Bigotry and hatred on the streets of London

Just four years ago we in Britain were blessed with a visit from Pope Benedict that sparked off a storm of protest led, most noticeably, by a group called 'Protest the Pope.'

This, in turn led to Deacon Nick Donnelly starting his blog called 'Protect the Pope' - now, sadly, closed down by his Bishop.

But, it is interesting, looking back, to witness the bigotry and venom expressed by the usual gang of suspects, Dawkins, Tatchell and others.

It is, indeed, quite frightening to see the mob in full flow; but, even more frightening to think that it is not just the Pope that their bile is aimed at.

It is aimed at Jesus Christ and his Church.

And, of course, it is also aimed at us.

Get used to it, this is just the tip of the iceberg. It's getting worse by the minute.

 

https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/3gOVN2uEm8Q/mqdefault.jpg

 

The Franciscan Friars and Oliver Cromwell

The link between the two appears tenuous.

The FFI was not formed until  1998, some three hundred years after Cromwell ravaged Ireland using the phrase "Nits make lice" as a justification for the mass extermination of children and young people (especially).

The logic is good, the aim is bad; kill off the nits and the ideals and Faith of a nation never reach fruition to become the more dangerous lice.

My good friend, Mike Carroll (Ora Pro Nobis) reminded me of this when he commented on the scandalous fact that the founder of the FFI, Fr Stefano Manelli, has been forbidden to visit his parent's grave. See Fr Z on the matter HERE.

Here is an extract from Mike's comment:

..." If you look at the vocations video of the FFI it is not exactly portraying a dusty relic. It is very upbeat, modern, and really in a vein more befitting the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal i.e. the 'cool friars from the Bronx'. Somewhere in the mix of this came the rise of the Latin Mass and the powers that be don't like it and are panicking - because if a religious order that is portraying itself as vibrant and modern is turning to the Latin Mass then their Bugnini Novus Ordo experiment really is in danger..."

Here is the FFI's vocations video:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7V3iYeZU0E"

So, are the shocking attempts to shackle this Order part of a planned and cynical campaign to nip in the bud an aspect of the orthodox Faith that is attractive to the young?

So attractive, in fact, that vocations are booming and a considerable following of, mainly, young Catholic laity, beginning to emerge.

If this is the case, and, I suspect it to be so, it reminds me of another incident when a similar turn of events took place.

Step back to the early 1980s when all was in disarray and all hope on the verge of extinction.
Gradually, the order formed by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the Society of St Pius X, took on prominence.

Word of their existence spread slowly, no internet then, of course, and their very being was like a breath of fresh air to those of us who hungered for something more than a protestantised Mass, banal hymns and sermons on the sanctity of Ghandi.

But, in 1988, the more than reasonable request that the Society made, namely, to be allowed to select their own bishops rather than have Vatican stooges imposed upon them, resulted in Archbishop Lefebvre going ahead and consecrating his four good men and true; well, he got it right with three of them!

The result was the so called 'excommunications' but, more than that, for us poor grassroots laity, it meant that the bishops had received a clear and unequivocal signal that it was legitimate to bash the traditionalists - and bash us they did.

And one of their key moves was to ban any publicity or advertising of Tridentine Latin Masses that were scheduled.

Our own dear bishop actually stated that he did not want children attending such Masses (hence, of course, the reason why so many EF Masses were held at 6.30pm on a Wednesday).

"Nits make lice" was rearing its ugly head yet again.

More was to follow; young priests who were celebrating the old Mass were persecuted by their bishops and many left in a state of shock and despair.

I still pass one or two in the street today and they look unhappy and betrayed to the point of being furtive.

Because of our stance, we were dubbed as 'heretics' by our curate  - more was to follow; our children were isolated and ignored at their Catholic school and excluded from parish life.

We made the decision to never again attend a Novus Ordo Mass and so began a very strained period that lasted, in the main, until Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope.

Now that the same type of sinister moves are being made against the FFI we can, I think, expect more of the same.

It always used to be said that what was needed to re-vitalise the Catholic Faith in England and Wales, was a good dose of persecution.

So relish the fact that we are part of the re-vitalisation process and prepare for more to come.

And cling on to the fact that we are not suffering the fate of so many of our martyrs: death on the scaffold - not yet, at any rate.



 

So, you think you are a Catholic right?

But are you really a Catholic? 
One who lives, eats and breathes the Faith?

We need more than pious expressions

By that I do not mean spending your day with your hands clasped together and an annoyingly pious look on your face.

I mean that, in every action of your working or social day life, do you weigh up responses and actions and words so that you both reflect the light of Christ and convey to those around you that you are one of the Flock, not one of the herd?

It's not easy.

It's going to get tougher.

The pressure on Christians, and on Catholics in particular, is becoming more intense daily.

This is not an 'Apocalypse Now' sort of a post, but, it must be admitted, that the end of times should ever be in our thoughts.

This is a post concerning the downward spiral of morals and morality; the decline of decency and the upsurge of war, terror, famine and pestilence.

Back in the 1970s, the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen was proclaiming that "Christendom is dead.....Christendom is finished" - but he went on to say that Christianity was still alive.

45 years later it may be true to say that Christianity is in its death throes; the Holy Father has said that the Catholic Church could fall like a house of cards. He does not mean (I trust) that it will disappear off the face of the earth, we know that, in the end "my Immaculate Heart will triumph" but we are likely to be flattened and scattered just as a house of cards, when it collapses.

I trust that I will not be around to see Holy Mother Church in extremis.

But the young Catholics of today will have to face....what?

Not just abuse and derision, we have had that ever since Christ trod the earth.

They will have to face actual persecution, imprisonment and, as in Egypt, Syria, Kenya and Pakistan at present - a real and bloody martyrdom.

Persecution, in the western world, will take the form of accusations and trials for those who resist the incoming tide of sewage.

Same Sex "Marriages", collaboration in abortions, opposition to fundamentalist Islam (which will, mark my words, morph into everyday Islam) - in short, any form of opposition to the politically correct agenda, whether outwardly secular or, inwardly, from within the Church, will result in Catholics suffering for the Faith.

Not just Catholic Doctors and Nurses but also clerical and administrative workers, social workers, hoteliers and those in the hospitality industry, pharmacists, the list is endless.

Sooner or later, all will be called to witness their Faith.

What can be done?

Right now we can pray the Rosary, live the Fatima message of penance and reparation.

We can also recognise that apparently minor drift such as allowing Muslim prayer rooms in Catholic Schools and 'Inter faith' visits to the local mosque or temple, are actually far from being 'inter faith' and are purely one sided, encouraging Catholics to participate in idolatry and heresy.

Priests who stray from Canon Law in their dress, behaviour or liturgical abuses need to be brought to account.
Bishops should be reported to the Nuncio or Rome direct.

And our fellow Catholics must be made aware, not by shoving latin texts down their throats but by reasoned, charitable debate - they have a very long journey to make, not having looked in the mirror for quite some time.

We need to make our Faith shine out so that, by our deeds, words and actions, we show that there is opposition to moral decay; that the forces of darkness cannot command the high ground - that ground belongs to us and we will not surrender it.

It may surprise some to learn that the majority of Muslims believe that we church going Christians are a degenerate, immoral bunch of savages.

One small way of rolling back those misconceptions is to say Grace before meals when in mixed company; inaudibly to ourselves (and God) and by making the sign of the Cross.

If you have not done that in public before, it takes a little bit of teeth gritting until you get used to it.

I remember having a coffee at Heathrow Airport a few years back when my attention was caught by a young woman at a nearby table, about to tuck into her meal. She paused for a second, blessed herself, said Grace and then blessed herself again.

That example gave me the courage to start saying Grace before meals in public.

It is the young Catholics who will inspire and enthuse and ensure Our Lady's promise will be fulfilled.

It's not that I'm paranoid......

....but someone's out to get me!

Oh no! Not the limp lettuce leaf...anything but that....please!

Observant readers may have noticed the rapid decline of my voting poll in the sidebar. Four days ago, the tally was 140 souls who had voted, virtually all utterly opposed to Muslim Prayer Rooms in Catholic Schools.

Roughly 5% were in favour (who they?) I think I can guess.

Now, my poll has been snaffled, hacked, got at, knobbled......the votes have disappeared and only a few voters are appearing, something like 10, (sniff!).

I am, of course, not pointing a finger at any individual or coven group. It might well have been a blip on Blogger, who knows?

But, in the light of approaches that have been made to me, it may be worth repeating my new mantra, that names of signatories will not be revealed to any person other than their Graces, Smith & Mennini.

I know that quite  few Catholic teachers have signed up, considerably distressed at what is going on.

I know that the forces of greyness would not hesitate to bring influence to bear to persecute these good people.

It is an irony, is it not? That Catholic persecution in the western world today, is undertaken by those in authority within the Church and their insipid feminist hangers on.

On the plus side is the fact that, being attacked by these people is rather like going three rounds in the ring with a limp lettuce leaf!

If you have not done so, please sign by leaving your name in the comment box or by emailing me on r.collinsassoc@btinternet.com

And - if you don't know what all this is about, please visit my more recent posts.

The Prime Minister's gift to the Catholics of Britain



Pseudo 'marriage' is upon us, God bless our Bishops, priests and teachers and give them the strength to uphold the one, true Faith.

It takes courage to stand in front of a firing squad....

...without a sign of fear. In fact, it takes more than courage, it takes above all else, faith. Especially if you stand with your back to a wall after refusing the customary blindfold and proclaim “Viva Cristo Rey!” in ringing tones.

Bl Miguel Pro whose
feast it is today, and
who died 23rd
November 1927

Two seconds later the volley of shots rings out and a martyr’s crown is won in the only way possible, by giving up one’s life for love of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world.

Miguel Pro was born in Mexico on 13th January 1891 and received the baptismal names of José Ramón Miguel Agustín.  His father was manager of a mine and young Miguel had ten siblings.

Life was relatively hard in the Pro household but Miguel showed, from an early age, a sincere sense of spirituality and a strong and mischievous sense of humour.

Dubbed ‘Miguelito’ and, when he was a little older, ‘Cocol,’ he played joke after joke on his brothers and sisters but never with any malice.

By 1911, Miguel had determined on a life dedicated to Christ, not an easy decision to take as Mexico was descending into one of the worst periods of persecutions of the faith since the Reformation. He joined the Jesuit order but within three years he had to flee with his fellow seminarians to California and then to Spain in order to continue his studies in peace and safety.

He was ordained in Belgium in 1925 and lost no time in returning to his beloved Mexico despite knowing full well the perils he faced under the persecutions instigated by the dictator, President Calles.

Immediately, he went underground to carry out his ministry. He travelled the country, hearing confessions, celebrating Holy Mass and taking the Blessed Sacrament to the sick and the infirm.

He had many narrow escapes; once when celebrating Mass in a house that was raided. Fr Pro donned a policeman’s outfit and  coolly walked out through the cordon, telling the officers on guard: "It's about time you caught that rascal Pro".

On another occasion, while being pursued, he took the arm of a startled young woman passing by, stuck a cigar in his teeth and engaged her in close conversation. The police raced past the couple leaving Fr Pro space in which to escape.

His daring and his dedication soon made him a legend, popping up on all sorts of occasions and in all sorts of disguises; he took on the mantle of a clerical Scarlet Pimpernel and the authorities put a price on his head. They wanted this man above all others.

The making of a martyr, captured on film

In the end they caught him along with his brother Roberto.

Fr Pro was taken out of the prison into the yard and put up against a wall. He took out his rosary and knelt in a brief prayer after refusing to be blindfolded. Standing, he held out his arms in the form of a cross’ and proclaimed “Viva Cristo Rey.”

The firing squad did their duty and an officer delivered a single shot to the body as a coup de gras.

This clip is from a film about Blessed Miguel Pro……keep the tissues handy!

                    

                                PRAYER OF BLESSED MIGUEL PRO

Say this prayer if you are sick or troubled or…just say it anyway!

Does our life become, from day to day, more painful, oppressive, more replete with afflictions? Blessed be He a thousand times who desires it so. If life be harder, love makes it also stronger, and only this love, grounded on suffering, can carry the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Love without egotism, without relying on self, but enkindling in the depth of the heart an ardent thirst to love and suffer for all those around us: a thirst that neither misfortune nor contempt can extinguish….I believe, O Lord; but strengthen my faith…. Heart of Jesus, I love Thee; but increase my love. Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee; but give greater vigour to my confidence. Heart of Jesus, I give my heart to Thee; but so enclose it in Thee that it may never be separated from Thee. Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine; but take care of my promise so that I may be able to put it in practice even unto the complete sacrifice of my life.

Bl Miguel Pro

Graham Greene wrote an account of Fr Pro in his excellent book 'The Lawless Roads'

SUPPORT THE 'PROTECT THE SEAL' CAMPAIGN

Wot me?

No! not that sort of seal you idiot!..........................

This one......

The world is turning in on the Faith, first Ireland and now Australia, where will it end?

H/T to The Genesius blog Mulier Fortis and Fr Z