VIVA CRISTO REY!

                                                                                

The Feast of Christ the King, celebrated with a Missa Cantata at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Newcastle Emlyn.
The Choir was angelic and Father Jason Jones gave a stirring sermon on the position of Christ as the centre of the Family. Cory, Seamus and Mike served excellently despite the bumbling of the MC (me).
We are privileged to be on the receiving end of a Triduum of EF Masses starting today, followed by a 7pm All Saints' Mass Monday evening and a 7pm High Requiem Mass on Tuesday evening. Both will be at the National Shrine at Cardigan, Our Lady of the Taper.

No to ghouls, witches and all anti Christian imagery!

Halloween is here again and the streets of towns and cities will be busy with small children (and some not so small) dressed as corpses, ghosts, witches and vampires. Nice eh? And this is a Christian feast? Time to regain some lost ground I think. I do not think that some of the 'Feast of Light' ideas voiced in the media are particularly good, whatever is done needs to be done with an element of meaning.
What are we celebrating? The forthcoming great feast of All Saints Day - an occasion for some jollity and mild carousing. So on the eve of the feast why not just make do with a few fireworks and a bonfire for younger family members while older ones can indulge in a glass of Vino Collapso!
Just make it a good Catholic party remembering Belloc's immortal words....

"Wherever a Catholic sun does shine, there is good, loud laughter and good red wine...."

All Holy Eve, light a candle and have a party - but not with satanic imagery!

This day in 1583 John Slade, a schoolteacher, won his crown

Taken from Winchester Prison, he was arraigned in the market place and, immediately after being taken off the hurdle, he knelt down and made the sign of the Cross on the gallows posts.
A Protestant chaplain interrogated him on the question of the Queen's Supremacy but he answered:
"The Supremacy hath and doth belong to the Pope by right from Peter and the Pope hath received it as from Divine Providence. therefore, we must not give those things belonging to God to any other than Him alone"
As the moment of execution approached, he was questioned further and he replied:
"......I will acknowledge no other Head of the Church but only the Pope....."

He was then summarily executed.

John Slade, upholder of the one true Faith, Ora pro nobis

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs

If you or someone you know is blessed with a pregancy.....

A beautiful, young, mum to be!

........You may wish to have recourse to St Gerard Majella, Patron Saint of pregnant mums. The most excellent Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer - the Transalpine Redemptorists, offer a special relic of the great saint which is free (but they ask for a small donation towards costs). This is what mums to be want! Details of how to obtain a relic are online at http://papastronsay.blogspot.com/

Happy Feastday St Jude! (how often have I called on you)

St Jude the apostle and martyr is not, of course, to be confused with Judas Iscariot. He is the patron saint of impossible cases and a great saint to call on in times of dire need. He was a brother to James the Less and, hence, a cousin of Our Lord.
After the Ascension, he travelled throughout Mesopotamia carrying out Christ's mission of teaching and converting pagans to the Faith.
He was brutally clubbed to death and his head shattered by a large axe.

His broken body was eventually brought to Rome where it resides today in the crypt of St Peter's. He is usually depicted (as above) holding a club as the symbol of his martyrdom, an image of Our Blessed Lord and with a tongue of fire over his head in memory of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.


"But you, my dear friends, must use your holy faith as your foundation, and build on that, praying to the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves within  the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life. When there are some who have doubts, reassure them; when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out, but there are others to whom you must be kind with great caution, keeping your distance, even from outside clothing which is contaminated by vice.
Glory be to Him who can keep you from falling and bring you safe to His glorious presence, innocent and happy. To God, the only God who saved us through Jesus Christ our Lord, be the glory, authority, majesty and power  which He had before time began, now and forever. Amen.

(from the Epistle of St Jude)

NB: Also see the excellent thread on St Jude by Laurence England
on http://thatthebonesyouhavecrushedmaythrill.blogspot.com/

What the Catholic Padre said to the Anglican Padre

A very charming visiting priest related this true story after he had celebrated the EF Mass for us recently.
A friend of his (who is a Catholic Army Chaplain) was approached by his colleague, the CoE Padre who asked if it was possible that he could keep hosts in the tabernacle used by Catholic Padres in the shared chapel on the base.
"I'm afraid not old chap, no can do" The Catholic Chaplain said.
"Why ever not" spluttered the Anglican; somewhat put out by this unecumenical response.
"Strictly against Queen's regs" said the Catholic Padre.
"Tell me where in Queen's regulations it states anything of the kind" retorted his opposite number.
"Why" Said the Catholic Chaplain. "It's Section 19, para 7 where it clearly states" 'Blanks must never be stored with live rounds!'

Now that's another reason why I don't like homosexuals!

According to one of the news agencies, Spanish homosexuals are planning to disrupt the visit of the Holy Father, early in November. What are they going to do? Why, they are going to line the streets and then start kissing as he goes past. Ugh. It is repulsive to think about it but what exactly are they hoping to achieve.
Will Pope Benedict swoon at the sight? Will he get an attack of the vapours? Perhaps he will burst into tears and ask to be taken back to Vatican City on the next available flight!
Actually, nothing is going to phase our Pope, certainly not a bunch of men kissing in public. He lives in Italy for goodness sake! All men kiss each other there - no big whoop as they say.
What is more worrying is the fact that these individuals feel the need to behave in this bad manner and that is yet another reason to add to my list of dislikes regarding practicing homosexuals - and no, this is not homophobia, I am not scared of them, I do not hate them, I feel the normal Christian love that we feel for our fellow man but I abhor their practices.

I dislike the fact that they:-

1. Demonstrate so violently against the Catholic Church
2. Network so covertly with like minded individuals
3. Are blatant in displaying their gender preferences via gay parades
4. The fact that they have hijacked a perfectly good word in the English language so that "gay" is now out   
    of common usage.
5. Deploy unacceptable sexual overtones at every possible opportunity.
6. Use their 'politically correct' status to their own unfair advantage, especially in the workplace.

And this week's putty medals go to.........

It occurred to me, whilst researching St Philip Evans and the Church built in his name in Cardiff, that parish websites inavariably fail to mention their patron saint or to give any background to him/her.
This is an opportunity missed. More than that, it is a dereliction of duty on the part of the parish priest and an insult to the patron saint.

I list 3 examples, this week, from the Plymouth Diocese, home of Bishop Christopher Budd.

1. St Peter & St Thomas More, Plymouth http://www.catholicchurchinnorthplymouth.com/ This church must also qualify for the 1970s mad architect of the year award as it looks like a futuristic gas storage tank!

2. St Margaret Mary, Plymstock http://www.margaretmarysrcparishchurch.co.uk/

3. St Augustine of Hippo, St Austell http://www.augustineofhippo.org.uk/ 

In partial defence of the three above, I must say that it was good to see that they had a website. I am constantly amazed that, in the 21st century, we have parishes who still rely on a sign written notice board outside the church. The Holy Father has given us the lead when it comes to the new technologies and communications.....why don't our priests take it?

And to those parishes who DO have a website I say...for Heaven's sake make it a professional presentation, not something that Miss Worthy-Amachur did on a Thursday evening.

Watch out for next week's putty medal award winners, it could be your Diocese next!

Oh Monsignor....you've been at it for a long time!

Last December Catholic Truth Scotland ran a piece on Mgr Basil Loftus; a small extract is below:-

"Msgr (sic) Basil Loftus strikes again...and again...and again...and again...and again....and again...

Week after week, relentlessly, Monsignor Basil Loftus, a priest of the Diocese of Aberdeen, writes articles in The Catholic Times which undermine and even openly attack the Catholic Church in its doctrine, disciplines, you name it".

A lot more follows.
I can only add that the poor man needs our prayers.

Forty Martyrs of England and Wales - gave their lives for their Faith and the Latin Mass



We remember, today, the great feast of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Of course, there were many, many more martyrs during this period of intense Catholic persecution but the Forty Martyrs feast day provides a focal point for what it meant to die a most terrible and unnatural death with more than an echo of Calvary about it.

The litany of the martyrs contains well known illustrious names such as Edmund Campion, Nicholas Owen, Robert Southwell, Cuthbert Mayne, Anne Line and Margaret Clitherow but, today, I plan to focus on  just one famous but not so well known Welsh Martyr (as a tribute to Fr Jason Jones).

ST PHILIP EVANS SJ

St Philip Evans was born in Monmouth in 1645 and educated at St Omer. He joined the Jesuits on 7th September 1665 and was eventually ordained at Liege in Belgium.

Arriving in South Wales in 1675, he ministered the Sacraments to his flock, scattered as they were, over many hundreds of square miles. On 4th December 1678 he was captured and arrested at Sker, the Glamorganshire home of Christopher Turberville.

Thrown into Cardiff Castle, he shared his imprisonment with St John Lloyd where he remained until his day of execution the following year.

He gained his martyrs crown at Gallows Field in Cardiff on July 22nd 1679.

In the absence of any image of St Philip, here is an illustration of St Edmund Campion's execution that, very graphically, depicts the savagery of being hanged, drawn and quartered.

There is a Catholic Church dedicated to St Philip in Cardiff but, sadly, their website does not mention their patron saint - appalling!

St Philip and the remainder of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales - Ora pro nobis!

Vietnam, home to between 130,000 and 300,000 martyrs and St Paul Tong Buong

This day, in 1833, after much torture and humiliation, St Paul Tong Buong was beheaded and so gained his martyr's crown.
The process of martyrdom in Vietnam, was particularly savage with victims being, literally hacked to pieces one limb at a time; persecution began in the 17th century after missionary work by both the Dominicans and Jesuits. It continued, with a political bias in the 18th century and progressed right up to the excesses of communism in the 20th.
We tend to overlook the value of China, Japan, Vietnam and other parts of Asia in terms of the richness of Church history and the volume numbers of martyrs that this region produced and, even today, in China and North Korea especially, many new martyrs are created, unknown to us in the west, but known to God.

St Paul Tong Buong - Ora pro nobis

The Vietnamese martyrs

Anglicanorum Coetibus - with resonance from the writings of Blessed John Henry Newman

'Arise, Mary, and go forth in thy strength into that north country, which once was thine own, and take possession of a land which knows thee not! Arise, Mother of God, and with thy thrilling voice speak to those who labour with child, and are in pain, till the babe of grace leaps within them! Shine on us, dear Lady, with thy bright countenance, like the sun in his strength, O stella matutina, O harbinger of peace, till our year is one perpetual May! From thy sweet eyes, from thy pure smile, from thy majestic brow, let ten thousand influences rain down, not to confound or overwhelm, but to persuade, to win over thine enemies. O Mary, my hope, O Mother undefiled, fulfil to us the promise of this spring! A second temple rises on the ruins of the old. Canterbury has gone its way, and York is gone, and Durham is gone and Winchester is gone. It was sore to part with them. We clung to the vision of past greatness, and would not believe it could come to nought; but the Church in England has died, and the Church lives again.
Westminster and Nottingham, Beverley and Hexham, Northampton and Shrewsbury, if the world lasts, shall be names as musical to the ear, as stirring to the heart, as the glories we have lost; and saints shall rise out of them, if God so will, and doctors once again shall give the law to Israel, and preachers call to penance and to justice, as at the beginning.'

From the sermon 'The Second Spring'

                            Blessed John Henry Newman - Ora pro nobis

Why 'Linen on the Hedgerow'

During the Reformation (so called), itinerant priests used to visit the larger houses to celebrate Mass covertly.
Draping laundry on the hedgerow became a signal for other Recusants, that Holy Mass was to be celebrated at that house, that day.

Many thanks

Thank you to Mac Mclernon and all other bloggers who have been generous in their welcome to me. I look forward to meeting you at a blognic at some stage.

Richard

St Hermes: refused to disclose where sacred scriptures were hidden

Today is the feast of St Hermes who was a priest at Heraclea, near Constantinople. He, along with Saints Phillip, Severus and Eusebius was detained and interrogated as to the whereabouts of the holy texts.
Refusing to comply with the request to disclose their hiding place, Hermes was burnt at the stake in the year 304 at Adrianopolis.
St Hermes - Ora pro nobis

SOUNDS LIKE A HERETIC......WRITES LIKE A HERETIC...IT IS A HERETIC!

The fact that Fr Mildew is now proposing to close down his blog after threats from a Journo Monsignori is a disgrace.
Fr Mildew (Fr Michael Clifton) a well loved and respected priest who has valiantly served the Lord for 40 plus years will no longer have a place in the blogosphere. I wish him well and will keep him in my prayers.
As for the Monsignor......words fail me.
BUT.....there is one solution....stop buying The Catholic Times....I cannot believe that it has much of a circulation anyway but no right minded Catholic should invest in this paper from now on.

Coming soon to a shrine near you.....

The sacred image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patron of the Americas, Protectress of the Unborn will arrive at the National Shrine of Wales (Our Lady of the Taper) Cardigan, on November 19th.

                                                   Prayer for Abortion Victims
Holy Mother of God and of the Church, Our Lady of Guadalupe,You were chosen by the Father for the Son through the Holy Spirit.You are the Woman clothed with the sun who labours to give birth to Christ while Satan, the Red Dragon, waits voraciously to devour Your child.
                              
So, too, did Herod seek to destroy Your Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and massacred many innocent children in the process. So, also today does abortion kill many innocent unborn children and exploit many mothers in its attack on human life, and upon the Church, the Body of Christ. Mother of the innocents, we praise God in you for His gifts to you of your Immaculate Conception, your freedom from actual sin; your fullness of grace, your Motherhood of God and of the Church, your Perpetual Virginity and your Assumption, in body and soul, into Heaven.
                             
O help of Christians, we beg you to protect all mothers of the unborn and the children  within their wombs. We plead with you to end the holocaust of abortion and to melt hearts so that life may be revered.
Holy Mother, we pray to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart for all mothers and all  unborn children that they may have life here on earth and by the most Precious Blood  shed by your Son, that they may have eternal life with Him in Heaven.
 We also pray to Your Sorrowful and Immaculate heart for all abortionsits and all abortion supporters that they may be converted and accept Your Son, Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Saviour.
Defend all of Your children in the battle against Satan and all of the evil spirits in this  present darkness.

We desire that the innocent, unborn children who die without Baptism should be baptised and saved. We ask that you obtain this grace for them and repentance,  reconciliation and pardon from God for their parents and their killers.
 Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world, the infinite power of merciful love. May it put an end to evil. May it transform consciences. May Your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope.
  
 May Christ the King reign over us, our families, states, cities, nations and the whole  of humanity.

  O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, hear our pleas and accept this cry from  our hearts!

    Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protectress of the Unborn, Pray for us!


          National Shrine of Wales: http://www.ourladyofthetaper.org.uk/
                       
          
       
                            

Smart priest wanted

So what does it take to be a competent, holy and potent Bishop? Are there set standards for such a post?
Presumably the Church operates its own form of meritocracy when it comes to appointments which may be why, in Great Britain, we have elements such as The Magic Circle.
Possibly ++ Vincent Nichols might like to consider adapting a commercial model for recruiting and appointing these key individuals  whom we rely upon to uphold the doctrines of the Faith and respond to the guidance and teachings of Pope Benedict XVI.

It might look something like this:-

Title: Diocesan Bishop, Prince of the Church and Apostle of Jesus Christ

Job description:
To be responsible for the spiritual welfare of laity within the Diocese, the management of a team of priests throughout a network of parishes, the administration of any religious orders within the Diocese, in conjunction with the Superior of the order, the development of Catholic Schools within the Diocese, the extension of Catholic Education into non Catholic schools, the overseeing of Church organisations and Charities (Adoption Agencies, CAFOD,) etc.

Qualifications:
Educated to PG level within the framework of Theology/Divinity/Philosophy. Essential that part of any UG/PG degree study should have been taken overseas. An ICT qualification is also essential and applicants ahould have undergone a Media Interview Technique Course.

Personal attributes:
Candidates should have a profound gift of the Faith and be good communicators and administrators. Other management skills including leadership, financial controls, decision making and appraisal of performance are  key factors. A strong sense of humour and a talent for public speaking are also prerequisites. Evidence of a humble attitude will also be an advantage.

Other requirements:

Candidates should be prepared, in their Episcopal duties, to undertake the following:

1.1 Lead groups of laity in focused actions such as Rosary Groups outside abortuaries
1.2 Follow totally the Magisterium in all its actions and teachings
1.3 Spend at least one hour each day, on their knees, in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament or a  
      Crucifix
1.4 Go to trial and possibly be imprisoned as a result of upholding the doctrinal teachings of the Church on
      Abortion, Adoption by Homosexual couples, Euthanasia, Stem Cell Research, IVF and any other   
      subject as may present itself
1.5 Encourage parishes to support national pilgrimages (Walsingham, Taper, March of Reparation) etc
1.6 Be humble enough to allow the laity to kiss their Episcopal Ring
1.7 Adopt a traditional dress code; no casual clothes, baseball caps or trainers.
1.8 Membership of any ad hoc group loosely defined as 'The Magic Circle' is strictly forbidden.

ends//

Well, that's a start. I could go on but then I would have to race to the nearest confessional!

Another reason why I like my Faith

We have the following Saints or Blesseds:-

St Emilian
St Anthony Mary Claret
St Nicolas du Chardonnay
St Vincent de Porto
Bl Thomas Whitbread
Bl Giorgio Frassati
St Rose - with a bit of imagination!
Bl Richard Bere
St Raynald de Bar
Bl Edward James - not THE Rev James of Brains bitter fame?

All undertaken with a large dollop of poetic licence and a perverted imagination.

Why is there no Mass at this Church?

Actually, my title is not quite true, Mass is celebrated at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs at Chideock in Dorset, but only on alternate Saturday nights. Why is this? Is it a lack of a congregation? I think not, at least, my information states otherwise.
This is one of the most glorious churches in Great Britain, a very solid piece of our Catholic past. There are murals on parts of the walls dating back from Recusant times and there are  artefacts of the Dorset Martyrs (portable altars and furniture), casually placed around the upper chamber as if the Saints themselves were about to put in an appearance.
It should be a place of pilgrimage, a well known and well publicised part of the Diocesan armoury, used on every possible occasion. Instead, it is a museum full of baroque bling.

Of course, if the LMS were to step in and offer to run the Church as a centre for the EF Mass (which is what the sacred place demands), there would no doubt, be uproar from Bishop's House. But this might be a better proposition than taking over Ushaw as has been rumoured. Chideock makes a perfect base for seminarians (they would need to rent or buy a house nearby but the costs would be slight compared with the upkeep of Ushaw). And Dorset is much closer to the major connurbations from which, I guess, the bulk of the seminarians will come from.
Out of the eight martyrs, three held the names of Salmon, Pike and Pilchard. This must count for something dammit!

The shift begins, no more ecumencial dialogue, just action as a result of the Holy Father's initiative

Following year after dreary year of ecumencial embracing (all totally meaningless)The Anglican Faithful are responding to Anglicanorum Coetibus and several British parishes (and some Bishops) will be crossing the Tiber in the forthcoming months.
Many thousands in Africa and the USA have already either commenced or completed the process.
This is, of course, a wonderful occasion and there must be great rejoicing in Heaven as a result but I do fear for those poor Anglicans who will be leaving a beautful liturgy for cymbals, tambourines and nose flutes! I have not subjected myself to the OF Mass for over 20 years but I do observe what goes on, coming in, often on the tail end of a Novus Ordo Mass to attend the EF version.
There seems to be no regard, respect or reverence for the body of Christ present in the tabernacle; folk chatter at the tops of their voices and the sanctuary shows all the signs of the aftermath of a children's party. Inevitably, there are a few 'choir members' removing their guitars and skiffle boards. This will not impress our Anglican brethren who, in the main, will be coming from Churches that have all the appearance of places where the worship of God is the total raison d'etre.
I am overwhelmed by the fact that, most of the orthodox Catholics who attend Mass where we worship, are converts from the Anglican faith. Indeed, out of a congregation of around 25 souls (on a good day with the wind behind them), there are only two of us who are cradle Catholics! Perhaps this is where the current emigres will find their true base, I hope so, for their sakes.

Phillip Howard, gained his Martyr's crown this day in 1595

Married at the age of twelve he gradually entered into the lifestyle of Elizabeth's court, squandering money in the pursuit of many vices.
However, he witnessed Edmund Campion's dispute with a Protestant minister in the Tower of London and this re-awakened his faith. His wife then became a Catholic but Phillip was arrested by the Queen's men while trying to flee the country (knowing that he had made the fatal move from Queen's favoured courtier to Catholic Recusant).
Elizabeth had him confined to the Tower and eventually he was tried and convicted on a trumped up charge of High Treason. The sentence of death was never carried out but he spent some eleven years cramped in a cell in the Tower with no access to his wife, children or a priest. Reputedly, his cell emanated a 'pestilential stench.'
He remained strong in his Faith until the end when a combination of physical abuse and neglect resulted in dysentry from which he died.
He inscribed upon his cell wall the words:
"The more of suffering for Christ in this life, the more of glory with Christ in the next."
Phillip Howard - ora pro nobis

St Justus of Beauvais, Martyr at the age of nine

Today we remember the feastday of St Justus who was born in 278 and lived in Auxerre, France. He was apprehended under the persecutions of Diocletian and confessed his Catholic faith fully and willingly.
He was cruelly beheaded and so gained his Martyr's crown. St Justus, ora pro nobis.

A few questions to ask your Bishop.....

In the aftermath of the Pope's visit there appear to be two schools of thought; those who want to now 'get behind' their Bishops and let them proceed without question and those who want to challenge them (in a Christian manner)and find out what precisely they are planning to do to support the Holy Father. I fall into the latter category and so, have compiled a checklist of questions that I believe the Bishops should be strong enough and confident enough to answer.

Here they are:-

1. What have you done to support Summorum Pontificum and how many Extraordinary Mass centres have you encouraged to be set up in your Diocese?
2. How have you developed the teaching of the Catholic Faith in both Catholic and non Catholic schools within your jurisdiction?
3. Why did you not stand up against the Government when they imposed legislation regarding the adoption of children by homosexual couples?
4. Have you led or attended a Rosary Group outside an abortuary in your Diocese recently?
5. Have you taken steps to ensure that prospective seminary applicants with traditional values are not screened out of the vocations process?
6. Why, when you face such a shortage of priests, have you not invited any of the traditional orders (FSSP, ICKSP)to establish a parish in your Diocese?
7. What action have you taken against priests who indulge in liturgical or doctrinal abuse or who patently do not behave with the decorum expected of their calling?
8. The Holy Father very obviously desires that Holy Communion should be distributed to the faithful by mouth and kneeling where they can do so; why have you not encouraged your parishes to do the same?
9. Do you unswervingly support the Holy Father and his teachings and guidance?
10. Do you believe in a Faith based admissions system for Catholic Secondary schools (such as Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School)?

I am sure that there are many more questions waiting to be asked but an answer to any or all of the above would be most welcome.....I shan't hold my breath though.

Here goes.......a leap into the blogosphere!

This is my umpteenth attempt to launch my blog, it has been a salutary experience and my admiration for seasoned bloggers such as Fathers, Tim Finigan, Ray Blake and Z together with laity such as Mac McLernon, Laurence England, James Preece and many more, has increased still more as a result of my computer wrestling.
I hope that my views (which will be orthodox Catholic views) will not upset my family and friends; there are some, however, that I hope will be upset, or, at the very least, will have reason to think again. I hope to upset those who support abortion, also the euthanasia lobby and those secularists who attack the Holy Father and his good works.
I may also upset a few Bishops which is no bad thing. The list is quite long I'm afraid but I plan to tackle it brick by brick as we say.
Above all else this site will be a recognition of martyrs who are possibly less well known than Saints Thomas More, John Fisher, Margaret Clitheroe and the rest of the host.