Catholic Scotland - notes from

We like: Edinburgh University Catholic Chaplaincy/ non-territorial parish of St Albert the Great, Tenebrae at St Catherine's Convent. No big deal, no uber-ceremony or trying to be creative, just Englished in parts and done nicely. Many people agree, judging by the very healthy turnout on Thursday and Friday (wasn't there on Wed). People sang and everything. Oh yes, we like it very much. Good, as my flatmate said this morning, to have something to remind one in the morning as well as the evening that, despite baking being one's principal activity during the day, Easter is not first and foremost a cakefest.

We also like: new icon of St Andrew in the cathedral. (what happened to the statue?) See post lower down. Though not sure how anyone can say Mass on that altar now.

We dinnae like: Jesuits advertising Stations of the Cross and then having "The New Scripture Stations of the Cross". The significance of the definite article remins to be explained/explored. Of course it is not necessary to meditate on the traditional fourteen stations for the indulgence. Here are some "biblical stations" from Sancti Angeli.But it is required that at least the person leading the stations move from one to the other, so we were quite unecessarily denied the indulgence since this condition was not fulfilled. It is rather cheeky to put "Stations of the Cross" in your parish bulletin, knowing quite well what people will assume that means, and then to do something else. A case for the ASA. And if you are going to do something or your own, at least do it with some style and thought. Folk come to meditate on the Passion, not to have a Bible study on the gospel accounts of it. Didactic comments on which gospel we are about to hear from are not too conducive to meditation. So why put them in? A simple "a reading from the Gospel of St X" would give the same facts and cause less damage. An a' this, in a church that has just spent a good few pennies on restoring their outsize stations paintings.