It is depressing...

...to see the plight of our country at the moment. In the heat and humidity, daft political speeches, and cruel plans for future policy.

Life is busy: off to another primary school today to distribute prizes in the ACW Schools RE Project. To Oxford tomorrow for a Chesterton conference, William Oddie, a longstanding friend, among the speakers... To Maryvale on Monday.Exams, lectures. It will be good to be out of London. There's an ache in the heart.

Enjoying this Blog?

Then you might enjoy reading Auntie's views here too...

A summer evening...

...and a concert at St Joseph's Church, New Malden, given by the Aurin Choir from Hungary. Enchanting. The girls sang sacred music - an Agnus Dei, an Ave Maria and more...and a lovely setting of "For the beauty of the earth", and a psalm in Hungarian...

We had wine and snacks in the interval, and friends met and chatted, and it was all delightful.

St Joseph's, which has a beautiful Sung Mass every Sunday, is developing its music and this was the latest of several concerts. A joy to hear glorious music in a busy suburb on an ordinary weekday evening, after a hot sticky working day.

Here's an event...

...worth attending. Click here for info on a massive World Congress of Families, with top speakers and a chance to get informed and inspired,establish contacts, and make a stand for marriage and family life in modern Europe. I have attended a couple of these Congresses in the past and they are really excellent. You'll be inspired,m encouraged, and renewed...and you will be right at the cutting-edge of the most important issue facing Europe today, which is families and children.

A blog I often enjoy...

is Cranmer, who currently has some common-sense things to say about the discussion on Members of Parliament. I share his view that having "professional politicians" is a ghastly idea.

Whenever I talk...

...to Catholic teachers, parish priests, or simply to active lay Catholics, there is unanimity on one particular subject - a great disappointment about the Bishops' current abolition of Holy Days. Moving a feast day to the nearest Sunday just doesn't work. The feast gets effectively lost - it all just feels like a Sunday Mass. .Schools, in particular, now miss out. They have been robbed of opportunities to celebrate together, teach the children about the particular feast, have a glorious Mass with special music prepared by the choir etc, and enjoy some special treat to mark the day. The Bishops' scheme has made it just that bit harder to bring the calendar alive for children - and show us all that being a Catholic isn't "just for Sundays".

Time for a re-think. There is no shame in announcing that an experiment has been tried and a fresh decision made in the light of its experience.

In terrific heat...

...to Guildford to present prizes at Rydes Hill School to young winners in the Association of Catholic Women's Schools RE Project. The school is absolutely delightful, lots of little girls bright and cheerful in very charming uniform frocks - and boater hats with ribbons! It is all set in a most beautiful old house, with a rocking-horse and old-style Dolls House in the panelled hall as you enter. A statue of Mary at the head of the stairs. A splendid library with beautiful paintings depicting the life of St Joan of Arc, In the hall,each prizewinner came up on to the stage to shake hands and receive her Catechism or Simple Prayer Book or Merit Certificate,. and every child who took part was given a holy picture. An utterly happy afternoon.

Do you share...

...my concern about the Govt's new Equality Bill, now going through Parliament? Read here for more...

When I'm busy...

...with the round of family and domestic duties...which this week has ranged from time spent in a hospital out-patient waiting-room to time on trains, queuing in a supermarket and at the Post Office...I currently invariably take books for my Maryvale studies ( exams looming in 2 weeks! AAAArgh!!)

Last night, on a late and packed train, filled with cheerful young people returning from the cricket (they got on at Vauxhall, having spent the day at the Oval and thence, very evidently, various pubs and parties...), some one asked me what I was reading. Two of them had already been discussing Christianity (at the tops of their voices, and rather earnestly!) so I took a deep breath, and held up my book to show the cover. Catechism of the Catholic Church. "Great!" said one young man, plumping himself down beside me at once "I'm a Catholic too." "And I like Pope John Paul" chorused a cheery girl alongside, picking up my bookmark, which had fallen out, and is a pic of JPII from Aid to the Church in Need... "I'm an Anglican" said a nice young man, sitting on the floor between seats. We got talking. By the time the outer suburbs were reached, in a mood of great goodwill, there was a warm and rather marvellous conversation going on...broken only by my having to get out at my station, and their united assistance with my bicycle...

Sometimes one is reminded that Britain can still be a lovely country in which to live.

Festivals, traditions, the calendar...

...and the young people at Brompton Oratory. The Oratory runs a really good "Call to Youth" which meets regularly...last night's gathering was a very cheery one, and it was a joy to be invited as a speaker. There is wine, and snacks, and lively talk, and a great atmosphere...Auntie was speaking on "Feasts and Seasons of the Year", telling of traditions, the calendar, and how the Church's round of feasts and seasons works...want to know more? You could read here...

The Oratory group is open to any young Catholic within reach of London. Keep in touch via the Oratory link given and find out about the Autumn programme...

A drama team...

...in Oxford is putting on a play about St Therese of Lisieux. Read here for more details. I think it looks good and hope to attend.,.

A happy day...

...at Westminster Cathedral yesterday, when young teachers from Catholic primary schools in London met for a Day of Art and Music, organised by the Association of Catholic Women with magnificent help and support from the Cathedral Choir School. We are hugely grateful to the latter - their help and encouragement made the day so special. We had a wonderful illustrated talk on Christianity in Art by Lionel Gracey who lectures at Maryvale - with some of the world's most magnificent paintings thrown up on a screen in the Cathedral crypt, and a rapt audience listening to a wonderful exposition of the details and small points...did you know, for instance, that depictions of weddings (eg at Cana) often show a small dog, as a symbol of faithfulness? Or that pine cones (because evergreen) represent eternity and resurrection?

Thanks to the kindness of the Choir School, we were able to use the room where the choristers practice, and took our places at their music-desks to learn Gregorian chant. Jeremy de Satge of The Music Makers led us in a glorious session of music - we learned a Kyrie, psalm setting, Sanctus and Agnus Dei as well as a beautiful Ave Maria...and the day finished with a Mass at which we sang, honouring the Birthday of St John the Baptist in great style.

The Cathedral/choir school/crypt complex is simply wonderful: there are splendid great marbly corridors with doors that lead in a most satisfactory way to unexpected bits of the Cathedral or its sacristies, lovely panelled rooms and antechambers that exude an air of discreet ecclesiastical bustle and the scent of incense and candle...and these interconnect with delicious staircases - some spiral - and it all has a solid Victorian feel which jostles agreeably with the shouts and laughter of the children from the Choir School jumping about in the playground far below, and glorious music wafting from practice-rooms and choir-rooms and from the Cathedral itself. I would love to be given a couple of hours, and a torch - and perhaps a packet of sandwiches and a mobile phone in case of getting lost - and be allowed to explore it all at random.

I had begun the day at the CTS, completing the mailing of the prizes for the ACW's Schools RE Project, a cheery way to start the day. As I hurried to the train to get across the river to Westminster, a crocodile of cheerful children from the nearby church's primary schoo went by. It all made one feel that, in spite of the ghastly Govt, the scary possibilities for the future (rise of BNP? Govt's sinister Equality Bill? Continuing worrisome political scene with cynical appt of new Speaker...etc...) we should just pray and work...

I am planning to go...

...to the Chesterton Conference in Oxford on Saturday July 4th. It looks simply wonderful, and you can read about it here. It's extremely cheap (only £15!) and there are some excellent speakers including Dr William Oddie - if you haven't read his latest book on Chesterton you really must! - Fr John Saward, Fr Ian Ker...

DO COME!!!!

You simply must be there!!!

The Evangelium event this year is Aug 7th-9th at a fabulous venue in a glorious part of England. Visit this link to find out more. Auntie will be there, so for all those people who write saying they'd like to meet...well, here's your chance!!

Look, last year's event was one of the best Catholic conferences I've attended - and that's saying a good deal. Don't miss this year's. Link up and book in. Don't worry about coming alone - you won't be. Turn up and join in.