There are four figures who are particularly significant during Advent and Christmas. They sum up the season in different ways. These figures are Isaiah the prophet, John the Baptist, Joseph…
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The word Advent means Coming. Therefore, its orientation is towards the feast of Christmas. Historically Christmas preceded Advent. We have hints of the beginnings of Advent in the 300’s and…
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St Columban (543-615) Columban is the most outstanding and well known of the very numerous Irish missionaries who left Ireland to be missionaries in Europe. They called this exile from…
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This weekend’s Feast Day is an opportunity for Geoffrey Horgan, the iconographer who painted (wrote) the ‘Icon of the Holy Redeemer’, to share his story and some of the tradition…
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The feast day of St Clement is 23 November, the same day as the saint that we shall look at in next week’s newsletter, St Columban. Clement appears third on…
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St Martin of Tours (316-397) Some people may remember the story of St Martin, a Roman soldier, cutting his cloak in two to give half to a beggar he…
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At the beginning of November, we Catholics always celebrate the related feasts of All Saints (1 November) and All Souls (2 November). In many countries with an explicitly Catholic background…
Sacramental Life Saints Uncategorized
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So should we celebrate Halloween? What is your family tradition? It is getting harder to avoid it as it is becoming more popular and commercialised. Our children and grandchildren seem curious about it and like the idea of trick or treating.
Parish Priest Saints Uncategorized
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Saints generally have their own feast days in our liturgical calendar. Some of the saints, however, have a shared feast-day due to their unique relationship. One example is…
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The saints are not perfect; they are holy. There is a big difference. Human beings can’t be perfect. But they can be good. None of the great saints…
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