On a recent visit to France over Toussaint (Feast of All Saints and Holy Souls) it would seem as if the whole of France stops to visit the graves of their loved ones.  It is customary to bring flowers – chrysanthemums of various colours and sizes to place on the tombs of their dead and war memorials. The cemeteries throughout ...

On Wednesday, 21 October, Missio, Mill Hill Missionaries and the CMU (Catholic Missionary Union) were pleased to host the second conference on Catholic Mission in Today’s World at Heythrop College. The Specialist Philosophy and Theology College of the University of London The theme was Dialogue between North and South: What we can learn about mission and interfaith. The keynote speaker was Prof. ...

Pope Francis and the Church of St. Francis The Post-Western Age of Catholic Rediscovery Lamin Sanneh, Yale Divinity School Contemporary Catholicism has gone through at least two major revolutions within the last half century. Vatican II instituted changes whose repercussions are still being felt today, however uneven the impact. By general consent, the modernization of Catholic theology and corresponding changes ...

“Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness…”            “Ode to Autumn”, John Keats 1795-1821 After all these years, this line of Keats still captures the essence of Autumn so vividly, as we awake to morning mists, followed by the trees emerging in a blaze of glory. They do this, even in the process of seeming to die as they shed ...

‘Tragedy should be used as a source of strength. No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose hope that is our real disaster!’                                                          [Dalai Lama X1V] 1845 heralded a year that was to bring tragedy and heartbreak to the Barbier household!  Euphrasie was now sixteen years old and her sister Nathalie a year younger.  ...

On Friday 9th,  Year 5 of St Joseph’s and St Teresa’s Primary Schools and Year 7 from Salvatorian and Sacred Heart Language Colleges came together to celebrate the Eucharist to mark the occasion of the International Year of the Consecrated Life. These places of learning were founded by the two main religious communities here in St Joseph’s parish, Wealdstone, the ...

On Thursday morning, Oct 8th, a group of Missionaries and co-workers associated with mission   were invited to spend the morning at Sacred Heart Language College, Wealdstone, to share their stories with Year 8 as to why they made choices to work as missionaries overseas or working for charities and societies that promote mission in the world.  During the week before ...

“There is always one moment in childhood when a door opens and lets the future in.” [Deepak Chopra] Euphrasie’s happy school days passed all too quickly and it was when she reached the age of thirteen that a door did, in fact, open and let the future in – a door that she did not particularly want to go through. ...

FOR the Year of Consecrated Life, Sr Una Rutledge, from the Notre Dame Convent on Churchtown Road, discusses her vocation, the charism of her order, the foundress of the order, and how she sees the future for her order. SR UNA was in her late teens when she first heard the call: “I felt that God was calling me to ...

  The celebration began with the religious of the Diocese being invited to join Bishop Joseph Toal for a meal in Xaviour Hall at Carfin Grotto.  This was followed by evening prayer of the Church led by the Bishop in the Glass Chapel – a souvenir of John’s visit to Scotland. Next we made our way to the Cathedral of ...