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 January, 2014
St John Bosco – patron saint of young people
St John Bosco is one of those saints who can really appeal to children, especially boys. Born August 16th 1815 he was the youngest son of Francis and Margaret Bosco. He lived on a small […]
The art of patience: waiting while you wait
I just came across this lovely phrase from St Francis de Sales. In a letter to St Jane de Chantal, when there is a hitch and she can’t take a journey at the time she […]
The spiritual art of planning
Nowadays, a lot of my life involves scheduling, planning, organising, juggling. Doodle polls are becoming a very dear friend in the uphill struggle of conquering multiple jam-packed diaries to schedule a meeting. Maybe (although I’m […]
New bishop of Plymouth
In his homily at the Episcopal Ordination of Mgr Mark O’Toole in Plymouth yesterday, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor spoke of his confidence that the priests and people of the Diocese of Plymouth were “receiving a bishop […]
A weekend for young Catholic nurses and doctors to reflect on issues of healthcare and faith
Are you a Catholic nurse or doctor in your 20s or 30s? Would you like to share ideas about living your faith at work, in the context of prayer and friendship? Then join the Hope […]
The Experience of God
The new book by David Bentley Hart, The Experience of God, is a fantastic read. Not only does it successfully offer several coherent points of departure for discussion of what ‘God’ means, it is also full […]
Do Catholics really know their bibles?
Earlier this week, in our Catholic parish, we began ‘A Quick Journey through the Bible‘, the Great Adventure eight-session course; and we were maxed out with around 70 participants showing up. I was excited to […]
The Conversion of St Paul: a message for all of us today
An ardent persecutor of Christians in the early Church, Saul was a devout Jew. A man who was passionate about his faith, he had real zeal for the letter of the law. We first come […]
Soldier to Saint: RISE Theatre’s inspirational play about St Alban is touring again this spring
Soldier to Saint is an explosive, original one-act play by RISE Theatre packing a powerful punch and bringing to life the inspirational story of Saint Alban, Britain’s first Christian martyr. Be immersed into the gritty […]
How to evangelise: practical tips for everyday life
Here are some practical tips for ordinary people about how we can evangelise in everyday life. A homily by Fr Stephen Wang.
Archbishop re-activates Ecclesiastical Faculties of Heythrop College
Archbishop Vincent Nichols celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving in the Maria Assumpta Chapel at Heythrop College on 20 January 2014 to mark the re-establishment of the ecclesiastical faculties of theology and philosophy, together known as the […]
Making the market king
In recent days the readings at Mass have been exploring the story of the institution of the monarchy amongst God’s people. One can write for days on the different theologies of monarchy in the scripture, […]
Traditions on the Feast of St Agnes
Agnes, a young Christian convert, is honored as one of the four great virgin martyrs of the Christian Church. She died for her faith in the early fourth century during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), […]
The dignity of the person as a foundation for healthcare ethics
A talk given by Prof David Jones from the Anscombe Bioethics Centre at Newman House Catholic Chaplaincy, the first in a series about healthcare ethics.
Two plays for the whole family by Catholic theatre company Ten Ten, Sat 8 Feb, London
Following the huge success of “Kolbe’s Gift” in the West End last October, Ten Ten Theatre is presenting a double-bill of plays for the whole family at The Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden on […]
White Elephant: the Christian presence in the violent slums of Argentina in the 1970s
Much has been made of Pope Francis’ work in the Argentinian slums before being elected Pontiff. An interesting point of reference is the 2012 feature film “White Elephant”, a subtitled movie set in the villa […]
Vocation as exodus and transformation: message of Pope Francis for World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Some beautiful passages from Pope Francis about the radical call at the heart of every Christian vocation. You can read the full text of his recent message here. It is Christ, therefore, who continually summons […]
“My wife and I are atheists, but our daughter wants to be baptised Catholic”
More and more marriages these days are between people of different faiths. One of the big discussion points with such couples is how they will raise their children regarding questions of belief. Many say that […]
Loneliness, Part 2: reflection
Why do most of us have such a problem with the idea of being alone? Is solitude always a bad thing? Following on from yesterday’s statistical look at loneliness in the lives of the elderly, […]
Dying and Rising in Christ – a retreat at Worth Abbey from 7 to 9 February
A weekend to prepare for Lent and Easter, reflecting on our journey of transformation through the Easter mystery – becoming conformed to the pattern of Christ through dying and rising in Him. The retreat offers […]
