Another Modest Proposal

This one from Fr Hunwicke.  He proposes his solution here.  Adherents of  the religion of peace will no doubt be taking it up on this side of the Atlantic also.

[h/t to Fr Phillips' Twitter feed, which I don't know how to link to.]

27 July -- Bl Titus Brandsma, O. Carm.

Today is the feast of Blessed Titus Brandsma, O.Carm.   That's him* in the picture above with his beloved pipe.  He was a martyr of the second world war, dying in Dachau for his insistence on maintaining Catholic truth in the teeth of Nazi objections.  So he's too new to be in the traditional Roman calendar and he's not in the Pauline calendar.  But he's an obligatory memorial in the Ancient Observance Carmelite calendar and an optional one in the Discalced calendar.   I would hope he would be in the local Dutch calendars, but I don't have enough Dutch to look it up.  Or, indeed, any Dutch if it comes to that.

In any event, it's Sunday so he's liturgically overlooked everywhere anyway.

But as he's a favourite of mine, The Inn will do what it can in lieu of a liturgical celebration  and that is to cite you to an excellent site containing biography, pictures, and some of his writings.  You can find it here.  If that one is too long, there is a somewhat shorter vita at EWTN's site here.  But  really: give the first link a look-in and try some of  his lectures.  There's some beautiful stuff there.

____________________
(*I know, I know.  But I just can bring myself to say "That's he".  It sounds wrong.)

26 July - The Feast of St Ann, Mother of the Bl Virgin Mary

"AnneSantiago" by Dickstracke at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia by SreeBot. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Anna parens sublimis Dominæ,
quæ est mater misericordiæ,
gemma lucens cælestis curiæ,
te veneramur amore Filiæ. 

Anna, mother of that eminent Lady
who is the Mother of Mercy,
the bright gem of the celestial court,
we venerate thee with the love of thy daughter.
   -- Magnificat antiphon in the Carmelite office of Vespers for the        feast of St Ann

Some prayers to St Anne for her feast day.

(FWIW, as far back as I have been able to find, which is 1824 at the moment, every woman on my father's side of the family has been named Anne, AnneMarie, or Mary Ann.  And my wife's confirmation name is Anne.  And that means . . . um, well I don't know what that means.  But happy St Anne's day, anyway.)

A Thought from Fr Willie Doyle

You ask how to pray well. The answer is, Pray often, in season and out of season, against yourself, in spite of yourself. There is no other way. What a man of prayer St. James, the Apostle must have been since his knees became like those of a camel! When shall we religious realize the power for good that prayer, constant, unflagging prayer, puts into our hands Did it ever strike you that when our Lord pointed out the ”fields white for the harvest”, He did not urge His Apostle to go and reap it, but to pray?

Fr Doyle was a Jesuit and chaplain to the 16th Irish Brigade in the 1st World War.  There is a movement for his canonisation (not officially begun, so far as I can tell) and a very fine website dedicated to him here.  And he has been mentioned in The Inn a few times, here and here for example.

The thought above is yesterday's "Daily Thought" from the very fine blog, Remembering Father William Doyle.  It's an insight that can't be repeated too often, in my occasionally humble opinion.

A Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Christians of the Middle East

Friday, August 1, 2014
This was the day chosen by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) for a worldwide day of Public Adoration of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in supplication for our persecuted brethren in Iraq, Syria, and the Middle East. . . .

More here.





Collects from the Missal:

O God, who makest wars to cease, and, by thy powerful defence, dost defeat the foes of them that put their trust in Thee; assist thy servants who implore thy mercy, that the fierceness of their enemies being overthrown, we may praise Thee with ceaseless thanksgiving. Through Christ our Lord. 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully to hear the prayers of Thy Church, that all adversities and errors being done away, she may serve Thee in freedom and quietness.  Through Christ our Lord. 

Almighty God, despise not Thy people who cry to Thee in their affliction; but for the glory of Thy name mercifully assist them in their tribulation. Through Christ our Lord. 

O God, who art the lover of peace, and preserver of charity; grant unto all our enemies true peace and charity; and vouchsafe unto them remission of all their sins, and by Thy mighty power deliver  us from their snares.  Through Christ our Lord.

F.S.S.P. in L.A.

That somewhat cryptic headline is meant to indicate that the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter will now have an apostolate in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  Alas, since the Archdiocese runs from the Orange County line all the way up to the northern most border of Santa Barbara County the chances of the apostolate being anywhere near you or me is minimal . . . even allowing for the expansive definition of "near" which Californians and westerners in general have. Nevertheless, it's worth at least a privately-prayed Te Deum to have an established apostolate dedicated to the traditional liturgy here in the Archdiocese.

Here's the announcement in Rorate Cæli.
Here's the new apostolate's website.

Found Again

If you happen to frequent the Anthony Trollope webpage, you know that you can subscribe to the Anthony Trollope quote of the week.  Not usually riotously funny, if that's what you were hoping for.  But usually insightful enough into human nature -- or at least my human nature -- as to give a start of recognition.

In clearing out the email in-box, I found this one from two or three weeks ago.

"He did not find in the contemplation of his grievance all that solace which a grievance usually gives."
          -The Small House at Allington

Indeed.

And then in looking up the webpage citation -- for what's a blog post without a citation? -- there was this:

"In ordinary life events are so unfrequent, and when they do arrive they give such a flavour of salt to hours which are generally tedious, that sudden misfortunes  come as godsends, almost even when they happen to ourselves."
          -Marion Fay

Almost.

Anthony Trollope's webpage
The Trollope Society

17 July - The Holy Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne

Their feast day is today in the Carmelite calendar.  The best source for their story is William Bush's "To Quell the Terror".  You can find it here.  (Note that it's half price until September; it's well-worth your $8.48)

If you haven't got the eight and a half bucks, try here for an introduction.

A collect for the feast of the Holy Martyrs:

Deus, qui ob invictam in tuo amore constantiam beatam Teresiam et socias eius de vertice Carmeli ad martyrii coronam vocasti:  tribue quæsumus, ut, te fideliter diligentes, ad contemplandam speciem tuæ celsitudinis perducamur.  Per Dominum nostrum.  Amen.

Things Found in Books

Abebooks not only sells books but writes about them every now and again.  Today's essay is on Things Found in Books.

I've found a fair number of holy cards, some memorial cards, a few ordination cards, assorted advertisements and business cards, and in one volume years ago a service card for a Te Deum sung in St Patrick's Cathedral in New York celebrating the end of World War II.   Alas, no money and no Mickey Mantle 1952 rookie cards in mint - or any other - condition.

16 July: In Commemoratione Solemni Beatæ Mariæ Virginis de Monte Carmelo, Titularis et Patronæ totius Ordinis Carmelitarum

Today is the titular feast of the Carmelite Order, that of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

Here's what the old 2d nocturn had to say about the feast in the translation done by the compilers of the Anglican Breviary:

Lesson iv  

There is an old story to the effect that many men continued to live on Mount Camel in the spirit of the holy Prophets Elijah and Elisha. And that those of them who were of the times of Saint John Baptist were made ready by his preaching to accept the Messiah. And that when the Apostles were filled with the Spirit upon the holy day of Pentecost, and spake with diverse tongues, and worked miracles by calling upon the Name of Jesus (which is above every name), these Carmelites, seeing and being assured of the truth, straightway embraced the Faith of the Gospel. And that on account of their singular love toward the Blessed Virgin, (who was personally known to them as a familiar friend,) they paid her the respect of building her a little chapel, (the first which was ever raised in her honour, ) which same stood on that part of Mount Carmel whence the servant of Elijah had in old days espied that manifest type of the Virgin, whereof he spake, saying: Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. 

Lesson v 

To this new chapel they repaired oftentimes, day by day, and in their liturgy honoured the blessed Virgin as the particular guardian of their community. For this reason they came to be everywhere called the Brethren of Blessed Mary, of Mount Carmel. Now it would seem that this her name and protection are not the only gifts which this Virgin Lady bountiful hath given them. For it is believed that she gave them also the badge of the Holy Scapular which is said to have been bestowed on blessed Simon Stock the Englishman. This same is a certain holy vesture which hath become the special mark of this Order, whereby Carmelites trust that they are harnessed against all assaults. Moreover, in olden times, when as yet this Order was unknown in Europe, and not a few were importuning Honorius III to put an end to it, the gracious Virgin Mary (so it is said) appeared by night to the said Honorius, and flatly commanded him to shew kindness to the Order and to the men belonging thereto.

Lesson vi 

Many godly persons believe that it is not in this world only that the blessed Virgin hath marked with her favour this Order which pleaseth her so well, but in the next world also. For there her power and mercy have freer scope than here. And so they most surely trust that all who belong to the Guild of the Scapular if they have practised what is enjoined on them, (that is, a certain easy rule of abstinence, faithfulness in brief daily prayers, and the keeping of chastity according to their state of life,) are comforted by her motherly love while they are being cleansed in purgatory, and by her help are borne forward towards their home in heaven more quickly than others. Thus this Order (because it cherisheth these things as so many and so great gifts) hath instituted today’s feast as a solemn Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to be made year after year in perpetual observance thereof.

There is a fine piece on Our Lady's Carmelite scapular in this morning's post in the Fountain of Elias.

Finally, a collect:

O God, who didst adorn the Order of Carmel with the special title of thy most blessed Mother, the ever Virgin Mary, graciously grant that we who celebrate her Commemoration this day with solemn observances, by the help of her succour, may be worthy to attain unto everlasting joys: Who livest and reignest, etc. Amen.

On YouTube at Last - Part I

St. Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band All-Ireland Championships 2014 - MSR
(If you think it's raining when they start, wait until they get to the reel.  Mercy.)

On YouTube at Last -- Part II

St Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band - All Ireland Championships 2014 - Medley

St Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band -- All-Ireland G-1 Champions for 2014

The above which was shot a few hours ago is meant to give a taste of the competition field on the day.  Apparently, no one has put up any videos of the actual comp performances yet.

But word in the net has it that SLoT won it all today.  Well-done and congratulations.  I am delighted to have my semi-prediction proved wrong.  We await some YouTube videos.

FWIW, RTE has never broadcast the All-Ireland.  But BBC1 has for the past 4 or 5 years.  But this year, nada.  Hence, we await YouTube and some folk with video cameras.

ADDENDUM:  For those who have landed here via Google looking for full results, the Northern Ireland branch of the RSPBA gives the top winners in each grade here.  "Full" results don't appear to be up anywhere yet.

The Glorious Fourth

This evening my town indulges once again in its annual orgy of patriotic pyromania: the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air to a fare-thee-well. We shall thankfully be elsewhere leaving the family manse in the care of its guardian angel, who has so far successfully protected it from the aforesaid annual exercise in negligent arson.

We saw survey results the other day on the (one hopes not infallible) internet which revealed that a sizeable chunk of the American populace believes that this 4th of July celebrates America's 2014th birthday.  One does have to wonder what  else some folks may think they're celebrating.

Happy 4th, anyway.

Oh, and the video clip is not me being egregiously unpatriotic and obnoxious.  Not entirely, anyway.  It seems the melody for "The King Enjoys His Own Again" is the very same as "The World Turned Upside Down" which the British military band played at Yorktown for Lord Cornwallis's surrender to the American and French forces.  So they tell me, anyway.  It does seem a touch cheerful for the purpose, though, doesn't it.

And before the day is over, this day also commemorates the death day of the blessed Chideock martyrs, Fr John Cornelius,  John Carey, Patrick Salmon, and Thomas Bosgrave.  Their story can be found here.

All Ireland Pipe Band Championship

The All-Ireland is coming up this Saturday, the 5th, in New Ross, County Wexford.  Hoping for a win for SLoT (shown above earlier this year) but FMM looks unstoppable . . . in the immortal words of Victor R. Gook, "smooth as peach butter and goose grease".  They'll be very hard to beat.

If you're in the area on Saturday  (I won't even be on the same continent) there's a bit more information here.  And the chances of a webcast are, alas, nil.  {{{sigh}}}.