Today in Worcestershire is kept the Memorial of St Nicholas Owen, the Jesuit lay-brother who constructed the vast majority of the hiding places for priests during the reign of Henry VIII. Seven of these were built in Harvington Hall, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. He was arrested in 1606 and tortured, but no information was […]

From today’s Gospel: ‘And he went up into the hills, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out …’ Here is the core, the heart of discipleship, ‘to be with Him, and to be sent out’. Today, perhaps we […]

‘Behold! what I have believed, I now see! what I have hoped for, I possess! what I have desired, I now embrace! my lips and my heart confess thee. For thee my inmost being longs. Behold, now to thee I go, the only and true God, who, with thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and […]

Here is today’s Gospel. From St Mark: ‘Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come here.” And he […]

This eleventh century saint was Bishop of Worcester. He remained in office during the Norman Conquest and was, after 1075, the only English born Bishop. Before this, he was a Benedictine monk of the Priory of St Mary at Worcester, which later became Worcester Cathedral. May he pray for us, for the growth of monastic […]

Today, the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity begins. Here is part of St John Henry Newman’s prayer: ‘O Lord Jesus Christ, when you were about to suffer, you prayed for your disciples that they might all be one, as you are in the Father and the Father in you. Look down in pity on […]

‘He who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him’. These astonishing words come from our New Testament reading for today, from 1 Corinthians. Today would normally be the Memoria of St Anthony, the Father of monks. To shed light on the Scripture quotation, here is a section from the Life of St […]

Here is our New Testament reading, from Hebrews: ‘For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid […]

Here is a short extract from St Gregory’s Life of St Benedict: ‘The holy man for many years in that desert increased wonderfully in virtues and miracles, whereby a great number in those parts were gathered together in the service of Almighty God: so that, by the assistance of our Lord Jesus Christ, he built […]

From today’s Gospel, from St Mark: ‘And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean’. […]