Month: January 2009

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A prejudice against the future

The current reference in legislation to a child’s need for a father is being removed because of the alleged offence such a clause is causing to single women. Removing this reference, for the sake of a tiny minority that currently does on the whole have access to assisted reproduction, sends a powerful signal to the whole population that fathers can be dispensed with in children’s lives. This is in spite of a wealth of social research showing the importance of engaged fathers for families and communities. Fathers matter to children but fatherhood itself is essential for drawing men into dependable and responsible adulthood… By ignoring the benefits fathers bring to children in order to accommodate childless adults, the [Human Fertilisation and Embryology] Bill [which has since become an Act] places the rights of adults at the centre, rather than the best interests of children.

Centre for Social Justice Fathers not included – summary

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Got monks?

Helpers of God’s Precious Infants

The next vigil at Marie Stopes abortion facility, 88 Russell Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex IG9 5QB, will be held on 24 January 2009 From St Thomas of Canterbury Church, 557/559 High Road, Woodford Green IG8 0RB led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

8.45am – Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at St Thomas of Canterbury Church
9.30am – Prayerful and peaceful procession to Marie Stopes abortion facility, processing with image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, holy rosary and hymns
11.45am – Return procession with prayers and hymns

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Our time of trial

Longtime habits of virtue, enactments of responsibility and unconscious acknowledgement of generational bonds had continued to maintain the order upon which the modern system rested and flourished, but in no way renewed or replenished. Thrift; moderation; liberality; self-sacrifice; these, and other virtues, continued for a time, but in this year were revealed to have been overthrown by the mad, even insane pursuit of temporary and fleeting gains. We discovered at once that we had passed a tipping point in our consumption of supposed infinite energy, even as we discovered as well that we had passed a tipping point in the maintenance of the virtues that might have prevented us from such abandoned consumption. We found that neither our leading citizens nor the ordinary working stiff any longer exercised prudence or forsight in making some of the basic decisions that ensures the future of a civilization…
While ours, and likely the next, will be the generation that curses its fate not to have lived during a time of plenty and excess, and we will wonder why it was our bad fortune to have lived in the aftermath of an empire’s glory, if we are capable of deeper and better perspective, we will understand the blessings of our age. From such times of trial a certain deeper wisdom has been made possible – one thinks especially Augustine’s great blessing to have lived in a time that made it possible to write The City of God – and we may yet come to know, and accept – even embrace – the knowledge that our falsity will have spawned. While for most we will despair over our losses and pains, perhaps later if not sooner we will understand the blessings of this – our – time of trial.
Patrick Deneen