Fum, fum, fum!

A Catalan Carol........

And the lyrics.....(better in Catalan)

On the twenty-fifth of December
Fum, fum, fum
A little baby was born
Blonde and pale
Son of Virgin Mary
Was born in a cowshed
Fum, fum fum

There, at the top of the mountain
Fum, fum, fum
There are two little shepherds
Well bundled up, well bundled up
In a skin and a cloak
They’re eating eggs and sausage
Fum fum fum

Overnight, the sun goes out
Fum fum fum
They see the glowing angel
Who tells them:
Now was born, in a cowshed
The Infant God, son of Mary
Fum, fum, fum

On the twenty-fifth of December
Fum fum fum
Is Christmas day
Very important
When morning Mass is over
We’ll eat very nice food
Fum fum fum

May God give us some holy celebrations
Fum fum fum
Be it cold, be it hot
It’ll be best, it’ll be best
Let’s make Jesus a great celebration
So he’ll want to give us Glory
Fum fum fum

A vint-i-cinq de desembre(Catalan)

A vint-i-cinq de desembre
Fum, fum, fum
A nascut un minyonet
Ros i blanquet, ros i blanquet
Fill de la Verge Maria
N’és nat en una establia
Fum fum fum.

Aquí a dalt de la muntanya
Fum, fum, fum
Si n’hi ha dos pastorets
Abrigadets, abrigadets
Amb la pell i la samarra
Mengen ous i botifara.
Fum, fum, fum

Nit enllà el sol desperta
Fum, fum, fum
Veuen l’angel resplendent
Que els va dient :
Ara es nat a l’establia
Deu infant fill de Maria
Fum, fum, fum

A vint-i-cinc de desembre
Fum, fum, fum
És el dia de Nadal
Molt principal
En sortint de les Maitines
Menjarem cosetas finas
Fum, fum, fum

Déu nos dó unes santes festes
Fum, fum, fum
Faci fred faci calor
Serà el millor, serà el millor
De Jesús fem gran memòria
Perqué ens vulgui dar la Glòria
Fum, fum, fum



If Christ came down to Earth once more where would you find Him?

Not among the tent dwellers of St Paul's, most definitely not.

Not even among the poor and dispossessed in Wapping or Brighton or the Bronx.

He would not be in Westminster Cathedral (some say He has not been there for some time)

No sign of him in the hospitals and hospices - what sort of Saviour do we have?

But, you will find Him in the City of London and Wall Street, mixing with the bankers and financiers.

He will also be a visitor to Parliament and other places where politicians dwell.

Look for Him in the nightclubs, the gay bars and casinos of the West End and the Latin Quarter.

You see.......He came to heal the sick; the spiritually sick.

Those who stand in most need of salvation.

The Scribes, Publicans, Pharisees, Bankers, Pimps and Prostitutes.

In these times we do need to turn over a few tables
 But we also need to pray for those in authority.

"It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick"

 So while it may be open season on bankers at present it should be remembered that they are in need of our charity - charity in the form of prayer.

And what of the Bishops, those who have spiritual rule over us?

They also are in need of our prayers and our pity. And also, at times, our constructive criticisms and the turning over of a few tables.

Christina Rossetti -

"Love came down at Christmas"

Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine, Love was born at Christmas, Star and Angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead, Love Incarnate, Love Divine, Worship we our Jesus, But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token, Love shall be yours and love be mine, Love to God and all men, Love for plea and gift and sign.

Kim Jong-il is dead

                  "But I thought that I was The Dear Leader....."


May Almighty God have mercy on his soul and may the light of Christ shine once more in North Korea for the relief of the poor and oppressed

Found! The God particle!

An exciting breakthrough on the Higgs boson front.......scientists have discovered the God particle at every valid Catholic Mass in the world!

Wikipedia describes a particle as follows:-

In the physical sciences, a particle is a small localized object to which can be ascribed several physical properties such as volume or mass.^[1][2] The word is rather general in meaning, and is refined as needed by various scientific fields.
Whether objects can be considered particles depends on the scale of the context; if an object's own size is small or negligible, or if geometrical properties and structure are irrelevant, then it can be considered a particle.^[3] For example, grains of sand on a beach can be considered particles because the size of one grain of sand (c. 1 mm) is negligible compared to the beach, and the features of individual grains of sand are usually irrelevant to the problem at hand.

Seems pretty clear.

And for those who dislike the label of 'God particle' those all wise men of science are offering an alternative, it's Oom - yes, really. It stands for 'Origin of mass' or..........
................should that be 'Origin of Mass?'

Photo: Communio

A poem on St Govan

 Further to my post in November concerning the Irish Saint and Welsh hermit, St Govan, Brigit at St Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association sent me an email and poem on this little known saint:



St Govan (Gavin) of Ireland and of Wales


"When I was on holiday in Wales a couple of years ago I came across this poem to Saint Govan:"

'St Govan St Govan, he built him a cell By the side of the Pembroke sea, And there, as the crannied sea-gulls dwell, In a tiny, secret citadel He sighed for eternity.

St Govan, he built him a cell Between the wild sky and the sea, Where the sunsets redden the rolling swell And brooding splendour has thrown her spell On valley and moorland lea.

St Govan still lies in his cell But his soul, long since is free, And one may wonder - and who can tell-
 If good St Govan likes Heaven as well As his cell by that sounding sea?'

A. G. Prys-Jones in D.M. and E. M. Lloyd, eds., A Book of Wales (Collins)

The ten marks of a Catholic school

What makes a school Catholic?

It's name?

Not necessarily, in fact, I would not regard most Catholic schools in the UK as being Catholic in the sense that they reflect the teachings of Holy Mother Church.

Most do not.
Most employ a large number of non Catholic teachers who cannot reasonably be expected to embrace the Catholic "ethos", if that is the correct word to describe an institution that looks, sounds and behaves as a Catholic school should.
Ambience is not quite right either; and "identity" is a shade obscure, perhaps "spirit" is the word to be used.

Anyone wearing this could not have
attended a real Catholic school!

Does school X reflect the Catholic spirit?

Here are ten points that would entitle a school to claim that it has the "Catholic spirit"

1. Morning class prayers or school assembly
2. Crucifix on the wall of every classroom
3. Weekly school Mass
4. Catechism as the keystone of religious education studies
5. No ‘sex education’ programmes (in the secular sense) taught
6. School choir versed in plainchant
7. Latin in the curriculum
8. School ‘houses’ named after saints rather than animals or (worse) rock bands
9. An ordained priest as School Chaplain
10. A strict but fair regime of discipline



Photo credit: Traditional Catholic and originally from Fr Simon Henry

At Christmas - a family funeral. How sad, how beautiful!

I posted a few days ago on the sudden death of actress Hal Dyer, real name, Shirley Robbins.

Hal Dyer aka Shirley Robbins RIP

A comment rebuked me a little for not highlighting Shirley's peak career as being her appearances in the long running series, 'On the Buses' but, in all truth, I believe that Shirley's performances, par excellence, were in the various children's programmes that she graced with her warm and vivacious style.

Richard and Sheila Owen (whom I met briefly aeons ago) have sent me details of Shirley's Requiem.

They are as follows:-

Wednesday 21st December at 15.00 hours at the Church of St Bernard, Vicarage Road, Lingfield, Surrey, RH7  EZ

Floral tributes may be sent to the undertakers:

Alex Jones 1 East Grinstead Road, Lingfield Surrey RH7 6EP.  01342 832534

Mike and Shirley's children, Ben and Sarah, will also be organising a  memorial service at a later date, probably in Covent Garden.

Any death brings an element of sadness but the death of a good Catholic, having lived to a goodly age, also brings an element of wonder and beauty.
Living in God's good grace (as St Thomas More might have said) gives us the hope of eternal life and the hope also, ultimately, of a joyful reunion with one's spouse.

A beautiful thought; Mike and Shirley together again.

Relief is at hand!

No, not that, we all know about that important event. I am referring to relief for those of you kind souls who visit this blog from time to time.

This week, as from today, in fact, I am on the road (along with Mrs L) carrying out a mixture of family, business and social duties.
We start at Morriston today with Holy Mass and go onwards and eastwards from there. London, Nottingham and Birmingham are in our sights so it will be a busy week.

So......no whinging and whining and carping from me for a bit - a chance for you to recover your wits and lower your blood pressure.

But I just had to leave you with this image which comes from the
Vultus Christi blog via The Little Way.

Quite the most beautiful Virgin and Child I have seen.

Hope you agree. God bless. Back c. 17th December.

The Cherry Tree Carol......

.... by Welsh singer,  Mary Hopkin

C'mon LMS give us a Mass for Christmas!

A Latin Mass on The Feast of the Nativity, in the country's largest Diocese, with the most churches and priests, headed up by the leader of all Catholics in England and Wales - not too much to ask for is it?

Give us a Mass Guv'nor!

There have to be a few retired priests who would have a burning desire to say the UA Mass on the anniversary of Our Saviour's birth?

Maybe the LMS might know one or two? No?

Ah well, if anyone knows of a Mass within, say, 20 miles of Welwyn Garden City, please let me know.

The northern outpost of the Archdiocese of Westminster
in 1650 - the only change is that they had more Masses
in those days!

Shirley Robbins RIP

Sad news reached me that Shirley Robbins (Hal Dyer) died this week.

Shirley's stage name was Hal Dyer. you may still not be any wiser but she played so many parts in so many television favourites it hardly bears a count.
Z Cars, The Bill, Emergency Ward 10, Robin's Nest and, of course, on the buses where she played opposite her husband, Michael Robbins.

Shirley/Hal also featured in Doctor at Large and a whole variety of children's TV programmes including Rentaghost and Grandad.

I knew Mike Robbins rather better than Shirley but used to regularly meet both of them at what used to be the British European Airways centre in the Cromwell Road, (where I went for my morning coffee and they went to jet off to various exotic destinations).

They were a delightful couple and Shirley looked and acted the part of the dizzy blonde whilst, in reality, she was an intelligent and amusing person.

Both Mike and Shirley were outstanding Catholics and played a major role in Catholic amateur dramatics in the London area.

Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.