11 April 2009

Yesterday sank from fair to foul, today is damp and cold. Good Friday is a bank holiday, as is Easter Monday. We are at St. Etheldreda's Church in Smithfields, the only pre-reformation church in Great Britain restored to Catholic worship. Yesterday Helen and I arrived to the stations just in time to be asked by father to read the sixth. At tonight's vigil a new organ will be christened in candlelight. Helen may not sleep much.

During this great pause of Holy Saturday, we relate some notes of late:

Two weeks ago Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris introduced a bill in the House of Commons to lift the ban on Catholics from Royal Marriage. The bill also called for ending the absolute priority of male heirs over females. Though it doesn't look like it will go far, the unepected and broad support it generated leads many to expect substantial reform in the future. For now, Harris's bill seems to have devolved into another opportunity for the British to enjoy the finer points about their own administration. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7968853.stm

During the G20 summit, we got two protocol-breaking glimpses of the queen.First she allowed Michelle Obama http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7982702.stm to embrace the royal persona. Then she dispalyed irritation at Silvio Berlusconi's hijinks http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7980912.stm. Perhaps Hellen Mirren's portrayal wasn't just sentiment after all.

Lost in all the hubbub, however, was the heraldry surrounding the Mexican State Visit, which overlapped the summit and which is thought to have triggered much less protest. As we beheld Buckingham beset by the eagle and the cactus, we beamed with americo-hispano-anglican joy.

Finally in the news, Westminster has a new Archbishop. Fr. Vincent Nichols has finally been installed as Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor's successor. Pray for him, as the coverage of his installation shows he is up against some great challenges. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7824628.stm

As for us.

Last Wednesday we passed the Home Birth threshold - Miriam is now far along that she will not have to deliver in hospital. There has been much rejoicing.

Not to be upstaged, Helen is preparing for baby by making advances of her own. First, she finally overcame the four inch drop at the door threshold and crawled out of the apartment on her own steam. Second, she has begun walking. True, this often takes the form of a controlled fall, but if this is what astronauts call "landing" the space shuttle, then we feel justified in our designation.

Today we are making Easter eggs in the traditional Polish way, with red onion peels and vinegar. If they come out well, we'll post photos. It occurs to me that I don't know any Mexican Easter traditions. Not surprising since my father grew up in a persecuted church, and I grew up in the USA. But hopefully we'll learn something before next Easter comes around.

Hope all are well. Will be in touch.