Resurgence of Chant

I attended the initial meeting of the Gregorian Chant Network at the London Oratory recently. It was heartening to meet so many committed to Chant, and to learn how much is going on around the country (and beyond, with representatives from the other home nations).

Meanwhile, up North where we are, there are three Chant Workshops planned:

Wakefield, 24th April
North Ormesby, 8th May
Lancaster Cathedral, 26th June

More details here: http://tinyurl.com/ycewjjc

Please spread the word.

Don't forget the weekend course 9-11th April in the Oratory School, near Reading: http://tinyurl.com/ygskqty

To find you r local Schola or Church where Chant is sung regularly, contact the Gregorian Chant Network.

Attention Dissident Nuns!

Reading St Therese's autobiography, I came across this:

'How enviable it is, the simple creed of the religious, who has only one compass to steer by, the will of her superiors! She knows for certain, all the time, that she is on the right path; there's no fear that she can go wrong, even when she feels fairly certain that her superiors are wrong. When people lose sight of this unfailing guide, refusing to follow it and claiming to follow the will of God, which has been misunderstood by his representatives, they find themselves, all at once, wandering about on desert paths where the supply of grace is bound to dry up before long.'

How counter cultural is that!

I won't name the sisters who spring to mind as I read this - but if the veil fits, how I wish you would wear it!

Sexualisation of our kids...

Part of me thinks it really takes an academic to state the bleedin' obvious: 'Author Dr Linda Papadopoulos said there was a clear link between sexualised imagery and violence towards females.
Her report said the material children were being exposed to included the growth of lads' mags and pornography on mobile phones, through to big-name fashion brands using sexual imagery to advertise clothes targeted at young teenagers.'

But sadly, it is really important that this is said as so many are in denial over it - and lending common sense and experience some academic credibility is sadly necessary.

Dr P. continues: "Unless sexualisation is accepted as harmful, we will miss an important opportunity … to broaden young people's beliefs about where their value lies,"

Expect a barrage of responses form other academics questioning her methodology and personal integrity, and asserting that links are not proven - just in the same way links between tobacco and ill-health were not proven for so long, costing countless deaths...

Courage and hope

Alison Davies gave an excellent interview on the PM programme tonight about the need for compassion for those who want to die - compassion being helping them find a reason to want to live.

Curiously, today's pm is not on BBC iPlayer: yesterday's and the days before's are... Was it off message?

I think we should be told...

trades description legislation

I would love to see a suite of actions started against those organisations (Schools, Aid Agencies, Education Services) which use the title Catholic to persuade Catholics to support them, but are non- or anti-Catholic in their practice.


Any takers?...

Non Judgemental or plain dishonest? (again)....

I will refrain from commment on the outrageous CES as this has been well covered by Fr Finigan, John Smeaton, and many others.

However, it is worth addressing the great non-judgemental canard yet again, as the government has singled out for praise a 'Catholic' school that takes a non-judgemental approach to Sex Ed (including many anti-Catholic propositions).

I have blogged about this before here.

However, it is worth reiterating that to be non-judgemental about an action is to declare that we implicitly approve of it, or at least don't think it terribly wrong.

Just consider these options:

The government has announced a non-judgemental approach to smoking... to obesity... to murder... to teenage knife crime... to tax dodging... to drink driving... because, as we know, just saying No doesn't work...

CAFOD's Prayer: May Our Will Be Done

It's been a bit of a while since my last post - last year's resolution to slow it down a bit has been honoured! - but on reading CAFOD's leaflet for Family Fast Day, I thought a comment was needed.

The CAFOD Lent Prayer is the kind of thing you would expect - but I was struck by this: 'Spirit of God... Work through us so our vision becomes reality.'

It seems from this that CAFOD see God as an instrument for achieving the vision for reality they have fixed on, rather than seeing themselves as the instruments God may choose to use to accomplish His purpose.

In fact, strikes me as practically the antithesis of Christian prayer: 'Thy will be done.'

Or is it just me?....