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 […]
Culture
UK Churches speak out against bid to allow ‘three-parent’ embryos
The Church of England and the Catholic Church have issued statements urging MPs next Tuesday to vote against allowing the UK to be the first country in the world to allow a new genetic technology that critics say is […]
Birdman
Every now and then a film comes along that changes your understanding of what a film can be. This was my experience in the Odeon Covent Garden last night. I spent most of the two […]
How to think, how to consume, how to give: three ‘new’ perspectives
I have read three unusual books recently, each one of them the sort that changes the way you see the world. The first was exceptionally intelligent, the second excitingly creative, the third deeply wise. The […]
Flame 2
Flame 2 is the largest National Catholic Youth event of 2015, taking place in the SSE Wembley Arena on Saturday 7th March 2015. Doors open at 11, and Flame2 starts at 12, finishing at 5.30pm. The […]
Anselm Kiefer: earth, history, art, transcendence
I didn’t really want to see the Anselm Kiefer exhibition at the Royal Academy. All I knew about him was that his paintings are, generally, brown. Call me shallow, but if I have an hour […]
How dangerous is the internet?
It’s an intriguing and maybe alarming fact that often the very things that can do most good can also do most harm. Doctors make the best poisoners, and a ‘drug’ can either cure or kill. […]
The importance of our church buildings
Today the Church celebrates the dedication of the Basilica of St John Lateran in Rome. This Church was the first one to be built when the persecution of the Christians came to an end under […]
Young Catholics in healthcare: Hope in Health weekend
Are you a Catholic nurse or doctor, student nurse or medical student in your 20s or 30s? Do you ever feel that you need more support in combining your work and your faith? Our Hope […]
Ida: beauty in black and white
[Warning: minor plot-spoilers in my text; but major plot-spoilers in the trailer above!] If the Polish film Ida does not win an Oscar for best cinematography at next year’s awards then I will eat my […]
The power of film: surprise Spanish hit “La última cima” (The Last Summit)
Imagine a film about a priest that’s a box-office knock-out, a cinema success that outsells Harry Potter. Now imagine this priest is neither a Pope nor a celebrity nor a cause of scandal, but simply […]
Aradin: supporting Christian culture in the Middle East
A guest post from Dr Amal Marogy. From 30th June to 8th July, Aradin Charitable Trust (www.aradin.org.uk) organised a cultural course for priests and clergy of the Middle East under the title ‘Be inspired to inspire’. […]
How to turn your inbox from a threat into a source of renewal
Sound psychological advice here from Eric Barker about how to use email to cultivate friendships and even to find a little bit of happiness each morning: On the subject of happiness: Every morning send a […]
This is My Body: now booking for the human trafficking play from Ten Ten Theatre
This Is My Body: Now Booking There are “reasonable grounds” to suspect that a Romanian woman, who has been working as a prostitute in the UK, is the victim of human trafficking. She is given […]
Summer news from Ten Ten Theatre
We hope this finds you well and that you have had a restful summer. Summer can be a great opportunity to be refreshed and reminded of what God is calling each of us to – […]
The difference it makes to sing the psalms
The Hebrew word for a “psalm” is mizmor which translates as “something sung”. The psalmist instructs, “Sing to the Lord with the harp/with the sound of music.” (Psalm 97) He’s issuing an imperative. When the […]
The secret of authentic communication: the example of St Boniface
To communicate with others is not just to share information, it is to create a common space where one can meet the other, finding a common language that allows a genuine personal encounter. Fr Stephen […]
Great Catholic websites
Sarah Reinhard lists and comments on the Catholic websites that she has found most helpful for her faith. She writes regularly at SnoringScholar.com and is the author of “A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy” (Ava […]
Spirit in the City: coming to the West End of London next week
Spirit in the City, the biggest Catholic Festival in the West End of London kicks off on Wednesday 11th June with a Medieval Chants concert at Notre Dame de France at 7:30pm, followed by three days […]
Do animals have morality?
Christians and biologists have often, mistakenly, seen themselves as rivals. Both have argued as if there is a choice between science or religion: biology or revelation as sources of knowledge; evolution or God as explanations […]
#CapforStrat – from approaching death to superheroes to Christ
Over the last few days, the hash-tag #CapforStrat has been trending on twitter. It is the project of Sophie Caldecott (@SophieCaldecott) to get Marvel to release the DVD of the latest Captain America so that her […]
