This week I was glad to be able to make the annual colloquium of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy held at the Oratory school at Reading. Fathers Henry, Blake and Finigan have all provided accounts. It was wonderful to see how the CCC has blossomed so quickly in this country and largely by word of mouth. Ad Clerums tend not to refer to it but episcopal approval was there in the presence of bishop Egan and a letter of welcome from archbishop Longley of Birmingham.
I don`t intend to repeat what others have said and Fr Henry gives a useful summary of the talks but when I got home and opened the post to find detailed proposals for monthly parish council meetings I thought warmly of bishops Egan`s observation that he does not believe in salvation sola structura!
The liturgies were particularly encouraging with the ordinary form celebrated ad orientem to chant settings. Walking into the chapel before breakfast and seeing an extraordinary form Low Mass at the high altar warmed my heart and exercised its usual fascination on me. It was also very good to see old friends and meet one or two readers of this blog. I think I could easily think of twenty or so priests who would have enjoyed the colloquium and I will do my best to spread the word and let`s hope next year our numbers have doubled!
3 comments:
Can I apologise for this intrusion on your blog, but if I don't get rid of the steam coming out of my ears, I will combust.
The Telegraph this morning reveals the unbelievable news that Damien McBride is now the Head of Media and PR for CAFOD, and has been since April 2011.
So what, you may say, or rather who he?
Mc Bride was special adviser to Gordon Brown from 2005, organised the Great Leader's take over from Tony Blair deploying the "black arts" of spin doctoring. Briefed heavily against Ruth Kelly (a fellow Catholic)and in 2009 he organised, with Derek Draper, the Red Rag blog specifically designed to spread untrue rumours about the sexual and personal lives of leading Conservatives. He admitted later that he was making the rumours up.
When details of the rumour mill were revealed by Guido Fawkes and the Daily Telegraph, McBride was forced to resign his civil service position as Media Head at Downing Street, forcing Gordon Brown to offer groovelling apologies to all the Conservatives who had been maligned by this poisonous creep.That was in April 2009, and within a few months, he was appointed "Business Liason Officer"
(what the Hell is that?) at Fichley Catholic High School.
Then in April 2011 he becomes Head of Media and PR for CAFOD.
He obviously has friends in high places.
Tells us all we need to know about CAFOD, that they would appoint to a senior position, one of the most noxious and obnoxious dealer in lies, slander and filth in British politics.
Sorry, Father!!!
Is there any need for 1869 to apologise for bringing the facts to Forest Murmurs readers attention? I think not.
However, the Church has once again revealed its inability to distinguish between the deserving and the undeserving, the suitable from the unsuitable and the good from the bad.Papal knighthoods are an example. These titles are apparently only awarded after a thorough investigation into a persons Catholic life over a period of time. On at least one recent occasion it has become apparent that the process has either been flawed or cetain aspects of a persons character have been ignored.Such misjudgements when they come to light at whatever level do nothing but harm to the Catholic Church. Is it too much to expect that, at least in the future, greater scrutiny be given to other church appointments, such as 1869 reveals in his posting( and there are and have been others), especially when they are liable to attract greater. publicity? I'm not holding my breath.
Appreciation accordingly a great deal used for distribution this grand post.
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