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 […]
Faith
A Foyer de Charité retreat for 18-40 year olds
A Foyer de Charité retreat for 18-40 year olds at Micklepage What are the Foyers? The Foyers de Charité are Roman Catholic communities which have been formally recognised by Rome since 1986. Within them, lay men and […]
Evangelisation: the miracles God can work through us when say Yes and put our trust in him
In this series of posts, “From the Mission Field”, I am sharing some inspiring stories: people open to the Holy Spirit, allowing him to do amazing things in their corner of the world. May these stories […]
The vocation to love, part 6: remembering Dorcas
I began this series of posts, you may remember, by talking about the Vatican II’s radical idea that every single Christian is called to a unique and irreplaceable mission. I then had a look at […]
A priestly vocation – to be an ambassador for Christ
On the day of my ordination, 14 September 1996, I gave people a prayer card. It’s what newly ordained priests often do. On it were written four words: Pray for Martin Boland and above this […]
Vocation, truth, and being true to one’s name
Vocations Sunday is coming up this weekend (11 May). Let me take a slightly angular way into this. In a recent interview Swedish singer Lykke Li (of “Sadness is a blessing” fame) finished with what was […]
Spiritual reading for Eastertide
I’ve just finished a beautiful book of talks and meditations by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, called Images of Hope: Meditations on Major Feasts. It’s one of those traditional compilations that brings together someone’s […]
Can you have evangelists without first having disciples?
I came across this video earlier this week. Obviously, it comes from a Protestant context (so their concept of worship is not ours), but essentially, it is saying exactly the same thing that we Catholics […]
Between the fire and the water, an Easter homily, by Fr Stephen Wang
A homily from the Second Sunday of Easter, reflecting on the Easter fire, the baptismal font, the presence of Jesus in the Upper Room, the Canonisation of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, […]
The vocation to love, part 5: Vocation as conversion
We are all familiar with the conversion of St Paul – one of the most memorable moments in the history of the Church. Artists have had a field day with it, adding a colourful fall […]
The vocation to love, part 4: The call of Mary
Luke’s Gospel begins with two stories of vocation: of John the Baptist through his father, Zechariah, and of Mary to be mother of Jesus. John is a link between the Old Testament and the New. […]
Taking religion seriously and moving beyond an ‘unreflective atheism or agnosticism’
In a recent article, Charles Murray advises that an important aspect of living a fulfilling life is to take religion seriously. “Start by jarring yourself out of unreflective atheism or agnosticism”. Now that we’re alone, […]
Notes for Holy Week
~ 1 ~ Well, everyone, welcome to Holy Week. Some words before the Palm Sunday Procession struck me: “Let us commemorate the Lord’s entry into the city for our salvation, following in his footsteps, so that, […]
A week of Catholic theology organised by the Dominicans for university students and young adults
A Vision for Life: The Spirit of Catholic Theology A Study week led by a team of Dominican Friars and Sisters in collaboration with the Benedictine monks of Buckfast Abbey offering a systematic overview of […]
Does God have favourites?
A homily from Fr Stephen Wang about the mystery of how God calls some people to faith and to particular vocations.
500 years of English Catholic history in 42 minutes
Fr Nicholas Schofield gave a talk at UCL CathSoc on Monday evening. Somehow he managed to get the history of the Catholic Church in England from 1514 to the present day into 42 minutes. You […]
Where do people go when the course/programme has finished and they are hungry for more?
It often happens that you get to the end of a really fruitful programme/course/series in your parish, and people start to ask, “What’s happening next?” “We want to continue, this has been the experience of […]
Is it good to base your faith on spiritual experiences?
A homily by Fr Stephen Wang about the place of religious experience in the Christian life, given at Newman House Student Chaplaincy.
Where is Ireland going? What would St Patrick say and do today?
The video above, produced by Fáilte Ireland (the Irish tourist board) has been doing the rounds recently. It was produced in honour of St Patrick’s Day, and its central message is, ‘Ireland Inspires’. It celebrates the […]
St Patrick
St. Patrick of Ireland – whose feast we celebrate today – is one of the world’s best known saints. He was born around 385, perhaps in Scotland, near Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and […]
The key to understanding Pope Francis
A talk by Fr Stephen Wang, which looks at the first sections of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, and gives a key to understanding the vision of Pope Francis and his first year in office.
