The Parish Office
The office will be staffed from Monday 3 August but will NOT be open to personal callers yet. Please email us on beckenham@rcaos.org.uk or telephone 020 8650 0970. You can also
Continue readingFeast of St Martha
Today is the feast of St Martha, the name day of my older daughter. This painting by Rembrandt depicts her with her sister Mary at their house in Bethany, with
Continue readingThe intensity of Jeremiah & the pain of the pandemic
When I was a student and learning about the Old Testament, I remember our tutor (Fr Nicholas Turner) saying that he found Jeremiah such an intense figure that he almost
Continue reading‘Good Sunday and Good lunch’
Today’s gospel contains a number of short parables from Jesus in Matthew’s gospel (13:44-52), including that of the pearl of great price, shown here. The Holy Father’s catechesis from the
Continue readingFeast of St James the Great
Today is the feast of St James the Great (there were two disciples with this name, or rather Jacob), the first apostle to be martyred (Acts chapter 12) – some
Continue readingFeast of St Sharbel Makhluf
Today is the feast day of St Sharbel Makhluf. He was a nineteenth century Maronite priest and hermit in Lebanon. His feast is an affirmation of the Christian communities in
Continue readingPlease wear a mask in Church
From tomorrow we are asking people to wear masks at Mass in church – please co-operate. This will enable us to increase capacity in the church and the hall. Initially
Continue readingThe Feast of St Bridget
Today is the feast of St Bridget (or Birgitta in Latin and Swedish) of Sweden, one of the patron saints of Europe. I wrote about her in my booklet about
Continue readingFeast day of St Mary Magdalen
Today is the feast day of St Mary Magdalen (which was upgraded a few years ago by Pope Francis). A problem is that sometimes the woman so identified in the
Continue readingSocial justice, love and humility before God
Thank you for the many good wishes I received yesterday. Remember that from this week the morning Mass is back to the usual time of 10am and the 6pm Mass
Continue reading