Although the liturgy for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time takes precedence, today is also the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe. There is a chapter about them in the booklet I wrote about Europe’s patron saints some years ago (out of print but if anyone
Continue readingTomorrow is the Day of Prayer for the Unemployed. I am repeating this post from our website from a couple of years ago, as the message remains the same essentially; of course lots of people, including many of you, have lost their jobs because of the pandemic. God bless and
Continue readingOne in three people round the world does not have access to safe drinking water. You have the power to change this through your support of Cafod. Why not join our Walk for Water challenge, 10,000 steps a day every day for 40 days? Lent begins on February 17th; maybe
Continue readingToday is the feast of St Scholastica, the sister of St Benedict. A good day to pray for female Religious, especially the two communities in our parish, the Missionary Sisters of St Peter Claver and the Salesian Sisters. She shared her brother’s vision for the religious life in sixth century
Continue readingToday is the feast day of St Josephine Bakhita and the World Day of Prayer for victims of human trafficking and slavery. Rosary before the 10am live-streamed Mass today. God bless and take care Fr Ashley Posted by St Edmund’s Church, Beckenham on Sunday, February 7, 2021
Continue readingToday’s first reading is from Job chapter 7. The figure of Job, shown here, is one of the most fascinating in the Old Testament. Some may feel very worn down by work at the moment, possibly seeing it as pointless drudgery, as he does in the reading. Next Sunday is
Continue readingToday the Church honours St Paul Miki and his twenty-five companions, martyred by being crucified in Japan, in the year 1597. Jesuit priests had brought the Christian message to the country and Paul Miki had been educated by them. He himself was a seminarian at the time of his death.
Continue readingWe pray with Pope Francis for women who are victims of violence, that they may be protected by society and have their sufferings considered and heeded. LINK: Pray With the Pope – “The heart of the Church’s mission is prayer”
Continue readingCandlemas, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Normally we would mark this day with the traditional procession of candles before Mass. It is also the World Day of Prayer for those in the Consecrated Life, the 25th such observance since it was set up by St John Paul
Continue readingThe gospel reading today [Monday] is the account in Mark chapter 5 of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac. It’s rather scary story; we are meant to be terrified by the man possessed by many demons, ‘for they are legion’. Commentators have pointed out that Mark’s use of that word
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