High on a Hill Stood a Lonely Goat-Herd

High on a hill was a lonely goatherd, lay odl lay odl lay hee hoo

Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd, lay odl lay odl loo

Folks in a town that was quite remote heardLay odl lay odl lay hee hoo

Lusty and clear from the goatherd's throat heardLay odl lay odl loo...

Ho ho lady odlee ho, ho ho lady odl layHo ho lady odl lee ho, lady odl lee ho lay

A prince on a bridge of a castle moat heardLay odl lay odl lay hee hoo

Men on a road with a load to tote heardLay odl lay odl loo

Men in the midst of a table d'hote heard Lay odl lay odl lay hee hoo

Men drinking beer with a foam afloat heardLady odl lay odl loo...

Ho ho, lady odlee ho, ho ho lady odl layHo ho lady odl lee ho, lady odl lee ho lay

Pope Benedict has the Measure of "aCatholica"

Pilgrims who have strayed onto the aCatholica website will know how Mr Coyne is fond of speaking of "mature" Catholics, of "adult" faith.

Brian, Milly, +Pat, Mr Collins, et al, it would seem that Pope Benedict has indeed been listening....

“In the last few decades the expression ‘grown-up faith’ has spread,” the Holy Father said yesterday at Vespers for the feast of Ss Peter and Paul.

“It is often used in relation to the attitudes of those who no longer pay attention to what the Church and its Pastors say—which is to say, those who choose on their own what to believe or not believe in a sort of ‘do-it-yourself’ faith. Expressing oneself against the Magisterium of the Church is presented as a sort of ‘courage’, whereas in fact not much courage is needed because one can be certain that it will get public applause. Instead courage is needed to adhere to the Church’s faith, even if it contradicts the mould of today’s world. Paul calls this non-conformism a ‘grown-up faith’. For him following the prevailing winds and currents of the time is childish. For this reason dedicating oneself to the inviolability of life from its beginning, radically opposing the principle of violence, in the defence precisely of the most defenceless; recognising the lifetime marriage between a man and a woman in accordance with the Creator’s order, re-established again by Christ is also part of a grown-up faith. A grown-up faith does not follow any current here and there. It is against the winds of fashion.”

A Millennia Old Tradition

A Happy Feast of Ss Petri et Pauli to you all. Today we have said special prayers for His Holines Benedict XVI, please join us.

In the meantime, it has been declared by the Holy Father himself that the tomb of St Paul in the confessio of the Basilica of St Paul outside the walls seems to be what it says it is- the actual tomb of St Paul.

Gosh! It seems that what people have believed without doubt for thousands of years has been proven true! What a suprise.

Nuns 101

Most pilgrims probably won't ever live with the religious of a female persuasion. Sr Magdalene is really a wonderful woman and we thought we'd start a new series on nuns.

So we present the first lesson:

When two or more nuns are gathered 'REVERSE!' And never try and get out of saying Holy Mass!

Father Ted Can't Say Mass Tonight
(with thanks to youtube)

A Pacific Pallium

A pilgrim recently email in photographs of an event from late last year from the Sydney Archdiocese.

We will quote from the said pilgrim as we were not ourselves at this liturgical celebration.

"As a bit of context, this photo was taken at the end of the Youth Leaders Formation Course, a course which was ran after World Youth Day as a follow up leadership program. His Eminence George Cardinal Pell was invited to it given that the course was held at the BXI Retreat Centre in Richmond (a retreat centre which the Sydney Archdiocese bought following WYD also)" (see this post).

The pilgrim goes on to explain that before the mass, His Eminence was given a 'lay' as a present by one of the attendees, which he wore as celebrant.



It seems to be quite a good lay by all accounts, and would have had a lot of work put into it, even if the wearing of such attire over the chasuble is somewhat novel.

Br. Belvedere mused as to whether His Eminence, like the pope, is considering a new style of pallium.

"Cappa Magna one day, pallium the next," laughed Br. Jasper.

Br. Momus pointed out the irony that while His Eminence has donned a non-liturgical 'Pacific Ring' he is allowing the kissing of the episcopal ring, which he usually eschews!

The pilgrim continues:

"Also of interest would be the acknowledgment (of) "the the original custodians of the land" worse still, the non-indigenous 40yr old woman commentating at the said ritual asked for the spirits of the original custodians to join us in this spiritual experience (I'm paraphrasing here, but you get the picture)."

The pilgrim stresses that His Eminence "was not in the room when this was happening, being just outside, so he may not have known." We understand that entirely, and knowing the diligence of the Cardinal's M.C. it would not have been permitted if it were proposed. However, we do remember that His Holiness did not wear Marjorie's Bird on his chasuble during WYD for a reason.

Sr Magdalene thought it simply an interesting way of praying with and for the souls in purgatory.

Some more photos:

We expect the usual complaints and liturgical whining, but we encourage all pilgrims to simply have a look and have a chuckle, as we did.

Many thanks to the pilgrim who sent such photographs.

Novice Doppelganger XIV

One reverend pilgrim with too much time is glued to the news watching ute-gate presumably, but thankyou for the offering.

Felicity Davey and Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

Cloister warns of fresh outbreaks of Scarlet Fever?

Discussion in The Cloister this morning centred around the return of the 'Red Menace'. Hardman took everyone to be speaking of the recent sighting of Cardinal Sean O'Muddley resplendid in scarlet silk ferraiolo...

Hound on the other hand was keen to know just where Cardinal Pell had been sighted in Cappa Magna this time...

Rather, a curious and unsolicitied correspondence was received in The Cloister. Certainly, while pilgrims are encouraged, indeed expected, to pass on little pearls of information to us from time to time and what with SPAM an ever growing concern for us all, one was nevertheless left to wonder what should be made of such an item as this...

Subject: Your DLP Membership Can Make NSW and Australia a Much Better Place

At last- a Pro-Life non-politically 'correct' Labor party ! Constiution & policies derived from traditional Catholic moral and social principles, along with real patriotism and'bread and butter' basic Labor values that the modern ALP has rejected over the past 40 years. We are neither of the 'Right' nor the "Left' but judge everything against timeless principles. We cannot afford to allow the ALP or the Liberal Party to ruin our country any longer. Help put a 'roadblock' against big business and media who daily try and change our values and who deny our Faith. We do not have to go along with these people at all. You have a right to your self respect and not to be insulted by them. This is how you can help. No cost.

To assist the Democratic Labor Party ( DLP) of Australia in registering for the NSW State election in 2011 you need to complete two forms:

1) the DLP Membership Form - NSW Branch and also
2) the NSW Electoral Commission form

Read the first attachment and the go to the next two attachments ( Membership form and then Form 20 )which are the two forms.

Then please ensure that you post both forms to:

The Secretary
PO Box 433
DOONSIDE NSW 2767

Remember, there is no fee if you wish to help the DLP as a non-financial member. If you prefer, these forms can be mailed to you. Just let me know.

Thankyou for your desire for a better Australia.

Fraternally


Michael Webb - DLP President- NSW branch on behalf of
Michael O'Donohue- DLP Secretary -NSW Branch

It seems not unlike the resplendid Cardinal Sean O'Muddley in his scarlet silk ferraiolo; Mr Webb, president of the unofficial DLP NSW Branch, has discovered something previously forgotten and red under his own bed!

We live in interesting times now, don't we!

The More Obscure Traditional Rites And Usages, No. 6

The "Clashing of Colours" in the Fifth Week After Pentecost.

A Challenge

It has been quite a while since the Pope's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum was released and also quite a while since Cardinal Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Council Ecclesia Dei, uttered these words in an interview when on a visit in England.

Catholic Herald: Would you like to see all the seminaries in England and Wales teach the seminarians how to celebrate in the Extraordinary Form?


Cardinal Hoyos: I would like it, and it will be necessary. Ecclesia Dei is writing to the seminaries to make deep preparation not only for the Rite, but for [teaching] the theology, the philosophy, the Latin language.

While no letter has yet been forthcoming, we were wondering which seminary Rector in Australia will be the first to take the plunge, have some courage and send his students to an "Extraordinary Form" training coure or seminar (at least).

Will it be The Revered Dr. Percy, the straight talking Rector of Good Shepherd Homebush? Or will Banyo's Monsignor Anthony Randazzo take the plunge? Who knows who is in charge of the "seminarians" in Parramatta or Broken Bay, but perhaps they might step up. Melbourne has a fresh Rector, he could make his mark, while Wagga Wagga under the Very Rev. P Thompson is apparently full of enthusiastic seminarians ready to don the maniple. This of course, doesn't even include the Religious orders...

Either way, we challenge all seminary rectors to "get with the times."

Mannequin "Bishop" Installed

Photograph above: The mannequin is lifted into place by Archbishop Hart

Archbishop Hart of Melbourne has just placed a mannequin dressed as a bishop in St Patrick's Cathedral as part of a new art display. The three-quarters life-size installation is dressed in miniature bishops vestments borrowed from Dr Elliott, and will remain in static display until further notice.

Austria, Part III

Here's a little more on the kerfuffle in the Diocese of Linz. The Bishop of Linz, Dr Schwarz, celebrated on Sunday a "Mass of Reconciliation" to try to heal wounds in the diocese caused at the time of the nomination and then resignation of Fr Wagner as Auxiliary Bishop.



Fr Wagner himself decided not to attend the special Mass, citing the bizarre Corpus Christi celebration in Linz last week as a "provocation".



Bishop Schwarz himself has condemned the use of the family-loaf-on-a-stick monstrance on Corpus Christi as unauthorised and not in keeping with traditional usage. Which is a bit ironic because the "theme" of the Mass of reconciliation was to be: "Look at Christ – For a Good Future in Our Diocese."



Fr Wagner has indeed said some provocative things himself, such as that Hurricane Katrina and the Boxing Day Tsunami were God's punishment for sin, (prove that they're not if you can!), and that the Harry Potter books are a "work of Satanism" ( So much for Cloister's extensive DVD collection!).



But what seems to upset the Austrian liberals most is his comment about baptism : "If the Church isn’t that important any more, why is a child brought into the Church to be baptised? Why don’t people take their children somewhere else?" (Hear him! Hear him!) and even WORSE:



"I ask myself: What’s the matter with those who talk badly about the Church, those who have left it? Those who moan when speaking about Catholic Austria? They make use of Catholic holidays, and that’s something I am protesting against. If someone doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Church, he should go to work on such holidays." (What intolerable language!)

Here are some links for you to look up:

The bishop's concern about the monstrance:

A news report, with video, on the ructions caused by the monstrance (If anyone can translate the interviews on the video, we'd be very grateful)

The "Austrian Times" article about Wagner's decision not to go to the special Mass on Sunday

Has the Princess Popped?

You could say that our heads are spinning around with the latest news from the gossip columns in our daily tabloids.

As one who perhaps danced to Loco-motion when it was released, I too am rather surprised that Kylie Minogue reportedly wants a 'traditional Catholic wedding' and is considering a conversion.

Kylie has The Priory's full support and I'm sure we can arrange some prie dus for the lovely couple and with Sr Magdalene's advice on wedding etiquette, it's sure to be a success.

We have invited Miss Minogue and her fiance to pop by and we can explain the intricacies of a royal wedding.

We wonder what Mass setting the couple will choose.

Priory Motivationals X

+Tomlinson was ordained on the Wednesday and +Prowse was gone on Thursday.

Used Car for Sale: 2003 Model

The Cloistered are prompted to write something in the wake of Bishop Prowse's appointment to the Diocese of Sale. To that Bishop (pictured far left) we extend our filial well wishes and prayers. Since his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne in 2003 he has been an exemplary leader and will serve Sale's people well.

However, there seems to be a revolving door policy when it comes to bishops' appointments in the Province of Melbourne. With Prowse now going to Sale, all three suffragan dioceses (Ballarat, Sandhurst and now Sale) have bishops whose first episcopal post was Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne: Connors, Grech and Prowse (the 2003 model). Can it not be said that this reveals a mentality by those at the highest levels of Provincial authority that the position of Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne is a convenient training ground for Diocesan Bishops? With the exception of Sale priest Fr McKenna to Bathurst, can it also be said that episcopabili in the suffragan sees are largely overlooked in favour of Melbourne priests and bishops?

Those concerned with Provincial appointments in Melbourne do well to give serious consideration to non-Melbourne priests when episcopal appointments are to be made, however good the model might look in the window.

One less reader

Okay! That's it! I've unsubscribed! No, not from CathNews but from ZENIT. It's been driving me nuts and I've finally cracked.

ZENIT is a popular Catholic News Service as it was one of the very first online starting in 1997.

Think back to 1997. +Pell was new in Melbourne; +Clancy was still running Sydney; +Carrol was in-charge of Canberra-Goulburn; +Faulkner was in Adelaide; and +Bathersby, +Hickey and +Morris were in their respective dioceses.

Really, what HAS changed? And it was still 12 months before the ad limina visit of 1998.

So for those that had internet, ZENIT seemed like heaven to the orthodox. But it has been getting on my nerves in the last few years, mainly becasue every day you have at least two emails, and only one has news. It seems that at elast daily the thousands or millions of readers get an email begging for money. WHY CAN'T THEY INCLUDE THAT IN THEIR NORMAL EMAILS? At the top or bottom? Sorry for shouting but I vent my frustration.

The straw that broke the camel's back:

Dear ZENIT friend:

Sorry, but I don't believe we've met.

As you know, we have just finished the annual donations campaign, the only source of funds that keeps ZENIT up and running.

But we wanted to inform you that on Monday of last week, just as the campaign was drawing to a close, the main server that hosts the ZENIT Web site, went down. This made it impossible for potential donors to access the donation site.

This was obviously most unfortunate timing, because the problem occurred precisely during the hours when -- like every year -- the number of donations was increasing in response to our final calls for help.

The technical team limited the issue to just a few hours; nevertheless the system error brought a halt to the donations, right at the crucial moment of the campaign. We think this might be part of the reason that we did not reach our goal and still do not have the funds necessary to cover the costs foreseen for 2009.

Are you serious? Real fans and donors surely would have come back a couple of hours later?

It was one of the behind-the-scenes mishaps that afflict every technology-based service. We are informing you because the campaign results are essential for the sustenance of ZENIT. And because several readers reported that they were unable to make a donation.

By way of this message, please be reminded that you can still send a donation to ZENIT at

http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html

Seeing that the goal was not reached, we recognize that perhaps the economic crisis has made it difficult for readers to send a donation. Still, we trust that our readers will keep ZENIT afloat. If you have yet to make a donation, please consider making one today. If you have already been generous, thank you. If you have given but know that you could give more, please consider another offering to cover ZENIT's costs.

How many times do you need to point out that the goal was not reached?

We are convinced that mishaps should be converted into opportunities. Perhaps the problem with the server will be just the chance we needed to again appeal to our loyal readers and meet our fundraising goal.

With heartfelt thanks,

Carmen Lago
ZENIT

Sure ZENIT may be a great evangelising tool You have to wonder by the tone of their many emails, does unsubscribing from ZENIT mean I've lost my faith?

The New Eucharist

A lot has been said in the media over the last few days about the sad, infuriating and diabolical nature of our sex education and sexual heath programs.

All over the news is the story from up there in Dubbo in Western NSW, of the 12yr Old Pregnant girl, who was living with her boyfriend, which DOCS left out to dry. This is an extremely sad event. Many people are outraged, but the media is being very cautious, as we don't want to undermine the importance of Condoms do we.

One just has to have a look at this web page, designed for primary school students and promoted by the Queensland Government, as an example as to why these problems are occurring. I remember two years ago in a radio interview that a woman from Family Planning Australia was saying how many children in primary school are sexually active. It is getting serious folks! Her solution was... more sex education and condoms.

From this pregnant child story it emerged that this group up in Penrith in outer Sydney (and we are sure not the only group that does this with government support) was asked by NSW DOCS to help an 11 year old girl with an stD, and in response they gave her a 'party pack' of the sacred condoms and other contraceptives. Again, the media is outraged but is wary of undermining the primacy of the condom.

At the same time, on billboards and radio stations the federal government is urging everyone to don the condom- and I had only gotten over my outrage over the condom jellybean ads! (well not really, but they had been taken down), Meanwhile while Vodafone, in it's recent television ad, blatantly mocks the Catholic stance on condoms on prime time television

(it's not online but keep your eye out for it), the NSW education board has banned the showing of a video called The Wonder of Life, which explains the development of the unborn, due to its creator's pro-life links.

And we all recall how the Pope was labeled a heretic by stating that condoms add to the spread of Aids while traveling around Africa.

At this rate will we eventually be told that the best cure for arthritis is a condom and to fix a tyre all we need is a condom? Maybe if we simply cover the whole planet with a condom, all the world's ills would be solved - Imagine! Yes we can!

Here in The Priory we pray for the youth and for this young mother and her child- please join us. It seems that sex education is the new catechism class, Obama has become the secular pope, and condoms the secular eucharist.

Austrian Bishops Follow-Up

I think this is the funniest thing I've read in a long time:

COMMUNIQUE ON POPE'S MEETING WITH AUSTRIAN BISHOPS
VATICAN CITY, 17 JUN 2009 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office yesterday published the following communique concerning the meeting of the Pope and a number of heads of dicasteries of the Roman Curia with a group of Austrian bishops. The gathering was held in the Vatican on 15 and 16 June.



"The meeting, characterised by lively 'collegial affection', served to examine, in a fraternal exchange of ideas and with a constructive spirit, certain questions concerning the situation of the diocese of Linz and of the Church in Austria, proposing solutions to current problems.



"The Holy Father highlighted the urgent importance of strengthening faith and of maintaining integral faithfulness to Vatican Council II and to the Church's post-conciliar Magisterium, as well as the need to renew catechesis in the light of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.



"Attention also turned to doctrinal and pastoral questions and to the situation of the clergy, the laity, the major seminaries and the theological faculties in Linz and in other dioceses of Austria.



"The Austrian bishops thanked the Holy Father for his paternal solicitude and for this meeting, a sign of his closeness to the Church in Austria, giving assurances of their full communion and their affection. The Austrian bishops also thanked the Roman Curia for its fruitful collaboration and openness".



The meeting was attended by the following Austrian prelates: Cardinal Christoph Schonborn O.P., archbishop of Vienna and president of the Austrian Episcopal Conference; Archbishop Alois Kothgasser S.D.B. of Salzburg; Bishop Egon Kapellari of Graz-Seckau and vice president of the Austrian Episcopal Conference, and Bishop Ludwig Schwarz S.D.B. of Linz.



Also present were Archbishop Peter Stephan Zurbriggen, apostolic nuncio to Austria, and the following heads of dicasteries: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Claudio Hummes O.F.M., prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy; Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, and Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. OP/MEETING AUSTRIAN BISHOPS/...VIS 090617 (350)

Meanwhile, having returned to Austria, the Bishop of Linz, Dr. Ludwig Schwarz SDB, has tried to distance himself from the peculiar manner in which the Blessed Sacrament was displayed at the Corpus Christi celebration in Linz. If you want to practice your German, the press release on the Linz Diocesan website is here.

Tells you all you need to know ...

From The Australian, with the delightful headline: 'Jesus also unorthodox: rebel priest'

"A small party of Raelians, who believe that alien beings have intervened in earthly affairs, were outside St Mary's with signs supporting Fr Kennedy."

Austrian Bishops are Summoned to Rome

Austrian, not Australian.

As the Vatican Press Office rather tersely puts it:

LE UDIENZE
Il Santo Padre ha ricevuto questa mattina in Udienza:
Vescovi dell’Austria.

Liturgical abuses of a grave kind which undermines Catholic faith are thought to have been going on in Austria,not least in the Diocese of Linz. Linz, you may recall, is where recently the nominated auxiliary bishop-elect was beaten into submission by his peers who thought him too conservative, and resigned before his episcopal ordination. There always seemed to be more behind that story than met the eye...

Here's a photo from the recent Corpus Christi "devotions" in Linz.

You've got to admit, that is extremely odd.

Tip of the cowl to Fr Z's WDTPRS

The fall of a leader

There wasn't only one retirement in Melbourne this week.

Where's Withoos? III

On previous occasions, the Priory has been labelled a little mean over its comments on the appearances of the Australian favourite Fr Mark Withoos. While we agree that some of us here have gotten out of hand, we still think, however, that continuing to say 'those masses' at a few Word Youth Days was a major blooper.

Sadly we haven't seen him celebrating Mass in beautiful vestments at Santisma Trinita dei Pellegrini lately, though that doesn't mean he hasn't, and we wonder what he's up to. He is, we assume, settling into life under his new boss at the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Perhaps he is ironing the cappa magnae?

Never doubting his enthusiasm for Holy Mother Church, here is proof in a pic of the Rev. Withoos in a rather splendid cassock waving the flag for our nation at WYD Toronto.

No white shirt with two crosses or even a bus driver tie for this priest. No need for Catholic etiquette lessons from Br Momus, though the floppy hat could be replaced with a Saturno.

Br Momus actually muttered that he wished the black would be changed for purple sooner rather than later.

Suspended Priest

From the Archdiocese of Brisbane's Catholic Leader comes the headline "Priests Suspended".

Like this?

Titular of Wilcannia-Forbes

As my brethren have commented, Bishop Toohey's resignation has been submitted. The irony that this should occur while +Bus Driver Bill Mozza is in Rome.

The sees are slowly being filled. We have superfluous bishops wandering around in Melbourne ready to pounce, and now we have an Auxiliary of Sydney, +Terence Brady, who has become the 'apostolic administrator' of Wilcannia-Forbes.

Will we now call him the "not coadjutor bishop" of Wilcannia-Forbes or simply the carmelengo of western NSW?

Br Jasper has not given up his prediction that there shall be a titular Bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes somewhere in Africa soon.

Nevertheless, as some presumed vacancies will soon exist in Sydney, will Priory favourite Fr. Withoos be called in to don the purple, or will it go to the former chancellor of the Maronite Diocese?

Ordinations, Installations & Resignations

As Richie Benaud would say, 'It's all happening here folks!'

It's a BIG WEEK for Australian bishops and the now former bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes has stolen the spot light.

Most bishops must have been already in Port Pirie when the news went public about +Toohey's resignation preparing to witness the installment of +Greg O'Kelly SJ as the 11th bishop of the diocese (if you count when it was called Port Augusta too).

+Brady of Sydney may have been appointed as administrator (really, why him and not +Porteous or +Fisher?), but with Fr Michael McKenna set to be ordained for Bathurst later this month, perhaps he will be installed for Bathurst-Wilcannia-Forbes?

Let's hope that +Toohey doesn't take up commentary and has to good sense not to further his activism commitments and become like Fernando Lugo - Paraguay's President.

“Wasn’t it great to see a woman in the pulpit?”

“Wasn’t it great to see a woman in the pulpit?”.....remarked one participant at the recent "Renewal" ceremony of the Very New Covenant between Maitland-Newcastle (Catholic), Newcastle (Anglican) and Broken Bay (Catholic) Dioceses, according to the report on the M-N Diocese website.

No agendas there, then!

Mention is made of the "neophytes who processed into the cathedral with Easter water and paschal candles". One wonders how many of them were converts from Anglicanism and what they must have been thinking.

There was no sermon on the night, instead a "reflection on the gospel" was delivered, or shone, or bounced, imaged, or whatever one does with a reflection. The "reflection" was done by a Catholic lay person, Mr Luke Edwards. Now, we don't often pick on lay persons in the Cloister, but this HAS to be an exception - and since the person involved rejoices in the position of "Ministry Co-ordinator at St Paul’s Booragul", they are in public life and fair game.

Frankly, it sounds like the "reflection" would have been an acute embarrassment for the Catholics present. No self-respecting Anglican, cleric or lay, male or female, surely, would pronounce such utter garbage in a church service. The reflection was sheer nonsense. It certainly had precious little to do with the Gospel.

You can read it for yourself on the M-N website, but are some little slivers or shards of the reflection:

"How can we be sure however that the truth we claim is indeed true to the source of all? May I suggest that it have some foundation to the spirit of Dairmuid O'Murchu's theological notion of ancestral grace? .....As he suggests, "led by the Spirit, the earthly Jesus reconnects us to our deep ancient past, inspires us to be co-creators in the present, and paves the way for our next evolutionary breakthrough."

and:

"The commitment to covenant that we celebrate tonight is an attempt to communicate authentically with this truth. It is a part of our evolutionary history, a very recent part of a 13.7 billion year old story."

and:
"Our planet is in peril! ...the evil one...has manifested itself in the shape of our current ecological plight... The very presence of evil that has turned human-earth relations away from communion to dominion...."

but there's more!

"To be true Christians then is to lead the evolutionary leap to ecological conversion"

"As Christian's [sic] surely our mantra is to thrive, not just survive"

What it must have been like to sit there and listen to this crap is hard to imagine.

It was an insult to all present, not least the Anglican guests, that the Catholic bishop allowed such drivel to be pronounced in the cathedral by one of his flock, tacitly in the name of his Church.

Apparently the "reflection" was followed by a "litany of praise and lament".

The lamentation, at any rate, was appropriate.

All Smiles

Here it is, the image of +Bill of Too-whoom-bah with His Holiness, Benedict XVI and +Phil. Seems to be all smiles here, I wonder what +Adelaidensis is contemplating with his hand pondering his zuchetto like that.

It is good to see that 'Bus Driver Tie' +Bill has been reading our Catholic Etiquette series and dusted out his zimar even if it does lack its shoulder cape. We suspect that is exactly what His Holiness is congratulating him about. There is nothing else they could be talking about is there?

#A tip of the (not red) biretta to Gregor of the NLM, who, unsurprisingly, was able to provide images of the clerical attire of this meeting for us.

Bishop goes supanova...

For the less scientific minded, a supernova occurs when a dying star explodes so violently that the resulting burst of energy can outshine an entire galaxy. Hundreds have been recorded over the years but this one is astonishing many including us here in The Cloister.

The Steve Irwin of the Australian Episcopacy, Bishop Christopher Henry Toohey, that star-gazing bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes, has presented his resignation to the Holy Father under Canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. But nobody should jump to any judgment of fault in the good bishop...

Instead let us recognise that the diocese is geographically huge and has long struggled financially just to meet existing needs. Clergy too remain a problem with just 16 priests for 20 parishes and a number relocating to Sydney alone and resisting the need in Wilcannia Forbes. The question begs what was being done in the major Catholic centres to support the regional effort.

Some are saying his marbles are escaping him but a man perhaps more suited to the office and yet always so unlikely, The Cloister will be sad to see Bishop Toohey go whatever the reason.

But of course let us not fall for any three card tricks here! The pea remains under the shell and nobody should lose sight of the fact that the diocese was rumoured for merger...

The More Obscure Traditional Rites And Usages, No. 5

5. The Custom of Bishops Performing Magic on the Feast of St Athanasius. Here we see His Lordship at the moment where he chants Nihil quicquam in manus meus.

Neighbourliness in Adelaide

Following on from his Easter Message, His Grace, Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide, has a pearler for Trinity Sunday.

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

How well do we know each other? How are we Church to each other? ...

We are Church, and all those bells of the Spirit of Vatican II, but I diverge.

... To help is achieve this strengthening of our communities, as your Bishop I ask you to mark Trinity Sunday as a very appropriate day for all families, including all cultures, single people, young people and older people, to connect in their relationship together as Church. I invite you therefore, commencing this year, to celebrate Trinity Sunday as a key day in the Diocesan calendar when we celebrate community, relationships and neighbourliness in the life of the Church....

Neighbourliness? Br Prior has always taught us that Trinity Sunday was to celebrate the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.

... I ask you to pray about this initiative and to begin to consider how you might make Trinity Sunday a day of encouragement for us to continue to be a relational Church that is in touch with peoples' lives. You will be forwarded some resource material to help to generate ideas on how this can be actualised in your parishes, small groups and neighbourhoods.

God bless you in these endeavours. I would be delighted to hear the stories that you experience on this day.

Yours sincerely


Most Rev Philip Wilson DD JCL
Archbishop of Adelaide

Sydney, a taste of what is to come perhaps?

Archbishop Wilson, here in The Priory, Sr Magdalene cooked a community lunch for us on Trinity Sunday. Are you delighted?

Toowoomba goes to Rome

From the list of Papal Audiences last week:

Archbishop Philip Edward Wilson of Adelaide, Australia, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, accompanied by Bishop William Martin Morris of Toowoomba, Australia.

We could guess what was said... but really, we'd like to know what 'Bishop Bill' wore to the meeting.

A priesthood like his

Cardinal Cassidy's book "My Years of Vatican Service" is out now. Good for him. It's been a while since either of our octogenarian cardinals wrote something worth reading.

One line in His Eminence's remarks to the Catholic Weekly caught the Cloistered eye. The cardinal hopes that his book will "encourage and perhaps inspire other young Australians to think about a similar vocation to the priesthood." A similar vocation to the priesthood? Let's see now.

Pointing the finger in the right direction:

Life-long mateship of Protestants:

Papal Envoy to Cathedral Dedications:

It's a bit late for me, but I'm sure the seminaries around the country will fill up nicely now that young ones will know that they can have a priesthood like his.