Set as we are within the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, this day is a special day for us. The shrine in Walsingham contains a replica of the Holy House in Nazareth. At the time of the Reformation, the original House was destroyed, but it was later restored. Now, it is an important […]
‘Pray, hope and don’t worry’: these words are among the most famous quotes of Padre Pio, as he is known, and they remain as relevant today as the day on which they were first spoken. Born in 1887, he died in 1968, and was canonised in 2002. The image below is in the public domain. […]
‘Here is today’s Gospel, from St Luke: Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word […]
The icon below, which is in the public domain, shows St Matthew at his desk, writing his gospel – a far cry from sitting at his desk collecting taxes. An angel is beside him, guiding him. Note his intense gaze, and the open ear, ready to catch the word of the Lord. His Gospel relates: […]
From our New Testament reading, from Philippians: ‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain’. (Philippians 1:20) St Paul, writing to the Philippians, was not to know that both parts of his proclamation would be fulfilled: he lived for Christ, and he gained a martyr’s death. We are not all called […]
Today is also the Optional Memoria of St Theodore of Tarsus, seventh Archbishop of Canterbury. Born about 601, he was sent to England, arriving in 669. He totally reorganised the English Church, establishing new dioceses and working to resolve Celtic and Roman customs which were then at variance with each other. May he pray for […]
From our New Testament reading today, from 1 Corinthians: ‘Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.’ (1 Corinthians 15:20) Christ’s resurrection proclaimed a new dawn for the whole of creation. Each of us, individually, is called to share in that decisive moment. Let us pray, today, […]
It was Pope Benedict XVI who proclaimed St Hildegard of Bingen as a Doctor of the Church, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 October 2012. He especially emphasised her holiness of life and her authentic and original teaching. While she is often remembered first for her amazing music, her gifts extended well beyond into other […]
From a letter of St Cyprian to St Cornelius: ‘God’s merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand. By that shared love which binds us close together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and […]
Here are the prophetic words of Simeon to Our Lady at the presentation of the Christ Child in the Temple: ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out […]