Canonisation: A New Hope
Do not be afraid!Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam! Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Carolum Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem Wojtyła, qui sibi nomen imposuit Ioannis...
View ArticleThe Francis Effect
Resigned to ResignationI will always remember the morning of 11 February 2013 as one of wildly varied emotion. It started like any other day at work; I'd just got my mid-morning cup of tea and, as was...
View ArticleWithin 25 years, this Church will be a Carpetright
One of the parishes I attend from time-to-time has recently had a new parish priest. As I hadn't attended mass there since before Easter, I didn't know how he was settling in and what sort of man he...
View ArticleSpoiling for a vote
Today I exercised my democratic right by spoiling my vote for the elections to the European Parliament. To register my disapproval, I chose to adorn my ballot with a picture of R2D2 and C3PO and the...
View ArticleAttending an Old Rite Latin Mass
On Sunday July 20th, I attended my first Latin Mass with The Confraternity of the Holy Cross at The Sacred Heart in Morriston, presided over by Father Jason Jones, with a congregation of ten or so.The...
View ArticleCatholicism and Depression
On Tuesday, the world woke up to the news that depression had claimed the life of another well loved celebrity. Robin Williams will forever be remembered as a unique and madcap talent, famous for...
View ArticleRed Card: Tina Beattie
Tina Beattie gets a Red CardOn Wednesday, The Guardian published an article by Tina Beattie, Professor of Catholic Studies at Roehampton University entitled "Pope Francis has done little to improve...
View ArticleEducating Peter
Sunday's Gospel follows directly on from last week's account of the establishment of the Petrine commission and Peter's great statement of Faith in Jesus as "The Christ, the Son of the Living God". [1]...
View ArticleWhen I Started School....
Mary O’Regan from The Path Less Taken nominated me to write a post on what I was like when I started school.You don’t need a blog. If you have a blog, you can do the post there, but if not, you can do...
View ArticleDealing with the fallout from Bishop Conry's resignation
It was with great sadness that I read the news on Sunday that Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton had resigned after revealing that he had been "unfaithful to his promises as a priest",...
View ArticleOn Graduality and the Synod
Today is the fourth day of the extraordinary general session of the Synod of Bishops on pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelisation and the buzz word doing the rounds in the...
View ArticleThe synod on the family discovers a new law
The synod on the family has produced its first momentous result, the discover of the "law of graduality". In what is surely the theological equivalent of the discovery Higgs Bosun, a new era of...
View ArticleAdvent
Today is the start of Advent and to help me prepare to make the most of Christmas, I have decided to give up all forms of social media. Twitter and Facebook offer many benefits; Facebook keeps me in...
View ArticleAdvent: Day 2
Besides giving up social media, I have also resolved to try and get up earlier during Advent. I've been a poor sleeper since my late teens and it often takes me several hours to finally doze off at...
View ArticleAdvent: Frustration and Regression
Since my last post, all my advent resolutions and intentions have completely failed. Though I have managed not to use Twitter and Facebook, I have found that I have replaced the time I believed I was...
View ArticleFor Zion’s sake we have fallen silent
This year, my family and I attended the Vigil Mass for Christmas Day so that we could get to the hospital straight afterwards to visit my grandfather, John, who was entering into his last hours. Our...
View ArticleResponding to Paris: I am not Charlie but I shall Pray for Him
Like many people, I have been musing on events in Paris since they occurred and whilst it easy to condemn the actions of the terrorists involved, lament the tragic loss of human life and pray for all...
View ArticleTime to talk
Today is "Time to Talk Day", an initiative of "Time to Change" which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and end mental health discrimination. [1] As I have suffered from anxiety and...
View ArticleCharlie comes to Swansea
Last weekend, I unfortunately came across an example of the sort of irreverence towards religious sensitivities that the recent #JeSuisCharlie event would have accept as legitimate expressions of...
View ArticleSacred Heart Statue Update
In my previous post [1], I related how I came across a statue of the Sacred Heart in a Swansea bar which had been adorned with a gas mask and a sign for the toilets. I wrote a letter to the proprietor...
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