Pagan Rites for Lesbian "Bishop"

While Congregation for Christian Unity privately seethes in Rome over the ordination in the Anglican Centre there of an Old Catholic priestess. In the US the "first openly lesbian bishop" has been ordained. The beginning of the rite can be seen here.  It consists of various native Americans doing there thing, ending up with a "smudging rite" an exorcism/blessing of the lady to be consecrated and her principle consecrator.
These preparatory ceremonies seems to show the real confusion over what the American shoot of the Anglican Church actually believes. It certainly doesn't seem to believe in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, in scripture or Tradition or in the efficacy of its own sacraments and prayers.
A friend, a former Anglican says, "I am not quite sure what Anglicans are supposed to believe in, everything can be fudged really, except, now, the belief in the ordination of women, that appears to be sole, undisputed belief of Anglicanism"

Abortion Advert

What has happened to Britain? There seems something very wrong when a television company chooses to advertise along with the latest car and fizzy drink Marie Stopes clinics. The killing of our young is appalling but not quite as appalling as putting it on mainstream television.
Do sign this petition, if you are a telvision watcher write and complain not only to the television company but other adverisers.
SPUC makes other suggestions.

Society of St Tarcissius

I have already agreed to start a Brighton branch of the Society of St Tarcissius, I was asked by our EF Master of Ceremonies on Sunday evening. So I was pleased to receive the press release this morning from the LMS on their new initiative, a link can be found here.

Some not very serious reason for staying in front of the altar

Yesterday I had a discussion about renewal of the liturgy with a priest friend both of us are convinced that no real renewal of the liturgy in the Ordinary Form will take place until priests return to ad orientem celebration. I do it on my day off, Mass is still at 10am but when I began I pointed out it was an "extra" Mass just in case people had difficulty with it, on the whole people don't have difficulty, they actually like it.
Going back to the traditional position, every scholar sees as being the way forward but pastorally it seems to be the big glitch, no priest wants to be the first in his diocese.
Priests need a reason - so here are some reasons a priest might use:

I am not facing you because I have come to realise I am amazingly ugly and will frighten small children therefore ....
A dear little pussycat has moved in behind the altar to give birth to her kittens so I'm staying this side to avoid disturbing her, therefore....
We have dry rot the other side of the altar, it is not safe therefore....
I have become claustrophobic therefore...
I just can't bear being watched all the time, you are always looking at me! therefore...
There is a huge angel with a fiery sword behind altar, can't you see it? therefore....
I have become immensely fat and will not fit behind the altar therefore....
Someone brought me some new shoes, it would be a shame not share a sight of that lady's charity with you, therefore ....
Fr X said Mass here last night, he is so holy I want to keep the place where he stood as relic, therefore ....
Mrs X in the third row is so holy I am dazzled by her sanctity, therefore ....
A species of rare bat has moved in behind the altar going within one meter of it will be an offence under the EU Wildlife Constitution Art. 78973 subsection K/17Bats leaving me liable to 15 years imprisonment, therefore...
I am just not going there it is dark and lonely, and there are spiders, therefore...

Ruin!

Harry Mount reports this dreadful news - not only has All Souls got rid of "The Essay" test but also "The Cherry Pie" test for potential fellows. Surely this is a sign that England has gone down the plug hole and everything is reduced to beige blandness. What has happened to the idiosyncrasy of our finest minds.

I blame Blair and Dawkins!

Jumping the Gun with ICEL

Following my report on using the new ICEL translation I have had a number of emails from different parts of the world but mainly from the UK, from laity and priests, saying that the new ICEL translations of the Eucharistic Prayers are already being used to a greater or lesser extent in their parishes. Priests who are not normally innovators tell me they have waited too long and would be doing their parishioners a serious disservice by continuing to use the old inaccurate translations. I have every sympathy with them, however our UK bishops have not yet sought Rome's permission for them to be implemented, so technically these priests are celebrating illicit Masses.
How serious is this willful act of dissent?
Well, it is the intention of the lawmaker, the Holy See, that these translations should be implemented, permission has been given for their use already in other parts of the world. A great deal of liturgical innovation has already been introduced by deliberate and wilful disobedience to the mind of the Church, the vernacular during the Council, communion in the hand after it, the use of lay persons to distribute Holy Communion, then later women and girls serving Mass, in the scheme of things jumping the gun with the new translation seems very small beer, especially as it is very much according to the mind of the Church that they be implemented.
A wise bishop would do well to try and stop other abuses in the liturgy rather than stomp on the pre-emptive use of texts, which with some minor adjustments, will become standard in the English speaking world. Indeed if I were a bishop I would welcome experimentation in preparatory catechesis for their introduction.

Rules

I was involved in a discussion about what the Church should be doing for young people, with a group of priests recently, like so many of those discussions, we didn't get anywhere, it is sad depressing thing about the Church: the status quo remains, even if it is not obviously not working, or is actually damaging!

Da Mihi Animas has this video on "male spirituality" - men above all seem to want to march in step. Someone, a little dismissively, said, "young people always want to know "the rules"". I am convinced confusion doesn't help, "the rules" at least give a basis for action, young people seem to crave action rather than theory. They want to live the Gospel rather than speculate about it.

Young men especially seem to want defined structures, the spirituality of the Centurion, Matt 8:8ff, seems to typify the attitude of many young men, there is a real desire to be under authority. The young men who followed Francis, Dominic, Ignatius, Philip chose join a brotherhood and wanted a Rule, in the same way as young men joining the army both want and need a very definite structure, in many cases the tougher and more demanding the better. Such structures are often used to define one particular group against another, in a competitive or tribal way; Franciscans versus Dominicans, Jesuits versus Oratorians or Royal Marine Commandos  versus the SAS. In the past the Church used that youthful sense of competition to stress an orders distinctive charism, the Carthusians stressed their solitude, the Trappists their silence, the Franciscans their poverty, the Jesuits their obedience, the Dominican's their learning etc.

Older religious communities of both men and women that have thrown off the habit and mitigated their Rule are dying and lost any sense of distinctiveness, whilst new religious communities that  have a distinct identity and make great demands on their members are growing, this is certainly so with the Missionaries of Charity, Opus Dei and, I have to admit, the Legionaries of Christ too, the same can be said of those communities that use the traditional Rite, indeed they seem to be filled with young.

A liberal might suggested Rules and rules tend to crush and institutionalise the individual, I am sure they can but they can also strengthen the individual and provide a scaffolding that enables a spiritual life to be built on firm foundations. They provide a common platform for living, delineating at least a minimum of behaviour.

The Archbishop of Dublin said recently that Irish young people are possibly the best catechised but least well evangelised in Europe, I am not sure quite what that means but I suspect that one of the problems in the Irish Church which is reflected in the UK and elsewhere is a profound confusion in how to live the Gospel, the last forty years have seen a serious confusion precisely over the "rules" of how to live the Gospel. The Church as an institution and even often especially as a "local community", now seems to insist on no minimum expectations. Liberalism thought was a help, now it seems to be a disaster.