A Modern Icon of the Nativity

Here is a beautiful modern icon of the Nativity. One figure who is portrayed somewhat differently here than in the West, St Joseph.

The standard interpretation is that by tradition in the East, St Joseph was a widower before he married Our Lady and so is always portrayed as an older man. He is hunched not just because of age, but also to reveal an inner turmoil. He is in doubt about whether or not he is witnessing a Virgin birth. The figure beside St Joseph, also as a hunched old man but in ragged clothing is the devil tempting him. All is resolved in the end for St Joseph loves his wife and through her prayers resolves this doubt. The distance between St Joseph and Our Lady emphasises also the fact the St Joseph had no part in the conception of Our Lord.

This does not diminish the stature of St Joseph at all, rather it serves to elevate that of Our Lady. St Joseph is a great saint. He is the protector of the Holy Family, foster father and guardian of Our Lord. This demonstrates by contrast with the figure of Our Lady how she is even greater. In this sense St Joseph might be seen as an examplar of all other saints and so Our Lady is greater than all the other saints and angels.

Bishop Mark Davies on human life, marriage and trends in modern society

In his homily in Shewsbury Cathedral at Midnight Mass Bishop Mark Davies said:

We gather on this Christmas night amid the shadows of early 21st Century Britain. The eyes of the nation turn to this “child born for us” (Is.9:1) tiny and frail, it is this beautiful revelation of the Son of God which casts light on the darkest shadows of our time. The widespread neglect and ill-treatment of the frailest, elderly people in our society: concerns high-lighted in the Care Quality Commission’s recent report. The growing concern about end of life care and what is happening to the most vulnerable. The dark side to our own society is surely connected to the discarding of human life from the beginning in abortion on an industrial scale, in reproductive technologies, in embryo experimentation which our laws have sanctioned. “Today there exists a great multitude of weak and defenceless human beings, unborn children in particular, whose fundamental right to life is being trampled upon” Blessed John Paul II reflected in his 1995 letter The Gospel of Life, “if at the end of the last century, the Church could not be silent about the injustices of those times, still less can she be silent today” (Evangelium Vitae n.5).
This Christmas we are conscious of new shadows cast by a Government that was pledged at its election to support the institution of marriage. This vital foundation of society which, the 2011 census indicates, now stands at is lowest ebb. At such a moment the Prime Minister has decided without mandate, without any serious consultation to redefine the identity of marriage itself, the foundation of the family for all generations to come. This is again done in the name of progress. The great English writer, G.K Chesterton, warned: “progress is a useless word; for progress takes for granted an already defined direction; and it is exactly about the direction that we disagree” (American Notes). The British people have reason to ask on this night where is such progress leading?

Hodie Christus natus est

O Sapientia

The Advent "O" antiphon for Vespers on 17 December.

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,

attingens a fine usque ad finem,

fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:

veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,

reaching from one end to the other mightily,

and sweetly ordering all things:

Come and teach us the way of prudence.

Scouts and guides consider adopting atheist oaths

Since 1908, when Robert Baden-Powell laid down the rules for his nascent movement in Scouting for Boys, new Scouts and Guides have made the traditional three-finger salute and promised to not just help others but remain loyal to a deity or higher power. Now, for the first time, the self-professed godless could also be welcome.
The Scout Association has launched a consultation to gauge support among members for an alternate atheist Scout promise, removing the invocation of a deity. At the same time, the Guide Association, the parallel movement which began two years later, is to launch a consultation about its very similar promise, with views sought on all parts of the wording from early January.
The current version of the Scout promise reads: "On my honour, I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Scout law."
The reference to God is deemed usable for most religions, although there have been options – such as Allah for Muslims or "my Dharma" for Buddhists – for more than 40 years. Those in other countries promise duty to their own nation or monarch.
But there has been no non-religious equivalent for either Scouts or Guides, meaning young atheists have had to either had to fudge the promise or forgo the woggle.
Secular groups have campaigned for change, highlighting cases such as that of 11-year-old George Pratt, who had been scouting for almost a year but was unable to join when officially invited as he felt unable to make a pledge to God.
The Scout Association, which began admitting girls in 1976, is indicating it would favour a change.
Wayne Bulpitt, its UK chief commissioner, said religion would remain "a key element" even if a new variant of the promise was approved. He added: "However, throughout our 105-year history, we have continued to evolve so that we remain relevant to communities across the UK. "
Julie Bentley, chief executive of the Guide Association, said its consultation would begin on 3 January. "It's something our board has been planning to do for some time," she added.
The news was welcomed by secular campaigners. Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said the change would bring the Scouts "in line with the reality of 21st-century Britain, where more than two thirds of young people say they have no religious belief".
Atheist or not, all new Scouts and Guides must still promise to adhere to their respective laws, including for the former that they "make good use of time and are careful of possessions and property" and "have courage in all difficulties".

City of Brussels will ban Christmas trees out of fear of ‘offending Muslims’

BRUSSELS – Government officials announced this month that they would not be erecting the usual Christmas tree exhibit in the city center due to worries about offending the local Muslim population. Brussels News reports that the city will replace both the tree and the Nativity scene this year with an “electronic winter tree.”

The 82 foot tall electronic sculpture will be built of a group of television screens, according to the blogger, Brussels Expat, an Englishman who lives in the city. “During the daytime you can climb to the top of the tree where you will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the city,” he wrote.

“As soon as it becomes dark the tree turns into a spectacle of light and sound. Every ten minutes an amazing show will unfold.”

City councilwoman Bianca Debaets called it a “misplaced argument” over religious sensitivities that has moved the city to build the sculpture. “I suspect that the reference to the Christian religion was the decisive factor” in replacing the tree, she said. “For a lot of people who are not Christians, the tree there is offensive to them.”

The Right Perspective website reports that a 2008 study showed Muslims make up 25.5 per cent of the population of Brussels, 3.9 per cent of Flanders and 4.0 per cent of Wallonia. Two Muslims elected to the Brussels city council last month have vowed to turn Belgium into a Muslim state based on Sharia law.

New for Year C - Sunday thoughts and meditations

Sundays of Year C

(Catholic Lectionary – RSV Version)

This is one of a series of three books of thoughts and meditations based on the Readings of the Church Year.

They are offered not as difficult theology but as everyday encouragement to those who would learn to identify the King whose Kingdom we serve and find out more about his teaching and what implication that teaching has for how we live our lives.

There is no strictly ordered theme.  The lessons build and are developed as the readings lead from week to week.  Most of the themes and ideas are as they were preached in parish churches or expanded in group study.

This comprehensively revised edition is based on the Three Year Catholic cycle of the Lectionary.   The translation used is that of the RSV (Second Catholic Edition) as used in the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham

Published by Jacquedaw

ISBN 978-0-9565118-5-0

(204 pages)

Price £9.99(+ £2.50 p+p)

buy online at

www.mawson.me.uk/jacquedaw.htm

Ebbsfleet to Fulham in Sixteen Months!!

It has been announced this morning from 10 Downing Street that the Chairman of Forward in Faith, Bishop Jonathan Baker, is to be the next suffragan Bishop of Fulham in the Diocese of London. He will be translated from the suffragan See of Ebbsfleet, which he has held since his episcopal ordination in June 2011.

Bishop Jonathan said, ‘I am delighted to be taking up this new post, though of course very sorry to be leaving the priests and people of the Ebbsfleet parishes after such a relatively short time as their bishop. I am looking forward enormously to leading the Fulham parishes and to playing my part in the mission of the church in London across the Diocese.

I am assured that the process of appointing a new Bishop of Ebbsfleet is already underway, and so in due course I am confident that my move will lead to a strengthening of the team of catholic bishops in the Church of England at this critical time.

After having spent the whole of my ministry thus far in the Diocese of Oxford, it will be very good to be living and working in the heart of London for, having grown up in the capital, it will represent something of a homecoming for me.

I will, of course, continue to serve as Chairman of Forward in Faith.’

FiF Secretary Fr Ross Northing, who also serves as Vice-Chairman of the Ebbsfleet Council of Priests, added:  ‘Whilst we are naturally sad to be losing Bishop Jonathan from the Ebbsfleet area so soon, we nevertheless rejoice that he has been given this wonderful opportunity to minister to our brothers and sisters in the Fulham area.  He will leave Oxford with our prayers and very best wishes.’

Bishop Mark Davies - Pastoral letter to mark the opening of the Year of Faith

My dear brothers and sisters,
Anniversaries serve as milestones along the path of life, dates which remind us of the great gifts of God. On Thursday the Catholic Church celebrates the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the publication of The Catechism of the Catholic Church as one of the greatest fruits (cf Porta Fidei n. 11) of the Council.  We will be marking these anniversaries with a mid-day Mass at Shrewsbury Cathedral to which all are welcome. Pope Benedict, however, invites us to keep these two anniversaries not for a single day, but for an entire year. The Holy Father has called us to celebrate, a “Year of Faith” beginning on 11^th October this year and ending on the Solemnity of Christ the King next year. This is not meant to be an exercise in nostalgia but an opportunity, in Pope Benedict’s words “to usher the whole Church into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith” (Porta Fidei n. 4).
I am conscious that whenever I mention the Second Vatican Council, a significant part of every congregation is too young to remember this event of the early 1960s. It is, of course, difficult to encompass in a few words so vast an undertaking which gathered all the bishops of the world with the Pope in continuous prayer and meetings across the course of more than three years. And it is important that we do not confuse such a Council with the politics of a “church parliament” or with the short-lived optimism of a past decade. Pope John, now Blessed John XXIII, made clear that he had a lasting purpose in calling this Council: he desired above all that the assembled bishops would find ways of both guarding the truths of our faith, and teaching them more effectively amid the rapidly changing circumstances of our time.
Blessed John urged the bishops not to listen to “prophets of doom” who saw little hope for the Church’s mission in the contemporary world. He expressed the hope that the Council would be a new Pentecost, and confirm us all in faith and encourage us in our mission in the world. At the beginning of Advent, I will circulate a prayer card of Blessed John XXIII’s own prayer for the Council which beautifully expressed this hope: “O Holy Spirit, renew in our days your miracles as of a second Pentecost, “ Pope John prayed, “and grant that Holy Church, reunited in one prayer, more fervent than before, around Mary the Mother of Jesus, and under the leadership of Peter, may extend the kingdom of the Divine Saviour, a kingdom of truth, justice, love and peace. Amen” (Prayer of Pope John XXIII for the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council).
We can understand why Pope Benedict invites us to celebrate this anniversary of the Council’s opening by “rediscovering the joy of believing and enthusiasm in communicating the faith” (Porta Fidei 7). This is certainly what Blessed John XXIII and the bishops gathered in council desired. I hope this year will be an opportunity to open anew the Catechism of the Catholic Church; in it we find the riches of the Council’s teaching and of the Catholic teaching of all time. We must know our Catholic faith if we are to be able to enter into dialogue with our contemporaries on an increasing range of questions. To take one example: the Scriptures speak this Sunday of marriage in the Creator’s plan “from the beginning,” and we are reminded how even the identity of marriage has become a contentious issue in our society today. The Catechism of the Catholic Church together with its Compendium and the recently published Youth Catechism (YouCat) will surely help us address the many issues of our time and to give a clear, confident witness to the beauty of the truth. So this year we will look at new ways of opening up the Catechism. On the diocesan website a programme will be offered for each Sunday of the Year of Faith which can also form the basis for homilies or parish reflection.
I have also asked parishes to look at new ways of giving public witness to our faith during the course of this Year.  The experience of Pope Benedict’s visit to our country continues to encourage us to give such public witness at a moment when faith is often being relegated from the public domain. I am very conscious, however, that the most important witness is already being given in your daily lives. May this year – marking the anniversaries of both Council and Catechism – help us in Pope Benedict’s words: “to profess the faith in fullness and with a renewed conviction” (Porta Fidei n.9).
With the assurance of my prayer for you,
+ Mark
Bishop of Shrewsbury

Blessed John Henry Newman - Patron of the Ordinariate of OLW

"From the time that I became a Catholic, of course I have no further history of my religious opinions to narrate. In saying this, I do not mean to say that my mind has been idle, or that I have given up thinking on theological subjects; but that I have had no variations to record, and have had no anxiety of heart whatever. I have been in perfect peace and contentment; I never have had one doubt. Iwas not conscious to myself, on my conversion, of any change, intellectual or moral, wrought in my mind. I was not conscious of firmer faith in the fundamental truths of Revelation, or of more self-command; I had not more fervour; but it was like coming into port after a rough sea; and my happiness on that score remains to this day without interruption". Bl. John Henry Newman. (Photo: Marcin Mazur)

Bishop Egan on the dangers of multiculturalism and secularism

Bishop Philip Egan, the new Bishop of Portsmouth, has given a frank, outspoken interview to Vatican Radio in which he discusses the threat multiculturalism and secularism pose to our freedom of religion:
‘Our Christian Faith is essentially public and it does seek to influence and build a culture based on the revelation of Christ and natural law that is written into the human heart. And the role of religion in culture, and I thinks its one of its key roles really is to support natural law, things that are naturally true and good for the human person.
Of course living in a very pluralist and multi-ethnic culture there is a danger in our Western societies and the secularist agendas there to drive religion out of the public domain, to take it out of all public discourse and in the process of that they obliterate the Christian traditions on which our British cultures are actually based. These deprive us of our ability to express our religion in the public domain.
My concern is that the people who are making very important decisions about they way we live are doing that without the support of the faith traditions which can give us a clear view on what is true and good and loving for human beings to flourish, as a result they restrict our freedoms and begin to control us, ultimately leading to this relativistic – or what some term ‘politically-correct’ – world, which is actually destructive of human freedom in the long run, rather than liberating people. This is going to be for all Catholics and all Christians in Western societies an ongoing issue over the next decades”.
Bishop Egan also discussed the importance of the Year of Faith:
‘“I think the Year of Faith is a brilliant initiative from the Holy Father and it coincides of course for me with the beginning of my Episcopal ministry. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us all to deepen our faith because faith is really the most precious gift. Faith is very much today’s issue, particularly in Western countries. The question of faith, the meaning of life, the existence of God, the relationship between science and religion. I would really like to gently, in my first pastoral, ask people to do a number things: I’d like them to think about the Creed over the next twelve months and especially I want to encourage people to witness”.
Witness, according to Bishop Egan begins with the small things: “I’ve made a few suggestions, for example; why not wear a crucifix or a religious symbol? Or perhaps when you are out for a meal, make the sign of the Cross before you begin; or even simple things like saying, ‘Thank God’, when someone tells you good news. These can be very gentle forms of publically witnessing to our Christian faith”.
“I think the Year of Faith is a brilliant initiative from the Holy Father and it coincides of course for me with the beginning of my Episcopal ministry. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us all to deepen our faith because faith is really the most precious gift. Faith is very much today’s issue, particularly in Western countries. The question of faith, the meaning of life, the existence of God, the relationship between science and religion. I would really like to gently, in my first pastoral, ask people to do a number things: I’d like them to think about the Creed over the next twelve months and especially I want to encourage people to witness”.
Witness, according to Bishop Egan begins with the small things: “I’ve made a few suggestions, for example; why not wear a crucifix or a religious symbol? Or perhaps when you are out for a meal, make the sign of the Cross before you begin; or even simple things like saying, ‘Thank God’, when someone tells you good news. These can be very gentle forms of publically witnessing to our Christian faith”.
Protect the Pope comment: Protect the Pope can’t remember the last time an English bishop had the courage to challenge the tyranny of PC multiculturalism.  (Note, this is not a criticism of true multiculturalism, but criticism of the liberal ideology that has latched into it).  For decades the Bishops Conference has been an uncritical exponent of PC multiculturalism, and its inherent tendency to syncretism, especially its development agency, CAFOD.
Bishop Egan is already living up to the hopes so many faithful Catholics have placed in him, and its only a week since his consecration. On this feast of the Guardian Angels let us pray for the angelic support of Bishop Egan, Bishop Davies, Bishop Campbell and all the English bishops in true communion with Pope Benedict XVI.
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2012/10/01/from_mary’s_dowry_a_gentle_new_evangelization/en1-625949

Year of Faith 2012-2013

There is a battle going on, and the battle is not against mere flesh and blood!

The battle is for the soul of the Western world which is becoming increasingly indifferent or even hostile to Christ and his Church.

The educational establishment and the media have been the most effective means used by the other side to draw people away from the Lord.

Therefore Vatican II and all Popes since have commanded us to make use of Education and Mass Media in the New Evangelization, the re-evangelization of the West.

In Shrewsbury Diocese Bishop Mark Davies will open the Year of Faith with a Mass in Shrewsbury Cathedral at 12.00 noon on Thursday 11th October 2012.  Do come!

Fourth century document fuels debate over whether Jesus had a wife

An ancient papyrus document refers to Jesus having a wife, according to Harvard divinity professor Karen King. Professor King unveiled the 4th-Century Coptic script at a conference in Rome.  (Read more BBC News 19/09/12)

Summary of the Aidan O’Neill legal opinion on gay marriage and liberty of conscience

Concerns about gay marriage and freedom of conscience
have largely centred on places of worship and ministers of
religion who conduct weddings. But the impact in the
workplace, in schools and in other areas of everyday life has
been overlooked.
Those details are contained in a legal opinion written by
leading human rights lawyer, Aidan O’Neill QC. Mr O’Neill was
asked to give his expert advice on a series of scenarios related
to legalising gay marriage.
NHS CHAPLAIN
A Church of England minister is also the chaplain at an NHS
hospital. While conducting a wedding service in his parish
church he preaches that marriage is only for one man and one
woman. His NHS bosses find out, and he is later disciplined for
breaching the NHS diversity policy.
Aidan O’Neill QC advises that under the Equality Act 2010 the
NHS managers would have proper grounds for justifying their
action, even if the chaplain was preaching in his own church
outside work time.
The situation would be the same for any chaplain employed
within the public sector, such as armed forces chaplains or
university chaplains.
TEACHER
A primary school teacher is asked to use a storybook about
gay marriage called “King & King”. It is recommended by the
local authority and by a gay rights charity. The teacher says
using the book would conflict with her religious beliefs about
marriage. She is told that she faces dismissal unless she
backs down.
O’Neill says “yes”, the school would be within its legal rights to
dismiss the teacher if she refuses to use the material.
PARENTS
Parents ask for their child to be withdrawn from school lessons
on the history of gay marriage, for deeply-held religious
reasons. The parents say they have a right to withdraw their
child under European Convention on Human Rights. But the
school refuses, saying it is under a legal duty to promote
equality.
O’Neill says the parents do not ultimately have a right to insist
that their child be withdrawn from such history lessons, and the
parents “will have little prospects of success in challenging the
schools insistence that their child attend” the lessons.
FAITH SCHOOLS
Aidan O’Neill was asked about the above scenario in relation
to faith schools or religious-ethos State schools.
He said: “If the school in question were a faith school or
otherwise one with a religious ethos within the State sector in
England and Wales this would make no difference to my
answer.”
FOSTER COUPLE
A couple applies to be foster carers. They tell social workers
they are motivated to care for children because of their
Christian faith. On hearing this, the social workers ask them
whether they support gay marriage. The couple says they do
not, and the social workers halt the application because of
equality and discrimination policies.
O’Neill says “yes”, a local authority fostering agency would
have legitimate legal grounds for acting this way.
PUBLIC FACILITIES
A church hires a council-owned community centre each week
for its youth club. The church website states that it will only
conduct opposite-sex marriages. Someone complains to the
council, and while the church can’t be forced to conduct gay
weddings, it is stopped from hiring the community centre.
Aidan O’Neill says “yes”, the council would be within its legal
rights to do this.
MARRIAGE REGISTRAR
A local authority decides to accommodate the religious beliefs
of one of its registrars by not designating her to be a ‘civil
partnership registrar’. Other registrars within the local
authority’s team are sufficient to provide the service to the
public.
Aidan O’Neill says that if gay marriage becomes law, “that kind
of adjustment to accommodate a registrar’s particular beliefs
would no longer be an option for any employing authority
because there would then be only be one system of marriage
(rather than, as at present, a distinct civil partnership regime
for same sex couples).”
RELIGIOUS GAY WEDDINGS
The O’Neill legal opinion also addresses whether religious
marriage celebrants could be forced to conduct gay weddings
against their will. The legal opinion suggests that an outright
ban on religious gay weddings could be overturned under
European human rights laws.
If a law is passed which allows religious gay weddings for
those who wish to conduct them, but doesn’t compel anyone to
act against their conscience, that could be challenged under
domestic equality laws. O’Neill says that churches, in general,
would be better protected from hostile litigation if they stopped
holding weddings altogether.
ESTABLISHED CHURCH
O’Neill advises on the position of the Church of England. As
the established church, it is under a legal obligation to marry
any persons who are eligible to marry in England and Wales.
Even if Parliament passes a law which allows (but does not
oblige) churches to host gay weddings, O’Neill advises that the
UK Government could be in breach of European human rights
laws if it allows the C of E to refuse gay weddings. This is
because of the C of E’s unique status as the established State
church. O’Neill says the church would be in a safer position if it
was disestablished.
SEX EDUCATION
The O’Neill opinion also considers the impact of redefining
marriage on teaching within schools. It says that the law will
require that children learn about gay marriage in sex education
lessons. This is because Section 403(1A)(a) of the Education
Act 1996 imposes a duty on the Secretary of State “to issue
guidance” ensuring that pupils “learn the nature of marriage
and its importance for family life and the bringing up of
children”. If gay marriage becomes law then “its importance for
family life and the bringing up of children” must be taught as
part of sex education.

Sainsbury's chief and Church leaders criticise plans to reform Sunday trading

The Chief Executive of Sainsbury's, Justin King, said that 'maintaining Sunday's special status has great merit' in a letter to The Sunday Telegraph. The Anglican Bishop of Oxford added his signature to a separate letter to the same paper, highlighting the 'detrimental impact' of the possible changes. The concerns come after Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said he would be willing to look at the impact of the temporary relaxation on Sunday trading, introduced during this year's Olympic Games. (Read more: BBC News, 19/8)

Icon of Elizabeth Prout to be displayed at Shrewsbury Cathedral

 

 

An icon of a Victorian nun who campaigners want to see beatified is to be displayed at Shrewsbury Cathedral.

Aidan Hart, an iconographer from Pontesbury, Shropshire, was commissioned by a parishioner to paint an icon of Elizabeth Prout.
Sister Prout was born in Shrewsbury in 1820 as an Anglican, but later became a Catholic and worked and lived in deprived parts of Manchester.
Mr Hart has been working on the icon since February 2009.
Not yet canonised The artist, who grew up in New Zealand, said: "I received a phone call from a parishioner who asked if I could do an icon of Elizabeth.
"She told me a bit about her and she said she wasn't canonised, but hoped that she would be…. We had this long process of me coming up with the design…. and eventually settling on a design."
Elizabeth was also known as Mother Mary Joseph of Jesus

He is also a professional sculptor and works on a commission basis, with a two-year waiting list.
Mr Hart said: "There are not that many professional ones [iconographers] in this country, about 500 people doing it as a devout hobby, so we're a bit of a rarity.
"The word icon means image and refers to images of holy people, Christ and the angels, but painted in a particular way.
"We try to indicate the holiness of the person, so we're painting someone not just with the eyes of the body, but with the eye of the heart, so you're indicating spiritual truths as well as physical ones."
He "had a test of the monastic vocation" for years and during this time he painted other icons, but believes that this is the first of Sister Prout.
She was born in Coleham, Shrewsbury, but her family moved to Stone, Staffordshire in the 1840s.
Mr Hart said: "The gold isn't decoration, it really represents the presence of God, so we have a gold background with Elizabeth's hands raised in prayer."
"She's praying for the whole world and looking at us in compassion. She cared for the poor and in a sense we're all poor, so she's in heaven praying for us."
The icon includes St Julian's Anglican Church where she was baptised and the brewery in Coleham where her father worked as a cooper.
Sister Prout died in 1864 and is buried at St Anne's Church, Sutton, St Helens.

Alarming news from Pakistan about the arrest of an 11 year old Christian girl with Downs Syndrome

We have received reports of a new and appalling low in the ongoing abuse of blasphemy laws.  Allegedly, a Quran was found with some of its pages burned by Muslims in a Christian area of Islamabad - in previous cases the burning has nearly always shown to have been done by Muslims, or by mentally unstable people - and worse, they have had an 11 year old Christian girl with downs syndrome called Rimsha Masih arrested and charged with the crime.  Rimsha was arrested on the 17th August 2012.

Muslim extremists are threatening to burn down every Christian house in the community.  Several thousand Christians have fled the suburb and are in hiding, along with the family of the victim.  Mobs of over a thousand Muslims have surrounded the community and are burning tyres.

At the last account, Christian human rights workers have persuaded local Mullah's not to authorize the threatened attacks after Friday prayers.  Some went to the local police station and report the situation on the ground is very bad.  It is quite evident that the police they talked to have already assumed her guilt.  They refused to allow the workers to see the FIR, placed by a Muslim called Alsyed Muhammad Ummad.  The police were aggressive and hostile, and appear to have immediately called Muslim youths to the police station to harass the Christian workers.  The police said 'She has burned our holy book and you are here to protect her'.  It is quite clear that the police are hostile to the accused, presume her guilt and have no regard for her status as a minor or as one with Down's Syndrome.

Please pray for her and her family.

The Christian rights workers are planning to apply for bail for her immediately after the Muslim Eid celebrations currently ongoing

Source, also information from International Christian Voice on FB

York Mystery Plays brought back to life

The York Mystery Plays, a theatrical tradition dating back to the 14th century, have been resurrected in an epic production involving an Olivier Award-winning director and 1,700 enthusiastic local people. There are two casts of 250 amateur performers who have between them been rehearsing for six nights a week for the past four months. (Read more, BBC online, 9/8)

Saint Ignatius of Loyola - 31st July

Prayer of Saint Ignatius Loyola 

Teach us, Good Lord,
To Serve Thee as Thou deservest;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To labor and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do Thy will.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Katie Holmes 'registers with Catholic church in New York'

Katie Holmes, the soon to be ex-wife of actor Tom Cruise, has turned her back on Scientology by registering with a Catholic church in New York, it has been claimed. Reports claim that Holmes has confirmed her return to Catholicism by signing up to the Church of St Francis Xavier. One member of the church choir told the Huffington Post, 'She has not yet attended a service, but when she does she will be welcomed with open arms.' (Read more, Daily Mail, 12/7)

Suggestions for Self-Censorship (Blogs)

A friend sent me this:

The idea of self-censorship is alien to many. Freedom of speech is something we value, rightly so, but there are times when, as Benedict says, melius est silere quam loqui, it is better to be silent than to speak. Words are dangerous, slippery things. Once let out of the cage, they cannot be whistled back again; and while they are on the loose, they can do untold harm. When should we put a clamp over our mouths or a lock on our keyboards? Here are a few suggestions. I am sure you can add to them.
1. Never turn an argument ad hominem. Good people sometimes do bad deeds, but a personal attack is never justified unless one is in possession of all the facts (unlikely).
2. Never give way to the temptation to be patronising or dismissive: you have lost the argument if you do.
3. Never state as fact what is merely opinion. Everyone has a right to their good name. If you want to make an accusation, make sure you have evidence to back it up.
4. Never forget that acts have consequences: before you write or comment, consider what the effect on others might be, especially those who may suffer as a result.
5. Never underestimate the importance of goodwill. Encouragement achieves more than condemnation, courtesy more than rudeness — no one was ever bullied into belief.
That is not an exhaustive list, but I’m sure there will be some who will see it as a limitation on their freedom, a forcing them to be something other than they are. I myself see it as a discipline, a way of ensuring that what one writes is responsibly written.

The Visit of the Relic to the Diocese of Shrewsbury and an Invitation to come and pray.

What is a relic?
A relic is a physical object that has a proven link to the person who has been canonised. It may be an actual part of their body, or something (e.g.clothing) associated closely with their life. By touching or venerating such an object, we have a tangible link with that holy man or woman. This is a reminder that our faith is not merely spiritual; the Son of God “became flesh” as St John tells us in the Prologue (John 1:18), and the apostles witnessed the fact that Christ rose bodily from the tomb (John 20:26-29). Physical matter matters to God.
Some people think that, in venerating relics, Catholic and Orthodox believers either adore the saints, engage in superstition or even in a form of idolatry. That is a mistake. In obedience to the First Commandment, we never ADORE anyone other than God, whom Jesus Christ revealed to be Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We
HONOUR his Mother, the Virgin Mary, with special affection because, with St John, we have received her as our own mother from Jesus on the Cross. And we VENERATE saints, as being our close relatives in the family of God.
Saints do not, of course, need such veneration, for they are already completely happy with God. It is we who are helped and inspired by the contact across time and space with people who walked this earth, like us, and were so open to God that their lives were radiant beacons of his.
People ask for the biblical basis for the practice of venerating relics. This is a fair question, since all Christian faith and practice must ultimately be anchored in the Scriptures. However, since it was impossible to imagine any direct access to the dead before death itself had been overcome, and since that was only achieved by
Jesus’ bodily Resurrection, it would be unreasonable to look for the veneration of relics in the Old Testament. What, then, of the New Testament? In the Gospel, we are told of a woman who had had “a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered much under many physicians” (Mark 5:25-34). Being utterly
desperate and having heard the reports about Jesus the healer, she thought: “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well”. Coming up behind him in the crowd, she reached out and did just that. Immediately, St Mark tells us, the haemorrhage ceased. Jesus, who had not seen the woman but was aware that “power had gone forth from him”, looked around in the crowd: “Who touched my garments?” he asked. The woman came forward “in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth”. Jesus then said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease”. Quite a remarkable event.
Two things were necessary for this healing: contact with Jesus (in this instance, with the hem of his garment) and the faith that draws from him the Father’s power to create and recreate. That, you might say, is Jesus; but what of the saints? Let us turn to the Acts of the Apostles, where we read: “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (19:11-12). No explanation is given of this practice. It is simply stated as a fact.
Relics are an important part of the expression of religious faith and devotion, and they touch a deeper human need that finds its expression in the way that people cling to souvenir from a person they loved or admired or a place that they have been to that holds particular significant memories. Such a relic or personal object
connects this moment with the treasured moment that is now past; somehow that object holds a spiritual and emotive power. With relics there is also a dialogue between the venerator and the venerated. The saints intercede for us from the place in heaven, they have completed their journey in holiness and what we see and
venerate in their relics is a concrete reminder of their humanity. In venerating the relic of a saint we acknowledge their sanctity as we ask for their intercession with God, whilst seeing their humanity in the relic; and so we caught up in a deepening awareness to do likewise: to become a saint by truly living out our Faith.
***
Bishop Mark Davies has asked Bishop Guy Bagnard of Ars (pronounced ARZE), to allow the relic of the heart of the St John-Marie Vianney to visit the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
You are, then, warmly invited to come and venerate this relic of the heart of a saint whose life was full to bursting of the Love of God. John-Marie Vianney sought by every means possible to bring everyone to know God’s Love, and to love that Love in return. “The only happiness we have on earth,” he used to say, “lies in loving God and knowing that God loves us.”

For More information about the Life of St John Mary Vianney visit:
http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/news

'Moral values' to be enshrined in an overhaul of child protection

Social workers will have to check that parents are teaching their children 'moral values' and 'conscience' under a major overhaul of child protection rules. The move comes as ministers prepare to tear up more than 700 pages of 'pointless' child protection guidance in an effort to free social workers from paper work and 'tick-box' rules. A raft of targets and prescriptive national guidelines are set to be abolished in a move that ministers hope will free social workers, doctors, police and other professionals to do their jobs more easily. (Read more , Daily Telegraph, 12/6)

Bishop Mark Davies talks about the Visit of the Heart of St John Vianney

Israeli archaeologists discover ancient seal from Bethlehem

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,700-year-old seal that bears the inscription "Bethlehem," in what experts believe to be the oldest artefact with the name of Jesus' traditional birthplace.

Pottery found nearby also dated back to the same period.

Experts state the tiny clay seal's existence and age provide vivid evidence that Bethlehem was not just the name of a fabled biblical town, but also a bustling place of trade linked to the nearby city of Jerusalem.

Eli Shukron, the Israel Antiquities Authority's director of excavations, said the find was significant because it is the first time the name "Bethlehem" appears outside of a biblical text from that period.

Shukron said the seal, 1.5 centimetres (0.59 inches) in diameter, dates back to the period of the first biblical Jewish Temple, between the eighth and seventh century B.C., at a time when Jewish kings reigned over the ancient kingdom of Judah and 700 years before Jesus was born.

The seal was written in ancient Hebrew script from the same time. Pottery found nearby also dated back to the same period, he said.

Archaeologists discover new language

 

Evidence for a forgotten ancient language which dates back more than 2,500 years, to the time of the Assyrian Empire, has been found by archaeologists working in Turkey.

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Researchers working at Ziyaret Tepe, the probable site of the ancient Assyrian city of Tušhan, believe that the language may have been spoken by deportees originally from the Zagros Mountains, on the border of modern-day Iran and Iraq.
In keeping with a policy widely practised across the Assyrian Empire, these people may have been forcibly moved from their homeland and resettled in what is now south-east Turkey, where they would have been set to work building the new frontier city and farming its hinterland.
The evidence for the language they spoke comes from a single clay tablet, which was preserved after it was baked in a fire that destroyed the palace in Tušhan at some point around the end of the 8^th century BCE. Inscribed with cuneiform characters, the tablet is essentially a list of the names of women who were attached to the palace and the local Assyrian administration.
The tablet is currently being stored in Diyarbakir, Turkey, where it is hoped that it will eventually go on public display. Dr MacGinnis’ report on its decipherment is published in the April issue of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies.

In brief...

• Archaeologists have been working at Ziyaret Tepe since 1997 and the site, in western Turkey, is widely thought to be the original site of the Assyrian frontier city of Tušhan. Zirayet Tepe, literally “pilgrimage mound”, consists of a central mound about 30 metres high, and a surrounding lower town of about 30 hectares.
• The tablet studied by John MacGinnis was found in what may have been the governor’s throne room in the remains of the palace on the site. It was written in Neo-Assyrian script (Cuneiform), and lists women attached to the palace. There are about 60 names and most belong to an unidentified language.
• The most plausible explanation is that this language is from Western Iran. We already know that the Assyrians deported people from the Zagros Mountains area of modern-day Iran, but we don't know anything about the language that they spoke. It has also been speculated that a language referred to by the Assyrian King, Esarhaddon, called Mehkranian, may be what we are seeing here.
• Deportation was a common practice in the Assyrian Empire. It was an approach which helped the Assyrians to consolidate power, by breaking the control of the ruling elite in newly-conquered areas. The deportees were set to work building cities or labouring in the agricultural hinterland of these new settlements.

Ordinariate Pilgrimage to Walsingham

The first official pilgrimage of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham to Walsingham itself. Led by Mgr Keith Newton. All are very warmly invited.

Timetable
Priests will be available to hear confessions from 11.00 a.m.
12.00 p.m. Angelus & Solemn Mass at the... National Shrine
2.30 p.m. Holy Mile & Rosary Procession to Anglican Shrine
3.15 p.m. Sprinkling at the Anglican Shrine

Pilgrims are invited to bring a picnic lunch. Parish Banners welcome. Concelebrants please bring alb and diocesan vestment, and cassock and cotta/surplice for the afternoon.

News of a new Ordinariate in Australia

The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, announced today that Pope Benedict XVI intends to announce the establishment in Australia of a Personal Ordinariate for former Anglicans to commence on 15th June 2012. This new community will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross under the patronage of St Augustine of Canterbury.

New CTS leaflet asks 'What is the Ordinariate?'

The Catholic Truth Society has published a short leaflet explaining the purpose and development of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. The leaflet, to be sold at just 25p, gives a simple explanation of the events leading up to the establishment of the Ordinariate, and also the Ordinariate's structure and day-to-day running. It is designed for those with little or no knowledge of the Ordinariate project, and is specifically to provide better information about Pope Benedict's generous outreach to Anglicans. Copies are available to order from the CTS website.

Gay Police Association expresses concern over branded Bibles

UNISON and the Gay Police Association in Scotland have expressed concern over an offer from the Gideons International to Scottish police forces of free Bibles branded with each one’s badge. GPA say no police force should ‘endorse a book containing text which condemns homosexuality’. GPA has suggested that the Gideons contact the Christian Police Association or distribute the Bibles themselves. (Read more, Pink News, 23/4)

Fivers becoming more popular again

Once hovering on the brink of being classified as an endangered species, the humble five pound note is back with a vengeance.

Britons are using 10 times more "fivers" than they were two years ago, the Bank of England said on Thursday, as the notes become more widely available in cash machines and scruffy old ones are replaced.
Consumers in Britain now withdraw almost 200 million pounds worth of fivers from cash machines every month, the Bank said.
As people use these notes to buy goods, shopkeepers become less inclined to hoard dirty old notes and these can then be removed from circulation more quickly.
Bank Governor Mervyn King said in 2007 he was concerned about the deteriorating condition of old notes in circulation. He said the public needed five pound notes but few banks issued them because it was cheaper for them to stock cash machines with 10 and 20-pound notes.
Two years ago, the central bank set lenders the goal of ensuring that at least 1.2 percent of the cash their hole-in-the wall machines dispensed was in five-pound notes by 2012.
Lenders adapted some of their cash machines so that they could hold the notes and now 1.5 percent of the money consumers withdraw from machines comes in fivers.

Kermit in trouble with German authorities!

He may be a felt amphibian, but that didn’t stop Kermit the Frog from getting a ticking off from po-faced media watchdogs in Germany.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, ZAK, the federal body that regulates German airwaves, objected to a so-called 'Disney Day' on commercial network Pro7.

It featured Kermit presenting several family films, but he also plugged the theatrical release of 'The Muppets' on several occasions (presumably the reason he was shipped over there in the first place).

As the mentions of the film did not come with on screen disclaimers marking them out as adverts - which German Law requires - the coverage was deemed illegal product placement by ZAK.

Pro7 have admitted liability, but may not have to pay a fine. The regulating body can only highlight infringements, but can't enforce any financial penalties, so the legal ramifications are still a bit unclear.

It might just be a slap on the wrist for Kermit. We’re sure he’ll be relieved

Aid to the Church in Need - 17 May in Westminster Cathedral

Aid to the Church in Need are holding a Night of Witness on Friday 17 May at Westminster Cathedral. Here is the progamme:

5.30pm Sung Mass to remember the modern-day martyrs to the Faith, concelebrated by Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, Pakistan, Bishop Joannes Zakaria of Luxor, Egypt, and Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton.

6.30pm Rally for Religious Freedom on the cathedral piazza, celebrating our faith through speeches, music, drama, dance, poetry and film, with groups from Iraqi, Pakistani, Sudanese and Egyptian communities in the UK, as well as others.

7.30-8.30pm Solemn, candlelit vigil in Westminster Cathedral – in thanksgiving for the inspirational sacrifice of Christians today.

The ACN website has more information.

More Members for the Ordinariate

We received Diane and David Rogers into membership of the Catholic Church for the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham at Shrewsbury Cathedral on Wednesday 21 March. Coming from Llanarmon, Wales, Diane and David are some of the first members of the Ordinariate from the Principality.  Let's hope and pray that there will soon be many more.

Archbishop Of Canterbury to retire into academia

Archbishop Rowan Williams has today announced his acceptance of the position of Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge with effect from January 2013. He will therefore be stepping down from the office of Archbishop of Canterbury at the end of December 2012.

Dr Williams’ intentions have been conveyed to The Queen, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and who formally appoints the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Dr Williams was appointed the one hundred and fourth Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002. He said today:

It has been an immense privilege to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury over the past decade, and moving on has not been an easy decision.  During the time remaining there is much to do, and I ask your prayers and support in this period and beyond.  I am abidingly grateful to all those friends and colleagues who have so generously supported Jane and myself in these years, and all the many diverse parishes and communities in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion that have brought vision, hope and excitement to my own ministry.  I look forward, with that same support and inspiration, to continuing to serve the Church’s mission and witness as best I can in the years ahead.

Dr Williams will continue to carry out all the duties and responsibilities of the Archbishop of Canterbury, both for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, until the end of the year.

The Crown Nominations Commission will consider in due course the selection of a successor.

Selwyn College - Cuppers winners!

Congratulations to Selwyn Rugby who thrashed Churchill 24 - 5!   It was a brilliant game!
Photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/selalum/sets/72157629226522132/
Well done Selwyn!

Pugin’s Church becomes An Official Catholic Shrine of St Augustine

Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark has formally established Pugin’s church of St Augustine in Ramsgate as a shrine of the ‘the Apostle of the English’. In an official decree the Archbishop grants the shrine canonical privileges and designates it as a place of pilgrimage.

A shrine to St Augustine existed on the Isle of Thanet before the Reformation and so this new place of pilgrimage recovers an ancient tradition. St Augustine’s is a Catholic church already dedicated to the saint and stands closer than any other to the place of Augustine’s landing, his first preaching and his momentous encounter with King Ethelbert of Kent in 597AD.

The official day on which the foundation of the shrine will be remembered is 1st March. This is Pugin’s birthday and recently the day of popular bicentenary celebrations held in his honour. This day links the erection of the shrine with the church’s founder who is buried within. The cult of St Augustine is fully in tune with the heart and mind of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852). He states in his letters that he selected the Ramsgate site because ‘blessed Austin landed nearby’ and he personally chose the dedication name and wanted the church to be a memorial to the founding identity of Christian England and its early saints.

There already exists a strong local interest and devotion to the saint.  His feast day each year in celebrated in Ramsgate with a festival of Catholic history and culture called ‘St Augustine’s week’. Prayers are said and hymns sung in his honour. St Augustine’s has already functioned as a quasi-shrine and pilgrims already journey there from all over England and beyond to learn about the conversion of the English and the beginnings of Christianity in this land. In 1997 thousands descended upon the St Augustine’s site to celebrate 1500th anniversary of the Augustine landing. Hundreds of Monks joined Cardinal Hume and Archbishop Bowen in the pilgrimage. In the year 2000 St Augustine’s was a ‘Jubilee Shrine’ and had special indulgences attached. This continued a long pilgrimage tradition surrounding St Augustine in Ramsgate and Thanet.

St Augustine’s attracts a huge number of Christians from other churches and communities who are interested in learning about common roots in the faith of Christ. Many secular visitors come to enjoy the architecture, the art and the atmosphere of the place and thereby enhance their relations with the Catholic Church. Local schools have a visiting programme to learn about the saints and about Pugin. The building is highly catechetical and new resources help to make a visit to St Augustine’s an opportunity to deepen one’s faith and knowledge. The church is adorned with a collection of images of St Augustine in the finest stone and stained glass including a ‘Hardman Powell’ series of windows above Pugin’s tomb relating the story of Augustine’s mission and especially the moment of setting foot on a land explicitly demarcated as ‘Thanet’.

Fr Marcus Holden the parish priest and custodian of St Augustine’s commented, ‘This is amazing news for us. Pugin’s church is secured by this added living identity which also fulfils many of his own dreams in honouring the English saints and St Augustine in particular.  There was need here not only to rescue the church as a great work of art but also to find a fitting spiritual significance for the future of the site. Through his decree, the Archbishop has done just that. The shrine will now draw pilgrims keen to learn about the early saints and to pray for an evangelisation of England in our own times’.

The church is presently being restored and brought back to its former glory and major celebrations are planned this year surrounding the feast day of St Augustine.

End of the world?????

A pair of scorching explosions on the Sun's surface is sparking the biggest radiation and geomagnetic storm the Earth has experienced for years.

The storm, expected to hit Earth Thursday and last through Friday, may disrupt power grids, GPS systems and satellites, and has already forced some airlines to change their routes around the polar regions.

See you Saturday????? Perhaps!!!!!