ON THURSDAY I listened to the traditional Carol Service led by KS2 children at St Mary’s School – sadly once again this could not be in church for Covid reasons and was recorded from the school, and I concluded the service with a blessing as usual. As in the past
Continue readingWe begin a new year in the life of the Catholic Church this weekend on Advent Sunday. Just over a year ago Pope Francis wrote an encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti, which we looked at as a parish during Lent; when we pass from one year to the next it is
Continue readingYes, I am a king. I was born for this; I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voices. This is the unequivocal statement Jesus gives to Pilate’s question, “So you are a
Continue readingThis painting shows what is known as the Olivet Discourse, the moment when Jesus shares with his disciples a vision of the last days. The painting is called Flevit Super Illam, or ‘Then He Wept’, as Jesus reacts emotionally to the fate of Jerusalem. Our Gospel reading from Mark this
Continue readingLast week Father Ashley wrote about the opening Mass of the Synod celebrated by Pope Francis, and explained what ‘Synod’ means: walking on the same road – walking together. The Synod of Bishops will be held in 2023 in Rome and time is short. Today I want to invite you
Continue readingThe picture here [in our Newsletter] is of Pope Francis celebrating Mass in St Peter’s Basilica last Sunday. On one level it seemed a straightforward Sunday Mass, with green vestments and the same readings as we and every other Catholic parish had – and indeed the Holy Father preached on
Continue readingI buy a newspaper everyday but in recent months I have hardly read the news. Once I’ve glanced at the headlines, the obituaries, the tv and most importantly tackled the crossword, the paper is discarded and I move on to other things. I justify my actions by saying I’ve had
Continue readingThe novel Coronavirus-19 has without a doubt left an indelible mark on us individually, and collectively. It’s devastating effects have transcended borders, race, faith, religion, wage/income bracket, passport colour, and every conceivable metric that we had hither-to deployed to define, differentiate, and divide our world. The pandemic, without doubt, has
Continue readingAs we approach October, it is good for us to understand and experience the beautiful prayer of the rosary. It is so simple and so deep. We can pray alone, we can pray with the family, or with the community – and always experience the dear presence of Mother Mary
Continue readingWe had initially decided not to have a holiday this summer; however, Marian (my wife) said that she would like to visit Douglas on the Isle of Man because that is where her parents had first met on holiday in the late 1930’s just before the 2nd World War and
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