Over the past few days I have been caught up in the fever of the moment, a Guild for Catholic Bloggers, how great! and many thanks to
A Reluctant Sinner and Jane Mossendew and Mulier Fortis for giving it some reality and focus.
But, in my subconscious I have been aware of a nagging doubt, this talk of all Catholic Bloggers being young.....yes, dammit, young!
It conjures up a vision of trendy, suntanned dudes who only drink alcohol through a straw and accompanied by paper umbrellas. Who wear the latest style in sunglasses and who lounge around the Piazza outside Westminster Cathedral chatting to each other in Latin. This image must have played on my mind because last night I suffered a nightmare of horrific proportions.
There I was on 7th May strolling along Morpeth Terrace and arriving at the portal of the Hinsley Room. Giving the doors a casual kick open I am met with a sea of faces, all wearing hornrimmed specs a la Harry Potter and clutching laptops and iphones and other bits of techno gadgetry. They are tucking into their lunchboxes prepared by their Mummies and the room is a sea of acne. Sort of Fourth Form comes to Westminster!
Across the hall a banner is draped stating: "Entry barred to any blogger over the age of fourteen and three quarters." Turning blindly I stumble out of the room tripping over baby buggies en route.
"Get me out of here" I scream and then, I wake up.
When I regain my composure I begin to hatch a cunning plan. I shall go in disguise. Yes indeed, a pair of aviator sunglasses, one or two items of clothing gleaned from the Bodens catalogue and a baseball cap that I can wear with the peak pointing backwards. That's pretty cool (you see I am picking up the lingo and getting into the swing of things, mood acting and all that).
I will sashay casually up to the Hinsley Room muttering a few Latin bon mots and wiping my shoes with a copy of The Tablet (bound to win me friends).
Throwing open the doors I will enter as one of the gang. Not a head will turn in my direction, I am "in"- At last I am in with the young crowd!
I just hope that no one spots my zimmer frame.
'Et futue te ipsum!
A Reluctant Sinner and Jane Mossendew and Mulier Fortis for giving it some reality and focus.
But, in my subconscious I have been aware of a nagging doubt, this talk of all Catholic Bloggers being young.....yes, dammit, young!
It conjures up a vision of trendy, suntanned dudes who only drink alcohol through a straw and accompanied by paper umbrellas. Who wear the latest style in sunglasses and who lounge around the Piazza outside Westminster Cathedral chatting to each other in Latin. This image must have played on my mind because last night I suffered a nightmare of horrific proportions.
There I was on 7th May strolling along Morpeth Terrace and arriving at the portal of the Hinsley Room. Giving the doors a casual kick open I am met with a sea of faces, all wearing hornrimmed specs a la Harry Potter and clutching laptops and iphones and other bits of techno gadgetry. They are tucking into their lunchboxes prepared by their Mummies and the room is a sea of acne. Sort of Fourth Form comes to Westminster!
Across the hall a banner is draped stating: "Entry barred to any blogger over the age of fourteen and three quarters." Turning blindly I stumble out of the room tripping over baby buggies en route.
"Get me out of here" I scream and then, I wake up.
When I regain my composure I begin to hatch a cunning plan. I shall go in disguise. Yes indeed, a pair of aviator sunglasses, one or two items of clothing gleaned from the Bodens catalogue and a baseball cap that I can wear with the peak pointing backwards. That's pretty cool (you see I am picking up the lingo and getting into the swing of things, mood acting and all that).
I will sashay casually up to the Hinsley Room muttering a few Latin bon mots and wiping my shoes with a copy of The Tablet (bound to win me friends).
Throwing open the doors I will enter as one of the gang. Not a head will turn in my direction, I am "in"- At last I am in with the young crowd!
I just hope that no one spots my zimmer frame.
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| The May 7th Welcoming Committee? |
Of course I found your post amusing, but to be fair it was the Vatican Rome Reports video which gave the impression that the Vatican itself thinks of the majority of bloggers as young. None of us in support of the Bloggers' Guild has stressed the 'youth' thing. In fact that stress was one of the things that irritated me about the way the Vatican presented its idea for a Rome Blognic. I mentioned it in an earlier post.
ReplyDeleteBy all means turn things on their head for the sake of humour, but do stop having nightmares!! I don't think many of the types you describe will be rushing to join the Guild.
God bless
Jane, it was a little trite and meant to be humorous but there has been more emphasis on "yoof" I think in various comment boxes. also, Bill Oddie's piece mentioned it. Maybe I'm just becoming "Ageist"
ReplyDeleteBrilliant post, it certainly started my day off with a smile!
ReplyDeleteVery amusing, it made me laugh out loud...
ReplyDeleteGreat post, great sense of humour. From an 'olde blogge' poster.
ReplyDeleteWhether it is a nightmare or not, I couldn't say, but it may turn out to be a mistake. Since there will be some who will not join (I will be one)what then will be the "guild's" attitude to those who are not "in"? In the end is it worth it? What will be the equivalent of the "mission statement", if there is one, and who will be eligable? Is there going to be some kind of faith test? What will be the requirements? Are those who are setting this up planning to exclude some people? In other words, what is it all about really?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it doesn't matter what age we are ,I'm a Granny, for what its worth, no secret about my age either 51 a fortnight ago.
ReplyDeleteObviously joining isn't going to be compulsory or anything we just want a (modern phrase coming)support group.A place were like minded and like thing people may share and help one another.We could help organise prayers and publication of Catholic issues to a wider circle.
Oh and Tinkerbelle says she thinks humans are delicous too!Try grabbing her food bowl and she will try you!
father John, if anyone is going to exclude you, then I will be exclded too, I imagine, but I think it is a good chance for us to all embrace what we hold in common and present that, to the world, so that, as I said in my blog post, everyone can see, 'how we love each other' and if we don't love each other, as Jesus loves us, maybe the meetings will give us a venue in which to begin to, as commanded, by Jesus.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the age of the average blogger, I always think of Catholic bloggers as middle aged, like me, but maybe that's just the one's I read. Oh well, Richard, if they are all teenagers, ( and I manage to be there)you can sit by me with your baseball cap on and I'll pretend to be your mother, who has travelled with you, to make sure you are safe!
One blogger suggested some women bloggers were old enough to be his mother! I contacted him & as i'm STILL in my 40s sincerely hoped he didn't mean me! lol
ReplyDeleteI'm with Fr John essentially as above since blogging allows us to be entirely individual & I don't link to some bloggers as some don't to me!
Richard, I don't think you are cut out for committees.
ReplyDeleteFor those of us past the sixth decade, we can honestly say that at the very least we "think" young even if we are not young physically. Keeping a blog is a marvelous means of Titus 2 for the younger and the older. We can come together in a neutral space to share the wisdom of the Catholic faith and to encourage one another in our discipleship.
ReplyDeleteI am especially grateful that Catholic bloggers have a medium in which they are not censored by a secular editor with his or her own agenda.
Genty - you may have a point there :)
ReplyDeleteLOL
ReplyDeleteI can only speak for myself, but a young trend-setter I am not! In fact, blogging seems to be the only thing I am able to do online, and I have no idea about wifi and all that stuff...
I am a 35yo with an addiction to KitKats and tea - and have a pair of old NHS glasses and was wealthier as a student than I have been at any other time in my life...
Having said that, young people and wizz-kids will be most welcome to attend the meeting on the 7th, as are all others!
(Thanks for the post)
Fr John - surely part of the purpose of the planning meeting is to discuss the sort questions that you have raised? (For my part, I don't see that the proposed Guild has to have any sort of attitude to those who choose not to be part of it.) Really, what is the problem here?
ReplyDeleteWhat, you don't drink alcohol through a straw?
ReplyDeleteGiuseppe - only when it's Campari :)
ReplyDelete