Update on the letter posted here just before Easter.

Having resurrected my blog (sorry, maybe not a particularly apt term given the Liturgical season in which we find ourselves!) to post what I felt was an important letter, I feel I ought to just give a brief update for the sake of my reader and anyone else who might have been on a desert island or in some other way out of touch with things recently.

The letter was published in the Catholic Herald online and you can read it and the full list of names here.  You can also read an update of the situation on Ben Trovato's blog here and here and here.

Both these sites are of course well worth checking regularly anyway for their excellent articles. Plus naturally all the other blogs listed who published the letter and joined the appeal for signatures.

Now, I have been moved to remember how on earth this blog works (it took me a little while to remember how to access certain settings etc.) who knows, maybe I might feel tempted to post the odd item on here in the future . . . ?

In support of our priests, our families and our Church . . .

I haven't posted anything on this blog for 18 months but here is something that I feel can't be ignored  . . . 

Today, this blog and others are taking part in a somewhat unprecedented event. This post is going to appear on a good number of lay blogs in the UK, in an attempt to demonstrate the depth of support among the laity, for authentic Catholic teaching as expressed in the Magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church.

You may have seen the recent letter from more than 450 priests in support of the Church’s teaching on marriage.

We would like to invite you to sign the letter below, to be sent to the press in support of them, and to encourage others to sign it.

To sign, please leave your name and your diocese in the comments box below, or if you prefer email them to me or to one of the coordinators:
Mark Lambert (mark@landbtechnical.com) or Andrew Plasom-Scott (andrewplasom_scott@me.com)

We hope to demonstrate a groundswell of support for the priests who have stood firmly by us and Christ, a love of the Church, and a desire for sound doctrine and catechesis.

The Letter:


Dear Sir,

We, the undersigned, wish to endorse and support the letter signed by over 450 priests in the recent edition of the Catholic Herald.

As laity, we all know from our own family experiences, or those of our friends and neighbours, the harrowing trauma of divorce and separation, and we sympathise with all those in such situations.

It is precisely for that reason that we believe that the Church must continue to proclaim the truth about marriage, given us by Christ in the Gospels, with clarity and charity in a world that struggles to understand it.

For the sake of those in irregular unions, for the sake of those abandoned and living in accordance with the teachings of the Church, and above all for the sake of the next generation, it is essential that the Church continues to make it quite clear that sacramental marriage is indissoluble until death.

We pray, and expect, that our hierarchy will represent us, and the Church’s unwavering teaching, at the Synod this autumn.

Yours faithfully, 

What Catholic Women Want for Valentine's Day

This article caught my eye on EWTN. It covers all sorts of topics to do with Valentine's Day, and looks at responses given by a number of women to the question in the title - What would you like for Valentines' Day? The replies varied greatly from; material gifts, to being taken out somewhere for a meal, spending 'quality time' with one's husband and so on.

What strikes me, and not just in this article but generally about celebrating St Valentine's Day is this:

Everywhere you go and everything you see, hear or read about the celebration, seems to be about what women would like, or might expect to receive as gifts.

I always thought St Valentine's Day was about celebrating love between a couple. To me that means we women should also be thinking about how to show our love and appreciation for our husband. You don't often see articles such as, 'What are you going to give your husband for Valentine's Day?' or adverts saying, 'Don't forget ladies, make sure you remember the special man in YOUR life on Valentines' Day!'

Just a thought!

EWTN.com - What Catholic Women Want for Valentine's Day

A quiet weekend ...

It's been a quiet weekend this weekend as both Adrian and Mark have been away on a company trip to Lisbon. I've been alone. Note I said alone, not lonely! I've been used to spending various periods of time without my husband, thankfully usually only for a few days at a time, for most of our married life and you do get used to it after a while.

It's not so often that Mark goes away though, and to have them both away at the same time is a very rare occurrence. I must admit I quite liked being on my own, just for a couple of nights though it was lovely to have them both safely home again. (Even though they arrived home at about 1.30 in the morning!)

There's something very liberating about having nobody else to fit in with for a little while; eating what you like and when you like, going to bed and getting up as early or as late as you feel like.

Back to normal today and that's very comforting. I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy being on my own for much longer than a weekend. Knowing that it's only a temporary separation makes a big difference.