On the 4th October, the close of the Season of Creation and the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi,  Pope Francis has published an Apostolic Exhortation ‘Laudate Deum’ (‘Praise God’) building on his 2015 Laudato Si’ encyclical. We are not doing enough, he says, we’re close to breaking point. He criticises climate change deniers, saying that the human origin ...

On Sunday morning (1 October 2023), Dominican Friar and former Master of the Order of Preachers, Father Timothy Radcliffe, reflected on the meaning of Hoping against hope with those who will participate in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops set to begin on Wednesday, 4 October. This rather unique and special opportunity to share in this reflective and prayer-filled ...

“The path to Christian unity and the path of synodal conversion of the Church are linked. I would like to take this opportunity to announce that on Saturday 30 September, an ecumenical prayer vigil will be held on St. Peter’s Square, with which we will entrust the work of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. For ...

Pope Francis’s encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, published in 2020, set the universal context as to how our response should be to migrants and refugees. It expresses the need to “acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.”  In today’s context, this concept is increasingly under threat from nationalist or ...

The International Day of Peace (IDP) is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. Never has our world needed peace more.  This year’s theme is Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals. It is a call ...

We are familiar with Thomas (recorded in John’s Gospel) asking Jesus “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  and Jesus answering, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.  There are many times in our lives when we need to understand well ...

The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) since 1914 as an opportunity to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers.  Every year the WDMR is the last Sunday of September; in 2023 it will ...

An Ecumenical Prayer Vigil will take place on Saturday, 30 September – immediately preceding the General Assembly of the Synod.  This service will emphasise the centrality of prayer in the synodal process and highlight the relationship between synodality and ecumenism. Presenting the event at a press conference at the Holy See Press Office, Sr. Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the General Secretariat ...

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, on September 12th to honour the name of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  This feast day has been celebrated since 1684, but actually dates back to 1513 as local celebrations were held in Spain.   The name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, invokes the inexpressible love of the Mother of ...

In his beautiful Apostolic Exhortation ‘Gaudete et Exsultate’, Pope Francis spoke at some length about the call to holiness in today’s world. He reminded us that holiness exists not only in those whom the Church has beatified or canonised, but in those “saints next door”, who don’t appear in any book and whose names are known only to God. Such people are ...