LAST SUNDAY we heard a pastoral letter from our archbishop about the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and Congress, entitled Adoremus, taking place in Liverpool at the beginning of September. He asked every parish and school in the diocese to reflect and pray about the themes of the congress in the months
Continue readingI have been invited to share some thoughts, based on the St Edmund’s Confirmation Course that I have recently attended and on some additional research I have made on the internet. Confirmation means accepting responsibility for your faith and destiny. When I was young I was told what to do,
Continue readingSome of you may remember that about three years ago Pope Francis wrote an encyclical letter about care for creation, known by the Italian title Laudato Si’. It has been very important in strengthening Catholic moral teaching and consequently has come under attack, even from some Catholics. One of the
Continue readingTODAY, Whitsunday or Pentecost is one of the great feast days of the year in the Christian calendar, after Easter and Christmas. We reach the culmination of the Easter season, celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus and on his blessed Mother Mary. One of
Continue readingFling wide the gates! Fling wide the gates, for the saviour waits to tread in his royal way. He has come from above in his power and love to die on this passion day. Fling wide the gates, He waits, the saviour waits! Some of you, perhaps of an older
Continue readingOn Easter Sunday, 1st April, 21 Coloma girls and I, along with 4 teachers travelled to Lourdes in the South of France. However, this was not the start to our journey; we met every week for months preparing and training for what we were about to experience on the trip.
Continue readingTODAY we have a second collection for our Metropolitan cathedral (that is, a cathedral which is the seat of an archbishop) in Southwark, dedicated to St George, the centre of Christian life in south London and Kent. The modern stained glass east window is shown here. We have it on
Continue readingWHEN THE HOLY FATHER addressed the United States Congress in September 2015 he mentioned four particularly outstanding Americans (shown here). Two were Catholics, the journalist and founder of the Catholic Workers the Servant of God Dorothy Day (of whom, I suspect, many members of Congress knew little or nothing) and
Continue readingLAST MONDAY Pope Francis issued a new teaching document entitled Gaudete et Exultate, ‘Rejoice and Be Glad!’ As always it is a very thoughtful and challenging document, demanding reflection on what he says over a long period of time. There are simply a few introductory remarks from me here, and
Continue readingA recent publication – Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish by Father James Mallon (2014, Twenty –Third Publications) is a book that is creating big waves in the Church. In it he describes the profound renewal that has taken place in St Benedict’s church in Halifax, Nova
Continue reading