Godzdogz

Catherine of Siena is one of three women to have been declared Doctors of the Church, the other two being Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux.
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It was announced recently that Fr Jerzy Popieluszko is to be beatified in Warsaw on 6th June. We re-publish here a post on him from our series for the year of the priest. It was first published in October 2009.
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One of the most interesting social trends in my life has been the rebirth of England as a distinct cultural entity in the United Kingdom. It was only in the mid 1990s that the St. George's Cross began to be seen across the country, especially during sporting events. Previously the English flag had only been seen at Anglican Churches, on admiral’s ships and at far-right rallies. If an Englishman wished to be patriotic, the Union Flag was his banner of choice. Now all of this could be caused by the shrewd marketing of sportswear companies or the devolved government in Scotland and Wales, but nevertheless this rise in English nationalism has also given a renewed interest in the feast of St George and its celebration.
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As Britain prepares for a general election it seems apt that the feast of St. Apollonius falls within the month-long political circus that precedes polling day. Apollonius was an eminent citizen of second-century Rome and a member of the Senate. He was well versed in philosophy and was a respected member of the Roman elite. He developed an interest in the Jewish scriptures and this led him to Christian writings. He was inspired by his reading to be baptised. During this period the Emperor Commodus had informally halted the persecution of Christians, out of regard for his Empress Marcia, who was an admirer of the Faith. Nevertheless the laws of his father Marcus Aurelius, who had persecuted Christians, had not been repealed.
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Halfway through the Prior Provincial's four year term of office there is an extended meeting of the provincial council or what is sometimes called an 'interchapter'. The provincial and his council are joined by priors and other superiors who are not already members of the council. The task of this meeting is to deal with all that seems useful for the good of the province, in the first place by reviewing whether the ordinations and exhortations of the last provincial chapter and general chapter have been put into practice.
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The first time I heard the name Vincent McNabb was at my initial meeting with the Dominican vocations director at the priory in London. On the wall was a painting of a Dominican friar, a frail old man in big black boots and a shabby habit, a picture of someone exuding holiness. This was Vincent McNabb. I was told various anecdotes about him – how he used to always sleep on the floor, how he had only one habit, home-spun from the wool of sheep reared in a nearby field. He had a great distrust of modern technology prefering to wash his habit in the bath with carbolic soap rather than resorting to a washing machine. Often he would put his habit on without waiting for it to dry, so that he would leave a trail of water behind him as he wandered around the priory.
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