I have felt uneasy with the words in "Faith of Our Fathers" which ask that our children also become martyrs.

"How sweet would be their children's fate
If they,like them, could die for Thee?"

Hardly the prayer to or from a loving father.

Brave woman, indeed, well done

Yer a brave woman Sandra

FAITH OF OUR MOTHERS

Faith of our Mothers living still,
in spite of hunger, rape and strife
Oh, how our hearts beat high with fear
Whene’er we hear the paedophile near
REFRAIN: Faith of our Mothers, holy faith
We will be cleaning until death.

Faith of our Mothers, we will slave,
to clean the floors and sanctuary
And through the pain, the dirt and slog
We then shall all need two new knees.
REFRAIN: Faith of our Mothers, holy faith
We will be dusting until death.

3. Faith of our Mothers, we will love
The abused and all women demeaned
And as we rearrange the flowers
We remember those who died for thee
REFRAIN: Faith of our Mothers, holy faith
We will be loving until death.

Some good laughs. I'll jsut add one of my favourites:

Oh Mother, I could weep for mirth,
Joy fills my heart so fast...

...my soul today is heaven on earth
O could the transport last.

I haven't been to western |Sydney for many years, but there I regularly heard -

...on this day we give thee our love
near thee Madonna fondly we hover
trusting thy gentle care to prove.

But getting away from hymns, in |Daphne du Maurier's "Way of the Cross" an elderly lady on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem sees a young lady peeling an orange and throwing the skin on the ground - "Ö how |Our Lady would have hated litter!

[If you haven't read the story, it's about a party of pilgrims, and except for one young boy [the only one to actually study for the visit, except perhaps the priest from the Liverpool dock area], all the rest including the priest personally experienced the way of the cross. Guides helpfully directed the people to via dolorosa - the way of the cross.]

Some good laughs. I'll jsut add one of my favourites:

Oh Mother, I could weep for mirth,
Joy fills my heart so fast...

Marian hymns can cause embarrassment.In England during the reign of Queen Victoria a portly bishop was welcomed by the church choir's singing
"This is the image of our queen".Was he amused? I wonder.
Maybe not as scandalous a situation as the Children of Mary choir , with a limited repertoire, invited to sing at a wedding ,who chose a popular mission hymn as the bride came down the aisle
Jesus my Lord,behold at length the time,
when I resolve to turn away from crime
O pardon me Jesus etc etc
I remembered phrases from old hymns e.g."Oh could the transport last?" which had nothing to do with buses or trains, and "triumph in the sky" which was not about motorcycles.
Ah sweet memories!
Cazza

Years ago I read an article by Marist Br Charles Howard where he wrote about Mary as the woman with dirt on her feet. This is completely different to the plaster and statue stuff that often masquerades as devotion to Mary.

Many Marian songs contain a huge and embarrassing cringe factor. This is often because they miss the mark and make Mary the object of the song / devotion - complete with gratuitous titles. True devotion to Mary makes Jesus and His message the focus. Mary is simply an example and a means to that end.

Songs got a mention in the article. I do not know the one mentioned ... but have grown to really like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNtWgM4yvE0&feature=relmfu

Cheers
BobL

Mentioning the hymn "Bring Flowers of the Fairest" reminded me of learning it at primary school in the late 1940s ,then never hearing it again till 1996 when, at a Mass in Barraniskey in Co Wicklow (ancestral homeland), the priest asked us to join in,as it was the first Sunday in May. It became a duet between him and me, as either no one else knew it, or no one else was silly enough to join in, to the great amusement of my (Lutheran) husband.

There has been a great deal of tripe built up around Mary and one of the best retreat days I remember was given by the late Father Kevin Ryan, called "Mary, Plaster Saint or Real Woman?" Really an eye-opener about how hard life would have been for her, and how far out is the plaster statue image we see too often.

As an event for grades 3, 4 and 5 I think this sort of thing has some (much ?) merit. If it is taken beyond that age / class it may in fact become counter-productive and leave kids thinking that Mary is the fourth person of the Blessed Trinity.

For those who would knock this sort of practice, please think of what could replace it. Remember, kids that age are incapable of understanding or living the full Gospel message. Parents and teachers have to present to the kids in a manner that captures their imagination. Processions and capes can help here.

The object is to see Mary as having a special and vibrant place in Christian living. Even the Vatican II constitution on the Church devoted one of its twelve chapters to Mary's place in the Church. One message in that chapter included the directive to wind back the BS and superstitions that had built up over the decades. (Not in those exact words!)

As the kids get older they can be guided to living the Gospels like Mary did! There is everything right and certainly nothing wrong with imitating the attitudes and practices of the person often described as being Jesus' First Disciple.

If the devotions to Mary remain at grade 3 level and full of processions and capes then it can do much harm. If used as building block to finding Jesus ... then it can be a powerful tool for good.

IMHO

cheers
BobL

I looked at the picture and (seriously) wondered which country it had taken place in, I had no idea it was Australia/Perth!

Father Paul Fox, Director of the College and Chair of its board, began proceedings by blessing the capes, sashes, Our Lady’s Crown, and the Miraculous Medals.

What can one say!

Well, how about this!

The children’s sky-blue capes cut a smart contrast against the green of the college play area as the students made their way along the fence line, praying as they went.

Ah!

http://www.therecord.com.au/site/index.php/Parish/day-for-mary-s-little-troopers

I am sure the kids loved it - and I don't want to put a dampner on their day, but this really is back to the future in a rush.