One of my aunts had an early 20th century book on etiquette, I paraphrase this part which was, I think under dinner parties.
I am afraid I have two alternatives, either to now retire to my library with a bottle of whiskey and a loaded revolver or to immediately catch the boat-train to the continent and head for Marseilles to join the Foreign Legion, though in the case of a priest I understand joining a very ascetic monastery in the remotest part of southern Europe or North Africa is almost acceptable, whilst "Society" holds my name in disdain as a cad and bounder.
Why? Because I forgot to go to this, having accepted an invitation:
Mac has pictures which demonstrate my absence.
....and so to Marseilles, do the Legion have chaplains?
The obligation to attend an engagement, having once accepted an invitation, is so grave that should one die between the acceptance of the invitation and the event, one must ensure that one's executors fulfil such obligations.
I am afraid I have two alternatives, either to now retire to my library with a bottle of whiskey and a loaded revolver or to immediately catch the boat-train to the continent and head for Marseilles to join the Foreign Legion, though in the case of a priest I understand joining a very ascetic monastery in the remotest part of southern Europe or North Africa is almost acceptable, whilst "Society" holds my name in disdain as a cad and bounder.
Why? Because I forgot to go to this, having accepted an invitation:
Society of St. Catherine of Siena Annual Mass - 7 May 2009, Hospital of Ss. John & Elizabeth, St. John’s Wood, London The Society’s Annual Mass will be celebrated at 6.30pm by kind permission of Fra' Frederik Crichton Stuart, Grand Prior, in the Conventual Chapel of the Knights of Malta at the Hospital of Ss. John and Elizabeth in St. John's Wood. It will be celebrated as a Solemn Pontifical Mass in the traditional rite by Mgr. Malcolm McMahon OP, Bishop of Nottingham.
Mac has pictures which demonstrate my absence.
8 comments:
I think you sing all the verses of Give me joy in my heart keep me prasing as a penance.
Fr Ray Blake the 'Beau Geste' of Brighton! :-)
Don't dissappear until after the most important event to hit Brighton Town in a million years - your 25th Jubilee Celebration High Latin Mass!
Does St Mary Magdalen Church have bells, if so RING 'EM!!! All day!
PS - those duelling pistols look pretty awesome - bet they would cost a bob or two at auction?
Hit a sixpenny piece at 100 paces!
Missionary activity in Antarctica might also be acceptable.
According to Ruth Gledhill, ++Coramc Murphy-O'Connor is an inpatient there this week (having been transferred from Leeds).
Oh, dear. Can't even think up a good polite lie for this faux pas. You can take one of two courses:
1) Avoid whomever invited you for the next five years - and hope it blows over.
2) Lie BIG. "sorry about that, old man. I'd quite forgotten Her Majesty had invited to me to dinner that same night." If you cross your fingers behind your back when you say that, it doesn't count. Really.
[Nice looking pistols!]
To be a proper cad and bounder you have to have a moustache you can stroke as you smirk. I'm not sure if a monocle is obligatory or not.
For your info, Father, the Legion do indeed have chaplains: I once played for Mass celebrated by one of them ;)
Just so long as you don't forget the "do" in Brighton on Tuesday...
And the penance is having to read past copies of The Tablet...
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