DURING THE REIGN OF KING CHARLES II, in year 1672, the English Parliament passed what became known as the Test Act (replicated shortly afterwards by the parliaments of Scotland and Ireland). It happened because the king’s brother, the Duke of York (subsequently King James II and VII) had converted to
Continue readingON MONDAY, the ninth anniversary of the installation of Archbishop Peter Smith, it was announced that Pope Francis had appointed Bishop John Wilson to succeed him as Archbishop of Southwark, as Archbishop Peter has passed the statutory retirement age for clergy of 75 years. The present-day Archdiocese of Southwark covers
Continue readingThe solemnity of the Pentecost is an opportunity to reflect upon what it means to be a Christian. So often, we take our Christianess for granted and go about our life in such a secular fashion that it could conceal our Christian calling. We could be faithfully fulfilling our religious
Continue readingEVERY YEAR in the Catholic Church worldwide we keep the Sunday before Pentecost (which is either the Sunday after Ascension, as it is now again in this country, or Ascension Day itself) as World Communications Day, linked to the Lord’s commandment to his disciples as he left their sight that
Continue readingEvery time I leave the parish hall after an Alpha session on a Tuesday evening I feel a perceptible sense of wellbeing and contentment. This is no exaggeration. As I reflect on this I come to the conclusion as to why I feel this way. In its simplest form, approximately
Continue readingAS THE EUROPEAN UNION goes to the polls this week (in this country on Thursday) Catholics will want to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit before we vote and heed the teachings of the Church. Three years ago, a few weeks before the EU Referendum, Pope Francis was
Continue readingSOMETIMES in our newsletters it is necessary to indicate what a picture represents: however I am sure nearly all of you know that this is Westminster Abbey, one of the most prominent places of worship in London and a major tourist attraction; it sometimes seems to function as a sort
Continue readingThe Images on our TV screens early last Monday were painful to watch, as was the sea of disbelieving faces helplessly looking on. Millions of people all over the world witnessed the destruction by fire of the roof and the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral. This 855 year-old Paris landmark,
Continue readingONE OF THE FASCINATING FIGURES OF HOLY WEEK is Judas Iscariot, shown here kissing Jesus in the famous painting by Giotto; if you are able to get to Mass in the first part of Holy Week you will notice that on two of the days the narrative of his betrayal
Continue readingThe world we live in is at times so polarized that we could be compelled to think and act in terms of “I” and “you”, “them” and “us,” instead of “we.” The very existence of the other could, at times, appear or could be projected and perceived as a threat,
Continue reading