The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross is an association of clergy intrinsically united to the Prelature of Opus Dei. Its aim is to promote holiness among secular priests through the exercise of their ministry in the service of the Church, according to the spirit and ascetical practice of Opus Dei. It is made up of priests incardinated in the Prelature and of other priests incardinated in their respective particular Churches. At present there are about 4,000 members. Its president is the Prelate of Opus Dei.
The diocesan clergy who belong to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross continue to be incardinated in their own particular Church. They depend only on their bishop (nihil sine Episcopo was an expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch often cited by St. Josemaría) and are in no way under the jurisdiction of the Prelate of Opus Dei.
The Second Vatican Council encouraged associations that foster fraternal assistance to priests (cf. Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, no. 9). As the Code of Canon Law (c. 278 §2) states, secular clergy should “hold in high esteem especially those associations which…foster their holiness in the exercise of the ministry...and promote the unity of clerics among themselves and with their own bishop.”
The spiritual help given by the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross seeks to improve the interior life of its members, encourage their fidelity in carrying out their priestly duties, and foster the union of each with his own bishop and fraternity with other priests (cf. St. Josemaría, Conversations, no. 16).
The means of formation the members receive are analogous to those offered to the lay faithful of the Prelature, with due regard for the specific character of priestly formation (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, no. 9; Pastores Dabo Vobis, nos. 70-81; Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests). These are meant to complement, without overriding, the dispositions for the permanent formation the bishop gives for the presbytery of his diocese. Thus, the members can receive personal spiritual direction, doctrinal and ascetical classes, days of recollection, etc., organized so as not to interfere with their ministry.
So yesterday, as I was cleaning fish, I wondered if my family’s habit of using turmeric, just before the last rinse was not too uncommon. A teaspoon (or two) of turmeric is sprinkled on the fish, which is tossed around and then rinsed clean in water, before it is either packed and stored in the fridge or coated with one of many fresh- ground masalas, to be fried/ curry-ed in. Reading your post today, you don’t begin to have an idea what a rush of memories this post brought me. This is going to be a long comment 🙂
I am usually very choosy about the people I divulge this secret to – I am an excellent fish selector and I not-so-secretly love fish markets. A good fish haul in his small town meant my grandmother would quickly clean and fry the fish, for my grandfather to deliver to his grandchildren, a 100 kms away (In Madras, a town that already had more than its share of good fish). Moving to Vizag, I was my dad’s trusted 7 year-old companion on all his market runs and I loved gingerly placing a finger on the fish and lifting the gills to check for freshness. A family friend was in the Fisheries dept and so, for the 5 years I spent in Vizag, I don’t ever remember the freezer running out of fish. A pomfret the size of a banana leaf, glinting silver and pink in the sun, the multiple bottles of seer fish and prawns pickles that my mum would make and send to folks back in Madras, dinners that consisted entirely of fish and no rice. It was a glorious time. When I visited Dubai for the first time, my food- loving cousin understood why a visit to the fish market was even on my itinerary. I know the importance of the steel bucket in my grandmother’s house, reserved solely for the purpose of storing the live freshwater fish, until it was chop-chop time. It’s why I think seer fish is over-rated. It’s why I think fried fish (south Indian style, with the fish coated in a paste of salt, pepper and red chillies) and rasam make for a gourmet meal and why your mention of the bonus roe makes me grin at the memories it brings.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece, as you can tell. How is your little baby doing? Sending squooshy kisses his way.
FISH ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD (Shahrukh..sorry Bruce)…and just the other the boy pulled at my sleeve (Remember Mama when you were a little child and would eat brain?)
Totally loved this mouth-watering piece and it brought back lovely memories of my enthusiastic consumption of delicious fish at home as well as outside back in India. Made me fondly remember that one of the first favorite meals I learned to cook from my mother was a simple yet tasty Maharashtrian fish curry. Also loved the description of so much that goes on behind the scenes before the fish makes a grand entry on to the table! 🙂
My dad also has the same feelings of dissatisfaction buying fish here – he can’t dictate the way the fish is cut!
So sorry, folks–I had replied to your comments on this post a while ago and have no idea where mine disappeared!
R: Thank you so much for sharing! Loved reading. 🙂 Now that was a nice juicy comment that made my piece feel worth it.
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