Save a frog and send a bishop

What's it to be? Frog or Bishop, frog or Bishop,
frog or....oh, definitely the Bishop!

The Daily Telegraph of 1st July reports on a tiny species of frog that is being used in space research.

Apparently, this frog, small and insignificant and humble as it might be, has the capacity to shut down its functions and slow its body rate to such a degree that it barely appears alive.

The breathing rate slows to a virtual halt and all sensory processes are shut down.

And yet the frog, Cyclorana alboguttata, suffers not from muscle wastage, it remains as fit as a fiddle despite spending a large proportion of its life motionless, inert and inactive.

The perceived benefits of such research focus largely on aiding astronauts engaged in long haul space programme trips in remaining fit and well throughout their journey and without any loss of muscle usage due to their lack of activity.

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales (most of ‘em) have long held this secret of combining a total lack of muscle activity with no loss of actual muscle function.

They, just like Cycloranan albaguttata, are able to remain totally immobile, lifting not one finger and yet still survive without any apparent loss of body ability.

It would seem to be only fair, therefore,  if we sent a few of them up into Outer Space and saved poor old froggy, Cyclorana albaguttata, from a boring and sterile existence floating around in some space craft or other.

All nominations gratefully accepted.

Ten points that a Bishop should be focusing on

We need more croziers and fewer crooks

I cannot think of any organisation or industry where the shareholders or members would put up with 50 years of sloppy management, lack of leadership, wrong directives and generally off beam initiatives.

Yet, we in the Catholic Church are as silent as.... as.....lambs.

Because we try to hold hard to aspects of Christ's teachings we turn the other cheek.

But, Our Lord did not say: "Look the other way".

He, I trust, would not wish us to sit on our hands while babies are aborted, our children fed the poison of the homosexual, politically correct lobby and His authority ignored or distorted.

So here, is my contribution to the basic requirements that a Bishop should demonstrate in carrying out his role:-

1. Spread the Gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ to all in his diocese - not just Catholics.

2. Recognise the authority of the Vicar of Christ and abide by his guidance and commands - that means not only the current Holy Father but his predecessors also.

3. Manage the affairs of his diocese efficiently and direct and paternally guide his priests.

4. Ensure that Catholic Schools are of a high standard and that the RE programmes are rigorous and inspiring.

5. Oppose all political or social moves that go against the Catholic understanding of Faith or Morals - that means not allowing Catholic children to be adopted or fostered by homosexuals.

6. Lead the main prayer and vigil groups opposing abortion on every possible occasion.

7. Fight to make certain that the country's seminaries are free of homosexual influence and the modernism is not allowed to dictate the admissions procedure or syllabus.

8. Visit all parishes in his diocese regularly and administer the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Orders.

9. Encourage pilgrimages and the development of any shrines in his diocese.

10. Spend a number of weeks each year acting as a parish priest in various of his parishes.

"Come and See" is more like "Go and Lapse"

According to the excellent website Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, currently, some 96% of children who attend a Catholic school, will lapse from the Faith.

That is one appalling statistic.

All of my working life I have been driven by a results based accreditation of performance ideal.
That means, in plain English, that you produce spectacular results or you are out on your backside.

And quite right too. The same should apply to those who have driven such a low level and uninspiring programme of Catholic RE over the years.

How many young souls have been lost to God over the years as a result of an impoverished and perverted religious syllabus?

Indifference, apathy, idleness and incompetence have all played their part.
And, evil intent must be added to that tally.

When our children were young we had the heretical programme called 'Weaving the Web' to contend with.

Opposition to that meant that you were isolated and castigated within the school/parish social network; not that it worried us one little bit, but, such antagonism did effect our children who bore the brunt of modernist Catholic sniping.

Catholic parents, today, have a primary level equivalent programme called; "Come and See".

I'm afraid that the title alone has me reaching for the sick bag.

And, according to Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, "Come and See" carries on the fine tradition of omitting any mention of sin and other key factors of the Faith.

Here are some of PEEPs main concerns regarding "Come and See":-

The Book consists of 262 pages, including five full page illustrations and many smaller illustrations. Twenty pages cover “Other Faiths”, and the first forty-three pages are devoted to telling teachers HOW to teach, even though they are, presumably, trained and qualified professionals, many perhaps with more experience than the author. Eventually, on page 44, the book starts outlining WHAT to teach.

Were I to cover every heresy – explicit and by omission - in this Programme my review would have to be as long as the 200 pages which cover the teaching to be given, so I will cover just the more serious omissions, remembering that we can commit Heresy by omission. Pages 44,45 and 46 have Grids showing all the Scripture references, Topics and Themes taught throughout the Primary school, covering ages 4/5 years – 10/11 years. When these grids are compared with the 1994 ”Catechism of the Catholic Church” (CCC) which Bl. Pope John Paul II declared “the Norm for teaching religion” they reveal some of these serious omissions.

For example -

1.  The attributes of Almighty God are not taught, such as He is everywhere so always close to us, though these are found in the CCC;

2.  Spirit and what the word Spirit means. They need to know this for

3.  Angels, Guardian Angels, the Devil and his evil spirits who are all omitted as well, even though covered in the CCC;

4.  That we are in the Image and Likeness of God because we have Spiritual Souls with Intelligence and Free Will,( 7 paras in the CCC.)

5.  Adam and Eve, the Fall, Original Sin and even Sin itself are all omitted in spite of having 60 entries in the CCC. This makes it impossible to explain the Incarnation and the Redeeming Passion and Death of Our Lord, so we get nonsense such as the Saviour will rescue us ‘from those who threaten us,” (on page 53.)

6.  Grace, which has over 20 entries in the CCC is never even mentioned, not Actual Grace, Sacramental Grace or Sanctifying Grace / Supernatural Life. So the teaching on           

7.  Baptism is incomplete. It is several times merely presented as “a welcome or invitation to belong to God’s family.” There is no mention of S.John ch3 v1 ff where Jesus explains to Nicodemus that unless a man is born again of water and the Holy Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The CCC teaches Grace/Supernatural Life in over 90 entries, so why omit it? This rhyme helps teach it -

When little babies are baptised, God’s greatest Love is shown

For then he gives new Life to them, A life that’s like His own.

We thank you Lord for this great gift, The treasure of our race

Our Lady’s soul was full of it. The Angel called it Grace.

8.  The Incarnation There is no mention of why Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became Man, though on page 102 we are told “the Word became a human person”. This is not true. Jesus was, is and always will be the Divine Person who became Man to redeem us from sin and hell.

A shame that, after all this time, the Bishops can't produce a doctrinally sound religious syllabus for schools.

Do they, I wonder, lie awake at night fretting over the fact that, only 4% of Catholic children going through the Catholic School system, will keep the Faith?

And, if they don't lie awake tossing and turning, why not?

Are they content to survey a scene of abomination and not suffer any regrets?

Which point leads one to consider whether the Bishops are a force for good or........something else.

                                                                    

But what can a Bishop do?

                       Get rid of the magic wand and pick up the crozier


I hope that, one day, some interested soul will conduct a review of the past fifty years in terms of practical initiatives as introduced by the Bishops of England and Wales.

To catalogue them and to identify those that were successful and those not.

It would not be an arduous task; the list, I suspect, could be written on the back of a penny catechism.

I can recall one outstanding bit of jiggery pokery, the introduction, back in the 1970s of the pernicious secondary school RE programme called "Weaving the Web".

Maybe I am falsely accusing their Lordships, perhaps "Weaving the Web" was slipped on to the agenda while they were at the annual Eccleston Square Golf Tournament or some such other vital function of the post Vatican II era.

But the fact is, they allowed it to rumble on ad nauseum, spreading disaffection wherever it was taught ('Jesus was a Prophet, you know').

How could the Bishops transform their act today to inspire the hearts of the faithful and foster unswerving loyalty (rather than fear) from their priests?

Here is an episcopal shopping list; it's not long. The Bishops would not have to labour from dawn to dusk to implement it.

In fact, they would have to 'do' very little, just act as leaders. That, in itself would be a great start.

1. Jointly review the Catholic Education Service and create a curriculum for Primary and Secondary Schools designed to inspire love and instil knowledge regarding the Catholic Faith.

2. Assess the ration between priests and parishes and carry out a ten year projection regarding human resource provision. Then, act as Pope Emeritus Benedict suggested they should and look to creating a federated parish system so that groups of priests, living together under one roof could provide for clusters of parishes - it's not sufficient to wave banners stating 'Don't close our parish' something has to be done to ensure provision of the Mass and Sacraments, now.

3. Re-evaluate the policy of taking young priests from developing countries and dropping them into a parish in the middle of nowhere, expecting them to shepherd the flock in a manner often quite alien to the sheep themselves.

4. Require all religious under their command to wear clerical dress or a habit at all times in public.

5. Write a 'Catholic Charter' setting out, bullet point fashion, all the key areas concerning religious/political matters eg No Catholic should approve of homosexual acts as they constitute a mortal sin, All Catholics must oppose Government plans for Same Sex "Marriage" etc.

6. Restore reverence within their churches; genuflection, altar rails, centrally placed tabernacles and altars, rather than tables, to come back while Mass crèches and Extraordinary Ministers to go.

7. Issue a directive regarding liturgical practice, no female altar servers, Masses celebrated Ad orientum, no dancing or shenanigans on the sanctuary.

8. The EF Mass to be provided at least once each week at every church (and not at 4.15pm)

9. Legion of Mary, SVP and Pro Life groups to be encouraged in every parish.

10. Establish a new role for the nuns of the Diocese, give them direction and objectives and targets to achieve.

I am sure that you will be able to add to this list but, even if they could only implement these ten points, just think what changes would be wrought.

And still time for a round of golf on Wednesday afternoon!

Are Latin Masses increasing in number under Pope Francis?

The question is purely rhetorical; I have no evidence to suggest that EF Masses have either increased or decreased under Pope Francis but, I have suspicions.

"Brick by brick" Does that mean more or less?

Those suspicions are based on feedback (so they are strictly anecdotal in evidence terms) from liberal Catholics who gush and spout about how humble the new Holy Father is and how he just hates all that ritual and grandeur (by which they mean the orthodox liturgy) and how he has cut through all that liturgical lace (by which they mean that he has reverted back to the dreary old Novus Ordo format of poncho vestments with modern motifs).

I do not know many liberal priests but, my guess is that they are saying much the same sort of things; most of the bishops will also be singing off the same hymn sheet, no doubt.

There is a sort of air of despondency in some circles and only an occasional straw from Rome for traditionally minded Catholics to clutch at.

But, how goes the fight in England and Wales?

Are Latin Masses still plodding forward, brick by brick in Fr Z fashion or, are they retreating into pre 2007 oblivion?

I do not know if the Latin Mass Society has done the sums on this one as yet but my feeling is that orthodox priests are, once more, on the back foot and that any growth in EF Mass numbers has died the death and may, even be decreasing.

Yet the shouts from the seminaries seem to state the opposite - so what's to worry about, this could be a temporary glitch that will right itself in 5 or 6 years time.

Possibly.

But we all know what happens next, do we not?

A young priest, about to assume control in his first parish, meets with his Bishop for the first time since he was ordained a few weeks previously.

And the Bishop gives him the chat; nothing too direct, just a few menacing words based upon the following:

1. "I would remind you of your obedience to me (forget about Rome Sonny, this is where it all happens")

2. "Remember, you have a good parish in St Apathetic's, please do nothing to upset this calm and offend the parishioners (if you do I can promise you a public humiliation in front of your flock")

3. "Now you are a employee of the Diocese, of course all of your pension rights and retirement plans will be looked after by me and my successors (step out of line by getting all latiney and I'll chop off your superannuation tout suite")

4. "Remember, I want none of this EF Mass nonsense (celebrate just one Mass and I'll have you transferred to the Convent of the Sisters of the Blue Cardigan where you will be on call as chaplain to five major hospitals, 23 nursing homes, the League of Charismatic Nutters and a committee member of the ecumenical group forging links with the local Freemasonry Lodge")

5. Now kneel my son while I give you my blessing (and if you so much as make a move towards kissing my ring you're toast!")

"So you want to become a priest?"





Is this the first question the would-be seminarian hears when he attends the initial interview with his Bishop (prior to the water boarding interrogation by the Director of Vocations).

How should one behave at such an awe inspiring session with that most jovial of men, the Bish?

Here are a few notes that will aid the applicant and ensure success:

1. Enter the room confidently and take the Bishop's hand firmly before kneeling and kissing his ring.

2. Before the interview commences ask if His Lordship would join you in praying for a while in silence.

3. Make certain that your Latin Mass Society membership card is discreetly poking out of your breast pocket, also, hold your Rosary in one hand.

4. Answer the following questions as follows:

4a. Q. "Are you or have you at any time been a student of Latin?
 A. "Quisnam mihi?"

4b. Q. "Do you believe in de-centralisation of Church authority?"
 A. You must be joking My Lord, placing more control into the hands of the Bishops? You're having a laugh aren't you?

4c. Q. "How would you comment on The Tablet's current editorial?"
 A. You are a one Bishop, now I know you're having a laugh"

4d. Q. "So you want to dedicate your life to supporting and counselling your parishioners always guided by your parish council?
A. "No, I just want to save souls My Lord"

4e. Q. "Sum up, briefly, in three words,  the message that the Church should be making to the world"
 A. "Pray, Repent and do Penance"

4f. Q. "But that's five words you right wing conservative reactionary"
 A. "OK but who's counting fatty?"

4g. Q. "Listen you  pious little swine, give me one good reason why I should approve of your lacy cotta, incense smoke induced hallucinations?"
A. "Because I believe that God is calling me to be a priest My Lord"

4h. Q. "That's enough you Latinist scumbag, get outta here before I release the Diocesan Dobermanns"
 A."I'm going but could you direct me to the nearest FSSP or ICKSP Mass centre?"

(Bishop faints at this stage and has to be revived by his secretary flapping an old copy of The Tablet under his nose - at last, a use for this mag!)

Gay Masses OK.....but Catholic bloggers - get out of the Church!

Archbishop Nichols has proved, yet again, how unsuitable he is to lead the Catholics of England and Wales.

He has launched an offensive against Catholic bloggers (see Fr Simon Henry's post on the matter HERE)

The fact that Catholic schools are not fit for purpose, most of them, and that homosexual Masses are allowed to take place at Farm Street and The Tablet is still for sale at the back of most churches in the Archdiocese of Westminster is all tickety boo in the Archbishop's funny old way of thinking.

But to have Catholics sticking their heads up above the pulpit and witnessing and criticising those who 'run' the Church in England and Wales and beyond is verboten!

At least, in his book.

Catholic bloggers may not always get things right; sometimes we are too cavalier, sometimes we go a shade over the top. But we mean well, don't we?

And all that I read in the blogs written by Catholics would fall under the category of constructive criticism.

If we did not love our Faith we would not bother - would we?

But American Brandon Vogt has some wise words of advice for Bishops who have an aversion to bloggers.

I hope they read his post - HERE

And then, perhaps they might like a little time for reflection.

And then, perhaps they might tackle the inadequacy of RE in Catholic schools, call a halt to priests dressing like slobs, sort out the liturgical abuses, stop the sodo Masse,in short, set their own houses in order.

They might even like to start a blog.

In the dark of night.......

.....a heavily muffled figure stealthily approaches the unlit entrance to Bishop's House

 

Some things never change in England & Wales

It could be a scene from the 16th century at the height of the Reformation when Catholics paid for their Faith with their lands and goods and, often, with their lives.

But it's not, this scene is of recent times and is, almost certainly taking place at present.

This is not a sinister scenario, however.  At least, no one is going to die as a result of their Faith; rather, someone is about to die fortified by the Last Rites of Holy Mother Church.

The traditional rites, that is. Orthodox, original and unchanged from pre Vatican II days.

The dying person in question is a Catholic priest; a member of the Bishop's staff he has kept his love of the old rite of Mass a secret in the knowledge that, if he was found out he would, indeed, be persecuted. Not by Richard Topcliffe and Co., torturers of Catholics in Reformation times but by his own Bishop.

Of course, he would not have been racked for days on end but he would probably have met with derision and scorn from those who should know better.

He would also, quite probably been given the heave ho from his post (and meagre salary) and pension and despatched to some convent run by the Sisters of Marks and Spencers - all twin sets, pearls and brillo pad hair dos. Aaargh!

But, back to the scenario, in fact, a real life scene that took place, well....some time in the past 20 years or so.

The heavily muffled figure is himself a Catholic priest, taking the Sacrament of Extreme Unction to a dying brother priest; a work of some considerable love as the journey will have taken the ministering priest over 6 hours by road.

I cannot name the Bishop for fear of litigation but he has been a constant scourge of any priest who displayed any traditional leanings.
His Diocese lies to the north of the Watford Gap.

It is nothing short of scandalous that such subterfuge is necessary; please pray for the priest who administered the Sacrament; he is nearing the end of his life and will shortly reap his eternal reward.

The Bishop’s top 10 New Year Resolutions

1. Must sort out my Primary and Secondary Schools and get some decent, orthodox textbooks and lessons underway

2. Set myself a target of establishing a series of Latin Mass training programmes for all of my priests

3. Join with the next SPUC and Forty Days for Life abortuary prayer sessions

4. Issue an urgent pastoral letter regarding the sanctity of marriage and how all of my flock should protest to their MP about proposed same-sex legislation

5. Appoint one of my priests as Latin Mass Co-ordinator with the target of establishing EF Masses in at least 20% of my parishes by year end

6. Issue an Ad Clerum requesting that Benediction be restored and that the grille type of confessionals and communion rails be replaced

7. Plus….all clergy (and nuns) should be dressed in clerical wear at all times (other than in bed)

8. Request that all OF Masses should be celebrated Ad Orientum from now on

9. Ask the FSSP or ICKSP to host one of my parishes

10. Invite the local SSPX group round for drinky poos

NB: This list is not exhaustive, please feel free to suggest more resolutions

Gay marriage and a letter for David Cameron

The sheep are waiting for the shepherd to wake up

Yesterday I posted on how the Catholic Bishops have a golden opportunity to influence the Government by issuing a pastoral letter on same-sex "marriage" at Midnight and /Christmas Day Masses.

That letter, although intended for the Catholic community, would go direct to David Cameron's in-tray and, if he ignored the contents, he would, indeed, be leading his troops to obscurity and the job centre.

The letter could focus on the Feast of the Holy Family (how very appropriate) on 30th December and, as an extra thought, how powerful would it be to dedicate every Mass offered on this great feastday, to the cause of maintaining the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.

This last move would, I imagine, require a lead from Archbishop Vincent Nichols.

So now, if you have not posted on the need for a pastoral letter (please consider doing so, this is a Spartacus moment, don't let it slip through your fingers) and also email or write to your own Bishop and to Archbishop Nichols if you have not already done so.

And finally, please cast your vote in the poll on the sidebar.......are you in favour of a pastoral letter at Christmas?...............should all Masses on the Feast of The Holy Family be dedicated to preserving the Sacrament of Marriage?........or, should we all sit back and let it wash over us?

A golden opportunity for the Bishops?

This Christmas, as at every Christmas, the churches will be full of Catholics who, only come to Mass at this time of year.

What an opportunity for re-evangelisation.

A chance to reach out and, in the words of Bishop Thomas Tobin invite them to "Come home".

But, it also provides another very special opportunity, one that involves the looming legislation regarding same sex "marriage."

It is not too late to influence those politicians who are hell bent on imposing this unwanted perversion of marriage upon us.

                          A focus for a pastoral letter on the sanctity of marriage

A priest friend has suggested that their Lordships might jointly issue a pastoral letter on the sanctity of Christian marriage, available as a handout after Midnight Mass and, of course, available at all Masses and Christmas Services including, of course, the Feast of the Holy Family (30th December)- what better fulcrum could there be to effect change than this great feast?

Catholic bloggers have it within their writ to charitably galvanise the Bishops into action; if only we can provide coverage on our blogs.........that is a suggestion, not a request, I know how sensitive such matters can be.

And, if you do not blog you might care to email or write to His Grace, Archbishop Vincent Nichols and/or to your Diocesan Bishop.

Here are the Archbishop's contact details:

                  Email:   archbishop@rcdow.org.uk

                  Post:  Archbishop's House
                           Ambrosden Avenue
                           London SW1P 1QJ

Now you don't see it - now you do!

Subliminal advertising is banned in this country and a good thing too.

For those unfamiliar with the term it refers to (normally) a TV commercial where an image is incorporated into the message but, so briefly that the human eye appears not to see it.

The image is, however, registered by the brain and, as a result, the unwitting recipient invariably responds as the image demands.

So, a seemingly innocuous ad for a family car may show nano second shots of a  brand of cigarettes or a blend of whisky resulting in the shopping trolley being loaded up with same on the next visit to the supermarket.

Think what Hitler or Mao would have given for an opportunity such as that.

And think what good we could do with it also. We could have margarine commercials with flashes of EF Masses being celebrated and snatches of plainchant.

Car tyre ads, so dull and banal, could be interspersed with the words 'Summorum Pontificum must be obeyed' or 'Every parish must have a Latin Mass every Sunday'.

This could be the answer, if only there was a Catholic Advertising Agency that would cooperate.....and if the law could be changed.

Meanwhile, it's back to the brick by brick approach.

"Brick by brick" is too slow

At least, it’s too slow in England and Wales.

There is rather an air of defeatism in the blogosphere at present.

 The Church seems to be in ‘one step forward, two steps back' mode and that is not good.  

Of course, some will say that it’s all in the hands of Almighty God and that the Holy Spirit will act as and when it is deemed appropriate.

But that doesn’t stem the desire to get things moving, to see some real advances being made in the face of secular governments intent on destroying Faith and Family.

And, of course, when governments attack the Church it’s like a wild beast savaging a dumb animal, it is a signal for all and sundry to join in; the eroticists, humanists, atheists and the rest of the hyenas and jackals.

And who will watch the watchers? Who challenges the Bishops of England and Wales on vital matters?

Is there, I wonder, a need for a ‘society’ type of structure to organise and lobby, to promote orthodoxy and to confront both society and the wayward Bishops?

We do not have (in England and Wales) any form of organised and cohesive action group to take on matters of liturgical abuse, wilful actions by the Bishops or the re-evangelisation of the bulk of Catholics in the pews.

We do have individual recourse to both the Papal Nuncio and to Rome but, with the best will in the world, it’s rather like stuffing a message in a bottle and chucking it into the ocean.

You may get a response but it could take years and will undoubtedly be from the wrong person!

It is not uncharitable to describe the bulk of Catholics in England and Wales as being ignorant. It is a fact and one that should worry the Church authorities.

It is not wilful ignorance so much as institutionalised ignorance where all fundamental knowledge has been eradicated or overlooked.

Catholic bloggers live in a rather sense heightened world, we have Catholic news and information at our fingertips and, within seconds, we can view events and happenings in both the Catholic and the secular world.

But ask an average Catholic if they ever read a blog let alone a Catholic one and you will be met with a blank stare.

Ask them about the Holy Father’s Moto Proprio or what is meant by “Extraordinary Form” and you will receive more of the same.

Take this a few steps further and explain that reception of Holy Communion by hand is only available on an indult basis and you will probably be booted out of the door.

Of course, there is no particular reason why the Catholic layman or woman should read Catholic blogs but, if their only source of current Church affairs is from The Tablet and The Catholic Times…you get my drift.

In addition we have genuine corporate amnesia with regard to the changes and effects that have taken place since the early 1970s and their relationship to what went on before the Second Vatican Council.

And, of course, the bulk of Catholics have known nothing more than what they have been fed upon for the past fifty years. No one born after 1960 can have much experienced based concept of the pre Vatican II version of Catholic social and spiritual life.

So what issues would such an organisation tackle?

Here are the five main areas:-

1. Catholic Education or, rather, the lack of it
2. Re-evangelising the Faithful
3. Confronting the Bishops (unswervingly but charitably)
4. Developing Latin Mass centres
5. Social Teaching and Justice

There may be other areas and you may reasonably argue with regard to other points but this is a start.

But, as to how it could be achieved…….that is for another post (unless anyone cares to suggest a path forward?).

The Catholic Church has failed and failed badly

At least, that is the case in England and Wales. I cannot really comment on Austria, Australia, The Netherlands, Spain, France and so on, it is not on my agenda, I must be somewhat parochial in this context.

"But", you say (if you are of a liberal persuasion at any rate), "we have a vibrant, active faith in this country and I love my bishop, Bill, he's so sweet."

To which I respond:
"Look at what the Church should be, don't look at what it has become today."

"Bare ruined choirs..."

So how has it failed and who is responsible?

Here are some of the key areas in which we have taken our eye off the thurible.......

1. Education - most Catholic Schools fail totally in providing knowledge and in inspiring zeal for the teachings of the faith (see Caritas in Veritate for an up to the minute example). This has been going on for a long time now and at least two generations have been lost as a result.
 I suspect that, most of them are now beyond re-evangelisation.

2. Adoption - where is the Crusade of Rescue today?
It is now a rather strange sort of mix of psycho/social mechanisms offering, on the one hand, psychotherapeutic counselling in schools and, on the other, an Adoption and Aftercare service that now no longer offers adoption.
Lewis Carroll is alive and well and living in St Charles Square!
Kowtowing to the impositions of homosexual legislation has lost the Church a valuable role in essential pastoral care.

3. Homosexual "marriage" - "a weak clergy lacking in grace" was how St Thomas More described the bishops and priests in the sixteenth century and the same could be said today with regard to their lack of enthusiasm (with one or two notable exceptions) in showing positive disapproval of moves to place homosexual unions on the same level as marriage between a man and a woman.
The scandal of the Soho Masses continues despite the fact that it isolates those afflicted with homosexual tendencies and keeps them compartmentalised away from "normal" Catholic congregations.
We don't have Masses dedicated to followers of fraud or bank robbery, so why should we ring fence Masses for homosexuals?

4. Admissions procedures for seminaries: we do know, do we not, that those charged with interviewing prospective seminarians operate a policy of refusing any young man with traditional tendencies?
If you want to join a seminary, hide your Rosary, burn your LMS membership card and tell the panel that you want to be a priest because you have a social conscience and climate change is something that we, as Catholics, do not address with enough conviction.

Never, ever, say the "L" word.
The very mention of the word "Latin" is enough to have you out of the door before you can say 'Novus Ordo'.

5. Faith and Morals - these have become dirty words, almost as bad as mentioning 'sin'. There is no longer any clarity with regard to Church Doctrine, we are fed a milk sop diet that leads to statements such as "Who knows what's down the road?" (to which the answer, is of course, "Hell").

6. Ignoring the Holy Father - it did not take the Bishops very long, in the aftermath of Vatican II, to adopt a unilateral declaration of independence. UDI has meant that instead of one Pope we now have a multitude of mini Popes who pay a passing lip service to Rome but then do precisely as they wish.

7. The blinkered laity - how quickly we scrambled onto the liberal cart and tripped over our guitars in the rush to 'modernise' a faith that has proved itself capable of sensible organic progression over the course of its history. It began with parish commissariats aka parish councils, then it spread to lay readers (and even lay preachers back in the sixties) and before long we had women sashaying across the sanctuary, bare headed and mini skirted.

Extraordinary Ministers morphed into "Eucharistic Ministers" and now we have them dishing out blessings. The congregations forgot about the Real Presence in the tabernacle (it does not take long to lose one's faith compass, see how quickly we became Protestant back in Henry VIII's time), in recent years genuflections were replaced by a cursory bow and, in the 'absence' of Christ, people began to chat - at the tops of their voices. "You see", they appear to be saying - "We are on such good terms with God He has become part of the furniture, we don't need all that holy Joe stuff".

I could go on, this list is not exhaustive.

But who is to blame? And what is the point in allocating blame?

Well there is a collective blame inasmuch that many sold out at the beginning and others have since joined the slide; clergy, nuns, lay men and women.

And now I have come to the conclusion that we have two churches, two faiths and I have nothing whatsoever in common with one of them, the Nuchurch lobby. They have no loyalty to Rome and, hence no loyalty to Christ. They might espouse a loyalty but it is meaningless because they do nothing other than play the role of the Pharisee, criticizing all that is holy and devout while beating their breasts and informing on any priest brave enough to wish to celebrate the Latin Mass.

The great majority of Catholics have forgotten the basic tenets of the faith. To them, the Latin Mass is a throwback to a darker time when the parish priest was likely to challenge them if they dressed inappropriately at Mass or expressed views in direct opposition to Catholic teaching.
They do not like discipline or rules; those infringe their personal beliefs. They are guided by a conscience that no longer has the required knowledge to make an informed decision, in short, they can barely be described as 'Catholic'.

Now compare the Church in England and Wales with a commercial organisation, such as Proctor and Gamble, the detergent manufacturers, or Tescos, Sainsburys and Asda.
 If, some 40 years ago they had seen a slump in their profits and a drifting away of customers what would they have done?

Well, a number of things but the point is, they would not have sat on their hands warbling "who knows what's down the road?"

They would have taken action. They would not have allowed themselves to be left with empty shelves and no products to go on them.
They would have ensured that they recruited the right staff and given them firm support and guidance.

This is something that the Church has not done.

It allowed the grossly awful "Weaving the Web" religious education series to continue ad nauseum in the Catholic Secondary School sector, it turned a blind eye to teaching on birth control and IVF, and it debased the liturgy to such a degree that you wonder at times if you are at a Catholic Mass or a New Age beanfeast.

It has done nothing with the rich inheritance left to it by the Son of God.

And, sadly, it is still at it. turning away young men from seminaries because of their adherence to orthodoxy, persecuting good priests who wish to offer the EF Mass occasionally and refusing to infuse order and integrity into the clergy who, by and large, run their parishes as it pleases them.

It is, of course, easy to blame the bishops but the laity must also shoulder the burden. I find it strange that many parishes can be governed by parishioners rather than by the Parish Priest. All too often it is the parish council that dictates the terms for parish and spiritual activity and the priest appears powerless to intervene.

If there is to be a programme of re-evangelisation later this year, as stipulated by the Holy Father, it should have the parishioners as the prime focus, not those who have "drifted", they should be the second wave.

Bring back genuflecting, dress codes, reception by mouth. Keep the churches open by day.

Dispense with Extraordinary Ministers, lay readers and the kiss of peace and demand silence before and after Mass.

That would be a start. In fact it would be a brilliant start.

But who will stand up to be counted?