Friday 29 October 2010

S Colmani a Kilmacduagh 29/10/2010

Missa "Statuit"

Changes

S.P.D.

Well, in order to make the blog quicker to load, I've taken off quite a few 'gadgets' and may even take off a few more! I've created a banner which I think conveys something of the purpose of the blog, or at least indicates something about its author.

For the sake of expediency, in order to focus future posts on what's current and interesting rather than having to write a background on the perspective I'm coming from, I've included some extra 'pages' that give some information as to who I am, the ecclesial tradition I am in and the secular congregation of clergy I belong to!  I certainly hope readers will avail themselves of the opportunity to understand a bit more about Old Roman Catholicism, though I intend of course to write more about it.

I've also decided to upload the Daily Mass video directly to here - it will automatically post it on Facebook - and am thinking of changing the Mass time to earlier in the morning, rather than at present Midday. Now that the Mass is archived and viewers tend to watch the archive rather than the live Mass, it would be easier for me to fit around pastoral work with an earlier Mass time, freeing the late morning and lunchtime for visiting. I'll begin this on Friday (9am) as again I have a last minute engagement at the Crematorium, though generally leave the hour as Midday for Mass on Saturday and Sunday.

I was 'added' today on Facebook to a group called the "Fellowship of Orthodox, Catholics and Anglican Christians" and an interesting discussion shortly ensued about the validity of Anglican Orders! No surprise there then! Quite naturally a ROCOR Western Rite priest responded directly with the usual reposte that "all of Orthodoxy" considers that all Sacraments outside of Orthodoxy lack the ability to convey Grace and anyway, "validity" is a Roman legalistic construct. Does anyone else perceive a sense of irony there is it just me?

L.D.S.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Mr Watts returns!

S.P.D.

Well Autumn is definitely over! For Mr Watts (see inset) to come bounding through the cat flap, it must be too cold and too wet to stand sentry in the Square any longer!

I suppose too that I ought to apply myself to blogging more seriously as things in the world of ecclesia are becoming more and more interesting and my opinion is, I am sure, as interesting as any other's?!

Today I read an excellent analysis of the 'Anglo-Catholic's plight' concerning the choices a Catholic-minded CofE cleric/lay-person must choose between in order to fully realise a Catholic situation, "Choosing an honourable path" by the Vicar of Holy Trinity Reading. The author hits the nail pretty squarely on the head concerning the various merits from a Catholic perspective of the options available.

Bishop Edwin Barnes (emeritus of Richborough) has been forcefully making his case for the Ordinariate over the Society of St Wilfred & St Hilda - about which no further information has been made available for scrutiny.  Rather ironically it seems, the Ordinariate has a constitution but doesn't yet exist and the SSWSH has a leadership and registered membership without any constitution! One wonders how people are supposed to make an informed choice? Which is why I recommend Fr Elliott's excellent post above!

Meanwhile, Fr Ray Blake and Fr Anthony Chadwick present us with some interesting and heartwarming discourse on the present Holy Father's understanding of "communion" and "unity" including "diversity" and as the prolific blogger Fr Zed has oft times told us, Benedict XVI is the "Pope of Christian Unity" and many I think would concur. Fr Zed also reports on an APNews report entitled "Catholic bloggers aim to purge dissenters" suggesting that those Roman blogger ranks soon to be swelled with authors like those above,
"Pressure is on to change the Roman Catholic Church in America, but it’s not coming from the usual liberal suspects. A new breed of theological conservatives has taken to blogs and YouTube to say the church isn’t Catholic enough."
Well... its got a ring of truth to it... hasn't it!

Curate, ut valeatis!

L.D.S.

Sunday 17 October 2010

What of "authority"? Part I

Apologies, firstly, for not having 'blogged' for a while - to be brutally frank, I don't have much time to write comparably lengthy or as comprehensively researched blogposts as some others and its sometimes difficult enough to find time to read those let alone offer a contribution to present discussions. However, there are various topics which I think require a proferred reflection, particularly on some issues it might help to clarify for those who fundamentally are in search of the Truth.

I have taken a particular interest in the Ordinariate concept and development and particularly the vast array of perceptions and approaches that many eminent bloggers have made and continue to make. In the initial wake of the Papal pronouncement of Anglicanorum Cœtibus many took to scrutinising the finer detail contained in the accompanying published "Norms", these containing the Canonical details for the Ordinariates. Over the past year, as discussion about the inconsistencies contained within those Norms has dissipated (becoming essentially futile without input from the authors, except anecdotal confirmation that there exist inconsistencies), and perhaps in part due to the undeniable, though as yet unquantifiable, success of the Papal Visit to Britain, there has been an air of euphoria on some particular blogs enthusing about the expected Ordinariates. I have to admit that my initial negativity about the Ordinariates, borne more from a revulsion at the exaggerated interpretations of those inconsistent Canonical "Norms" (which it has to be said, carried a proviso for local alteration), has somewhat been appeased by the more appreciably measured commentary now abounding, predicting a more realistic take-up of the Ordinariate.

I've also found it interesting to note the internal struggles that have emerged over the past year, particularly within the Traditional Anglican Communion, and the perceptible dichotomy arising concerning the future of individuals and congregations. This was to be expected, even if initial reports were that there would be wholsale take-up of the Papal offer by the TAC, I was not so persuaded and am still sceptical about what the actual result will be. Similarly, as I predicted, the Anglo-Catholic approach within the CofE has been divisive, the poor result of General Synod having failed to unite the dissenters into a cohesive whole, but rather begin to expose the fractures within.

It appears to me that the reason for all this "confusion" (though one is tempted to say "chaos") is to due to the fact that the fundamental question at stake here is being largely ignored. Many have written about the "question of Authority" as if the Catholic Faith hinges principally on this one point of interpretation, as if it itself, i.e. the Faith, is, can be and ought to be determined by the answer to this question! The point is however, that the Catholic Faith exists, it has being, in and of itself without being subject to the determination of anyone particular person of authority on earth, but rather of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself... "Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum vero de Deo vero..." begotten not made! There is a single deposit of faith "delivered once for all to the saints" (cf letter of Jude 1:3) this is the message and promise of salvation, this is Jesus Christ. Thus the question people ought to be asking is, where is the Catholic Faith? Where is to be found this "single deposit"?