New Liturgy

Cardinal George Announces Vatican Approval of New Roman Missal English-Language Translation, Implementation Set for First Sunday of Advent 2011

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has announced that the full text of the English-language translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, has been issued for the dioceses of the United States of America.

(No date has yet been given by the Bishops of England and Wales for the publication and use of the new translation in England and Wales. However it is expected publication will take place sometime before the summer of 2011.)

Papal Masses in England will use new English texts

Catholic News Service reports that

People attending Pope Benedict XVI's Masses in Scotland and England in September will get a chance to hear and sing a few of the newly translated Mass texts, according to the pope's chief liturgist.

Msgr. Guido Marini, papal master of liturgical ceremonies, told Catholic News Service Aug. 19 that the prayers sung in English at the papal Masses in Great Britain will use the translations from the new Order of the Mass approved by the Vatican in 2008.

Mgr Marini seems to draw a distinction between those texts that have already been approved:

"The songs from the Order of the Mass -- for example the Gloria -- will be from the new translation, which was approved a while ago," he said.

and those that have not already been approved:

The words for the rest of the Mass prayers "will be from the text currently in use," he said, because when the papal Masses were being planned, the Vatican had not yet granted final approval to the bishops of Scotland, England and Wales for the complete English translation of the Roman Missal.

Sacramental Assurance

Why sacramental assurance matters

Simon Killwick explains why Catholics set such store by a priest’s ‘pedigree’

"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory is mine!” Anglicans, especially Catholic An glicans, find “blessed assurance” and a “foretaste of glory” in the sacraments of the Church. After the General Synod debate on women bishops, Stephen Barney wrote asking for an explanation of the doctrine of sacra mental assurance (Letters, 16 July). Others have questioned whether sacra mental assurance is an Anglican doctrine.

I would like to try to explain it, and to show that it is an Anglican doctrine. The doctrine of the Church of England is to be found particularly in “the Thirty-nine Articles of Reli gion, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal”, according to Canon A5; I will refer to these sources, among others.

Article XXV teaches that “Sacra ments ordained by Christ . . . [are] effectual signs of grace”: they effect what they signify; they truly bring us the grace of God; they are the means by “which [God] doth work invisibly in us”. This gives the Church of Eng land a Catholic doctrine of the sacra ments.

The teaching of the Article is ex panded in the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer, which states that the sacraments are “a means whereby we receive [grace]”, and “a pledge to assure us thereof”. We have therefore the assurance that we receive the grace of God in the sacraments, pro­vided that the right conditions are met.

Traditional Catholic teaching re quires the use of bread and wine at the eucharist, and the presidency of a priest ordained by a bishop in the apostolic succession. Both the Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship require the use of bread and wine, and the presidency of a priest ordained by a bishop. Article XXXVI refers to the Ordinal attached to the Book of Common Prayer, which re quires that priests be ordained by bishops, as did the Act of Uniformity 1662.

The preface to the Ordinal makes it clear that the Church of England intended to continue the orders of bishops, priests, and deacons, as the Church had received them, going back to the time of the Apostles. In other words, the C of E explicitly intended to continue the ordained ministry of the Catholic Church.

The requirement of a priest, or dained by a bishop in the apostolic succession, to preside at the eucharist is a requirement of Anglican for mularies. One could cite various Anglican divines who took just such a Catholic and Anglican position — Jeremy Taylor, Lancelot Andrewes, John Cosin, and William Laud, to name but a few.

The problem for traditional Cath olics in the Church of England is that we do not believe that in ordaining women, the C of E is continuing the orders of bishops and priests as the Church has received them. By “Church” here, we mean the un divided Church of the past, together with the present-day Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, and a number of other Anglican provinces.

The ordination of women to the priesthood therefore initiated a pro cess of reception in the Church of England and the wider Church. Reception is not a new concept in the history of the Church: it refers to the reception of the decisions of Councils of the Church by the whole people of the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Because the C of E claims that her orders are those of the whole or universal Church (Catholic, Ortho dox, Anglican), the new development in the ordination of women must be subject to reception by the whole Church. Otherwise, our Church’s claim about her orders would be in jeopardy. Recognition of the need for reception underpinned theologically the provision that was made in 1992-93 for members of the Church of England not to receive the priestly ministry of women.

The introduction of women bishops would introduce a new phase into the process of reception, calling, theologically and practically, for provision for members of the C of E not to receive the episcopal ministry of women. According to Anglican ordinals, priests have to be ordained by bishops. Those who are unable to receive the ministry of women bishops cannot receive the ministry of those who have been ordained by women bishops, because ordination is an essentially episcopal ministry.

The problem then, particularly for lay traditionalists, would be how they can be sure that a priest presiding at the eucharist has been ordained by a male bishop, in a line of bishops and priests which is an explicit continua tion of the orders of bishops and priests as the Church has received them. Without that assurance, they do not have the assurance of the grace of God in the sacrament.

This is not to denigrate the minis try of women priests, or to say that the grace of God is not present when they preside at the eucharist. But it is to say that the same sacramental as surance is not available when women preside at the eucharist, or ordain priests — because there is doubt that, in their ordination, the Church of England is continuing the Catholic orders of the universal Church.

Bishop Kenneth Kirk wrote in a paper for the Church Assembly in 1947 that “where the sacraments are concerned, the Church is always obliged to take the least doubtful course.” For this reason, we cannot receive the priestly or episcopal minis try of women.

It is sometimes objected that Article XXVI says that the “un worthiness of ministers” does not hinder the effect of the sacrament. If we read the Article in full, however, we see that the unworthiness referred to is not an issue about holy orders, but serious moral unworthiness: “wicked ness”.

Indeed, the Article teaches the principle of sacramental assurance, namely, that the grace of God is present in the sacrament when it is rightly and duly administered, in accordance with the teaching and practice of the undivided Church. This requires the continuation of the orders of bishops and priests as the Church has received them, going back to the time of the Apostles.

Canon Simon Killwick is the Rector of Christ Church, Moss Side, Manchester, and chairman of the Catholic Group on the General Synod.

Is nothing sacred?

Vicar gives Holy Communion to dog

An Anglican church in Canada has become the focus of controversy after a vicar gave Holy Communion to a dog.

The priest gave the Host – considered by Christians to represent the body of Jesus Christ – to an Alsatian cross called Trapper.

St Peter's Anglican Church in Toronto has since been deluged complaints from Christians all over Canada.

Donald Keith, the dog's owner, said he had taken his pet to the church because he had been told animals were welcome.

He said that because he was newcomer the vicar invited him up in person to receive communion.

"The minister welcomed me and said come up and take communion, and Trapper came up with me and the minister gave him communion as well," said Mr Keith.

"Then he bent his head and said a little prayer," Mr Keith said.

"I thought it was a nice way to welcome me into the church," he said. "I thought it was acceptable." He added: "There was an old lady in the front just beaming when she saw this.

"Ninety nine-point-nine per cent of the people in the church love Trapper and the kids play with him." He said one member of the congregation was unhappy about the vicar giving the dog communion and complained to the archbishop, Colin Johnson.

The dog has since been banned from receiving the sacrament.

"It was just one person who got his nose out of joint and went to the head of the Anglican Church," said Mr Keith.

"Holy smokes. This is small stuff. I thought it was innocent and it made me think of the blessing of the animals.

"This has blown me away. The church is even getting emails from Catholics," he said.

Peggy Needham, the deputy people's warden at the church, said that no further action would be taken.

"The backlash is from just one person," she said.

"Something happened that won't happen again. Something our interim priest did spontaneously.

"This person went to the top and emailed our bishop to make a fuss and change things. But he misjudged our congregation."

Tweeted Communion

Plans are under way for the first tweeted com munion service on Twitter, the internet social-networking site.

The online service, which is being organised by the Revd Tim Ross, a Methodist minister, will take place on 14 August at 22.00 BST. Twitter-users can take part by finding TimRossMinister, clicking on the “follow” button after his name, and being ready with bread and wine (or fruit juice). Mr Ross will post a eucharistic prayer in the form of seven “tweets” (the short mes sages shared by Twitter users), culminating in the instruction to take the bread and the wine.

The idea for holding such a service on Twitter came about after Mr Ross signed up to the site and picked up about 200 fol lowers. He said: “The extremely brief nature of tweets means that creating a communion prayer for Twitter has been a particular challenge. Sharing in this unique event offers Christians from all denominations the opportunity to show that, despite the doctrinal differences of their individual denominations, they are one in their determination to show the love of Christ to the world.”

He said that he hoped Twitter com munion would become a monthly or bi-monthly event.

www.twittercommunion.co.uk

Pilgrimage Retreat

DAY FOUR

After mass for Oliver Plunket I spend the morning reading ‘A Woman Sings of Mercy – Reflections on the life and Spirit of Mother Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy’ by Sister Mary Carmel Bourke RSM (Australia 1987).

During the afternoon I travel out to the city edge at Rednal and there visit the site of Newman’s grave and the nearby Cofton Park where the Beatification Mass is to to be held. It is 5 minutes from the old Longbridge Car Factory area where parking will be. This is a most up market area where Newman would escape the city and walk in the park when he came to an Oratory property for rest and reflection Access is closely fenced following some vandalism and is approached through a small development of select housing. I would never have found it without the kelp of Nichola, a young woman recovering from a break down after her mother’s death. She comes there to sit under a tree and write up her Newman spiritual relationship.

The local parish church of St Francis has a beautiful Chapel of Adoration, with direct access from the street as well as through the church, and this evening I spend some time there after supper.

The Real Presence

Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ) is a Western Catholic feast. It is also celebrated in someAnglican and Lutheran churches. It honors the Eucharist, which believers hold to be the actual body and blood of Christ, and as such it does not commemorate a particular event in Jesus' life. It is held on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, in some places, on the following Sunday. Its celebration on a Thursday is meant to associate it with institution by Jesus of the Eucharist during the Last Supper, commemorated on Maundy Thursday, and this is the first free Thursday after Paschaltide. In the Ordinary form of the Roman rite of the Catholic Church, the feast is officially known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

In many English-speaking countries, Corpus Christi is transferred to the Sunday after Trinity Sunday by both Catholics and Anglicans. At the end of the Mass, it is customary to have aProcession of the Blessed Sacrament (often outdoors), followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

The Importance of Eucharistic Adoration and Prayer
“The worship given to the Trinity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit... must fill our churches also outside the timetable of Masses…This worship must be prominent in all our encounters with the Blessed Sacrament… Adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love must also find expression in various forms of Eucharistic devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, hours of adoration, periods of exposition – short, prolonged, and annual (Forty Hours) - Eucharistic benediction, Eucharistic processions, Eucharistic Congresses… Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease.”
Pope John Paul II

In Heaven Already

To Receive the Eucharist is To Be In Heaven Already

by Catherine Doherty

Do you ever stop to think of the immensity of the gift that God has given to us in the Holy Eucharist? Have you ever stopped to think what it is to be in communion with God—that is, to communicate of the most holy Body and Blood of Christ? This is a communion that is incredible, impossible to understand! That is wrapped up in a mystery beyond all mysteries: that God, the second person of the most holy Trinity, should give himself to us, as bread and wine. Approach it as if you hear the words: “Take off your shoes; the place is holy.”

A Nuptial Event

To me, Communion is a nuptial event. To me, receiving Communion is already being in heaven, because Christ is heaven, and he is in me. Are there any words in this world that could convey what happens when I go and receive a piece of consecrated Bread, with the Wine or without, as the case may be? I don’t think so. It is eternally new; it is eternally incredible; it is a moment when I truly know who I am. I am the beloved of Christ, for he comes to me in person. My faith transcends the apparent bread and wine; my faith receives him, and so it is a nuptial mystery. For all through the Old Testament and all through the New Testament God calls upon the Hebrews, as if he were a bridegroom and they were his bride.

In the sacrament of the Eucharist there is an ecstasy—that’s a powerful word, but it’s a word that we have to get used to; there is an ecstasy in the Communion of the liturgy. When I receive our Lord, I realize also the nuptial mystery: man and God. For God really has come. God, calling Israel, says: ‘Even if you have prostituted yourself under every bush with a stranger, come to me, my beloved, and I shall make you whiter than snow.’ God the Father makes love to Israel, his chosen people. The theme of love goes through all this, and because we’re human and simple and ordinary, God has chosen the image of marriage—for himself and for his Son.

The great miracle at Cana’s wedding feast, the changing of the water into wine, was, of course, the prefiguration of the Eucharist. Each Communion is our wedding feast with Christ and it is also the wedding feast of the whole Church because we are the Church. How joyous can be our daily (or weekly) ‘wedding day’ with God. If only we understood his love and lived by his love, every day for us would be a honeymoon with God!

I have been married twice. I know the ecstasy of union of bodies and minds and souls between a man and woman united in the holy sacrament of Matrimony and in love with one another. But I do not hesitate one second to tell you that this blessed, holy, and wondrous union is but a pale shadow of what happens at Communion when the Lord of Hosts becomes one with my soul and yours, and even one with our bodies for a time. Truly this moment of union of ourselves with God is the most incredible grace, the greatest sign that God can give us of his love and his longing for us and for our love.

My heart stops beating while I really think of what is happening during the holy liturgy. The Eucharist is a reality that you can touch, that you can hold, that you can taste, that you can feel on your palate.

Christ offers himself: sacrament and sacrifice

The mystery of the liturgy is so very simple. Christ offering himself, sacrament and sacrifice, for you and for me. Here he is, hanging on the cross, dying for us all, obedient unto death to his Father’s will. I personally wouldn’t obey anybody if it wasn’t for Christ. He was obedient to his Father’s will to the last ounce.

He died. He lifted up all the sins of the world. Can you imagine that? All the sins of the world, as it were, on his shoulder. He lifted all these, and in our place he died for them, an absolute, totally unselfish, totally loving, totally complete gift of himself to the Father for us. When you attend the most holy liturgy and hear the words, “This is my body; this is my blood,” from that very moment, you know the infinite, incredible love of God for you. He invites us every day to come to the oasis of his heart and be refreshed by the wine of his compassion and love.

You also are the sacrifice!

When you are there, you offer the sacrifice. But you see, there is a deeper mystery. You also are the sacrifice! I barely dare to touch on this. You are aware that a drop of water, or a little bit of water, goes into the chalice with the wine. What is that water? Who is that water? Why does the water go in there? It represents us. So we are in the chalice. If we are the Mystical Body and the Body is offered, then in a mystical way, we are offered. Put yourself on the paten.Give God your day, your whole day—that little time between two Masses.

St Thomas Aquinas

O salutaris Hostia, "O Saving Host", is a section of one of the Eucharistic hymns written by St Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi. He wrote it for the Hour of Lauds in the Divine Office. It is actually the last two stanzas of the hymn Verbum supernum prodiens, and is used for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The other two hymns written by Aquinas for the Feast contain the famous sections Panis angelicus and Tantum ergo.

O saving Victim, opening wide

The gate of Heaven to man below;

Our foes press hard on every side;

Thine aid supply; Thy strength bestow.

All praise and thanks to thee ascend,

For ever more, blest one in three.

O grant us life that shall not end,

In our true native land with thee.

Amen.

Cross on the altar

Monsignor Guido Marini, Benedict XVI’s master of ceremonies, this week strongly underlined the Pope’s recommendation that when Mass is celebrated facing westwards, the priest should place a crucifix at the centre of the altar. This was to make clear that the celebrant was not“facing the people”, but facing Christ.

The Holy Father could hardly have made himself clearer on this point. So why do the Bishops of England and Wales allow the vast majority of their priests to ignore his wishes? Why do the bishops themselves routinely ignore the recommendation?

Perhaps someone will ask the bishops when they make their ad liminavisit to Rome at the end of this month. One hopes that Archbishop Vincent Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference, will be able to reply that the bishops have drawn up plans to introduce this reform universally – and also to make it easier for the faithful to receive communion kneeling and on the tongue, which is the preference of the Pope. (At the moment, too many parish priests treat anyone wishing to receive the Sacrament in this way as an oddball, rather than a Catholic following the example of the Holy Father.)

Epworth Chalice

As a former methodist minister I was interested to read this story in yesterday's 'Church Times'.

IT BEGAN last May, when the Revd Stephen Poxon, the President of the Methodist Conference for 2008-09, paid an official visit to Epworth, in Lincoln diocese, the early home of John and Charles Wesley.

After visiting the Old Rectory, he went to St Andrew’s, where he found that the Priest-in-Charge, the Revd Ian Walker (right), was an old friend with whom he had done his ministerial training at Queen’s College, Birmingham. Mr Walker showed the president the silver chalice, dating from 1706, that is known as the “Wesley Chalice”, since it is believed to have been used when the Wesley brothers made their first communion.

Quite fortuitously, at that moment, a coach party of Methodists from Lichfield arrived at the church, and Mr Poxon took the opportunity to preach a sermon from the tomb of Samuel Wesley in the churchyard, in memory of the time when John Wesley preached from the tomb of his father because he was no longer allowed inside the church.

As a result of his visit, Mr Poxon and the Revd Dr David Perry, the chairman of the Methodist District, asked if the Wesley Chalice could be used at the next Methodist Conference, to be held in Wolverhampton in July. Mr Walker consulted his PCC and the Archdeacon of Stow & Lindsey, the Ven. Jane Sinclair, and everyone agreed.

Rosemary Wheeler (right) took it to Wolverhampton, and, Mr Walker says, “didn’t let it out of her sight”. It was only after the conference communion service that Mr Poxon, who had presided, told them that the Wesley Chalice had been used. “A sharp intake of breath was heard from around the hall, and many people came forward to see and photograph it.”

As a gesture of thanks, the Methodist Conference presented St Andrew’s with one of several specially commissioned chalice and paten sets (above), designed and hand-made by Nick Williamson in Stafford shire. Mr Walker says he has not yet used the set, but will do so at the next joint Anglican-Methodist service.

As for the Wesley Chalice: “It is quite deep; so we don’t use it very much, but we get it out for special visitors like the recent group of Korean Methodists who arrived on a Wesley tour.”

Common Sense Prevails

Clergy disregard flu advice

by Ed Beavan

MANY CLERGY plan to disregard the advice of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, given last month, about not using a shared chalice during communion to prevent the spread of swine flu (News, 24 July).

The Archbishops suggested priestly intinc tion instead, and urged caution during the sharing of the Peace, advising people not to shake hands.

It has emerged, though, that many priests have been ignoring the advice now that the number of new swine-flu cases has receded, and are allowing communicants to receive in both kinds.

The Revd David Wheeler, Priest-in-Charge of Irlam in the diocese of Manchester, said it was likely he would return to the use of the chalice and the normal sharing of the Peace on Sunday.

“We have a standing committee meeting on Friday, and will discuss it. I suspect they will re­commend we go back to communion in two kinds, and I’m aware anecdotally that other churches are doing the same.

“I have enormous sympathy for the Archbishops in all of this, but I suspect that pressure was put on them by the Government.

“In the diocese of Manchester we got very strong advice, to use gel going into church, no shaking of hands after church and in the sharing of the Peace, and cleaning the altar rail and seats after the service.

“I don’t know for sure, but my guess is these protocols were formed after the avian-flu outbreak, but that was a very different beast from this.”

The Revd David Thomas, Rector of Armitage in the diocese of Lichfield, said he would like to return to giving com munion in both kinds as soon as possible.

He said the advice given by the Archbishops was “characteristic of what is happening in the Church today, where you get these edicts from the centre and everyone jumps”.

A spokesman for the Church of England said that the Archbishops’ advice was only recommendations, and acknowledged that not all clergy would want to follow them.

Last week, the Methodist Church issued guidance encouraging people with the virus who are housebound to take part in online worship, or services on the radio. It also urged clergy to phone or email those with the virus rather than carry out home visits.

Common Cup ?

Swine flu: communion chalice should not be shared, say Archbishops

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have recommended the suspension of the sharing of the chalice at communion as the spread of swine flu continues, it was announced today.

The Archbishops have written to Bishops in the Church of England setting out the new measures following Department of Health advice not to share "common vessels" for food or drink.

The letter said it aimed to offer guidance at a national level about how church worship could "best take into account the interests of public health during the current phase of the swine flu pandemic".

Some bishops have already taken the step in a bid to limit the spread of the virus.

For those still wishing to offer both bread and wine, the Archbishops recommended allowing the priest to dip communion wafers in the chalice before handing them out to communicants.

However presiding ministers are reminded in the letter to wash their hands thoroughly before undertaking communion.

It said: "The Department of Health have recently advised us that 'in a pandemic it makes good sense to take precautions to limit the spread of disease by not sharing common vessels for food and drink'.

"In the light of this advice, we recommend those presiding at Holy Communion suspend the administration of the chalice during this wave of pandemic flu.

"For those who still wish to offer in both kinds, we recommend the practice whereby the presiding minister, whose hands should have been washed with the appropriate alcohol based rub before handling the elements and the vessels, personally intincts all wafers before placing them in the hands of communicants."

Communion on the Moon

On Sunday July 20, 1969 the first people landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in the lunar lander which touched down at 3:17 Eastern Standard Time.

Buzz Aldrin had with him the Reserved Sacrament. He radioed: “Houston, this is Eagle. This is the LM pilot speaking. I would like to request a few moments of silence. I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few hours, and to give thanks in his own individual way.”

Later he wrote: “In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.’ I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, but at the last minute Deke Slayton had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray O’Hare, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly…Eagle’s metal body creaked. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements.”

NASA kept this secret for two decades. The memoirs of Buzz Aldrin and the Tom Hanks’s Emmy- winning HBO mini-series, From the Earth to the Moon (1998), made people aware of this act of Christian worship 235,000 miles from Earth.

The 2003 Episcopal Church General Convention resolved that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music prepare propers and collects for churchwide observance of the 40th anniversary of the event, July 20, 2009, and to include “The First Communion on the Moon” in The Episcopal Church’s Lesser Feasts and Fasts and on the calendar in the Book of Common Prayer for July 20. (Biretta tip: @rrchapman)

I only have the 1991 Lesser Feasts and Fasts on my shelf so cannot quote more than what I have found online. If you have the revised version, please add any omitted material in the comments section. I understand that there is now a “Common” to commemorate “those who have died in the course of space exploration - among them a significant number of Episcopalians. In addition, it provides a way of praying for future space explorers and for the thousands of people whose work make the space program possible.” The collect for this “Common” reads:

Creator of the universe,
your dominion extends through the immensity of space:
guide and guard those who seek to fathom its mysteries [especially N.N.].
Save us from arrogance lest we forget that our achievements are grounded in you,
and, by the grace of your Holy Spirit,
protect our travels beyond the reaches of earth,
that we may glory ever more in the wonder of your creation:
through Jesus Christ, your Word, by whom all things came to be,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Colonel Aldrin holds a doctorate in astro-physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was acknowledged as the most highly educated of the first astronauts. He is a wonderful example of a scientist who is a committed Christian.

There appear differing versions of the story whether Buzz Aldrin was a Presbyterian or an Episcopalian/Anglican. I hope this will finally be settled in the comments and then I can amend this post - please add a reference to your comment of the denomination to which Buzz Aldrin belonged at the time of the lunar landing. Here are the conflicting references I have found so far:

Sunday Transfers

Bishop William Kenney, the apostolic administrator of Birmingham diocese, will this morning lead a Corpus Christi procession atMapledurham House, near Reading, after Mass in its historic chapel.

That's good to hear. For today is the real feast of Corpus Christi. Three years ago, the Bishops of England and Wales high-handedly moved the feast to the following Sunday, in a diktat that also monkeyed around with other Holydays of Obligation.

Many priests and people have never reconciled themselves to this change, or the insulting lack of consultation. So it's interesting that Bishop Kenney, who is running Birmingham diocese until a new bishop is appointed next year (why such a ridiculous delay?), is presiding at this Mass - in the ordinary form, I assume - organised by the local parish in Caversham.

It's important to emphasise that it wasn't just traditionalists who were upset by the bishops' de haut en bas ruling. The moving of the great weekday feasts of Epiphany, Ascension and Corpus Christi was a little piece of iconoclasm, comparable to the reordering of churches to make them look less like Catholic places of worship and more like social security offices. Last year, the bishops even attempted (but failed) to get a ruling out of Rome that would have stopped celebrations of the old feast days in the extraordinary form.

So does Bishop Kenney's wise and generous gesture signify a change of heart by the bishops as a whole? That's going too far, probably. But I think that some bishops, at least, now recognise that their experiment with the calendar has caused nothing but unhappiness and confusion. (Damian Thompson blog)

Eucharistic Procession

(Today on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ I recall my experience of the daily eucharistic processions in Lourdes by quoting Pope Benedict's experiences there)

"I went to Lourdes, where I was able to join thousands of faithful on the Jubilee Way, which includes the places of St. Bernadette's life: the parish church with the baptismal font where she was baptized; the "cachot" where she lived in great poverty as a girl; the Massabielle Grotto, where the Virgin appeared to her 18 times. In the afternoon I took part in the traditional torchlight procession, which is a wonderful manifestation of faith in God and of devotion to his and our Mother. Lourdes is truly a place of light, prayer, hope and conversion, founded on the rock of the love of God, which had its culminating revelation in the glorious cross of Christ.

By a happy coincidence, last Sunday the liturgy celebrated the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, sign of hope par excellence, because it is the highest testimony of love. In Lourdes, in the school of Mary, first and perfect disciple of Christ, pilgrims learn to regard the crosses of their lives in the light of the glorious cross of Christ. Appearing to Bernadette, in the Grotto of Massabielle, Mary's first gesture was, in fact, the Sign of the Cross, though her hand was trembling.

And so the Virgin gave a first initiation on the essence of Christianity: The Sign of the Cross is the height of our faith, and doing it with an attentive heart we enter into the full mystery of our salvation. The whole message of Lourdes is contained in this gesture of the Virgin! God has so loved us that he gave himself up for us: This is the message of the Cross, "mystery of death and of glory."

The cross reminds us that there is no true love without suffering, there is no gift of life without pain. Many learn this truth in Lourdes, which is a school of faith and hope, because it is also a school of charity and of service to brothers. It is in this context of faith and prayer where the important meeting with the French episcopate took place: It was a moment of intense spiritual communion, in which together we entrusted to the Virgin our common hopes and pastoral concerns.

The next stage was the Eucharistic procession with thousands of faithful, among whom, as usual, were many sick people. Before the most Blessed Sacrament, our spiritual communion with Mary was made even more intense and profound because God gives us eyes and hearts capable of contemplating his Divine Son in the Holy Eucharist. Very moving was the silence of these thousands of people before the Lord, not an empty silence, but one full of prayer and awareness of the Lord's presence, who loved us to the point of being lifted up on the cross for us.

Monday, Sept. 15, liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, was dedicated especially to the sick. After a brief visit to the hospital oratory, where Bernadette received her first Communion, I presided over the celebration of Holy Mass in the portico of the Basilica of the rosary, during which I administered the sacrament of anointing of the sick. With the sick and with those taking care of them, I meditated on the tears Mary shed under the cross, and on her smile that illuminates Easter morning.

Dear brothers and sisters, together we thank the Lord for this apostolic journey enriched by so many spiritual gifts. We praise him especially because Mary, by appearing to St. Bernadette, has opened to the world a privileged place to find divine love that heals and saves. In Lourdes, the Holy Virgin invites all to regard earth as a place of pilgrimage toward our final homeland, which is heaven. In reality, we are all pilgrims, we need Mary to guide us; and in Lourdes, her smile invites us to go forward with great confidence in the awareness that God is good, God is love."

The Host Apostolate

(I met the founder yesterday and thought I should do my bit to make this apostolate known)

The Host Apostolate is an Association of Lay Faithful led by Married Couples who, working from their own home bases, wish to lead and encourage others to a life of prayer, especially Adoration of Jesus Present in the Host, Evangelisation and Formation in the pursuit of a life of Holiness, faithful to the Gospel and teaching of the Church. Welcome to The Host Apostolate.

Adoration: Our aim is frequently to spend time in the loving Presence of Jesus and learning how to love Him. This may be in His Presence in the monstrance, in the tabernacle, or at daily Mass. This is a certain way to build a relationship which leads us to adore Him, witness to His Presence, serve Him, and deepen our prayer life. Evangelisation: If we love Jesus, we will want to tell every one about Him and His Church. This GOOD NEWS of the GOSPEL, we hope to spread in every possible place and on every occasion, - by the witness of our lives and in the' market place' Tabor is the name we give to this aspect of the Apostolate. (See The Rule for further information). Formation: This aspect applies especially to married couples who wish to form a base house, but also to those who are members or not -- engaged couples, single people, priests, or indeed any one who desires to grow in Holiness and Service. This will be by means of spiritual friendship, teaching and Poustinia (spending time alone with God in Solitude). Any formation will also be responsive to needs as they present themselves. We will be available particularly to any one who feels called to a special Mission in the Church.

(for further information visit www.thehostapostolate.org)

Thoughts from a communicant

Why I come to the altar of God

I come not because I am worthy, but because I have sinned and fallen short of what, by God's help I might have been.

I come, not that there is magic in partaking of Christ's body and blood, but because of the Lord's command "Do this for the remembrance".

I come, because here is portrayed the sacrifice of my Lord who gave Himself for me.

I come, because I find myself drawn closer to God, the Christ of Calvary, and to those who kneel with me at Holy Communion. Yes, I am made to feel my kinship to all those everywhere who proclaim Christ as Saviour.

I come, because I rise from the Lord's Table with a new strength, courage, and power to live for Him who died for me.

Post the Host

(Jonathan was curate in next parish to mine when I was incumbent in Bradford)

Archbishop Jonathan Blake, a former Anglican priest who is now a bishop of the Open Episcopal Church, has hit on a neat solution to the problem of worshippers who cannot get to his Eucharists. He consecrates the host, then pops it in the post to allow members of the public to say their own "Masses" (minus consecration).

Blake, who blessed Jade Goody's marriage to Jack Tweed, has posted a series of videos to YouTube showing the different ways you can celebrate the service once the host has dropped on to the doormat. (Hat tip: Max from Ship of Fools.) The liturgy shown above is his "Street Mass". Here is part of the text, which reads as if it was written by ICEL before Rome reformed it:

Alright God, Sorry if we messed up. Trying 2 sort things out but cummon, give us a break.

Absolution: OK. Hang on in there.

JC said: I am the bread of life. Whoever eats this bread will live 4ever. JC if u can do that, then i wanna get involved, yea I believe in the real stuff. The inventing, rescuing, empowering God and the blood. Nailed on a cross,banged in a tomb + then popping up all over the gaff. The jet wash 2 + life beyond. So here I am God, giving some respect to the guy on the donkey and all that shizzle with the poor and the pushed over. u were on the street, u know what it was like, thats mad.

Blake, who is his denomination's archbishop of greater London, also caters for the other end of the liturgical spectrum. Here's his "Latin Mass", which shows a less than perfect command of the rubrics of Fortescue:

Blake is prepared to send you consecrated hosts at the following rates:

FOR 1 CONSECRATED HOST           £2

FOR 10 CONSECRATED HOSTS        £4

FOR 50 CONSECRATED HOSTS       £6

FOR 100 CONSECRATED HOSTS      £8

FOR 500 CONSECRATED HOSTS     £10

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO PAY...

Once the host arrives, there's no need to construct a tabernacle: "People can carry a Host with them on a neck chain or in a specially adapted wallet for emergencies or just to have that sense that Jesus is with them throughout the day."

As I say, Blake is an ordained Anglican priest, albeit effectively excommunicated and now no longer a member of the C of E. I won't comment further, except to say that it's reassuring that, in the eyes of the Catholic Church, the wafers he is sending through the post are just that: wafers. (Damian Thompson)