AN OUTSIDE VIEW

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Saul entirely approved of the killing.

I posted this last October, and drew the matter to the attention of the Bishop. Unfortunately nothing has been done. Following yesterday's events, I am re-posting the article. Recent events have focussed attention on the need for security in places where people gather. So far, there have been incidents involving lone individuals, but organised activity is also a possibility; last week, in a quiet suburb of Gothenburg, a restaurant owned by an Assyrian Christian was sprayed with ISIS slogans – “Convert or die”, “Caliphate is here” and the Arabic “N” (ن) symbol applied to Christian property in places which have been taken over by ISIS. There have been incidents in the recent past which might have been prevented by basic security, including Hisingen fire of 1996 which resulted in 63 deaths, and an attack by a nude swordsman on a church in South London in 1999. Catholic churches are at risk because they are well attended, especially those which host congregations membership from Syri...

Last week Nice, now Bavaria.

Our parish priest has introduced a Tridentine Mass on one weekday evening a week. Printed sheets with the readings and Proper, and translations, are available at the back of the church. People study them as the Mass is being said; one hopes the congregation can actually follow the Mass, but even if they are not, the people are studying the texts. Having them on paper prevents minds from wandering. There is a focussed and intensely still atmosphere and presence. An added benefit is that people are not struggling to hear the readers - which can be difficult as not all of them read clearly and the acoustics of the building are difficult, despite the efforts that have been made to improve the public address system. Some of the celebrations are of little-known saints. The priest has taken advantage of the opportunity this provides to refer to them in a brief sermon. Obscure saints have their value - it is easier for ordinary people to relate to them than to the big name ones. It is a ...