The East Anglian Seminarians reported the Inter-Seminary Football Tournament. Naturally some of our lads went up - unfortunately not as many as we'd have liked as it clashed with our Day of Recollection. From what we heard upon their return it was a great weekend. We have been talking about making it an annual event and a different Seminary hosting it each year, as the EA lads said its great to meet other Seminarians and compare Seminary life.
Karen from San Diego has given the Brits some tips on dealing with earthquakes. This has been hotly debated at the Seminary because a number of Seminarians said they were woken up by their beds rocking in the early hours of the morning. They were all relieved to hear it was a natural event and not bed-rocking demons. However, not all students had this experience, only handful of those on the top floor and none of those on the next floor down. The Bursar has been worried that if it was as violent as they describe it that it may have caused some structural damage that will only become apparent later on.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Lenten Practices
We are now half way through Lent so we feel it is a good time to tell people about two things we are doing during Lent to emphasise the importance of the Season.
The first is something we do every year which is to have no accompaniment during the Office. Two members of staff take it in turns to be 'Chief Hummer' sitting next to the Cantor and humming the Psalm tone in his ear so he stands and sings a perfect antiphon and first line of the Psalm. This is beautiful and we tend to find that the singing is a better quality than with the organ. Something one or two of us miss from previous years is the lack of a monotone for the incipit, Concluding Prayer and Blessing and Dismissal, but hey, you can't have everything.
The second thing is a new addition to our traditions. At Ten O'Clock every night the Angelus Bell rings, all students stop what they are doing and pray then Magnum Silentium begins and is broken at Breakfast (8am). The Student Common Room is exempt from this so the pessimists among us thought everyone would simply go down there, but no it is empty, every student keeps the silence. Some of us are campaigning to make this a permanent feature.
The first is something we do every year which is to have no accompaniment during the Office. Two members of staff take it in turns to be 'Chief Hummer' sitting next to the Cantor and humming the Psalm tone in his ear so he stands and sings a perfect antiphon and first line of the Psalm. This is beautiful and we tend to find that the singing is a better quality than with the organ. Something one or two of us miss from previous years is the lack of a monotone for the incipit, Concluding Prayer and Blessing and Dismissal, but hey, you can't have everything.
The second thing is a new addition to our traditions. At Ten O'Clock every night the Angelus Bell rings, all students stop what they are doing and pray then Magnum Silentium begins and is broken at Breakfast (8am). The Student Common Room is exempt from this so the pessimists among us thought everyone would simply go down there, but no it is empty, every student keeps the silence. Some of us are campaigning to make this a permanent feature.
Friday, February 22, 2008
HFE Bill
Last night a few of us went down to Portsmouth Cathedral to listen to Lord Alton and others speak about the atrocities of abortion and embryonic research.
It was billed as a lecture on Human Animal Hybrids but actually turned out to be a series of talks on how to campaign against the Bill. I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't what I expected it to be but was very pleased with what was said.
There are some postcards advertising Passion for Life to be sent to MPs. We asked for a box load and are asking students to take them out to parishes and places where they carry out their pastoral placements, we are also giving them to visiting priests to take to their parishes. If you see any of these postcards take a handful, send one yourself and hand them out to people. We must do anything we can to stop this Bill going through.
Don't forget to petition the Prime Minister to ask him to allow MPs to vote by conscience and write to MPs asking them to vote against the Bill.
Orthfully Catholic would like to thank Bishop Crispian Hollis, for hosting this fantastic evening, its good to see our Bishops actively supporting these issues.
It was billed as a lecture on Human Animal Hybrids but actually turned out to be a series of talks on how to campaign against the Bill. I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't what I expected it to be but was very pleased with what was said.
There are some postcards advertising Passion for Life to be sent to MPs. We asked for a box load and are asking students to take them out to parishes and places where they carry out their pastoral placements, we are also giving them to visiting priests to take to their parishes. If you see any of these postcards take a handful, send one yourself and hand them out to people. We must do anything we can to stop this Bill going through.
Don't forget to petition the Prime Minister to ask him to allow MPs to vote by conscience and write to MPs asking them to vote against the Bill.
Orthfully Catholic would like to thank Bishop Crispian Hollis, for hosting this fantastic evening, its good to see our Bishops actively supporting these issues.
Seminary Deacons
Last evening we celebrated a very special Mass. One of our new Deacons exercised two of his rights, the first was to lead the Penitential Rite and the other was to preach. It was his first time for both.
The Principal Celebrant began with the Sign of the Cross and Dominus Vobiscum of course and the Deacon began the Penitential Rite by reminding us that Jeremiah calls us to conversion and then led us in a troped Kyrie.
The Homily was about how names are important. In the Gospel Lazarus clearly has a name, Our Lord gives him a name, Abraham gives him a name and even Dives gives him a name. The Rich Man doesn't have a name, he has been given the name Dives in tradition but this is simply the Latin for Rich. Thus the story is not just about loving our neighbour no matter what his social status as we were taught in Primary School but that God gives status and reward to all his creation as long as they are faithful to him, if they are not they do not receive the status of even a name and are thrust into the eternal fires of Hell. He also enjoyed talking about wearing purple and fine linen in his freshly laundered alb and Lenten Dalmatic.
The Principal Celebrant began with the Sign of the Cross and Dominus Vobiscum of course and the Deacon began the Penitential Rite by reminding us that Jeremiah calls us to conversion and then led us in a troped Kyrie.
The Homily was about how names are important. In the Gospel Lazarus clearly has a name, Our Lord gives him a name, Abraham gives him a name and even Dives gives him a name. The Rich Man doesn't have a name, he has been given the name Dives in tradition but this is simply the Latin for Rich. Thus the story is not just about loving our neighbour no matter what his social status as we were taught in Primary School but that God gives status and reward to all his creation as long as they are faithful to him, if they are not they do not receive the status of even a name and are thrust into the eternal fires of Hell. He also enjoyed talking about wearing purple and fine linen in his freshly laundered alb and Lenten Dalmatic.
Back in the Valley
We saw this post on Karen's blog and thought something had gone horribly wrong at first then we found out for ourselves that it is indeed true, Fr Sean is back!
Welcome back to Blogland Father, and more importantly welcome back to the OC blogroll!
Welcome back to Blogland Father, and more importantly welcome back to the OC blogroll!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
IN LENT ...
I guess you really have to hear me growling this whenever someone describes something they have been doing during the current season that is anything but penitential to understand it, but trust me any Seminarians who know me will be in stitches right now.
Anyway, the purpose of this post is to say that there have been recent debates in the Seminary about whether groups of us should engage in social activity during these forty days, particularly after two house groups went out together, one to have dinner and the other to go bowling.
One other such excursion occurred last night when a few of us went to the local theatre to see a pre-West End production of Dickens Unplugged. If any readers are familiar with The Reduced Shakespeare Company they will know who produced it. It was a marvellous performance reducing about 10 or so of Charles Dickens' major works into a 90 minute performance of drama, song and dance. I haven't laughed so much in a long time (those who know me will be in stitches again at that comment). It included two excellent comical adaptations of David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol. One or two books were summarised in the form of a two minute song accompanied by an acoustic guitar. It also included scenes from the life of Charles Dickens himself who apparently had an obsession with performing the bludgeoning scene from Oliver Twist which eventually saw him shuffle off this mortal coil. The whole thing was performed by 5 English men who basically played an American appreciation band who tour the world introducing the delights of Charlie Dickens who walked the streets of London Town.
The Director of Studies, who arranged the trip, suggested afterward that our next public performance be Vatican II Unplugged '16 documents in 60 minutes.
Anyway, the purpose of this post is to say that there have been recent debates in the Seminary about whether groups of us should engage in social activity during these forty days, particularly after two house groups went out together, one to have dinner and the other to go bowling.
One other such excursion occurred last night when a few of us went to the local theatre to see a pre-West End production of Dickens Unplugged. If any readers are familiar with The Reduced Shakespeare Company they will know who produced it. It was a marvellous performance reducing about 10 or so of Charles Dickens' major works into a 90 minute performance of drama, song and dance. I haven't laughed so much in a long time (those who know me will be in stitches again at that comment). It included two excellent comical adaptations of David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol. One or two books were summarised in the form of a two minute song accompanied by an acoustic guitar. It also included scenes from the life of Charles Dickens himself who apparently had an obsession with performing the bludgeoning scene from Oliver Twist which eventually saw him shuffle off this mortal coil. The whole thing was performed by 5 English men who basically played an American appreciation band who tour the world introducing the delights of Charlie Dickens who walked the streets of London Town.
The Director of Studies, who arranged the trip, suggested afterward that our next public performance be Vatican II Unplugged '16 documents in 60 minutes.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
SSPX and the new prayer
See Fr Z for an interesting post on how the SSPX has stated they will not be adopting the Pope's new prayer for the conversion of the Jews in the 1962 Missal. So much for respecting the Holy Father and not really being in Schism (we have no problem using the 'S' word).
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