De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Today I want to introduce you to the Youtube project One of Nine and encourage you to watch the videos and support the channel  because both Maria & Peter are extremely talented, faithful and excellent advocates for Catholic family life. It is a positive project and it fosters a feeling that faithful Catholic families are not alone. I think this is especially important if you are a priest or religious . Why? Well, because it is frankly, heroic. As well as providing a valuable insight into the reality of Catholic family life, it provides an honest portrayal of just how challenging it is to live the Church's vision for family. Yes there is tremendous joy: I would not advocate an alternative or criticise the vision. It is the one I have chosen with all my heart. But it always comes with challenges, worries and is so often accompanied by the bitter sweetness of loss and longing.  The Catholic community here in the UK is incredibly small. Shockingly small really. I'm not talki...

I'm feeling on top of the world this morning, home from Mass and after a wonderful day yesterday at Ealing Abbey for the Guild of Our Lady & St. Joseph's day of Catholic study on The Family: The Fundamental Cell of Society . I was privileged to have the company of my son Mike and a couple of friends, Joao Pereira and Paul Abbot, and we all traveled up from Essex together. We got there in time for Mass with the Benedictines, celebrated by one Brother who was 60 years a priest on that day! Initially, the take up for this day was low. This wasn't a surprise; the day clashed with the Proclaim15 event in Birmingham and the LMS AGM at Westminster Cathedral. We also did not have any "star speaker", the last Guild Day I attended in Soho, we had Bishop Phillip Egan, who no doubt drew a crowd just to see him. Despite these issues, we received a good number of registrations in the week running up to the event and quite a number of people showed up on the day. B...

If you've read my blog for some time, you will know I am a bit of a fan of Jonathan Sacks who used to be our Chief Rabbi. He is a bit of a genius really, and is not at all afraid to stand up for faith, for God, or for society. On Monday 17th October 2014, Rabbi Sacks attended an International Colloquium on “The Complementarity of Man and Woman” convened by The Vatican under the auspices of Pope Francis (more details at http://humanum.it/en/ ). His input was widely reported as it was (as one might expect) very, very powerful and very good. The Complementarity of Man and Woman: An International Colloquium is a gathering of leaders and scholars from many religions across the globe, to examine and propose anew the beauty of the relationship between the man and the woman, in order to support and reinvigorate marriage and family life for the flourishing of human society. Witnesses draw from
 the wisdom of their religious tradition and cultural experience as they attest to t...

Ullswater seen from Hallin Fell I didn't write over the half-term, mostly because I was too exhausted! I went to Cumbria to spend some time with friends in the Lake District. I was up early walking as much as possible. By the time we got back in the evening and had dinner, bed was very welcome. I found this immensely satisfying I have to say. The trip was most enjoyable, an opportunity to spend time in Catholic company with a family who are committed Catholics living a Catholic life. This means that the faith informs everything they live. I find this time so beneficial for my family, who are completely comfortable in this environment. It is like being at home, in your own country, where like minded people share the same goals, aspirations and values as you do. Sadly in England today it seems that if you are Catholic, you are swimming very much against the current! Our friend's children are just a little older than our own, and this provides a wonderful opportunity for m...