The Church of England Busy-body has died. May she rest in peace.

The Church of England Busy-body has died. May she rest in peace.

Readers of this blog will be aware of the lady I called the Church of England Busy-body who featured here frequently over the years. Sadly she has passed away. She died of cancer in Mount Vernon Hospital on Easter Sunday - with her unwavering commitment to the faith a wonderful day to pass to the Lord. I have been shocked and saddened by her death and regret that no one had told me she was ill.

"But Gene," I hear you say, "surely this is all a little hypocritical of you considering the level of animosity that existed between you two?" No hypocrisy at all I counter. In death I believe in letting bye-gones be bye-gones. 

I first encountered the C of E Busy-body in the late 1990s when she came to teach at *** *** school. In the early days we were quite friendly. I used to call her 'Sweet Rosie O'Grady' after the film of that name. She would never accept 'Rosie' however and insisted on being called by her actual name of Roseanne. Then everything went wrong when she stuck her oar in to support the ultra feminist Geography HOD during that unfortunate saga.

But give her her due, she had total commitment to the C of E and to promoting everything connected to it. Yes, she could be insufferable and we locked horns on many occasions over the years. The most memorable occasion was when the Church of England synod torpedoed women bishops. She had been going on about this ad infinitum and talking about how wonderful it would be. The torpedoing came totally without warning. Such a shock and disappointment to her. On the morning after the news broke I went up to her in the staffroom and just smirked. Never said a word - just smirked. She went into mini hysterics. Her friends ran from the four corners of the staffroom to console her. I was persona non grata. Did I care? In a word no. I had a grin on my face all day long. 

Then there was the business of the attempt by the school governors to discipline me over alleged abuse by me on Gene's blog. I don't hold this against the C of E Busy-body. I hold accountable those two teacher governor scumbags - in particular that Irish pillock, the prat who through gross negligence lost all the deposits taken on a Year 9 trip to Chessington. The school bailed him out financially of course. Had I been Head I would have made him make good the loss out of his own money.

But back the C of E busybody: I had been planning to attend her funeral as I assumed the service would be held at St Martin's in Ruislip or St Andrew's in Uxbridge - the two parishes she was involved with - and that the service would be followed by a service at Ruislip Crematorium. However, I now learn that her funeral will be held in her native village in Wiltshire where she will be buried. I don't know anything about her next of kin. She was unmarried (she was not a lesbian) and perhaps she will be buried in a family plot in that village churchyard cemetery. I will endeavour to find out details and send flowers. 

St Martin's, Ruislip

St Andrew's Uxbridge

May she rest in peace. May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

GENE

PS:  I informed Detterling of the C of E Busy-body's passing. The reaction of the aging curmudgeon? Hostility towards me and disrespect towards her.

Padre Pio's Great Easter Miracle

The Shield of Faith

"Go thy way, thy faith has saved thee."

Monday, April 22, 2019

Padre Pio's Great Easter Miracle

Paolina was gravely ill, with relatives and friends preparing for her death, but Padre Pio promised that during his Easter Mass she would rise with Christ.

In the early months of 1925, Paolina Preziosi, a holy woman and a good mother to her five children, fell ill with bronchitis. She was a Third Order Franciscan and well-liked by the people of San Giovanni Rotondo, where she lived. It was said of her that “she had a delicacy of conscience as rare and precious as her surname.”

As Holy Week approached, her condition became grave, and developed into pneumonia, but there was little the attending doctor could do. Difficult days lie ahead for Paolina. Her husband Lorenzo and the children became more and more upset as she grew visibly worse. Some of her friends approached Padre Pio to ask his help. But he replied: “What can I do, I am just a poor sinner”. He added that they must pray and keep on praying, so that the Lord does not take her. Her family, relatives, friends and neighbors did pray, but it seemed that their pleas were not reaching heaven. As her condition became increasingly desperate, the doctor began to fear for her life. Medicines had no effect, and she had almost stopped eating.

On Palm Sunday, her friends once more entreated Padre Pio. They recounted their fears for the fate of her five children if she were taken away from them. But he appeared preoccupied, as if he were not sure that Divine Providence would intervene. It seemed he felt that her destiny was already decided and could not be changed. The friends continued to persist: “Padre, the doctor says there is no hope.” Finally he came back to himself, and looked at them serenely, almost as if he had found a solution. Then he said to them decisively, “Paolina will rise with Jesus. She is such good person that the Lord wants her with Him in heaven, but her children need her. She must keep on praying and not be afraid. Tell her that she will rise again with the Lord.”

The words of Padre Pio assumed a prophetic significance, since he was announcing a miracle to occur at a specific time. “Padre Pio said Paolina will rise with the Lord,” the people repeated all during Holy Week. The news circulated throughout San Giovanni and even to neighboring towns in the province of Puglia, igniting disputes and discussions. The enemies of Padre Pio laughed, and awaited the day when the stupidity of those who believed in him would be confirmed. But others were certain that she would be cured; however, they wondered if the cure would occur at the Mass on Holy Saturday, or on Sunday.

The evening of Good Friday, the hapless woman continued to beg God to permit her to live for the sake of her children. Then Padre Pio, who was aware of her intense appeals, and was deeply moved, appeared to her in bilocation. “Do not fear,” he told her. “Do not fear, child of God, have faith and hope; at Mass tomorrow, when the church bells sound for Christ's Resurrection, you will be cured.”

The poor woman prayed all night, along with her friends, neighbors and relatives. They had already prepared the coffin, as was the custom in the area, since only a miracle could save her life. There was nothing doctors could do for her, because science was powerless to restore health to someone who was more dead than alive. Padre Pio, however, insisted they must continue praying to the Lord for her cure. But later that night she became comatose, and the Third Order members readied their Franciscan burial shroud, to clad her as soon as she passed.

Early in the morning on Holy Saturday, one of her relatives, with two of Paolina's children, went to the monastery in order to once again plead with Padre Pio, who was their last hope. In the face of their unbridled tears, especially of the little ones, he could not resist their request and he redoubled his prayers. “Heavenly Father, please grant that the Sacrifice of the Mass will renew the life and health of your worthy daughter. In her goodness she is ready to be with You, but permit her to remain here upon the earth for the sake of her five young children.” He embraced the two children who were present, pressing them close to himself. He was heartbroken by their innocent suffering.

In the meantime a note was passed to him, indicating that the parish priest had arrived at the Preziosi home to administer the last rites of the Church. As the morning progressed, he received further updates: she doesn't recognize anybody; she is practically dead.

After hearing confessions, Padre Pio donned his priestly vestments. He approached the altar and began the Easter Mass for Saturday in the monastery church of Our Lady of Grace. All eyes were on him. “He is sorrowful,” some said. “He has been crying,” said others. “I have never seen him so downcast.” But at the Gloria, everyone saw him transfigured, as large tears fell from his eyes. At the same time, the church bells, which had been silent all week, announced the Resurrection of Christ, ringing out their hosannas to the Lord!  Glory to God who has risen!

At the sound of the bells, Paolina Preziosi, as if impelled by a superhuman force, rose up from her bed. She lifted up to God and to Padre Pio prayers of praise and thanksgiving and gratitude. Her fever had disappeared, and her body had returned to life, with a vitality that neither medicine nor science were capable of returning to her. To the astonishment of everyone she was completely well.

People ran outside, shouting “Miracle! Paolina is cured!” The news reverberated everywhere, even reaching those who were at Mass. “The miracle has happened,” they whispered one to another, while tears streamed down their faces. At the termination of the ceremony, so many people pushed into the sacristy to see Padre Pio that the carabinieri had to intervene to curb the enthusiasm of the crowd.

Afterwards, someone remarked to him that perhaps God had wanted this woman to be with Him, but now she has come back to earth. Padre Pio replied: “It is also beautiful to be exiled from Paradise because of love!”

This mother of many children had obtained grace from the Mother of God. Padre Pio had prayed to Jesus and Saint Joseph, but in a special way to the Blessed Virgin. Certainly the phrase written over the entrance to one of the cells of his monastery must have come to his mind: “Mary is the entire reason for my hope.” (Maria e' tutta la ragione della mia speranza.)

This article is based on the original account researched by Alberto Del Fante for his book Per La Storia, with additional information from Padre Pio Il Santo dei Miracoli by Renzo Allegri.

Faith has never been at odds with science      

Jonathan Wright

18 April, 2019

Oratorian Father Giuseppe Lais uses a telescope in the Vatican’s Leonine Tower (CNS)

Silly claims about the conflict between science and religion come thick and fast, these days. We know them to be erroneous, but the history of Catholic engagement with any scientific discipline you might care to mention is more spectacular than many of us realise. This isn’t to say that the Church hasn’t cracked down, sometimes foolishly, on maverick boffins or taken its time accepting this or that theory. But on balance, the track record is pretty good.

It is tempting to identify golden ages in Catholic science. The 13th and 14th centuries lead the pack. Albertus Magnus was proving himself to be the smartest chap in Europe, and Roger Bacon was giving new meaning to the word “innovation” and getting all empirical way ahead of his time. Theodoric of Freiberg was analysing rainbows and Albert of Saxony was doing good work on the theory of motion.

The trend continued and, when it was still possible to be a true polymath, the 17th-century Jesuit Athanasius Kircher would tackle everything from fossils to the workings of volcanoes – even having himself lowered into a crater at one point.

Ah, but then the Enlightenment, you say. Well, hold your horses. At the start of the 18th century anyone who toured Europe’s leading mathematical and scientific higher education institutions would quickly have noted how important Catholic scientists still were.

There was no more respected mathematician in that era than François Jacquier. And even when the musings got a little whimsical, the science was still sound. So what if the Dominican Joseph Galien spent his days calculating how large a notional airship would have to be to float an entire army to Africa? The maths were still precise.

Latterly, the pace has not slowed. Seismology, asteroid orbits, climate science and the taxonomy of insects are all being tackled just as, in the past, pendulums were perfected, and the flora and fauna of new worlds were catalogued.

The crucial point, I think, is that the faith of such men is and was crucial to their work: they see what Aquinas meant about science being a tribute to God’s creation. But just as importantly, this rarely has an impact on the rigour and objectivity of their explorations. When Richard of Wallingford did his sums and made his astronomical clocks at St Albans Abbey in the 14th century, he had his mind on the job. When Georgetown observatory became the envy of the astronomical world during the 19th century, it didn’t really matter that the stargazers were priests. And should you ever make it to the Botanical Garden in Montreal, you’ll thank Brother Marie-Victorin for helping to create the view and won’t much care about his religious credentials. Even popes sometimes got in on the act. Sylvester II did a lot for the abacus back in the 10th century.

Continuity is the key word and, as odd as it might sound, there was something fitting about the Vatican observatory hosting – a couple of years back – a conference on black holes, gravitational waves and space-time singularities. The Church has sometimes looked askance at scientists who pushed the limits of enquiry. But it also brought us Roger Boscovich, whose ideas seemed bonkers in the 18th century but turned out to be a precursor of atomic theory. Or the 13th-century bishop of Lincoln, Robert Grosseteste, who can stake a credible claim to be one of the founding fathers of modern scientific method.

All in all, not a bad innings. And it’s not for nothing that 35 lunar craters are named for Jesuit scientists.

Jonathan Wright is an honorary fellow in the department of theology and religion at Durham University

Pope Francis: 'Anyone who discards gay people doesn't have a human heart'

Pope Francis: 'Anyone who discards gay people doesn't have a human heart'


The Pope has said that ­anyone who discards gay people “doesn’t have a human heart”.
His surprise words – a departure from the beliefs of some Catholics – moved British comedian Stephen K. Amos to tears.

The Pope also urged Stephen and other visiting celebrities to pray for him so he can do his job better.
In tomorrow’s (Friday's) episode of the BBC2 series Pilgrimage: The Road To Rome, Londoner Stephen, 51, is among stars shown having audiences with Pope Francis in Rome.

Others include Brendan Cole, Lesley Joseph and Les Dennis.
Stephen told the Pope: “I lost my mother, three months ago I buried my twin sister, who were both very religious.

Stephen's moving moment as he shook hands with the Pope (Image: BBC)

The Pope embraced Strictly's Brendan Cole (Image: BBC)

“So me coming on this pilgrimage, being non-religious, I was looking for answers and faith. But as a gay man, I don’t feel accepted.”
Francis replied carefully: “Giving more importance to the adjective [gay] rather than the noun [man], this is not good. We are all human beings and have dignity. It does not matter who you are, or how you live your life – you do not lose your dignity.

He gave a hug to Greg Rutherford (Image: BBC)

“There are people that prefer to select or discard people because of the adjective. These people don’t have a human heart.”
He added: “For those of you who are believers, pray for me. For those of you who do not believe, could you wish me a good journey, so I do not let anyone down.”

Mehreen Baig was all smiles (Image: BBC)

Stephen left in tears and said: “If it had been the answer I was expecting I would have walked out. Hearing what he said floored me.
“He gave me faith in humanity. He knows his response to my question... will have ramifications around the world.

The Pope gave a huge smile for Lesley Joseph, who is Jewish (Image: BBC)

“He’s saying those who hold extreme religious views of anti-homosexuality or anti-abortion don’t have a human heart and that is huge.”
In a conversation not included in the show, Strictly star Brendan had also tackled the Pope over the Catholic stance on abortion.

Author Jimmy Burns: The Pope showed a spirit of compassion - not condemnation

Since being elected head of the world’s two billion-plus Catholics six years ago, Pope Francis has earned a reputation as a spiritual leader determined to lift mankind with the good news of the Gospel and the love and respect towards others shown by Jesus.
Francis has sought to break the Catholic Church from its stuffiness and made a huge effort to address injustices and intolerance.

His comments reasserting his belief that faith should be guided by the heart, as opposed to excluding people because of gender or sexual orientation, is fresh thinking from the Vatican.
His comments come across as far less judgmental, with an emphasis on compassion rather than condemnation. In July 2013 he said that gay people should not be marginalised and he wanted a greater role for women in the Church.
The Pope’s comments on homosexuality are couched in the language of engagement. Thankfully gone are the days when the only thing a gay person heard from the Catholic Church was: “You’re intrinsically disordered”.

• Jimmy Burns is the author of Pope of Good Promise (Constable).

Saved from the flames: The treasures that survived the Notre Dame fire      

Catholic News Agency

17 April, 2019

(Getty)

When the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Parish caught fire Monday, most predicted the worst. It seemed unlikely the structure could survive, or that some of the treasures inside might be saved.

Indeed, a full two-thirds of the cathedral’s roof was destroyed in the blaze, as was the famous spire. But despite the images of devastation, the cathedral’s main structure has been saved, along with many of its most priceless contents.

Even as firefighters worked to extinguish the last of the flames early Tuesday morning, there was already a massive commitment of resources dedicated to the rebuilding of one of the world’s most recognizable churches.

Before the fire was out, French president Emmanual Macron committed himself and the nation to rebuilding Notre-Dame, and he announced a fundraising effort to ensure its success. In response, by Tuesday afternoon more than 700 million euros had been pledged to the project.

Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury fashion company LVMH and the third richest man in the world, has pledged 300 million euros in support, with other major figures in business and finance making similar commitments.

President Macron has said that he hopes that work can begin as soon as possible, offering the possibility of some kind of reopening in as soon as five years. While talk of a reopening appeared unthinkable to many just hours ago, Paris firefighters are now confident that the main cathedral structure has been saved, and the stonework remains sound.

While the images of the exterior suggested nearly total devastation, inside the cathedral’s vaulted stone ceiling mostly held, and protected many of the cathedral’s religious and historical treasures from the flames.

Notre-Dame de Paris is home to several irreplaceable relics, most notably the crown of thorns, a piece of the true cross, and one of the nails used in the crucifixion. There are also many relics of French saints.

While a final inventory of what survived the fire may take weeks to compile, much good news has already been announced.

Relics and art were saved

Despite the speed with which the fire appeared to spread across the cathedral, a standing emergency plan was in place to save the most important relics and artwork in case of a disaster, and it appears as though that plan was largely executed effectively.

The majority of the relics were rescued from the fire in what the Paris mayor described as a “formidable human chain.”

Fr. Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of the Paris Fire Department, accompanied firefighters into the cathedral to rescue the crown of thorns and the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle.

There were, however, several relics stored in the spire of the cathedral, including one of the thorns from the crown of thorns. These are believed to have been destroyed along with the spire.

The Rose Windows survived

As images of the fire spread, many assumed to worst for the cathedral’s three stained glass gothic rose windows. Dating from the 1200s, the windows are some of the most recognizable images not just of Notre-Dame but of Gothic architecture, still containing some glass from their original construction.

Initial reports all but assumed their destruction in the fire, with many fearing that the lead used to set the windows must have melted due to the heat, or that the glass would have been shattered by the water pumped in to try to control the blaze.

Despite these fears, pictures published Tuesday appear to show all three windows are intact. They will be inspected for any damage, but appear to be relatively unscathed.

The organ was untouched

The cathedral’s grand organ, which was built in the fifteenth century, was not touched by the flames. While it is not yet known if it remains in playable condition, it may have been damaged by the firefighting efforts, hopes for restoration were given a significant boost by the news.

The altar and cross are still standing

In what has become one of the more breathtaking images of the cathedral’s destruction, the gold cross behind the main altar remained standing throughout the inferno. The area around the altar appears to be relatively untouched, and some photos even show rows of chairs still neatly stacked.

The bells and bell towers are intact

As emergency responders worked to fight the blaze, firefighters warned that there was an imminent risk that fire could compromise the north belfry of Notre-Dame’s historic front edifice. The overwhelming danger, they warned, was that the main bell could crash through the body of the building, fatally compromising the stonework.

At one point, officials said there was only a 90 minute window to save the towers. These efforts were successful.

The main bell, dubbed “Emmanuelle,” has served as a national punctuation for historic moments. It has rung to mark the coronation of kings and emperors and the end of two world wars.

Despite the outpouring of support and public commitment of political will, there is not yet a timetable or cost estimate for the extensive repairs. However, with the entire cathedral feared to be a loss just hours ago, the amount that was saved is being hailed as victory and progress in itself.