Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church for 40 years, the Coptic Pope Shenouda II has died.

St Patrick is Praying, his boats are a-sailing!

Dóchas linn Naomh Pádraig Aspal mór na hÉireann, Ainm oirearc gléigeal, solas mór an tsaoil é. D'fhill le soiscéal grá dúinn d'ainneoin blianta i ngéibheann. Grá mór Mhac na páirte, d'fhuascail cách ón daorbhruid. Sléibhte, gleannta máighe,'s bailte mór na hÉireann, Ghlan sé iad go deo dúinn, míle glóir dár naomh dhil. Iarrmaid ort, a Phádraig, guí orainne Gaela, Dia linn lá 'gus oíche 's Pádraig Aspal Éireann.

 There would be no day, without the Saint. Also, it's a bank holiday, so attend Mass on Monday and fast!

Archbishop Rowan Williams Resigns

Now, usually I don't report on news from the CofE, but this is significant.

Hours before his announcement he admitted to a group of senior clerics that the initiative is likely to collapse and spoke of his sense of “foreboding”. He announced he would step down as leader of 77 million Anglicans early, ahead of a series of votes in dioceses which would spell the end of the unity pact on which he staked his credibility. He acknowledged his decade-long tenure had been marked by “crisis management”. But he issued a robust defence of Christians, insisting that the faith was far from losing a “battle against secularisation” and spoke with passion about the Church of England as a “treasure” which remains a place of “inspiration” for the nation. His comments came after weeks dominated by a public debate over the role of the church in national life, including a High Court ban on council prayers, the row over gay marriage and the controversy over the wearing of crosses.

See more here
Indeed Christianity is under attack, the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church most of all. However the Church of England most certainly feels the effects as well, being the state-church after all. His resignation is both politically and religiously significant. What will happen to the Anglican Communion now?

A lot are finally coming home to the Church through the Ordinariates, maybe we'll see a surge of conversions?

Know Her and Love Her...

Jesus is the mediator of justice; Mary obtains for us grace; for, as St. Bernard, St. Bonaventure, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. Germanus, St. Antoninus, and others say, it is the will of God to dispense through the hands of Mary whatever graces he is pleased to bestow upon us. With God, the prayers of the saints are the prayers of His friends, but the prayers of Mary are the prayers of His mother.

St Alphonsus Ligouri!

Soon be the day

Picture be the courtesy of the Anglo-Catholic

He's uncomfortable

I just watched this video over on Fr Z's excellent blog, and I nearly spit my tea at the screen. Honestly!

This man interrupts the reading of a letter from the Bishops' Conference by the Parish Priest. One recently issued regarding (and supporting Catholics to be against) so-called "same-sex marriage." He says he is uncomfortable with it.

Now, obviously this man is a homosexual "activist". If we were to come and protest one of his pride parades, and try to get him to stop reading a letter from some looney politician who supports the whole "pride" thing, what would happen? I know very well he'd probably throw a fit, mention something about tolerance and bigotry, and go into a full out temper, similar to an angry child who has lost his toy, and can not find it. Now forgive me if I'm being a bit uncharitable here, I am not trying to, but here are my thoughts

1 - This protester has interrupted the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, has attempted to ruin Catholics in the pew from hearing an important document regarding the evils of "homosexual marriage" (which is anything but)

2 - The protester has violated the good Priest's freedom of speech, and the rights that we have to practise our faith - the one, true, faith might I add.

3 - If he's so bloody uncomfortable, why the DICKENS is he even on the Church property!

My good readers, you are not unaware that the Church is under attack in these modern times. People don't want to hear the truth, they want their lies to be accepted. We can under no circumstances let that happen, we won't let that happen. To quote the Sacred Scriptures "the gates of Hell shall never prevail against it {the Church}".

Pray for this parish, pray for the Priest, and pray for the protester, who is uncomfortable, voluntarily walking into a Church, an uncomfortable with voluntarily hearing the truth.

It is Lent

Rest and resuscitation

I have the flu.
Again.
Different flu, different feeling, I'm resting and resuscitating.
Also, I'm living off of tea.

Like a proper gentleman, I'm drinking my first cup from the cup, then just pour the rest in me....straight from the teapot. That's slightly civilised.

What to do for Lent

So far my Lent has been good. Last night was hard, as I had a birthday party which had a LOT of chocolate flying around. But, sacrifice! I also must remember that giving up things is not the MAIN point of Lent. It is a good form of Penance for Lent, which is a penitential season. Another form of penance could be trying to instruct a progressive liturgist, however I don't know how successful you'll be.

One good practise is to help the poor. You can give alms, donate food, help the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest's missionaries in Africa, or the FSSP missions.

You could also give donations to a religious community.

Though, the forty days of Lent are given for Christ, as we await his Resurrection. We do the Way of the Cross weekly or even daily. Also, we practise the First Friday or First Saturday devotion, as usual.

Also, I'll soon have my review of the Common English Bible ready, so keep watch!

This is the future

The article, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, says newborn babies are not “actual persons” and do not have a “moral right to life”. The academics also argue that parents should be able to have their baby killed if it turns out to be disabled when it is born.

The journal’s editor, Prof Julian Savulescu, director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, said the article's authors had received death threats since publishing the article. He said those who made abusive and threatening posts about the study were “fanatics opposed to the very values of a liberal society”.

The article, entitled “After-birth abortion: Why should the baby live?”, was written by two of Prof Savulescu’s former associates, Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva.

They argued: “The moral status of an infant is equivalent to that of a fetus in the sense that both lack those properties that justify the attribution of a right to life to an individual.”

Rather than being “actual persons”, newborns were “potential persons”. They explained: “Both a fetus and a newborn certainly are human beings and potential persons, but neither is a ‘person’ in the sense of ‘subject of a moral right to life’.

I'd like to point out to these doctors that it is not up to another human as to who gets to live and breathe or to die. It is Our Lord who decides these things. We have no right in ANYWHERE to remove someones right to breathe, think, function. To live.

I would like to know what substance is in their pipes, and what strong mixture of liquid that they're digesting.

If you want to, read more here.

If babies are not people, than neither are people.