One of the liturgical practices that has most often landed me in hot water over the years and earned approbation, condemnation and censure has been the Sign of Peace. Over the years I have come to offer the instruction to the congregation to exchange the Sign of Peace less and less, so that now it is [...]
Thanks to everyone who came to High Mass last night for the centenary of the First World War - servers, assisting and visiting priests, music department, congregation and helpers in the kitchen afterwards! It seems we were all too busy praying for anyone to have taken any photographs so the remains in the sacristy are [...]
“Customs are generally unselfish. Habits are nearly always selfish.” Fr Hunwicke draws attention to the "mutual enrichment" between the ancient and the newer forms of the Mass, picking up on a theme in an interview by the Abbot of Fontgombault, reported on Rorate Caeli and elewhere. The Abbot suggests: "Many young priests attached to the lectionary [...]
"Be on your guard lest anyone, eager for revolutionary changes, writes against the use of Latin in the Liturgy." - St John XXIII We celebrated the canonisation of the Popes today with a shrine set up for the occasion. Certainly there were many reminiscences from those who had seen St John Paul on his visit to [...]
A couple of weeks ago in one of the comments (anonymous) the readers of this blog were referred to as "mostly right-wingers". I've been meaning to take the person to task, as being described as "right-wing" or even "traditional" is one of my bug-bears. One of the speakers at the Confraternity Conference in Reading (I think [...]
Many priests will recall from their seminary days hearing the Liturgy Prof wax lyrical about the difference between Domus Dei and Domus Ecclesiae. Domus Dei is the House of God - churches as they had been built for 1,700 years since the wicked Emperor Constantine corrupted the Church by making it grand and imperial. You know, [...]
It's not that unusual to hear about Christians getting into hot water at work in this country for displaying their Faith in some way. The story below tells of Margaret Forrester who was sacked in 2010 by her National Health Service employers for sharing her views on abortion with other colleagues. Having taken her employers to [...]
Zenit carries an article by Rome's Director of Liturgy Carmelite Father Giuseppe Midili, director of the Liturgical Office of the Vicariate of Rome. He explains the Importance and Meaning of the Corpus Christi Feast this Thursday, when the Holy Father will preside over Holy Mass in the courtyard of Saint John Lateran, and then lead the [...]
EWTN News reports that the man behind organising the recent 'ad limina' visits of America's bishops to Rome, British born Mgr. Anthony Figueirdo, says that Pope Benedict has called on the U.S. Catholic Church to help rescue and revive Christian culture. "The Holy Father spoke of the challenges in marriage, in family life, in growing secularization, [...]
Hundreds of thousands of people from over 140 countries are currently attending the World Meeting of Families in Milan to discuss issues affecting marriage and family life. Pope Benedict travels to Milan on Friday to meet with those attending the 5-day event and will remain in the northern Italian city until Sunday. Among the participants at [...]
