Vivaaaaa!

Boy, do I wish I'd put some money on Spain in the World Cup. Just like lots of people say about music, so I say about sport "I know what I like." And I liked what I heard and saw about Spain. On top of which, Spanish was my main subject in University and the foreign language I'm most at home in. So for all kinds of reasons, I fancied 'em from the beginning in South Africa. Oleeee!

Meanwhile, back home, Fr J has been down with a kind of chicken pox thing for most of the last week. It was a bit touch and go to find supply priests to cover his Masses this weekend. He tells me he is now on the mend...

Still no definite news about the arrival of our temporary summer cover, who is supposed to be here from three weeks' time, or our hoped-for replacement for Fr J, who could arrive any time this year! In order to get any time off for myself, I'll need to do so this month - so scouts are also out to find someone to cover for me later this month. Ho hum...

All quiet on the diocesan front. Time to time rumours about who is in the running to be our next archbishop. The Vatican isn't exactly a hive of activity during the summer, so personally I'm not expecting much on that news front for a few months yet...   Thing are starting to move on the papal visit front, but if I'm honest I'm not sensing a huge rush, at least not in our parishes. Each diocese has been allocated a number of places for the two main events, the Prayer Vigil in Hyde Park and the Beatification Mass in Birmingham. We'll do a sell next weekend and see what happens...