Take A Pew With Me

Latin Mass Society Pilgrimage to Poland

2010-07-19T11:56:00.009+01:00

At the beginning of June I numbered among a fortunate few that went on a Pilgrimage to Poland. Based in Krakow we visited many of the ancient and beautiful shrines of Poland.

Led by two wonderful priests Fr Southwell and Fr Guziel we were blessed with having a Mass in the extraordinary form every day in one of the beautiful churches we explored.

Below I have tried to share some of the fantastic experiences we had:

The Sanctuary Of The Holy Cross Of The Cistercian Abbey In Mogiła

Within a few hours of getting off the plane we were off to visit our first church. The figure of the Miraculous Christ was spectacular and groves could be seen in the floor around the base of the altar where worshipers circle the altar on their knees as an act of penance. This was my first experience of this practice. Physical acts of penance over the years have become a bit of a taboo however although I am struggling to find the exact words to explain myself I feel they still have something special to offer spiritually which it perhaps overlooked in today's society.

In 1222 the Cistercians arrived in Mogiła. They built the church under the invocation of the Assumption of the Holy Mother and St. Vaclav, and the monastery in roman-gothic style. The church was consecrated in 1266 by the bishop to Cracow Jan (John) Prandota in the presence of Count Bolesław, his wife St. Kinga And numerously gathered worshippers.

The sculpture of the crucified Jesus, which was placed in the church, soon became famous for good graces and miracles. Many pilgrims were attracted to Mogiła to the feet of the Miraculous Christ, among them bishops, cardinals, kings and sovereigns such as Kazimir the Great (Kazimierz Wielki), Vladyslav Jagiello (Władysław Jagiełło) or St. Queen Jadwiga , but above all, the pious country folk, who came by the thousand throughout the years.

The figure of the Miraculous Christ is 192 cm tall and is covered with polychromy. It has natural hair which, according to the legend, was supposed to grow. The hips are covered by a piece of golden, embroidered material. This is the voto of the nobleman Żółtowski for being saved from the masacre made by the Turks in the battle of Cecora in 1620. Over the centuries people, being thankful for the graces and miracles, brought numerous gifts, later robbed by the Tatars, Swedes and Austrians. The ones we can see today have been brought recently by the grateful worshippers of the Mogilian Jesus. The monastery chronicles and stories say about the exceptional graces and miracles experienced by the praying people.

The high altar, made of stone, is the reconstruction of the old roman one. Over the high altar there is a late-gothic carved triptych from 1514. In the middle of it there is a statue of the Madonna-and-Child. On both wings there are scenes from the life of the Holy Family and the pictures of the Passion of Christ. What is more, in the monastery corridors we can observe the precious remains, among which is a triptych from the XVth century showing the Madon-na-ancl - Child and the Saints.

Extract from http://www.mogila.cystersi.pl/

Our Lady of Czestochowa

One thing that struck me most strongly about Poland was when I visited sites of pilgrimage I felt more surrounded by pilgrims than I did tourists, people who had come to show their devotion rather than take a quick photo, this added wonderfully to the atmosphere and was something I experienced again and again during my visit.

Saint Luke the Evangelist, according to tradition, is believed to be the original artist of this painting in which Mary is depicted holding the Christ Child. This sacred picture, enshrined and venerated at the renowned Marian Shrine in Poland, was first brought from Jerusalem through Constantinople and was bestowed to the Princess of Ruthenia. It was brought to Poland in 1382 through the efforts of Ladislaus of Opole who had discovered it in a castle at Belz. To ensure its protection, he invited the Monks of Saint Paul the First Hermit from Hungary to be its guardians.

From this time onward, the historic records of the painting are documented and authenticated by the miracles associated with the painting. In 1430, a devastating attack on the Polish Shrine resulted in tragic losses and the damaging of the holy picture. To this very day, despite the attempts to repair the damage, the slashes on the face of the Virgin Mary are still visible.

The foundation of the Monastery and Shrine in Czestochowa began with a small wooden church. Subsequent development (1632-48) led to the construction of the present day basilica and defense wall which surrounds the sacred buildings. Under the heroic leadership of the Prior of the Monastery, Father Augustine Kordecki, the Shrine withstood the attacks of the Swedish Invasion of 1655. This great victory proved to be a tremendous boost to the morale of the entire Polish nation.

As a result, King Jan Casimir, in 1656, made a solemn vow proclaiming the Mother of God to be the "Queen of the Polish Crown" and the Shrine of Jasna Gora to be the "Mount of Victory" and a spiritual capital for Poland.

During the years of Poland's partition (1772-1918) the Shrine of Jasna Gora became a vibrant link for the Polish people with their homeland. The holy painting enshrined at Czestochowa beamed as a lighthouse of hope during the painful years of national hardships and defeats.

Following the restoration of national independence in 1918, pilgrimages to the Polish Shrine grew in number and size. As World War II ended, a nation devastated by the scourges of war drew new strength and courage from the Shrine to rebuild and recover from the war. Today the Shrine of Czestochowa in Poland attracts millions of worshipers and tourists who come to honor the miraculous image of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

In 1966, in celebration of the 1000th Anniversary of Poland's Christianity, a National Shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa was dedicated in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and is under the direction of the Pauline Fathers and Brothers who also administer the Shrine in Poland.

Extract from www.polishamericancenter.org

The Wieliczka Salt Mine

To see what the miners had created with the salt down in the salt mines especially considering the conditions they would have been working in was truly spectacular.

The Salt Mine, located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland, lies within the Kraków metropolitan area. The mine continuously produced table salt from the 13th century until 2007 as one of the world's oldest operating salt mines (the oldest being the Bochnia Salt Mine).

The mine's attractions for tourists include dozens of statues and an entire cathedral that have been carved out of the rock salt by the miners. About 1.2 million persons visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine annually.

Commercial mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding.

The Wieliczka salt mine reaches a depth of 327 meters and is over 300 km long. It features a 3.5-km touring route for visitors (less than 1% of the length of the mine's passages) that includes historic statues and mythical figures. The oldest sculptures were carved out of rock salt by miners; more recent figures have been fashioned by contemporary artists. Even the crystals of the chandeliers are made from rock salt that has been dissolved and reconstituted to achieve a clear, glass-like appearance. The rock salt is naturally grey in various shades, so that the carvings resemble unpolished granite rather than the white or crystalline look that many visitors expect. The carvings may appear white in the photos, but the actual carved figures are not white.

At the end of the tour, there is a large cathedral and reception room that can be reserved for private functions such as weddings or private parties. Also featured is a large chamber with walls carved to resemble wooden chapels built by miners in earlier centuries; an underground lake; and exhibits on the history of salt mining. The Wieliczka mine is often referred to as "the Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland." It also houses a private rehabilitation and wellness complex.

Extract and Pictures from: www.kopalnia.pl

Wawel Cathedral

Being part of a pilgrimage group meant that we were fortunate enough to be allow into the Cathedral before it opened up to the public we had the whole place to ourselves had a beautiful Mass and a great little tour all before the crowds came in.

The 14th-century Wawel Cathedral (Katedra Wawelska), located inside Wawel Castle in Krakow, is the spiritual center of the Polish state. The burial place of nearly all Polish kings and national heroes, it was also the cathedral of Pope John Paul II before he left for the Vatican.

Wawel Cathedral and Castle stand on Wawel Hill, a 15-acre rocky limestone outcropping on the banks of the Vistula River, dominating Old Town Krakow. The hill is a natural point for fortification on the otherwise flat Vistula Plain.

In the 8th century Wawel Hill was topped with a tribal stronghold; since the 10th century it has hosted a royal residence and the seat of the bishops of Kraków. From 1037, when Kraków became the capital of Poland, Polish kings were crowned and buried in Wawel Cathedral.

The present cathedral, the third to stand on this site, was begun in 1320 and completed in 1364. The original austere structure remains mostly unchanged today, save for some Renaissance and baroque chapels that now huddle up against it.

Father Karol Wojtyla, later to become Pope John Paul II, said his first Mass in the crypt of Wawel Cathedral on November 3, 1946. Seventeen years later, he took over the cathedral as Archbishop of Krakow. Fifteen years after that, he led the entire Roman Catholic world as Pope.
The dark interior of Wawel Cathedral contains no less than 18 chapels full of religious art. The most notable of these is the Kaplica Zygmuntowska (Sigismund Chapel), built 1517-33 by the Florentine architect Bartolomeo Berrecci. The chapel houses the tombs of King Sigismund, King Sigismund II Augustus and Anna Jagiellonka.

Easily identifiable on the exterior by its golden dome, the Sigismund Chapel is considered to be the finest Renaissance chapel north of the Alps. The sculptures, stuccos and paintings were designed by some of the most renowned artists of the age, including the architect Berrecci, Georg Pencz, Santi Gucci and Hermann Vischer.

Dominating the nave of the cathedral is the mausoleum of St. Stanislav, Poland's patron saint. The 11th-century Krakow bishop was murdered by King Boleslav II. The saint's silver coffin (circa 1670) is adorned with 12 relief scenes from his life and posthumous miracles. Marble tombs of four 17th-century Krakow prelates adjoin that of their predecessor.

Since 1037, Wawel Cathedral has been the burial place of Polish kings, even after the capital moved to Warsaw. The royal tombs of all but four of Poland's 45 rulers can be seen in the cathedral's side chapels and in the 12th-century St. Leonard's Crypt. King Kazimierz the Great's tomb is to the right of the main altar, made of red marble.

From the 19th century, only great national heroes were honored by a burial in Wawel Cathedral. These include: Tadeusz Kosciuszko (buried 1817); the great romantic poets Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Slowacki (whose bodies were brought back from exile for burial here); and Marshal Józef Pilsudski, the hero of independent Poland between the two world wars (buried in the crypt in 1935).
The cathedral also has a treasury, archives, library, and museum. Among the displays in the library, which is one of the earliest in Poland, is the 12th-century Emmeram Gospel from Regensburg.

Another major attraction of the cathedral is a climb to the Sigismund Tower, reached through the sacristy and a wooden staircase. The tower holds the famous Sigismund Bell (Zygmunt Bell), commissioned in 1520 by King Sigismund the Old.

The great bell is one-third heavier and 350 years older than Big Ben in London. It is tolled only on solemn state and church occasions, including the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

Extract and Pictures from: www.sacred-destinations.com

Corpus Christi Procession

We visited so many wonderful places during our pilgrimage to Poland that it is difficult to highlight one event above the rest but the Corpus Christi Procession has to come close. I have included some clips I took of the procession below.

This is the beginning of the procession as it leaves the Cathedral in Krakow and heads towards The Church of the Virgin Mary in the Market Square.

This is just a very short clip capturing some of the group as they join the procession.

The procession paused four times on its journey to The Church of the Virgin Mary each re-presenting the four corners of the world. This clip shows the first time the procession stops and includes the sermon which was preached at the time.

This is a clip of the procession as it moves towards the market square and is final destination The Church of the Virgin Mary. I was trying to capture the vast numbers of people in attendance and some of the singing.

This clip is one of two capturing the procession as it arrives at its destination outside The Church of the Virgin Mary in the market square.

This is clip two of two capturing the arrive of the Blessed Sacrament as it arrives at its destination outside The Chruch of the Virgin Mary in the market square.

Auschwitz

One the last full day of our Pilgrimage we went to Auschwitz. I found my time there to be quiet and respectful. The detailed tour helped me appreciate more the vast numbers of people that died and suffered in camps like this during the second world war. The pictures and exhibits were sensitively and well presented fully delivering the devastating message of what evils the human race is capable of.

All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by Germans in 1940, in the suburbs of Oswiecim, a Polish city that was annexed to the Third Reich by the Nazis. Its name was changed to Auschwitz, which also became the name of Konzentrationslager Auschwitz.

The direct reason for the establishment of the camp was the fact that mass arrests of Poles were increasing beyond the capacity of existing "local" prisons. Initially, Auschwitz was to be one more concentration camp of the type that the Nazis had been setting up since the early 1930s. It functioned in this role throughout its existence, even when, beginning in 1942, it also became the largest of the death camps.

Extract from: www.en.auschwitz.org.pl

I have tried to share one activity from each day on this post however there were many other churches and places I have not mentioned here, the Divine Mercy Shrine and the City of Krakow itself just to give two examples. I truly had a wonderful time and found my experience to be holisticly energising. For anyone planing a break to Poland or considering going on a Latin Mass Society Pilgrimage I would encourage them not to hesitate and enbrace the opportunity. If any of the group happen to read this entry and would like to share your thoughts or just to say hello I would love to hear from you.

3/7 St Sebastian's

2010-06-15T16:35:00.016+01:00

I must admit I was initially disappointed when I entered the church of St Sebastian. Having been to St Peter's and St Paul's and knowing little about the Seven Church Pilgrimage I had expected something on a grander scale than what lay before me.

A short flip through my guides however revealed to me the spiritual significance of the place, especially for any individual fond of St Philip at it was in St Sebastian's Catacombs on Pentecost in 1544 while deep in prayer the St Philip became aware of the action of the Holy Spirit in the fire of his love, which he could feel localised in his heart. The experience resulted in his heart actually enlarging to the extent that his ribs were forced outward. It was also known to palpitate violently on occasions and emitted a great deal of warmth.

When I was there it was late in the day and I was fortunate enough to be the only English person their and so as given my own private tour which was wonderful. Upon seeing my enthusiasm the lovely gentleman added additional interesting pieces of information was happy to answer all my questions and we even took a moment to stand silently in prayer.

2/7 St Paul's Outside the Walls

2010-06-10T15:50:00.005+01:00

Two things immediately struck me about St Paul's. The first is quite how ordinary the building looks on approaching it from the side, however, this is dispelled when you get round the front and presented with a tranquil cloister and beautiful facade.

The Second it with the absence of any side altars and no dominating monuments you are drawn straight into the sheer loftiness and openness of the nave, where after admiring the Confession and Baldacchino your eyes trace over the portraits of the Popes from St Peter to the current Pope Benedict XVI.

If St Peter's helped me appreciate the size of the Rome Catholic Church then with its Popes St Paul's helped me appreciate the age of the Church.

1/7 St Peter's

2010-05-16T23:21:00.003+01:00

I was so excited the first evening I arrived in Rome I left my travelling companion settling into the hostel while I went out simply to capture a glimpse of St Peters.

The first picture on this slide is taken in the dead of night the atmosphere was so peaceful it was a wonderful introduction to Rome and provided me with a gentle realisation that I had actually arrived.

After my seek preview I went back early the next morning for a proper look. I found myself at St Peters on a couple of occasions during my brief stay in Rome and I would suggest that it is best to arrive early before the crowds. Despite the Vatican’s best efforts once the crowds have arrived and begin touring it distracts from the fact that you are visiting a building which primary function is a church. Arrive early however and you can witness the side altars alive with priests saying Mass, knee at the confessio to recite the creed without fear of being trampled and kiss the toe of St Peters statue without concerning yourself with people trying to take pictures. I found it makes for a more spiritual experience.

Once you have completed your devotions however, it is only natural to want to explore. The building is so vast and busy it can easily overwhelm the senses and I would highly recommend purchasing a good guidebook or renting the audio guide and taking your time.

My Pilgrimage to the Seven Churches - Rome

2010-04-11T08:11:00.005+01:00

On a recent holiday backpacking through Italy I had the chance to visit Rome for the first time, where I took this fantastic opportunity to complete the Seven Church Pilgrimage.

A book on the pilgrimage to the seven churches published in 1694 describes it as ‘a pilgrimage peradventure the most celebrated after Calvary and the Sepulchre of Christ’, and is an old medieval tradition that was revived and promoted by St Philip Neri in the sixteenth century. St Philip and his companions would set out to visit the four major basilicas of Rome, as well as the three more significant minor basilicas. They would pack picnic lunches, sing hymns, and pray litanies along the way, stopping occasionally to rest, and pausing at each of the seven basilicas for catechesis and prayer. They would start at St Peter’s walking south to St Paul’s Outside the walls beyond the city outskirts, and then across to the tomb of St Sebastian on the Appian way, back into the city to St john Lateran, up a short way to the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, heading out again to St Lawrence Outside the Walls, before finally ending in the city at St Mary’s Major.

Over the next several posts I will be sharing my journey with clips and relfections of my experience.

Passing on the Faith

2010-02-01T15:39:00.009Z

For a few reasons to varied to mention here we have decided to prepare our youngest for her First Holy Communion and First Confession ourselves.

I must admit, when I was looking for books and scouting around on the Internet for ideas I was a little daunted by the prospect to say the least. While I consider myself to have a very good grounding in the Faith I was not sure I could pass this on to one of the child. I was certainly not sure if I could communicate my understanding in a child friendly way.

After speaking to a few friends and having a look around myself I happened upon and brought 'The Bread of Life: Preparing for First Communion and First Confession' by Fr Martin Edwards.
I am taking a slightly different approach, in order to preserve the book for future generations I have took to making word documents with the exercises on. I am also adding other fun activities I found on the Internet such as Mass word searches, gospel pictures to colour in and creating prayers where you have to fill in the missing words.

Yesterday we sat down together for the first time and......

I think it went really well, she appeared to enjoy the activities and afterwards was very eager to show her daddy her folder with the exercises she had done in.

I also enjoyed it, having prepared so well before hand I did not have to stop and start the session and the experience not only gave me quality time with the children but the feeling I got from passing on the Faith made me glow inside.

All my nerves have not disappeared and I would be very grateful for other peoples comments of their experiences but I am sure of one thing - that one of the most important things we Catholics can ever do is to pass on the Faith (both the doctrinal content and actual practice).

The Tradional Latin Mass Explained

2010-01-05T23:36:00.004Z

This Thursday the Young Adult Group at the Birmingham Oratory meet for our monthly talk followed by questions and debate. Our topic on this coming occasion we be "Understanding the Old Rite"

The group consists of people from there early 20's to there late 30's both students and professional who frequently attend "Old Rite" and "New Rite" Masses so if anything this event promises to be both informative and interesting.

If anyone is interested in our future events we meet at the Oratory House 7.30pm on the first Thursday of every month.

A History of Christianity

2009-11-21T00:31:00.005Z

There is currently a series running on Channel 4 called A History of Christianity I have been watching the catch up series currently available on bbc i player and have found them to be both interesting and informative and just wanted to make other people aware in case they are interested. I have included the programme information off the first three episodes below:

1. The First Christianity

When he was a small boy, Diarmaid MacCulloch's parents used to drive him round historic churches. Little did they know that they had created a monster, with the history of the Christian Church becoming his life's work.

In the first of a six-part series sweeping across four continents, Professor MacCulloch goes in search of Christianity's forgotten origins. He overturns the familiar story that it all began when the apostle Paul took Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome. Instead, he shows that the true origins of Christianity lie further east, and that at one point it was poised to triumph in Asia, maybe even in China.

The headquarters of Christianity may well have been Baghdad not Rome, and if that had happened then western Christianity would have been very different.

2. Catholicism: The Unpredictable Rise of Rome

Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch's grandfather was a devout pillar of the local Anglican church and felt that any dabbling in Catholicism was liable to pollute the English way of life. But now his grandfather isn't around to stop him exploring the extraordinary and unpredictable rise of the Roman Catholic Church.

Over one billion Christians look to Rome, more than half of all Christians on the planet. But how did a small Jewish sect from the backwoods of 1st century Palestine, which preached humility and the virtue of poverty, become the established religion of western Europe - wealthy, powerful and expecting unfailing obedience from the faithful?

Amongst the surprising revelations, MacCulloch tells how confession was invented by monks in a remote island off the coast of Ireland, and how the Crusades gave Britain the university system.

Above all, it is a story of what can be achieved when you have friends in high places.

3. Orthodoxy - From Empire to Empire

Today, Eastern Orthodox Christianity flourishes in the Balkans and Russia, with over 150 million members worldwide. It is unlike Catholicism or Protestantism - worship is carefully choreographed, icons pull the faithful into a mystical union with Christ, and everywhere there is a symbol of a fierce-looking bird, the double-headed eagle. What story is this ancient drama trying to tell us?

In the third part of his journey into the history of Christianity, Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch charts Orthodoxy's extraordinary fight for survival. After its glory days in the eastern Roman Empire, it stood right in the path of Muslim expansion, suffered betrayal by crusading Catholics, was seized by the Russian tsars and faced near-extinction under Soviet communism.

MacCulloch visits the greatest collection of early icons in the Sinai desert, a surviving relic of the iconoclastic crisis in Istanbul and Ivan the Terrible's cathedral in Moscow to discover the secret of Orthodoxy's endurance.

Mantillas

2009-10-20T11:11:00.003+01:00

I found this passage while browsing on the Internet and thought I could not put it more beautifully myself so I thought I would share it with everyone:

Traditionally the ‘veil’ or ‘mantilla’ represent purity and modesty in many religions and cultures. A veil, or head covering, is a symbol that can enable the woman wearing it to ascend the ladder of sanctity. When a woman covers her head in the Catholic Church it symbolises her dignity and humility before God, not men.

The woman who covers her head in the presence of the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is reminding herself that she must be humble before God. As with all outward gestures, if it is practised enough it filters down into the heart and is translated into actions that speak volumes. The “veil” covers what the Lord calls, in Holy Scripture, “the glory of the woman”, her hair. Covering her hair is a gesture the woman makes spiritually to “show” God she recognises her beauty is less than His and His Glory is far above hers. In doing this she is reminded that virtues cannot grow in the soul without a great measure of humility. So she wears the veil to please God and remind herself to practice virtue more ardently.

Rural Church For Sale

2009-09-21T18:41:00.001+01:00

The parish church of Long Lawford has come up for sale. I have written about this church before in ‘A Little Known Pilgrimage’. The village of Long Lawford unlike its neighbouring village of Church Lawford did not have a church until 1839 when John Caldecott had a church built as a Chapel of Ease to the parish church of St Botolph, Newbold Upon Avon, and was intended mainly for the use of the servants from Holbrook Grange where John Caldecott resided. As for many centuries people from Long Lawford had walked across the fields to Newbold Upon Avon church to worship. The church is now unfortunately structurally unstable and redundant and the villagers have had the neighbouring hall converted into a church.

St John's Church Long Lawford

If my memory serves me correctly the church was finally closed when the roof was in need of desperate repair and funds could not be found. Unfortunately as the church has been left unused for so long now it has fallen in to further disrepair.

On the estate agents website it is described as a Grade II listed former church premises suitable for redevelopment with outline planning consent. For the current selling price of £220,000 it will be interesting to see what a buyer can do with this unique building.

My Bicycle Ride and St Edith's Church Monks Kirby

2009-09-14T12:03:00.025+01:00

I survived my bicycle ride. I managed to master the gears and am quite proud to say I did not have to get off to walk up a hill once. The journey took approximately 45 minutes to an hour each way (on the way back I knew where I was going so it was naturally that little bit faster) I am not sure whether that is a great speed but its half that which it would have taken me to walk according to Google. If I am completely honest I was slightly sore in places for about a day afterwards, nonetheless I enjoyed myself and would do it again. Now to share with you what I saw.

I knew nothing at the Church before my visit and so was naturally surprised on my approach to see such a large church in such a small village. Upon my arrival I was enlightened as to why this was.
Early Days
The first church on this site was built in 917 AD by Ethelfleda the daughter of King Alfred the Great. In those days the village was called Cyricbrig and was recorded as such in the Domesday Book of 1086 AD.

The Arrival of the Monks
After the Norman Conquest, King William gave vast areas of land to one of his knights, Geoffrey de la Guerche, a Breton, who had supported him in the invasion of England. Geoffrey rebuilt the ruined Saxon church and dedicated his new church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Denis the Patron Saint of France. He also endowed it with a Benedictine prior and seven monks from the abbey of St Nicholas at Angers, France. In 1399 the Priory was transferred to the Carthusians of the Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire, and a war with France had caused the dedication of the church to be changed to St Edith, a Warwickshire Saint.

The Reformation
The Carthusian Order having been dissolved in 1538 the priory and its property was given to Thomas Mannyng, Bishop of Ipswich. In December 1546 the rectory and the advowson of the vicarage were granted by Henry VIII to his foundation of Trinity College, Cambridge, in whose possession they have continued.
The Building of the present Church
In 1350 the Black Death swept across Europe and killed half the population of Warwickshire, the Priory fell into ruin and in 1360 the prior and the monks petitioned Pope Innocent VI to grant them an indulgence to use the money collected to rebuild the church, much of which can still be seen today. The lower part of the tower and the porch are the most substantial evidence of the monks rebuilding programme. The monks had some new bells cast for the new tower and incredibly one of them has survived. The present fifth bell was cast at Worcester circa 1390 and so the same sound the monks heard as they called the faithful to worship 600 years ago is still ringing out over Monks Kirby today.
The Porch
This is one of the oldest parts of the church and dates from the rebuilding of 1380. On the west wall there is a Latin inscription which translated states “Ye men and women pray for your souls”.
The Skipwith Chapel
On entering the church if you turn right and precede along the South Aisle you will reach the Skipwith Chapel. On the South wall is the hatchment of the Skipwith Coat of Arms. The Skipwith family lived in the nearby manor of Newbold Revel for over 200 years, until 1862. The state then had a variety of owners and in 1946 it was acquired by the Sisters of Charity of St Paul as a training college for teachers. On the east wall are two small panels carved with Coats or Shields of Arms and in the corner are the remains of a small Piscina. The Chapel now houses a statue of Our Lady and Baby Jesus which stood for many years in the convent of the Sisters of Mercy in Monks Kirky and was presented to the church when the convent was closed on the 2nd of April 1977. It serves as a reminder that the Sisters served this and neighbouring communities for 104 years.
The Chancel
As you face the Altar on your right, in the corner, is a piscina which was once used for washing sacred communion vessels. Next to it is a blocked doorway once used by priests and then a heavily restored triple Sedilia which enabled them to take a short rest during the long services. On the north wall are two Aumbries probably used to hold bread for Mass. High upon the wall is a King Charles II Coat of Arms erected to commemorate the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

The North Chapel
In the north east corner is an alabaster tomb of Sir William Fielding who died in 1547 and his wife Elizabeth. Both are clasping prayer books and have three rings on each hand. Note the family shield of three lozenges. The other tomb is to his son and heir Basil Fielding. Strangely his death, in 1585 is left blank on the edge of the tomb, but that of his wife in 1580 is recorded. Note the carvings of the children along the side of the tomb.
The Organ
This is contemporary with the Victorian restoration. The organ was built by J. Walker of Brandon, Suffolk in 1868.

The Blocked Doorways and Small Windows

Along the north aisle are three blocked doorways a reminder of the location of the monk’s quarters. The monks would have had there own access to the church and the high doorway was probably from their sleeping area. The lower doors gave access to a cloister area which, although in ruin, existed up to 1840. There are also two small windows high in the Chancels north side which would have given the monk’s a view of the altar.

The Memorials
Along the north wall are memorials to the fallen of World War I and members of the Fielding family. In particular are two white marble monuments of very similar design, one to the 7th Earl of Denbigh, died 1865, and his wife, died 1847; the other is to Lady Augusta Fielding, died 1858; and between them three small tablets to other members of the family.

The Clock
The clock, built by Valentine Hanbury of Northamptonshire in 1804, replaced an earlier clock of 687. The clock had stood in the Ringing Room of the Tower and was replaced in 1961.

The Bells
The first reference to bells in Monks Kirby was in 1552 when six bells were recorded. The current tower possesses a fine ring of eight bells which were rehung in a new steel frame by John Taylor of Loughborough in 1921 and augmented by the addition of two new bells.

The Parish Chest
In here were once kept important documents such as wills, churchwardens’ accounts and priests’ vestments. Notice the number of keyholes that the chest could not be unlocked unless two keyholders were present.

The Stained Glass
Not all the stained glass has survived the year, which is to be expected of a church who such a long and eventful history. Stained glass is not the easiest to photograph but I have included some of my better shots in a slide show below:

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to St Edith, Monks Kirby and would like to write a few words of thank to John Illingworth who wrote ‘A Short Guide to St Edith’s Church’ and whose words I have used to form this post, Thank you.

Taking Inspiration from Catholic Mom of 10

2009-09-12T02:08:00.011+01:00

After enjoying my visit to St Andrew's Church (Rugby) on Thursday I was rather disappointed on Friday when I realised many of the other churches in my area were out of reach if you did not have your own transport.

Having pretty much resided myself to spending the day around the house I was working my way down my blog list when I came across Jackie Parkes blog Catholic Mom of 10 Militant and an idea came to me. I could ride, I had often read about Jackie's ventures on her bicycle and so I went about equipping myself out with what I would need for my little adventure.

I no longer owned a bicycle myself so I found out my dad's old bike and checked the tyres they were good and the chain looked OK, so I packed a small backpack with drinks and a snack for when I reached my destination.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go. St Edith's Church in the village of Monks Kirby according to the Heritage Open Days Website it was going to be open from 9 til 5 so I had plenty of time to get there and the weather looked good.

Being resourceful I decided to Google Map where I was going and print it off to take with me. This is when I discovered just how adventurous my little plan was.

Firstly I could tell from my knowledge of the area that if Google was going to have its way I would be cycling through a ford which I knew only the toughest of tractors can get through so that would involve me taking a slight detour through some fields where I knew there was a bridge.

Secondly I noticed the distance and time. It was a 12 mile around trip and walking was estimated to take 2 hours one way. Now fortunately for me riding a bicycle, well is a bit like riding a bicycle, its something you never forget which was a good job because I was struggling to remember when I had last done so.

Not to let it deter me I just thought there is no rush and I can take it at my own pace and off I went a. So there I was a 'sensibly built girl' about to take on a 12 mile bicycle ride to visit a church in the middle of rural England having not ridden a bicycle in a very long time.

Touring some of England’s Heritage

2009-09-12T01:41:00.010+01:00

I have about a month free between graduating from university and beginning my new career so having found out about Heritage Open Days I decided to see what was open in my area.

I have a particular fondness for old churches as many of them are hidden and largely forgotten about in our English countryside. This can be such a shame when there are so many hidden beauties stooped in English heritage just waiting to be found.

Out of pour necessity on my tour I decided to stay more urban in my search for English heritage as I do not drive and have to rely on public transport or my two feet and heart beat (i.e. walking) if I want to get anywhere.

Thursdays stop was St Andrew’s Church in Rugby.

The first chapel on this site is believed to have dated 1140 however the parish of Rugby was not created until 1291 at which time it was also dedicated to St Andrew. The present church is mainly Victorian, the Nave and Chancel dating from 1879.

It was designed by William Butterfield and has all the hallmarks of his designs – use of coloured stone, patterned floor tiles and coloured ceiling. It is a unique, in being the only church in the world that has two sets of bells hung for full circle ringing.

West Tower and North Aisle (14th Century)
The tower walls are 3.5ft thick and it is home to one of the two sets of bells. Five bells dated from 1711 and weighing 9.5cwt and rung for Sunday services. The north aisle formed the nave in the original 14th century church.

Clergy Vestry and East Tower (1895)
The spire is 182ft high and houses the second ring of eight bells weighing 24cwt and rung regularly for practice and for special occasions.

The Lady Chapel and Sanctuary (1879)
The Lady Chapel is set aside for private prayer. The east window above the high altar depicts Christ in Glory and the reredos is Alec Miller’s painting adapted from Fra Angelico’s ‘The Transfiguration’.

The Organ
Originally in the church of Noton-by-Galby, Leicestershire and brought to St Andrew’s in 1792. it has seen several changes and additions creating a fine instrument with 48 stops.

I would have very much liked to have taken some more pictures but I am afraid the light on the day was very poor so instead I have managed to find this one from St Andrew's Church Website as an example of the interior.

The Day the Squrrel went to Church

2009-09-10T23:41:00.004+01:00

This song had me and the children in stitches the first time we heard it I hope everyone finds it just as funny as we did.

Catholic Custom and Our Lady's Birthday

2009-09-08T18:15:00.006+01:00

On Our Lady's birthday the Church celebrates the first dawning of redemption with the appearance in the world of the Savior's mother, Mary. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too. Let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy", one of the most beautiful titles in her litany.

Since September 8 marks the end of summer and beginning of fall, this day has many thanksgiving celebrations and customs attached to it. In the Old Roman Ritual there is a blessing of the summer harvest and fall planting seeds for this day.

The winegrowers in France called this feast "Our Lady of the Grape Harvest". The best grapes are brought to the local church to be blessed and then some bunches are attached to hands of the statue of Mary. A festive meal which includes the new grapes is part of this day.

In the Alps section of Austria this day is "Drive-Down Day" during which the cattle and sheep are led from their summer pastures in the slopes and brought to their winter quarters in the valleys. This was usually a large caravan, with all the finery, decorations, and festivity. In some parts of Austria, milk from this day and all the leftover food are given to the poor in honor of Our Lady’s Nativity.

Heritage Open Days 2009, 11-13 of September

2009-09-07T13:41:00.004+01:00

Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s architecture and culture by allowing visitors free access to interesting properties that are either not usually open, or would normally charge an entrance fee. Heritage Open Days also includes tours, events and activities that focus on local architecture and culture.Organised by volunteers - usually property owners or managers - for local people, Heritage Open Days is England’s biggest and most popular voluntary cultural event. Last year the event attracted around 1 million visitors. English Heritage gives central co-ordination and a national voice to the event.

Heritage Open Days provides visitors with a unique opportunity to explore and enjoy these sometimes hidden, often curious and always interesting places in English cities, towns and villages - and completely free of charge.

Civic society members, property owners, estate managers, visitors, conservation officers, company directors, parishioners, tourism managers, education officers - people from all walks of life who care about and take pride in the environment they live in make Heritage Open Days happen. We would like to bring people and places together, encourage you and thousands of others to explore the buildings on your doorstep and to become an active member of the community.

Follies, contemporary buildings, churches, factories, tunnels, temples, offices, private homes, industrial sites, castles, windmills, town halls - guided walks, concerts, re-enactment, trails, role-plays, children’s activities - the variety of places and ways to discover them are endless.

Heritage Open Days was established in 1994 as England’s contribution to European Heritage Days, in which 49 countries now participate.
You can view and print out events in your area by following the link below.

Event Directory

I am going to be a Godmother :-)

2009-08-07T23:11:00.006+01:00

I am going to be a Godmother and I feel honored and privileged to have been choosen.

The Role of Godparents

It is an ancient custom of the Church that at the Baptism of infants, godparents be present to represent the whole faith community. To be chosen as a godparent is a special honor. You, above all others, have been entrusted with the responsibility to participate in this child’s Christian life and education. This privilege offers you the opportunity to develop a mutually enriching spiritual relationship- one that will last throughout this life and beyond. There are many ways you can nurture this special relationship and become a special friend to your godchild. Among them are:

Celebrate the anniversary of this holy day of Baptism each year with a visit, a call, or a card.

As your godchild grows, listen to and share in the struggles and triumphs of living a Christian life, and keep yourself informed on Christian doctrine and values, to be able to answer questions as they arise.
Encourage a consistent life of faith through special cards, letters, or gifts which celebrate holy events…Christmas, Easter… and personal growth events…graduation, first job, engagement. (Gift suggestions: A bible, spiritual book, rosary, religious jewelry, gift certificate for religious goods/books, retreat opportunity.)
Participate in, or send assurance of prayer, as your child receives the other sacraments, particularly First Communion and Confirmation, which complete initiation into the Church community.
Be supportive of your godchild’s parents in their role as the primary religious educators of their child.
And, most importantly, become a model of Christian living for your godchild, through daily prayer, virtue, and active participation in parish life and liturgy.
By living a Christian life in partnership with your godchild, both of you will experience the great joy of sharing a life of faith.

I simply cant wait to be a special part if this little childs life.

MASS Precautions!!!

2009-07-19T22:02:00.007+01:00

Just wondered what type of precautions are taking place in people's parishes to help prevent the spread of the Swine Flu. Today in Mass it was announced that:

1. Holy Communion would only be offered under one kind.

2. A friendly smile was to replace the hand shake for the sign of peace.

3. Holy water fonts would for the time being remain empty.

I myself would just like to emphasis the important of basic hand hygiene as the Flu viruses are made up of tiny particles that can be spread through the droplets that come out of your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.

When you cough or sneeze without covering your nose and mouth with a tissue, those droplets can spread and others will be at risk of breathing them in. If you cough or sneeze into your hand, those droplets and the germs in them are then easily spread from your hand to any hard surfaces that you touch, and they can live on those surfaces for some time.

Everyday items such as door handles, computer keyboards, mobile and ordinary phones and the TV remote control are all common surfaces where flu viruses can be found. If other people touch these surfaces and then touch their faces, the germs can enter their systems and they can become infected. That’s how all cold and flu viruses, including swine flu, are passed on from person to person.

Hand-washing technique with soap and water: NHS

Catholic Clothing

2009-07-15T19:50:00.013+01:00

I was browsing the Internet today for a gift for a Catholic friend of mine among my finds were some Catholic T shirts here are just a few I really liked (each comes with its own explanation which I think is perhaps a little unnecessary for most but thought I would include it under each T shirt just in case).

There a three distinct persons in one God. The Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three-In-One. Get it?

Jesus gave the keys to Peter and the Catholic Church started. Protestant denominations can trace their origins to Luther or Calvin or Zwingli. None but Catholicism has an unbroken line of succession all the way back to St. Peter, the first Pope. Thats the reason why the tagline reads "Can't beat the real thing" It was also a tagline for Coke a while back and the particular font used.

It is perhaps a little difficult to read the small print so I have include a large pictures of the whole text below:

Just in case anybody is interested the website I found these on is crazy tees.

Cardinal Newman to be Beatified!!!

2009-07-05T21:57:00.009+01:00

I leave Birmingham at weekends when possible and travel home to see family and friends. There is often news on my arrival back on a Sunday evening or Monday morning and this weekend was no different.

This evening when I approached the Oratory for Vespers I saw they had a Flag flying at full mast I thought this to be very unusual as it usually stands bear, just imagine my delight when I entered Church to find that on Friday the Pope had authorised the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a miracle attributed to the Venerable Servant of God, John Henry Newman.

I have a particular devotion to Cardinal Newman which has grown along side my faith as a convert to Catholicism and pray daily that like Deacon Jack Sullivan that my own Father who on a daily basis at every waking moment endures horrific and debilitating back pain is also granted a miraculous healing through the intercession of Cardinal Newman.

Birmingham Oratory Newsletter below:

CARDINAL NEWMAN TO BE BEATIFIED

The Provost writes

Many of you reading this will already be aware of the great news which reached us on Friday last, July 3rd. That morning, in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI authorised the issuing of a Decree recognising the authenticity of a miracle obtained through the intercession of Cardinal Newman.

The miraculous event took place in August 2001, when a permanent Deacon of the Archdiocese of Boston, USA, named Jack Sullivan, was cured of a crippling disease of the spine. His prayer to Newman had been prolonged and intense and finally on that August day, the prayer was answered.

Careful investigation into the event, undertaken by both doctors and theologians, led to the conclusion that what had happened could not be explained in terms of medical science, and could be ascribed to Cardinal Newman’s intercession. That verdict was accepted last month by the Cardinals and Prelates of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome, and on Friday by the Pope himself.

People all around the world have greeted this news with great joy and thanksgiving. It is the culmination of fifty years’ work, centred here at the Birmingham Oratory, which has involved so many people, many known to us personally, and not a few no longer with us here on earth.

What happens next? Various conversations will take place in order to fix both a date and a place for the ceremony of Beatification. Given that summer holidays are now beginning, it may be a few weeks before these important decisions can be made. Once the ceremony has taken place, Cardinal Newman becomes “Blessed John Henry Newman” and he will have his own feast day in the Church’s calendar, as well as special prayers and readings for his proper Mass and Office.

The significance of what is to happen is huge. Cardinal Newman has long been admired by people around the world, whether for the beauty of his prose, his deep theological and philosophical writings, his inspiring sermons and poetry.

By beatifying him, Pope Benedict is holding up to the whole Church the life and teachings of Cardinal Newman as a sure guide for us to follow, and as an inspiration for the Church today. Cardinal Newman foresaw many of the problems that both church and Society have to contend with in our day and age. He will be an authentic teacher for the Church in a new way now that he is to receive the ‘honours of the altar’.

We should regard it as an enormous privilege to be able to come to the Oratory he founded, to walk in the spots where he walked, and to be in a very special way heirs to his great tradition. In the months to come this Oratory will be a worldwide focus of attention and there will be much work to be done as we prepare for the great day of the Beatification.

Please keep the Fathers in your prayers at this time and especially thank God for the enormous grace He has bestowed on us through His faithful servant, John Henry Newman : Te Deum Laudamus!

War isn't Hell. War is War, and Hell is Hell. And of the Two, War is a Lot Worse

2009-06-24T21:28:00.005+01:00

Hawkeye: War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.

Father Mulcahy: How do you figure, Hawkeye?

Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?

Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe.

Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chalk full of them - little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.

The Beautiful Hands of a Priest

2009-06-19T14:29:00.007+01:00

Today marks the first day of the year for Priests and to commemorate this occasion I have posted below a wonderful poem which I came across while searching for my next cross stitch pattern on 'Holy Needle' which Zetor author of Mog's Blog kindling made me aware of when I posted about my cross stitching activities last month (Catholic Cross Stitcher).

Beautiful Hands of a Priest

We need them in life's early morning,

We need them again at its close;

We feel their warm clasp of true friendship,

We seek it while tasting life's woes.

When we come to this world we are sinful,

The greatest as well as the least.

And the hands that make us pure as angels

Are the beautiful hands of a priest.

At the altar each day we behold them,

And the hands of a king on his throne

Are not equal to them in their greatness

Their dignity stands alone.

For there in the stillness of morning

Ere the sun has emerged from the east,

There God rests between the pure fingers

Of the beautiful hands of a priest.

When we are tempted and wander

To pathways of shame and sin'

Tis the hand of a priest that absolve us.

Not once but again and again.

And when we are taking life's partner

Other hands may prepare us a feast

But the hands that will bless and unite us,

Are the beautiful hands of a priest.

God bless them and keep them all holy,

For the Host which their fingers caress,

What can a poor sinner do better

Than to ask Him who chose them to bless

When the death dews on our lids are falling,

May our courage and strength be increased

By seeing raised o'er us in blessing

The beautiful hands of a priest.

I really like the way it incorporates the priest's hands in every stage of our lives from birth till death.

God Bless Our Priests

Catholic Quiz: What Kind of Catholic Are You?

2009-06-18T00:36:00.004+01:00

The Catholic blog - Catholic Mom of 10 Militant has been debating what it is to be a traditional Catholic so for the fun of it I decided to see if I could find out and in my search came across http://www.beliefnet.com/.

There are lots of different quizzes on the site including one entitled 'What Kind of Catholic Are You' and well I just could not help myself and gave it a go.

The quiz asked 25 multiple choice questions on all different aspects of the Catholic faith. I scored 90 out of 100 which labeled me a Very Traditional Catholic (was not really surprised).

Upon requesting more information I was told the following about myself

You'd like the church to revive the time-honored devotions, liturgical practices, and strong institutional discipline that prevailed before the Second Vatican Council—and you're hoping that Pope Benedict XVI will lead the church in exactly that direction. Your favorite hymn is probably a traditional Latin composition such as the "Panis Angelicus," and your favorite pope is probably a pioneer of the Church's great liturgical tradition such as Gregory the Great. You loved "The Passion of the Christ."

Some of what I read did have me smiling and other parts a little surprised however, I would like to comment that my favorite hymn is actually Tantum Ergo.

Go on have a go, take the quiz remember to have fun and not take it too seriously (and let me know your score) lol.

Birmingham Oratory Young Adult Group

2009-06-17T22:12:00.014+01:00

Birmingham Oratory has recently begun a Young Adult Group which I have been attending. We meet for friendly discussion and debate on the first Thursday of every month. Last month we had a speaker on Islam and Sharia Law, which was both informative and insightful.

This coming month (July) we look forward to a speaker who is going to give a talk on the Humanity of the Un-born.
The group also tries to gather together once a month for a social event, in May a number of us visited the Dominican convent at Stone in Staffordshire where we joined in a Rosary festival. The weather was wonderful on the day and all the Sisters were very welcoming and even invited everyone on a short tour of the their convent. The photograph above is of the shrine of Our lady at Stone and was taken on the day when it was adorned with flowers.

This coming weekend (20th June) with the promise of good weather we are venturing outside again to Cannon Hill Park (pictured above) for boating and a picnic.

A few of us are also planning to attend the Vigil of Reparation in Honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary which is being held at the Birmingham Oratory on Friday night 19th/20th June, with High Mass will be at 8 p.m. on Friday (the Feast of the Sacred Heart) and Vigil following immediately afterwards in the Cloister Chapel. Where there will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the Rosary & other prayers. Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will be at 2.30 a.m. It will end with the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 a.m.

The Permanence of Marriage

2009-06-17T14:24:00.010+01:00

As with many areas of Catholicism my desire to find out more has been stirred by debate. The debate of marriage has arisen many times among friends at university and coming from very diverse backgrounds and faiths we all have differing opinions and the discussion that evolves can be very interesting.

The area of Catholics and the breakdown of marriage from my experience appears to be a matter that individuals only really know a lot about if they have had the unfortunate business of being involved in such matters themselves, or perhaps as a priest, close friend or relative. Consequently I have found that if one is not careful they can make harsh judgements based on ignorance and misunderstanding.

After debating this topic among friends I decided as we all live in a world where divorce is becoming more frequent I should find out more so I got hold of two books both of which I have found very useful.

Firstly- What Binds Marriage?: Roman Catholic Theology in Practice by Timothy J. Buckley. (If you click on this picture I have included a link and you can browse through a couple of the pages).

and secondly- Divorce and Second Marriage. Facing the Challenge of Kevin T. Kelly.

both were very insightful books and I would struggle to recommend one over the other.

In the debate which I was involved the particular statement that had unsettled me had been:

"It may be against the Catholic Church's laws to marry a divorced person without annulment; however, doing so will only hurt your relationship with the Catholic Church. You can still have a good relationship with God..."

It took a little more searching before I could find an answer to this question which seemed to portray my thoughts well, in reply to one of my threads on Facebook someone wrote:

Modern man has a tendency to think that the "will of God" is always the same as their own desires. If the Church says something contrary to their own desires, then the Church must be wrong.However, the will of God is primarily transmitted through the Catholic Church. Far from being antagonistic, the teachings of the Church are in accord with the will of God.

One of my favorite passages from the Church Fathers comes from St. Augustine, and I think its relevant here:"Let us love our Lord God, let us love His Church: Him as a Father, Her as a Mother: Him as a Lord, Her as His Handmaid, as we are ourselves the Handmaid's sons. But this marriage is held together by a bond of great love: no man offends the one, and wins favour of the other. Let no man say, "I go indeed to the idols, I consult possessed ones and fortune-tellers: yet I abandon not God's Church; I am a Catholic." While you hold to your Mother, you have offended your Father. Another says, Far be it from me; I consult no sorcerer, I seek out no possessed one, I never ask advice by sacrilegious divination, I go not to worship idols, I bow not before stones; though I am in the party of Donatus. What does it profit you not to have offended your Father, if he avenges your offended Mother? What does it serve you, if you acknowledge the Lord, honour God, preach His name, acknowledge His Son, confess that He sits by His right hand; while you blaspheme His Church? Does not the analogy of human marriages convince you? Suppose you have some patron, whom you court every day, whose threshold you wear with your visits, whom you daily not only salute, but even worship, to whom you pay the most loyal courtesy; if you utter one calumny against his wife, could you re-enter his house? Hold then, most beloved, hold all with one mind to God the Father, and the Church our Mother. Celebrate with temperance the birthdays of the Saints, that we may imitate those who have gone before us, and that they who pray for you may rejoice over you; that "the blessing of the Lord may abide on you for evermore. Amen and Amen."-Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 89 (88)
The Church is the Bride of Christ. Since Christ is God, and God is our Father. His Spouse, by extension, is our Mother. The two are of one Will, and would be impossible to have a bad relationship with one and a good relationship with the other.
Its common practice for parents to leave their children some portion of their estate when they die. Yet, if you despise your Father, do you expect your Mother will leave you an inheritance? Or if you despise your Mother, do you expect your Father to do the same? If we desire our spiritual inheritance and riches (Heaven), then we must love both our parents: the Blessed Trinity and the Church.

However this being said there are those out in the world who undoubtedly consider this to be wrong and would use their lives as a example.

My research has certainly been an eye opening experience and I would not consider it complete but simply paused at this moment in time. The most important thing I have learnt in all my research is that above everything divorce is the sorrowful breakdown of a family unit which devastates the lives of all those involved and for a practising Catholic is can place them in a daily spiritual turmoil and struggle with their most inner self.

Extraordinary Form - The Little Details

2009-06-10T23:12:00.004+01:00

To help further my understanding of the Extraordinary Form I recently got hold of a copy of ‘The Mass In Slow Motion’ by Msgr. Knox it contains a series of sermons he preached which explore the Mass step by step, to show what it means to be a priest offering the Mass and what it means to the congregation offering it with him.

I have not read very much yet but it is turning out to be a fantastic read and just wanted to share with you a tiny bit of information a small little detail that you have probably never noticed before when attending Mass but which I found fascinating and am going to be sure to watch out for next time I attend an Extraordinary Form Mass. Here we are:

When the priest turns to the congregation to say Dominus vobiscum he is not allowed to lift his eyes from the ground to prevent him from getting distracted.

I know it is only a small detail but I do find them so fascinating I went to a Novus Order Mass today and watched the priest closely and he did not look up. I am not sure if the same rule applies for both forms of the Mass or if it were simply the personal choice of a more conservation priest or perhaps he simply was not looking anywhere (but he seemed to me to be purposely keeping his eyes low while his head was raised).

To me this little jester which more than likely goes unnoticed by nearly everyone emphasises the importance of the Mass and how it simply won’t do to be distracted from performing such an important task. I would even go as far to say that to allow oneself to be distracted would be to dishonor and disrespect God.

Extraordinary Form - Novus Order Comparison

2009-05-29T12:48:00.006+01:00

It is around this time of year that you come across the transferred feast days of The Ascension and Corpus Christi. Fortunately I live in Birmingham and have the opportunity to attend Solemn High Masses in the Extraordinary Form on the actual day of the feast at the Birmingham Oratory.

I attended my first Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form last year for The Ascension. I was absolutely astonished as what I saw and came away thinking

“Why oh why would anyone want to offer even a Solemn High Mass Novus Order to God when you have the option of the Extraordinary Form.”

I honestly thought it would compare well to being in God’s choir of angles singing to his Glory and the most beautiful thing this side of heaven (and at this point in my journey of faith I was not even familiar with what some famous priests had to say of about this Mass).

Now a year on and again I am attending the same Masses with a better (perhaps only slightly in some areas) understanding of the Mass. However I still can’t help but draw comparisons between the two.

My latest comparison has been bothering me, as the Mass did not seem to flow it was like watching a rock concert video with the volume turned down with classical Music playing loudly on the radio, it just did not work.

I have posed the following question to Fr Tim Finigan but he is away enjoying himself in Lourdes and I also tried to Google it but could not quite find the right phrase to search so I was hoping someone else might be able to answer it for me. I am afraid it is rather to the point so please don’t be upset by the way I phrase things but here goes:

Why can’t the priest just get on with it?

This evening I went to a wonderful Novus Order Mass in Latin to celebrate St Philip’s day. The accompanying choir and music were also fantastic however I did experience some mild frustration waiting for the choir to finish singing the Sanctus so the Mass could continue. Half the congregation did not know whether to stand or kneel so you just end up standing their like a lemon waiting to be allowed to go on. While I realise the prayers between the Sanctus and the Consecration are important I think my time would be better spent in prayer preparing myself to receive Christ in Holy Communion.

Perhaps I just have the wrong attitude; perhaps I could just simply stand there and pray instead of allowing myself get annoyed. Either way, why was it decided we (the laity) need to hear these prayers.

I much prefer the extraordinary way of letting the priest rattle through the prayers, shutting the choir for the Consecration and then continuing.

Acknowledgements to Matthew Doyle for the top photograph.

Embarrassing Church Stories

2009-05-26T18:09:00.004+01:00

Just wondering if anyone has any embarrassing/funny stories they would be willing to share about something that happened during, before or after Mass.

As I am asking, I will go first:

Children seem to have a way of embarrassing you when you least expect it. I went to church on Saturday once for confession with the children. The youngest at 6 runs to the back of the church to see which priest it is. The oldest at 9 wants to know as she has a favorite priest to whom she likes to confess. She shouts "Which one it is?" and the youngest who is know standing just outside the confessional door shouts back "I DON’T KNOW! IT'S THE OLD ONE!". At that point we were the only people in the church, he most certainly heard what she shouted and I just wanted the floor to eat me up!!!

A Little Known Pilgrimage

2009-05-25T00:18:00.003+01:00

Today I walked the same path as many centuries of Catholics before me. The village of Long Lawford near my home town unlike its neighbouring village of Church Lawford did not have a church until 1839 when John Caldecott had a church built as a Chapel of Ease to the parish church of St Botolph, Newbold Upon Avon, and was intended mainly for the use of the servants from Holbrook Grange where John Caldecott resided.. The church is now unfortunately structurally unstable and redundant and the villagers have had the neighbouring hall converted into a church.

St John's Church (Long Lawford)

The history of worship in Long Lawford however, goes back much further than this. For many centuries people from Long Lawford walked across the fields to Newbold Upon Avon church to worship.

This is the very same path I travelled today and the one I wish to invite you on if you continue to read on. (Path of travel indicated by black dots on photograph above)

Today you begin the walk by passing through a small housing estate before exiting out onto open fields. It is easy to see in which direction to head as having been walked along for centuries the slight contour in the field shows a path which is easily visible even on the photograph above. (Area indicated on photograph by red dot).

After walking through two fields you come to a field divided by the meandering river Avon which by using the narrow foot bridge you are able to cross to the other side. (Area on photograph indicated by blue dot).
Once across the river keeping the farm house to your left and small cluster of trees to your right you walk towards the railway line where you find a short tunnel which you go through. At this point you are walking on the farmer's drive way and need to remember to be respectful of his property and watch out for cars. After passing through the tunnel you continue along the farmer's drive way for about 20 yards before you veer off left through an area of small trees and brushes, again you can see the path to take as the growth of vegetation has been kept back my walkers. (Area indicated by yellow dot on photograph).
You then pass over a small pig sti and bridge covering a ditch and enter a field where right before you is the piece de la resistance ... an avenue of huge old Oak trees flagging your path. An inspiring view which really brings home for how long this path has been travelled as these huge old Oaks would have been but small saplings when the very first Catholics walked this path to church. (Area indicated by purple dot on photograph).
Upon reaching the other end of this field by walking through the trees you reach the village of Newbold Upon Avon and the Church of St Botolph. (Area on photograph indicated by green dot).

St Botolph's Church (Newbold Upon Avon)

The current church dates from the fifteenth century but it is built on the site of an earlier church. An interesting feature of this church is that it has two porches one on the south side and one on the north side. Back when the church was used by parishioners from both Newbold Upon Avon and Long Lawford the parishioners from Long Lawford used only the south side entrance and sat only on the south side of the nave whilst the parishioners from Newbold Upon Avon used the north door and sat on the north side of the nave! Even now story has it that as late as 1990 at an Induction Service one person from Newbold Upon Avon, was shown to a seat on the south side refused it!

St Botolph's Church being a historical place of worship has an extensive graveyard and many of the older graves are naturally Catholic and so having only recently discovered the Society of St Justin I offered up Pater Nostor, Ave Maria and Gloria Patri before making my way back home.

Catholic Creativity

2009-05-24T22:50:00.004+01:00

Last month I wrote a post about a Lego Church I had built complete with church gate, graveyard, war memorial, landscaping and my piece de la resistance... inside the church itself a tabernacle.

Well I let myself get carried away again and decided my Lego Church required a Lego Parish so here we are:

Starter homes complete with window baskets and flowers.

Executive style home complete with garage, car, first floor balcony and garden for the dog and kennel. Afterwards I was looking around on the internet to see what other creative things people have been doing with lego and below are just two examples of what I found.

St. Benedict's Alpine Lego Church (make mine look like a small chapel).

I have put together a slide show of the interior features of the church and included the simplist (yet effective) explanations that accompany them on the website.

Front Doors of the Alpine Lego Church
Above the doors of the Lego church is the inscription "AMDG". This is Latin for "ad majorem Dei gloriam", which means "for the greater glory of God." As you peek into the church, you can get a glimpse of the main altar.

Main Altar
As you look through the doors of the Lego church, you can see the main altar. This is the table where the Eucharistic Sacrifice is offered. During Mass, the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus. Above the altar is a crucifix showing Jesus on the cross. The crucifix helps people remember that Jesus offered in the Eucharist is the same Jesus that was offered on the cross. At the foot of the crucifix is St. John and His mother Mary.

Bird's Eye View of the Lego Church
The roof of the Lego church is removable, allowing a good look into its interior.

Massive Beams
The beams holding up the roof are massive, but also ornate.

Floor Plan of the Lego Church
Click on this diagram to see some of the features of St. Benedict's Alpine Church.

Tabernacle
This is a special box where the consecrated Eucharist is kept. Above the Tabernacle is a Monstrance. This is a beautiful container used on special occasions to hold and display the consecrated Eucharist. It is usually made of gold because nothing is too good for God.

Sanctuary Lamp
When the Sanctuary lamp is lit, it tells people entering the church that Jesus is present in the consecrated Eucharist located in the Tabernacle. To the left of the Paschal Candle you can see a statue of St. Benedict. This shows St. Benedict during the time that he lived as a hermit.

Paschal Candle, Baptismal Font and Altar Rail
The Paschal Candle is a large candle that signifies Christ's illuminating light. It is lit during the Easter season. The baptismal font is a basin that contains holy water that is used during baptism. Christians believe that baptism washes away our sin and makes us adopted brothers and sisters of Christ. During communion, the people kneel at the altar rail to receive the Eucharist from the priest. Just like our body needs food, our soul also needs food.

Priest's Chair
This is a chair where the priest sits during parts of the Mass. Altar severs sit on either side.

Pulpit
This is where the Gospel is proclaimed to the people.

St. Nicholas
This is a statue dedicated to St. Nicholas, who was a holy bishop known for his love of the poor and for children.

Statue of Mary Queen of Heaven
This is a statue dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Catholics love and honor Mary because she is such a good example and because she is the Mother of God (that is, she is the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God).

Votive Candles
Here are some candles that people lit.

Stairs
At the back of the church are stairs leading up to the balcony.

Balcony
This balcony makes room for more people during Mass.

Stations of the Cross
Around the church are 14 crosses on the wall. They represent 14 scenes during the passion and death of Jesus.

Confessional
Here is where people confess their sins to a priest. Jesus forgives their sins through the priest. Jesus gave his apostles the power to forgive sins and they passed it on to their successors, the bishops.

Stained Glass
This church has a stained glass window showing Jesus ascending into heaven. All you can see are his feet as He ascends into heaven.

I also came across this short video clip of the story of the Good Samaritian:

What kind of things do your children get up to (or perhaps it not your children but actually you - please do share).

Evangelium Conference 2009

2009-05-23T09:02:00.004+01:00

Berenike has very kindly made me aware of the Evangelium Conference 2009. Usually I am a little hesitant when I hear of events aimed purposely at the ‘youth’ as I have had some terrible experiences in the past when organisers of such events have tried to capture the attention of today’s youth (more about this in another post sometime). However the aim, programme, list of speakers and positive comments I have found while reading about this event have me thinking very differently in this case. Unfortunately my university schedule means that I am not sure yet whether I will be able to attend myself nonetheless this does not stop me promoting it to other people hence this post.

Explaining the Catholic Faith in the Modern World

7th – 9th August 2009, The Reading Oratory School

Download Booking Form (PDF)

Young adults (18 to 35) are invited to attend the second Evangelium weekend residential conference on ways of explaining the Catholic faith in the modern world. The Conference is organised by the Evangelium Project and is being sponsored by the Catholic Truth Society.

dynamic talks by excellent speakers
mix with other young people who share your faith
discuss and talk informally with our speakers
daily Mass and eucharistic adoration
opportunities for confession
relax in the beautiful grounds
opportunities for sport and evening entertainment

Some of our speakers:

David Quinn - journalist, former editor of The Irish Catholic and founder of the Iona Institute
Fr Brian Harrison - theologian, writer and associate editor of 'Living Tradition'
Dr Helen Watt - director, Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics, London
Fr Timothy Finigan - parish priest and founder of the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life
Fr Nicholas Schofield - author and diocesan archivist, Westminster
Joanna Bogle - broadcaster, writer, author of Feasts and Seasons
Dr Thomas Pink - philosopher, King's College, London
Fiorella Nash - writer and pro-life campaigner
Fr Jerome Bertram - author and historian
Fr Thomas Crean OP - author of A Catholic Replies to Professor Dawkins
Dr James Bogle - barrister, vice-chairman of the Catholic Union
Fr Andrew Pinsent - philosopher, former particle physicist at CERN

There will be more than twenty workshops to choose from over the two days of the Conference, led by experts in philosophy, theology, biblical studies, science, apologetics, teaching and communication.

There will also be an opportunity to learn more about music in the liturgy, in a workshop led by the Schola Gregoriana

The Venue:

The Reading Oratory School was founded under the supervision of John Henry, later Cardinal Newman, in 1859, and is today one of the top independent boys' schools in the United Kingdom.

Price:

Standard accommodation (full board): £95

Download Booking Form (PDF)

Spaces are limited to 180 guests, so please book early.

For more information or to reserve a place, call 07526 908741, or email:evangeliumproject@gmail.com, or write to Evangelium, PO Box 28, Tenby SA69 9ZB

Praise for the first EVANGELIUM Weekend Conference - held summer 2008:

The best weekend of my life. It was really an answer to prayer. Before I could say, “Lord, I love you and accept the Church,” now I can say, “Lord I love you and I love your Church.”

All of our talks, discussions etc. were permeated by prayer. I'm leaving here rejuvenated both in my own faith and feel more equipped in sharing the riches of the Catholic faith. Please hold another conference next year.

Thank you very, very much - it has been priceless - I would love to come again! God bless you for organising this!

The high point for me was the way Holy Mass was celebrated. So much love and reverence.

Very high quality of speakers - fluent, full of interest and humour, and orthodox. A fine mix of people, all from different background but with an implicit unity of approach to their faith. Very encouraging and inspiring.

It gave me the inspiration and encouragement to challenge myself more, to dive deeper in searching my vocation and courage to be more outward about defending my faith.

My Rosary and Me

2009-05-22T08:38:00.003+01:00

I have recently seen on a few Catholic blogs inspirational videos for the Rosary. I am particularly fond of this devotion and so decided to make a short clip myself of how my Rosary features in my life. However I don't have the facilities to create a video so have come up with the idea of using a slide show with special effects instead.

My hope in sharing is that through watching this video just one person might turn to Our Lady with a spare thought during their day.

Holy Days - Actual Day or Transferred!

2009-05-21T00:38:00.006+01:00

Today I am going to be fortunate enough to be able to attend a Solemn High Mass of the Ascension in the Extraordinary Form on its former Feast Day as Ascension Day is now officially celebrated on the Seventh Sunday of Eastertide.

Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite on the proper Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord at the Birmingham Oratory 8pm on 21st May 2009.

When I first learnt that Catholics had transferred mayor Feast Days such as Corpus Christi and Epiphany to the Sunday following the actual day. I thought it was very strange, the only secular comparison I could make was the custom of celebrating a birthday with a party at the weekend even though the persons actual day of birth had occurred during the week. This custom having come about because friends and family usually have more free time at weekends and so more people are able to attend any event that may be arranged.

However this comparison never did quite match up, as even if you chose to celebrate a persons birthday at the weekend rather than on the actual day, the actual day is never allowed to pass without some kind of acknowledgement, some effort, even if it were just small would be made to recognise the persons birthday on the actual day. In addition a person's birthday and major celebrations of Our Lord and Saviour are not of equal importance (athough this could be just my personal opinion).

Consequently I have never been in favour of transferred Feast Days and have always attended Mass on the actual day whether the Mass itself is actually be say for that purpose or not. That way I knew, even if it were just in my heart that I did not allow the day to pass without some acknowledgement of its relevance and importance to me as a Catholic.

It simply seems to me that my life should be arranged around Our Lord and not the other way around. What do you think?

Feast Days to be celebrated on their actual day or transferred to following Sunday . What do you prefer?

If you perfer Feast Days to be celebrated on their actual day a petition has been posted regarding the celebration of Holydays asking that Archbishop Vincent Nichols reinstate the celebration of Ascension, Corpus Christi and Epiphany to their correct days.

You can Sign the petition here.

Furness Abbey

2009-05-20T00:49:00.002+01:00

Nestling into the depths of a rocky, and once-remote, valley lie the substantial ruins of a quite majestic monastery. This extensive site, displaying its sturdy, red sandstone buildings amidst the multitudinous shades of foliage, depicts a scene of timeless grace and beauty. Founded in 1123, originally as a Savignac house, the monastery was sited here in 1127. Absorbed by the Cistercians in 1147, Furness Abbey became the second richest Cistercian house in England.

In common with many of the large abbeys, the building works spanned several centuries resulting in a variety of styles and ideas. The remains of Furness Abbey church date largely from the 12th and 13th centuries when the original Savignac church was enlarged. The western tower (pictured above) was built after some reconstruction work in the late 15th century, and survives to a good height. A remarkably fine example of a canopied sedilia, including a piscina and a small cupboard, has survived in the presbytery. The craftsmanship employed in the intricate design work must have been of the highest quality, and it has withstood the test of time extremely well.
Along the eastern edge of the cloister are five splendidly preserved Norman arches (pictured above) leading into the usual claustral buildings. The chapter house (pictured below) must have presented a magnificent sight with its 12 bay vaulted ceiling (which, sadly, no longer exists), its array of twin lancet windows with elaborate moulding, and lots of polished marble. There is a good example of how beautiful the moulded piers looked with their stiff-leafed capitals, as one still stands to full height.

Little survives of the south and west ranges, but the small chapel of the infirmary is amazingly well-preserved. It is complete with vaulting, the circular wall benches, some lovely window tracery, and the remains of an elaborate piscina. The water course (pictured below) that travels the entire length of the abbey which would have supplied the kitchen and toilets with clean running water is especially impressive. The entire complex still exudes the power and importance that Furness Abbey held in medieval England, and the surviving features with their intricate designs further demonstrate the wealth of the abbey. When considering the situation of this monastery to Scotland, and how frequent Scottish raids occurred during those times, it is incredible to see so much remaining almost untouched by the troubles.This site gave me the greatest pleasure to explore. The sheer size was overwhelming, the walls were so warm and welcoming, and every nook and cranny just begged to be investigated for fear of missing some delightful treasure. Fantastic place to take the children to explroe and enjoy a picnic on the grass.

Genuflection – An Agnostic’s Prospective.

2009-05-19T00:37:00.008+01:00

On my still relatively short journey in faith I have experienced a great deal of variation in certain practices, so much variation in fact I was surprised when I learnt that Catholic meant united/unity.

When I was still very new to the Mass one of the things I noticed that differed greatly was the practice of genuflection. Of course the first time I saw someone do it I actually thought they were simply tying their shoe lace but soon realized it was something entirely different when everyone kept doing it.

Sitting at the back of church following along to the Mass with my little prayer book I would watch the priest, altar boys, and people intensely as I was very eager to learn but to shy to ask questions and wanted to be respectful and careful not to accidentally offend by acting inappropriately. I was especially eager to watch how people behaved and what they did, for example when to stand sit or knee during Mass, and once I knew what genuflection was I would watch people do that also.

I would watch in amazement as people crossed before the high altar and tabernacle. Some would genuflect planting their right knee firmly to the floor, some would do a half hearted curtsy, some a head bob as if they were gesturing someone in the street and some would simply pass by without any acknowledgement.

At a time I was still gathering my thoughts together regarding my faith and would probably have regarded myself as an agnostic or simply rather confused by it all, nonetheless I thought to myself:

'If these people (Catholics) honestly believe that the true presence of Christ is contained within that tabernacle on the high altar then why are they not falling to there knees'

I would even place a little bet with myself when I saw someone approaching as to how they would genuflection. Without exception the only ones who planted their knee to the floor were the priests (although I must add that was only in one particular church and have noted irregularity even among religious).

At the time and even now I remain a little disheartened, here I was being careful not to offend by trying to respect the Churches customs and all around me there were Catholics who did not even respect them themselves. In the end I came to my own conclusions:

I may use a quick head bob to acknowledge a friend I see on the other side of the street.

I would certainly try to do a curtsy if I ever meet the queen.

HOWEVER in the PRESENCE of OUR LORD I will ALWAYS GENUFLECT with my right KNEE to the GROUND for long as I shall live (or my health permits me to do so).

Peterborough Cathedral

2009-05-18T17:46:00.011+01:00

The first abbey was established at Peterborough in around 655 AD and it has thus been a site of Christian worship for almost 1350 years, one of the first centres of Christianity in central England. The first Abbey was largely destroyed by Viking raiders in 870. In the mid 10th century a Benedictine Abbey was created by Athelwold, Bishop of Winchester from what remained of the earlier abbey, with a larger church and more extensive buildings. The abbey’s ancillary buildings were destroyed in Hereward the Wake’s resistance to the Norman takeover in 1069, but the church survived until an accidental fire swept through it in 1116.

Only a small section of the foundations of the Saxon church remain beneath the south transept but there are several significant artefacts including Saxon carvings from the earlier building.

A new church, the present building, was begun by the then Abbot (John de Sais) in 1118 and finally consecrated by Grossteste, Bishop of Lincoln, in 1238. This church is built largely of Barnack Ragstone a local limestone quarried at Barnack near Stamford.

Despite general changes in style, by 1193 the building was completed to the western end of the Nave in the Norman, or Romanesque, style in which it had been begun. Only in completing the Western transept and adding the Great West Front Portico in 1237 did the medieval masons adopt the then more modern gothic style. Apart from changes to the windows, the insertion of a porch to support the free-standing pillars of the portico and the addition of a ‘new’ building at the east end around the beginning of the 16th century, the structure of the building remains essentially as it was on completion almost 800 years ago.

Most significantly the original wooden ceiling survives in the nave, the only one of its type in this country and one of only four wooden ceilings of this period surviving in the whole of Europe, having been completed between 1230 and 1250. The three other examples are at Zillis in Switzerland, at Hildesheim in Germany and at Dädesjö in Sweden. Of these the longest is less than half the length of the Peterborough ceiling. It has been over-painted twice, once in 1745 and again in 1834, but retains it retains the character and style of the original.

The main beams and roof bosses of the tower date back to the 1370’s and those of the Presbytery to 1500. The renewal of the Presbytery roof coincided with an extensive building programme which included the processional route provided by extending the East End of the church. This ‘New Building’ is an excellent example of late Perpendicular work with fine fan vaulting probably designed by John Wastell, who went on to work on Kings College Chapel in Cambridge.

In 1539 the great abbey of Peterborough was closed and its lands and properties confiscated by the king. However to increase his control over the church in this area he created a new bishop and Peterborough Abbey church became a Cathedral.

Two queens were buried in the Cathedral during the Tudor period. Katherine of Aragon’s grave is in the North Aisle near the High Altar, whilst Mary Queen of Scots was buried on the opposite side of the altar, though her grave is now empty (she was re-buried in Westminster in 1612).

St Oswald’s Arm (the Abbey’s most valued relic) disappeared from its chapel about the time of the reformation but the chapel still has its newel staircase or watch-tower where monks kept guard over it day and night.

All the stained glass windows, the High Altar and medieval choir stalls and all the monuments and memorials of the Cathedral, were destroyed by Cromwell’s soldiers in 1643.

The Central tower, which had been restructured in the 14th century had to be re-built again in the 1880’s and after this the whole central and eastern area of the church required refurbishment, providing an opportunity for the creation of the fine, hand carved choir stalls, cathedra (bishops throne) and choir pulpit and the marble pavement and high altar which are at the centre of worship today.

In the 21st century the Cathedral still follows its centuries old pattern of daily worship, though the medieval monastic pattern of 8 services per day has been reduced to morning prayer, daily Eucharist and evensong on most days of the week. The Cathedral remains, however, a vibrant and developing community with outreach and education programmes, performances and civic events.

It is most certainly worth a visit and there are many examples of fine masonry and carpentry work however there is a rather large crucifix that hangs from the ceiling in the centre of the nave which I can' t say to to my liking. What do you think?

Modesty, Women and the Church

2009-05-17T16:32:00.003+01:00

As my faith has grown I have noticed it making a difference in many aspects of my life, some of which I would not have thought would have been affected. One of the more surprising areas for me was the affect it has had on the way I choose to dress.

Over time I have noticed myself ruling out clothes I see in shops because I find them inappropriate and instead opting for something in a more conservative style, something I would not have perhaps done before. Now I am generally careful how much chest I show, choose skirts that are knee length or longer and trousers which are not too tight.

I have always liked to dress smartly to church. My reason for doing so at least when I was very new to the faith was simply because I was under the impression that’s what people who go to church did, later on it stopped being about the people and became something I did to honor God, which is the way it remains even till today.

My first reason however was quickly proved wrong, as before I could receive Holy Communion I would often watch other people as they walked to the front of church to do so and found myself disgusted by what I saw some people, especially young women were wearing.

By all means I don’t always wear my best clothes when I attend Mass as while I especially like to dress smartly for church on Sunday as it is the purpose of me going out, during the week I often attend Mass in the early evening after a day at work or university, consequently am usually wearing my uniform or trousers and a good pair of boots (I do a lot of walking when I am at university). Nonetheless feel I am always appropriately covered to attend church which is more than I would say for the women I saw.

With young children I have found positive reinforcement to be the best way to solve this problem however, have come up against a wall when it comes to influencing older children (and even adults).

On my travels I once went to a church with a dress code printed on a large piece of paper pinned to the notice board just outside the church. I did not like this idea. It made me feel uncomfortable and I would have felt unable to attend Mass if I had been in my university clothes as I more often than not wear jeans and I don’t like the idea of putting off or even preventing people from attending Mass. Neither is it tackling the source of the problem which in my opinion is the increasing lack of respect and reverence people have towards worship, the Eucharist and religious buildings.

While I would not confine this problem to women as I also like to see men and boys dressed smartly and hate to see unpolished shoes or trainer on altar boys I did manage to find a short piece about what one pope had to say on the matter.

From the encyclical "Sacra Propediem" of Pope Benedict XV-

19. From this point of view one cannot sufficiently deplore the blindness of so many women of every age and condition; made foolish by desire to please, they do not see to what a degree the in decency of their clothing shocks every honest man, and offends God. Most of them would formerly have blushed for those toilettes as for a grave fault against Christian modesty; now it does not suffice for them to exhibit them on the public thoroughfares; they do not fear to cross the threshold of the churches, to assist at the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, and even to bear the seducing food of shameful passions to the Eucharistic Table where one receives the heavenly Author of purity."

While researching this topic on the interest I also found this comment made by a priest concerning church attire:

I have found that it is not peoples regard for dress codes which have relaxed greatly in recent decades but the attitude, the respect and reverence people have for worship and church buildings. From brides walking down the aisle chewing gum to funeral pallbearers wearing tennis shoes, to members wearing flip-flops, shorts and tank tops on Sunday, the lack of respect and reverence to worship is disgusting.

These same people would never allow their children to play in a sporting event out of uniform, or apply for a job interview themselves dressed inappropriately. Sunday worship should be no different!

I also said I was raised to believe people should dress “respectfully” in the house of the Lord - and that means fully shod and covered up enough so it doesn’t distract other worshippers.

In contrast however this following comment left me with a lot to think
about:

More important than what people are wearing is the reason for being in church in the first place. Maybe it would be better if we could all enter God’s house blind. If we can’t see what people are wearing, we can leave our judgments and prejudices outside and use the time to learn more about God’s purpose for our lives.

What do you think?

Would you like your church to have a dress code?

Catholic Cross Stitcher

2009-05-16T15:40:00.000+01:00

I have always enjoyed arts and crafts every since I was young. When I was in my mid-teens I was introduced to cross stitch and it remains a hobby which I continue to enjoy today. I have always kept to the more simple prints such as cartoon characters as they feature large blocks of the same colour which make them easier to stitch. That is until recently when as I was searching through the shelves for my next project I saw a lovely cross stitch of Our lady with the Child Jesus.It was harder than anything I have every tried before, the different shades of skin, hair and cloth meant that many of the colours were interwoven, nonetheless as it was such a special find.

As you can not doubt imagine it is not every day that you find a cross stitch of this theme on the shelf of an arts and crafts store in England and would usually have to specially order them over the Internet which adds on the additional cost of postage and packaging. Anyway I just had to have it. It has taken me more hours than I can remember but just before I began writing this blog I finished it and here it is below.

If anyone would like the template that I followed for this design I still have it and would be quite happy to photocopy it and post or e mail it to you if they just let me have their address in the comment box of this post or indeed if you prefer my e mail address which can be found by viewing my profile.

Now that I now I can do these more interact designs I would like my next project to be the 14 Stations of the Cross however I do not know of any you can buy and will have to find good pictures that I can get transferred to template and have coloured threads made up for. So if anyone knows of any particularly good pictures of the Stations of the Cross please let me know.

Prayer Request for Successful Job Application

2009-05-15T00:46:00.006+01:00

This summer I graduate from university and enter the real world. In preparation I am beginning to complete job applications in the hope that I will have a job to step into upon my course completion. It can be quite a stressful and anxious time. The interviews are nerve racking, there are challenging scenario questions and numeric tests to be completed. Then there is the watching and waiting afterwards to know if you have been successful or not.

At this time I ask if you would kindly say a short prayer me.

When I was searching I found quite a few saints named as the patron/ess of nursing however the one named the most is St. Camillus de Lellis.

St. Camillus de Lellis was born at Bocchianico, Italy. He fought for the Venetians against the Turks, was addicted to gambling, and by 1574 was penniless in Naples. He became a Capuchin novice, but was unable to be professed because of a diseased leg he contracted while fighting the Turks. He devoted himself to caring for the sick, and became director of St. Giacomo Hospital in Rome.

He received permission from his confessor (St. Philip Neri) to be ordained and decided, with two companions, to found his own congregation, the Ministers of the Sick (the Camellians), dedicated to the care of the sick. They ministered to the sick of Holy Ghost Hospital in Rome, enlarged their facilities in 1585, founded a new house in Naples in 1588, and attended the plague-stricken aboard ships in Rome's harbor and in Rome. In 1591, the Congregation was made into an order to serve the sick by Pope Gregory XIV, and in 1591 and 1605, Camillus sent members of his order to minister to wounded troops in Hungary and Croatia, the first field medical unit.

Gravely ill for many years, he resigned as superior of the Order in 1607 and died in Rome on July 14, the year after he attended a General Chapter there. He was canonized in 1746, was declared patron of the sick, with St. John of God, by Pope Leo XIII, and patron of nurses and nursing groups by Pope Pius XI. His feast day is July 18th.

Morning and Evening Prayer - The Excitement and the Confusion

2009-05-14T01:06:00.003+01:00

The exciting part is that today, finally I managed to acquire a Morning and Evening Prayer Book (with Night Prayers). I have been wanting to take up this practice for a little while now but have not had the money spare to purchase the book. Fortunately for me when I happened to mention in passing to a friend that I was having this difficulty she said she had just such a book going spare and would happily let is go to a good home for a fair price.

So here it is my new pride and joy:

My confusion however, is that I don't actually now how to use it, doh! My friend did run through it very quickly when she gave it me but I was still lost when I came to looking at it by myself and so have purchased the trusty CTS Guide. During the discovery of my faith I have found CTS books a fantastic resource and have acquired myself quite a little collection.

The back cover reads:

A beginner’s guide to praying the Liturgy of the Hours

This Guide is intended for anyone who wants to learn how to pray ‘The Prayer of the Church’, also known as the ‘Divine Office’, ‘Liturgy of Hours’ or ‘Breviary’. Promoted by the Church as a Prayer for the whole People of God (not only for religious or ordained), this Guide gets down to the basics of how to use the breviary itself, as well as suggesting how to pray well. It is intended for beginners, whether sharing in community or praying the hours alone. It can be used as a self-tutorial or a workbook for a small group. It will be of value for most English speaking editions of the
breviary, or its smaller editions.

Although I am finding it easy read and I do understand it I am still nonetheless struggling to master the prayer book and think I am going to have to find some time to go bother some other poor soul so they can actually go through it with me. I have never found it easy to follow written instructions and think having someone actually sit through it with me will help. I do feel a little frustrated however as it is going to have to wait till I get a day free from university commitments.

Until such a time I plan to battle on and see what I can manage by myself.

Bolton Priory

2009-05-13T02:14:00.001+01:00

Bolton Abbey is in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales on the banks of the River Wharfe. To take advantage of everything on offer be sure to make your visit a day trip. With just under 30,000 acres of beautiful countryside, over 80 miles of footpaths and ample space to run around and enjoy the fresh air, there is something for all ages. Explore the ruins of the Priory and discover a landscape full of history and legend, wander along the riverside, woodland and moorland paths, enjoy local produce in the excellent restaurants, tea rooms and cafes, treat yourself in the quality gift shops and food shop or simply relax beside the river with a picnic whilst the children play.

The High Altar
Topped by the magnificent East Window, once resplendent with stained glass, the original High Altar of the Priory stood, raised on a step spanning the entire width of the building. Now within the ruined part of the Priory, the altar is no longer in position, but the step remains, covered in grass and providing one of the settings for the Priory's biennial pageants. It was here that the canons would have celebrated Mass, concealed from the eyes of the laity by a large rood screen which stood where the East Wall of the Priory Church was built following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, in order to preserve 'the mystery' of the communion.

The Choir
Even in the ruins, this is an area of great beauty and serenity. Life at the Priory revolved around the acts of worship which took place thoughout the day, starting between midnight and 2 am and finishing at dusk. Within the stalls on each side of the Choir, the canons took their places to sing the various prayers, psalms and passages from the Bible, all, of course, in Latin.

The day was divided into twelve monastic "hours" between dawn and dusk, which varied in length according to the season of the year. There were seven "hours" of prayer and in addition there were personal prayers and various Masses. Religious houses were often paid handsomely, sometimes in land, to say Masses for the souls of the dead.

The following was the order of a priory day in summer as recorded in the Observances of Barnwell Priory:

Midnight - Matins and Lauds
Sleep in the dorter (dormitory)
Daybreak - Prime, followed by Morning Mass, private Masses and confessions
Chapter Meeting in the Chapter House
About 8 am - Terce followed by High Mass
About 11.30 am - Sext
Noon - Dinner in the Refectory
About 2.30 pm - None
Wash and drink, followed by work
Sunset - Vespers or Evensong followed by Supper
About 8 pm - Compline
Retire to the dorter to rest

The Transepts
Protruding from either side of the main body of the building are the North and South Transepts. The construction of these gave the building the shape of a cross, thus indicating that it was under God's protection. Within the transepts, against the north and south walls were altars, thus enabling each transept to be used as a private chapel for the canons' private masses. As late as 1920, remains of the altars were still visible in the transepts. The transepts are slightly offset from the main line of the building, and are not quite at right-angles to the building.
The Nave
The Nave, was mostly built in 1240. This was used for services for the lay people of the village, known at that time as Bolton-in-Wharfedale. When the Priory was closed in 1539, a church was still required to provide for the people of the area. In all probability, thanks to the intervention of the Archbishop of York, the Nave was permitted to be retained to provide a church. Between 1539 and 1542 a priest was installed at the Priory by the Archbishop. Then, in 1542, the majority of the Priory estates were sold to Henry Clifford, First Earl of Cumberland, who continued a patronage of the Priory dating back to its earliest days. The Earl then installed a priest as chaplain of the Priory Church. Thus the Nave has been used continuously for worship for over 750 years, and contains many features arising from the continuous care which has been lavished on it during that time. From the Pre-Reformation sealed Stone Altar to the magnificent Pugin windows in the South Wall, the Nave contains many signposts to its devout and holy past.
The West Tower
In 1520, work began on the construction of a new tower to the west of the nave. Conceived by the Prior, Richard Moone, the tower was to be a great perpindular construction rivalling those at Furness and Fountains Abbeys. It is suggested that the decision to build the tower was taken after an earthquake rocked Yorkshire in 1485 and caused considerable damage to the towers of other religious houses, giving rise to concern that another earthquake might fell the main tower of the Priory, potentially causing appalling damage to the body of the church. Work came to an abrupt halt, however, in 1539 when the Prior closed, leaving the tower at one third of its original design height. At this point, the tower was not properly joined to the main body of the building, and was unroofed and unglazed. In 1984, a laminated pine roof, with a central boss in the shape of a white Yorkshire rose, was lowered onto the walls, and the windows and floor were completed, thus converting a stump of masonry into a noble porch with superb acoustic qualities.

The Chapter House
Each day, following the service of Prime, at about 8.30 am, the canons would assemble in the Chapter House to consider any items of business affecting the community of the Priory. These might be matters as simple as to consider disciplining a member of the Priory who had offended against the rules to dealing with spritual or commercial matters. The Chapter House was an octagonal building, seating up to 28 persons, and every canon had the right to be heard at Chapter meetings. The other crucially important purpose of the Chapter House was to provide a place for the canons to fulfill their duty to read each day one chapter of the Rule of St. Augustine. The Rule was divided into 8 chapters, and set out the basic tenets of the Common Life with the eighth chapter dealing with the observance of the other 7. The chapters were displayed, one on each wall, with the eighth chapter over the doorway, so that all who left could read it each day.

A summary of the Rule is:
Chapter 1: Purpose and Basis of Common Life
Chapter 2: Prayer
Chapter 3: Moderation and Self Denial
Chapter 4: Safeguarding Chastity,and Fraternal Correction
Chapter 5: The Care of Community Goods and Treatment of the Sick
Chapter 6: Asking Pardon and Forgiving Offenses
Chapter 7: Governance and Obedience
Chapter 8: Observance of the Rule

Officers of the Priory
There were various persons placed in authority within the Priory to oversee its daily running:

The Prior - who was the spritual head of the house, and also led the team responsible for the running of the Estate.

The Cellarer - who was the general manager of the estate. His duties were similar to those of a modern university Bursar. One of the Bolton Priory Cellarer's continuing preoccupations was that the estate never succeeded in becoming self-sufficient in corn, leading to the need to purchase and transport corn from some distance away.

The Sub-Prior - who deputised for the Prior in his absence. His normal duties covered spiritual matters and discipline.

The Sacrist - who had the special duty of care of the church, including its linen, ornaments and sacred vessels. This office was considered so important that it had a separate fund to maintain it, supported by its own flock of animals, which in 1321/2 comprised 296 sheep. At some priories, the sacrist and sub-sacrist took their duties so seriously that they both ate and slept in the Church.

The Refectorer - who also had his own fund and stock of animals. It was his responsibility to ensure that adequate food was available to feed both the occupants of the Priory and workers on any farms managed directly by the canons. Surpluses were sold to raise funds for the Priory.

The Granarer - given that grain was the most important foodstuff within the Priory's life, this office was considered to be one of great responsibility.

The Receiver - was always a canon, and had responsibility for maintain the accounts of the Priory. These were audited by Archbishop on his Visitations.

The Infirmarer - had responsibility for caring for the sick within the Priory.

The Dormitory
The Dorter - or Dormitory provided the communal sleeping accommodation for the canons. The dormitory was unheated. The canons' bedding comprised straw-filled mattresses with sheepskins to act as blankets. Compared with the size of the rest of the Priory, the sleeping accommodation appears very cramped, until one realises that there were never more than 19 canons living at the Priory. There does not appear to be any separate infirmary acommodation, so it is likely that medical treatment would have been afforded within the main dormitory when this was required. A night staircase ran directly from the dorter to the body of the Church, so that the canons had an easy means of descending for the Matins at 2.00 am. Clothing in these unheated buildings, clothing needed to be warm. The canons wore a black cassock lined with sheepskin, over which was a white rochet (or surplice), usually with tight sleeves. The outer vestment was a black cloak with a hood hanging down over the shoulders, which was in turn lined with sheepskin in winter. They also wore an amese - a garment worn over the head and around the shoulders, extending down to the waist. They also wore breeches, woollen socks and leather boots.

The Rere-dorter
The Rere-Dorter is another term for Latrine. In short, this was the canons' toilet and washing block. Built over a source of running water, which then drained down into the River Wharfe, and afforded relatively sophisticated facilities, although it should be borne in mind that the only water for washing was probably cold - winter and summer !

The Prior's Lodging
Only the Prior enjoyed private lodgings. These were originally located above the Cellarium, but were later moved to the end of the Dorter during the 14th Century.

The Refectory
All meals were taken in the Refectory. The mainstay of the canons' diet was bread, pottage and ale, supplemented by meat, fish and dairy products. It was usual in monastic establishments to allocate a kilogram of bread and approximately 5 litres of ale to each man per day. Wheat was a luxury item, and most bread was made from a combination known as mixtura. The amount of meat consumed within the precincts was about as much as is eaten today, and it will be appreciated that the nature of the manual work undertaken at the Priory meant a bettrer diet than that consumed in more sedentary religious houses. A considerable amount of fish was eaten at the Priory - mainly herring bought from the East Coast as opposed to fish caught in the Wharfe. Priory records show that the purchase of fish accounted for two-thirds of the kitchen's cash expenditure. Historical analysis of diet shows that for every 50 kilograms of grain consumed, there was approximately 8 kilos of dairy produce. Annual purchases of luxury items at St. Botolph's Fair included spices, raisins, almonds, figs and wine. Between 2,000 and 3,000 litres of wine were consumed each year at the Priory, mainly reserved for guests and for feast days. Almost a third of all the oats gathered from all sources by the Priory went into the making of ale. Given that the only other drink available was water, the considerable consumption of ale is perhaps understandable. This diet shows a lack of fruit and vegetables, and it has been suggested that Vitamin C deficiency was commonplace in the Middle Ages.

The Warming Room
Access to heating was a restricted luxury for the inhabitants of the Priory. Fires were not normally provided within the rooms of the Priory, as the canons were expected to live a life of frugality. Exceptions were made for the sick and for guests. Obviously, there would be a fire within the kitchen in order to heat food and to warm water for brewing the weak beer which was drunk at the Priory. In the winter, this would have made kitchen duties rather popular - although in the heat of the summer, the opposite might have been expected to be the case.
One concession was made to the rigours of life within the Priory - the Warming Room. To this room, each member of the Priory could retire for 20 minutes each day to take the chill from their bones. Aside from this small luxury, the canons were dependent on their woollen robes for warmth - it is for this reason that clothing was so heavy. Canons worked, worshipped, ate and slept in their clothes. Given that the Rule of Augustine describes bathing as something to be done only on medical advice, and counsels against too great a desire for clean clothing, one can imagine that the atmosphere within the Priory could at times be quite 'fragrant'. Incense, burned in places of worship, was used not only to send prayers to heaven in its smoke, but also mask the less agreeable odours of the time !

The Cellarium
The job of the Cellarer was one of the most important within the Priory. His was the responsibility for the purchase, storage and allocation of supplies for both the canons and the lay employees working on the farms and the estate. In some priories, the Cellarer was also responsible for brewing the ale drunk there. There were many threats to the food supply, including greed of bretheren and rodents. Were the food supply to run short, it might be difficult to procure more without delay, and this would in turn affect the ability of the Priory to function properly. Good management was therefore essential, as was security. The Observances of Barnwell Priory record an injunction to the Cellarer and his assistant, the Sub-Cellarer that:
"when he goes to dinner or to sleep, he is to take the keys of the cellar with him"

The Cloister
The construction of the Cloister began before 1200. A small open area enclosed by the walls of surrounding buildings, and skirted by a covered walkway, the Cloister was used by the canons for reading and meditation between the frequent summons of the bell calling them into prayer. Canons who had no other duties were required to spend their time in the Cloister in study and contemplation. A holy water stoup was set into the wall near the entrance to the Church, to permit canons to make the sign of the cross on his forehead, lips and heart before entering to show his desire for a pure mind, tongue and heart in his worship of God. The central area of the Cloister provided a sheltered space to grow herbs and some vegetables in even the harshest winter months. Being South-facing, the Cloister provided a good source of light, and the canons used this area for both reading and copying of manuscripts. To assist with this, small work-desks - carrels - were set around the Cloister.

My Home Altar in response to Mrs Pogle’s Request

2009-05-12T18:23:00.008+01:00

Mrs Pogle author of 'Life on the Home Front' today writes about and requests to see other peoples 'Home Altars' so I dedicate this post to her.

I live alone in an attic apartment and my 'Home Altar' is the centre piece of my living room situated in front of the chimmely breast. The portable Mass set I purchased with money my parents gave me to commemorate my reception into the Church during Easter last year. I purchased it off e bay and it arrived in a very poor state my father who had opened the parcel at the time as I was away at university painstakingly and carefully restored it for me.

The statue of Our Lady on the right was also a gift I received for my reception into the Church and The photograph to the left resting behind the Mass set is a close up of John Henry Cardinal Newman’s Reliquary at the Birmingham Oratory.

I also have another smaller 'Home Altar' below the window in my living room where I have a framed tapestry of the nativity and keep my bible and prayer books.

Catholic Monstrosities

2009-05-12T01:21:00.006+01:00

After reading Fr Tim Finigan's post about modern church architecture out of morbid curiosity I did a quick search to see what else I could find.

Jubilee Church (Rome)

Church of Santa Monica Spain

Christ Hope of the World (Austria)

I did plan to comment on my findings but I am afraid I was unable to find the words apart from to say that this is not a joke and that these buildings really do serve as Catholic churches.

If you find this topic interesting, I recommend the following book.
No Place for God: The Denial of Transcendence in Modern Church Architecture. Below is a short extract which quite possibly says it all.

The modern age has witnessed the construction of the most banal and uninspiring churches in history. The attempt to create a church architecture that would meet the needs of the age has resulted in churches that are unfit for any age. Contemporary church buildings, as well as being the ugliest ever built, are also the emptiest.

Many atheists used to say that whatever they felt about religion, it was impossible not to admire church architecture. But now there is hardly a Catholic who can admire (modern) church architecture.

Confession - Anonymous or Face-to-Face

2009-05-11T00:06:00.005+01:00

In older Catholic churches it is common to see one or more confessionals, small "rooms" built out from the side or back wall of the church containing a place for the priest confessor to sit, separated by a screen or grill from the place for the penitent to kneel and confess his or her sins.

It is becoming increasing popular however to be offered the choice to speak face-to-face with the priest and has necessitated the remodeling of confessionals in some churches and the construction of a reconciliation chapel in others.

When I was received into the Church and had to make my first Confession I used a confessional and it continues to be the method I usually use however, there has been the occasion when through circumstance I have found myself sitting in front of the priest.

Upon comparing the two I found I also instinctively preferred the confessional however, it was not until I pondered the choice a little more that I managed to understand why and this is what I concluded:

1. Using a confessional personifies the fact that the priest is acting in persona Christi as I am not actually seeing a person before me.

2. It much easier to be straight about the sins I have to confess whereas in front of a priest I stutter, twiddle my fingers and look at my knees.

3. You can kneel (before God and ask forgiveness) true there is no reason why you could not kneel before the priest however, this does not appear the practice and instead you simply take a seat.

4. You can conceal your identity however, in my experience as I go to confession regularly I can tell from the comments I have received when the priest is giving advice that he knows who I am. This have never actually bothered me though as I find it saves me having to explain myself in lots of detail and can be useful to the priest when he is trying to offer guidance. Nonetheless can also understand why being anonymous might appeal to some people.
5. On perhaps a more personal note I sometimes cry when I go to confession and would hate the priest to see me although I think he can probably tell sometimes from the quiver in my voice.

Anonymous or Face-to-face confession, what do you prefer?

I did wanted to include some more information on how confession developed over time but I only know bit and pieces of information so could not put anything together however, I did manage to find this interesting piece on the history of the confessional booth:

Confessionals are always made out of wood, since it was thought inappropriate to use more costly materials for non-liturgical church furnishings. Several types of confessional were in existence during the Middle Ages. In the 12th century the priest was seated while the penitent knelt in front of him.

From the 14th century in Sweden, where men lived alongside women in double monasteries, grilles were inserted in special recesses in the choir walls to prevent the priest from coming into contact with the sisters. The first confessional rooms, with a grille opening into the church, appeared in Portugal in the early 15th century (e.g. at Guarda Cathedral); a century later (1517–20), at S Maria, Belém, in Lisbon, the confessional room was extended to a double alcove, one for the priest and another for the penitent, connected by a grille.

During the Reformation, after a number of disputes over the objectivity of confession, regulations for the sacrament were drawn up at the Council of Milan (1565): The confessional itself was to have a partition with a grille through which the priest could communicate with the penitent. St Carlo Borromeo also recommended that the priest’s seat should be closed off on two sides, with a roof above. The addition of a third enclosure behind the penitent was proposed at the Council of Mechelen (1607).

The earliest confessionals of the Counter-Reformation consist of two parts and are closed off at the sides with a roof over the top. This, the alcove type, first gained popularity in Italy. Later a three-piece confessional of this form appeared in the southern Netherlands and south Germany. During the 17th century two further types consisting of three sections came into use: the cell type, which is similar to the alcove type but has no roof (e.g. the Klosterkirche, Stromberg, Germany), and the alcove-cell type, which has a roof over the priest’s alcove but open cells for the penitents (e.g. Onze-Lieve-Vrouw, Aarschot, Belgium; 1647).

The Pelican and Her Piety - Thank You Sister Mary Angela

2009-05-10T00:33:00.006+01:00

I am a bit of a hoarder, consequently many of my hobbies over the years have included collecting things. One of the things that I have collected quite a few of over the years have been enamel badges. It is not a large collection my any means and mainly consists of charity badges but I do have a few which I do really prize.

The first two as featured above are my grandmothers old blood donor badges the silver one she was given upon donating 25 pints and the gold on 50. Considering you can only donate up to three pints in any one year as you are required to have a minimum of four months between donations these badge represent quite an achievement. My grandmother can no longer give blood because of her age but she inspired me to do so and to date I have given 10 pins and been awarded my first badge too.
I also have a enamel badge of a golliwog dressed as a nurse. I particularly treasure this one because it is a little rarer than the others as from the 1950s onward the word 'golliwog' has been used as a term of racial abuse directed at black people reducing the popularity and sale of golliwogs as toys and manufacturers who have used golliwogs as a motif have often withdrawn them as an icon.

And just last weekend I acquired a new enamel badge to add to my collection. Only two weeks previously I had admired an enamel badge one of the Rosminian Sisters that serve the parish of St Marie's was wearing. I mentioned I collected them and much to my happiness not long afterwards she has managed to acquire one for me. I have tried repeatedly to get a better photograph than this to show you but unfortunately I have had no success however, a similar stain glass version can be seen as my profile picture.

It is known as 'The Pelican and Her Piety' and the motto reads 'LEGIS PELENITUDO CARITAS' which means 'Love is the fulfillment of the Law'. Blessed Antonio Rosmini adopted the image of the Pelican feeding her young when he formed the ‘Institute of Charity’ (Rosminians) and the ‘Sisters of Providence’ (Rosminian Sisters). Since that time the Pelican feeding her young has been the symbol of the Rosminian Order which schools run by the Rosminians have adopted.

This particular Rosminian Pelican badge is worn by members of the 'Past Pupils Association' of Our Lady's Convent School Loughborough and contains the initials LC on the pelican's wings to indicate Loughborough Convent.

The Symbolism
The pelican was said in medieval bestiaries to peck at its breast in order to feed its young with its own blood. In a variation of the story, it could revive its young after death by sprinkling them with its blood. In both tales, the pelican gives its blood to feed, nurture, and save its offspring, which was seen as a direct analogy with Jesus' sacrifice. It is a popular symbol and can been seen throughout churches and cathedrals in stain glass and masonry work.

Thomas Aquinas even used the allegory in his 'Adoro Te Devote'. To best appreciate this piece listen to it in Latin (I have also included a poetic English Translation Below).

Prostrate I adore Thee, Deity unseen,
Who Thy glory hidest 'neath these shadows mean;
Lo, to Thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed,
Tranced as it beholds Thee, shrined within the cloud.

Taste, and touch, and vision, to discern Thee fail;
Faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil.
I believe whate'er the Son of God hath told;
What the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold.

On the Cross lay hidden but thy Deity,
Here is hidden also Thy Humanity:
But in both believing and confessing, Lord,
Ask I what the dying thief of Thee implored.

Thy dread wounds, like Thomas, though I cannot see,
His be my confession, Lord and God, of Thee,
Make my faith unfeigned ever-more increase,
Give me hope unfading, love that cannot cease.

O memorial wondrous of the Lord's own death;
Living Bread, that giveth all Thy creatures breath,
Grant my spirit ever by Thy life may live,
To my taste Thy sweetness never-failing give.

Pelican of mercy, Jesu, Lord and God,
Cleanse me, wretched sinner, in Thy Precious Blood:
Blood where one drop for human-kind outpoured
Might from all transgression have the world restored.

Jesu, whom now veiled, I by faith descry,
What my soul doth thirst for, do not, Lord, deny,
That thy face unveiled, I at last may see,
With the blissful vision blest, my God, of Thee. Amen

To end, I would just like to say, once again a big

THANK YOU TO SISTER MARY ANGELA.

Fountains Abbey

2009-05-09T19:23:00.010+01:00

The dramatic Abbey ruins at Fountains are the largest monastic ruins in the country. Set in the naturally beautiful Skell valley, flanked by two vast expanses of lawned grass with awe inspiring cliff faces to either side and the river Skell running through the valley and under The Abbey - which in itself is a masterpiece of twelfth century building ingenuity - this truly is a beautiful place to visit and if you enjoy walking and include the gardens in your trip you could most easily spend the day there so take a picnic.

The Cellarium
Amazingly the cellarium roof has remained intact and the lay brothers ate, slept and socialised here, beneath the incredible vaulted ceiling which escaped Henry VIII’s brutal sixteenth century dissolution of the abbeys.

The Cloisters
Once used for meditation and exercise by the monks the cloisters formed the centre of the abbey and many rooms lead off from this area, including the warming room where you can still see the huge fireplace where a fire was always kept roaring.

Above the warming room up the external staircase to the left, is the muniments room where the monks kept all their important documents, it made sense to keep them above the warming room so the documents stayed dry in all seasons.

History - The early years
A dispute and riot at St Mary's Abbey in York led to the founding of Fountains Abbey in 1132. After pleading unsuccessfully to return to the early 6th century Rule of St Benedict, 13 monks were exiled and taken into the protection of Thurstan, Archbishop of York.

He provided them with a site in the valley of the little River Skell in which they could found a new, more devout monastery. Although described as a place "more fit for wild beasts than men to inhabit" it had all the essential materials for the creation of a monastery: shelter from the weather, stone and timber for building, and plenty of water.

Within three years, the little settlement at Fountains had been admitted to the austere Cistercian Order (founded in France in 1098). Under its rules they lived a rigorous daily life, committed to long periods of silence, a diet barely above subsistence level, and wore the regulation habit of coarse undyed sheep's wool (underwear was forbidden), which earned them the name "White Monks."

One of the Abbey's most important developments was the introduction of the Cistercian system of lay brothers. They were usually illiterate and relieved the monks from routine jobs, giving them more opportunity to dedicate their time to God.

Many served as masons, tanners, shoemakers and smiths, but their chief role was to look after the Abbey's vast flocks of sheep, which lived on the huge estate stretching westwards from Fountains to the Lake District and northwards to Teesside.

Without the lay brothers, Fountains could never have attained its great wealth or economic importance.

1200 - 1539
By the middle of the 13th century it was one of England's richest religious houses and, as well as farming, was mining lead, working iron, quarrying stones and horse breeding. But the seeds of failure lay in the very success of the system. The lay brothers encouraged the monks to extend their estates beyond what was necessary for monastic self-sufficiency.

In the 14th century economic collapse followed bad harvests and Scots raids, and the Black Death exacerbated the effects of financial mismanagement. The community of lay brothers reduced in size, many of the monastic granges were leased out to tenant farmers, and in the late 15th century dairy farming replaced sheep farming.

Despite its financial problems, Fountains Abbey remained of considerable importance in the Cistercian Order. The abbots sat in Parliament and the abbacy of Marmaduke Huby (1495-1526) marked a period of revival.

Fountains once again flourished, but its life was brought to an abrupt end in 1539 by Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. The abbot (Marmaduke Bradley) received a pension of £100 pa, his prior received £8, and 30 monks each received £6.

For a few months after the Dissolution, the Abbey buildings stood empty in the hope of being the site for the cathedral for a new Dales bishopric.

This was not to be, and by 1540 glass and lead from the dismantling of Fountains had found their way to Ripon and York.
The buildings and parts of the estate were sold to Sir Richard Gresham, whose family subsequently sold them on to Stephen Proctor, the builder of Fountains Hall.

Then the abbey passed through several hands until it came into the possession of the Messenger family. In 1767 it was sold for £18,000 to William Aislabie, who landscaped the abbey ruins as a picturesque folly to be viewed from the Water Garden.

The Society of St Justin

2009-05-07T19:24:00.005+01:00

I was visiting various blogs early this morning when I came across a post by Fr Tim Finigan. He had recently visited Salisbury Cathedral and in response to his post concerning what he had seen on his visit he had received a comment tell him about the Society of St Justin.

No doubt with the popularity of Fr Finigan's being as it is many of you would have already come across the post. Nonetheless I wanted to mention it on here as it is very pertinent to many of the different churches, cathedrals, etc that I visit. I visited the Society of St Justin website to find out more and below have included an extract of their aims and activities.

Throughout these islands and across Europe there are many buildings in which for centuries Holy Mass was offered and the other sacraments were celebrated; places hallowed by the prayers of countless of Catholic priests, monks and lay faithful. Some of these have fallen into disuse and are now secular tourist attractions while others are used by Christians of other denominations.

In visiting these places, members of the Society of St Justin recall the Catholic history and re-hallow the buildings and locations with Catholic prayer for those who worshipped there in times past, offering acts of reparation for past neglect and venerating ancient shrines and the relics of the saints.

Whenever visiting medieval churches, cathedrals, chapels or shrines which had once been Catholic places of worship members are to say a Pater Nostor, Ave Maria and Gloria Patri (in Latin) In doing so they are to pray to Almighty God for those who worshipped there in former times, especially the loyal Priests who offered mass there. They are to make an act of reparation for those who abandoned the Faith of our fathers and for the wrongs which may have been committed there. If the relics of the saints or venerable images are preserved in such places, members are to venerate them in a manner appropriate to Catholic practice. An intention should be offered for those who currently worship God in those places that they may come to the knowledge of the Truth and that all Christians may soon be united with the See
of Peter.

I like the idea that the prayers should be said in Latin as this language has the ability to travel through time and space and would be just as familiar to the Catholics who once used these places as it is for us today. Nonetheless my Latin is not that great so for myself and anybody who would like to have them in writing to read while they continue to memorise them I have included them below:

+ In nòmine Patris, et Fìlii, et Spìritus Sancti. Amen

Pater noster:
Pater noster, qui es in caelis: sanctificètur nomen tuum; advèniat regnum tuum; fiat volùtas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. Panem nostrum cotidiànum da nobis hòdie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimìttimus debitòribus nostris; et ne nos indùcas in tentatiònem; sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Ave Maria
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedictu tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventri tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, mater Dei, ora pro nobis pecatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen

Gloria Patri
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto. Sictu erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Hierophobia

2009-05-06T01:31:00.015+01:00

I have always regarded it a valuable commodity to be able to laugh at oneself with others as it is almost unavoidable not to make a fool of yourself at one time or another. Also it almost always makes you feel better if you can find the funny side of a situation which is why I am writing this post.

A phobia is a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Hierophobia specifically is a fear of sacred objects, religious buildings and priests.

I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous but I suffer from this phobia fortunately for myself as my faith has grown I have faced many of my fears and overcome them but I still from time to time feel unsettled.

Religious Buildings:
I am not sure if I thought I was going to go puff into smoke or melt into a puddle but it took me nearly two months after first acknowledging my belief in God before I built the courage to enter a church. In the end my desire to worship God overcame my fear to enter a church and once I had attended Mass for the first time with a close friend the fear completely disappeared.

Sacred Objects:
Shield your eyes and burn your hands lol. Most sacred objects such as crucifixes and rosary beads have actually never bothered me. However I do find relics very unsettling especially first class relics. Although when out of curiosity I went to see the display of Cardinal John Henry Newman's relics at the Birmingham Oratory I found the experience not as difficult as I thought it was going to be and actually found I could feel the religious significance of the items.

Priests:
The worst aspect of my phobia is my fear of priests. At the very worst when confronted by a priest I experience panic, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling and a strong desire to get away.

The individual themselves can be very nice and I don't experience any difficulties when they are dressed in civies but the moment I am aware they are a priest or see a dog collar/cassock I begin to feel uncomfortable.

(No doubt you are having a good laugh at my expense upon reading this but it's not funny when you can't string a sentence together and feel yourself turning red from the ankles up)

Thankfully my boyfriend has an relative who is a priest up north who we have been to visit on occasion for short breaks and upon staying with him and seeing for myself that priests are really no different to myself my fear has subsided.

Nonetheless If that fails to calm my fears then there is always the tactic of saying to myself "I am bigger than you, so there is nothing to be afraid off" as I happen to be nearly six foot and find I am more often than not bigger than most people I meet. I am yet to meet a priest who is significantly taller than myself however, but if I do I will be sure to let you all know how it goes.

My Parents

2009-05-05T23:55:00.002+01:00

Although not people of faith themselves my parents were able to bring me up in such a way that my mind remained open to the possible of a God. If this had not been the case then there is no doubt in my mind that I would have never been able to except the gift of faith that God offers me. Although they struggle to understand my faith they are happy for me because they see that it makes me happy and in their own special way they do little things to show me this. These little things my parents do for me make them very special people and I lovely them both dearly. Below are but two examples:

On the eve of my reception into the Catholic Church realising it was a very important occasion for me but not knowing what to purchase in order to commemorate the occasion they gave me some money which I use to purchase a crucifix from e-bay. The crucifix was not photographed very well and actually turned out to be a portable Mass set which was a lovely surprise however, it was also in a very poor state which was a bit of a disappoint. I was away from home at university when it arrived in the post and my father had opened it for me. Upon realising the state it was in he painstakingly and carefully restored it for me even though the piece held no importance for him other than it was a gift for me.
Also recently my mother went on holiday aboard. It was a package holiday and included a lot of activities and not much time to complete them in but, upon seeing a church she took the effort to go inside and light a candle for me. This gesture meant little to hear other than she knew that it would make me very happy indeed.

(Top photograph features the Mass set my father restored for me)

Ad Orientem and Vestments

2009-05-04T22:56:00.005+01:00

Most converts I speak to come from a background of faith (more often than not it is Anglican) whereas I do not.

Before finding my faith if I was asked what religion I was I would probably have answered Christian out of instinct or habit however, if you had questioned me further you would probably have found that in truth I was actually agnostic or indeed atheist.

As I have discovered my faith I have found that this background has given me a rather unique outlook. At times it can be a very innocent outlook and then there are others times when I think it is own fair to say it is ignorant.

Which brings me nicely onto the topic of this post. Nearly all Masses (both new order and tradition latin) I attend are said Ad Orientem (facing the east), in my innocence before my introduction to the Catholic blogosphere I knew nothing of the debt concerning facing the people and facing the east in my innocence I only knew and had concluded the following:

(Keeping it simple) Christ was considered by Christians as the light of the world and in the northern hemisphere the sun (the light) rises in the east, consequently it has been tradition to face east when praying.

Although I will admit I was (and remain) slightly curiosity about what the priest was actually doing, I really liked the symbolism and actually preferred it that way. After all I was going to church to pray to God and it made perfect sense to me to symbolically face him when addressing him in prayer.

One point which is often raised when the priests orientation during Mass is debated is that by turning towards the east and therefore away from the congregation, the priest and servers are praying on the congregation's behalf rather than with them, this never once occurred to me, in actual fact because I was always in my pew before the beginning of Mass I actually considered them to be joining me in prayer because I was there first (lol).

One thing I also discovered when the Mass is said Ad Orientem is that you can better appreciate the beauty and ornateness of the priest’s vestments either because there is no altar table in the way or in the case of older vestment designs they were made to wear when the priest is saying the Mass Ad Orientem and are purposely decorated that way. Below I have included a slide show of some particularly beautiful vestments.

As pictures are usually inappropriate for this type of clothing they often adorn symbols such as

IHS, This Emblem is a Monogram which represents the Holy Name of Jesus consisting of the three letters: IHS. During the Middle Ages, the Name of Jesus was written: IHESUS. The monogram, or emblem, IHS contains the first and last letter of the Holy Name. The letters IHS referring to this monogram do not contain periods, or full stops, after each letter as it is an abbreviation of the name IHESUS.

INRI which represents an acronym of the Latin phrase IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDAEORVM, which translates to English as: "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews", the inscription that Pontius Pilate ordered placed on Jesus' cross

The colours most commonly seen are:

Green, the symbol of nature and a symbol of hope. It is used after Epiphany and after Pentecost.

Purple, the symbol of penitence and mourning. It is use for the seasons of Lent and Advent.

White, the symbol of innocence and triumph. It is used on all feasts of the joyful and glorious mysteries of our Lord’s life (e.g. Christmas and Easter), on the feasts of our Blessed Mother, on the feasts of angels and of all saints who were not martyrs.

Red the colour of blood, which is used on all feasts of our Lord’s Cross and Passion, on the feasts of the Apostles and of all martyrs. Red is also used on Pentecost and in Masses of the Holy Spirit, in memory of the tongues of fire of the First Pentecost.

And perhaps less commonly

Black, which symbolizes death. It is used for the service of Good Friday and for Masses of the Faithful Departed.

Rose, which is permitted in place of purple, on the third Sunday of Advent and the forth Sunday of lent, when the Church tempers the sadness of the penitential seasons with an invitation to rejoice in the Goodness of God our Saviour.

Blue the symbol of heavenly grace. Which I have also seen used on the Feast days of our Blessed Mother.

Facing the People or Facing the East. What do you prefer?

Acknowledgements to Matthew Doyle for the top photograph.

My Conversion Story: I Believe

2009-05-03T12:54:00.002+01:00

Coming from a background of no faith I was ill prepared for the friendship that would develop between my now good friend Maryam and me when we first met while sharing halls of residence together during our first year at university in the September of 2006.

Maryam is a Muslim and when we first met I think it is fair to say it was the first time we both had really had chance to see how the other side really lived. Out of curiosity it was not long before I began to ask questions about Islam and as fair is fair she would more often than not return with a question about Christianity and our discussions would quickly turn into friendly debates.

But it was not long before it was obvious that her knowledge of Islam greatly outstretched my knowledge of Christianity, so to match her arguments I had to read, first just a little, but then more and more and more. We debated regularly sometimes every evening. She stood for Mohammed and I stood for Christ.

We would debate nearly every night and I would always begin my line of defence with the words "Christians believe". The longer the debate lasted the more passionate I got. Then one day out of the blue I substituted the word ‘I’ for Christian and said "I believe".

That evening I truly believed the points I was arguing and I left the debate went to my room fell to my knees at the bottom of my bed burst in to tears and prayed, begging for God’s forgiveness for having rejected him for so long.

Warwickshire Churches

2009-05-02T23:28:00.007+01:00

One Sunday after Mass my boyfriend and I decided to take advantage of some good weather and visit some of the churches in the Warwickshire countryside that operate an open door policy. Below are a few photographs and a little history about what we found:

St Leonard's Church (Charlecote)

This church sits just outside the grounds of Charlecote Park. A Gothic style church conceived by and paid for by the Lucy family, owners of Charlecote Park who are all grandly entombed and depicted in the family chapel, mainly in alabaster. Mary Lucy, a woman before her time, was the force behind the building of the church which contains excellent examples of church craftsmanship including some wonder stained glass.

St Peter Ad Vincula (Hampton Lucy)

This church stands on the site of an ancient Mercian minster dating from the eighth century. The present Gothic-style building dates from 1826 and replaces an older church on the same site. Some of the floor tiles still date from the 14th century, this church contains some very impressive features. For example the tops of the choir stalls are replicates of those in Ely Cathedral's Lady Chapel. They are actually in better condition than those in the Cathedral due to the devastation it faced during the reformation.

St Nicholas' Church (Loxley)

This church is one of the oldest in England; it has been a place of worship since the 8th century and contains Saxon and Norman features. The tower is 13th century. The organ is the only one of its kind in use and was made in Birmingham. The pulpit was added during restoration work in 1740 and a little unusual in that you have to quickly slip through the sacristy to reach it. The only stained glass window in the church is to the right of the altar which is of St Peter and was also added during the restoration work. A Saxon wall uncovered in 1983 when a damp course was being installed and is thought to have been Built around 950AD. (All these features can be seen in the photographs in the slide show above).

St Nicholas' church although not as heavily decorated had the most special feel about it having been a place of worship since the 8th century and the only church we visited in which Mass would have been said.

Sacred Vessels: Pottery or Precious Metal

2009-05-01T17:14:00.004+01:00

For the first time just recently I came across the use of ceramic Chalices and Patens. I happen to mention this in passing in a comment to Fr Tim Finigan saying:

That they were nice and I liked the simplicity of them imagining that they are something similar to what Christ himself may have used at the Last Supper but that if I were honest I preferred the more ornate ones made out of precious metal and jewels.

In reply and to my surprise he informed me that:

Redemptionis Sacramentum 117 states that vessels made from "glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily" should not be used for the celebration of Mass.

and that although

In films, Christ is always depicted as using common vessels at the Last Supper but we don't know that he did so - he may have used a precious vessel. What we do know is that the Last Supper was not an informal meal. It was a ritual and liturgical celebration.

and ending with

I do agree with you on the quality of the pottery and I am hoping to find time to give them instructions for a sacrarium and a holy water dispenser.

The comment had me thinking all day, I had previously read Fr Tim's paper "Sacred and Great" which brilliantly discussed the Last Supper as a sacred liturgy and had helped to furthered my understanding of the Last Supper as a ritual. When I finally managed to piece my thoughts together I came up with the following:

When I was a young child in my family we would always go around to my grandparents for Christmas day, although not completely comparable to the ritual and liturgical celebration of the Last Supper for my grandmother it came very close, for it was the one time of the year she would have all her children and grandchildren in the same house.

Christmas dinner was always the most important part of the day. The actual cooking of the meal had started the night before, but preparation for the meal had begun long before that with the ordering of the turkey from the farmer and the making of the Christmas pudding many months before. It was also they ONLY day of year that my grandmother’s best china was removed from the locked display cabinet in the entrance hall and used.

(I remember so vividly because my brother and I were repeatedly cautioned by my father about the handling of his mother’s china).

Anyway by now you have probably guest what I am getting at - if my grandmother (and no doubt in years to come myself) can make such a huge effort for Christmas dinner then I think it is only proper to assume an even greater effort was made by the Jews in Christ’s day when it came to the ritual of the Last Supper in that my grandmother’s equivalent to her best china was used.

Out of curiosity I also googled Redemptionis Sacramentum and while I like pottery for what it is, I would also argue that it is 'lacking in quality, or devoid of all artistic merit' when it comes to its use as a scared vessel and therefore 'reprobated' and its use should be reserved for such items as a sacrarium/piscina (but that my just be my opinion).

Below I have included a slide show including a most ornate set of Sacred Vessels a wonderful example of what is available for use during Mass.

Acknowledgements to Holy Cross Family for the photographs used in the slide show.

Simple Ceramic or Precious Metal. What do you prefer?

Lego Church

2009-04-30T00:58:00.001+01:00

I like to buy the girls toys that encourage creative playing as this type of playing benefits young children greatly. For example it encourages them to use their imagination. So for Christmas I decided to buy them some lego.

Lego up to this point had been thought of as a boys toy and consequently they had never really played with it. As I did not want to go for anything I did not think they would like, such as themed lego I decided to go for one of the medium sized generic boxes with lots of different shapes, colours and sizes. There were no instructions as such just pictures on the box large enough for you to be able to copy.

When they unwrapped the lego on Christmas day they were very pleased with it and started playing with it immediately. They decided to build a basic house, but it did not go too well as they simply placed one brick on top of the other without overlapping them and so the house easily fell apart.

Now lego was one of my favourite toys as a young child, I could play with it for hours on end and build almost anything I set my mind too. So I decided to sit myself down on the carpet and teach them a thing or two, just to get them started. However I got a little carried away with having too much fun myself and built myself... you guest it a lego church:

Complete with church gate, graveyard, war memorial and landscaping

and my piece de la resistance... inside the church itself a tabernacle.

HONEST I DID BUY THE LEGO FOR THE CHILDREN ;-)

Happy Feast Day

2009-04-29T23:15:00.001+01:00

Today is the Feast day of St Catherine of Siena, (1347-80) Virgin & Doctor of the Church, and Patroness of Europe. A visionary even as a child, she joined the Dominicans as soon as she was permitted. She was one of the most brilliant theological minds of the day and was influential as an adviser to Popes and was renowned for her ability to procure conversions, even amongst hardened criminals. Her letters and “Dialogue” are still considered some of the greatest writings in the Church. She died at 33. The stigmata became visible after her death and in 1430, her body was discovered to be uncorrupted.

Although my name is Catherine strictly speaking I was not named after St Catherine of Siena, in truth I was not named after anyone, my parents purposely chose my name because they liked it and knew no one by that name and therefore it was not tainted, by tainted I mean to say they did not associate the name with anyone they knew and therefore it did not conjure up any imagines.

Nonetheless when I first started to hear about the lives of the Saints I was so inspired by the stories I researched all the ones named Catherine with the intention of adopting one for myself and I chose St Catherine of Siena.

Why, well because her story spoke to me the most. In particular there was the story in which after facing ridicule one night while she wept Christ appeared holding a crown of gold and a crown of thorns. “Choose the one you want to wear for this life, Catherine,” he said, “and I will save the other for eternity.” She remembered that even as Christ was dying for love of his enemies, they were reviling him and she said, “I want to be like you” and took the crown of thorns.

The golden crown represents for me the secular world and the appeal it can sometimes have and the crown of thorns me with Christ (or with faith) and the great sense of love I feel. I can’t have both and so in my moments of weakness when I am struggling the toss I remind myself that although the golden crown can be appealing it leaves me feeling shallow and empty inside whereas the crown of thorns although not always the easiest to wear with Christ I feel complete and deeply loved.

More Than Just Bricks and Mortar

2009-04-29T02:33:00.000+01:00

Of all the photographs of all the places I visit and share with you this building holds more spiritual significance to me than any other, for it was in the Birmingham Oratory that I truly discovered the Mass. Although I first experienced the Mass at St Marie's on returning to university and having the courage to go it alone having been once with a friend my closest Catholic Church was the Birmingham Oratory.

And so two or three times a week after lectures having finished for the day I would wrap up warm take hold of my CTS Simple Prayer Book and attend the 17.45 Mass. I would sit at the back with my little book and I would watch and I would listen and I would practice. I learnt the prayers, about blessing yourself with holy water as you enter the church and genuflecting when you cross before the tabernacle. I learnt about the true presence and the saints and the stories of Christ.

I learnt more sat at the back of that church watching and listening to the priests as they said Mass than I can ever put into words. Later as I grew in faith and confidence it also became the place where I would first said the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross.

And finally it is the place where I received instruction in the faith and during the Ester Vigil of 2008 stood and professed that I believe that the Holy Catholic Church is the One True Word of God and received my first Holy Communion.

These slides can only hope to portray how truly special this building is.

The View That So Embraced Me

2009-04-27T22:37:00.001+01:00

I had really wanted my first photographs I shared with you to be a tour of St Marie's, the church in which I went to my first Mass, however I am away at university at the moment and only have one photograph stored on my computer so unfortunately it will have to do and here it is:

It is a little busy, having been taken from the back of the church but I think even this photograph invites you to want to look in closer detail at the paintings and statues adoring the high altar so as soon as I get the chance I hope to show you more of this wonderful building.

Hidden Treasures And Much Much More

2009-04-27T18:59:00.001+01:00

I am able to enjoy my hobby because of the work and dedication of different charities and organisations that work to keep places of religious significance open to the public. Below and in the side bar I have included links to a few of the sites where I find the hidden treasures I visit:

The Friends of Friendless Churches have campaigned since 1957 for the preservation of ancient and beautiful but redundant churches. They now own 38 former places of worship, half in England, half in Wales, which they have saved from demolition, decay and unsympathetic conversion.

The Churches Tourism Association is the UK's leading body for promoting best practice in welcoming visitors to places of worship and developing the tourism potential and visitor experience of a unique part of our historical and contemporary sacred heritage, captured for the future, living in the present, and distinctive to the location of every community across the land.

This site contain a list of opening arrangements at places of worship grant-aided by the Heritage Lottery and English Heritage.

The Historic Chapels Trust was established in 1993 to take into ownership redundant chapels and other places of worship in England which are of outstanding architectural and historic interest. The object is to secure their preservation, repair and maintenance for public benefit, including contents, burial grounds and ancillary buildings.

How My Fasination Began

2009-04-26T16:27:00.001+01:00

Hello, my name is Catherine and I am a convert to Roman Catholicism. For over a year now I have enjoyed reading other Catholic blogs and have often wanted to create one myself, but I am no scholar and sometimes find it difficult to put pen to paper and so have always been put off, till now that is.

One of my favourite past times is wondering around and admiring religious buildings, I find the history, the stories and the symbolism they contain absolutely fascinating. Using snap shots I take with my camera phone and short captions it is my hope in creating this blog to share some of this fascination with you, the reader.

First however I would like to share with you how my fascination began.

I go to church to hear Mass every day if I can, and it was at my first Mass on the first Sunday of Advent during the early winter of 2006 that my fascination began. I had not long begun to discover my faith when I built up the courage to ask a friend who I knew went to church if I could come along, he had been a little taken back by my asking but had said yes.

At the Mass I was in awe of everything around me, but as there was so much to take in I struggled to understand everything. When I finally resigned myself to just seeing and hearing I began to notice the building around me. The stain glass, the statues and the paintings, I could see them, read them and understand them. Not all, but could I recognise Jesus and Mary, and understand what some of the scenes were trying to depict. I found God in the building itself and it filled a part of me I never knew was there and yet in doing so made me feel more complete.

It is now some two and a half years since I attended my first Mass and I now understand what is being said and done and find God present in every part of the Mass, but I still find myself absorbed by the building around me, where I can place myself at the foot of the cross or beside the manger of my Lord.

And so I invite you to take a pew with me and take a moment to look around.