Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?

Photo taken within Hagia Sophia. Pope whispers to Cardinal Kasper, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? This is Hagia Sophia. Slip me the mini chalice and paten. I'm going to go over there behind that screen."

In Christ There is No East or West!

Seeing pictures like this makes me say to myself: "I am so grateful to be a Roman Catholic!"

Holy Mass and the Book of Revelation

A look at the Book of Revelation as it relates to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

For more information, click here.

When There Was a Real Chance

Great picture of the meeting of Pope Paul VI with Archbishop Ramsey in the Sistine Chapel. Notice how Ramsey is wearing tippet and Canterbury cap.

Cap tip to Fr. Stainbrook.

Will Rowan Williams Retire Early?

Excellent article from the Telegraph on whether or not Abp Rowan Williams' days are numbered. Very interesting and witty end to the article, let me say.

The Peace of the Lord be Always with You

A great picture. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the next Abp. of Canterbury were wearing the red of a Roman cardinal. Alas, it will likely never be.

As our Jewish brethren say, "Next year in Jerusalem."

Nashotah House Ghosts

This is a great video about the ghosts that haunt Nashotah House Seminary. Pretty funny commentary. I particularly like the comment about the Cistercian monk and how seriously Fr. Winslow is taking it all.

Hat tip to All Too Common.

Quote of the Week

"Help us Kait Shori Wee R Catlicks"

This is from the Presiding "Bishop" Kate Schori interview in the NYTimes Magazine. I got this from Amy Welborn's blog:

How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country?

Schori: About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.

Episcopalians aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?

Schori: No. It’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.

I don't know who said it, but that emperical evidence for a deprivation in the virtue of hope is found in the desire to NOT have children - the hope of the future.

Does the Catholic Church Believe That the Jewish People Be Converted Before the End?

Will the Jewish People Be Converted Before the End?

This is an interesting question. As I researched the topic, I learned that St Paul is not alone in his belief that the Jews will finally be engrafted into the Church. The Church Fathers, St Thomas Aquinas, several Popes and the recent Catechism of the Catholic Church also teaches that the Jews will be reconciled to the Catholic Church before the Second Coming of Christ. St. Thomas Aquinas indicates that this will be a corporate reunion.

Listen the to the CICpodcast: Will the Jewish People Be Converted Before the End? by Taylor Marshall.

Catholic Perspective on the Antichrist

A presentation on the biblical and traditional Catholic understanding of the Antichrist by looking at Cardinal Newman, St Bernard of Clairvaux, and others.

Catholic Information Center Podcast: Catholic Perspective on the Antichrist by Taylor Marshall

English Coronation Chrismations

Here is a sampling of English Coronation liturgy - the chrismations:

On the palms of both hands, saying,
Be thy Hands anointed with holy Oil.

On the breast, saying,
Be thy Breast anointed with holy Oil.

On the crown of the head, saying,
Be thy Head anointed with holy Oil:
as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed:

And as Solomon was anointed king
by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet,
so be thou anointed, blessed, and consecrated Queen
over the Peoples, whom the Lord thy God
hath given thee to rule and govern,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Full text of liturgy of Coronation for Elizabeth II.

Interestingly enough, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich related that Christ taught the Apostles how to administer royal unctions on Christian kings on the evening of the Last Supper.

"Ball of Redemption"

This site is one those strange apparitions sites. It chronicles Catholic pictures with the "Ball of Redemption" in them. Readers are encouraged to print them out and send them to their bishops.

But the reoccuring "Ball of Redemption" is obviously the photographer's finger. It's laughable that they take this seriously. Check it out:

Ball of Redemption Photo Collection.

Abp of Canterbury to Visit the Holy Father

Article from Zenit.

Dedication of St John Lateran

Today, the Catholic Church celebrated a feast that I was not familiar with as an Anglican - the Dedication of St John Lateran, "mater et caput" of the Catholic Church.

The Lateran palace (once belonging to the Laterni family) was granted by Constantine the Great to Pope Miltiades sometime before AD 313. The palace basilica was converted and officially dedicated in AD 324 by Pope Sylvester I. At this time, the cathedra was placed inside and it officially became the Cathedral of Rome, dedicated Christo Salvatore, to Christ the Savior.

The Lateran Palace and Basilica have been rededicated two times. Pope Sergius III dedicated them to Saint John the Baptist in the 10th century in honor of its new baptistry of the Basilica. Pope Lucius II dedicated the Lateran Basilica to Saint John the Evangelist in the 12th century. It's full title is Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Sts. John Baptist and John Evangelist in the Lateran.

The words Sacrosancta Lateranensis ecclesia omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput are engraved in the main door, meaning "Most Holy Lateran Church, of all the churches in the city and the world, the mother and head."

Notable for Anglicans, Pope Leo XIII is buried there.

Please Visit the New Pastoral Provision Website

We've revamped the new Pastoral Provision website. Please check it out.

Review of the English Reformation CHN Conference

Wonderful. Great lectures. Lots of nice people. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself edified by all the other converts.

Particularly moving was the presentation by Dr. Paul Thigpen on the English Catholic martyrs. People were brought to tears. It was wonderful.

Dwight Longenecker (who will be ordained a Pastoral Provision priest on Dec. 14th) gave a presentation on Catholicism in Britain prior to the Reformation where he rebutted the position that the early "Celtic Church" was indigenous and independent of Rome.

Msgr. Frank Lane presented on the schism that occurred under Henry VIII.

Joanna Bogle gave a spirited lecture on Mary Tudor and her Catholic piety.

Joseph Pearce spoke about English Catholic Recusants, but primarily the scholarship indicated that William Shakespeare was of a Recusant Catholic.

Scott Hahn gave a great lecture on the theologies of St Thomas More and St John Fisher. I found his treatment of St John Fisher especially interesting and hope to read more about him.

Fr. Charles Conner spoke about the English Counter Reformation but especially about the seminary priests of Wm. Allen and the English Jesuits. He also did a good job of introducing the political theories set forth by the English Catholics.

And Joanna Bogle gave her perspective on the state of Anglicanism and Catholicism in England, today.

On Sunday morning, Fr Ray Ryland (a Pastoral Provision priest) explained his conversion to the Catholic Church and the inherent falacies of the Anglo-Catholic position, which he once held.

It was all well done. My favorite part was the lunch in which ex-clergy introduced themselves and described their conversions. That was especially meaningful to me in a personal way.

There were many great conversations - even a very strange meeting with the sedevacantist apologist Gerry Matatics, who was "recruiting." A special thank you to Marcus Grodi, Jim Anderson, and all the Coming Home Network family.

I'm Off to the Coming Home Network Conference

I'm off to the Coming Home Network Conference. English Reformation is this year's topic. I'll report.

Coming Home Network 2006 Conference