Tuesday 20 September 2011

Fr Ignatius Harrison to head the Birmingham Oratory; Fr Gareth Jones to be his Assistant

The admirable Reluctant Sinner, whose blog I heartily recommend, has posted this news from Peter Jennings, press secretary to the Archbishop of Birmingham.

Interesting, in view of the Apostolic Visitation last year at the Birmingham Oratory. Fr Harrison was the second Visitor (Fr Felix Selden being the first) and Fr Jones the canonical adviser to the Visitation.

I have a funny feeling that it won’t be long before Catholic and Loving it, and others, have something to say on the matter.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Please read Lux Occulta on Maynooth and the Irish Church (and by extension, all of us).

I urge you to read this devastating post from Shane on his excellent blog Lux Occulta. The text he has made available to us dates from 1978, and refers to the spiritual collapse of the seminary of Maynooth and of the Irish Church in general. I read it, however, with an increasing sense that much of it applies equally to the Church in England and Wales. Some of my overseas readers may gain the same impression in regard to their own countries.

I wish I could post a comment to thank Shane for his post, but although I am registered with Wordpress I cannot get into it to use it. I don’t know why.

Monday 5 September 2011

Our first revised Sunday Mass was rather good!

This morning I sent an email to my parish priest, thanking him for leading us so well through our first Sunday Mass using the revised translation. It really went very well. Everyone seemed to be concentrating hard, determined to make a good job of it. "And also with you" crept in here and there, but that was only to be expected. Once or twice the priest struggled slightly with the different rhythm of a sentence, but he managed just fine.

There was a lovely, cheerful atmosphere in the congregation; a great spirit of unity with the celebrant, and, I thought, a sense of achievement when the Mass was completed. A gold star for all concerned!