Recta Ratio

And a spiffy new look, too.

Yep. It was substantially watered down from the draft that was circulated. It just limits (to the extent heretics listen to Vatican dcouments anyway) the abuses the Vatican cared about most, and leaves intact altar girls, liturgical dance, Haugen/Haas, routine Communion under both Species, Communion in the hand, and much other deplorable stuff.

They didn't have the guts to ban much of the crap. But we knew they wouldn't. And even if they did, would the same US bishops and priests who have been saying GIRM demands things it clearly does not (like mandatory standing in the pew until everyone has received Communion) even bother to comply without direct threat of Cardinal Ratzinger coming over and personally excommunicating them?

Maybe this swift kick in the pants from Rome will spur more US bishops than Burke and Bruskewitz to do their jobs properly, but I doubt it. Some people are rotten beyond hope of cure.

Ratzinger Fan Club dissects the scandal of the Archdiocese's continued inaction.

This one turned down a large NFL contract to serve with the Army Rangers.

God rest him, and all our brave fallen heroes.

I've been relatively silent this week. The news has been pretty slow. Everyone else, except Domenico Bettinelli, who has been very active this week, has been keeping a low profile, too.

I've been spending a fair amount of time on a Yahoo Group that I'm putting together, Redcoats1. The idea is to assemble either links to, or actual jpegs of every portrait or picture of British soldiers of the period 1750-1815. And the project has sort of grown in other ways as well.

Every year at this time, for almost 30 years, I've had the urge to spend a great deal of time on this period. Nothing else really matters when I'm in this mood: just a constant fixation on 1775. And this mood usually hits me every March and continues into May. In my re-enacting days, I was busy getting my uniform and others' uniforms and training ready for the big day. Before that, I'd at least drive to Concord Bridge, wander into the gift shop and around the grounds, and take a hike down Battle Road, with my primary sources along for the walk. Before that, I was dragging my parents to the April re-enactments so that I could photograph them. Now I'm going digital.

I have never been convinced that the man from Stratford-on-Avon is not the author of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. And this is the day on which he is believed to have not only been born, but also to have died. How appropriate that both the beginning and ending of Shakespeare's life happened on the feast of England's patron saint!

A good time to remind folks of Open Source Shakespeare.

Saint George was apparently from Lydda, and suffered martyrdom shortly before the accession of Constantine. Other than that, the legend says he was a Roman military tribune, and that he saved a maiden, a king's daughter, by killing a dragon with his lance. George is the patron of England, of soldiers, and of men named George. Since the "G." of "G. Thomas Fitzpatrick" stands for George, Saint George is triply my patron.

It is also a festive night in the officers' messes of British regiments, as are the feasts of Saint Andrew, Saint David, and Saint Patrick. The historian Stuart Reid says that Saint George's Night was a more sedate event than the others. Trust us Celts to use our national patrons' feasts to get boisterously drunk.

Adoremus has a great St. George icon.

But the proof, in this case, is in the box office receipts, the conversion stories, and the lack of bad things happening.

Rod Dreher and Dom Bettinelli have already raised this issue. So did George Weigel in The Courage To Be Catholic and Mary Eberstadt in The Elephant in the Sacristy.

When Catholic prelates refuse to do their jobs and take direct action against public sinners, those who sin as they commit public acts, there is something wrong. Either they have a terribly misplaced notion that they have to be "pastoral" and not "punitive" (when, in fact, the most pastoral thing they could do would be to be punitive) or they are giving in to pressures applied against certain closeted weaknesses they have as individuals, as many suspect was done in the context of the pervert priests for low these many years.

Courtesy of Ad Altare Dei.

Ditto in excelsis.

You can't do anything in this society without somebody feeling the need to flap their gums about it. You can't even sell your own property in an open sale to a willing buyer for a market price without some busybody feeling entiltled to vent.

If these neighborhood activists didn't want BC to expand, why didn't they come up with the money to buy the property themselves?

Oh, they don't have the financial resources of BC? Maybe not.

Couldn't they have interested an investor in a rival deal? Apparently they did not try. But they still think they are entitled to open their gobs about the deal.

EEEk! Student may move in! The horror!

Sometimes, even the sale of property adjoining your own is just none of your business.

Allowing Moslems to worship in a Catholic cathedral, not just to attend Mass (which of course they can do whenever they want), but to hold their own services there would be, in my book, right out from the beginning.

Dialogue? Yes. Work together on common concerns? Yes. But let them take over our churches? Absolutely not.

My great-uncle fought to save the Church in Spain from the communists. Is another generation going to have to take up arms to preserve it from a Moslem Re-re-conquista?

This will go some way to easing the financial crunch the Pervert Priest crisis has caused the Archdiocese.

One hundred million dollars is a nice chunk of change. That should pay off all the loans they had to take out to settle the civil litigation.

Dare we hope that it will ease the pressure enough so that parish closings do not have to take place at the draconian rate originally thought? There are certainly enough priests to put at least one in every parish, so it is not so much the current priest shortage as the projected priest shortage that is the demographic spur. Some few underperforming parishes should still close, I would think. But now it need not be done at breakneck speed.

And BC, for all its many faults, was the logical buyer for the property.

In advance of May Day and Whitsuntide. Saw some morris dancers in Boston on Easter.

Here is a link for a local morris dancing group that organized a performance in Salem last year. Looks like they plan to be back in Salem with re-inforcements May 15th.

Traditionally the last day of Easter festivities.

Saint John Payne, Blessed Francis Page, and Blessed John Finch.

This morning, you needed a sweater and jacket. First it was cold and raw. Then it cleared up but a seabreeze made it still quite cool. Then the seabreeze died off, and the sun went to work. Now the clouds are coming in again.

New England. If you don't like the weather, wait a minute, and it will change.

Good triumphed over evil three games out of four this weekend.

From the Archdiocese of Detriot's website.

A much better archdiocesan website than Boston's, by the way.

The Octave of Easter ended yesterday, and we have come to Hocktide, the conclusion of Easter festivities. Historians tell us that Hocktide (always the Monday and Tuesday after Low Sunday) was celebrated by a slightly risque parish fundraising technique. On one of the days, any man could capture and bind any woman. She could only be released after payment of a contribution to the parish. On the other day, it was the women of the village who got to do the capturing and binding. For many parishes, it was the best fundraiser of the year.

In the last decade +, I have almost never been wrong in picking Boston Marathon winners. This year, I think the winner will be...

An emaciated chap from somewhere in Africa whose name means nothing to me.

Update:

Told ya so.

On Lexington Green at 6:00 am, from left to right, the light infantry company of the 10th Regiment of Foot, the Colonel's Company of the same regiment (my old company), the light infantry company of the 5th Regiment of Foot, and the grenadier company of the Brigade of Guards On American Service (not actually in Boston in 1775, but here in 2000, when the photo was taken by 10th Regiment of Foot founder Vincent J.R. Kehoe). The building in the background is the Buckman Tavern, headquarters of the Lexington Training Band on that day.

The skirmish on Lexington Green went well for the lads in the red coats, but the march back to Boston from Concord was not so pleasant, as depicted in this mural by John Rush, which is on a wall at Minuteman National Historic Park's Battle Road Vistors' Center.

Happy Patriots' Day!

With the Divine Mercy Novena finished, I was thinking of a new daily feature. I think I will begin to explore the Via Lucis, a new devotion I came across in the April issue of Magnificat. It covers the experiences of the Risen Christ and the Apostles through Pentecost.

I will start it tomorrow, ceteris paribus.

It takes up right where I left off, with the 19th April entry (obviously written on the 20th). A few typing errors I saw, but at least I didn't have to type it. And Lord knows there'd be typing errors if I did it, anyway.

Today we conclude our survey of the last pre-war diary entries of Lt. Frederick Mackenzie of the 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welch Fusileers, and Lt. John Barker, of the light infantry company of the 4th Regiment of Foot (the King's Own Regiment).

Mackenzie:
18th April. An order was received this afternoon before 6 o'Clock signifying the Commander in Chief's pleasure that the suspension ordered Lt. Colo. Walcott of the 5th Regt. shall be taken off, from this day inclusive.--It also stated, that it has appeared throughout the course of the trial of Lt. Colo. Walcott and Ensign Patrick, that the said Ensign Patrick did behave disrespectfully to his Commanding Officer, but it not being inserted in his Crime, the court did not proceed upon it, and Lt. Colo. Walcott now excuses it, and will not bring it to a trial; but the Comr in Chief thinks proper to warn Ensign Patrick, that he behaves with more respect for the future to his Commanding Officer.

At 8 this night the Commanding Officers of Regiments were sent for to Headquarters, and ordered to have their respective Grenadier and Light Infantry Companies on the beach near the Magazine Guard exactly at 10 o'Clock this night, with one day's provisions in their haversacks, and without knapsacks. They were directed to order their Companies to parade quietly at their respective Barracks, and to march to the place of Rendezvous in small parties, and if Challenged to answer "Patrole."--the Companies of our Regiment (the 23rd) marched accordingly, and were the first, complete, at the place of parade; here we found a number of the Men of War's and Transports boats in waiting. --As there was no public Officer attending to superintend the Embarkation, which it was evident would take up a good deal of time, our two Companies, with the approbation of the Officers of the Navy, embarked in the nearest boats and pushed off a little way from the shore. As the other Companies arrived soon after, as many men embarked as the boats would contain. By this time Lieut. Colo. Smith of the 10th, who was to have the command arrived, and with him Major Pitcairn of the Marines. The boats then put off, and rowed towards Phip's farm, where having landed the troops they returned for the remainder and landed them at the same place. This was not completed untill 12 o'Clock.
The Companies embarked are.
Grenadiers--4th, 5th, 10th, 18th, 23rd, 38th, 43rd, 47th, 59th Regts. 1st & 2nd Marines.
Light Infantry--4th, 5th, 10th, 23rd, 38th, 43rd, 47th, 59th Regt.s 1st & 2nd Marines.
Lt. Colo. Smith & Major Pitcairn are the two Field Officers first for duty, and the Senior of each rank.
The town was a good deal agitated and alarmed at this Movement, as it was pretty generally known, by means of the Seamen who came ashore from the Ships about 2 o'Clock, that the boats were ordered to be in readiness.

Barker:
18th April. [Repeats the General Order regarding the lifting of the suspension on Lt. Col. Walcott of the 5th].

Mackenzie gives an excellent picture of confusion as the 21 companies of elite troops milled around at the foot of the Common, now in the vicinity of the corner of Boylston and Charles Streets, just across from L.J. Peretti's.

Mackenzie made a mistake in listing the companies on the expedition. He omitted the 52nd's grenadier and light infantry companies, and included 2 companies of each from the Marines. in fact, only one Marine battalion was in Boston in April, and it was simply called the Marine Battalion. In May, a second battalion of Marines arrived, and they were then numbered the 1st and 2nd Marine Battalions, both under the command of Major John Pitcairn, until his heroic death at Breed's Hill in June. Probably what happened is that Mackenzie, when recopying his diary in a fair hand later in life, forgot about the 52nd, and prematurely added the second marine battalion. We know that the 52nd's flank companies were there, as they took casualties. He is right in listing a grenadier company only for the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot. Only three companies of that regiment were in Boston, including the grenadiers (the light company was in Indiana).

The list of troops comes from every regiment under Gage's direct command in Boston, except the 64th Regiment, whose men were garrisoned out at Castle William in the harbor (close to Dorchester). The 65th is not included, as its two companies in Boston were hat companies, and were brigaded with the three companies of the 18th as the "Incorporated Corps." It would have been too difficult logistically to include the 64th in the expedition, as Castle William was on the other side of Boston, and its men would have had to be rowed around Boston to take part.

Barker, since he was a light infantry officer, was too busy getting himself and his men ready (especially since his company commander, Captain Nesbitt Balfour, was on extended detached service in Marshfield, MA at the time, and Barker and Lt. Edward Thornton Gould split between themselves the command of the company: Gould was nominally in command as the senior).

Both Mackenzie and Barker give extensive descriptions of the fighting at Lexington and Concord: too extensive for me to re-type.

Barker's company was on Lexington Green and at Concord Bridge (where it suffered heavily, including Lt. Gould being wounded), and fought hard in the return march to Boston.

Barker was not wounded in the fighting. But three men of the King's Own light company were killed at Concord Bridge, and two are buried by it. This is the inscription on their marker:

"They came three thousand miles and died
To keep the past upon its throne.
Unheard beyond the ocean tide
Their English mother made her moan."

As part of the First Brigade commanded by Hugh, Earl Percy, son and heir of the Duke of Northumberland, Mackenzie and the 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welch Fusileers) marched out of Boston at 9:00 am the next morning with the 4th Regiment of Foot (the King''s Own), the 47th Regiment of Foot, and the Marine Battalion in order to re-inforce the flank companies (a request sent back by Lt. Col. Smith even before the fighting at Lexington). The 23rd formed the rear guard of the detachment from the meeting of the two units in Lexingon until the column had passed through Menotomy, present day Arlington. It suffered significant casualties in heavy fighting. Mackenzie was not wounded in the fighting.

The British lost more men on April 19th then the US lost to hostile action (excluding Allied losses, friendly fire, and accidents) in capturing Iraq last March and April.

And all of that just to destroy a few barrels of flour, wreck some cannon, burn some supplies of knives, forks, spoons, plates, and scatter some musket balls around the countryside.

I just saw for the first time (OK, so I'm only a millenium behind the rest of you) a publication called Magnificat, put out by the Dominicans which contains the morning and evening prayers and proper of the Mass for every day of the year. It is published in a pocket paperback form monthly (plus two special issues for Christmas and Holy Week).

It contains wonderful prayers, allows an individual (whether he can get to a church, monastery, or chapel that offers admittance to morning and evening prayer or not) the chance to pray along with the Church, and is convenient for carrying around with you.

Despite all the dreck we read about and experience, from pervert priests, enabler bishops, and liturgy that feels like a cross between the Phil Donahue Show and a hippie ashram bull session (or just as bad, a corporate team-spirit building exercise and self-fulfillment convention) it is wonderful to see that the Church is blessed with some people who are doing their job, and doing it very well. Lord bless the Domincans who offer the faithful this service.

It got a little hairy there in the 9th inning, but good prevailed over evil. I was following the progress on Boston.com.

If you have been saying the novena every day, for the plenary indulgence you need to receive the Sacrament in a state of grace today, and either make, or have made confession and done penance. It would not hurt to say the chaplet one more time today. Read more about the indulgence here.

In Boston at 1:30, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross will have a veneration of a very rare authorized copy of the Divine Mercy image.

"My Lord and my God!"