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When you don’t know how to help your child or where to turn

Filed in Family by on December 18, 2013 0 Comments
When you don’t know how to help your child or where to turn

For any mothers who know they need God’s help in their family life but are not sure how to turn to him: Take a look at this information from the Mothers Prayers website. Mothers Prayers […]

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Pope Francis’s La Stampa interview: summary & highlights

Filed in News by on December 16, 2013 0 Comments
Pope Francis’s La Stampa interview: summary & highlights

The Pope’s Christmas interview to the Italian daily La Stampa shows, if nothing else, that Francis’s habit of allowing himself to be interrogated by the media is going to be a feature of his papacy, setting […]

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Family traditions surrounding St Lucy’s Day

Filed in Family by on December 13, 2013 0 Comments
Family traditions surrounding St Lucy’s Day

There are many legends surrounding St. Lucy. She is a young woman who courageously gave her life for the faith. Legend has it that St.Lucy and her mother prayed at the tomb of St. Agatha, […]

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Nudge theory and the pro-life movement

Filed in Science by on December 13, 2013 3 Comments
Nudge theory and the pro-life movement

In a recent post I explained how a successful set of ‘nudges’ can radically reorientate someone’s thinking and behaviour, and how the pro-life movement can learn from this. Many are vaguely familiar with ‘nudge’ theory. Originally […]

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Abby Johnson’s pro-life conversion

Filed in Ethics by on December 13, 2013 0 Comments
Abby Johnson’s pro-life conversion

On Friday last week, fresh from the studios of Women’s Hour, Abby Johnson spoke to the Catholic Voices Academy  in London about “Changing Minds on Abortion”. Abby is a former executive at Planned Parenthood in Texas […]

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Our Lady of Guadalupe, St Juan Diego, and the theology of the Mexican piñata

Filed in Spirituality by on December 12, 2013 0 Comments
Our Lady of Guadalupe, St Juan Diego, and the theology of the Mexican piñata

Down through the centuries there have been many reported sightings of Our Lady. But maybe none with such dramatic consequences as when she appeared in Mexico in 1531. A poor Aztec Indian named Juan Diego […]

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Time Magazine names Pope Francis its ‘Person of the Year’

Filed in News by on December 12, 2013 2 Comments
Time Magazine names Pope Francis its ‘Person of the Year’

Reuters has the story, which begins: Time magazine named Pope Francis its Person of the Year on Wednesday, crediting him with shifting the message of the Catholic Church while capturing the imagination of millions of […]

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New Rector appointed to Allen Hall Seminary

Filed in News by on December 11, 2013 0 Comments
New Rector appointed to Allen Hall Seminary

News came out today that Fr Roger Taylor, the current Vice-Rector, has been appointed by Archbishop Vincent Nichols to be the new Rector at Allen Hall, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Westminster. Fr Michael O’Boy, […]

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True happiness and the real meaning of the moral life

Filed in Ethics by on December 11, 2013 3 Comments
True happiness and the real meaning of the moral life

If you are looking for a wonderful introduction to Catholic moral theology, you need look no further than William C. Mattison III’s Introducing Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues. I have been working through it […]

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The question is not whether we will die – but how we shall live

Filed in Ethics by on December 9, 2013
The question is not whether we will die – but how we shall live

An address given by Fr Martin Boland at the St Francis Hospice “Light up a Life” Service, on the 2nd Sunday of Advent Last year, I went to visit a man, a parishioner from the Cathedral here […]

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How going to Confession can transform your life

Filed in Ethics by on December 7, 2013 1 Comment
How going to Confession can transform your life

A sermon about the importance of the Sacrament of Confession during Advent, that should be helpful even outside of the Advent season.

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Celebrating Advent within the family: stories, festivities and food!

Filed in Family by on December 6, 2013 0 Comments
Celebrating Advent within the family: stories, festivities and food!

Christmas is on its way! For children, this is the most wonderful time of the year. A time of great celebration. However, we cannot go straight into the feast of Christmas without some preparation. Advent […]

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Five years on from the HFE Act: whatever happened to cybrids?

Filed in Science by on December 4, 2013 0 Comments
Five years on from the HFE Act: whatever happened to cybrids?

Five years ago last month, a highly contentious Bill that had ignited months of fierce debate across the country, finally received Royal Assent. The Bill in question was the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which […]

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The greatest Advent calendars of all time: Number 1

Filed in Spirituality by on December 3, 2013 3 Comments
The greatest Advent calendars of all time: Number 1

I was given this tiny Advent calendar as a gift on Sunday, all the way from Germany. It’s about 10cm x 5cm. I thought it was very sweet but a bit boring – until I […]

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Student Cross – looking ahead to Holy Week 2014

Filed in Spirituality by on December 2, 2013 0 Comments
Student Cross – looking ahead to Holy Week 2014

Student Cross is a pilgrimage organised by and for students, young adults, and pilgrims of all ages, which has been running since 1948. Pilgrims experience Holy Week and the joy of the Resurrection as a […]

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The Joy of the Gospel: a summary and guide to Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation

Filed in News by on December 2, 2013 4 Comments
The Joy of the Gospel: a summary and guide to Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation

The first teaching document mainly authored by Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, is a bold and thrilling bid to send the Catholic Church worldwide on mission. Energetic, direct, lyrical, its language and style model the evangelisation to […]

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Nightfever comes to London again on Sat 7th December

Filed in Spirituality by on November 28, 2013 1 Comment
Nightfever comes to London again on Sat 7th December

Nightfever comes to St Patrick’s Church again, in Soho Square, on Saturday 7th December. See the London homepage here. This information is from their website: Welcome to Nighfever London We invite you to come and […]

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Eschatological tensions: the feast of Christ the King

Filed in Spirituality by on November 26, 2013 0 Comments
Eschatological tensions: the feast of Christ the King

The homily from Newman House Chaplaincy this Sunday, on the Solemnity of Christ the Universal King.

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Marriage enrichment weekends coming up

Filed in Relationships by on November 25, 2013 0 Comments
Marriage enrichment weekends coming up

Take a look at the SmartLoving website for details of some marriage enrichment weekends that are taking place over the next few months. Couples who stay successfully and happily married have made marriage their mission. […]

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Horcruxes, technology addiction, and the search for personal wholeness

Filed in Media by on November 25, 2013 6 Comments
Horcruxes, technology addiction, and the search for personal wholeness

Just in case you don’t know what a Horcrux is: Slughorn: “Well, well, it can’t hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word […]

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