The History of Advent

Happy New Year! Well, liturgically speaking anyway, as we now enter the season of Advent. This period in the Church’s calendar is one where we encounter themes of expectation, preparation and penance. Advent, derived from the Latin adventus meaning ‘coming’, can be most fruitfully regarded as a period of dual preparation. Firstly we look, over the next four weeks, toward the celebration of the birth of Christ our Saviour and secondly we prepare for His second coming in fulfilment of the scriptures.

Though the exact institution of the liturgical season of Advent in the Church’s calendar is a little obscure, we understand the celebration of the Nativity of Lord to have been established some time in the late 4th century (some celebrating it on Dec 25th others on Jan 6th), and as such a suitable preparatory period would have accompanied this. A Synod held in 590 established that Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11th November until the Feast of the Nativity would be observed according to the Lenten rite. By the beginning of the 7th century matters were formalised and Advent was celebrated over five consecutive Sundays until this number was reduced to the present four under Pope Gregory VII, whose papacy ran from 1073 until 1085.

A heavy emphasis was traditionally laid upon fasting and other works of penance, further emphasised by the use of the liturgical colour purple, signifying both penance and by its royal connotations, the coming of Christ as our King. Today we often see a shift of emphasis from the more penitential origins of Advent to one focused upon ‘joyful expectation’. However, it would be wise for us to try and strike a balance in our own spiritual preparations as it is only in truly humbling ourselves before God, in full awareness of our sinful nature, that we can realise the importance of the coming of Christ the Redeemer in our lives.

Saints in Advent - St Andrew

In Germany, we have got lots of these St. Andrew’s crosses. When you go through the country, you can see these red and white crosses everywhere. This is not the expression of a great devotion of this apostle, but St. Andrew’s crosses indicate in my country that vehicles on rails have right of way and that you are approaching a level crossing.

Even if this road sign is not intended to have a religious meaning it can express two things. On the one hand we read in the Bible (Matthew 4:18-22) that after having been called by Jesus at the Sea of Galilee Andrew and his brother Peter follow the Lord immediately without thinking through what they are about to do. They must have felt the singularity of that moment. Now or never. So they lay everything aside and follow this man being unknown to them at that point. They must have felt that they had just encountered someone who is bigger than them, someone they have to “give right of way to”. As Christians, we are not the 'number one' in our life. There is someone else who should have priority. When you approach a level crossing, you must be careful to let an approaching train pass. So is it with God. You have to be careful not to miss him when he wants to call you.

On the other hand, the St. Andrew’s cross reminds us that a Christian life is not always a nice walk. The apostle Andrew himself was tortured to death on a cross like our Lord. Even if we don’t have to face being crucified, we are called to bear our cross. It can be quite difficult to live love and forgiveness when the people around us just reckon us as losers because of our way of life. It can be difficult to be at the service of others when people just think of their own interest. We don’t have to look for a cross. A Christian life taken seriously is often difficult enough so that one can ask oneself why such a life is worthwhile. When we dare to live as Christ showed us how to live, we will know the same experiences as he and Andrew because things have not changed since that time.

But our Lord’s and St. Andrew’s life also show us that this life is worth being lived. Like our Lord, Andrew’s life did not end shamefully on the cross. We believe him to be in the presence of our God who wants us also to “have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). That’s why we should give him right of way so that he can give us life in abundance.

Friars Go Down Fighting

The home team came out on top in a tight and tense encounter at St. Mary's. Two defensive errors from the visiting Blackfriars team allowed Oscott to net a goal in each half, much to disappointment of the Friars' supporters. The fluid wing-based Oscottian passing game met with the methodic safeguarding tactics of the Oxford-based friars, creating a white-knuckle confrontation that, whilst uncomfortable for fans, was a treat for the neutral.


Blackfriars' keeper Robert Verrill was kept busy but was solid between the sticks and was well supported by the Irish backline. By adopting a 1-2-3-1 formation the midfield became a battle ground, as the friars tried to stop the Oscott playmakers Pius Amoako and Henry Whisenant penetrating their half and utilising the speedy wingers Linh Ta Hanh Nguyen and Long Hoang Nguyen. After ten minutes of end to end action Oscott got their break and slipped one home.

The Friars came straight back at the home team with Crowe making numerous infiltrating runs into the opposition territory to play in the Altrincham kid, David Goodill, but bad luck and pressure from the home defence meant they failed to produce a goal. Pearson held the ball up well on the right wing and set up Welsh Wizard Bobby Gay with a fine ball that just missed the inside of the post.Tactical changes at half time did not bring the away team's deserved goal but Oscott's wing was tempered by Daniel 'muscles' Jeffries and the midfield was bolstered by the inclusion of no-nonsense centre-half David Barrins, who showed some nice passing and dribbling as well as a steel-like challenge. An Oscott counter-attack from a corner, in the dying seconds, resulted in their second goal just before the final whistle.

Although the play was intense, the game was an example of great sportsmanship and after the boots had been taken off, both teams met up in the college bar for beer and banter. The Blackfriars' students would like to thank the Seminarians for organising such an enjoyable day and we hope that there will be more to come. They should remember however that given the chance, the Dogs will bite back.

UPDATE: An alternative match report can be found here

Some more photographs from a very enjoyable visit to Oscott:

First Sunday of Advent - Endings and Beginnings

Readings: Jer 33:14-16, Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14, 1 Thes 3:12-4:2, Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

We start the story of the Church's New Year in a rather odd way. The story reads 'let's start at the very end', because we hear Jesus speaking about what will happen at the end of time. It doesn't make for cheery reading, and we would be forgiven for wanting a more celebratory start for a New Year. But, as the Gospel reminds us, this is no time for drunkenness. Instead we start with some sobering thoughts about what lies ahead.

Starting with the end is a very useful thing. Our lives are always full of goals, ambitions and destinations. They help to shape our lives and give them a sense of purpose. If we set out on a journey we need to know first what we might expect when we get to our destination. Then we can pack and make plans to suit that destination. There's no point taking thermals and a woolly hat if we are going to Barbados, for example. Also with the Christian life, it does us a lot of good to know about the end - that there will indeed be a final judgment. It helps us to know how we are to live our lives here and now in the present moment. We are to live our lives as people who are fully awake, fully alive, concerned about our salvation, wanting to be found worthy to be with our Lord in Glory.

With that in mind, the beginning of this New Year is a chance to take stock - to look back at the last year and think about the times when we were a bit drowsy, or of the times when we fell asleep altogether. Then we can draw lessons from those things which can help us to know how we can wake up and pay better attention to the good news that our 'redemption is at hand'.

Saturday Football

Oscott 2 - 0 Blackfriars, more later ...

ADVENT 2009

Godzdogz was launched on the First Sunday of Advent 2006, so this weekend marks the beginning of our fourth year. We are no longer a pup, therefore, but a fully grown beast. It is to be hoped however that we have kept some of the playfulness of those early days. Our aim is not to bite but to bark in a way that is clear and identifiable. We hope too that we have been worthy of the loyalty and fidelity of the many people who visit us each week.

As usual we will be offering a daily reflection between now and Christmas, on the readings or feast of the day, on aspects of Advent and its celebration, and on the characters of Advent who play a role in the history of our salvation, sometimes without even being aware of it.

We wish you a blessed and joyful celebration of this beautiful season and we ask you to keep us in your prayers so that we may be ready to greet Our Lord when He comes.

You believe that the Son of God once came to us; you look for him to come again. May his coming bring you the light of his holiness and his blessing bring you freedom. Amen.

Young Dominicans in Cairo

From 31^st June to 16^th July, eighteen young English-speaking Dominicans, both students and young priests from all over the world met in Cairo, Egypt for a workshop on Islam. The Master of the Order was represented by Fr Prakash Lohale, the Socius for Apostolic Life. The conference was organised by Fr Jean-Jacques Pérennès, the Order's Vicar for the Middle East and IDEO, the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies. IDEO is a project of the international Order and is mostly staffed by brothers from the Province of France.

The Province of France opened the priory in Cairo in 1928, intending it to be an extension of the Ecole Biblique, the prestigious centre for Biblical Studies in Jerusalem, but international events prevented this plan from being realised. In 1937 the friars decided to use the priory as a centre where they could study Islamic religion and culture, since Al Azhar, one of the most prestigious universities in the Islamic world is located in Cairo and Egyptian culture is also highly regarded in the Middle East. The inspiration of Fr. Georges Anawati O.P. and the other founding friars was that the approach should be non-polemical, for as they looked around the Church they could see that there were many groups that sought to convert Muslims, but none that sought to understand Islam better. They felt that only a centre that did not seek to produce polemics against Islam could come to an in-depth understanding that would be taken seriously in the world of Oriental scholarship. Fr. Anawati’s vision was affirmed by the Second Vatican Council in its document on non-Christian religions, Nostra Aetate (In our Age), a document that proclaimed a much more positive view of Islam as a monotheistic religion than had previously been the case.

As our world faces the threat of terrorists who would attempt to use the teachings of Islam to justify their horrific acts of violence against innocent civilians, the approach pioneered by IDEO, of seeking better to understand Islam as the religion that gives spiritual nourishment to over 1.5 billion people, has never been more necessary. This was the message that the IDEO members and their many Muslim friends in Cairo were keen to get across to us new arrivals to the Islamic world.

As I stepped out of the airport into 42C it was immediately clear that I was in a very different environment from the UK. The intensity of the daytime heat meant that the busiest time on the roads and in the street, by far was the night. This made for a noisy nighttime, as a seemingly endless stream of cars and lorries rattled past the Priory, cheerfully hooting to each other as they went by. As I walked the short distance to the Priory from the guesthouse in my habit, I was struck by how friendly and welcoming were the people I encountered on the street, often saying good morning, clearly totally unphased by my Christian garb. That Christians and Muslims are able to live together in relative harmony in Egypt is something that I think I can say impressed all of us who were first-time visitors to the country. I shouldn't have been surprised, however, as I came to discover that in fact there are approximately 12 million Christians in Egypt, 95% of whom are Copts.

The days in Cairo were structured so as to give us maximum exposure to the Islamic world. The mornings were spent visiting religious and cultural sites such as important and historic mosques, Al Azhar University and places of interest like the Pyramids! The afternoons were the academic side and consisted of two lectures with a short break in the middle. We were fortunate enough to be taught by experts in fields as diverse as Quranic textual criticism, Sharia Law and the socio-political state of Egypt. The lectures also included presentations given by Msgr. Antonios Naguib, the Catholic Coptic Patriarch and Msgr. Michael Fitzgerald, the Apostolic Nuncio to Egypt. This was our program for two weeks and it was followed by three days visiting the Red Sea and Mt Sinai. At Sinai we visited the breathtaking St. Catherine's Monastery.

Having spent 17 days in an Islamic milieu, I came away feeling that I had for the first time a grasp of what Islam was really like, at least in one Islamic country. This was the first time that the IDEO centre has ever organised a conference like this and I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn about and experience Islam first hand, it is an experience that I'm sure will be extremely useful in my Dominican life.

The photo above is used with the kind permission of our brothers in the Province of St. Joseph.

Celebrating Priesthood - Father Augustine Tolton

On 20th January 2009 Barack Obama was sworn into office as the 44th President of the United States of America (although the Chief Justice flubbed the wording and it had to be repeated). The election of an African-American to the highest political position in the land, if not the world, is the pinnacle of the story of a people that had been in slavery less than one-hundred and fifty years before and could be treated as second-class citizens only 41 years before. The barriers broken by the former Senator for Illinois are immense but he is not the first ground breaking African-American to rise to prominence from the Prairie State. In 1886, at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, a young man who had been born a slave was ordained a priest. His name was Augustine Tolton and he was the first black Roman Catholic priest in the United States.

Augustine, named after the great African Bishop and Doctor of the Church, was born in Missouri in 1856. His parents were slaves, therefore Augustine was also the 'property' of their master. The Toltons' master, Stephen Elliot, was a Catholic and his wife stood as Godmother for Augustine at his baptism. When the southern states seceded from the Union, Missouri declared itself neutral in the civil war which followed. Nevertheless, Augustine's father escaped to join the Union army and his mother escaped later, with the Tolton children, across the Mississippi into the city of Quincy in the free state of Illinois, where they found work in the cigar factory.

Whilst in Quincy an Irish Priest, Father Peter McGirr, befriended the Toltons and arranged or the children to attend. St. Peter’s parochial school. Racial biases still ran strong during the Civil War era, and his going to this school caused controversy among those in the parish. This prejudice was further stoked up when Augustine began to serve mass in the Parish. Despite the backlash Fr McGirr, sensing Augustine's vocational call, encouraged him to finish his education and arranged for him to attend the Franciscan-run local college. In spite of adversity and racism, Augustine finished school and graduated from Quincy College.

As he prepared to enter the priesthood, it became clear that the racial barriers still existed. Every single American seminary rejected him as a student, even the one that trained priests to minister to the black community! Fr McGirr continued to help him and arranged for him to study in Rome. He attended the prestigious Pontifical Urbaniana University and became fluent in Italian, as well as studying Latin and Greek. Augustine had expected to serve in an African mission but was informed shortly after his ordination that his mission would be to “negroes in the United States.”

He returned to Quincy and was appointed to serve at St. Joseph's Negro Church. He was such an articulate and intelligent preacher that many people, both white and black, were soon flocking to the parish and this caused great controversy. He met hostility from both white Catholics, of mainly German stock, and Protestant blacks, who did not want him trying to convert parishioners to another denomination. The new dean of the parish, who wanted him to turn away white worshippers, complained, and Augustine, not wanting to be a source of disunity within the Church in the city, asked to be moved.

After reassignment to Chicago, Fr Tolton first led a mission society, St. Augustine's, that met in the basement of St. Mary's Church. He led the development and administration of the Negro "national parish" of St. Monica's Catholic Church. Fr Tolton's success at ministering to black Catholics quickly earned him national attention. "Good Father Gus", as he was called by many, was known for his "eloquent sermons, his beautiful singing voice and his talent for playing the accordion".

Augustine began to be plagued by bouts of ill-health in 1893. He collapsed and died as a result of a heat wave in Chicago in 1897, at the age of 43. He was buried in Quincy, in the priests' cemetery at St. Peter's Catholic Church, where the seeds of his vocation had been sown. Alas the racist attitudes of people followed him to the grave and his burial in a "white" graveyard raised eyebrows. It has been suggested that Augustine is inaccurately credited with being the first Catholic priest of African-American descent, due to the ordinations of the mixed-race Healy brothers. Much of the debate centres on the cultural and racial identification issues, which I feel unqualified to comment on but one thing is certain: Augustine Tolton was the first Catholic Priest in the United States to identify and be identified openly as an African-American. He demonstrates that God calls who He calls to the priesthood, regardless of race, background or the dominant social sensibilities of the time. His witness, ministry and preaching was a milestone in race relations both in the United States and the Church.

Remembering ... Bishop Justin Field OP (1899-1969)

James Field was born near Cheltenham in 1899, and, much to his parents' distress, was received into the Catholic Church at the age of 16. Four years later, he entered the Dominican novitiate at Woodchester, taking the name Justin: he made his profession in 1921. By the time he was ordained a priest in 1926, both his parents had followed him into the Catholic Church.

Following the completion of his studies in 1928, he was sent to Newcastle to work on the parish: here he was able to put to use his great musical talent, playing the organ and direct the choir, which enjoyed considerable renown in the North East of England. On account of such musical skill, Bishop Felix Couturier OP, another English Dominican who became bishop of Alexandria in Canada, the following year asked the Provincial to send Fr Justin to Canada to serve as his private secretary and assist him in improving the standard of liturgy in his diocese. During this time, Fr Justin published a book encouraging the use of plainsong in parishes.

After two years in Canada, Fr Justin was sent to the Province's mission in Grenada, where he was to spend the rest of his life. He developed a great loyalty to the island and its people, and it was fitting that, when the Diocese of St George's, Grenada, was founded in 1957, he should be appointed its first bishop. He received episcopal consecration from Archbishop Finbar Ryan OP, the Archbishop of Port of Spain (Trinidad), where the Irish Dominicans had a mission.

During the following twelve years, the newly founded diocese saw great progress, led by Bishop Justin in his unwavering ambition to spread the Gospel in the island.

He died as he had wished on 4th August (then kept as St Dominic's day) in 1969, aged 70. He was professed 48 years, a priest 42 years, and a bishop 12 years: he was buried in his cathedral in St George's.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God,

rest in Peace.

Amen.

Countdown to Oscott: Bring It On!

Our last video seems to have put the pressure on Oscott but we are not going to resort to mind games and just keep up our regime of prayer, practice, training and tactics. We'll do our talking on the pitch ...



However we have no comment to make on the rumours that the Master of Students was seen in East Anglia, in mufti, over the weekend.

Almighty Questions ... and Answers

The Edinburgh Catholic Chaplaincy blog is open again to anybody who wants to 'corner a cleric' and put a question. See what it is about at

http://almightyanswers.blogspot.com/

We are told by Father Bruno Clifton, assistant chaplain, that people can also email questions to

almighty.answers@gmail.com

Feast of Christ the King

A Feast called Christ the King might make us a bit wary. Kingship is about authority and power, two things that we have every reason to be a little uncomfortable with. We don’t have to look too far to be reminded that power and authority are things which can be easily abused. I’m sure all of us have had some personal experience of this. The workplace, the home and the religious community can easily become battlegrounds where people jostle for position. But Kingship is essential to understanding Jesus, and we need to bite the bullet, be brave and ask what it’s all about.

To start, we might wonder why the exercise of power and authority can go so wrong. I suppose power is a difficult thing to manage. If we have a sense of power over someone else, it can change our behaviour towards them. If we aren’t careful, power can be used as a way to manipulate others so they do what we want them to do, so we can get to where we want to be in life. It’s no surprise that when we do this, we rarely pick on someone our own size, because a person who is a match for us is not going to give in easily. Power struggles are often a denial of our own weakness: No-one wants to be at the bottom of the pile, because that’s the place of the nobody. So we compare ourselves to others, and find some weakness in them. Perhaps they are not as clever or popular or normal as us. If we can find a weakness in someone else that we don’t have, then we can feel better about ourselves. Then we have somewhere comfortable to stand, a rung or two away from the bottom of the ladder. But this kind of power over others is simply bullying, and the bully’s hold over someone is just a way of masking doubts, fears and insecurities.

One of the ways which power over others can be kept in check is through proper authority. But authority is not a simple matter either. We can’t just decide for ourselves that we are in charge of others. If we do this, we will quickly be asked; ‘Who are you to tell me what to do’- the answer is usually ‘nobody!’ Proper authority is something which is given. And it usually comes with a long list of duties and responsibilities for building up the common good. Authority is never simply a show of power and strength for its own sake.

In today’s Gospel we have a stark contrast between Jesus and Pilate. Pilate is the Governor of Judea, given the authority and power to act for the good of the Roman Empire, something which was often at odds with the good of the majority. And we can see that he exercises that office with little concern for justice or for the importance of truth. He finds no fault with Jesus, yet he will not save his life, even though he should. He is insecure, weak, and unjust.

When he’s questioned by Pilate, Jesus doesn’t deny his kingship. But he wants to make something very clear. He says that his kingship is not ‘of the world’ or ‘from the world’. It’s not ‘of the world’ because it is not about territory and politics. And it is not from the world, because Jesus’ kingship has real authority which comes from the Father. He has a heavenly mandate. And throughout the whole Gospel, we can see the thread of this kingship revealed by what he says and what he does. He doesn’t rule by oppression and tyranny, or provide a macho show of strength. What he does is bear witness to the truth. And this is the truth: that God is love, that God reaches out to save us: save us from our pettiness, our insecurities, our divisiveness and our wrongdoing.

The King’s throne is always a symbol of his authority and power. But in this too Jesus turns the normal world order on its head. His enthronement is on Calvary, when he’s lifted up on the throne of the Cross. In his pain, his nakedness and his vulnerability, he reveals the depth of God’s love. He’s shown as a king who doesn’t exploit the weakness and frailty that weighs us down. Instead, he makes these things his own: he shares in our vulnerability, and then lifts us up through it. His enthronement and death on the Cross is the highpoint of history, a highpoint which is not announced with great fanfares or show, but with the simple words - ‘it is finished’.

Christ’s kingship is a crucial doctrine. It reveals to us who Jesus is and what he achieves for us. And it helps us to realise that we don’t stand over and above others, but with others. We all have our frailties and our failings. And when we recognise this, we can stop playing our exhausting little games. Through Christ, we can accept our vulnerability, and in that vulnerability ask him to transform us through the love which only he has the power to give.

The Pope Commends Godzdogz

Well not exactly...

speaking at the recent meeting of the Pontifical Council of Social Communication Benedict XVI, who is the first pontiff to be proficient in surfing the net and using email, commended the work of Catholics on the Internet:

A genuine revolution is taking place in the realm of social communications of which the Church is ever more responsibly conscious ... These technologies make speech and penetrating communications possible, with a capacity to share ideas and opinions, to facilitate acquiring information and news in a personal way that is accessible to all.

The Holy Father went on the call on Catholics using digital media to promote:

A culture of respect for the dignity and value of the person ... In this way, the Church exercises what we could describe as a 'diakonia of culture' in the present 'digital continent,' traversing its paths to proclaim the gospel, the Word that can save man.

Whilst Godzdogz was not singled out by Pope Benedict we hope that our preaching, through this blog, promotes the culture he speaks of. The growth of the web apostolate in the Church over the last decade has been amazing. There are hundreds of Christian men, women and groups bearing digital witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ and we hope and pray that they continue to do so and continue to grow.

Saints This Month-23 November: Pope St. Clement

Pope St. Clement was the third successor of St. Peter and the first of the Apostolic Fathers. He was one of the leading figures in the first-century Roman Church and Tertullian claims that he was ordained by St. Peter himself. We know very little about St. Clement but many writings have been attributed to him. The only verified existing text is The First Epistle of Clement. In this letter to the troubled Church in Corinth, he asserts the apostolic authority of the bishops/presbyters over the Church. He also refers to the Old Testament as scripture and recommends that the Church in Corinth "take up the epistle of the blessed Paul the Apostle". This letter has also been seen as the first documentary evidence of Roman Primacy.

Clement is included in the Roman Canon (the first Eucharistic prayer) and tradition has asserted that Clement was mentioned by Paul in Philippians as a "fellow labourer in Christ". During the reign of the Emperor Trajan, Clement was banished from Rome to the Chersonesus in Greece and set to work on a stone quarry. Legend has it that while there he was the first person to refine iron ore and shoe a horse. Soon after arriving Clement found that the prisoners were suffering from lack of water. He knelt down in prayer and looking up, saw a lamb on a hill, went to where the lamb had stood and struck the ground with his pickaxe, releasing a gushing stream of clear water. This miracle resulted in the conversion to Christianity of large numbers of the local pagans and of his fellow prisoners. As punishment, Clement was martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown from a boat into the Black Sea. A year or two before his own death in 869, Saint Cyril brought to Rome what he believed to be the relics of Saint Clement, bones he found in the Crimea buried with an anchor on dry land. They were enshrined in the Basilica di San Clemente, a church already mentioned by St Jerome. (Incidentally this Basilica has been in the care of the Irish Dominicans since 1667, when the English outlawed the Church in Ireland and the Irish Dominicans found refuge in various parts of Europe including Rome.)

Clement's time on the quarry has made him the patron saint of metal workers andblacksmiths. Traditionally in England, these workers celebrated his feast with "Old Clem" night feasts. The night began with the ritual "firing of the anvil". The appointed smith packed gunpowder into a small hole in an anvil, and then struck it soundly with a hammer, causing a small explosion. Anvil firing was also a test of the anvil’s durability: weak anvils would break under pressure, and had to be melted down and recast. The smith, or apprentice, dressed up in wig, mask and cloak to represent ‘Old Clem’ then led a procession of smiths through the streets, stopping at taverns along the way. This custom survived the reformation but died out in the twentieth century. However some rural parishes try to keep some of the old customs alive. The Cross of St.Clement or the Mariners Cross is also a reminder of this great Pope and Saint.

A Playlist for the Feast of St. Cecilia

Music is great gift from God that brings a wide range of emotional responses. Humanity's ability to make, perform and listen to music is one of the obvious distinctions between us and the animal world. I have always found that the natural musical attributes of humanity point to the essential truth that all of humanity is created in the image of God and therefore shares a common bond. The power of music to cross cultural, linguistic and stylistic boundaries is constantly seen: certain chords will always bring tears; certain melodies will stick in the head of any listener; and the timbre of many instruments will send shivers down the spine.

In celebration of the feast of St. Cecilia, the patron Saint of musicians; the Godzdogz team have compiled a playlist , made up of each brother's three favourite pieces of music and two bonus tracks. The spectrum of musical taste (or 'lack of' depending on your opinion) ranges from the ancient chant of the Russian Orthodox Church to 21st century electro-pop revival; from smooth jazz classics to London-Irish folk-infused punk; and from Cool Britannia rock to Classical era opera.

The playlist is best heard on Spotify, the Scandinavian music-streaming service but because they have changed their access policy of late, it can also be heard on YouTube. Please click on your preferred link below and enjoy!

Year of the Priest - Polish Friar Honoured

Armistice Day is also the day that the Polish nation commemorates the anniversary of Poland's assumption of independent statehood in 1918, after 123 years of partition by Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia. This year the square in front of St. Giles Church in Krakow was dedicated in honor of fr. Adam Studzinski, O.P., a late friar of the Polish Province.

Born in 1911, fr. Adam was ordained in 1937 and served as a chaplain to the Polish Army during the Second World War, first in Palestine and then in the Italian campaign, including the infamous Battle of Monte Cassino. His courage and service led to him being awarded several Polish and British state and military honours, including the Cross of Valour, the Virtuti Militari, Cross of Merit with Swords, and the Commander's Cross of the Order of Reborn Poland.

After the War he returned to Krakow and coordinated the renovations of the Dominican monastery and St. Giles Catholic Church. During the years he remained active in veterans' organizations and in Polish scouting. In 2006, he was promoted to the rank of general in the Polish Army. Fr. Adam died in 2008 at the age of 97. H/T to our brothers in the Province of St. Joseph

Adam Studzinski O.P. (1911-2008)

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God,

rest in peace,

Amen.

Remembering ... fr Bernard Delany OP (1890 - 1959)

fr Bernard Delaney was baptised Francis Kieran and was born in London on the feast of the Epiphany in 1890. Like those wise men who came in search of Christ, he spent his life in "quiet, unflagging resolution" in his quest for Truth, for which the Order of Preachers is famed. As he wrote in 1920 concerning the work of the Order: "The divine truths contained in the treasury of Christ's Church and their bearing on men and things will be our primary concern". He was also noted for being gifted with wisdom. After all, this talented man, who was professed in 1908 at Woodchester, was entrusted with much by his brothers in his 50 years in the Order.

After his ordination in 1914, he served first as a military chaplain in France during the First World War, where he "went through all the horrors of the trenches", and was later sought out by men of all ranks with whom he had served. After the war, he graduated with a B.Litt. from Oxford University in 1924 and he so distinguished himself in medieval studies that his academic supervisor lamented his not being allowed to make medieval studies his life's work!

Between these two milestones - one pastoral and the other academic - he was appointed the first editor of the journal of the English Dominicans, Blackfriars, in 1920. According to John-Baptist Reeves OP, he was chosen by fr Bede Jarrett OP for this position because of the "conformity of his life to the Rule of St Augustine and the ascetic discipline of the Dominican constitution". And this way of life also led to years of faithful service as a superior, which he accomplished with admirable humility. It was thus said that "he never expected good of himself or praise from others" and "he was too humble already" to be discouraged by humiliations or failure. During his time as editor of Blackfriars, he won the admiration of such writers as Hilaire Belloc, G. K. Chesterton and Ronald Knox and set the journal on a sound and respectable footing.

His "exemplary Dominican life" was also appreciated by the brothers, for in 1927, he was elected Prior of Hawkesyard but was later moved to Oxford by the vicar of the Order who on 28 May 1929 appointed him the first prior of the Priory of the Holy Spirit in Oxford. On the left is a photo from the opening Mass in the new priory church in that year. Given the importance of this re-foundation for the Order and the Church, his appointment was a sign of the confidence which the brethren had in him, and this was confirmed by his election as Prior Provincial of the English Province in 1932 just months after his election to a second term as Prior of Oxford. fr Bernard served as Provincial for ten years during which time the Dominican house at Cambridge was re-established. Subsequent to his time as Provincial he was elected Prior of London and later served as superior in Cambridge and Edinburgh.

In 1951, he went out to South Africa - then a vicariate of the English Province - to serve as chaplain to the Dominican sisters at King William's Town. He did this until 1954 when he was appointed student master at Stellenbosch. He returned to England in 1958 for the Provincial Chapter but fell seriously ill. He endured a long sickness with admirable patience, and it is reported that when he was told he was dying "he was for a moment incredulous. Then at once his spirits rose and remained high [for] he was no longer responsible for anyone or anything in this world"! He died in London on 7 February 1959 and he is buried in Woodchester (shown on the right).

Perhaps on account of the burden of office and responsibility, which he was never without throughout his Dominican life, it was said that fr Bernard, "often seemed a victim to his moods", perhaps prone to "the pessimism of world-weary old age" and "low spirits". Nevertheless, fr John-Baptist, his biographer, writes that "deep in his heart there was a perennial spring of happiness, a firm and undaunted moral resolution, a sensitive affection for his fellows, men, women and especially children; a keen sympathy with suffering; a horror of sin; a genuine poetic vein; a frolicsome spirit of fun. Those seniors and contemporaries who were intimate with him were aware of all this".

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
And may our brother, Bernard, who laboured in the vineyard of the Lord, rest in the light, happiness and peace of Christ.

Countdown to Oscott: Training Day

Celebrating Priesthood in Fiction - The Priests of Craggy Island

When my sister found out that I had applied to join the Order; she took me aside and very seriously looked me in the eye and said, "It is not going to be like Father Ted ... you do realise that don't you?" I don't know if this says more about me or about her.

Father Ted, although consisting of only 25 episodes, is without doubt one of the greatest sitcoms ever performed. The show depicts the surreal, strange, madcap and just plain silly exploits of three Catholic priests, Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal Maguire and the retired Father Jack Hackett, who serve a parish on a fictional remote island off the west coast of Ireland. This troublesome trio have been exiled by the tyrannical Bishop Len Brennan, because of embarrassing incidents in their past: Ted for alleged financial impropriety (but to be fair the Lourdes money was only resting in his account), Dougal for something only referred to as the "Blackrock Incident", and Jack for his alcoholism. It is fair to say that none of the occupants of the Craggy Island parochial house are models for priesthood. Nevertheless they carry out their duties to the best of their limited ability.

Father Ted could be classified as a parody of Irish clerical culture but it never takes itself too seriously. It is not a tool for bashing the church. It is very much in the vein of its co-creator Graham Linehan's other works. One of the central themes of Black Books, The I.T. Crowd, Big Train and Father Ted is creating a surreal and zany world around what would normally be a serious or dry scenario. Whilst at times Father Ted may be irreverent to a bishop or poke fun at nuns, it does so in a friendly and affectionate way, rather than the nasty mocking humour of something like Popetown. If anything, Father Ted only points out how people in general, not only within the Church, can be so foolish in their desires for money, fame and sex. One of the most positive aspects of Father Ted is how it humanises the clergy, although at times in a greatly exaggerated way.

One of the funniest elements of Father Ted is the array of eccentric priests we encounter, such as the monkey priest, the mobile phone carrying Larry Duff, the dancing priest, and Graham Norton as youth worker Father Noel Furlong. This dysfunctional family of priests reflects a great reality: the common brotherhood of all priests.Whilst they are very different as individuals, all priests share the common character and duty bestowed by the sacrament of Holy Orders. As in Father Ted, they form a community and can support and encourage each other in their vocation. The clerical subculture portrayed in Father Ted is shown in a good light but it does remind priests and religious not to be inward looking and to remember that we are here to serve the Church, not just to take part in the Eurovision song contest!

In the UK you can view full episodes free and legally here. Go on watch a few ... ah go on ... just a little episode ... go on... ah go on ... go on ... go on ... GO ON!

Saints This Month - 16 November: St Lucia Brocadelli of Narni

A few years ago I was on a retreat at a monastery where the martyrology was read in Latin during lunch. On my second day there one of the names read was Lucia De Narnia, which resulted, due to my appreciation of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles, in me choking on my leek and potato soup! Saint Lucy, of course, did not hail from the mythical land Narnia but from Narni, a town in Umbria, Italy. My confusion however is not just a question of falling foul of a homonym. It has been suggested that this saint was a source of inspiration for Lewis and that the character Lucy, a girl that believes and can see many things that other people cannot see, is a tribute to this Dominican saint.

For Lucia had many visions and they began at an early age. When she was only five years old, she had a vision of the Virgin Mary. Two years later, she had another vision, this time of the Virgin Mary accompanied by Saint Dominic. Dominic is said to have given her the scapular at this time. When she was twelve years old, Lucy made a private vow of chastity, and determined to become a Dominican nun but her path to the cloister was certainly not easy.

Her father died when she was thirteen and she was entrusted to the care of an uncle. This uncle determined that the best course of action would be to get Lucia married as quickly as possible.He made several attempts to do so. One of these included holding a large family party. He had invited to the party the man he had chosen as Lucia's husband, with the intention of having the couple publicly betrothed. However he had not informed Lucia of his intentions. The suitor made an attempt to put a ring on her finger, only to be slapped repeatedly for his efforts by Lucia.

Later, Count Pietro de Alessio of Milan began to seek the hand of Lucia. She was rather taken by him but felt her earlier vow to become a nun did not allow her to enter into a marriage. She then had a vision of the Virgin, St Dominic and St Catherine in which they advised Lucia to contract a legal marriage to Pietro, but to explain that her vow of virginity would have to be respected and not violated. Pietro agreed to the terms, and the marriage was formalized.

As the new mistress of the Count's household Lucia had to manage many servants and a busy social calendar. She however made a great effort to instruct the servants in the faith and carry out acts of charity for the poor. The servants claimed that SS Catherine, Agnes, and Agnes of Montepulciano helped her make the bread she gave to the hungry. Her quirks became too much for her husband and he had her locked away for the bulk of one Lenten season. She was only visited by servants who brought her food. When Easter arrived, however, she managed to escape from Pietro back to her mother's house and on May 8 1494 she became a Dominican tertiary. Pietro expressed his disapproval of this in a rather dramatic form, by burning down the monastery of the Prior who had given her the habit!

The following year she joined a house of Dominican tertiaries in Rome and was then sent by her superiors to Viterbo. During her time here she received the stigmata. Lucia did her best to hide these marks but was frequently in spiritual ecstasy. This resulted in a steady stream of visitors who came to speak to, and often just look at her. The other nuns became concerned about her, and at one point called in the local bishop who watched Lucia go through the drama of the Passion for twelve hours straight. The bishop would not make a decision on Lucia and called in the local Inquisition who found no case against her. Her husband came to make a final plea with her to return to him but she declined and he finally accepted her will. He himself would later enter the Franciscan order and become a renowned preacher.

Lucia however was still at the centre of conflict. The Duke of Ferrara, Ercole d'Este I, was determined to build a convent in Ferrara and was determined that Lucia would be its prioress. In the summer of 1497 he invited her to be the founder of this new monastery. Lucia, the Dominican order, and the Pope all agreed quickly to the new proposal. The municipal council of Viterbo, however, objected, not wanting to lose Lucia. Lucia had already been praying for some time for a way to create a new convent of strict observance and agreed to go to the new convent but once again this would not be an easy ride.

On April 15 1499 Lucia escaped secretly from Viterbo and was officially received in Ferrara on May 7 1499. Thirteen young girls immediately applied for admission to her new community. The Duke petitioned the local bishop for some help for Lucia in governing her new community and he sent ten nuns from another community to join Lucia's convent. Unfortunately, these ten nuns were members of the Dominican second order, who were canonically permitted to wear black veils, something Lucia and the members of the Dominican third order community were not allowed to do. Tensions were heightened when one of these veiled outsiders, Sister Maria da Parma, was made the prioress of the convent on September 2 1503.

When Duke Ercole died on January 24 1505, the new prioress quickly found Lucia to be guilty of some unrecorded transgression, most probably of support for Savonarola's Church reform, and placed her on a strict penance. Lucia was not allowed to speak to any person but her confessor, who was chosen by the prioress. The local provincial of the Dominican order would also not permit any member of the order to see Lucia. There are records that at least one Dominican, Catherine of Racconigi, did visit her, evidently by bilocation, and that Lucia's earlier visits from departed saints continued. In response to Lucia's insistent prayer, her stigmata eventually disappeared, which caused some of the other nuns to question whether they had ever been there at all. When Lucia finally died in 1544, many people were surprised to realise that she had not died years earlier.

Suddenly everything changed. When her body was laid out for burial so many people wanted to pay their last respects that her funeral had to be delayed for three days. Her tomb in the monastery church was opened four years later and her perfectly preserved body was transferred to a glass case. When Napoleon suppressed her monastery in 1797 the body was transferred, first to the cathedral of Ferrara and, on May 26 1935, to the cathedral of Narni. Lucia was beatified by Pope Clement XI in 1710.

In the News

An article by our Brother, Fr. Leon Pereira, the Prior of the Priory of the Holy Cross in Leicester, has been featured; at the request of Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, O.P., the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,on the superb website of our brothers in the Province of St. Joseph. Read it here.

fr. Lawrence Lew is also featured in this week's Catholic Herald. With the Pope meeting over 250 cultural figures later this month, fr. Lawrence and eleven other Catholic artists were asked Can the Church win over the art world?

Footballing Friars aim to Sink Seminarians ...

The gauntlet has been thrown down.

The seminarians of St. Mary's College, Oscott, have challenged the student brothers of Blackfriars Oxford to a football match. It will take place on 28th November. Needless to say, the challenge was accepted, and some training sessions rather hastily arranged ...

We will keep you informed during the build up (without revealing any of the secrets of the training camp, of course). It promises to be a keenly fought encounter ...

Our span is seventy years...

On the 5th of November, as the fireworks and bonfires blazed around Oxford, the Blackfriars community was also celebrating. It was not the events of 1605 that we remembered, however, but rather another great event, in 1939. We were celebrating the 70th birthday of our brother, David Sanders.

Coincidentally, the psalm appointed for Vespers that evening was Psalm 131: 'O Lord, remember David and all the many hardships he endured...', and at Matins we had sung that 'our span is seventy years or eighty for those who are strong'. With this in mind, we raised our glasses to fr David, and wished him many more years of joyful service in the Order, despite all the hardships he may yet have to endure!

l. to r.: fr David Sanders, fr Vivian Boland, Professor Edmund Pellegrino (who was in Blackfriars to lecture the following day on Catholic bioethics), and fr Richard Conrad

Remembering ... Br Frederick Peter Canisius Fewell (1902-1989)

Br. Peter was a co-operator Brother who put his passion for liturgy as well as his professional skills to good use during his life as a Dominican.

Originally from Cardiff where he was by trade a cabinet maker, he followed his mother to Bournemouth and there became Master of Ceremonies at the Jesuit Church. It was there, ironically, that he first came in contact with the Dominicans. The great Provincial of the English Province, Fr. Bede Jarrett OP (pictured right), was invited by the Jesuits to come to the church and preach, and perhaps inspired by this man's words the young Peter Fewell later applied to join the Order. He received the habit in 1926 at Woodchester and made his profession one year later.

When his formation was complete he was assigned to Blackfriars, Oxford where he busied himself with making furniture for the still relatively new priory. The two vestment presses found in the sacristy are his handiwork, as well as a number of other items that are dotted around the house. In 1930 he was moved to St. Dominic's Priory in London (the priory Church is pictured left) where he was made Head Sacristan. During this time he organized a vast number of altar servers into a crack altar servers guild, and he carefully trained them in all the intricacies of the Dominican rite. Later he became Refectorian and then Porter at St. Dominic's, the first point of contact between the priory and the outside world. For much of his life he had a great desire to join the missions and on one occasion was packed, toolkit and all, ready to leave for South Africa. At the last minute his superiors changed their minds and, much to his disappointment, he was refused permission to depart.

Br. Peter was a private but kind man, a rock of support for his bretheen during the difficult years of change following the Second Vatican Council. At the age of 82, with his health failing, he was moved back to Oxford so that he could be better cared for by his brothers. He died on the 20th August 1989 aged 86, 62 years after his profession.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God,

rest in peace,

Amen.

Pope's Power Grab?

Since the Vatican announced that an Apostolic Constitution would be forthcoming from Pope Benedict XVI that would allow Anglicans to enter corporately into full communion with the Catholic Church, while maintaining some of their legitimate liturgical rites and traditions, there have been many reactions, some positive and others decidedly less so. In particular, a number of commentators in the secular press and their religious correspondents seem unable to look at the issue in a way that is not drawn from the contemporary business model and power politics. Consequently, a prominent weekly referred to the "Pope's power grab", others looked at it as a "take-over bid", and still others said that the Pope was "poaching" from the Anglican communion. Allied to the secular press were other religious commentators like Fr Hans Küng, who said that the "Vatican thirst for power divides Christianity and damages Catholicism".

However, I am reminded of something my brother, Timothy Radcliffe OP has said: that the corporate business model is not helpful in understanding issues concerning charity and communion. One also recalls those apostles like Simon the Zealot or Judas Iscariot who misinterpreted Jesus' presence among them and regarded his saving actions in terms of power, politics, and pecuniary gain. So, perhaps we ought not to be too swift to blame those today who still do not understand what the Church, Christ's Body, is about. But at least the Vicar of Christ, Pope Benedict, stands in good company with his Master.

For it is the Master's mission of unity, given to his servant St Peter, that Pope Benedict is acutely aware of having taken on. In his first message to the Cardinal-Electors on the day of his election on 20 April 2005, he said: "With full awareness, therefore, at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome which Peter bathed in his blood, Peter's current Successor takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers. This is his ambition, his impelling duty. He is aware that good intentions do not suffice for this. Concrete gestures that enter hearts and stir consciences are essential, inspiring in everyone that inner conversion that is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress."

What is Joseph Ratzinger's attitude towards ecumenism? In 1995 he said: "Divisions within the Church... consist of a split in the confession of faith, the creed, and in the administration of the sacraments themselves; all other differences do not ultimately count: there can be no objection to them; they do not divide us in the heart of the Church. Division within that central sphere, on the other hand, threatens the real reason for the Church's existence, her very being... [Therefore] a tolerance for different things had to be aroused, not founded on indifference concerning the truth, but on the distinction between truth and mere human tradition."

With this in mind, we have seen this pope take remarkable steps, but often with much criticism both from within and without the Catholic Church, to restore the full and visible unity of the Church, which (as Vatican II teaches) is "in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race". This is not just some spiritual unity then, but it is concrete and real, so that one can point to a community gathered together around the Lord and his servant of unity, and say that there is found Christ's one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. For again, as Vatican II said, "division [among Christians, by which each group differs in mind and goes their separate ways] openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature." It is this scandal of division that the Pope, as a true pastor and servant of unity, seeks to heal. As he said in another context, namely, his letter to the Catholic bishops when he issued his motu proprio 'Summorum Pontificum', which was directed to healing the rift with Catholic 'traditionalist' groups: "Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the centuries have rent the Body of Christ, one continually has the impression that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church’s leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to enable all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew."

The Holy Father is entirely consistent and obedient to the mission given to him by God in making every effort to reach out to those who seek unity with him as the Church's central sign of unity. Moreover, it needs to be noted that in the current case, it was certain Anglican groups who had first reached out and asked the Pope to help them to achieve corporate unity with the Catholic Church. Thus, he was responding to their needs, and by no means 'poaching' or taking advantage of the Anglican communion's embattled and tested unity. Joseph Ratzinger is well-known, even among those who do not like him, as someone who listens carefully, intelligently and attentively to the points made to him by his interlocutors. As such, he presents to us a model of dialogue, for he is clear about his own position, listens fairly to the positions and needs of his dialogue partners, and does the utmost to meet their requests and to be accommodating without damaging his own position. His own position, incidentally, is not one that he fashions in his own image, but rather one which he receives from Scripture and Tradition, so that, as his motto puts it, he may be a co-worker with the Truth, who is Jesus Christ.

Putting Christ at the centre of our concerns and goals is the way to advance in ecumenism, and this requires change for all Christians. As Vatican II said: "There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart. All the faithful should remember that the more effort they make to live holier lives according to the Gospel, the better will they further Christian unity and put it into practice." The complaint made by those who seek union with the Catholic Church is that other ecclesial communities have strayed further from the Gospel and the Tradition which comes to us from the apostles. If this is so, then they are right to follow their consciences and to seek unity with the successor of St Peter who is the Rock on which the Catholic faith is built. In doing so, one expects that they are seeking to live holier lives, to come closer to Christ and the Ecclesial unity he desired, and they are taking practical steps in securing that unity.

With this in mind, we can hopefully see why talk of power, or Fr Küng's cynical retort that the pope is trying to "fill up the dwindling ranks of the Catholic church" is woefully mistaken. It also shows how they, like the apostles before the Resurrection, seem to misunderstand Christ's (and His Church's) purpose and mission. For the pope is not interested in power, statistics, or the religious market-share. He is interested in the truth, in the good of humanity that can be found through a living faith in Jesus Christ who alone can free the world from division, hatred, selfishness, sin and error, which is what the "dictatorship of relativism" ultimately gives us. So, as St Paul said, "we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God". The power of the Cross and the power of the Gospel of Christ to transform sinful human lives, grabbing souls from the devil, then, is what Pope Benedict XVI is about.

Let us pray for the Holy Father, and also for ourselves that we may also be co-workers with the Truth: "Lord, remember your promise. Grant that we may be one flock and one shepherd! Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity!" (from the Inauguration Mass of Pope Benedict XVI, 24 April 2005).

Celebrating Priesthood - fr Leo P. Craig OP

On April 5, 1951 near Chunchon, South Korea, a Dominican Priest had just finished vesting for Mass. In the last moments, before he would offer the Holy Sacrifice for the Members of the 99th Field Artillery Battalion of the First Cavalry Division, he went over his homily in his mind. His mental preparation was suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion. A soldier had stepped on an unmarked landmine. Without a moment's hesitation, the priest removed his vestments and put on his helmet adorned with a white cross and went to the scene of the incident. The priest was Fr Leo P. Craig of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph in the United States, who since 1949 had been serving in the U.S. Army as a Chaplain to the First Cavalry Division.

He was born in Everett, Massachusetts in 1918. His mother died when he was five years old and his father was left with five children to raise. His aunt, a Dominican Sister, obtained dispensation to help raise the young Craig children and after the youngest had left home she returned to her convent. Leo received his BA in 1935 from Providence College and entered the Dominican novitiate at Saint Rose’s in Springfield, Kentucky. He completed his philosophy courses at the Dominican House of Studies in River Forest, Illinois, and his theological training at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 21, 1942. He then went on to teach at the Aquinas High School in Columbus, Ohio and was appointed curate at Saint Andrew’s Parish in Cincinnati.

With U.S. forces stretched throughout the post-war world, chaplains were needed. Leo answered the call and was sent to Japan. Here he had a joyful reunion with his elder brother, who was a priest in the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. His time in Japan was short, as North Korea invaded the South in 1950. The First Calvary Division, with Leo, was sent to take part in the UN counter-offensive to retake Seoul from the alliance of the the DPRK and China. They had achieved this objective in March 1951 and began to try and drive the communist armies out of South Korea. The retreating forces left behind unmarked minefields hoping to slow down the advancing UN coalition. It was one of these mines that had exploded before Fr. Leo said Mass.

Fr. Leo arrived at the scene and was confronted with a dying soldier. The soldiers, who were already on the scene, warned Leo that the area was unsafe due to the high possibility of more mines. Nevertheless he went to the dying soldier and administered the last rites. The picture below was taken thirty-seconds before a second mine exploded and killed Fr. Leo and seven other men. Fr. Leo Craig demonstrated a great sense of duty and courage. He risked his own life to carry out his priestly duty and his pastoral obligation. He imitated the Good Shepherd and risked his life for one sheep, such was his zeal for the salvation of souls.

Leo Peter Craig O.P. (1918-1951)

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.

Amen.