Latin Mass Society

Chairman's Blog

15/05/2021 - 10:16

Something about the New Feminism Blogger doesn't want you to see

This post, from February, was deleted last night by Blogger. The explanation was that it violated their terms of service in relation to 'malware and viruses'. Hmm. 

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Most people are blissfully unaware of the vast extent of intellectual fakery which inhabits universities around the world. The fact that a great deal of it is paid for by taxpayers is bad enough, but sometimes it rises to levels which raise a different kind of question. This is the case with this articleby Alison Phipps, Professor of Gender Studies at Sussex University. She shares this institution with the ‘Gender Critical’ feminist Kathleen Stock whom I wrote about here, but describesher colleague’s views, such as that women should not have share refuges with biological males, as beneath debate (“‘Reasonable debate’ cannot counter unreasonable ideas.”). In the article, Phipps writes that women expressing trauma about sexual violation, a phenomenon she describes as “white tears”, is a tool of oppression.

It is difficult to find words to do justice to the outrageous nature of this claim, and it calamitous consequences if taken seriously. But these are not the ravings of a lone madwoman. Phipps is a professor at a serious university, these reflections of hers are published in a mainstream journal, and she has also published a book on the same theme, with Manchester University Press. More significantly, she is one of many radical feminists of the new school. Put “white tears” (with quotation marks) into Twitter’s search bar, and say hello to a truly grim new world.

Phipps’ central idea is summed up in the title of her book: “Me Not You”. In the cover design these words are superimposed on the words “Me Too”. The idea is that when a woman complains about being raped, as happened with the “MeToo” movement, she is drawing attention to her own suffering, and therefore drawing attention away from the suffering of others. If she is relatively privileged, this is an act of oppression against those less privileged than her, who are thereby silenced.

It is a very strange argument. It is certainly true that when a more “privileged” person is the victim of abuse or injustice, he or she has an opportunity to fight back which other victims may lack. All kinds of resources, contacts, legal assistance and so on may be available to such a victim. Again, an abuser so bold as to tackle a Hollywood star, for example, will almost certainly have been abusing less well-connected victims. Is this a reason for the star to ignore the abuse and remain silent? Of course not. When the most well-resourced victims, the ones with least to fear, finally turned on Harvey Weinstein, they did what many other victims could not so easily do: they brought his abuse to an end.

As a matter of fact, even very humble victims of abuse can sometimes be successful. The gilded career of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, then head of the International Monetary Fund, was shipwrecked by a New York hotel maid. (The criminal prosecution was dropped but he settled a civil suit out of court.) As so often happens, when the appearance of vulnerability is diminished, other victims come forward. In one sense it doesn’t matter who is the first victim to take the plunge with a formal accusation, but I bet the poorer, more isolated, and less well-advised ones fervently hope that the way will be cleared by someone with the best possible chance of success.

Indeed, I would say that to make an accusation can in certain circumstances be a public duty, and this is a duty particularly incumbent on the most privileged. If an abuser can silence even them, then he is truly invulnerable. Many victims of abuse are plagued with the worry that they won’t be believed, but someone whose social status gives them credibility can make the testimony of other victims’ more credible.

In Phipp’s world view, one might imagine that there is a limited amount of outrage to go round, but the “MeToo” movement showed, on the contrary, how outrage can magnify itself: the more outrage is generated, the more, in some cases, there is left over for others. It is certainly not a zero-sum game.

What are the practical implications of Phipps’ view? That those considering complaining about any kind of bad treatment should “check their privilege” and remain silent if they decide that they lack status in the inverted hierarchy of victimhood, which is conceived of at least in part in racial terms. This is not an inversion of the view she is attacking: she is actually doing the same thing as she accuses others of doing: namely, of determining, by reference to an arbitrary and racially-aligned set of criteria, who is to be allowed justice, and who should continue to suffer exploitation and abuse in silence.

In her world, it is to be women, above all, whose abuse will be tolerated, and whose suffering ignored. This is the woke Feminism of the 21stcentury, whose advice to women seems to be “suck it up, buttercup”. 

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14/05/2021 - 12:31

Spring Mass of Ages is here!

The new issue should be on members' doormats and in churches this weekend.

I have myself a feature article of the late Fr Reggie Foster and his teaching system and book, Ossa Latinitatis Sola: verdict, not all that great.

In this issue: • John Henry Newman Appeal: Help save the Cardinal Saint’s unique collection of books as well as the room where he worked, studied, and latterly said Mass • Sisters of the Cross: Alan Frost looks at the remarkable life of the Venerable Elizabeth Prout CP • Fr Reggie Foster and his book: Joseph Shaw bids farewell to the King of Catholic Latin • Our Lady of Glastonbury: Dom Bede Rowe on a living Benedictine tradition in the West Country • The scholar priest: Charles A. Coulombe remembers linguist and adventurer Adrian Fortescue • Communist infiltration? Kevin J. Symonds looks at the curious history of Dr Bella Dodd and the Catholic Church.

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08/05/2021 - 19:58

Requiem for HM Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

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The Latin Mass Society organised a 'month's mind' requiem Mass for his late Majesty Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince Consort.
The celebrant was our National Chaplain, Mgr Gordon Reid; Fr Mark Elliot-Smith was deacon, Fr Michael Cullinan subdeacon. It took place in St Mary Moorfields with a drastically restricted congregation: I look forward to these restrictions being eased, but at least we were able to have the Mass!
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It was accompanied by Mathew Schellhorn and Cantus Magnus who sang, beautifully, Victoria's Requiem.

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07/05/2021 - 10:19

Sponsorship for Embroidery Course at the Royal School of Needlework

In 2019 the Guild of St Clare made the first award under its Sponsorship Scheme to help a student through the Certificate Course at the Royal School of Needlework (RSN), and in 2020 we made the second. Our two sponsored students are, despite the epidemic, progressing through the course, and we are now inviting new candidates to apply for the scheme.

The deadline for applications this year is 22nd June.

The RSN Certificate Course takes between one and four years, depending on how intensively students wish to do it. Its great flexibility makes it ideal for those who can only spare limited time, or whose availability fluctuates over the year. The Certificate gives its graduates a thorough grounding in a range of traditional hand-embroidery skills, skills for which the RSN is renowned, and which its experts apply to historic restoration projects and important commissions.

Sponsored students will be able to reclaim half the cost of their tuition days, up to a maximum of £2,000 a year, subject to satisfactory progress in the Certificate course, and their attendance (for free) at least one of the Guild’s two annual Sewing Retreats. Students at the RSN have to pay for tuition days when they book them; they would be reimbursed at that point. Progress will be monitored by reference to the successful completion of each module, and the reports which are provided by RSN tutors on each piece of work.
More information, and how to apply, can be found here.
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03/05/2021 - 19:46

Walking Pilgrimage in Northern Spain, 24-26th July

Although the Chartes Pilgrimage will not be taking place as normal in 2021, a victim in part of its taking place relatively early in the year as we emerge from epidemic restrictions, I'm delighted to bring to a wider public information about a traditional walking pilgrimage in northern Spain, 24th to 26th July, 2021, which everyone should be able to join.

I should also mention that the the Latin Mass Society's annual walking pilgrimage to Walsingham is also open for booking. The dates for this are 26th to 30th August. See here for information and registration.

Nothing will make you feel like a human being and a Catholic again quite like participation in a three-day walking pilgrimage!

Here is more information about the Spanish pilgrimage, which has the support of Una Voce Seville.

Our Lady of Christendom – Spain (NSC-E) is an annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga (Asturias) organized by a group of faithful lay Catholics devoted to the celebration of the Holy Mass according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. It takes place around the feast of St. James the Apostle (July 25th), patron saint of Spain.

The aim of the pilgrimage is the sanctification of the soul through the graces asked to Our Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by the offering of prayers, sacrifices and mortifications during three days. During these days of pilgrimage we especially commend our Homeland and the Holy Father.

NSC-E seeks to contribute to the restoration of the spirit of Christendom – according to our possibilities and always with divine help – which has given the Church and the world so many saints, heroes and defenders of the Faith. We are talking about Christian social order, which is only possible if we commit ourselves to the restoration of everything in Christ, beginning with those of us who are on pilgrimage, our families, and the various spheres of society in which we find ourselves.

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27/04/2021 - 17:32

Cupich vs. Aquila

My latest on Life Site News.

Following an article in Americaby Archbishop Aquila of Denver, in which he reiterated the Church’s teaching on the importance of approaching Holy Communion with the right dispositions, a bishop—it seems it was Cardinal Cupich—wrote a curious admonition to Aquila, which Aquila quoted in responding to it in a second article:

“I respectfully note that to claim that we can do anything to diminish the Eucharist, or its effects, is contrary to the church’s longstanding teaching. Catholic sacramental theology is based on the premise that the sacraments are the work of Christ, which is the meaning of the Church’s affirmation at Trent (DS 1608) that the sacraments act ex opere operato, or, as St. Thomas wrote in the Summa, III, 68,8: ‘The sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.’ Owing to the nature of God, Christ and his works can never be diminished by any act on our part.”

Here, Cupich points out that an unworthy recipient of Holy Communion genuinely receives the Body of Christ, and erroneously infers that he also receives the grace which should accompany that. But God does not force His grace on us. As the ancient chant composed by St Thomas Aquinas for the feast of Corpus Christi expressed it: “Sumunt boni, sumunt mali, sorte tamen inaequáli, vitae vel intéritus”: “The good take, the bad take, yet with unequal destiny, of life, or of ruin”.

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24/04/2021 - 10:00

Fraser Nelson attacks Home Education

My latest on Life Site News.

The year-long lockdown had a disastrous effect on the education of many of those children who were relying on conventional schools, which did not always rise to the challenge of teaching remotely. Many parents, again, found it difficult, at short notice, to create an environment in which their children could learn effectively, whether through lack of technology, physical space, or for other reasons. These children were still enrolled in schools, and it was the school system which failed them. Children being home-educated, by contrast, found their education disrupted the least of anyone’s.

What happened in 2020 illustrates the robustness of home education. Being tailored to the needs and circumstances of the family and the child, it can deal with the disruption caused by things like illnesses or the family moving house far more easily than a bricks-and-mortar institution. Similarly, providing tuition for a child who wants to study a relatively obscure subject may not be easy for a home-educating family, but in most schools is would be out of the question. All things considered, it’s not going to be home-educated children who are still suffering educationally two or more years from now.

The natural reaction to this situation for some is to attack the very concept of home-education. The latest is Fraser Nelson. He lets the cat out of the bag when he says that it became worth worrying about only now that it has grown, partly thanks to the epidemic. It is not the failure of home education, in other words, that Nelson is worried about, but its success.

Read the whole thing.

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23/04/2021 - 10:00

Socratic seminars continue

I have just concluded the third series of four on-line seminars which I have been leading, on Plato's 'Socratic' or 'early' dialogues, and I'm planning more. The discussions have been stimulating and enjoyable. Email me if you would like to take part - for more details and contact see here.
So what's this all about?
Socrates is in green up on the left, in profile.

In early January I offered to lead some online seminars on early Socratic dialogues, as a small personal response to the lockdown, and (almost to my surprise) this has actually happened. 

These dialogues are uniquely suited to stimulating discussion among people who don't necessarily already have philosophical training: indeed, it seems very probable that this is the point of them. They introduce us to the thought-world of ancient Athens, and to the methods of philosophy: careful argumentation, exposing hidden assumptions and logical fallacies, all in the context of the personal dynamics of the dialogue format, which adds another layer of interest to these works.
Nothing comes without a background, but the background here is more manageable than that of pretty well any other philosophical texts which come to mind. For these, I've been putting together a single page of information about the cultural and historical background to each dialogue, and not asking students to do any other reading apart from the text itself. The dialogues of Series 1 and 2 tend to be pretty short; the later series' ones are a bit longer, but it's still like reading a chapter, rather than a book. So these hour-long seminars shouldn't require a huge amount of preparation.
Having gone through the eight dialogues of Series 1 and 2, which are the shortest and best-suited for beginners, I am now tackling the slightly longer and more complex ones in Series 3 and 4. For those coming to this fresh, I am reprising to the first two series, which serve as a good introduction to the genre.
So those interested can choose, this time around, between these two options. For beginners:

Series 2: Apology (on Socrates' mission), Crito (on political obligation), Charmides (on temperance), and Hippias Minor (on voluntary wrongdoing).

For those who've done either or both of Series 1 and 2:

Series 4: Protagoras (virtue and its teachability) and Gorgias (oratory and justice), each divided into two parts.

I expect to start these in the week beginning 3th May: those interested will take part in a Doodle poll to choose mutually convenient times. I've already had participants from Seattle, Chile, and South Africa!
If you are looking at this and wondering if it's going to make any sense to you, go and read the Apology and ask yourself if you'd like to talk about it with others.
More details, including prices, here.
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22/04/2021 - 17:49

Cancel culture and abusive institutions

My latest on Life Site News.

A few days ago a star choreographer for Britain’s Royal Ballet died at the age of 35. Liam Scarlett’s career had been taking off, with widely praised ballet productions under his belt and more in the pipeline from all over the world. He was the product of an intensely specialized education, having trained as a ballet dancer from the age of eight, successfully making the transition from performance to choreography.

Then he was accused of sexual harassment, within the Royal Ballet. An independent investigation took place, which concluded that there “were no matters to pursue in relation to alleged contact with students of The Royal Ballet School”.

This was not good enough, however. The Royal Ballet, followed by the other institutions which had commissioned work from him, cut all ties with him and informed him that his work would never be seen again. With his professional life in this tiny, specialized world essentially over, Scarlett killed himself.

I have no special information about Scarlett or this case. Perhaps there were some special features of the case I don’t know about which vindicate the Royal Ballet’s actions. It is part of a pattern of “cancel culture,” however, which cannot be explained away. This is a culture in which individuals accused of wrongdoing are destroyed, in terms of reputation and career, even if the normal mechanisms of oversight and investigation conclude that they are not guilty.

Read the whole thing there.

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07/04/2021 - 19:52

Proposed home-schooling 'academy' in Warrington

Expressions of interest from parents and from teachers are invited, ideally before the 1st May, in the possibility of a Regina Caeli Hybrid Academy, to start this September in Warrington. With a full curriculum, taught through 2 days a week on site and 3 days at home, it is half way between ‘normal’ school and homeschooling.

This is being organised in association with the Fraternity of St Peter, who are based in the impressive church of St Mary (Smith Street, Warrington, WA1 2NS).
Regina Caeli is a US-based organisation which supplies teaching materials. A Regina Caeli Hybrid Academy is also being organised in Bedford, an area also served by the FSSP.
For more information, see the FSSP website here.

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