-Marxist we are told that even "moderate Catholic groups" oppose the aims of the movement he founded. I wonder what they mean by "moderate Catholic groups" - I presume We Are Church would be one of them for the critics of C&L. According to the article above, Giussani and his movement are dangerous because they oppose stem cell research (by which they mean embryonic stem cell) and "assisted dying" (by which they mean helping something commit suicide or, if they are unable to do so, killing them). They describe this as a right wing agenda. They also try to make him a buddy of Berlusconi. Interestingly they are raising the same sort of objections they have thrown at St Josemaria Escriva for years.

Well people, that should get us all praying for Msgr Giussani's beatification: if the Marxist liberals are spitting venom, then this man will be a great saint indeed. He might even be a patron and intercessor for the faithful as they continue to endure the whining and hand-wringing of dissidents who want to twist the Gospel into Marx's table talk and have little or no respect for vulnerable human life. We need such a patron in these times!

Right, get your pens ready and write to Communion and Liberation for a prayer card, and start sending those petitions! I'm off to buy another one of the holy man's books - he can be a tough read! But then once you've tried to tackle von Balthasar, you're game for anything!

Communion and Liberation website here, contact your local group for information.

Denial: A Swamp In Ireland...?

2012-02-24T08:01:00.003Z

It is a fact that persecutors never consider themselves persecutors - their campaign against a certain group makes utter sense to them, and if people are complaining or objection, then they are just creating trouble. We know this attitude to be "denial", and it seems The Irish Times is in denial when it comes to the fact of aggressive secularism and its mission to exorcise religion from society.

David Quinn takes the paper to task in his column in The Irish Catholic. It is a must read. Living in Ireland in these times we meet this denial every day. Catholics can be treated badly, made fun of, attacked in the media, and yet the media and some public representatives cannot actually see that they are being prejudiced.

On Tuesday night, as I was coming back from our Film Club, I was listening to Marc Coleman on Newstalk. He is a fine broadcaster, one of the fairest in Ireland. At one point he raised the issue of prejudice against Catholics, citing some of the points David Quinn makes in his article above. The reaction was most interesting: his guests were taken aback that such treatment of the Church was unjust or prejudiced; after all, they said, the Church abused children and the Vatican covered it all up.

Coleman did his best to explore their reaction, but it was obvious the anti-Catholic prejudice was so deep his guests could not see that there was anything wrong. The old anti-Catholic myths are well engrained, and thanks to the growth in aggressive secularism in Ireland (and, I suspect, knee jerk reactions against the Church's moral teachings - many Irish are now happily contracepting, cohabiting, aborting). They are desperate to believe that all evil is now found in the Catholic Church, they will not listen to anything that contradicts their prejudice or might shake them out of their denial.

It seems denial is not merely a river in Egypt, but a swamp in Ireland.

Youcef Nadarkhani, his wife and children

In related news I see that the Iranian pastor convicted of apostasy from Islam (though he was never formally a Muslim, just from a Muslim background) is due to be executed quickly. Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009, tried and convicted: his appeal was lost. He was offered a chance to recant his Christian faith three times in order to save his life: he refused. The order for his execution has been signed.

God grant him strength. Please remember him, his wife and their two children in your prayers. Martyrdom is glorious and brings an eternal reward, but it is difficult and the sorrow of loss is no less painful. May the Lord grant him and his family the graces they need at this time. If he is to shed his blood, may it bring about the conversion of those who killed him and of the whole of Iran. There is no better "revenge" than to see one's enemies come to embrace Christ and be reconciled with those they have oppressed.

And here's something we all knew for some time. Evidence of sex-selection abortions is coming to light and SPUC are trying to lobby David Cameron's government in the UK to cut its ties with private abortion providers. Sex-selective abortions are the norm in China - with the one child only policy, many couples, when they discover they are expecting a girl, abort the child in the hope of having a boy next time. This has led to a serious gender imbalance in China.

Elective abortions tend to sex-based, and it is females who are being killed. That is the ultimate irony: the radical feminists want abortion for the sake of their "liberation", yet it is females who comprise the larger number of those "terminated" - there's liberation for you! If this continues we may not have to worry about feminism at all - women will end up as a minority gender, as in China, and guess what, we might just see the return of the old monster, Inequality.

The same is true of black people: in the US the majority of those who are aborted are Afro-American - indeed 60% of Planned Parenthood clinics in the US are situated in Afro-American neighbourhoods even though Afro-Americans only make up 12.2% of the population - doesn't add up, or does it? We might need to consult Margaret Sanger to understand that one.

By the way I am told that, given demographic changes, the population of Afro-Americans in the US should be 16% by now, but it seems since Roe v Wade, the expected 3% never made it. The Rev. Martin Luther King must be turning in his grave: I do not think this is the dream he was talking about - rather it seems to be a nightmare.

And to end on an upbeat note. Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury is issuing a Lenten pastoral letter on Sunday in which he will deal with the reality of hell. Bishop Davies is one of the more remarkable bishops in England and a wonderful teacher and defender of the faith. In fact I think he may well be tipped for Westminster: he would make a fine Archbishop and Cardinal.

Hell is one of the "no-no" topics when it comes to homilies: I remember greeting a delegation seven months into my first appointment in Drogheda: the concerned delegation consisted of one man who felt he represented the whole parish. The gentleman wanted to point out how dreadful a priest I was because I was always preaching about hell. In the seven months I had only mentioned it once or twice, and then only in passing but it was enough to send this man over the edge. I took note of his objections, and resolved to preach a full homily on hell the next time it popped up in the readings, which I did. He was not impressed.

I'd say there will be many who will not be impressed with Bishop Davies's letter, but thank God for his forthrightness in teaching the fullness of the faith. Thanks to the prevalence of "therapeutic Catholicism", many people cannot accept that there is always a possibility that we may not make it to heaven: that we have to take personal responsibility for our lives in order to avoid damnation. That's not being negative, it's just being real.

We are living in interesting times. The new translation is bringing back reverence to the Mass, the HHS mandate in the US is uniting bishops and reminding Catholics of the inherent sinfulness of contraception, abortion and sterilization, and an English bishop is preaching the fullness of the faith: these may well be signs that the reform has started. "From your lips to God's ears" as my friend Pat in New York would say: Amen!

EWTN President Speaks

2012-02-23T08:00:00.012Z

Michael Warsaw, President of EWTN, has written an article for the New York Times, outlining the Network's objections to Barack Obama's HHS Mandate. I'm quoting it in full:

CONTRACEPTION, AGAINST CONSCIENCE
Michael Warsaw

THIRTY years ago, a cloistered nun named Mother Angelica Rizzo started a small television station in her garage to spread the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Since then the station, EWTN, has grown into one of the largest Catholic media networks in the world, but we haven’t strayed from our values. And we won’t — even though our commitment has landed us in the cross hairs of the Obama administration.

EWTN cannot comply with the recent mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services requiring the insurance plans of all employers, with the exception of some houses of worship, to cover the contraceptives and sterilization procedures approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These include emergency contraceptives like Plan B and Ella that can destroy human embryos — an act that we consider a violation of church teaching that all life is a sacred gift that begins at conception.

Earlier this month, in response to widespread opposition to the mandate, the president announced an “accommodation” for some religious organizations — like, potentially, EWTN — that would shift the responsibility for the coverage from the employer to the employer’s insurance carrier. But this would do nothing to solve the problem. First, EWTN self-insures, so we are the insurer. Second, even if we had an outside insurer, we would still be in the untenable position of facilitating access to drugs that go against our beliefs. And if we refused to comply with the directive, we could be hit with annual fines starting at around $600,000.

The administration’s supporters say that by opposing the rule, religious employers like EWTN are guilty of trying to coerce our employees and impose our values on them. But we are simply choosing not to participate in the use of these drugs. Our 350 employees, many of whom are not Catholic, freely choose to work here and can purchase and use contraception if they want to. They are aware of the values we practice, and I hear regularly from Catholic and non-Catholic employees alike how much they love working for an organization that is defined by its Catholic beliefs — beliefs that we think result in a better workplace and more expansive benefits over all.

Instead, it is the government — which does not accept EWTN’s religious choice and can punish that choice by imposing fines — that is coercing us. But under the Constitution and federal religious liberties law, we cannot be forced to give up our beliefs as the price of participation in the public square. That is why the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has filed a lawsuit on our behalf seeking to overturn this illegal mandate.

But religious liberty isn’t even the only thing at risk; the mandate also threatens the financial viability of any organization that disagrees with the administration’s politics. They could be forced to stop offering health insurance and be saddled with fines, which are immense competitive disadvantages. They’ll have to take money away from their core missions to pay fines. They’ll lose employees who can’t afford to work for employers who offer no health insurance. They’ll lose donors who are scared off by the penalties.

The end result: organizations that agree with the administration or are willing to compromise their beliefs will thrive. Organizations that don’t will shrink or die.

Businesses will suffer, too. The mandate’s effect will be most visible on not-for-profits like EWTN. But small businesses owned by men and women of faith, which have been given no protection whatsoever in the administration’s accommodation, will also take a hit. While some charities might be able to weather the storm thanks to donations or strong endowments, these small businesses almost certainly won’t.

Mother Angelica didn’t create EWTN to be a weak Catholic voice. Our donors send us money to spread Catholic teachings, not to subvert them. The mandate makes it impossible for us to live up to that core mission, giving us the choice of either compromising our beliefs or being crushed by fines. That ultimatum is unfair, unconstitutional and repugnant — which is why we have no choice but to fight it in court.

The fines to be imposed by the Obama administration remind me of the fines the English monarch imposed on Catholics who refused to attend Protestant services following the Reformation. The idea was to either force them into the Protestant ecclesial community or impoverish them. Because of this many English Catholics capitulated in order not to starve to death. Seems to me that this mandate seeks to do the same thing.

Another piece of news: it seems the Holy Father will make his final decision with regard to the Society of St Pius X before the summer. I see from Traditionalist websites that they are expecting him to bring them back into the full life of the Church. To be honest I cannot see that happening. Despite their claims of being obedient to the Pope and faithful, they have not budged one inch and still reject Vatican II. In their eyes, it seems to be, all of us are Modernists. We will leave it to the Holy Father, but I think there are few options open, one of them being the declaration of a formal schism.

A priest who has been in prison since 1994 for abuse may soon be a free man after new revelations appear to expose his accuser. Fr Gordan McRae, who blogs from his prison cell, was convicted of abusing Thomas Grover. However, Mr Grover's history is far from pristine, and it seems new witnesses have come forward to say that he admitted to them he was never abused by Fr MacRae, among other evidence being presented by the priest's lawyers. It is being claimed that Mr Grover fabricated the accusations to get money out of the Church - it wouldn't be the first time.

If Fr MacRae is innocent, it will be one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in American history. After twenty years in prison, he will be due a huge settlement in compensation - which he should get. Mr Grover should also face charges: while we as Christians must forgive, we must also ensure that we do not lead people into sin - to let accusers off scott free gives them the idea that people can make false accusations against innocent Catholics and get away with it even if they are found out: there is no charity in that. Anyway, we shall watch this one with interest.

And finally, some good news. At the Mass to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the death of their founder, the leaders of Communion and Liberation have formally petitioned the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Scola, to open a Diocesan Informative Enquiry into the life, virtues and reputation of sanctity of Mgr Luigi Guissani with a view to opening the Cause for his beatification and canonisation.

Mgr Giussani has left the Church an enormous legacy not only through founding and guiding one of the most influential new movements in the Church, but also through his writings and personal holiness. We pray that the Cause, once opened, will proceed quickly to a successful conclusion. In spite of all the difficulties the Church is facing in these times, God has given us magnificent holy men and women who serve as bright and inspiring lights to console and guide us. Deo gratias!

Mgr Giussani with Blessed John Paul II, and his tomb in Milan

Catholic Education

2012-02-22T12:59:00.001Z

Pontifical University of Peru

Well, I've been a good priest this morning and, so far, have marked a fair number of parishioners with the ashen cross. I am just back from the schools, as I as left them, the pupils were all comparing the size of their ashen crosses. I have two schools in my parish - St Louis's in Rathkenny and St Patrick's in Stackallen. Both are excellently run, two fine principals and dedicated staff. I am a blessed priest!

Of course you will know that we in Ireland are getting ready for a battle to keep our Catholic schools. Thankfully both my principals and their staff are committed to providing Catholic education which the people of the parish want for their children. And we will do everything we can to keep that service.

Catholic education goes beyond primary schools, even into Universities, and I see the Rector of the Pontifical University of Peru has been given an ultimatum by Cardinal Bertone: comply with the Church requirements for Catholic colleges, as laid down by Ex Corde Ecclesiae, by Easter Sunday or else.... By the way, this problem with the University has been going on since the 1970's - so we can't say the Vatican is acting rashly. Here's the background.

I'm sure staff in the University must be in shock - the Holy See rarely issues such ultimatums. No doubt we will hear the mantra of "academic freedom". This ultimatum does not interfere with academic freedom, it just reminds the University that it has to be true to the honours and privileges it has received, or else lose them.

A Pontifical University has to follow certain guidelines, and it must not become an institute which acts in a manner which is contrary to Church teaching. By all means embrace the secular agenda, but if a University does so, it must not expect the patronage of the Church or her benefactors. One of the problems we have with organisations which were once Catholic but have since disavowed their relationship with the Church, is that they want to hang on to benefices and privileges which were conferred because they were Catholic and because they were dedicated to promoting the faith. I know of one charitable organisation that was trying to break its link with the Church, but still wanted to be the charity which the Church promoted during the Lenten period. That's not on.

The Pontifical University of Peru finds itself in a very difficult position - it has no choice but to accept the Holy See's decision otherwise it looks like it will lose its Pontifical status and that means they lose their campus - the donor when giving the land for the University did so on condition that it remains a Pontifical University - if it no longer has that privilege, then the land goes to the Archdiocese of Lima. That will mean the end of the University, or at best, a desperate attempt to rent from the Archdiocese or find alternative accommodation - I'd imagine the latter would be the most likely outcome.

I notice that in response to this news story, some are saying that the Vatican should look at other Catholic colleges. I have to agree with that. A review of Catholic education in these third level institutes might be a good idea. Too many people, organisations and institutes are trading under the title Catholic and yet they represent not the teaching of the faith, but the exact opposite. In such cases, the greatest irony is that the very Church they are attacking and rebelling against is the one which is providing them with their livelihood.

We have so much to pray for as we weep for our own sins! Thank God for Lent - it is a time for us to get our lives straight again and do some good, honest fasting. I wish you all a Blessed Lent!

A Blessed Lent

2012-02-22T08:00:00.001Z

Wishing you all a good Lent! May the Lord give us all the graces we need to remain faithful to our observance.

HHS Mandate: A Jewish Response

2012-02-21T22:00:00.005Z

A quick post to bring a few items to your attention. More civil suits are being filed against the Obama Administration, again more people are realising that the HHS mandate is not a contraception issue, or even a Catholic issue - it is an issue of religious freedom.

Here is an interesting article by a Jewish writer, David P Goldman, and he's saying that the Jews should challenge this mandate also because Obama can just as easily try to dismantle Jewish religious freedom as much as Catholics's. They are coming for the Catholics now, the Jews could well be next, he says.

Goldman mentions a few areas which may fall under scrutiny: kosher slaughter, which has already been banned in some countries; matrilineal descent for deciding who is a Jew - a British court recently decided that it is not up to the Jews to decide who is and who is not a Jew - as if that court had the competence to decide. And of course, circumcision. That last one will go if homosexual lobbies have anything to do with it - there is a gay fetish about "intact men", so some gay groups are waging war on circumcision. If Obama is listening to them, he could well try and outlaw the sign of the Covenant among the Jewish people. It seems our Jewish brothers and sisters could find themselves back in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes again!

Perhaps Israel's influence might prevent this from happening, given that Israel and the US are allies. But that is not certain either - there are those in the Democratic party who want to see an end to that relationship and a more decisive shift to the Palestinian cause.

However, there is an opportunity here for a greater cooperation among Christians and Jews: they can stand together on this issue to help each other. A prayer to Blessed John Paul II and to St Moses might be a good idea - remember in the Catholic Church we honour the Jewish prophets as Saints: time to invoke them for the Church in these times and for our Jewish brothers and sisters.

Bye, Bye, Meat

2012-02-21T08:02:00.002Z

Shrove Tuesday in heaven: the Saints watch as Our Lady dishes out the Goulash and St Anne brings out her Tequila Pavlova

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or Carnevale! Or here in the cold north of Europe, Pancake Tuesday. I recently read an article somewhere that up here in the frozen lands of the north, we celebrate the day with unleavened bread and lemon juice, while in the balmy Catholic south of Europe and Latin countries, they do so with finer fare and more fun. Well, you know, it is as much a Catholic thing to feast as to fast, so perhaps we might adopt a few ideas from our southern brothers and sisters.

Now lest anyone think I am promoting frenzied parades with women clothed only in feathers (and few feathers at that!) gyrating on milk floats, I'm not. Leave the Samba records where they are! Nor am I suggesting that we all get blotto and start Lent with a headache to beat all hangovers. No, no, no, something more moderate, something that will not lead into sin, not "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we starve", no, no: but something which marks the transition into Lent. Forget the diet, have the meat and the dessert, and then offer it all to the Lord in thanksgiving for all his goodness, with the resolution that from midnight, "Fat Tuesday is over", and the holy period of prayer, fasting and alms giving has begun. With the feast over, and the house cleared of meat and sweeties, we take the ashes with humility and stick to our Lenten resolutions.

You see, many people think we Catholics are boring and dreary, and they do so because many of us are actually boring and dreary. We live our faith like martyrs, not joyful people offering all to the Lord, but with determined heavy hearts taking everything seriously. We can be orthodox, true and virtuous, and we can be joyful, funny and enjoy the good things in life, after all they are gifts from God. The important word is moderation. We can eat, drink and have a good time, but always in the presence of the Lord, and we must remember that all these things come from His bounty - the first and last glass must be raised to His honour and glory (and two glasses are enough, by the way!).

So, in that spirit, some reading for Lent. Father Director offers you some ideas for edification. Scripture and Lives of the Saints, first of all. Pope Benedict's life of Jesus; St Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, St Therese, Story of A Soul, and John Zmirak and Denise Matychowiak's The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living. That should be a good mix and a balance.

Fiction? Michael O'Brien's Father Elijah or Robert Hugh Benson's Lord of the World to remind us all that it all end in a moment, and perhaps some Flannery O'Connor, that unique Catholic twist in her stories is refreshing and spicy - good Cajun!

History? Very important for us Catholics to know our Catholic history. You can't beat Warren Carroll's fine History of Christendom series.

That should keep you going. Enjoy the last feast! And by the way, re tomorrow....chicken is meat!

Catholic Comment

2012-02-21T08:00:00.001Z

At long last there is a movement in the Church in Ireland to begin an effective response to the media, secularism and those who know little or anything about the Church. A new organisation, Catholic Comment, has been founded to train spokesmen and women to talk confidently about their Catholic faith in public.

This is an Irish version of Catholic Voices in the UK, and to be honest it is much needed in Ireland. The Catholic Herald has an article on the new organisation here, I note from the comments below it, however, some people are not keen on the idea and have already decided that it will be full of heretics who will dilute the teaching of the faith in favour of fuzziness. Well, looking at the people involved in the Irish organisation, I would have full confidence in the fidelity of Catholic Comment. It has the endorsement and support of David Quinn, the great defender of the faith in the media Ireland today, Breda O'Brien and Senator Ronan Mullen, alongside John Waters and Patricia Casey. That is an impressive lineup.

Catholic Comment aims to help speakers acquire knowledge and skills to communicate clearly and competently in the media. They will do so with respect, goodwill and sincerity, according to their brochure. I would also suggest that they be careful not to become push overs - the UK group have lost a lot of credibility by being seen by many as weak and too goodie goodie.

I presume, then, they will also learn how to deal with extreme hostility and have workshops on nurturing the virtue of charity in extreme cases, much needed when dealing with Irish journalists. Also they will probably have to tone up the nerves and strengthen the will - the Irish media tend to be effective in wearing down Catholics in debate. I suppose combat skills would also be necessary, given that the Irish media interprets "fairness and balance" as being one Catholic verses three or more critics, one of whom is usually a priest or "Catholic theologian". They certainly have their work cut out for them.

So they need our prayers, our support, and yes, people, our money! Yes, my friends, mammon calls. Well actually, perhaps this is a good time to veer some financial support to the group, given that Lent starts tomorrow. As Catholics we have an obligation to support the Church and her mission, and that would include genuine and orthodox initiatives within the Church which promote and defend the Church and her teaching. If you can, perhaps you could send a portion of the alms you will be offering up for Lent to the group to help them start. Ireland is mission territory and this group aims to help the re-evangelization of our country. Imagine how proud we will be when members of Catholic Comment arrive on RTE and are well able to defend the faith effectively and clearly and with competence. The few euro would have been well spent.

The organisation is also looking for volunteers - people who would like to be trained and become speakers. If you are interested, contact Petra Conroy on 086 416 2277 before Tuesday 6th March. So, more information on the organisation can found on their website: http://www.catholiccomment.ie/. We will pray for them, and see how they get on.

Holy See Must Do It Our Way, It Seems

2012-02-20T10:03:00.022Z

Under pressure, it seems the government is trying to wriggle its way out of the embassy debacle, but see how they are trying to do it. Eamon Gilmore, Labour Minister for Foreign Affairs, has said that Ireland will reconsider reopening the embassy to the Holy See, if the Holy See changes its rule on doubling up on embassies to Italy/Holy See. In other words - if the Vatican changes the rules then we'll reconsider - I presume then, if the Vatican doesn't agree, then it's the Vatican's fault, and Gilmore and Co. can throw their hands in the air. He's calling it "flexibility" - if the Holy See is "flexible", then the government could be "flexible".

We have seen this approach before; it is in fact typical liberal methodology. We have heard the same argument for contraception, divorce, abortion, gay marriage - if only the Vatican/Catholic Church would change its rules/teaching, then we'd all get on fine.

Why does the Minister think that we in Ireland deserve an exemption to a rule which every other country in the world which has diplomatic relations with the Vatican, including the most powerful, the US and UK for example, have no problem respecting? Do we really think that Ireland is so important in world affairs that we can put a gun to the Pope's head and expect him to blink? Are we so vital to things that the Holy See must fawn to the infantile teenage rebels that populate the current administration in a country that does not even govern the whole of the little island on which it is based?

David Quinn wrote an excellent article last week on the issue of the embassy - he points out why the Holy See and the Pope must have an independent state - to guarantee that the Pope and the Church cannot be dominated by any one political administration. He makes a very interesting point which I wholly agree with: he writes: "...the pope and the Holy See are ultimately more important in world affairs than Ireland or any Taoiseach could ever hope to be. Some of us might not like that, but it's a fact." This is true and it is something the government needs to keep in mind.

The rule which governs embassies and does not allow doubling up on missions to Italy is part of the Lateran Treaty, the Treaty which the Holy See and Italy entered into and ended the standoff which had resulted from the invasion of the Papal States by Italian nationalists. It also recognised the right of the Holy See to its sovereignty, and established the Vatican City State as an independent country.

The Holy See will have to consider whether housing two embassies in one the house is possible.   But why must the Holy See be the one to make compromises when this government is so hardline and insulting in its relations with the Vatican? Why should the Holy See be "flexible" with a regime that breached diplomatic courtesies.? Is it not the Irish government who should make the move? After all, the citizens of this country have made it very clear that they do not agree with the government's decision: is it not time to start listening to people that elected them?

I wonder, is Gilmore, in making his demand, interfering in the internal life of an independent sovereign state and laying down the condition that that country has to change the founding document which establishes its independence if Ireland is to reopen its diplomatic mission? That is very interesting given recent history and accusations from the Taoiseach (unfounded accusations). It is also deeply ironic as we see Minister Gilmore and his cohorts in the present administration, fawning over the Chinese Vice President in recent days. No word about China making any changes to its policies.

Congratulations, Your Eminence!

2012-02-18T23:10:00.002Z

Hearty congratulations to His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan on his elevation to the College of Cardinals. May the Lord continue to bless him in his ministry, particularly in these difficult times for the Church in the US. We look forward to greeting the new Cardinal in his upcoming visit to Ireland in a few months.

In his homily to the new Cardinals, the Holy Father reminded them that they must serve the Church with many attitudes and virtues, one of them being, with "the courage of martyrs", which is symbolised by the colour of their robes - the red of martyr's blood.

Cardinal Dolan's Titular Church is the Church of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario - a fitting Church for an American, but one who is also an ardent defender of human life.

Church of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario

In Bed With Mao

2012-02-17T08:00:00.000Z

It never ceases to amuse me (and at times anger me - God forgive me!) to see the double standards at work in politics and indeed in public life.

The Irish government is getting ready to sign a trade deal with China and, like many other governments, fall down in veneration of the Chinese economy. And yet China stands as one of the greatest offenders in the area of human rights, abusing its own people. It has a forced abortion policy and has invaded some of its neighbours, mostly notably Tibet, and like the colonial empires of old, for all intents and purposes, it owns most of Africa.

And yet for the sake of mammon, most western governments, the Irish among them, are prepared to ignore all this and enter into various deals which, in the long run, give China more power. After all, China is now the world's money lender and uses its power in this area to keep its dastardly regime up and running, and indeed, give it respectability.

And then we have the government downgrading relations with the Holy See and posturing when the Vatican maintains its sovereignty. Ironically, as Ireland gets into bed with China, the Vatican is one of those countries which are trying to coax China towards a greater respect for human rights.

Of course, it cannot be forgotten that Ireland is now a favourite with the Chinese. The "beloved leaders" of the People's Republic heaped praise on Enda Kenny when he attacked the Pope and the Holy See last July - his diatribe confirmed for the Chinese authorities that persecution of Catholics was the right thing to do. I must sign on for a tour of government buildings soon - just to see if there are photos of Mao anywhere to be found.

Come To Rome With Us!

2012-02-16T12:59:00.000Z

We still have places on the pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi and Loreto. At the low price of €859 euro, its a very good deal for a trip to Italy. We leave on the 16th April, after Divine Mercy Sunday, so why not treat yourself to a nice week in Italy visiting some of the most famous shrines in the world? Fraternity pilgrimages tend to be great fun, so we would like you to join us.

Contact Louise at 01 241 0816.

Assisi

The Holy House of Nazareth in Loreto

Student Revolt

2012-02-16T12:58:00.001Z

You may remember a post a while ago in which I reported that the Student's Union of University College London had alligned itself with Abortion Rights and was compelling pro-life groups to invite pro-abortion speakers to their talks to even things up. Post here.

Well, the pro-life students are not standing for it: they are defying the demand, and will take legal action against the Union if they have to. With all guns blazing, the students are quoting the European Covention of Human Rights to push their case.

Well done to them. As a retired principal tells me, with many years of experience in teaching and schoolyard management, there is only one way to deal with a bully- stand up to him, and usually when you do, they back away because many bullies are cowards. Wise words.

Another update on the HHS mandate in the US. Not only are religious groups taking action, now civil officials are considering challenging the mandate on the grounds that it breaches the US Constitution. I think Mr Obama needs to reverse as soon as possible. Opposition is growing. He has his few liberals around him supporting him, nominal Catholics among them, but I think this is a fight which he will not win. Indeed he may find himself going down in history as a President who sought to destroy the freedom of the American people, a principle the American people hold dear and pride themselves as holding sacred. If he's not careful the name Barak Obama could carry the same connotations as that of Benedict Arnold.

The Baroness Impresses

2012-02-16T08:00:00.003Z

Baroness Warsi, the British Conservative peer, is going down very well at the Vatican. Having impressed Pope Benedict during his visit to Britain, she is leading a delegation from the UK marking thirty years of full diplomatic relations with the Holy See and seems to be impressing again with her thoughts on the role of religion in society.

Lady Warsi is a Muslim, yet her views and her speech to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, reveal just how close Catholicism and Islam can be when it comes to faith in the public square. Her speech is well worth reading.

She sees that religion has a vital role to play in public and political life - that should give the Church-state separationists a stroke. In fact her thinking is very similar to Pope Benedict's in this area, and it has been noted that she has referred to and quoted from his writings. There's interfaith dialogue for you. Like Benedict she is reminding us believers that we should not hide our faith, nor conform it to secularism, but rather be confident in it.

Interestingly as a Muslim, she sees that Europe is inherently Christian and that the continent "needs to become more confident in its Christianity". Plucking out the old apologetic for diminishing the position of Christianity in Europe, she says that is "a basic misconception: that somehow to create equality and space for minority faiths and cultures we need to erase our majority religious heritage." If Benedict said that the liberal papers would be baying for his blood. But the Baroness is correct. She ends her speech with a humdinger: "Christianity is as vital to our future as it is to our past."

One quotation from the Baroness's speech is most interesting - something the Irish government should take careful note of - the embassy to the Holy See is in fact an important diplomatic mission for the benefits it brings to a country:

“The UK recognizes that, as the smallest state in the world, the Holy See has the widest global reach. It therefore seems inevitable that the UK with its global reach, historical and cultural interests should nurture, strengthen and promote our relationship.”

She also has something to say about ecumenism - something many of us have been saying for years in face of some who abandon or dilute the doctrines of their faith to get on with those of other religions:

“Interfaith dialogue works when we debate our differences, when we wear our beliefs on our sleeves. It’s not about you giving your version of God, and me giving my version of God. And us coming to some watered-down compromise. But about establishing our areas of consensus.”

I wish more Catholics could think like this Muslim lady.

UPDATE:

I note from the comments at the end of the Telegraph article on the Baroness's speech, that the secularists are furious, as one would expect. Tolerance is not one of their strong points.

Matthew Cantirino of First Things, has an interesting article, referring to "Warsi's Wager" - that the time may be right for some sort of inter-religious coalition to counteract the growth of dictatorship by European secularism. An interesting thought.

Mother's Network Prepares For Battle

2012-02-15T12:59:00.004Z

Shame on me! I forgot to mention that EWTN is taking a legal case against the US government with regard to the HHS mandate. I'm sure you already know about it, but just a quick post to give you the links so you can read all about it. So as you keep the Network between the gas and the electricity, please also keep it in your prayers and as they challenge Obama's swipe at religious liberty.

Speaking with a lawyer friend of mine last evening, he said that such challenges will probably be successful: given that the mandate is a direct breach of the US Constitution, the Supreme Court will probably finish off the mandate. From his lips to God's ears!

UPDATE: Thomas Peters over at American Papist is on one of his compiling lists missions again, this time noting the number of bishops who have responded to Obama's HHS mandate, and now the institutions who are taking action, considering action or have issued statements defying the mandate.

Of the 29 Catholic organisations (so far), three have initiated legal proceedings against the US government - our own EWTN, Priests for Life and Belmont Abbey College. Another is presently looking into the possibility of legal action: Ave Maria University in Florida. Of the 9 other religious, non Catholic, groups and denominations (so far), one has initiated legal action against the government, Colorado Christian University. Among these we find Christians of various traditions and Jews, all opposed to what is not a Catholic issue, but one of freedom of religion.

For your information, here is the list (as of posting - it is sure to grow):

The Catholic Institutions:

•1. EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) – filed lawsuit
•2. Belmont Abbey College – filed lawsuit
•3. University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN – issued statement to press
•4. Christendom College in Front Royal, VA – issued statement
•5. Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL – considering legal options, “will not comply”
•6-9: Aquinas College in Nashville, TN (joined by three other Dominican schools) – issued statement
•10. University of Dallas in Dallas, TX – issued statement
•11. Priests for Life in Staten Island, NY – filed lawsuit
•12. Nashville Dominican Sisters in Nashville, TN – issued statement
•13. Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD – issued statement
•14. Benedictine College in Atchison, KS – issued statement
•15. The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC – issued statement to the press
•16. Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities - issued statement
•17. Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, CA - issued statement
•18. Knights of Columbus - issued statement
•19. Catholic Medical Association - issued statement
•20. Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH - issued statement
•21. Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio - issued statement
•22. Holy Cross College in Indiana - issued statement to press
•23. Sisters of Mercy - issued statement
•24. Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, WY - issued statement
•25. Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist - issued statement
•26. Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH – issued statement
•27. New Hampshire Catholic Charities – issued statement
•28. Saint Anselm College – issued statement

The Non-Catholic Institutions/Denominations:

•1. Colorado Christian University (nondenominational) - filed lawsuit
•2. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod – issued statement
•3. National Association of Evangelical Protestants – issued statement
•4. Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – issued statement
•5. Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops – issued statement
•6. Anglican Church in North America – issued statement
•7. Reformed Theological Seminary – issued statement
•8. American Life League – issued statement
•9. Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission – issued statement

Black List?

2012-02-15T12:56:00.003Z

Maria Casado, holder of the UNESCO Chair of Bioethics, at the University of Barcelona: she likes compiling lists

Here's an interesting article from Spain. It seems experts in UNESCO are looking to have a list compiled of all doctors who refuse, on grounds of conscience, to perform abortions. They say it is to guarantee the health of women - the usual mantra. For some strange reason the Nazi's lists of Jewish Germans comes to mind. I remember that scene in Schindler's List, when Jewish individuals were being booked into the ghetto in Krakow and being ticked off a list.

Anyway, here's an interesting quotation from the article, referencing the intentions of the lady, Maria Casado, who holds the UNESCO chair of Bioethics at the University of Barcelona, who wants to compile this list:

[Maria] Casado said that while she upholds doctors’ rights to conscientious objection, the main idea is to “respect rights in a democratic society” – women’s rights as well as doctors’ rights. This means conscientious objection should have a clear framework: doctors should make their position known before entering an operating theater, she said, and should not be allowed to exert their right when “the woman’s health is in danger.”

All very democratic and fair, isn't it? It really is an unfortunate thing that little babies are being torn apart and killed in the midst of all this. Or is that being unfair to Ms Casado and her friends?

Of course, there is another list being compiled: it's called the Book of Life, and we are told that those who commit evils such as abortion, will not feature on that list - they are on another list entirely. I wonder if Ms Casado and all those who have an undemocratic power over the lives of vulnerable children realise that as they labour to maintain the facade of respectability covering the holocaust of the unborn, that the day will come (perhaps sooner that they think) when they will have to stand before God with the blood of the innocent on their hands and try and justify their actions? They will do so before a vast crowd of accusers - the Souls of very children who perished in their clinics.

Perhaps a brief reflection on that will distract them from black listing men and women of good conscience who strive, in obedience to their sacred oath as physicians, to protect life and not destroy it.

In other, not entirely unrelated news, prosecutors in Philadelphia have submitted a request to Montgomery County Coroner to have the body of the late Cardinal Bevilaqua exhumed and examined to see if he had been murdered. He was due to give evidence at a child endangerment trial next month, but the grim reaper turned up unexpectedly. They fear that the reaper may have been human rather than preternatural. (Dan Brown's Bank Manager must getting excited!).

The poor Cardinal was quite ill. Though he was judged to be fit to testify, it seems he was suffering from demenia and cancer. The reason for the suspicions: "The timing "struck many of us as odd, as peculiar," the district attorney said." Yes, death can come unexpectedly. A timely reminder to all of us.

Not As We Have Been Told, It Seems

2012-02-15T08:00:00.003Z

Will the real Labour Party please stand up....

The plot thickens on the Irish government-Vatican embassy issue. The last update we got told us that Fine Gael back benchers were in revolt, as were 100,000 citizens who registered their disapproval with the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs. We were also told, by means of a statement from the party whip, that the Labour Party back benchers were full square behind the decision.

However, all is not as it seems: apparently, the Labour back benchers are in revolt too, and the statement issued by the party whip came as a big surprise to them and is, we might say, not a reflection of reality, perhaps more of a socialist aspiration which, it appears, is failing to materialise. Like the Fine Gael back benchers, not in splendid isolation like their leaders, Labour back benchers are feeling the heat from the citizens.

What is most interesting is that the Labour back benchers are getting an earful at their Church gate collections. Yes, my friends, you heard correctly, a socialist political party with an anti-Catholic agenda turns up at Church gates to look for money from Catholics for their party coffers. That's Ireland for you. Personally I believe that no political party, regardless of ideology should be allowed to conduct Church gate collection, most especially when those parties, Fine Gael and Labour for example, are waging an open war with the Church. They are keen to talk about the separation of Church and state, but when it comes to the Church gate collections, well then the boundaries are ever so blurred!

But that's a separate issue. What is going on in Labour? The TDs are not happy with the impression that their leader and his minions are giving that the party is anti-Catholic (to be honest, it is more than an impression). Indeed the phrase "McCarthyite" has been used by one Labour member to describe the language being used with regard to the Catholic Church - I wouldn't disagree: Labour was proposing to screen candidates for the civil service to see if they were Catholic, and so prevent their promotion up the ranks. They are reversing on that one, it seems.

What's going to happen? Well, I suppose, socialists have the venerable tradition of staging coups and eliminating the leader - they could do that and elect a more mainstream leader who will be more open and listen to people, and who would replace the Labour ministers in the government. If the back benchers want to reverse the view that the party is solidly anti-Catholic, then they will have to do something about Gilmore and co.

Until serious action is taken, many of us will have no other choice but to take the front bench of the party as they are presenting themselves and as they act and as representing the views of the party as a whole: as people who want to eradicate Catholics from public life, and God knows what else. The way things are going, it seems as if they'll be opening gulags on deserted islands around the coast and populating them with priests and Catholic civil servants. Any chance that fear might be assuaged by a good old fashioned heave at the top?

In Brief

2012-02-14T09:52:00.003Z

Two interesting articles on the HHS mandate which offer an alternative analysis of the situation. Paul Rahne sees the situation as the outcome of a long history of compromise on the part of the Catholic Church in the USA.

Taylor Marshall thinks we are approaching the issue from the wrong angle - we should not be using the religious liberty card at all, but a more fundamental argument.

And here's George Weigel's latest article on the issue.

Another thought-provoking article from Ross Douthat. He describes the "compromise" "suggested" (imposed) by Obama, in interesting terms. As I would interpret it, Obama is saying: "Let's just pretend I am respecting your consciences, and you pretend you are not paying for contraceptives and abortaficients." That sums it up. Douthat also asks an interesting question, do the Catholic bishops have a strategy for a long war? Given that Obama will probably get in for a second term, and he will be very keen to push ahead and finish what he started before he's forced to leave office, there may be a battle royal ahead. Time for the bishops, faithful and other people, religious and non-religious, to get together and devise an effective means of resistance. Perhaps it is time for interested parties to call a council of war. At the heart of the plan of resistance must be prayer and sacrifice because there is a force at work in this administration and it is not human, and human effort will not be enough to defeat it.

And a wonderful, though heart-breaking, pro-life story which reminds us that even in the most awful of situations, we must choose life.

Today is St Valentine's Day - the secular world is running around with flowers, chocolates and cards to fill the coffers of various businesses in the stump between Christmas and Easter. In Dublin, though, the faithful will gather in the Carmelite Church in Whitefriar Street to venerate the relics of the martyr which are enshrined there.

However, liturgically, today is the feast of SS Cyril and Methodius, the brothers who evangelised the Slavs, and gave the world the Cyrillic alphabet. We devoted one of our programmes in the latest series of Forgotten Heritage to them. In Europe today is their feast day, as they are co-patrons of Europe. May they watch over us in these times.

Back In The Saddle...

2012-02-14T02:56:00.004Z

Well, we are back in Ireland after a very fruitful time in the US. Our next series of Forgotten Heritage: Europe and Her Saints, is going into post-production. Our producer, Brian Martin, will supervise the editing. I am not sure when the completed series will finally air on EWTN, it could be later this year in the Autumn, or later again, in the Spring: we shall see.

Since getting back, parish duties and other things have kept me busy, so I did not get time to blog. The jet lag is still hanging around, and so, as I am wide awake at this point in time (2.30 am), rather than face lying in bed, I am saying a few prayers and writing this post. St Josemaria Escriva, it is said, slept little towards the end of his life, so he put the night hours to good use, so I am in good company.

As I scan the Internet to catch up on news I sense things have changed a great deal in the last couple of weeks. For one thing, in Ireland, the government is on the run with regard to the closure of the Irish embassy to the Holy See. As Labour TD's (members of parliament) stand square behind the decision like good socialists, there is war in the ranks of Fine Gael as the backbenchers heap their displeasure on the Taoiseach and his socialist buddy in Foreign Affairs. May they continue to do so and may the pressure force a u-turn. One Fine Gael back bencher, so incensed at the Taoiseach, even took out his rosary beads in defiance: good on you, sir, wield that spiritual weapon with all your might! Meanwhile, a former ambassador to the United States has come out and criticised the decision to close the embassy.

I also see things are getting bad in the US with regard to President Obama's HHS mandate. As you all know by now, the White House offered a "compromise" which in reality was not one at all and offered no progress on the issue. Then an alarming statement emerged from the Obama administration: the matter is closed - we will offer no more, the Catholics are just going to have to accept it and shut up (welcome to the Gulag!). As Sr Carol Keehan and Fr John Jenkins returned to worshipping at the Obama shrine, saved from their misery by the "compromise", the National Catholic Reporter has come out and attacked the Bishops for their stance.

This is disgraceful. For years the NCR has operated under the title Catholic, after this I think it is time for them to conform to canon law and desist from using the title Catholic which can only be used for those organisations and institutions that conform to Catholic faith, morals and practice. The NCR clearly does not subscribe to any of these and should now do the honest thing and rename itself. And perhaps John Allen should move - he is too clear, honest and fair a journalist to be numbered among those who consistently attack, undermine and misrepresent the Catholic faith.

We must pray for the bishops of the US: they are right in taking the stance they have taken - they are defending the Catholic faith as Christ has given it to us and refusing to change it in order to satisfy the anti-life agenda of the Obama administration and the permissiveness of guilty Catholics who want the Church to confirm their infidelity by embracing it herself. Sadly, I hear, many Catholics in the US (and elsewhere) support Obama's tyrannical move, and it is likely they will vote for him in the next election. Well, we leave them to the judgement of God and pray for their conversion.

However, this is a time, dear friends in the US, to embrace the virtue of fortitude. As my moral theology professor and dear friend, Fr Vincent Twomey taught us: this is the virtue we must practice even when all seems lost. We must still act, resist and remain true even if we fall in the battle. Twinned with hope, with this virtue, our hearts see beyond the battle, beyond the war, to the victory that has already been won, and it is in the light of that victory, that Catholics and believers of every faith in the US must stand up to Obama. Keep telling him: NO, NO, NO! We will not submit: we will not violate our consciences.

If necessary, it may be time for civil disobedience and yes, even for prison. Our good friend, Fr Benedict Groeschel, renowned, respected and holy, has spent time in prison for his witness to the right to life: many more may face a similar fate in the months to come: embrace it. Think of St Peter and St Paul in their chains and remember you are in noble company.

The greatest irony of all is that Obama is contravening the US Constitution and no one in Congress seems prepared to challenge him. Nixon and Clinton were impeached for minor offences in comparison - tapping phones (Democrats' phones, Father, that is a mortal sin!!), or immoral behaviour. Obama is breaching the very Constitution he swore to uphold: he should be impeached and thrown out of office. Why is no one willing to do this? It is most interesting: if you ever go to Washington, near the Capitol building is the Newseum - a museum dedicated to news, and on the facade of the building, which the US President passes every time he goes to the Capitol building, are the words of the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of religion. Seems Obama may need to write this out a few hundred times in his copybook.

Some good news. I have not blogged on the Ordinariates for a while. But, as you know, the US Ordinariate is up and running, and the Australian is about to begin. The US Ordinariate already has a church, meanwhile, Mgr Newton and the members of the English Ordinariate are still waiting to be given a church and headquarters: why the long wait? Some have suggested that the English bishops are dragging their heels because they want to kill the Ordinariate, despite being "encouraged" by Pope Benedict in person when he visited the UK. I hope that is not their strategy. This development is clearly the work of God, and if bishops are standing in the way of that work, they had better watch out: it is not wise to try and stop God when he has his heart set on a project.

Okay, this is getting negative again: change subject (still wide awake!!).

I had a wonderful encounter this weekend: I interviewed Fr Paul Francis Spencer, CP, for EWTN's series Catholic Lives. Fr Paul Francis flew over to Dublin from Edinburgh for the interview. He is the author of the definitive biography of St Charles of Mount Argus, the Irish Padre Pio, To Heal The Broken Hearted. It was a most wonderful encounter. Apart from his deep knowledge and understanding of St Charles, and his profound love of the Saint, Fr Paul Francis is holy man himself and I was deeply touched by my meeting him. I was thrilled to be asked to interview him: I had read his book many times and love it (well worth getting, see here for details), so I was full of questions and keen to hear more about St Charles. Fr Paul Francis has also written books about his founder, St Paul of the Cross, and is the Vice-Postulator for the Cause of the Servant of God, Sister Elizabeth Prout.

Sad news: Whitney Houston died after both a glittering and difficult life. She faced many of the struggles musicians and actors face all the time. Please spare a thought for her and for her family in this tragic time. It is tragedies like these which remind us why the Fraternity of St Genesius exists. If you have been touched and saddened by her death, then make a resolution to pray for the many others who find themselves in similiar situations, and then join our Fraternity as a means of assisting them spiritually.

I am also saddened by the death of David Kelly - one of Ireland's most distinguished and wonderful actors. He was famous for his role as the cowboy builder O'Reilly in Fawlty Towers, in scenes which are pure classic. He was a star of many movies and television programmes most recently the grandfather in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and as a wiley villager in Waking Ned, which is another comedy classic.

David was a gentleman, and a man of faith. I remember meeting him once in Gatwick airport: we got talking about St Genesius and I gave him some prayer cards and leaflets. He was thrilled to hear about the Fraternity and encouraged us in our work, telling us that it was important to have people praying for those in the arts. He knew all about St Genesius and prayed to him. May St Genesius now take him to the Lord.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace. Amen.

And to entertain you: that wonderful scene from Fawlty Towers: "Lick a paint...lick a paint". And after that.....bed!

An Evening With Fr Mitch

2012-02-02T03:34:00.001Z

Well, EWTN Live with Fr Mitch Pacwa went well this evening. I am afraid I had to go it alone, Fr Owen was not feeling too well today, so after a heavy schedule, he was too ill go on the live show, so he took to his bed, where he is now as I write. Say a prayer that he'll be ok for tomorrow.

Fr Mitch was an absolute gentleman and was very gracious on the show. He is a wonderful man and priest: wise, prayerful, witty, a fount of knowledge, and friendly: a true son of St Ignatius. We have been having dinner with him for the last few days and he has kept us both informed and entertained.

The show went live this evening: 8pm US Eastern, 7pm US Central and 1am Ireland and UK. It will be repeated on the Ireland/UK channel later on Thursday, at 8pm. If you miss it, you can watch it on EWTN Live's page on the website: it'll be up in a couple of days, I think.

My abiding memory of the show will be that of pickled herrings! Watch it and find out why.

Now, to finish some prep for tomorrow, and then bed. Do not be surprised if the blog goes silent at any stage - we are finding things hard going, so blogging may have to take a rest.

Sweet dreams!!

Every Blessing On St Brigid's Day

2012-02-01T13:50:00.002Z

Before I head out for another day's filming, I would like to wish you all a very happy St Brigid's Day. May the holy Patroness of Ireland watch over us and our country in these difficult times.

We need her prayers and motherly protection. My colleague, Caroline over at the St Genesius Blog has alerted me to the Labour Party's next move against Catholic citizens: they are, for all intents and purposes, to be banned from certain positions within the civil service if they cannot put their faith to one side and put the state first. Here's what is being said:

"All senior officials in state bodies which are likely to have to deal with the Catholic Church should be screened to ensure that they will not show inappropriate deference to the Catholic Church. Those who feel they are 'Catholic first and Irish second' should seek promotion in other organs of the State."

Sounds like something out of Communist Russia or Nazi Germany, or even England at the height of the persecution following the Reformation. Newspaper report here. I presume, then, as Labour likes to present itself as an equal opportunities organisation, the following statements are also true:

"All senior officials in state bodies which are likely to have to deal with Muslims should be screened to ensure that they will not show inappropriate deference to Islam. Those who feel they are 'Muslim first and Irish second' should seek promotion in other organs of the State."

"All senior officials in state bodies which are likely to have to deal with women should be screened to ensure that they will not show inappropriate deference to women. Those who feel they are 'women first and Irish second' should seek promotion in other organs of the State."

"All senior officials in state bodies which are likely to have to deal with homosexuals should be screened to ensure that they will not show inappropriate deference to the gay movement. Those who feel they are 'gay first and Irish second' should seek promotion in other organs of the State."

Well? Not on your nellie. Labour is, once again, revealing the hatred it has for Catholicism. In my opinion (and it has always been my voting pattern), in conscience a Catholic cannot vote for Labour, not even when a relation is standing for election. I think, at times, we have a duty to vote against Labour and against those who seek to form partnership with them. I think at the next election, faithful Catholics should get together and start to weigh up who we can vote for: perhaps it is time for the formation of a particular "Catholic vote" in Ireland.

Seeing as this lot are in government for the next four years, we had better get ready for more. As with all tyrannies, they will soon be drunk with power and God help us all then.

Holy St Brigid,

Mary of the Gael,

dear mother of the Irish people,

come to our help!

A Few Musings When I Should Be Working!

2012-02-01T03:31:00.001Z

A post after another long day. A few good pieces to look at on the net. A marvellous article by Cardinal-designate Dolan on Obama's attack on the freedom of conscience, published in the Wall Street Journal. He makes a very good point about the selective nature of the present administration in the US when it comes to religious liberty:

"The Catholic Church defends religious liberty, including freedom of conscience, for everyone. The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease."

As someone once said to me: "They will respect every other religion except the Catholics, to be anti-Catholic is still part of being respectable in the US". As Philip Jenkins once called it: anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice. Too true. I see that the White House is in denial: typical.

Talking with some people here, I asked if Obama would lose the election: they think not. People here, they say, care little for his foreign policy and the issues such as abortion and freedom of religion and conscience are just too conceptual for many: the economy and people's personal situations tend to decide whether a candidate is elected or not. The economy is improving little by little, if it gets better before November Obama will get the credit.

The lack of a good opponent will also ensure Obama's re-election, they say. None of the Republicans seem promising, and many Americans do not trust them when it comes to economics and jobs. The elderly are fearful that the Republicans will tamper with their healthcare - Obama's plan insures they will have cover - so they will vote for him to protect themselves. While no Republican has come out and said they will not touch the elderly's cover, none of them have reassured the elderly either.

What about the Catholic votes? I asked. The Church has been too close to the Democratic Party for too long, many will vote Obama because of that connection. Many Catholics cherish the unions, Obama and the Democrats have supported the unions, the GOP has a tense relationship with them. Many Catholics have no problem with Obama's HHS bill - they contracept, they abort, they sterilise: their consciences are fine with that - the bishops will be unable to rally them in a fight for religious freedom.

What about the Afro-American community. Despite their support for Obama, they are worse off now than they were before he was elected. Many of them are torn, I'm told: some will vote for him because he is black, but those who have lost faith in him will not turn out to vote at all.

Many Americans will not vote for Obama, but they will not vote for a Republican either. I asked these people to predict: they couldn't: it's too close to call - just don't presume Obama will lose.

Other news. According to newspaper reports, the new Nuncio has arrived in Ireland. God bless him in his mission to the Church in Ireland. I got some texts today which tell me that a Papal visit to Ireland may again be on the cards.

And some good news; the Causes of five Catholics have been opened and are being filed with the Congregation of the Causes of Saints. The new Servants of God are:

Fr Pedro Arrupe (1909-1991) former Superior General of the Jesuits [biography].

Benigna Cardoso da Silva (1928-1941) a Brazilian child who was murdered as she tried to defend her chastity - she is being proposed as a martyr.

Sr Mary Rosina Gladman (1922-1964), a professed sister of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart - she was beheaded while working as a teaching sister in Papua New Guinea, perhaps a martyr also [article].

Maria Elizabeth de Oliveira (1951-1965), a Brazilian child renowned for her holiness.

And Maria Rachele Ventre (1939-1995), a lay woman from Bologna in Italy. She was a musician and singer, renowned for her work among young people [biography, her foundation].

Back to work - more prep for tomorrow's shoot. We are also on Fr Mitch Pacwa's live show tomorrow night (Wednesday) - say a prayer that all will go well. Thanks.

A Tired Priest Scribbles........

2012-01-31T02:09:00.003Z

We have had a very long day today: I'm quite tired and still have some stuff to look over for tomorrow's recording sessions. We started the season, so the worst is over: we are into it. The members of production team are very professional and helpful, so we are being well looked after. Our producer is happy with today's work, so that's good. The staff in the dining room are wonderful: lovely Rosie who has fed us every time we come here is as happy and genteel as ever. There is a new chef, Hernandez, and boy he is good: we won't starve.

The new season is called Forgotten Heritage: Europe and Her Saints. We start with the six patrons of Europe, and then devote ten other programmes to notable European Saints. Not all the important ones are there: in order to ensure that most areas of human life are represented we had to leave some out. We hope viewers will find the new season interesting.

We had dinner with Fr Mitch Pacwa (always a pleasure) and he gave us some wonderful insights into a number of contemporary issues. We will be his guests on his weekly live television show on Wednesday evening (7pm US Central time), so if you have nothing else to do, switch on.

A quick surf around the net reveals some very good stories: the Council of Europe has ruled that euthanasia should remain illegal throughout Europe: that is a wonderful judgement, and it may effect the practice in Switzerland and Holland. Hopefully they will have to close shop.

According to the latest count 93 US bishops have spoken out against Obama's bill: that too is good. Will it stop Obama's plans? We shall see. For my American readers, here is a petition calling for Obama to rescind the HHS mandate.

An interesting story from Ireland: the ACP are seeking to help nuns who have been wrongly accused. This short article relates how innocent sisters are being forced to admit to abuse they never actually committed. That is no surprise - false allegations have been made about innocent parties, and unfortunately, given the current climate, it is easier for superiors to go with the allegation rather than challenge it. I have little time for the ACP, but they are right in what they are trying to do here, and they deserve credit for that. In fact, they are doing what others should have done long ago.

Fr Barron has some interesting things to say about Obama's attack on religious freedom: there are a few points worth noting as we observe the way things are going in Ireland.

Back to work, and then beddie byes! Night, night!

Irish Bishop May Face Criminal Charges For Preaching The Gospel

2012-01-29T18:30:00.003Z

My attention has just been drawn to an attack on the Bishop of Raphoe, Bishop Philip Boyce, by an atheist who is offended by the bishop's homily during a pilgrimage to Knock last August. In fact this atheist, Fine Gael party member, John Colgan, has reported the bishop to the Gardai (Irish Police), who in turn are preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions, and it may happen that Bishop Boyce may well faces charges. The charge is the old chestnut, "incitement to hatred". The fact that the Gardai are preparing a file means that they believe there may be a case to answer.

Here are the two extracts from the bishop's homily that may be, it seems, illegal in Ireland:

"The moment of history we live through in Ireland at present is certainly a testing one for the Church and for all of us. Attacked from the outside by the arrows of a secular and godless culture: rocked from the inside by the sins and crimes of priests and consecrated people, we all feel the temptation to lose confidence. Yet, our trust is displayed and deepened above all when we are in troubled and stormy waters. It is easier to be confident when we ride on the crest of a wave, when the tide is coming in. Not so easy, however, yet every bit as necessary, when what is proclaimed by the Church namely the truth of faith with its daily practice and influence on behaviour, is under severe pressure."

And:

"For the distinguishing mark of Christian believers is the fact they have a future; it is not that they know all the details that await them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness."

For the full text of the bishop's homily, which is very good, see here.

The complaint has been made by John Colgan, a retired chartered engineer and economist from County Kildare. He was the leader of the "Campaign to Separate Church and State" in the 1990's so he has a history of antagonism against the Catholic Church. He was also an unsuccessful Fine Gael candidate in parliamentary elections. From the article in the Irish Independent, Mr Colgan seems to describe the passing on of the Christian faith to members of the Christian faith as "hostile propaganda". So I take from that we are not allowed, in his eyes, to teach the faith to members of our own religion.

We shall have to see if the DPP is foolish enough to go ahead and press charges, if he does, then it will be time for bishops, priests and faithful to roll in behind Bishop Boyce and oppose them. Are things bad enough in Ireland for such stupidity to reign? That the freedom of religion and freedom of expression so cherished by the founding fathers and mothers of our nation, can be put aside because a non-believer is offended by a Christian pastor proclaiming the Gospel? The answer to that question is, sadly, yes: we are near that stage. However, I personally think, at this time, the DPP will pass on prosecution: such a decision would go down very badly with many. There is already a lot of anger.

We must pray for Bishop Boyce. He is a good bishop, orthodox, gentle and compassionate. He is a Discalced Carmelite, so a brother of mine in the Order. We entrust him to the maternal intercession of our Holy Mother, St Teresa, and to the prayers of his great friend, Blessed John Henry Newman.

To be honest, this appears to be another black mark against Fine Gael: first the unjust attack on our Church and Pope by the leader of the party, Enda Kenny in July, creating a serious diplomatic incident and exposing Ireland to international criticism; then they close down the embassy, and now it seems a member of their party is trying to prosecute a Catholic bishop, not for neglecting his duties with regard to child protect procedures, but because he preaches the Christian faith at a Catholic shrine.

God help us, is it not time for the ordinary Catholics of Ireland to rise up against this insane tyranny? I think if anyone needs to be prosecuted for inciting hatred, it may well be Mr Colgan.

An Inconvenient Pattern

2012-01-29T15:51:00.001Z

A quick post in the midst of our prep. I was scanning the net for my daily fix of news when I discovered this interesting article on global warming; it's in The Telegraph online.

James Delingpole is musing over the recent figures released from climate experts (released discreetly it seems) that cast more doubt over the possibility of global warming. It seems, according to the figures, global warming stopped 15 years ago, and it seems the earth's temperatures are falling. We might, David Rose of The Mail on Sunday suggests, be heading for another mini ice age!

Perish the thought, my beloved Greenies: global warming is as true as overpopulation and the Y2K bug which threatened to down planes at Midnight 1999-2000 AD, sorry CE. Of course it has been noted that the term "Global Warming" has been abandoned quietly in favour of "Climate Change" - just as "safe sex" with a condom became "safer sex" ie "well, actually, we can't guarantee you won't get AIDS, but you might be a little safer (teensie weensie bit saf-er) with our special priced condoms".

See a pattern here? The usual suspects are getting caught out - their dire predictions are not coming true; their quick and easy solutions are not working - in fact they are making problems worse. That is why they are starting to get tyrannical. They can no longer persuade, nor fool the people - their opponents are being proved right. Now is the time to take out the opponents so the only side the general populace get to hear is theirs - the "new orthodoxy". That is why the Catholic Church is such an enemy - she has been around so long she can smell a rat as soon as it appears. That might explain Obama's course of action: use might, power and force to push the agenda through - to hell with the people.

We shall keep an eye on such developments. In the meantime, if all this global warming stuff is nonsense, will Al Gore have to give back his Nobel Peace Prize? Nah - his story fits the views of the committee, why let a little inconvenient truth get in the way?

Back From The Dead, Kind Of....

2012-01-28T18:29:00.003Z

Greetings to you all from Birmingham, Alabama! I know I said in my last post that the blog would go silent for a couple of weeks, and it may just yet, but imagine our surprise when we discovered we have a computer and Internet access in the EWTN guesthouse. Fr Owen suggested I continue to blog - recording the filming process - a sort of diary, but I'm not sure about that because the schedule is packed. But if I get a moment, I will blog a post, or post a blog, or whatever the correct phrase is here.

Now of course an online diary might just be fun, recording the producer's tantrums, the camera men's strike, the joys of make-up ("Wrong shade, Harvey! No thanks, I think I'll pass on the lip-gloss".), the re-recordings, the slips, the frustrations, the subsequent confessions and holy hours in reparation - all the tragedy and the underlying comedy which is TV. But, to be honest, it is much tamer than that - working with solid and good people for whom EWTN is more than a job, it is a mission. God bless them all.

We had a very long day yesterday - three flights. The Dublin to Atlanta direct is gone, so we had to fly to New York (JFK), then to Atlanta and then to Birmingham, AL: we were like zombies by the time we arrived. Thanks to numerous cups of coffee, Neurofen (I have a cold and a touch of tonsillitis) and prayer, we kept going. We almost lost our bags at one stage - or at least we thought we lost them, but all was sorted thanks to lovely lady in Atlanta, Miranda, pure southern belle! Our producer Brian and Al, one of EWTN's volunteers, collected us, and brought us to the guesthouse. We also met a new friend (Hi Chris!) as we were anxiously waiting for our luggage at baggage claim in Birmingham airport, he was travelling back to Birmingham from Illinois - a long journey for him too . So it was an interesting day.

This weekend we will continue our preparation, recording starts at 8.30am Monday morning: our producer wanted us here for a day or two before recording so we would get over the jet lag and look refreshed and good on camera. God bless his innocence - all the sleep in the world will never a beauty out of this priest! Not even the make-up man, trowel in hand, could do that. Anyway, please keep us in your prayers.

So what's happening in the world? A quick scoot around the net reveals that the bishops of the US are getting ready for battle over Obama's attack on religious liberty. I must say I am delighted. In a post on Thursday I compared Cardinal-designate Dolan to St Ambrose, well the spirit of Ambrose is reawakening all over the US as bishops are refusing to fold and are leading their flocks against Obama and his cronies - among whom are a number of high profile liberal Catholics. This battle is actually uniting orthodox and liberal Catholics, so those in Obama's administration are probably finding that their allies are deserting them - or at least I hope they are.

Bishops are now even talking about civil disobedience (see here also)! Well the spirits of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr are on the move too. If Catholics in the US actually united and faced Obama on this they will effect a change. It seems the most obvious option is to bring Obama down in the election later this year. The Catholic vote is a significant one, and now as the freedom of religion is at stake (not only for Catholics, but for others as well), it is time to put aside political differences and party politics and to unite behind one candidate who will give a guarantee that he/she will stop Obama's bill. Time for Catholics to talk to the Republican candidates. William Oddie has a very good article in the Catholic Herald.

It is also time for Notre Dame to redeem itself and take back the Honorary Doctorate of Laws it gave to Obama a couple of years ago: here is a good excuse. I doubt if Fr Jenkins could endorse Obama's actions, seeing as the President of Notre Dame was at the March for Life this year. Time for him to rebuild bridges here, I think.

In other news, I see the spirit of Obama is moving in University College London - the Catholic chaplaincy has been told that it must now invite pro-abortion speakers to even up their pro-life talks. Time here to say "No". As one person asked, does this mean the pro-abortion clubs must now invite a pro-life speaker "to even things up" ? I doubt it - such decisions tend to go in one direction. In the world of culture, Matthew Archbald writes about some new movies coming out of Hollywood - they do not seem to be too favourable to the Catholic faith.

Anyway, that's all for now. Work awaits. I will be offering Mass at 1.30pm (Central) in the friar's chapel, so I will remember you all.

EWTN Calls

2012-01-26T21:15:00.001Z

Early tomorrow morning I head off to Alabama with my friend, Fr Owen Gorman, to record a new series of Forgotten Heritage, so the blog will go silent for a couple of weeks. We have a heavy schedule ahead of us, so we ask your prayers that all will go well. I'll see you all when I get back.

Ambrose Is Back!

2012-01-26T08:00:00.001Z

Among the great Bishops of the Church, St Ambrose ranks as one of the most prominent. As a preacher, he was lauded for his style and catechetical genius, as an administrator, he was efficient and human, and as a defender of the faith, he was mighty and strong. The Holy Spirit possessed this humble bishop and formed a powerful disciple of Christ, a loving father, a wise soul and a heroic man. He is the model, par excellence, for all bishops.

He had to face the tyranny of the secular state and did so without fear. He was compassionate and understanding, but he was a servant of the Truth, and so he was fearless when he had to proclaim that truth even to an emperor. Remember when we Catholics speak of Truth, we do so not only as objective reality as opposed to relativism, but we also speak of a person - Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Many of you will know of St Ambrose's struggle with the Emperor Theodosius. There was a tense relationship anyway between the saintly bishop of Milan and the Imperial Court: politicians and rulers tend to feel very uncomfortable when they hear of a man of holy principles. Such a man tends not to compromise for the sake of the state, but rather, inconveniently for the seculars, holds fast to the rules of God. Such holy people are too "rigid" to be pliable and manipulated.

When the emperor, Theodosius II massacred 7,000 people in Thessalonica in 390 in revenge for the murder of the governor, Ambrose excommunicated him and imposed several months of severe penance on the emperor to atone for his sin before he was readmitted to communion with the Church. Ambrose did not give in, he stood steadfast even in face of the considerable pressure imposed by the Imperial Court. Despite this Theodosius did his time, saw the error of his ways, and he was readmitted. He and Ambrose developed a good relationship, one which so good that at Ambrose's funeral Theodosius was gushing in his praise; embarrassingly so, some thought. Ultimately, despite a violent nature, Theodosius was a good man, and Ambrose had to help him break that flaw in his character which made aspects of his rule tyrannical.

Ambrose was not a hard man, he was gentle and understanding, but there were times when he had to use his power and faculties for the good of the Church and her members, and, as in the case of the massacre of the people of Thessalonica, he had to defend the dignity of human life. It seems another Ambrose has arisen, this time in the US: Archbishop, soon to be Cardinal, Timothy Dolan, has been forthright in meeting the challenge Barack Obama has created for the Church.

In meeting this challenge, Cardinal-designate Dolan must be supported, and I hope the Church in the United States will fall in behind him and face down this secular ruler who seeks to impose his will on Catholic citizens and make them conform to his anti-life agenda. In other words, it is time to break that tyrannical streak which is in Obama and the pro-abortion brigade in the US. After all, that very streak has left a body count of 54 million children in the last 40 years.

As for those of you in Ireland who may be asking the question, "Such issues do not concern us" - well, they do, because we now have a government in Ireland which has a similar tyrannical streak. Given the developments with this commission examining the European Court of Human Rights's decision on abortion in Ireland, we may soon see infanticide legally established in Ireland. Three members of that commission are in fact die-hard advocates for abortion on demand, so we need to learn from our brothers and sisters in the US.

O Lord, we pray, send us an Ambrose!

The Conversion of St Paul

2012-01-25T21:05:00.000Z

I was visiting a painter friend of mine, Richard Moore, who is working on a couple of commissions for us: a painting of St Genesius to be presented to the Holy Father during our pilgrimage to Rome in April, and a series of paintings depicting the life and martyrdom of St Genesius, which he is doing in watercolour. I was stunned by the beauty and dynamism of the works, and the portrait of Genesius for the Pope was very engaging. When the works are finished I may upload some of them on to the blog.

Richard normally paints landscapes and city scenes, but a couple of years ago we engaged him to do a realist painting of St Genesius to compliment the Icon: the image of the martyr I use on my blog (above right) is a detail from the painting - the model was an Italian actor. As we were discussing the series of watercolours, I asked him how he was going to depict that dramatic moment when Genesius was touched by the Holy Spirit and converted: Richard went silent, he was deep in thought.

What a challenge! To depict in an image the dramatic turn of a human heart, an overwhelming encounter with God - an upheaval It is so easy to fall into melodrama, and even easier to stumble at the final hurdle and fail. The greatest artists are those who can capture that moment.

The Conversion of St Paul, the feast we celebrate today, is an event which offers such a challenge to the artist. Some chose not to show Paul's face, just the dramatic fall, the twisted body, the shock on the faces of Paul's companions. But this event presents all of us with such a challenge - not merely to try depicting the event on canvas, but rather to see it in the context of our own lives - a moment of conversion for all of us.

How would we react to such a revelation? Such revelations, though not as dramatic as Paul's, are part and parcel of our daily lives as God reaches out to us and calls us into a deeper relationship with him, and anoints us as his missionaries in the world. How do we respond to that call? How do we as Christians manifest in our daily lives the same light that floored the bigot Saul and made him the Apostle Paul?

Now there's something to reduce all of us to silence as we work it out, prayerfully. Happy feast day.

In The Hot Seat

2012-01-24T10:35:00.002Z

Thanks to Orbis Catholicus Secundus, a photograph of the Venerable Pope Pius XII in the dentist's chair! So next time you must endure the twice annual visit, lie back and call upon this Venerable Pontiff. Who knows, perhaps the holy man may work a miracle and you won't need those dentures at all.

He Has A Dream

2012-01-24T08:00:00.004Z

If you are liable to lose your cool or suffer from blood pressure when the issue of abortion is raised, do not follow the link or read this.

Yesterday Barack Obama celebrated the anniversary of the Roe v Wade judgement by proclaiming that abortion is the way that "our daughters" may have the chance of fulfilling their dreams. See an article reporting on his speech here.

I would like to ask this gentleman a few questions on this: which daughters is he referring to? The ones who were lucky enough to get the chance to live? Or the millions of little girls who are being aborted because they are not little boys? Is he talking about white daughters or black daughters? Because when it comes to little black girls they are being murdered more often than little white girls in the abortion clinics of the United States.

He says that this anniversary is the chance to recognise the "fundamental constitutional right" to abortion. The right to kill the unborn child? God save us from such a horror! And God save us from people who promote such an inhuman atrocity.

As I was reading this article, another black American came to mind: another who spoke about dreams - the dreams of the daughters and sons of America - the Rev. Martin Luther King. I do not think the dream that good minister had for the children of America is the same one the first black president has. One man spoke of life and the utmost respect which is due to life, which is sacred; the other speaks of destroying it for convenience and selfishness.

We must pray and make sacrifices so Obama's dream may never come true.

Prayer to the Holy Innocents

O Blessed Martyrs,
sweet Children of Bethlehem,
as you laid down your lives for Christ
before you ever knew him,
help us to lay down our lives in love for him,
that we may serve, praise and glorify him all our days.

Hear our prayers, O Holy Innocents,
for those who have perished through the crime of abortion,
as they were deprived of life here on earth
may our Merciful Father grant them life eternal in heaven.

Intercede that those who carry out, promote and legislate
for the death of the innocents of today
may come to see the truth of what they are doing
and turn away from this evil.

Bless those mothers who are under pressure to abort their children;
those who are in distress, console them,
those in financial need, assist them,
those who are weak and wavering, strengthen them;

and for those who have yielded
gently come to them
and remind them of God's loving mercy
which wipes away all sin
and soothes all wounds
and restores peace in our hearts.

O Holy Innocents, pray for us.

UPDATE: See Fr Z's blog for a related article on Obama and his agenda. Seems the National Catholic Reporter (affectionately known as the NC Fishwrap) is blaming the bishops for such a narrow definition of conscience. Typical "progressive" (sic) stuff: conscience is not the voice of God, but rather what I think myself at any given moment regardless of what is right or wrong. I suppose they are quoting Blessed John Henry Newman to support their flawed ideas - sure sign that they have never actually read The Letter to the Duke of Norfolk, or if they did they did so with blinkers on.

And talking about blinkers on, read Patrick Madrid's recent offering. At first you'll scratch your head and say "Never", but then again, think about it: in the age we live in all things are possible: who would ever have thought that we would be killing our young with the full blessing of governments and even with the support of some Christian denominations.

For a more uplifting read, see Archbishop Chaput's talk at the Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life a couple of days ago: a wonderful piece of writing with a lot of wisdom and hope. An excellent analysis of evil:

"My point is this: Evil talks about tolerance only when it’s weak. When it gains the upper hand, its vanity always requires the destruction of the good and the innocent, because the example of good and innocent lives is an ongoing witness against it. So it always has been. So it always will be. And America has no special immunity to becoming an enemy of its own founding beliefs about human freedom, human dignity, the limited power of the state, and the sovereignty of God."

You can replace "America" with Ireland or any other country - no state has immunity.

Of Governments And Demons

2012-01-23T08:00:00.005Z

The Villa Spada, the former Irish embassy to the Holy See

Further to my post below on the Irish public's dissatisfaction with the government's decision to close the Irish embassy to the Holy See, it seems that a number of TDs (members of parliament) and senators share the public's concern.

Last week I was told that a large number of TDs and senators turned up at a protest in Buswell's Hotel, just across the road from Leinster House (the parliament building), the Ireland Stand Up campaign. Michael Kelly in an article for Catholic World Report, says that 82 of them made it their business to attend, including, I believe, the Leader of the Opposition, Micheal Martin.

Another interesting piece of information provided by Kelly is that, so far, the government has received 96,000 postcards protesting the closure. I wonder how that will translate into votes? I'm sure the government parties have already worked that one out. But, I suppose, given that they have an absolute majority and, saving any mass protest by backbenchers, which is unlikely, the government will run for a full term, so the will of the people is of no consequence on this matter. They will probably hope the issue will go away.

On another issue, Steven Greydanus has a very good review of the new exorcism movie gracing our screens: The Devil Inside. I am afraid it does not get good reviews, and it seems it is another opportunity for film makers to bash the Church, but this time from the extreme traditionalist side, which I suppose is a novelty. The Rite, which starred our own Colin O'Donoghue, gets a favourable mention in the review. Which reminds me I must see if I can persuade the Film Club in Dublin to show The Rite some evening, perhaps we might get a guest exorcist in for the talk and he can scan the crowd for potential clients! I joke, as usual!!

UPDATE: Can we hope for a revolt within Fine Gael which may force Enda Kenny to do a u-turn with regard to the embassy? I hope so.

I see one suggestion being made by a Fine Gael TD is that the two embassies could share the Villa Spada. Having been in it a few times when living in Rome, I do not think that would be practical - it may be too small. I presume if a u-turn is on the cards, the ambassador to the Holy See and his office will probably take up residence in an apartment near the Vatican City State.

The Final Straw?

2012-01-22T21:27:00.003Z

If there is one image which Americans love to use about their country it has to be "the land of the free" - it is an image enshrined in their National Anthem, and it sums up the aspirations which those going into politics bring with them as they seek to govern the vast federal entity which is the United States of America.

Well, many Americans are finally waking up to the realisation that their land is not as free as it is made out to be and those entrusted with protecting this freedom are the very ones engaged in wiping out their citizen's liberties.

I am referring to President Obama's ultimatum to Catholics to get ready to violate their consciences (if I may quote Archbishop Timothy Dolan) as he will force them to accept his will as regards health care plans and their inclusion of contraception, abortifacients, and sterilisation. And to tie it all up neatly, it is a Catholic in his administration, Kathleen Sebelius, who will enforce it.

There is alot of reaction to it, and you have probably read alot about it, but there are a few good articles/posts. The Catholic Herald, and Gateway Pundit which has a video of Archbishop Dolan's reaction.

I see a few of Obama's Catholic supporters are stunned. Sr Carol Keehan, who supported him and even recieved a gift of one of the pens he used in his inauguration, is against the decision - I hope this is a sign she will have a change of heart. And Cardinal Mahoney, emeritus Archbishop of LA, is also appalled.

Well, Catholics have one year to get ready for the forced imposition of Obama's plan. Given the ideological nature of this president and his administration I do not think the decision will be reversed. So there is only one thing that can stop it: consolidating the Catholic vote against Obama in the November election, get him out and put in a pro-life president who will respect freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, and reverse the bill.

And then it may be time for the Ordinaries of Ms Sebelius and the other Catholics in Obama's crew who have been consistent in attacking the faith, to do what they should have done a few years ago...

Issues Over The Eucharist

2012-01-20T08:00:00.001Z

When it comes to the Eucharist, in recent times there have been endless rows over who can and cannot receive. Many of these rows emerge because the people involved do not have a proper understanding of the Eucharist, usually through little or no fault of their own, or if in irregular situations feel excluded from the Church because they are not allowed to receive Holy Communion. Situations are often made worse when some priests disregard the rules concerning reception of the Eucharist and then we have all sorts of practices which only confuse people.

In the UK there is a storm brewing over a child with Downs Syndrome whose First Holy Communion is being postponed for two reasons: questions over the child's ability to understand what the Eucharist is, and the family's non attendance at Mass. I was going to offer a few thoughts on it, but I found a blog which says exactly what I would have said, so I refer you to it and recommend you read it.

Point of information: the Church does not exclude people from the Eucharist because they have a disability. I have given the Eucharist to many with Downs Syndrome and found them to be very devout when they know they are receiving Jesus. Indeed I worked in a parish where one of the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion had Downs Syndrome and she was very conscientious and respectful: a model for the others.

* * *

Another issue. I received an anonymous letter a couple of days ago concerning abuses at Mass, heretical teachings and refusal by priests in the church concerned to use the new translation of the Missal. As I have no way of knowing who you are and contacting you, I would like to advise you here, as I share your concerns.

Write to the local bishop with copies of the evidence that you have - even though the priests concerned are Order priests, they are still subject to the jurisdiction of the local ordinary when it comes to heretical teachings and the liturgy. Write also to their Superior General in Rome - you can find the address on the internet. If you hear nothing within a reasonable length of time, write to the new Papal Nuncio, again with your evidence and a copy of the letter you sent the local bishop, and write also to the following addresses in Rome with the same information:

Concerning the heretical teachings: write to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith:

H.E. Cardinal William Joseph Levada,

Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith,

Piazza del S. Uffizio, 11

00193 Roma,

Italy.

Regarding the liturgical abuses and refusal to use the new translation: write to the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments:

H.E. Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera,

Prefect, Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments,

Palazzo delle Congregazioni,

Piazza Pio XII, 10

00193 Roma,

Italy.

I believe the people you are concerned with are already known to the above Dicastries, so if anything is to be done to resolve issues, they need to know how things are.

Foundation Day: Fifth Anniversary

2012-01-19T08:00:00.001Z

Today the Fraternity celebrates the fifth anniversary of its foundation. Holy Mass will be offered for all our members and their intentions. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and dedication. May St Genesius with whom you intercede for the needs of the men and women of the theatrical and cinematic arts, watch over you, bless you and intercede for your needs and intentions.

In the five years we have spread throughout the world to fifteen countries - just a couple of week ago we got our first member from Korea. There is more work to do, and at this stage we are struggling to keep up! I suppose that can only be a good thing.

Among the celebrations for our fifth year will be a pilgrimage to Rome to the tomb of St Genesius (see link above); a Mass in Corpus Christi Church in London on the 8th March - it was in that church that the Fraternity was "born" - where the inspiration came; and of course the big event of the year, the feast of St Genesius on the 25th August - it is a Saturday this year, so that should make it easier for people around the country to come: put the date in your diary! Members, friends, or those who just pop over to look at this blog - you are all welcome to the feast day Mass and reception afterwards. More about that anon. In the meantime................

A happy anniversary to you all!

More Media Hypocrisy

2012-01-17T08:02:00.003Z

When a political party imposes the whip, there are no problems - members of parliament must, and generally do, follow the party line even if it goes against their personal beliefs: the media has no problem with that.

When a newspaper makes sure its journalists follow the ideological leaning of the paper - or its owners, the staff generally go along with that and ensure the "ethos" of the journal is preserved; media has no problem with that.

When left-wing universities demand allegiance from its staff and end the contracts of those who resist the ideology of Marxism and Socialism, the incidents are usually covered up and the veneer of academic harmony and liberty is given a second coat of varnish; again, the media has no problem with that.

When the Catholic Church demands obedience of its priests and requires them to support publicly the very teaching they swore to uphold as they were ordained, then the media has a problem with that.

Archbishop Nienstedt of Minnesota is feeling the whack of the secular crosier as he exercises his God-given right as Bishop and pastor of his people to ensure his clergy support the Church's efforts to resist the destruction of marriage. Some of his priests are resisting, and all but one of these are hiding behind anonymity as they complain to the press. As for the one who is publicly defying his Bishop, and in this case also the teaching of the Church, he has been warned that if he continues he will be suspended - correct and right procedure, and media are furious.

What hypocrisy from the media! We must pray for Archbishop Nienstedt: he is fulfilling his office as pastor of the flock and suffering for it - may the Lord bless him in his efforts.   Do we have another Ambrose here? I hope so, and I hope we will have many more! Let us also pray for those priests who are failing to fulfill the promises of their ordination in teaching and upholding the Catholic faith in its fullness.

UPDATE:
Related to the above item, I draw your attention to the homily Cardinal-designate, Archbishop Dolan of New York gave in St Patrick's on Sunday - he takes on the sexualised culture of our time.   I think we have an Ambrose here! Report on the homily here. His blog is here, well worth following.

And other interesting news: it seems the Anglicans have set up a "reverse Ordinariate" to receive Catholics who wish to enter the Anglican communion. The reverse ordinariate is the brainchild of the Anglican Church of Peru, taking the inspiration from Pope Benedict. It seems a Catholic bishop, three priests and their parishioners are going over.   The idea is a little different, however: their ordinariate is a temporary arrangement to allow reflection on both sides before the bishop, priests and people enter into full communion with the Anglican ecclesial community.

Well, good luck to them, hope they're happy. We might see the idea catch on in other Anglican dioceses.

One Step From The Edge

2012-01-17T08:00:00.002Z

Late Palmar de Troya anti-pope Peter II: I don't think that mitre is photoshopped!

There is a whole area of life on the fringes of the Catholic Church which remains a mystery to the majority of the faithful - providentially for the most part. One of the more unusual of these alternative lives has to be the whole area of the anti-popes - yes, my dear friends we do have more than a few pretenders to the Chair of Peter still knocking around. St Hippolytus has a lot to answer for.

Well I was scanning the net when a link on Fr Gabriel Burke's fine blog led me to this post which tells us that the pope of the Palmar de Troya sect died last July - that slipped under the radar.

For those not initiated into the weird and wonderful world of schismatic traditionalists, the Palmar de Troya sect was founded in 1975 by Clemente Dominguez who claimed he was having visions of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. His alleged revelations led him to re-establish the seat of the papacy in the local village and he claimed God had chosen him as the new pope - it seems Pope Paul VI had been kidnapped and, I think, was supposed to dead and replaced by an impostor - or something like that.

Anyway Dominguez proclaimed himself Pope Gregory XVII and reigned happily until 2005 when he died and was replaced (without a conclave) by his right hand man, Manuel Corral, who styled himself Peter II - no presumptions there I see. I see Peter II has proclaimed his predecessor a saint. Well, poor old Peter II popped his clogs on the 15th July last, and following another conclave, another gentleman has succeeded to the papacy of Palmar de Troya: Sergio Maria who calls himself Gregory XVIII.

That's it in a nutshell, but if you want to hear more just hop on your virtual surfboard and take a trip through the more psychedelic corridors of the net. Among the colourful characters you will meet is Pope Pius XIII, a former Capuchin priest who got himself elected in a log cabin up in Washington State in the US - although I think the poor man is dead now.

Anyway whether you do or not, spare a thought for all these people and say a prayer. Thanks to the craziness of the post-Conciliar period they fell in between the cracks and were led astray. Many of them hanker after a glorious past which probably never existed outside their nostalgia and seek to set right the problems the Church is facing by their retreat into the world of fantasy: if only everyone else followed them, then everything would be alright, or so they think.

All of this should be a salutory lesson to us: we must stay humble and faithful, and pray the Lord preserves our wits.

People Not Happy, Not Happy At All

2012-01-16T18:32:00.003Z

I must say I am surprised - pleasantly surprised. It seems, according to a report in The Examiner newspaper today, that the Irish people are not happy with the government's closure of the Irish embassy to the Holy See.

Indeed it seems some people see ideology at work and one person claimed the closure of the embassy was more due to the Minister for Foreign Affairs' alleged hatred for Catholicism than economic reasons, and compared the Minister, Mr Eamon Gilmore, to Oliver Cromwell. (Note for those not familiar with Irish history and Irish insults: to be compared with Oliver Cromwell is, for us Irish, perhaps the worst insult that can be thrown at anyone - Oliver Cromwell massacred, burned and pillaged his way around Ireland - he was also a ferocious anti-Catholic bigot, who martyred numerous innocent Catholics for their faith).

According to the report, based on information obtained from the Department of Foreign Affairs under the Freedom of Information Act, of letters and communications received by the Minister concerning the closure, 93% disagreed with the closure and reject the excuses offered by our political masters. Many of them see that our reputation abroad will suffer - and they are right: as I mentioned before, certain diplomats and commentators abroad have been scratching their heads to figure out what is wrong with the Irish. Let's not blame the Irish, just the government.

So, will we see a u-turn in the near future, or will ideology trump common sense, the will of the people and Ireland's collapsing international reputation?

UPDATE:
Fr Gabriel Burke has a very good post related to the above - the outgoing Australian ambassador to the Holy See stressing the importance of a residental diplomatic presence at the Vatican. He confirms what many people say about relations with the Holy See:

“It is the oldest organisation in the world, and it does have a huge network,” he said. In fact, “as recently as the Balkans War, some of the best information as to what was really happening on the ground was not held by the CIA or the KGB but, in fact, right here in Rome by the Holy See.”

Only a country intent on an isolationist policy can afford not to have a residential diplomatic presence in the Vatican.

The Most Fundamental Of All Rights

2012-01-16T08:00:00.003Z

Last night I was watching ITV 1's broadcasting of the 2002 movie, Bloody Sunday which deals with the massacre by British Army forces of fourteen Civil Rights demonstrators during a peaceful rally in Derry, Northern Ireland, on the 30th January 1972 - we are coming up to the 40th anniversary of the killings. I had never seen it, so I took the opportunity.

As an Irishman it was difficult to watch, particularly when you know that for most of those forty years those who died were branded as terrorists by the British government, and that following a travesty of an enquiry - the Widgery Tribunal, the soldiers were not only exonerated, but some of them actually decorated by Queen Elizabeth. It was particularly hard to watch as men who went to the assistance of the wounded waving white hankies in a gesture of peace, were shot in the back by the soldiers. I found myself wondering last night, if the Queen should not have been a bit more forceful and explicit in her speech in Dublin Castle last May. The things she regretted perhaps merited something stronger than a general statement, particularly in the light of the fact that she bestowed her honours on men who gunned down innocent civilians.

But we must leave the past and move on - at the end of the day not even a queen dressed in sackcloth and ashes kneeling outside the Guildhall in Derry will bring those people back, and as Christians we must forgive. That day sparked a conflict which cost the lives of thousands of innocent men and women on both sides, and there was no excuse for that: there are many others who should don the sackcloth and ashes and make serious reparation for their deeds. In the wake of a murder spree that lasted over thirty years, there are many who must come to forgive and get on with their lives, difficult as that can be.

In the light of all this, at this time of year, our thoughts go overseas to the US as the Church and various organisations mark another attack on human life - the legalisation of abortion in 1973. Over these days people mark the anniversary all over the US with numerous events and rallies, reaching a climax when hundreds of thousands will travel to Washington DC for the commemorative ceremonies on the 22nd and 23rd January: the annual March for Life. The highlights of these events in Washington will be Holy Mass and a Vigil in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the rally down the Mall to the Capitol building.

The March for Life is one of the biggest, if not the biggest rally in Washington in each year and, as always, completed ignored by the media. A few pro-abortion protesters will turn out, so if there is a news report they will get most of the limelight - the usual media "objectivity".

What I find most interesting is that like the relatives of those gunned down in the streets of Derry who were trying for years to bring the full truth of Bloody Sunday out into the open, the pro-life cause has been struggling for a similar time to bring the full truth about abortion into the open. In recent years those involved in the pro-life cause see themselves as part of another Civil Rights movement - and that is exactly what they are, though there are those who dispute it.

There is no more fundamental civil right than the right to life. Indeed, if the right to life is denied to any one person, that in effect nullifies every other right, and we give to our legislators the power to strip away any or all of our rights should they see the need to do so - whenever they want.

Those who support abortion are blind to this and are so because those who legislate for abortion are of the same mind set, and they have little to fear - for now. But the tide could turn - indeed it is already turning and the monster is beginning to devour its young. When you look at abortion figures you see this. For example, in many parts of the world, most of the victims of abortion are girls - aborted because their parents want a boy. What does the radical feminist movement say to that? Nothing. They are happy to allow, and indeed ignore, a holocaust of girls in order to preserve "a woman's right to choose". Imagine a world without women: it won't happen, but we could see, in many parts of the world, a serious reduction in the number of women and what will that do for women's rights?

Another possibility: some scientists, financed by the homosexual lobby, are looking for a gay gene which would prove that homosexuals are born with their orientation, and so this discovery would further enhance their arguments. If a gay gene were found (it hasn't by the way, no evidence at all so far), it may, in places, lead to a holocaust of children who had this gene to prevent the birth of "gay children". I think that is very likely, and we may see the homosexual issue resolved, not by means of conversion or normalisation, but by extermination. I believe someone once referred to such as methodology as the "Final Solution".

Other cases: the disabled are disappearing, but not through the eradication of conditions, but the eradication of those with them. The number of children with Downs Syndrome is dropping considerably - that can only be through abortion. And abortion is used as the handmaid of inhuman scientific processes like IVF. The recent case in Australia where a healthy twin was aborted in place of its sick sibling is a fine example of that (the media called it "tragic" - that's rich!). Every day somewhere in the world babies are being aborted because, thanks to IVF, there are too many children in the womb - space needs to be created. Who dies? The one nearest the scalpel.

In Scripture we hear of the crime that cries to heaven for vengeance - surely abortion is one of these, and the blood of the innocent cries out to God. Revenge is not something Christians, or any pro-life people should even consider: God will deal with those who are guilty of this massacre - those who carry out and promote abortion (legislators too, by the way). We must pray for these people for, if they do not repent, their souls may well be lost. As Christians and members of the pro-life movement, like the victims of violence in Northern Ireland, we must forgive, but also work for justice and try to bring an end to this senseless and meaningless murder of the innocent.

As for us in Ireland, as I said before, I think abortion is coming. At least one of the two parties in government favours the introduction of abortion: the other party has many members who are also pro-abortion, so the time is right for the pro-abortion movement in Ireland. The Church is weak, and as the late journalist Mary Raftery (the one who broke some of the abuse stories) said: now is the time to bring in abortion when the Catholic Church is so weak it will not be able to object.

That is true: if abortion came in tomorrow there might not even be a whimper from the Church in Ireland - the media would just rehearse some of the abuse reports again and silence her. This is a situation which needs to be dealt with quickly - if the government is planning legislation, we must be ready to oppose it, and use whatever we have to meet the challenge, including the excommunication of Catholic legislators who vote for any such bill.

This is the time to start building alliances both within and outside the country to prepare for this struggle. Our good pro-life friends in the US can be of assistance here. If abortion is not legalised, well and good, but we must be ready. Perhaps if the government sees a strong pro-life movement ready for battle (and many voters in their ranks), they might think twice, after all, legislators do not live on bread alone, but on every vote that is cast in their favour in the ballot box, and most of them live under the perpetual fear of famine. Time to remind them that the next time they skip over to the larder, they may find it empty.

And now, a prayer for all victims of violence - those who died in conflicts, those who were abused, and the millions of innocent children killed in the womb or destroyed in labs; and let us not forget the millions of children enslaved in suspended animation in the freezers of IVF clinics around the world.

O Mary,
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.

Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.

(Blessed John Paul II)

No Gong For Ron

2012-01-12T08:00:00.014Z

This story is all over the Internet. As the 1961 papers of the Nobel Prize committee have been released, they reveal that the committee turned down the nomination of J.R.R. Tolkien for the Nobel Prize for Literature: he had been nominated by C.S. Lewis.

The committee did not consider the writer worthy of the prize because they considered his prose bad and his work "has not in any way measured up to storytelling of the highest quality". So in plain language: he can't write nor can he tell a good story, so no prize.

Well, posterity has proved the committee wrong on one of those points - he was an excellent storyteller - his prose may not be consistently perfect, but his ability to create new worlds and enchant the imagination is unparalleled.

I have little time for the Nobel Prizes - a number of rewards in recent years reveal that the committee favours a particular agenda and usually picks its laureates in the light of that agenda - hence they gave Barack Obama the Peace Prize just after he was elected - for doing nothing.

Blessed John Paul II had been nominated for the Peace Prize many times for his role in bringing down communism and his work for human rights and dignity, but one of the members of the committee said in an interview, which I heard, that they will never give John Paul the prize, not until he changes the Church's teaching on contraception and sexual ethics. There's objectivity for you. Needless to say the Blessed Pontiff was not so easily bought.

I imagine the committee have since repented of giving the Peace Prize to Blessed Mother Teresa: her acceptance speech pleading for the lives of the unborn in the face of the culture of death must have put them out.

As regard their attitude to Tolkien, it is not unusual. Academia has tended to look down its nose at him and would not consider his work to be literature in any shape or form. Yet The Lord of the Rings saga is one of the most enduring works in the English language, and though, perhaps, not in the same league in terms of literary merit as Shakespeare and Dante, his work ranks alongside them in terms of readership, popularity and its legacy.

That said, here is something which I have just come across - a movie based on the appendix of The Lord of the Rings, made in 2008. It is set in the Third Age and tells the story of the rise of Sauron and the birth of Aragorn, Born of Hope. It is on the net and available there for free. I am embedding the movie in this post, so if you have time you can watch it - I have not seen all of it myself, but I hope I will get time later. So something to tide us over until The Hobbit (Part 1) comes out at Christmas.

Nail On The Head....

2012-01-11T08:00:00.001Z

Two great pieces for you, detailing bias in the media and the attitude of liberal secularists to Christians.

Mgr Charles Pope has a marvellous article on his blog reflecting on how we Christians are branded intolerant and bigoted while our accusers, who are imposing their agenda on society and trying to force us to accept it, see themselves as "victims". This article is a must read.

The second is Marc Coleman's radio show on Newstalk, which I was listening to last evening. He explores the media bias in Ireland and wonders why Irish journalists home in relentlessly on the usual suspects, the Catholic Church among them, but ignore others. Again, this is well worth listening to (Tuesday Parts 1 and 2).

An interesting fact Marc discusses is the "infiltration" of RTE, the national broadcaster, by the Workers' Party. To those who are not familiar with Irish politics, the Workers Party was originally part of Sinn Fein, whom you all know. They are extremely left wing - Marc calls them "Stalinist" in the programme, and they had links to some of the most tyrannical communist regimes - communist Poland and North Korea among them.

While, at their best, they never had more than 2% of the electorate behind them, there are/were a large number of Workers' Party people working in RTE, hence the organisation's left-wing position and hostility to the Catholic Church: the WP hates the Catholic Church.

Interestingly, former members of the Workers' Party are now members of the present government. Our present Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore, was affiliated to the Workers' Party when the organisation was known as Official Sinn Fein. Mr Gilmore is the one responsible for closing the Irish embassy to the Holy See.

The Need For Consistency

2012-01-10T08:05:00.001Z

You may be aware of the row that is going on in the Archdiocese of Detroit concerning Real Catholic TV and its use of the title "Catholic". Michael Voris, the front man for the TV company, is being told he must stop using the title Catholic since he does not have permission from the Archbishop of Detroit, his Ordinary.

This is an issue of canon law, and Ed Peters explains it all in his canon law blog. It seems the plot is thickening as the question of jurisdiction has now been raised - it seems that Real Catholic TV may actually be officially domiciled in the Diocese of South Bend, so it is up to the Ordinary there to grant the title and not Detroit. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Some maintain that Detroit is going after Voris because of his conservative position on Catholic teaching and his manner of broadcasting - I am not going to comment on that because I do not know all the facts, nor can I read the mind of the Archbishop. I do know, however, that the title "Catholic" can only be used by a group or organisation with the permission of the bishop of the diocese in which they are based. When the Fraternity was founded and we were applying for official recognition in the Church, we had to petition the bishop for permission to call ourselves a Catholic association. That's the law of the Church, and it is there to protect the integrity of the Church and her teaching, and I agree with it.

Now, to be honest, I do think there is a need for consistency with regard to this law and its implementation. There are many organisations, groups, institutions and institutes which use the title "Catholic", but are as far from orthodoxy as the Inferno is from the Arctic. Dissenters trade under the title Catholic, and theologians, who are more renowned for their rebellion than their willingness to believe in orthodox Christianity, run about with "Catholic theologian" stamped on their academic passports. Now the stripping of such a title with regard to theologians teaching in Catholic institutes is a matter for CDF, but local Ordinaries also have jurisdiction over groups and organisations trading in their territories. Is it not time now to call a halt and start to pull them up as Voris and company have been?

You see, there remains the impression, be it true or false, that authorities are happy and quick to tackle conservative Catholic groups, but leave the self-styled "progressive" groups alone and free to do whatever they want. This does not inspire confidence at all.

Some suggest that the liberals and dissidents would not obey the bishop if he asked them to stop calling themselves Catholic - of course they wouldn't - disobedience is their trademark. But that should not deter an Ordinary nor his officials from reminding them, and the public, that the particular group cannot call itself Catholic and is not recognised as being Catholic. Others have suggested some bishops are afraid of these groups and so prefer to leave them alone. We cannot ignore that suggestion because it may be true in some cases, and we respond to that with prayer and encouragement, and take a few tips from St Catherine of Siena who knew how to remind people of their duties, with charity of course.

And that last point is one we must bring to our consideration of the Detroit-Real Catholic TV situation: we presume good faith on the part of all involved and pray the situation will be resolved in a manner which is good for the Church.

The World Is About To End....Yippee!!!!

2012-01-10T08:00:00.003Z

That headline may lack sensitivity in these troublesome times as people fret and worry over the Mayan prophecy which claims that the world is going to end at midnight on the 21st December 2012. Indeed.

I was watching part of a documentary the other evening on Channel 4 which dealt with the prophecy and how people were getting ready for the end of the world. One gentleman is selling bunkers and apparently they are going like hotcakes - there's an enterprising man for you. Others are teaching courses on survival techniques for a post-apocalyptic planet. I was scratching my head: how in the name of all that is holy can anyone escape the end? All the survival techniques in the world are no good when this planet pops over the edge of oblivion.

Do I believe the Mayan prophecy? Well no, I don't - I think the above cartoon may have an element of truth to it, and so too the argument that the prophecy fits into a Mayan world view which is limited to a certain cycle, so the end has to happen at that date in order to bring the cycle of cycles to a perfect end. The prophecy may be more about a mythical symmetry than anything else.

Could the world end at the midnight 21st December 2012? Yes, of course it could. And it could end tomorrow at 1.25pm as we are all tucking into our ham salad sandwiches and eyeing up the pastry for the next course - there may not be a next course.

Jesus tells us two things in the Gospel about the end, and both of them nullify the hysteria over the Mayan prophecy. First - we will not know the day or the hour of the second coming of the Lord - which will be the end: so bang goes the prophecy. Secondly, we as Christians must live each day as our last - so we must expect the end at any moment, and one moment in the future will be our last. That spirituality of the ever-present last day is a powerful spur to living a life of virtue.

And how do we, as Christians, respond to the coming of the end? We rejoice for, as we are told in Sacred Scripture, when we see the Lord appear on the clouds, we lift our heads high, for our liberation is at hand. We do not run around buying bunkers or learning how to survive on a wasted planet, we live holy lives and learn how to live as Saints in this world so we will live like Saints in the next.

Where He Has Gone, We Hope To Follow

2012-01-08T08:00:00.002Z

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our own baptism - that moment when we began our lives as Christians by entering the waters made holy by Jesus himself.

As I explain at baptism ceremonies, Jesus went into the waters first, we follow him, and as we do so, we enter his life so, as St Paul says, we no longer live, but Christ lives in us and we live in him: his life is ours, and united with us, he can transform us. We can then say in faith, that where he has gone we hope to follow, because we walk in his footsteps guided by him in grace.

An interesting aspect of the Gospel account of the Baptism of Jesus, is the moment when the Father proclaims Jesus as his Son: at that moment we find out who he is and what his mission is. Contrary to what many think, when we enter into the life of Christ we do not lose ourselves, but rather find ourselves: we discover who we truly are and what our mission here on earth is - and of course what our destiny is.

Pope Benedict explores this beautifully in his homily at the inauguration of his papacy:

If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? And once again the Pope said: No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life.

Report On New Nuncio's Ordination

2012-01-07T21:00:00.000Z

Annus De Fide

2012-01-07T20:45:00.000Z

Today Cardinal Levada of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released its Note with Pastoral Recommendations for the Year of Faith in response to the Holy Father's Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio, Porta fidei, see here for the text of the Note.

The Year begins on the fifieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and twenieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Catechism: 11th October this year, and ends on Solemnity of Christ the King the following year, 24th November 2013.

As the Cardinal points out: 'The Year of Faith is intended to contribute to a renewed conversion to the Lord Jesus and to the rediscovery of faith, so that the members of the Church will be credible and joy-filled witnesses to the Risen Lord in the world of today - capable of leading those many people who are seeking it to the "door of faith".' At the heart of the Year, then, will be the person of Jesus Christ, a renewal of our faith in him, a radical catechesis based on the Catechism, and a major push to all involved in the New Evangelisation.

The Note offers a number of recommendations for the Year for the various levels in the Church: universal, episcopal conference, diocesan and parish. A Synod of Bishops in October 2012 will be devoted to it, and World Youth Day in Rio in 2013 will take it as its theme.

At the episcopal conference level, I note a recommendation with regard to local Saints - Ireland should take careful note of this. As I have often said, and as my friend over at Fr Willie Doyle's blog noted just a few days ago, there has been an appalling lack of interest in the holy people of our country. As the Note correctly points out: "the Saints and Blesseds are authentic witnesses of faith".

At parish level, I see the Cardinal is aiming at a major catechesis - priests should offer cycles of homilies on the various aspects of the faith, the creed, encounter with Christ, and faith and the Church. That is badly needed. We will have to get thinking. It might be no harm for groups of priests to get together and help each other in this. Any takers, brothers?

The Year of Faith is a great opportunity, I hope the Church in Ireland takes it. The various other Years passed us by - Rosary, Eucharist, Pauline - I do hope we won't let this pass: it is a marvellous gift to us as we work towards reform and renewal. And not only for Ireland, for the whole Church.

Nuncio Ordained, New Cardinals Announced

2012-01-06T14:10:00.003Z

Cardinal-designate, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York

As I mentioned earlier, Mgr Charles Brown, our new Nuncio, was ordained Archbishop in St Peter's Basilica today, by Pope Benedict - EWTN covered the ceremony, and it was beautiful. May the Lord grant him every grace as he prepares for his mission to Ireland.

The Vatican have also just annouced the names of those who are to receive the red hat in February - the Consistory is to be held on the 18th. Among the future Cardinals is Archbishop Tim Dolan of New York: there will be great celebrations there. He is a regular visitor to Ireland and often visited us in Drogheda. He is also one of the Apostolic Visitators to Ireland, investigating the seminaries, which was no easy task. May the Lord bless him as he is raised to the Cardinalate. Here is his reaction to his elevation: as always - humble, self-effacing and practical.

Here is the list of Cardinals designate.

First the Curial/Roman Appointments:

1. Msgr. Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples;
2. Msgr. Manuel Monteiro de Castro, Major Penitentiary;
3. Msgr. Santos Abril Y Castellò, Archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major;
4. Msgr Antonio Maria Veglio, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People;
5. Msgr. Giuseppe Bertelli, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of the same State;
6. Msgr Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts;
7. Msgr JOÃO Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life;
8. Msgr Edwin O'Brien, Pro Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem;
9. Msgr. Domenico Calcagno, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See;
10. Msgr Giuseppe Versaldi, President of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs of the Holy See.

The Metropolitan Archbishops, Primates, etc:

11. His Beatitude GEORGE Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro Malabar (India);
12. Msgr Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada);
13. Msgr Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague (Czech Republic);
14. Msgr Willem Jacobus Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht (Netherlands);
15. Msgr. Giuseppe Betori, Archbishop of Florence (Italy);
16. Msgr Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of New York (United States);
17. Msgr. Rainer Maria Woelk, Archbishop of Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany);
18. Msgr John Tong Hon, Bishop of Hong Kong (China).

The Holy Father is also raising another prelate and three priests to the Cardinalate, all of whom are over eighty:

1. His Beatitude Lucian Muresan, Major Archbishop of Fagaras and Alba Julia of the Romanians (Romania);
2. Rev. Julien Ries, priest of the Diocese of Namur and professor emeritus of history of religions at the Catholic University of Louvain;
3. Fr. Prospero Grech, OSA, Professor Emeritus of various Roman universities and Consultant to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith;
4. Fr. Karl Becker, SJ, Professor Emeritus of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Consultant for many years the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

A Must for Little Christmas

2012-01-06T09:00:00.002Z

Okay, I know some will get this and others won't - you have to be a Downton Abbey fan and know the character of Carson the butler. When I saw this on the web I thought it was hilarious and decided to share it with you: A Very Carson Christmas.

The Holy Magi

2012-01-06T08:00:00.002Z

A happy feast day to you all: the great Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Today we celebrate the Christ's first manifestation to the gentiles through the holy Magi.

The Magi have always fascinated me: tradition accords them the names Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior. They were Persians, priests of the Zoroastrian religion, who saw the sign in the heavens which announced the birth of a divine king. Their philosopher-founder, Zoroaster, predicted, in the manner of the ancient Sybils, the coming of the Saviour, pointing out that a star would lead to the "mysterious child" who is "the Almighty Word who created the heavens."

According to Christian tradition, the Magi were converted by St Thomas when he ministered in Persia, and they were said to have died as martyrs. St Helen, in her quest to find the holy places and relics in the Holy Land, sent a delegation into Persia to find the tomb of the Magi. The tomb located, she had the remains translated to Constantinople, from where they were brought to Milan and then to Cologne, where they now rest in the cathedral.

As we celebrate the solemnity today, we might remember to put ourselves in the place of the Magi, and there come to encounter anew the Lord Jesus who came down to us. One of the most beautiful meditations on this "spirituality of the Magi", is that given by Blessed John Paul II in his last message to the young people of the world for World Youth Day 2005. I think it is worth reading.

As we celebrate, let us also remember today Mgr Charles Brown, the new nuncio to Ireland, who is being ordained an Archbishop in Rome by Pope Benedict. As he receives the fullness of the priesthood, and prepares for his mission, may the Lord grant him many graces and blessings.

A Gift To Priests

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000Z

Today is the feast of St Charles of St Andrew, also known as St Charles of Mount Argus. Canonised in 2007, he is the most recent "Irish" Saint - I put Irish in inverted commas because St Charles was actually Dutch, but became "more Irish than the Irish themselves" (as the saying goes) by spending most of his priestly ministry here among us.

Born Joannes Andreas Houben in Holland in 1821, he joined the Passionists in Belgium in 1845, and was professed as Br Charles of St Andrew in 1847. He was ordained priest in 1850. Sent to England two years later, he met with many Irish emigrants and ministered to them. Fr Charles fell in love with the Irish: saw their strengths, but also their weakensses and difficulties - particularly their problem with alcohol. In his ministering to them, he heard a call to go to Ireland and spend his life there.

That call was confirmed in 1857 when he was sent with other Passionists to found a new community in Dublin. With the exception of two years, he would spend the rest of his life in Ireland, travelling around the country raising money to build St Paul's Retreat and its church at Mount Argus in Dublin, and ministering to those who came to the monastery.

He quickly became known as Fr Charles of Mount Argus and he endeared himself to the faithful. He was gifted with numerous charismatic gifts, among which were the gift of healing and discernment which revealed the heart of his mission: that of hearing confession and healing the sick. Up to the day of his death, people made their way out to Mount Argus to be healed, to go to confession, and to attend his Mass during which he often fell into ecstasy.

Recognised as a Saint by many, he had his enemies - some of those who attended Mass in Mount Argus, for example, thought his Mass was too long, and so were forever complaining: his superior eventually had to stand by him at the altar and put pressure on him. Whenever he entered a mystical ecstasy, his superior would shake him until the came out and continued the Mass. It seems these people did not really appreciate the presence of a Saint or the manifestation of the mystical - unfortunately it is an attitude still to be found in Ireland: we have many "watch gazers" and "time keepers" at Mass on Sundays: the obvious sign of a serious need for renewal.

Fr Charles was a victim to false allegations during his lifetime. A man arrived one day at the monastery and asked the Saint to bless a barrel of water: Charles did so gladly. However, the man bottled the water and sold it throughout Dublin city as Holy Water blessed by the Saint of Mount Argus. Complaints flooded in to the Passionists, and even though Charles pleaded innocence, his superiors did not believe him and he was sent back to England in disgrace. When the truth emerged two years later, he was rehabilitated and sent back to Ireland.

Charles died on the 5th January 1893 with a reputation for holiness. His Cause was opened in 1935 and reached a successful conclusion on the 3rd June 2007 when Pope Benedict XVI canonised him. Sadly, he is unknown by most Irish people, very little effort was made in the run up to his canonisation - another opportunity missed by the Church in Ireland. His tomb is in the Passionist Church in Mount Argus and is a wonderful place to go and pray in the presence of the sacred remains of a holy priest who followed Christ with deep fidelity. It is worth a visit.

I believe that St Charles was given to Ireland as a gift, and indeed he is a gift to all priests. In his life and virtues we see how a true Christian is to live, and for us priests we see what is most important in our vocation. At the heart of St Charles's ministery, indeed his life as a priest, was the Mass, confession and prayer. The Mass was the centre of his life - in his offering it we see another Padre Pio - indeed St Charles is Ireland's St Pio. Like St Pio, his ministry in the confessional reminds us of the importance of that sacrament - a message we need to hear as many today abandon the sacrament. In his healing ministry he always told those who came to him that true healing was to be found in confession.

This morning in Rathkenny we celebrated the Saint's feast, although, strangely, the new translation of the Missal (Veritas version) does not include the texts for his memoria.

Update On Tesco

2012-01-02T18:40:00.000Z

Further to my previous post on Tesco, the company has apologised for creating "misunderstanding and mistrust" and will cease sponsoring the Gay Pride event in London. See an article here by Francis Phillips in the Catholic Herald.

I note the venomous comments by some at the end of the article, once again proving that for those who support the gay agenda tolerance and respect is a one way street: one-way in their direction.

Anyway, that is good news about Tesco.

Feast Of Friends

2012-01-02T08:00:00.001Z

The feast of St Basil the Great and St Gregory Nazianzen, the great bishops of Cappadocia and Doctors of the Church. There is so much to honour and praise in these two holy men: their personal virtues, their humility sitting comfortably with great learning, their heroic defence of the teaching of orthodox Christianity, their profound works of theology and spirituality - I could go on. But, to be honest, there is one thing, after their deep love of God, which I think we can praise above all of these: their holy friendship.

Basil and Gregory were very close friends - best friends. They spent their lives in each other's company, supporting each other and encouraging a life of heroic virtue in the other. They had their rows, but these fade when we look to the union of fraternal love which existed between them.

Here's what St Gregory says of their friendship in an oration delivered following Basil's death in 379:

We were contained by Athens, like two branches of some river-stream, for after leaving the common fountain of our fatherland, we had been separated in our varying pursuit of culture, and were now again united by the impulsion of God no less than by our own agreement. I preceded him by a little, but he soon followed me, to be welcomed with great and brilliant hope.

Whenever any newcomer arrives, and falls into the hands of those who seize upon him, either by force or willingly, they observe this Attic law, of combined jest and earnest. On this occasion I not only refused to put to shame my friend the great Basil, out of respect for the gravity of his character, and the ripeness of his reasoning powers, but also persuaded all the rest of the students to treat him likewise, who happened not to know him. For he was from the first respected by most of them, his reputation having preceded him. The result was that he was the only one to escape the general rule, and be accorded a greater honour than belongs to a freshman's position.

This was the prelude of our friendship. This was the kindling spark of our union: thus we felt the wound of mutual love.

And when, as time went on, we acknowledged our mutual affection, and that philosophy was our aim, we were all in all to one another, housemates, messmates, intimates, with one object in life, or an affection for each other ever growing warmer and stronger. Love which is godly and under restraint, since its object is stable, not only is more lasting, but, the fuller its vision of beauty grows, the more closely does it bind to itself and to one another the hearts of those whose love has one and the same object. This is the law of our superhuman love. Such were our feelings for each other, when we had thus supported, as Pindar has it, our “well-built chamber with pillars of gold,” as we advanced under the united influences of God's grace and our own affection. Oh! How can I mention these things without tears.

We were impelled by equal hopes, in a pursuit especially obnoxious to envy, that of letters. Yet envy we knew not, and emulation was of service to us. We struggled, not each to gain the first place for himself, but to yield it to the other; for we made each other's reputation to be our own. We seemed to have one soul, inhabiting two bodies. And if we must not believe those whose doctrine is “All things are in all;” yet in our case it was worthy of belief, so did we live in and with each other. The sole business of both of us was virtue, and living for the hopes to come, having retired from this world, before our actual departure hence. With a view to this, were directed all our life and actions, under the guidance of the commandment, as we sharpened upon each other our weapons of virtue; and if this is not a great thing for me to say, being a rule and standard to each other, for the distinction between what was right and what was not.

So today, let us commend to the holy friends, Basil and Gregory, our own dear friends, as we give thanks for friendship. Spiritual exercise for today: contact your friends, wish them a happy feast day, tell them you love them and thank them for their friendship. Friendship can sanctify, that is one of the lessons God teaches us today in life and example of these two holy men. May all of us, friends, spur each other on to holiness.

Happy feast day, my dear friends!

RELATED: Fr Dwight Longenecker has an excellent article on modern Arianism on his blog - well worth reading. It reminds us of course that the Church is still struggling with the same issues that SS Basil and Gregory had to deal with in their own, plus ça change....!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000Z

To all the members of the Fraternity, and to all who read my blog - the extended family, I wish you all every blessing and grace for this New Year. May Mary, the Holy Mother of God, whose solemnity is the first we celebrate this year, watch over you, protect you and obtain from her Divine Son, all the graces you need for the weeks and months to come.

This year is already sizing up to be a busy one. In terms of the Fraternity it is our fifth year - so to celebrate we will have various events - a Mass in Drogheda on the foundation day (19th January); a Mass in the church where the Fraternity was born - Corpus Christi in London, on the 8th March; a pilgrimage to Rome (see link above); and of course St Genesius's feast day on the 25th August. If you want to join our family of prayer go to http://www.stgenesius.com/. If you want to start a prayer group in your area, let us know.

Now, time to pick your Saint for the year: go to this website here.

A Prayer For Our Families

2011-12-30T08:05:00.001Z

On this feast of the Holy Family, we might take a moment to pray for all families, and for Christian families in particular. This prayer is a consecration prayer from the Sanctuary of Loreto in Italy, where the Holy House of Nazareth, transported by Crusader knights from the Holy Land as the Muslims were invading, is venerated. You might take a moment to say this prayer with me.

O Holy Family of Nazareth,
model of every family,
we bless and venerate you with joyful hearts
and consecrate ourselves to you
in order that our home be
the dwelling place of the presence of God,
in mutual and generous love.

O Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
who from the Loreto hills irradiate on the world
the light of faith and the power of love,
and guide it day by day
on the path of the Gospel
and of the Beatitudes.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, O Holy Family, bless our families.

On this holy day you might like to check out a few links. Pope Benedict dedicated his Audience on Wednesday to prayer in the Holy Family, see here for the text of his wonderful talk. The website for the Sanctuary of Loreto is very good and has the story of the translation of the Holy House and information on the life of the Shrine. Here is another good website, of a new association founded by one of the members of our Fraternity, to pray for our children. It is well worth a visit and joining - all you need do is offer one holy hour in the week for our children.

Happy feast day!

And So This Is Christmas

2011-12-30T08:00:00.004Z

People are starting to go back to work after the Christmas celebrations. I believe in the US and other places the Christmas decorations came down on St Stephen's Day (Boxing Day) - what a shame. Here in Ireland we leave the festive decorations up until the 6th January - traditionally we celebrate the twelve days of Christmas, and the Epiphany is an important feast within those twelve days. In Ireland Epiphany was known as Oiche Nollaig na mBan (Women's Christmas).

As Catholics it is important for us to celebrate the entire feast of Christmas, from Midnight Mass to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord which brings the Christmas season to an end. The secular world, devoid of faith and understanding, marks Christmas Day, and then New Year's day as a civil celebration, with the commercial build up and parties that is the sum total of its festivities. We, however, are only getting into the swing of things when the seculars have dumped the trees into the trash. Our festivities should be guided by our liturgical calendar, and let's face, the calendar is a real party animal when it comes to the great feasts - seasons and octaves - great stuff!! These wonderful days of the Octave are the party days, and even after the Octave, we must still keep festivity. At the end of the day our celebration should be longer and richer!

So now we have the Carol Services, the parties (I had mine on St John's Day) and the feasting. It is still Christmas, as Stephen Greydanus reminded us a couple of days ago. We keep the crib in place, keep the trees up and the decorations, and, as far as we can, we keep a festive table - no fasting (but no greed either). And yes, we continue to wish each other a "Happy Christmas" - I notice after Christmas Day people wish each other "Happy New Year" as if Christmas was over.

Those who criticise our faith tend to regard us as a joyless lot - miserable Catholics. To be honest, we can be miserable at times, but misery is not Catholic - festivity is - this is what Chesterton reminds us. St Teresa of Avila tells us that there is a time for fasting and a time for partridge, by which she means feasting. We must fast well, but also feast well. So now, we feast.

The Thorn In The Side

2011-12-29T08:00:00.004Z

What a wonderful feast day today - the feast of St Thomas a Becket, the martyred Archbishop of Canterbury - put to death by King Henry II of England as the two clashed in a battle over the freedom of the Church. It was a battle which would be repeated five centuries later when another Thomas died in defence of the Church, martyred by another King Henry.

St Thomas a Becket was a man with a past - so we can all find comfort in him and in his conversion. As we look over the mistakes of our lives, we can be sure that all is not lost, God can still ask great things of us and offer us the graces to respond. Thomas changed when he achieved high office. He was ambitious, but when he was appointed to the highest ecclesiastical office in England, the Holy Spirit touched him and he became a humble man and a mighty defender of the Church's freedom.

And Thomas was a mighty defender. He was not afraid to stand up to his former friend, King Henry, who sought to reduce the Church to a department of state. In fact, Henry had Thomas appointed Archbishop of Canterbury because he wanted to control him. Henry exiled Thomas for refusing to be a lackie, but instead of isolating the Archbishop, Henry only increased Thomas's credibility and popularity among the faithful.

There is an important lesson in Thomas's life and example for our prelates. As secular governments try to control the faith of their people, and seek to haul the Catholic Church under its influence, our present prelates need the courage and tenacity of St Thomas to help them resist.

In Ireland our government is doing its utmost to undermine the Church and perhaps even nurturing the possibility of the emergence of a "national catholic church", another erastian monster to confuse the faithful. Indeed one of the big state-Church battles is about to break out: that of Catholic education: we need a Thomas a Becket to rise up to help us face the challenge. May God send us one.

Today I remember with fondness my visits to Canterbury Cathedral to pray at the spot where St Thomas was martyred. The Saint's tomb no longer exists: though Canterbury was one of the most important shrines in Europe in the Middle Ages, it was destroyed by King Henry VIII. St Thomas's body has disappeared. Various stories tell us that either Henry had it destroyed or the priests of the cathedral buried it in a secret place before Henry's soldiers arrived to desecrate it. There are a few ex ossibus relics of him though, and I was given one when studying in Rome. On both visits, I walked around the cathedral and prayed holding the relic in my hand and venerating it at the spot where he died. It will be brought to the faithful of Rathkenny this morning for veneration.

And so, today, let us offer a prayer to St Thomas for our beloved bishops who, like him, seek to govern, guide, protect, teach and sanctify the flock. Let us remember in particular those bishops who struggle to fulfill the requirements of their office: may the martyred Archbishop lay his gentle hand upon them and assure them of his loving presence and encourage them to heroism.

A Martyr?

2011-12-28T10:00:00.000Z

Here is a question for you. Today we celebrate the feast of unlikely martyrs, the Holy Innocents, but I wonder was Mary, Queen of Scots, a martyr? Part of the reason why Elizabeth I put the Queen to death was because she was a Catholic, a Catholic who threatened her own position as Queen - similar to King Herod's fears with regard to Christ.

The opening of the Vatican Archives exhibition in Rome has left me wondering again about this question - a letter the imprisoned Queen wrote to Pope Sixtus V is included in the exhibition.

I remember speaking with a dear friend of mine about this - the late Canon Francis J. Ripley. He was an authority on the Reformation martyrs of Great Britain, and he concluded that religion and politics are so intertwined in Mary's life, it would be difficult to unravel them, so a Cause would present many problems. But I think that doesn't rule out an attempt?

I think the Church in Scotland should have a look and see if they can open the Cause for Mary. There is no better man to meet a challenge than Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who has proven himself to be a marvellous defender of faith and life in Scotland, and indeed in the world. If anyone could meet the challenge it is Cardinal O'Brien.

Mary saw herself as a martyr, going to her death with great serenity dressed in red. Despite a wild youth, became a holy woman during her years of imprisonment in England. As Queen of Scots, she was tolerant of other religions, she even tolerated John Knox who was forever attacking her for her "Papist" faith. To be honest, if she was more like her cousin Elizabeth she would have had Knox's head off: but she didn't, she tried to reach out to him. However, it was his fanatic extremism which prevented any reconciliation.

Something to think about. What do our friends in Scotland think?

They Follow The Lamb

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000Z

Our feast today, I think, is one of the most poignant in the Church's calendar - the feast of the Holy Innocents. The liturgy is very beautiful as it honours the little boys who knew nothing of the world, never mind the Lord who created them. And yet, in this innocence, before some of them could speak, they are murdered - put to death in the place of Christ.

In his reflection for the feast, St Quodvultdeus says that they were taken to be Jesus Christ, and what a grace: there is the programme for our lives: to seek to resemble Jesus Christ, to be taken for him, mistaken for him. That is why we are called Christians - so we might be Christ. As St Paul puts it: "I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me". One of the wonderful images the liturgy offers us today sums it all up beautifully: they follow the lamb. As little children, they skip along behind him. I pray we might all be able to do the same.

Today is, of course, a day to remember all the Innocents who have be slaughtered. Those who have been abused. But also those who have perished in the culture of death: the aborted, those killed in the procedures like IVF and embryonic stem cell research, those who die unknown thanks to the Morning After Pill. Lives deemed worthless and so discarded. It is also a day to remember the millions of children who lie frozen in fertility clinics all over the world - suspended, neither allowed to live or die. What horrors the people of this time have visited upon our children. Today's Herods wear white coats, speak with gentle voices in counselling rooms, wield pipettes instead of swords, dispense tablets.

There are many parallels between the slaughter of the Innocents and the culture of death in our day, but there is one I find most intriguing. Some scholars dispute the event - they say that there is not one shred of evidence outside St Matthew's Gospel that these little boys of Bethlehem were killed, so they deny it happened - it was made up, a mere literary device to get the Infant Jesus to Egypt. Well, St Matthew saw fit to record it and to attribute a prophecy to foretell it: it must have happened. Given that Matthew was writing for Jewish audience, the massacre must have had some significance.

However, this scholarly attitude parallels that of many today who defend abortion, contraception, IVF etc - they deny that they are wrong, they deny the facts, they will not allow them be known: they even deny the humanity of those who are murdered. They are living in denial, they are easily offended when the facts are made known and they fight back, their most potent weapon being "feeling hurt".

May our dear little Saints, the Holy Innocents, martyrs for Christ, intercede for us, for the pro-life cause, and for an end to the culture of death. May they watch over us and guide us in our lives so like them, we too may be taken for Christ, and yes, even have the joy of suffering for him.

Feast Of The Beloved

2011-12-27T10:05:00.000Z

If there is one title which seems most appropriate for St John, it has to be "The Beloved". He is the son of Zebedee, the brother of James, Apostle and Evangelist, and all of these reveal who he is, what he did. But "The Beloved" reveals his relationship with Christ, and offers us an example: we too are called into such a relationship with Christ.

That image of John at the Last Supper is, perhaps, also the most appropriate image to sum up his life: the one who was intimate with Christ, who leaned upon the Lord and heard the secrets of the Heart of Jesus.

Today, as we celebrate his feast day, may he obtain for us the grace to come to the Heart of Jesus, to surrender ourselves to Christ, to lean upon him and to love him, for he loves us.

New Martyrs

2011-12-26T15:52:00.000Z

Today is the feast of our first martyr, St Stephen, and as we honour him and his sacrifice, we also remember all of those who have followed in his steps - all the martyrs of the Church.

As we were celebrating yesterday we heard the tragic news of the murder of many Christians in Nigeria by Muslims. A Catholic Church, St Teresa's, was bombed as Christmas Day Mass was being offered - what an awful thing to do on one of the holiest days of the Christian year.

Our first reaction, being human, is anger. How could they murder innocent people as they worship their God, these same people who come to Christian countries and demand that we respect their religious views, expect permission for their mosques to be constructed? As their coreligionists massacre members of our faith on a daily basis, particularly in countries like Pakistan which receives millions of Euro each in aid from Christian agencies, should we not finally react?

Well, the example of St Stephen answers that question: we forgive, we pray for those who persecute us, we extend, even though it may cost us, the hand of friendship and reconciliation. Of course we recognise that these killers do not represent all Muslims, no more than Christians who have killed, abused or committed serious crimes represent all Christians. And though this may be politically incorrect, and some of my fellow Christians will disagree with me for saying this, we pray for their conversion: that they, like Saul of Tarsus, may come to recognise Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and enter into full communion in his Church under the successor of Peter.

I have no doubt that our new martyrs throughout the world, and those who died for Christ yesterday in Nigeria (may they now share in the vision of God among the martyrs in heaven), are praying for those who killed them, as Stephen prayed for Saul. Stephen converted Saul, and he became St Paul, holy Apostle and the greatest missionary in the Church. May the blood of our martyrs win souls for Christ.

On a personal note, these days are special to me as they are my name days - the Saints after whom I am called: St John the Beloved Disciple (I also consider St John the Baptist my name patron also), and St Stephen. May I ask your prayers?

A Blessed Christmas

2011-12-25T08:00:00.002Z

A Blessed Christmas to all the members of the Fraternity, and all our friends. May the grace of the Christ Child, born in Bethlehem, be poured out upon you, your families and friends.

On This Most Holy Night

2011-12-25T00:01:00.003Z

Happy Birth-day?

2011-12-24T18:00:00.000Z

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we immerse ourselves in those holy texts which foretell the coming of the Christ, then those who lead up to his conception and birth. Today in our Gospel we read the Canticle of St Zechariah - a wonderful expression of the hope of the people of Israel, and a hymn of joy as that hope is about to be fulfilled in the birth of the Messiah.

It is also a time for us to look over the many traditions associated with the feast - there are so many, and they are so rich. One of the traditions, we are told, is the date of Christmas itself. For the last fifty years or so, perhaps more, we have been told that the 25th December is not the date of Christ's actual birth. I remember in Scripture class being told that the date was worked out from the supposed date of the Lord's death, which early Christians believed to have been the on 25th March. In the fashion of the ancient Jews, the early Christians took it that a prophet died on the day he was conceived, hence they took it that Jesus was conceived on the 25th March and born nine months later on the 25th December. But it was all just pious tradition we were told. We don't know when he was born; indeed, as some Christian theologians might even tell us - he might not have been born at all!

The other argument they used for the choice of the 25th December was that Christians were Christianising the Roman feast of the Sun god which fell in mid-winter.

Well, as some of you know, there has been some work done on the question of the Lord's birth and the date, and it seems there is evidence that suggests that the early Christians believed that the 25th December was the actual birthday of the Lord. I will hand you over to Taylor Marshall who has all the evidence, and it is compelling. Reading over it I am surprised that modern Scripture scholars can just dismiss all of it to maintain what is in reality nothing more than what I call, constructed doubts.

Thankfully the arguments from constructed doubt are being challenged and exposed for what many of them are: a effort to undermine faith and make the teachings of Christianity relative. Scholarship must also take account of tradition, and indeed common sense. And the latter has been missing from a lot of scholarship in recent years. One of the things totally ignored in recent Scriptural research is human relationships: it seems that no one talked to anyone else, that the Apostles and disciples were not actually interested in the Lord's life, they didn't talk to Our Lady or anyone else, and so the accounts we have are all merely symbolic. Taylor in that article reminds us that the early Christians would have asked questions of Our Lady and those who knew Jesus.

Christmas is about the birth of Christ, the wonder of the Incarnation. As we celebrate it this year, we give thanks for the gift of such wonder, a wonder that will bring us to the truth; a wonder that will not allow us dismiss the traditions, but embrace them. Yes, we seek the truth, but in a manner which is founded on faith and not on constructed doubt. Yes, yes, I hear you say, constructed doubt is sophisticated, it gives you credibility in the halls of academe and among the elite. But to be honest, are we not all called to be children? After all, Jesus was born a baby in a stable, that's the model for the Christian life.

A Teaser...

2011-12-22T08:00:00.002Z

Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, has released a teaser trailer for the first part of his new film project - The Hobbit - the prequel to the Trilogy: he has planned two movies. However, the bad news is: we will have to wait for a year for it: the first of the two movies, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, does not open until the 14th December 2012 - God help us we all could be dead! I presume, as with the Trilogy, he is shooting both movies back to back, so we may get the second movie in the summer of 2013 (this gets worse!), or he could stretch it out until Christmas 2013.

I am embedding the trailer for you. As fans will see very quickly, Jackson is using the same sets and some of the same actors - so it will be familiar to us all. Martin Freeman is playing the young Bilbo - a good actor, so I think it will pull it off; and Andy Serkis is back in the role of Gollum. The lovely Cate Blanchette will also be popping back into her role as Galadriel. And then there's a whole pile of dwarfs, and I presume there will be a dragon in there too (I wonder who will play that - I can think of a few candidates....).

For those of you who do not know The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (very few I'd say), they are very Catholic works. The author J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic with a wide and expansive Catholic imagination. He is a wonderful antidote to an awful almost Puritan seriousness which seems common among some in the faith today. Tolkien teaches us that to be Catholic, to be truly Catholic, is to have a great sense of humour (a la Chesterton), a great cultural openness, and a child-like imagination where one realises that all sorts of wonderful things are possible.

The trailer:

Policy Guidelines For A Safe And Ethical Yuletide Season

2011-12-21T08:05:00.004Z

A friend of mine sent me this: I think it's good, and humour aside, not totally unbelievable. A little chuckle for the darkest day of the year.

HEALTH & SAFETY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED

While shepherds watched their flocks by night
All seated on the ground,
The Angel of the Lord came down,
And Glory shone around.

The Union of Shepherds has complained that it breaches Health & Safety Regulations to insist the shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided.

Therefore, benches, stools and orthopedic chairs must be available. Shepherds have also requested that, due to inclement weather they should watch their flocks via CCTV cameras behind centrally heated shepherd observation huts.

The Angel of the Lord is reminded that before shining his / her Glory all around, the shepherds must be issued with glasses capable of filtering out any harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory lighting.

LITTLE DONKEY

Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road,
Got to keep on plodding onwards, with your precious load.

The RSPCA has issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry. Also in the guidelines are permitted feeding breaks, and at least one rest break in a four-hour plodding period.

Due to the risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear facemasks.

The ‘Little Donkey’ has expressed his discomfort as being labelled ‘Little’ and would prefer to being simply referred to as ‘Mr Donkey’.

Comments upon his height or otherwise are considered to be a breach of his equine rights.

WE THREE KINGS

We three Kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain,
Moor and Mountain,
Following yonder star.

Whilst the gift of Gold is still considered acceptable – as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations such as ‘Cash4Gold’ etc., gifts of Frankincense and Myrrh are not appropriate due to the risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions. An acceptable alternative might be a gift voucher.

It is not recommended that traversing Kings should rely on star navigation, and would advise the use of AA RouteFinder or Sat Nav. Both can provide the quickest route and advise on fuel consumption.

As in the case of Mr. Donkey, the three camels require regular rest and food breaks and facemasks for the three Kings are obligatory due to the likelihood of desert dust disturbed by the camel hooves.

THE ROCKING CAROL

Little Jesus sweetly sleep, do not stir,
We will lend a coat of fur,
We will rock you, rock you, rock you,
We will rock you, rock you, rock you,

Fur is no longer appropriate wear for small infants due to the risk of allergy and for ethical reasons. Therefore, false fur, a cellular blanket or, perhaps, micro-fleece material should be considered alternatives.

Please note that, only persons who have been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check and have enhanced clearance will be permitted to rock Baby Jesus.

Persons must carry their CRB disclosure at all times and be prepared to provide three forms of identification before any rocking commences.

JINGLE BELLS

Dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh,
Over fields we go – laughing all the way.

A Risk Assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to ride.

The Risk Assessment should also consider whether the use on only one horse in appropriate – particularly if passengers are of larger proportions.

Permission from landowners must be gained before entering any ‘Open Fields’.

To avoid offending those not participating in the venture, it is required that only ‘moderate’ laughter is used and not at a noise level likely to be of nuisance to others.

RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows,
All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names,
They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.

You are advised that, under the Equal Opportunities Policy, it is inappropriate for persons to make comment upon the ruddiness of Mr. R. Reindeer.

Name-calling contravenes our Anti-Bullying policy, and further to this, the exclusion of Mr. R. Reindeer from any reindeer games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against anyone found guilty of this offence.

A full investigation will be implemented, leading to imposing sanctions such as a ban from hanging up stockings or enjoying Christmas dinner.

AWAY IN A MANGER

Away in a manger – no crib for a bed…

Refer to Social Services immediately!

And, in the bleak mid winter......

That was Holst's version, here is Darke's:

The Shroud Is A Fake......

2011-12-21T08:00:00.003Z

The Shroud of Turin is a fake, some scientists and atheists say. "We know it's a fake. Okay all the evidence (scientific, historical, literary, botanical) suggests it may be authentic. We can't figure out how the image was made - we can't reproduce it correctly with all our technology, but that doesn't mean a medieval artist couldn't do it. We stick by the carbon dating tests that have now been discredited - we refused to accept that they are discredited. It is a fake. Okay, there are more questions than answers and every scientific examination presents even more questions - it is a mystery - but it is not the shroud of Christ."

Such is the response I hear in Tom Chivers's article ("The Turin Shroud is Fake. Get over it.") in the Telegraph. In terms of our faith, it matters little that it is the Shroud of the Lord - our faith does not depend on it. However, without being credulous, we must also be open to the possibility that God might actually have left us a document of the Resurrection to strengthen our faith. That may well be the Shroud of Turin.

That said, it seems, given the big picture, with all the evidence before us, the chances are that it is authentic. The only (and the I mean the ONLY) examination which casts doubt over authenticity is the carbon dating, and a number of scientists have doubts about those results. If this was a court case and the jury had to take all evidence into account, they would probably go for authenticity, and question the only test over which there is a shadow. Perhaps scientists that doubt may need a chat with the very uncomfortable archaeologists who have discovered Sodom and Gomorrah.

So, will we revise Chivers headline and suggest: "The Turin Shroud may be authentic, get over it!"?

Boycott Tesco?

2011-12-20T10:40:00.000Z

Fr Ray Blake has rather disturbing news on his blog: Tesco, it seems, are berating orthodox Christians for our moral beliefs with regard to homosexuality. He refers us to the Iona Institute website where we are told the Head of Research and Development for Tesco's website, Nick Lansley, called us "evil" for not supporting the gay political agenda.

It seems Tesco has a history of attacking Christian teaching. So much for tolerance. One would imagine that Tesco would stick to retailing rather than promoting political agendas.

I was going to do some of my Christmas shopping in the company's outlet in Drogheda, but I will no longer give them my custom. If Tesco is so ready to attack the sincerely held beliefs of Christians, then they do not need our business. So spread the word - don't shop at Tesco, go elsewhere. If you want to register a complaint, you can contact the Chief Executive at: philip.clarke@uk.tesco.com.

Kudos to the Iona Institute for exposing this one: they deserve our support.

UPDATE:

I have just sent an email to Philip Clarke, Chief Executive of Tesco, I am posting it for your information.

Dear Mr Clarke,

My attention has been drawn to comments by your Head of Research and Development, Mr Nick Langsley, in which he referred to Christians as being "evil" for not supporting the redefinition of marriage so as to facilitate homosexual "marriage".

While Mr Langsley is entitled to his opinion, he is not entitled to judge the sincerely held beliefs of others and brand us Christians as evil because we follow the teachings of Christ and his Apostles with regard to moral matters. Disagree with us if you want, but please respect our beliefs.

Contrary to what some in the homosexual lobby would have us believe, we Christians do not hate them nor want to deprive them of their rights as human beings. While we do not support the idea of "gay marriage" and we will refuse to define our understanding of marriage to faciliate it, we seek to treat all people with respect.

Given that many of your customers are Christians, and I was one myself, I suggest that you as Chief Executive deal with this issue and seek to make amends to Christians who are deeply offended by your employee's remark.

Until such time as a proper response is made, I will no longer be shopping at your retail outlet in Drogheda (Ireland), and as a pastor of a parish I will be encouraging my parishioners not to shop in your stores either. I will also encourage similiar action through my blog which has a wide readership.

I hope as Christmas draws near and your stores benefit from the celebrations of Christians who buy food and other items from your company for their annual feast, your company may take careful note of the need to respect our sincerely held beliefs and not just take our money and then denigrate us.

Sincerely,

Rev. John Hogan

The Lily Of The Mohawks To Be Canonised

2011-12-20T08:00:00.005Z

Great news yesterday: Pope Benedict has cleared the way for the canonisation of seven new Saints, among them Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks: she will become the first Native American Saint. No doubt the Catholics of the US and Canada are rejoicing, particularly the Native Americans among them.

I do not remember her beatification - I was too young, but heard many stories of how Native Americans saved up as much as they could to make it to Rome for the ceremony: many of them could not usually afford the trip, but they were so proud of their Kateri. The Servant of God, Cardinal Terence Cooke was present, and he spent the day of the beatification with the pilgrims. His own heroism was clear that day as he posed for photos for hours in the heat dressed in his Cardinal's robes, while the other cardinals and bishops had retreated to cooler surroundings.

Blessed Kateri was born Tekakwitha in New York in 1656, the daughter of a Mohawk chief and a Algonquian woman. Her mother was a Catholic. When she was four she contracted smallpox, and this left dreadful scars on her face and led to her rejection by many within her community: her parents and brother succumbed to the disease. She was adopted by her uncle, and she soon attracted a number of suitors: they were interested in the political alliance marriage with her would bring. But she would have none of it. She was, however, becoming interested in Catholicism. Her mother had tried to pass on the faith, leaving her daughter her own rosary.

Coming into contact with French missionary priests, Tekakwitha sought baptism, and so at the age of twenty, on the 18th April 1676, Easter Sunday, she was baptised, taking the name Catherine, which, translated into her native tongue, became Kateri. She had been inspired by St Catherine of Siena, and interestingly, her life would mirror that of the great Italian mystic in her heroic endurance of many difficulties.

As a Catholic, Kateri was ostracised by many - her own people who did not embrace the faith saw her as a traitor to their gods; as a Native American, white settlers looked down on her: she was a woman who seemed to fall between the cracks. But rather than recoil, she embraced life and faith, taking every opportunity to teach the faith, first and foremost through her own example. She practice many penances, and spent a lot of time in prayer. She was the soul of charity and lost no time to help others in need.

Forced to leave her native place because of persecution, she settled in Quebec, where she lived a life of prayer and charity. In 1679 she made a vow of virginity, offering her life in service to Christ for the sake of the Church and his people, particularly the sick. However, her life was to be short. On the 17th April 1680, Kateri died: she was twenty-four. Almost immediately she was recognised as a Saint, and numerous favours and miracles were claimed through her intercession. She was beatified by Blessed John Paul II on the 22nd June 1980 in Rome, in the presence of many of her native people. It is said that immediately after her death, the scars of smallpox disappeared to reveal a stunningly beautiful face. Perhaps that is true, but from her life we can see a stunningly beautiful soul.

Americans have further reason to rejoice as Blessed Marianne Cope, St Damien of Molokai's helper, is also to be canonised: Hawaii now gets its second Saint - so quickly after Damien's own canonisation.

The other candidates for canonisation are: Blessed Giovanni Battista Piamarta (1841-1913), founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth, and the Congregation of the Humble Sister Servants of the Lord; Blessed Jacques Berthieu, a French Jesuit priest who was martyred in Madagascar in 1896; Blessed Maria del Carmen Salles (1848-1911), foundress of the Conceptionist Missionary Sisters of Teaching; Blessed Pedro Calungsod, a Filipino teenager and catechist who was martyred in Guam in 1672: and Blessed Anna Schaffer (1882-1925) a German stigmatist and victim soul. What a wonderful group of men and women from all walks of life: a rich tapestry.

Our new saints in waiting: Blesseds Marianna Cope, Giovanni Battista Piamarta, Jacques Berthieu, Maria del Carmen Salles, Pedro Calungsod and Anna Schaffer

For us Discalced Carmelites there is also great rejoicing: one of our priests, Fr Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus, has been declared Venerable. Fr Marie-Eugene was the founder of the secular institute Notre Dame de Vie. He was also the author of a remarkable series of books on the spirituality and teachingr of our Mother foundress, St Teresa, I Am A Daughter Of The Church. He was also the author of what I think is the best book on St Therese, Under The Torrent Of His Love - well worth reading. So we celebrate his elevation, pass on our congratulations to his spiritual children in his secular institute, and pray for a miracle so he may be beatified soon.

The Venerable Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus, OCD

What a year 2012 may turn out to be. There are indications that Hildegard von Bingen, the great polymath and mystic may herself be declared a Doctor of the Church. Her cult will have to be confirmed by the Pope - she was never formally canonised, but that can be done quiet easily. St Albert the Great was in the same position, I believe: his cult had to be confirmed before he was declared a Doctor. Hildegard will be the second Doctor Pope Benedict will have proclaimed. Personally I am waiting for two of my favourites to be raised to the ranks of the Doctors: St Veronica Giuliani, who has been so good to me and to whom I owe a debt for many graces received; and St Louis Marie de Montford whose Marian theology has influenced many including the Servant of God, Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary and, of course, Blessed John Paul II whose own Marian teachings are rooted in de Montford's spirituality.

You know, these may be bad times, but look at all the graces and miracles falling from heaven! Now, as you know, I use any excuse for a bit of music. So, the future Doctor was also a great composer, so we will now listen to one of her compositions as we face back into the work of the day. Her hymn to Our Lady:

George Weigel Talk

2011-12-20T07:55:00.000Z

For those of you who could not make George Weigel's talk on renewing the Church at the Iona Institute last week, here is the video just posted on the Institute's website. Well worth watching.

A Holy Vow?

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000Z

In recent years the perpetual virginity of Mary has, like a number of articles of faith, become a subject of some debate in certain circles. We often hear it questioned by reference to the phrase "the brothers and sisters" of Jesus, even by Catholics, a phrase easily explained which does not mean Our Lady had other children. And today I would have to wonder how many Catholics today actually believe (as we are required) that Our Lady was a virgin when she conceived Jesus and remained a virgin throughout her life.

People doubt this doctrine for a number of reasons, one of them being the bewilderment that someone could actually live without having sex regularly. In much the same way as priestly celibacy is attacked, it is asserted by many today that if someone is not having sex regularly, then there is something wrong with them - it is unhealthy not to have sex. This ridiculous position is used as the foundation for the widespread belief that celibacy is the main cause of child abuse. Of course we know that most abuse is committed by non celibate people, parents included. It is impossible, some may say, for her to have remained a virgin and be healthy and normal. Anyway according to Jewish custom, it would have been weird, indeed perhaps even sinful, for Mary not to have fulfilled her duty as a wife.

Another reason for the disbelief here is a negative view of virginity. Thanks to our contemporary culture, virginity seems to be good only as a state which is to be lost, rather than as a state in itself. From as early an age as possible our society, and particularly our education systems, are preparing children to lose their virginity as quickly as possible so to become "normal" and to share in life in its fullness. Such an ideological approach to human sexuality demeans sexuality.

Reflecting on all this, I would like to refer you to a very interesting article on The New Theological Movement website which discusses the belief that Mary had made a vow of virginity - an even more controversial matter. I remember making the suggestion during a homily on a feast of Our Lady once, and after Mass I got a telling off from a middle-aged lady whom I suspect was a religious sister (she had all the dowdiness of nuns who have thrown off their habits). The lady was appalled that could make such a suggestion, and when I explained, she dismissed me: she wasn't very open to consider the evidence.

I am no stranger to the argument presented in the article, in fact I have often used it myself and even preached it - I think the Scripture is clear. The words of Our Lady to St Gabriel are very unusual - if she was to marry Joseph and have a normal sex life, why was it so strange that she should conceive a child? After all the Annunciation is very like the annunciations to Samson's mother, Hannah and Zachariah - it is only when Our Lady asks how it is to happen that she, and we, discover that her child will be conceived by the Holy Spirit. We can certainly argue that Our Lady had no intention to engaging in sexual relations with Joseph, which leads us to consider that she had made a vow of virginity.

Now our scholars will balk at that, perhaps dismiss it as pious piffle which has no basis in fact. Why? Because the Jews did not do that - they did not take vows of virginity - it would have been a scandal - they had to marry. The same argument has been used to prove that St Paul had been married, even though he makes no reference to it and there is not a shred of evidence that he had a wife. I remember reading a hilarious explanation for why Paul did not mention a wife and children in the autobiographical sections of his epistles. You see they died in very tragic circumstances and Paul was so distraught he could not speak about them. That scholarly scrap is offered by renowned Pauline expert, Fr Jerome Murphy O'Connor - when I read it, he plummeted in my estimation and I read him now with a large vat of salt to hand. The argument that all Jews had to marry is even put forward to prove that Jesus would have married, enter stage left Mary Magdalen with massive brood of offspring.................

The Jews prized virginity, and yes, the norm was to marry and to have children - indeed barrenness was a sign of God's disfavour, while fertility was a sign of blessing. That was the norm, but then there are always exceptions to the norm, exceptions that were inspired by a form of dedication: the Nazirites and Essenes, for example. St John the Baptist was celibate, and so was Jesus. Why not Mary too? Seeing as the new dispensation was about to begin, why couldn't God inspire people to embrace this consecration as a sign of the new way of life - the Christian way. All the arguments against this celibate way of life do not take into account that God may inspire this way of life for a reason, and that this way of life can be exceedingly fruitful.

We have to be open to these things. Contrary to the opinions of some scholars, sometimes the traditions which have been passed on to us are actually true, so we must not dismiss them, but listen with an open and humble ear. Let's face it, if scholars have to face up to the awful fact that Sodom and Gormorrah were destroyed by a "heat event" (aka as fire and brimstone, and smiting of an extreme kind), then we had better be open to other possibilies too.

In Need Of Prayer

2011-12-16T21:02:00.000Z

As no doubt you know the writer Christopher Hitchens has died, succumbing to cancer. It is said he died nobly, passing away writing, which was the joy of his life.

I am deeply saddened by his death. He was a man with great talent and ability, but one who used it to denigrate not only those who believe in God, but even God himself. I hope and pray that in those milliseconds before his death he encountered God and embraced Him, seeking reconciliation and mercy.

He had a particular hatred for Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: his book Hell's Angel was an attack on her mission and her life of service to the poor. I think it caused Blessed Teresa some suffering, but I have no doubt that she was moved to pray for him and for his conversion. I have no doubt that when she entered heaven she was praying for him with great earnestness: may her prayers produce much fruit.

Ironically, while Christopher was lolling in his atheism, his brother, Peter, had a conversion and is now a great defender of faith in general, and of the Christian faith in particular, of which he is a member - he is a member of the Church of England. I have no doubt he too was praying for his brother.

Let us pray for them all: that the Lord will grant mercy to Christopher and consolation to his family. We commend them to the intercession of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

A Brief Diversion

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000Z

This will be a very short post (famous last words, I hear you say); I have a few hours and I have to get my Christmas shopping started - almost nothing done. My Christmas cards are half done, none posted - so friends, I have not forgotten you. I had better get out and do some shopping or I will be ostracised for my empty hands (my Therese excuse, "I come with empty hands" tends not to work at Christmas).

Anyway, the subject of my post is Biblical. Having offered Mass, I was tucking in to my breakfast of bread and coffee just a few moments ago (the world seems so different, so much nicer after coffee!) and I was catching up on the news on the Internet. Fr Z has drawn my attention to a most interesting article: archaeologists seem to have found the ruins of the Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Read the post here.

The author details a talk given by the archaeologist at a conference, and he was fascinated by what was revealed. As he listened, one question popped into his head - as indeed pops into many heads: what happened the cities - why were they abandoned, or were they destroyed? He notes that the academics in the room were very careful about the "elephant in the room". Well, the question was asked, and the answer, given by an embarrassed archaeologist, was that the cities were destroyed by what seemed to be a "heat event".

You have to love that! A "heat event", or in other words, fire and brimstone, hail and damnation, falling from heaven to wipe out the cities of sin because they refused to repent! Ah yes, that will warm the blood this cold morning. Notice that, so far, all archaeological investigations and excavations have confirmed what Scripture relates. We need to take note of that. We all need to take note: the God of love is not as much of a push over as some modern Christians think.

I wonder if there is any sign of the pillar of salt? I'm sure the radical feminists would love to see that.

Same Old Same Old

2011-12-13T11:55:00.001Z

I was listening to George Weigel's interview on the Pat Kenny show this morning, on RTE radio. While Pat often interviews various figures alone, including controversial ones, it seems George was not to be accorded the same style of interview: he was to be marked by liberal theologian Gina Menzies. So the interview was not an interview at all, but a debate.

If I had hoped for balance and openness in this debate, well I was deluding myself. The debate soon boiled down to an attack on the Catholic Church's position on the ordination of women - again the same old same old. Before long Pat and Gina teamed up and formed a two against one in good RTE fashion and grilled George on the Church's position. It is a credit to George's basic decency that he did not turn on them.

As usual Menzies was peddling misinformation with regard to scholarship - that the Catholic Church had investigated the ordination of women in the Church's history and could not find evidence that proved or disproved the ordination of women. George put her right by pointing out that the Church had investigated the nature of the diaconate to see if women were ordained deacons, and found that at no point in history had the Church ordained women deacons. When this fact came out Pat and Gina changed tactics. The "interview" was supposed to be about renewal in the Church, in the end it was a teenage rebellion against Church teaching.

To be honest, is it worth even posting on this? Given the anti-Catholic bias that is in RTE (sorry Patsy McGarry I do not accept your argument that there is no bias - there is and it is obvious). When it comes to Catholic issues and Catholic figures RTE is not interested in understanding, they just what to create controversy and get a bit of bashing in too. They do not allow the Church to speak on her own terms, but rather must always have someone to criticise and contradict (they call this "being balanced"), and often these are dissident Catholics who no longer hold the orthodox faith and are, for all intents and purposes, no longer in communion with the Church - and yet they are passed off as Catholics. Until very recently Gina Menzies was trading under the title of "Catholic theologian" until a real Catholic theologian exposed her and forced her to admit that she wasn't.

Let it be noted: the Catholic Church will not ordain women as priests - ever - not because she won't, but because she CAN'T. Whether the liberals like it or not, Jesus did not ordain women, and all the arguments in the world will not change that fact. The Church, then, has no authority to do so.

If people do not like that, if they want to be members of a church that has women clergy then the Catholic Church is not for them: it is time to leave and look somewhere else. And, taking the cue from Archbishop Martin, I would urge them to leave. Those ecclesial communities that have ordained women are losing members at a rapid pace, their churches are emptying - I am sure they would be glad of ex-Catholics to fill their pews.

The Catholic Church is not forcing anyone to stay: she will not force anyone to believe what she teaches, but she does expect people to be true to what they believe, and if people in the Church reject her moral, doctrinal and social teachings, her position on women priests, married priests, gay marriage, contraception and abortion, then the door is open: please go and leave the rest of us in peace!

But then again, I believe, that is exactly what they do not want to do: they would rather stay and make trouble than actually go and enter full communion with people of similiar beliefs. There is another force at work here, and it is not human.

Santa Lucia!

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000Z

Waking up this morning in the darkness, I was delighted to reflect on our feast today: the feast of St Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, the lady of light. In the midst of the cold darkness of winter, the festival of St Lucy is welcome indeed as we light candles in her honour and dispell the gloom.

Just over a year ago, on our last Fraternity pilgrimage, we visited the tomb of St Lucy where we found her body amazingly well preserved. She died in 304 AD and her remains are still intact. A silver mask covers her face, but you can see her mummified hands and feet. Her remains are in Venice; like St Nicholas, devotees "borrowed" her body from Sicily. So far, they have not brought her home. Indeed about thirty years ago her body was stolen again, and there was widespread panic and prayers for her return: she was, and thankfully the remains were not damaged.

A priest friend of mine has made a wonderful suggestion. As St Lucy is the patroness of the eyes and ailments of sight, perhaps we as priests could include a blessing of the eyes in the liturgy for her feast, just as we include a blessing of throats in the feast of St Blaise. What a wonderful idea! Many people suffer with their eyes, and given that we need to be reclaiming many of our ancient Catholic traditions, this would be a wonderful devotion to bring back to the people. People love devotions, Saints and blessings: the blessing of eyes on the feast of St Lucy would be a big hit, I think.

So, how shall it be done. Candles too? Why not - she is the saint of light. So perhaps the blessed candles used on St Blaise's Day could be brought out and with each candle resting lightly on each eye a prayer could be prayed: "Through the intercession of St Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, may the Lord preserve you from all ailments of the eyes and every other evil, and bring you to see Christ our Light in these days and in eternity. In the Name + of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".

There is a suggestion for my brother priests: what do you think?

The sacred remains of St Lucy

Dishing It Out

2011-12-12T08:00:00.001Z

Fr John conducts his first (and only) General Absolution service

My attention was drawn, a couple of days ago, to a post on Fr Z's blog - from an Irish person who was enduring the disobedience of their parish priest. Here's the piece, but in summary, their parish priest is refusing to implement the new translation of the Missal and is now using what is an abrogated text. This PP is also revving up to impart General Absolution on all and sundry in preparation for Christmas.

As always, Fr Z gives good advice, I would also like to direct you to FrB's blog for another good response.

I was talking about the situation with a priest friend of mine and we both agreed that such actions on the part of a priest are utterly selfish and disrespectful towards their parishioners. As members of the Universal Church, of the Body of Christ, these parishioners have the right to participate in the full life of the Church, and that includes the full liturgical life of the Church. Their pastors have no right to break the Communion which exists, and in refusing to use the official liturgical texts of the Universal Church, these priests are undermining that Communion.

The fact that some parishioners may be as rebellious and disobedient as their pastors is no excuse: pastors must seek to deepen Communion, not encourage a breach. In reality these priests are engaged in something more serious than refusing to acknowledge a new translation of the liturgy, they are breaking the solemn oaths of their ordination and leading people into schism. Is that too harsh? Well, if you see the fruits of the actions of these disobedient priests, the ghettos of rebellion and anger their parishes have become, we see how serious such situations can become.

My priest friend was wondering what these priests are now engaged in? Given that they refuse to use the now official English language texts of the Mass, but use an abrogated translation, is it the case that their Masses are now valid but illicit?

As for the General Absolution: FrB has very good points to make, but one in particular stands out: regular General Absolution is invalid. And of course people go home, never to darken the doors of a confessional again, genuinely believing that the General Absolution Father dished out was valid, that their sins are forgiven, and they didn't even have to think of what their sins were. But General Absolution is being given in Ireland, particular in quasi-penitenial services. It seems this is an issue the new Nuncio will have to deal with, and perhaps a senior cleric may need to be called to Rome again to be reminded again that the problem must be dealt with.

I remember I was asked a few months ago if I would give General Absolution. I was encouraging my parishioners to go to confession regularly, and someone said to me that it would better that I gave General Absolution because people do not like individual confession anymore - they don't like revealing such intimate details about their lives. At least if I gave General Absolution then people's sins would be forgiven and, after all, isn't that the most important thing?

I explained that the forgiveness of sins, and all the sacraments, were not magic; that the actual confession of their sins was important. I then told the person that if they wanted me to give them General Absolution, I would have to lock them all in the Church and set it alight so, in danger of being burned to death, the General Absolution would then be valid. However, I said, if anyone happened to survive, they would still be obliged to confess their mortal sins as soon as possible. I do not think I will be asked for General Absolution again!

Interestingly, today in the Diocese of Meath we celebrate the feast of our Patron Saint, St Finnian of Clonard. Known as the "Tutor of the Saints of Ireland", he founded the monastery and school city of Clonard, famous throughout Ireland and Europe as a place of learning and holiness. Many Irish Saints studied at Clonard and were formed in holiness by St Finnian, among then St Colmcille (Columba), patron of Ireland, and St Brendan. According to tradition he was ordained Bishop of Clonard, one of the ancient dioceses which now form the present Diocese of Meath.

Finnian was a faithful Irish priest, not content with getting by, or doing the minimum, but seeking to live as virtuous a life as possible, and to teach others to do the same. In being called the "Tutor of the Saints of Ireland", it was not a honour to praise his academic skills, but more radically, his holiness which was pedalogical and evangelical in nature. In this, Finnian is a potent example of all priests; that we must be teachers in holiness, not merely in words, but first of all by example. We must also be faithful to Mother Church, as was Finnian. I think St Finnian would be a good patron of the reform the Church in Ireland now needs: after all, the best reformers are teachers in holiness.

The Humblest Of Her Children

2011-12-09T08:00:00.001Z

After yesterday's fiesta, today we celebrate the feast of one who was described by Our Lady herself as one of her humblest children: St Juan Diego. His feast is on the General Calender thanks to Blessed John Paul II, who canonised him. We all know him as the visionary of Guadalupe, the story of the apparitions is well known, and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is coming up next week.

St Juan suffered the same attack from scholarship as did St Catherine of Alexandria, St Philomena and St Simon Stock. As his Cause was progressing it was said by some that he never existed - that there was not one shred of evidence to support a claim that he ever lived. Now we all know how rigorously the Congregation of the Causes of Saints carries out its work - nothing gets past them. If there is even an inkling of a doubt the shutters come down: that is as true of the search for heroic virtue as it is for a miracle. So I cannot see the Congregation ticking all the boxes for what is said to be a figment of Blessed John Paul II's imagination. Ultimately, I think, this was just another opportunity self-styled progressives took to try and undermine John Paul's papacy, and in particular, his teaching on morality.

There was a joke that was circulating among such progressives during John Paul II's pontificate. "Did you hear about the saints JP II canonised: the saint who was never born, the saint who never died, and the saint who had no virtue? And who are these? Juan Diego - no evidence he ever lived; Edith Stein - no evidence she ever died; Josemaria Escriva - no evidence of any virtue." We were all supposed to laugh then. According to the critics, it is said Curial officials in Rome were living in dread of an old woman turning up during the St Edith's canonisation ceremony claiming to be her. The inclusion of St Josemaria is obviously a jibe at Opus Dei - progressives tend not to be appreciative of the great work Opus Dei does and the holiness which is fruit of the way of life St Josemaria inspired.

And why do I mention all of that? Well I suppose to remind us that we need the humility of St Juan Diego to keep us from the cynicism and lack of faith demonstrated by the above example. He teaches us that there is no shame in being the littlest children of the Holy Mother. He was very much a man after Our Lady's heart: he was docile to the will of God, overcoming his fears to do what she asked him to do. Though some may dismiss it, there is a heroism in the way he carried out his task. Some may say it was simple: just ask the bishop to build a church: while that may be easy for some, it is not easy for all, and not for those who seem, by nature to be timid. The great movement of holiness in the visionary of Guadalupe was that which transformed human timidity and weakness into the meekness which Jesus praises in the Beatitudes. St Juan, then, brings us back to that Little Way which St Therese teaches us: he is a perfect exponent: I wonder if Therese knew about him? Without a doubt, she would have loved him.

As we celebrate this feast of a visionary, we might also remember in our prayers the soul of another visionary who died during the week. Mariette Beco, the visionary of Banneux, who died in Belgium at the age of 90 (Story here). She received eight apparitions of Our Lady between the 15th January and the 2nd March 1933. The visions were judged authentic by the Church in 1949.

The Visionary of Banneux, Mariette Beco

Like St Juan Diego, Mariette lived a simple, hidden life. When asked about the apparitions she said that she was simply the "postman", the messenger. In the apparitions Our Lady called herself the Virgin of the Poor. With the apparitions of Beauraing (in which Our Lady called herself the Virgin of the Golden Heart) which occurred immediately before those of Banneux, Our Lady seems to have been preparing the world for the onslaught of the Second World War: a recognition that her requests in Fatima were not heeded, and so a greater war that the First World War was about to break out. I note these apparitions occur around the time of Hitler's rise to power to Germany.

What wonderful stories! We should read more about these apparitions, particularly in difficult times: they will put new heart into us and remind us that God never abandons us: that our Holy Mother is always watching over us.

All In The Words

2011-12-08T08:00:00.003Z

The great Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception! A marvellous feast day. In Ireland, traditionally, it is the country people's shopping day, when they travel up to Dublin to do their Christmas shopping. While that may sound awful to those who realise the importance of a day of rest - this day was, traditionally the only day the country people could get off. Farmers work six days a week, Sunday was the day of rest: the Solemnity was the day they did not work even when it fell on a week day, and so they availed of the opportunity to get some of the presents bought for Christmas. In Dublin some saw it as "Culchie Day" - culchie being the term for country people. In America you would say "Rednecks". I'll stop there lest this post turn into a dictionary of abusive terms for non-city people, i.e. those who live in "the sticks", etc. (Ahem..)

Moving on quickly.....This wonderful feast day of the Immaculate Conception should be one which unites Christians around the world: it should not just be Catholics who celebrate it, after all the event which we mark is revealed in Sacred Scripture. Here we come to one of my bugbears - translation! As we read the Gospel today the Scriptural basis for this feast is, I feel, undermined by the translation.

In Luke 1:28 the Angel Gabriel greets Mary as "kecharitomene" which is translated in the Gospel today as "highly favoured one". Now while that translation "will do", it is not wholly accurate for the term. The better translation of the word is "full of grace", and even that lacks the depth of the word which is even more fulsome. The word means that Mary is now already filled with God's grace in preparation for the role she is to play in human salvation, and that of course points to the Immaculate Conception. I think we need a better translation for this Gospel.

Today may also be the day when St Bernard and St Thomas Aquinas hang their heads at the celestial banquet and sip their wine in silence, as Blessed John Duns Scotus takes the toast with the Holy Mother. Blessed John defended the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception when St Bernard and St Thomas had their issues. Indeed Bernard was up in arms when some churches of the West were celebrating the feast. No doubt all are friends now, and I'm sure Blessed Pius IX will pop over for a little ribbing at the two Doctors and tell them they took their eyes off the ball. The lesson: humility.

Indeed that is one of the messages of this feast day: she who was most humble, the handmaid of the Lord, has been raised to great heights and all generations call her blessed, for her dedication to the will of God.

Happy feast day!

Endless Possibilities

2011-12-07T08:00:00.003Z

Ireland's new resident ambassador to the Holy See?

Here's a story for you (you can't make these things up!). A Vatican university - the Urbaniana, is hosting a conference on tattoos - I kid you not! Story here. They have teamed up with the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See who, it seems, is an expert on inking oneself. Entitled "Into The Skin: Identity, Symbols and History of Permanent Body Marks", the conference is examining tattoos in various cultures and pondering over their significance. Interesting. You see, being Catholic is not as boring as one would think. And as for that ambassador, it sounds like he would be great company for a dinner party.

You know, if the Irish government had any imagination at all, instead of closing the embassy to the Holy See they could appoint an interesting character who could engage in such cultural activities with the Vatican and show the world that the Irish are not as miserable as we are made out to be in these difficult times: that we can smile through a crisis, after all we have had plenty of practice!

Now here's an idea for Minister Gilmore and his allies over at Foreign Affairs: pop over to Temple Bar (that's the bohemian quarter of Dublin for those who do not know) and find an expert on piercing. Send him or her over to Marks & Spencer to buy a suit, stick him/her on an Ryanair flight with a few tins of beans, and set him/her up in a tent in front of the Villa Spada. Bingo! A resident ambassador on the cheap! And then let him/her organise a conference with the Urbaniana on piercing and its cultural significance, with, perhaps, a few practical workshops thrown in for the laugh.

I tell you, our government's tensions with the Holy See would evaporate overnight! Indeed, all things are possible to those who try.