A sight for sore eyes

Let's not beat about the bush! I have a soft spot for tasteful and splendid clerical dress. This is not a case of mere epicurism. It is highly important that priests should dress as priests and not as businessmen or artisans, for theirs is a craft and profession unlike any. Furthermore, the decline of clerical dress in the aftermath of Vatican II is hardly an improvement. So it was with delight that I found some gorgeous pictures of chasubles and birettas at Dappled things. Enjoy!

New Year's Honours and adventures

Congratulations to friend and blogger of renown Joee Blogs on his recent knighthood! If that wasn't enough excitement for the New Year, he was recently kidnapped by trendy nuns, but is now safe and sound. As Bertie Wooster would say: "You do live, don't you Joee?"

Masses on the feast of the Epiphany

The octave of Christmas is supposed to end with the feast of Epiphany on January 6th. However, the Bishop's conference of England and Wales decided to move it to the next Sunday. Fortunately I am happy to report that there will be at least three Masses in the traditional rite at the Oratories (the old calendar cannot be changed so easily).
Many thanks to Matt Doyle for advertising Mass at the Birmingham Oratory. There will also be a sung Mass at the Oxford Oratory at 12.15PM, and a sung Mass in the Little Oratory (part of the Brompton Oratory) at 11AM.

Dante - the musical!

You really couldn't make it up! Monsignor Marco Farina - whom directs the choir of the Lateran basilica in Rome - is composing a stage version of Dante's The Divine Comedy, according to Catholic World News. Now it is not my wish to discourage Monsignor Farina, but isn't this project a little ambitious? When I read The Divine Comedy several years ago, I had to keep on looking at the notes in order to understand whom the characters in Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven were. Dante's work is a political and social satire as well as a theological meditation, hence this is going to be rather more heavy-going than Mary Poppins! And provided that the plot is unaltered-it will definitely not be affected by political correctness. On that count at least, it might be rather refreshing! Thanks to fellow blogger Argent by the Tiber for bringing this to our attention.

We Believe

At the moment, I am re-reading We Believe by the late Monsignor Alfred Newman Gilbey (RIP). This excellent and highly readable book is based on courses of instruction which Monsignor Gilbey gave to his converts to Catholicism. We Believe is published by the Saint Austin Press, London, and is available in Catholic Truth Society (CTS) bookshops. I highly recommend you invest in a copy as soon as possible!

Most amusin'

Clerical blogger Fr Tim Finigan has posted a very funny post on what will NOT happen in 2007, which you can find at The hermeneutic of continuity. Thanks very much Fr Tim! Happy New Year!

Annual High Mass

This morning, I was delighted to attend the annual High Mass in the traditional Roman rite at St James's Church in Marylebone, London. If you happen to be in London in early January, I earnestly recommend attending this celebration of the Mass of ages in an exquisite church, with fine music. Thanks to Fr Terence Phipps, the rector for celebrating this Mass.
Afterwards, there was a chance to meet some familiar faces and good friends-it happens easily when we generally head in the same direction for Mass!-and I had a rather good chat with a friend in the afternoon as we had lunch. Deo Gratias!