The most cheerful thing to come out of Synod 2015 so far...

...possibly the only uplifting thing at all is this marvellous take of Gillbert & Sullivan's classic with an eye turned towards Teutonic heresy: I am the very model of a modern German Cardinal. We've been singing along  in chorus while I've been making dinner this evening.


"I know the Church’s history, from Schillebeeckx to G D Boff

I like to wear bad vestments and I’m apt to take my cassock off

I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of the traditionalists

I make outrageous statements and proceed to slander journalists

I’m very prone to avarice, and harbouring of catamites

And mawkish modern liturgies with troupes of female acolytes..."

It's worth listening to the whole thing ... full lyrics here.

Wouldn't it be spendid if somebody made an English version? Just saying.

A nine year old's dilemma whilst discerning her vocation...

"Mummy, the problem with being a religious sister is... WHO catches the spiders?"

 

Indeed! I'm proud that my example has given her such a profound insight into the true meaning of Christian marriage: who catches the spiders when there's no husband around?

 

Meet the blog author

(You didn't really think I was going to give away my pseudonymous status now, did you?)

Twitch of the mantilla to gloriaromanorum.blogspot.com

Honoured guests

One of the great joys of blogging is seeing where readers come from: in addition to the Blogger stats page I also use the free version of Site Meter which gives much more detailed location information about visitors. I love it when I see a reader from a small town that I know well in France or Canada or Ireland, and equally am fascinated to think of somebody up in the Scottish highlands or Texas or Indonesia reading my words.

This evening, however, I had the location to trump all locations: a reader from the Holy See. I'm sure that my favourite priestly bloggers have entire delegations of internet visitors from Vatican City, and that more serious and longstanding bloggers can get a bit blasé about this sort of thing, but for me the novelty of somebody within a few hundred meters of the Holy Father reading my blog is seriously cool. So I'll drop any pretence of being cool myself (cool is way overrated) and say "Salve visitor from Vatican City and welcome! I hope you found something worth reading and please do come back: it would make my day!"

 

Domain Name		vatican.va ? (Holy See (Vatican City State))
IP Address		212.77.0.# (Holy See - Vatican City State)
ISP		Holy See - Vatican City State
Location		Continent : Europe Country : Holy See (Vatican City State) (Facts) Lat/Long : 41.9, 12.45 (Map) Distance : 881 miles
Language		Italian it
Operating System		Microsoft WinNT
Browser		Internet Explorer 9.0 Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; Trident/5.0)
Javascript		version 1.3
Monitor		Resolution : 1280 x 1024 Color Depth : 32 bits
Time of Visit		Apr 3 2013 6:00:11 pm

 

An atheist "outs" Piers Morgan

When is a Catholic not a Catholic? Piers Morgan doesn't appear to know, but the celebrity atheist that he's interviewing is pretty certain that Morgan, who self-identifies as a Catholic is nothing of the sort.

I couldn't possibly comment, but it makes for good viewing...




H/t Mark Cogitate

Is it licit to take a Pill that alters one's perception of reality?

Following in the footsteps of Timothy Leary, Joseph Shaw of the LMS muses on a Pill that can induce radical disconnection with reality. Well worth reading.

Just say no!

Thank God for priests who aren't nice!

Do you go to a nice parish with a nice priest?...you know, one who's just really, really nice?  I'm glad I don't, and judging from this video, I reckon that Michael Voris feels the same way...

Birettas in the snow

I saw this poster in a neighbouring Chalet in the Swiss Alps where we're currently enjoying fresh air, good food and lots of steep, high-altitude walks. I'm not sure what the story is behind the picture - do any readers know? - but the scene of black-robed figures marching through the snow led by a biretta'd priest tickled me.

Where do you reckon they're off to, and why?

Toddler catechism fail

We've been using the Baltimore Catechism at home with the children: it's so simple, and straightforward that even the youngest one picks up bits and pieces. As he's only two, we focus on the easy stuff like "Who made you? / God made you" and I thought that things were going well in his little head until...

...yesterday evening he toddled in from the garden with a smeared and dirty face, evidence of a feast in the blackberry bushes. "How did your face get so dirty?" I asked as I wiped his cheeks. The little brows furrowed for a moment, then he suddenly beamed and announced with the certainty of one who has learned his lesson well: "God make my face so dirty!"

I guess we still have some way to go...