Bishop Mark Davies: why they wore choir dress

I had lovely evening in London last night at The Keys, the London branch of the Catholic Writers Guild, I missed Mass but I arrived for drinks and dinner. The speaker was Bishop Mark Davies, he spoke about the Second Vatican Council. He began by pointing out he was beginning his First Communion preparation when it began.
What I rather enjoyed and thought was quite insightful was his presentation of it as a spiritual event. Pope John had written to the entire Church asking for prayers for the Council, he himself according to his secretary  seemed deepened his own prayer life. He insisted on the Bishops wearing choir dress, as a sign that the Council was a quasi liturgical event and not simply about debate.
He quoted one or two sources pointing out that what was heard about the Council through out the world was often presented in terms of "factionalism" by journalists left in Rome for the duration of the Council, and most were second rate and scratching around for stories. concentrating on the human rather than Divine elements of the Council.
Interestingly he quoted Bishop Egan, his former Vicar General, who always warned against partisanship or "the football team supporter" interpretation of the Council, of seeing it in terms of Liberal or Reactionary, Traditional or Progressive. In the light of that I asked him how that squared with the Pope's words to our Bishops, "It is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate". He replied that the only criteria to apply to an interpretation of the Council is to ask "is it orthodox, is it Catholic?" "Orthodox" seems to be the becoming word amongst English  bishops.

I think what I find exciting and refreshing about Bishop Davies is not so much whether we might agree theologically, I suspect we might, but that he seems to see every thing in terms of a meeting with God. I think if I were going to speak about the Council I would have taken a very different tack but he has the extraordinary ability to relate everything to the person of Christ. In the questions afterwards he was asked about the confusion the Church has ended up in after the Council, he spoke about Christogical heresy.

He was asked about the Institute of Christ the King taking over New Brighton, he said it was a conjunction of circumstances, I think what he was really saying it was Divine Providence and we should trust God to bring forth fruit.

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From Mary’s Dowry a gentle New Evangelization

Bishop Philip Egan has given an interview to Radio Vatican
listen here 
or for a prece see the good Deacon Nick 

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Sacra Liturgia 2013

 

The Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, France, Monsignor Dominique Rey, has announced a major international conference on the Sacred Liturgy:

Sacra Liturgia 2013 to take place in Rome from June 25-28, 2013.

The conference brings together a wide range of renowned international speakers including Cardinals Ranjith and Burke, Archbishop Di Noia, Bishop Mark Aillet and Monsignors Guido Marini and Andrew Burnham, Bishop Dominique, Abbot Jean-Charles Nault OSB, Ignacio Barreiro, Father Uwe Michael Lang, Cong. Orat., Fr Paul Gunter OSB, Dr Guido Rodheudt, Don Nicola Bux, Dom Alcuin Reid, Dr Gabriel Steinschulte, Professor Miguel Ayuso, Mr Jeffrey Tucker.

Sacra Liturgia 2013 An international conference to study, promote and renew the appreciation of liturgical formation and celebration and its foundation for the mission of the Church, particularly in the light of the teaching and example of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, falling within the Year of Faith called for by the Holy Father to commemorate 50 years since the start of the Second Vatican Council, in accordance with the pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“The Sacred Liturgy is at the centre of the new evangelisation,” Bishop Rey said. “The liturgy is the source and summit of the life and the mission of the Church,” he emphasised, “which is why, for the Year of Faith, we are following up on the success of our conference on Eucharistic Adoration (Adoratio 2011) with a conference specifically focussing on the liturgy and liturgical formation as the point of departure for the new evangelisation. In this we are following the example of the Holy Father, whose teaching and example continue to underline the fundamental and unique role of the Sacred Liturgy in all aspects of the life of the Church and its mission.”

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Hollywood's new "big idea"

Biblical mega block-buster movies (in England read "films") are apparently on the way back, according to this Wall Street Journal article. There is obviously money in religion,

I am fascinated by religion  (re-ligere = to bind again) as a binding factor in society. Nowadays as "home viewing" grows and audiences become more and more "niche", Hollywood  is looking for as much as politicians, a "big idea", something that appeals to a world-wide market, religious epics are perhaps the only thing that can possibly fit the bill, especially if it has an appeal to the other "Abrahamic faiths". What else will appeal to someone in Dakkar or Dallas, Helsinki or Hiroshima?
I wonder if what Hollywood accountants seem to have discovered might be something that politicians might begin to grasp.
Thanks to Luke Coppen for bringing this to my attention.

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Dublin Pro-Abortion Rally

Gary the Gargoyle, an experienced counter, has a fascinating meandering post on counting armies and crowds. He is concerned about the numbers at the Dublin Pro-Abortionist Rally, he estimates 850, others have postulated "several thousand", in fact anything from 500 the original Garda estimate to 7,000 according to one activist, the difference is Gary produces the evidence.

What I find interesting too is how the old rag the Irish Times was manipulated.
I am told this is Stonewall technique, well actually when I was a young Commie we used to do that kind of thing.

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Modern Rites: Mormonism

This appeared on my Youtube feed: filming from within a Mormon Temple.

I cannot think of anything more American than Mormonism. One forgets how important ritualism and secret rites were in early 19th century religious revival.

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A Few Thoughts on the Synod on Evangelisation

The real question I hope that will be asked at the Synod which starts on Rosary Sunday is: why are we so ineffective at Evangelistion?
It is pretty obvious that that renewal of the Church which Vatican Council called for hasn't happened. It was for the purpose of Evangelisation or "Renewal" of the Church that the Council was called, to address the political, social, economic, and technological change that the Church faced in the 20th century. It is worth reading Humanae Salutis in which Blessed Pope John announces the Council, interestingly, I couldn't find it English on Vatican website.

The forthcoming Council, then, will meet happily and at a moment in which the Church has a more lively desire to fortify her faith and to contemplate herself in her own awe-inspiring unity, just as she feels the more urgent duty to give greater effectiveness to her healthy vitality and to promote the sanctification of her members, the spread of revealed truth, and the consolidation of her structures. This will be a demonstration of the Church, always living and always young, that feels the rhythm of time, that in every century beautifies herself with new splendor, radiates new light, achieves new conquests, all the while remaining identical to herself, faithful to the divine image impressed on her face by her divine Bridegroom, who loves her and protects her, Christ Jesus.

The Pope's bright vision of the Church contemplating herself  "in her own awe-inspiring unity" seems to have disappeared like the morning dew. If anything this unity has devolved into factions; many parts of the Church seem to be on the verge of schism, some like the LCWR have moved beyond Christ, others seek to overturn the teaching of Christ and his Church especially on sex and sexuality, leading laymen and women openly dissent from her teaching, bishops and priests are weak and uncertain in the proclamation of her most basic teachings.
I presume that part of the reason for calling the Synod is again to underline the hermeneutic of continuity and the unity of the Church. Opening it on Rosary Sunday is I presume a little Benedictine ploy to underline the fundamental Christolgical mysteries of the faith.
The Synod will be an occasion for the Pope to redefine and reassess the Council.

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