Waiting for a Face Transplant so I can Say, "Wdzydze Kiszewskie"

Wdzydze Kiszewskie is in Kashubia on the Baltic coast of Poland. There are lakes, windmills, and an open-air museum of Kashubian history. It is beautiful, and has its own language, which is neither Polish nor German.

A Polish friend remarked that he could not believe that a place with such an impossible name could exist. It is pronounced V-D-Z-I-D-Z-E   K-EE-SH-E-V-S-K-Y-EH.

I am in a queue for a face-transplant, so I so as to have the necessary facial muscles to say, "Wdzydze Kiszewskie" with confidence.

Litany of Loreto

Litany of Loreto

V. Lord, have mercy.
R. Christ have mercy.
V. Lord have mercy. Christ hear us.
R. Christ graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us. 
Holy Mother of God, pray for us. 
Holy Virgin of Virgins, [etc.]
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good Counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace,
V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
R. Spare us, O Lord. 
V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
R. Graciously hear us, O Lord. 
V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body, and by the glorious intercession of blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be freed from present sorrow, and rejoice in eternal happiness. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
The versicle and prayer after the litany may be varied by season. Thus, during Advent (from the fourth Sunday before Christmas to Christmas Eve):
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray. O God, who hast willed that by the message of an Angel, thy Word should receive flesh from the womb of the Virgin Mary: grant unto thy suppliants, that we who believe that she is truly the Mother of God, may be assisted by her intercession before Thee. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
From Christmas to Candlemass (the Feast of the Presentation), that is through February 1:
V. Thou gavest birth without loss of thy virginity.
R. Intercede for us, O holy Mother of God.
Let us pray. O God, Who by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary hast offered unto the human race the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech thee, that we may know the effects of her intercession, through whom we have deserved to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son. R. Amen.
From Candlemass to Easter (through Holy Week), AND from the day after Pentecost (or from Trinity Sunday, if Pentecost is celebrated with octave) to the beginning of Advent:
V. "Pray for us" and prayer "Grant unto thy servants," as above:
During Eastertide (from Easter day through Pentecost, and throughout the octave of Pentecost if it is celebrated):
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. For the Lord is truely risen, alleluia.
Let us pray. O God, Who by the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, hast vouchsafed to make glad the whole world, grant, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life, through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

Absurdity Rules - Satire Officially Declared Redundant

Poor bogus Smirk has given up, more or less. Whenever he dreams up something new pour épater la bourgeoisie, he finds that the idiots who are running the show have beaten him to it. It's a hard life for someone trying to be outrageous.

I have just heard that my local Catholic Church in England has a No Smoking notice in the narthex. Apparently all public buildings have them. Good thing too. The Priest used to drive us mad, coughing his way through the Eucharistic Prayer with a gasper hanging from his lower lip. He claimed it was incense, not tobacco, but we could tell the difference.

Are there, I wonder, exceptions for those for whom smoking during a religious service is an essential element. I am thinking here of Rastafarians who, according to one I knew, smoked ganja seven or eight years ago as part of their services at a Church in Balham.

Perhaps someone will soon 'discover' that incense smoke causes lung cancer, or more likely bigotry and intolerance. Does the use of Latin inflame the Catholic masses with a longing for autos da fé? Does singing "Gather Us In" provoke the Faithful into leaping into combine harvesters so as to be harvested?

It is all very worrying.

Richard Collins, on his always excellent blog "Linen on the Hedgerow" has raised the question of syncretism, and this is an extension of the comment I made there. 

My understanding is that syncretism involves commingling Catholic beliefs or dogmas with inconsistent beliefs or dogmas from other religions. For example, it is syncretic for a Catholic to believe in reincarnation, or a non-Triune God, or pantheism or, indeed, Gaia.

Inculturation, on the other hand, can be a useful missionary tool, as it involves retaining, but also adapting, non-Catholic customs or practices so that they are not at odds with Catholic teaching. Pius XII, for example, permitted Chinese ancestor-worship, explaining that it involved not idolatry, but proper respect.

I read a moving account years ago of a Mass somewhere in Africa, at which, when the Host was elevated, there was loud drumming and an Honour Guard of men dressed in leopard skins and bearing spears surrounded the Altar. Drumming and the Guard were a tribal tradition whenever the human king was in public, and are all the more appropriate when the King of Kings appears in the Flesh.

If I am mistaken in my understanding, I apologise. As to interfaith dialogue, unless it has missionary intent, it seems a waste of time. If I was an astrophysicist, I would not waste my time debating with flat-earthers unless I had some hope of changing their minds.

Happiness

Happiness

John had
Great Big
Waterproof
Boots on;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof 
Hat;
John had a 
Great Big
Waterproof
Mackintosh –
And that
(Said John)
Is
That.

A. A. Milne

And for us?  Saint Patrick's Breastplate, perhaps?

Viva Torquemada?

Once again, this time in response to my comment on another blog, someone has brought up the question of the "homosexual community's" (he used the g-- word) usage of the expression "leftfooter". 

As a member of the following "communities":

The Catholic Church,
Pseudo-Poles
Elbląski Morsy
Vodka-lovers
Beer Lovers,
Vintage Port lovers
Vin Rouge lovers,
Inquisition lovers
Pio Nono lovers,
Latin Poetry lovers
Classical Greek Poetry lovers
Neophobes
Murillo lovers
Liturgical Guitar despisers
Black Blues up to about 1965 lovers,

I resent this, and am thinking of changing the name of this blog to one of the following:

¡Viva Torquemada!

A Pox On't

Les "réformateurs" à la lanterne!

Dirty Harry and Bloody Bess, Have With You to Saffron Walden!

The Spanish Armada Appreciation Society,

Don Quixote Rides Again,

Bismarck - Schmismarck,

Grrrrrrrrrrr!

Any thoughts? Only serious, half serious, and utterly frivolous suggestions considered. The goodthinkful can go and find a good taxidermist.

And now, back to work.

Idle and Uncharitable Speculation

I have in mind the fifth book of Milton's Paradise Lost, where Adam naively questions Raphael, the Affable Archangel on the more physical aspects of life in Heaven, such as sex and sewage. The second stanza refers to line 438, where Milton is just lovably silly.


If we believe what John Milton
Wrote in Paradise Lost,
Adam, in Eden, entertained
One of the Heavenly Host.

Raphael, the Affable Archangel,
Milton writes, was embarassed a bit
When Adam, curious about Angels,
Asked if they eat, drink, and sh-t.

And Raphael, the Sociable Spirit
Replied that the Heavenly Choirs,
Certainly eat and drink. Consequently
"What redounds, transpires."

Now we know from the Book of Tobit
That Raphael angelically lied,
(My justification for holding
That enemies must be denied

The truth). To return to the question
Of disposing of Heavenly Cess
What do They do with Their Excrement?
Why, dump It in Hell, I guess.

I suppose that the eager Blessed Spirits
Would happily volunteer
For a day trip to Hell, to sling all
The Sewage in Beelzebub's ear.

I know that, if I get to Heaven
I'll be the first in the queue
To make an unwelcome delivery
To Hell, of Celestial Poo.

The recipient - not Hitler or Stalin.
(From weak me they have nothing to fear.)
But I'd seek out the liberal Catholics
And bury with dung ???? ?????
 * * *

* * * Readers are invited to guess who this might be. Beware of U.K. libel law.

De Profundis: Poland and Death

The Poles and Death

In their tragic, heroic history the Poles have become accustomed to walking hand-in-hand with death. For them, there is no avoiding the issue, no looking away, no concealment. For weeks before All Saints Day, celebrated as a public holiday (and, of course, a Holy Day of Obligation, and always on the 1st of November), they thoroughly clean and tidy their family graves. In the last days of October, the graves are decorated with flowers, and beautifully coloured plastic lamps are placed on them, as can be seen in the first three pictures below.

The main visit to the cemetery is on 1st November, but family members of all ages gather in graveyards in November: in the evening on weekdays, and during the day as well on Saturdays and Sundays,  to pray for their dead relatives and friends. They are not remotely mournful about it. This evening as I took the first three pictures, a mother and her two children, who were in their twenties, asked me pleasantly (knowing full well the answer) why I was taking photographs. We talked for a bit in the dark, and the son then asked, "Have you bought a grave for yourself yet?" Utterly practical.

I took the picture below today at the Franciscan Cemetery in Brodnica. The black tablets record the names of some of those murdered by the occupying germans, either for some infringement of their vile laws, or in retaliation for the death of an occupying soldier. Normally between fifty and a hundred, men, women, and children as young as fourteen, were driven to the forest by bus to be shot, having first dug their own graves.

The detail below is particularly poignant for me, because I know the family of Paweł Nass. Before the war he had been a rising amateur boxing star, but was denounced to the occupiers by a neighbour for having a radio, just an ordinary domestic one. This was enough to have him shot at the age of 19.

I do not know whether the De Profundis is ever said in Britain now, in Latin or in English. I can think of no better prayer for the dead.

Euthanasia in the U.K. as no doubt you had guessed

A Brief Encounter has a frightening post today about the "Liverpool Care Pathway". It is well worth reading, and then following the link to the Daily Telegraph report.

It seems that medical practitioners, nurses, whoever, are deciding who should die, when, and how.

How long before the Lifetime Options Directorate becomes a reality?