Today the Church honours St Oscar Romero, martyred on this day in 1980 – forgive shameless plug. We have already circulated details of a special Mass being celebrated by the archbishop in our cathedral on Saturday, where there is a shrine to St Oscar. God bless and take care, Fr
Continue readingThis is a depiction of our first reading today from Numbers chapter 21. Jesus applies this image to himself in John and in today’s gospel (John 8) talks of himself as being lifted up. At this stage in Lent we see the Lord crucified as a source of healing, like
Continue readingTuesday 21 March, the anniversary of the first lockdown in England, has been designated a national day of reflection. Alongside this the Bishops Conference has asked for it to be a day of prayer; we have Exposition live-streamed from the church for most of every day but you might want
Continue readingWe always begin the fifth week of Lent, as we enter its most intense period, with the story of Susannah and the elders from Daniel chapter 13. This is part of the Old Testament which you won’t find in Protestant Bibles as it’s only in the Greek text of Daniel
Continue readingToday’s gospel from John chapter 12 recounts how, after Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem before his Passion and the raising of Lazarus from the dead, a turning point in the gospel narrative is reached when some Greeks come to the disciple Philip – who has a Greek name and comes from
Continue readingIn December Pope Francis wrote a letter, ‘Patris Corde’, marking the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pius IX proclaiming St Joseph to be Patron of the Universal Church (http://www.vatican.va/…/papa-francesco-lettera-ap…). This declaration, in December 1870, was made a couple of months after most of the city of Rome had been seized by
Continue readingWhilst our church is closed the Coronavirus is affecting us materially as well as spiritually. Bills keep coming. A good many parishioners already give via standing order or electronically. This is a real lifeline for the church. If you can pay online, it not only assists with the admin but
Continue readingToday, St Patrick’s day, is one of the few days here when we can lift our Lenten austerity for a day. His witness for evangelisation, and the ways in which he bridged the gaps between these islands, are an important example for us. Please pray particularly for the people of
Continue readingThis is the traditional site in Jerusalem of the pool of Siloam, where the miracle described in today’s gospel from John chapter 5 took place. Even though the practical workings of RCIA programmes are disrupted because of the pandemic, baptism remains one of the big themes of Lent, and this
Continue readingThis Sunday is what we call ‘Laetare Sunday’ (‘Rejoice’) – rather like the corresponding Sunday in the middle of Advent (‘Gaudete’ Sunday) – when we reach the middle of Lent and slightly relieve Lenten austerity. So you will notice some rose pink vestments in place of purple, we’re allowed to
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