Something nudged me to awake early this morning and I thought, hmmmm, I could go watch the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

So, here I am, in the pre-dawn hours in Ottawa, watching the Holy Father in Birmingham, thanks to television.

It's nice to know that our dear Bishop Robert Mercer, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada, and Bishop David Moyer of the Anglican Church in America, are present as guests of the Holy See in Birmingham, a sign of the unity to come.  I know Bishop Robert is aware of the impending vote in Ottawa and that his prayers will be with us.

Anyone else up early (or late as the case may be) watching this historic mass?

As I was waiting for everything to start, I came across this article on First Things that touches upon us traditional Anglicans:

A committed Anglican who disagrees might well retort that the Catholic Church is hardly free of scandal, division, and internal strife—all true; and one could even take it a step further and say (at least from the perspective of “mere Christianity”) that there are Anglican communities in far healthier shape than certain Catholic parishes. Still, Catholics believe they at least have the Magisterium and Benedict as the final, authoritative word to preserve authentic Christian teaching, and this is the Church’s saving grace.

Many Catholics applaud and support traditional Anglicans in their effort to uphold basic Christian truths. But if current trends continue, and “Indaba” replaces the purity and uncompromising demands of the Gospel, no one should be surprised if more Anglicans come to see Pope Benedict XVI, not as a threatening “poacher,” but as a spiritual lifeguard and friend.

* * *
Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!