Smasher Lagru

Standing on the platform last night in Kent station.  Umbrella up as is usual these days.  Have rather fine umbrella which has button that not only opens umbrella but also closes it which is handier than you might think.  Except when you accidently push it and the umbrella closes round your head.  And there's a group of teenage girls standing nearby who think you are the funniest loser they have ever seen.

 First day of the school hols.  Beatrice and Hermione thought it would be good to get up at six o'clock and fight.  and then have breakfast - shreddies with chocolate and strawberry sauce.  God love them - their idea of a treat.

In a surprise move, just weeks before his retirement as head of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Bishop Patrick Walsh has introduced a new style of cassock for monsignori.

Existing monsignori have been told they will have the option of wearing their current style but all new monsignori will have to wear the new style which is modelled on the radiator covers of the cathedral presbytery.

A spot of promotion for a recently published book by Ireland's leading theologian, Father Vincent Twomey, SVD.

He is retired professor of moral theology at the Pontifical University of St. Patrick's College, in Maynooth, is the author of "Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age," published this year by Ignatius Press.

It's a short book and very readable and a great little introduction to the thought of the Pope Benedict. 

Fr. D. Vincent Twomey, a former doctoral student of Joseph Ratzinger and long time friend of the Pope, felt the need to respond to the common question he heard often after the papal election, “What kind of person is the new Pope?” So often Twomey had read false depictions of both the man and his thought, especially the image presented by the media as a grim enforcer.

Twomey offers here a unique double–presentation of the man, Pope Benedict XVI — a “theological portrait” that encompasses both an overview of the writings, teachings and thought of the brilliant theologian and spiritual writer, as well as the man himself, and his personality traits and how he communicates with others.

Twomey shows that the secret to the serene dignified behavior of Benedict is that he is open to beauty as much as truth, that he lives outside himself, and is not preoccupied with his own self. He also is a man that Twomey says “has the courage to be imperfect”, showing he has a deep humility and strives for teaching the truth even when misunderstood or not presented as well as he would like.

Have you ever been told by a woman that men are no good at multi-tasking?  I refute that completely.  Yesterday evening found me drinking tea, while watching Prison Break and reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.  This required much greater focused concentration than my wife who only had to deal with her tea and nursing our youngest son, Lemony.

So Harry Potter - can't wait for the next book.  I've spent the last three week re-reading the first six books, a bit more carefully than before.  A couple of interesting things cross my mind.  The effect the films have had on the writing - I'm convinced that JKR is subconsciously seeing her characters as she writes them.  And the person who removed Slytherin's locket in book six is definitely Sirius's brother.  And I think Dumbledore is definitely dead but I think Snape is still definitely a good guy.  But I have a nasty feeling that Harry won't believe him when the moment comes.  So my predictions for death in the final book are Snape and - my heart will break - Hermione (after whom my five year old is named).  I also have a sneaking suspicion that Harry Potter himself, or perhaps his scar, will turn out to be a horcrux.

Girl in the picture above by the way (if you can actually see it) - putting on eye shadow while caught speeding by a speed camera.

I am rather in danger of becoming obsessive about the CCO and the Irish Bishops but they make it so easy.  They are like a Students Union in the 1980s, passing endless resolution on South Africa, Palestine and sodomites while the toilets continued to flood, the library had no books and the price of tea in the Union was doubling.

In the midst of all the various problems besetting the Irish Church we have a new press release from the bishops.  Is it on the appalling education in religion our children receive (Beatrice brought home her report at the end of First Class last week and while she was excellent in English she was only "fair" in Religion - seems she coloured in Mother Spring the wrong colour!)?  Perhaps something useful on the state of liturgy, the decline in sexual ethics?  Guess again:

 Irish Bishops call on Zimbabwean government to address crisis of governance and leadership

Mugabe must be really shaking in his boots now.  He shrugged off the UN Security Council, the Commonwealth, the EU and the OAS but the Irish bishops will have him rattled.  I think we can expect his resignation within days.

http://www.catholiccommunications.ie/Pressrel/21-june-2007.html

 Having trouble uploading pictures - click on it and it should appear.  This one is of Warsaw after it recieved its first European Integration Grant.

Professional diplomats and everyone working in EU institutions hate the Poles.  Why?  Because Poland won't play its assigned role as one of the grateful former communist countries we let into our European Union.  They keep reminding us that they are a large country with a big population and every so often they point out the obvious fact that if Poland hadn't been invaded by the Germans and the Russians we wouldn't even need an EU in the first place.

This snippet is from Spiegel:  In the dispute over the voting rights in the European treaty, the Polish Prime Minister Jarolsaw Kaczynski has now come up with an argument that any German would find it difficult to contradict. "If Poland had not had to live through the (World War II) years of 1939-1945, Poland would today be looking at the demographics of a country of 66 million." The Polish leader was attempting to justify his demands for an alternative voting rights system, rather than the one proposed by the German rotating EU presidency.

Actually the whole article is rather good http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,490014,00.html

I remember putting a very similar argument about Ireland and the famine.  In comparative terms with Great Britain we should have a population today of at least 20 million.

So don't lets be beastly to the Poles, and when you hear those news reports about how they are blocking agreement on the EU constition, just remember that that is exactly what was said in the weeks leading up to the start of the Second World War - if only the Poles could be more flexible; Mr Hitler is being very reasonable.  And in the Yalta discussions - Mr Stalin only wants what is fair.  And of course we'd love to help with the Warsaw Uprising but really we're frightfully busy.

Our special correspondent, the Iron Chicken, reports on the continuing downward spiral which is the Drumalis Retreat Centre and the Cross and Passion Sisters (just call me Margaret Rose please).  She (Iron Chicken) tells that over the past few years all traces of religious devotion have been removed from the building, including the order's coat of arms fo the main gate.  She was appalled to be present last week when bull dozers moved in to demolish the Lourdes Grotto in the grounds.

Presumably this will make room for events such as this one:

Circle Dancing (10:00 am – 4:00 pm)
An invitation to dance—you don't have to be an experienced dancer; the dances are generally easy, restful and the dance provides an opportunity to get in touch with your inner self. Breda Ahearn CP

You'll certainly need to get in touch with your inner self cos you won'tbe meeting anyone you'd want to dance with there.

Question: name one religious order that has gone down the, let's call it "liberal" path, that is thriving.

Well you wait weeks for a press release and then five come along at once.  So the CCO has broken its long silence.  Below is a little gem from the Bishop of Clogher - the man who almost twenty years ago was overheard saying "The Church will do us for our day", possibly the most cynical remark ever uttered by an Irish bishop, and not terribly prophetic either.  Expect he wasn't expecting priest like Fr Mc Grath to be on the go.  The full press release is below but here are my favourite lines:

It is obvious that some areas of Fr McGrath’s lifestyle fell short of what you, and I, would expect of a priest. Indeed, Fr McGrath himself acknowledged this in the evidence that he gave during the trial. We all feel very let down.

It's the tone and words a parent might use when they discover their daughter's been out drinking instead of studying with her friend Emily like she said she was.

Having said that - part of me wonders if he would have been prosecuted had he not been a Catholic priest.  Will the girl's mother be prosecuted?

And does Fr Mc Grath have any betting tips he can pass on to us?

Statement by Bishop Joseph Duffy, at the 6:30pm Vigil Mass in Roslea,
concerning Father Jeremiah McGrath

I am sure that by now you will be aware that Fr Jeremiah McGrath was sentenced to five years imprisonment following his conviction last month.

I have been told that he intends to appeal against the conviction, so I am not permitted to comment on the detail of the case. However, it is obvious that some areas of Fr McGrath’s lifestyle fell short of what you, and I, would expect of a priest. Indeed, Fr McGrath himself acknowledged this in the evidence that he gave during the trial. We all feel very let down.

This is a very sad and tragic case and I ask you to keep everyone involved in your thoughts and prayers.

However difficult we find it, we must all, each in our way, learn from what has happened. You have a new priest, Fr Peter O’Reilly, and I am sure you will support him and work with him and move forward together.

Fr McGrath’s future as a priest will now be considered by his Order, St Patrick’s Missionary Society. They will have to deal with this when the judicial process has concluded.

The Church is committed to the protection of children. For my part, I will see what lessons can be learned from this case. I am committed to, and support without reservation, the child protection policy of the Church.

18 days.  Yes, that's how long it's been since anyone bothered updating the website of the Catholic Communications Office.  And since this is Friday, I think we can safely presume it won't be done over the weekend.  This is apathy of the very worst sort.  And when you have a look at the press releases they are overwhelmingly dreary:

Here is a little gem from our good friend in the north, auxiliary bishop Donal Mc Keown, to the Irish League of Credit Unions (why they have a Mass one wonders as they aren't a Catholic organisation): 

Man does not live on satellite TV, 250 sorts of biscuits and sun dried tomatoes alone

Now when a preacher starts paraphrasing the words of Jesus I always think its interesting the things he regards as modern equivalent - it gives us a little insight into his own life I think - and we can all image the good bishop watching his giant screen TV while he munches his way through 250 biscuits (what's that all about) topped with tomatoes, probably wearing an expensive pair of Minolas or at least a couple of hundred pounds worth of shoes.

29 April 2007 - Bishop Donal McKeown Homily at the Mass for the Irish League of Credit Unions on Vocations Sunday

I have two very logical daugters, Beatrice and Hermione.  Beatrice is almost eight and a right little bitch.  The other day she was up to no good and I was attempting afterwards to get her to say she was sorry.  Says she: "Only God can forgive sins, so there's no point saying sorry to you".

Then later Hermione says to me, after I give out for knocking down a chair, nearly squishing her younger brother, "I hate you".  I told her how hurt I was by this and how bold it was to say this to one's father.  Her reply: "well, you told me 'sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me' so it didn't do you any harm".

How did my wife produce these children?