Let's Get On With It, Shall We?

First, let's make clear what The League of Bearded Catholics is not... it is not an organization, let alone a Catholic men's organization. With some work it could become, say, a Loose Association, but even that sounds like too much fuss and bother.

The League is meant to be held together by nothing much more than a sincere and spontaneous appreciation for Catholic culture, for authentic Catholic manhood and for the company of Catholic men and the women who tolerate them. If there is a chewy center to the Tootsie Roll Pop that is The League, it is an appreciation and gratitude especially for the lives and literary work of Tolkien, Lewis, Belloc and Chesterton - TLBC - (not necessarily in that order).

So, TLBC stands equally for The League of Bearded Catholics, and for Tolkien, Lewis, Belloc and Chesterton. You may have noticed that they are all dead British guys, and all important Christian writers of the twentieth century. You may also have noticed that not all of these gentlemen wore beards.

Okay, only one of them, that I know of, wore a beard, and that was Belloc in his later years;

I have found no photographic (or any other) evidence that any of the other three ever wore a full beard, at all. But Chesterton wore a mustache, and that's close enough (trust me) for TLBC purposes.

But then, C.S. Lewis was always clean shaven, as was Tolkien, as far as I know. The official position of the The League at this time is that, in spite of their smooth cheeks, both men sported a beard on the inside, which is the important and crucial thing. After all, some men - through no fault of their own - can't grow a beard, and we would not want to see them excluded from the fellowship by any mere accident of nature. But for all we encourage the fullest possible follicular expression.

Does that make sense? It doesn't matter. If the work of these magnificent writers is the chewy center of The League, good humor and whimsy form the delicious candy shell. The one great and dangerous thing that must be avoided is the possibility that anyone would begin to take The League at all seriously. There are plenty of serious clubs and groups, if you like that sort of thing. TLBC isn't one of them.

The purpose of TLBC, then, is the same purpose for which God made wine... "To gladden the heart of man." We are glad to be alive, and our gratitude is expressed in what used to be called "merriment". The League is just a good-natured romp, even if our other goal (saving Western civilization) might sound to outsiders fairly grave and ambitious. If Western Civilization can be saved by beer, we stand ready to give it our best effort.

This is not a book club or (God help us) a study group. The point is not at all to study the work of the Four Patrons, the point is just to enjoy it together, to read it aloud, to talk about it, to watch movies or listen to music together - between drinks, anyway. Not only the work of the Big Four, but also of those who influenced them and those who were influenced by them, or anything judged to be in the spirit of their writing, though that could be argued. Arguing, incidentally, is also allowed. Maybe even encouraged. Whereas other social situations often demand that we hide our true opinions, this is the place to air them all.

A Compleat List of By-Laws as well as membership information is forthcoming. Your suggestions will be most welcome. Possibly ignored, yes, but welcome none the less.

Comments

[Shmikey]

- Heres to T-L-B-C and to Tim for his initiative! Sláinte!

[jim janknegt]

Count me in.!

[Michael]

Tim, how about a blogroll of "Bearded Catholic Bloggers"? I'd be happy to provide photographic evidence of my worthiness...

[John Kasaian]

A most excellent idea, Tim!

[Del]

Uff da! Raise the battle cries!

Beards and beer!
Cigars and pipes!

Chivalry and ribaldry!
Praise the Lord and defend the women!

I'm ready. What can I do to help?

[John Kasaian]

Since this group spans the globe, I humbly propose that there should be a vehicle to publish announcements regarding events of mutual interest to the followers of the four patrons and that it should be the duty of every Bearded Catholic to make these events known to the rest. Failure to do so should incur a suitable penalty---perhaps drinking a mass produced "lite" beer as a sacrificial means of atonement for the vile transgression.
On the other hand, we wouldn't want to poison anyone!
Never mind!

[SDG]

Me and my beard are in, to the fullness that we can participate from NJ, as long as we can drink wine rather than beer. (I'm guessing this is a go!)

[Shakespeare's Cobbler]

How can an absolutely-not-an-organisation have by-laws? I count my patchy teen beard (I've only been twenty a few months, and it seems word hasn't got to my face yet -- the nueral transmitters up here are far, far too busy chattering amongst themselves to relay news to the rest of the boy) to be in based on the mere fact that I have peradventure slipped into some British spellings from reading TLBC and Shakespeare. Speaking of which, I would have made it either Chesterton, Belloc, Lewis and Tolkien (C the BLT?) or Belloc, Tolkien, Lewis and Chesterton (B TLC!)... Let's see, that'd be Catholic Beardies, League Thereof (or something like that) or Bearding Tryst League Catholica (or something like that). Say, what if we call this a guild? Would that perhaps be a more accurate description than association, at least given the eld understanding of guilds, or is that still too formal?

Your Resident Shakespearean Nerd,
The Cobbler

[thomas tucker]

A most excellent venture.
Sign me up!

[Kevin]

I'm in.

[Thom]

Brilliant! And bearded! I'm in.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=42600221]

Does it have to be a full beard, or can goatees count?

[Tim J.]

In answer to SDG and Leo, wine and partial beards will be tolerated with great enthusiasm.

Truthfully, wine is so universally approved throughout history and in the bible and Catholic culture that it holds a special place of honor.

G.K.C. seems to have been more of a wine enthusiast than a beer drinker, at any rate.

And the important thing is to have the beard on the inside.

[John Kasaian]

Sometimes I have a beard on the outside, but most of the time it is on the inside. However, since my beard has grayed there are many times when I sport gray whiskers for days at a time. I do not know if that qualifies as a beard in the bye-laws.

I'd have a moustache, but my astigmatism prevents me from getting it truly even as demonstrated on the occasions when I have grown a moustache in the past. Beside moustaches have always struck me as looking rather comical on the dead and since I know not the time or place when I will meet St. Peter I am uncertain about giving all three of my mourners (my bookee, the nasty bloke from the IRS, and the chap I borrowed a quid from last Tuesday) a chuckle at my expense (especially if I had trimmed my moustache under the influence of astigmatism!)

May I join in anyway---pretty please?

[Tim J.]

"May I join in anyway---pretty please?"

I will fall into a deep depression if you don't.

*Official Membership Kits* will be available next week, along with some other cool stuff. Honest!

[JoeyG]

I'm climbing aboard as well, Tim, and hope my facial fluff is seaworthy. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to the membership material!

[M. L. Martin]

Tolkien had a moustache when younger. :)