Is it right to fear God? What is the difference between a destructive fear and a “holy trepidation”? An Advent homily by Fr Stephen Wang: Look around you at the chapel walls. Look at the […]
Archive for October, 2013
At last, a Christian hymn that will be the Christmas number one in the charts
Can we use the culture around us to promote the Christian message? Might we, for example, use a pop song as a Trojan Horse in order to make the message of Christ more widely known? […]
A ‘just war theory’ or a ‘theory of peace’? St Augustine’s real contribution to the debate
Most books will tell you that Augustine was the first Christian just war theorist. This is misleading, for two reasons. Firstly, he was far from the first Christian to accept that a war might be […]
Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization: Preparatory Document published
The Lineamenta – or preparatory document – for the 2014 extraordinary general session of the Synod of Bishops on the family has been published. This gives more information on the Vatican meeting that will examine the “Pastoral Challenges […]
Prisoner voting rights: what should Catholics think?
In the UK there is a ban on all prisoners from voting in elections. This applies to all prisoners who have been convicted, i.e. are not on remand awaiting trial or detained without conviction in […]
Communion for the remarried: clarification and speculation from Archbishop Gerhard Müller at the CDF
An important statement by the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, the CDF, has reaffirmed existing church teaching on not admitting to the Eucharist Catholics who have remarried without first annulling their marriage. But in […]
Powerful new play about human trafficking by Ten Ten Theatre
A new theatre play, which addresses the issue of human trafficking in the UK, was shown at a special event in Central London to mark Anti-Slavery Day. Ten Ten Theatre have commissioned a one-woman drama […]
Best modern churches awards
The search is on to find the Best Modern Churches built in the United Kingdom since 1953 in a new architecture competition launched by the National Churches Trust, The Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association and The Twentieth Century Society. […]
Me and you together – with our mobile phones
Take a look at this beautifully produced video about how the mobile phone has become part of every single human interaction. The question is: How do you react when you watch the video? Does it […]
How to pray
How to pray: a sermon about prayer, given to university students; and in particular about the importance of setting aside a small amount of time each day for personal prayer. The secret of prayer is […]
Modern-day slavery and human trafficking
Today, 18th October, is Anti-Slavery Day, which was created by Act of Parliament ‘to raise awareness of modern slavery and to inspire people to eliminate it.‘ As the Anti-Slavery Day website explains: The Anti-Slavery Day Bill became […]
Quick takes on catechesis
~1~ I love what Mgr. Charles Pope has written in this article on the plan he’s made for children’s catechesis in his parish. What I love most is his realisation that: It became clear to me in […]
Ecclesiastical faculties of philosophy and theology in London: the Bellarmine Institute
This announcement about the Bellarmine Institute comes from Heythrop College: In the last few days, Heythrop College has received copies of decrees of the Congregation for Catholic Education dated 17 September 2013 re-activating the ecclesiastical […]
What is prayer? How can I pray? A new DVD resource from CaFE
If you have ever asked the question, ‘What is prayer? How can I pray?’ then you will appreciate this new DVD resource from the CaFE team. Called ‘Strength to Strength: the Practical Benefits of Daily […]
Religion, celibacy and ‘Game of Thrones’
‘Celibacy and Game of Thrones’. Now there’s a phrase you probably won’t find anywhere else on the Internet. ‘Game of Thrones’ is the most successful show on television at the moment and, like a lot […]
Christianity in Asia: how to keep informed via AsiaNews
AsiaNews has just celebrated its 10th anniversary and received the blessing of Pope Francis on its newly launched Spanish edition. If you want to keep informed about Christianity in Asia, and especially in China, visit their […]
The search for genuine friendship and love in today’s youth culture: Pure in Heart
Pure in Heart is a group of 18-35 year olds who seek to live out the Catholic Church’s teaching on chastity by means of prayer, friendship, study and mission. Pure in Heart started in Ireland following […]
Pope Francis, his vision of social justice, and what it means for us
I gave a talk in Brentwood on Saturday on the topic ‘Pope Francis, his vision of social justice, and what it means for us’. This was part of a conference organised by The Commission for Justice […]
A religious sister reflects on the niqab, wearing the veil as a Catholic woman, and living in the gaze of others
At the airport security in Brittany, we had to remove our veils. This was something new. They are about twice the size of a pocket-handkerchief, and hardly the stuff for hiding a terrorist. And our […]
World Youth Day Krakow 2016, Westminster Diocese pilgrimage teaser
Westminster Diocese is very quick off the mark in the race to coordinate a diocesan youth pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016. This is their ‘teaser’ poster. What do you think? They […]
To love someone is to set them free
There are many times when we discover ourselves in another’s gaze. It happens when we come across someone who seems to know us better than we know ourselves. Someone who thinks we can achieve something, […]
