Praying with the pope in September
In this month of September, we get ready to say goodbye to summer for another year. Some of us have to get used to going back to work after a summer break or,to get ready to go back to school or to begin a new course of studies, perhaps in a new place. We need to keep in mind that summer holidays and the possibility of studying are among the opportunities unavailable to many people for whom life is a struggle that has to continue no matter what month or season it is.A disadvantaged family might...
This month, Pope Francis has asked us to join him in a prayer for, and about, sports – that sports may be an opportunity for friendly encounters between peoples and may contribute to peace in the world. Do we ever think about sports as a topic for our prayer? Maybe, only when our favourite team is about to participate in a big match or prestigious tournament! Maybe the only time we ever might link our prayer and whatever sport we follow, or play, is at that moment, and it's...
Most of us would never dream of leaving the house without checking (sometimes, for some of us, five or six times!) if we've got certain items with us. Keys – check. Rosaries in the pocket, and maybe a small prayer-card or prayer-book – check. Transport card or money for fares – check. Wallet and credit-cards – check. Outer jacket or rainwear, especially in a British summer – check. Wristwatch – check. And something that almost everyone has to have...
St Claude de la Colombiere SJ relic to return to London
Relics of St Claude de la Colombiere SJ and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque will visit England in November 2016 for a special tour around central London. These two saints are most associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart. The initiative for the visit of the relics came from Emmanuel Community – a charismatic group of lay people and religious who originate from Paray-le-Monial in France but also have a group based at Our Lady of Victories Kensington. They have been...
The Sacred Heart of Christ, sign of his limitless love
I have been telling many of our students here at Manchester Universities' Catholic Chaplaincy, that when we die God is not going to be interested in how you did in this module, or what mark you got in this exam. However He will be interested in how much love you shared in your life. Today the church focuses on the mysterious way that God manifests his love for us through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a beautiful devotion that has been part of the Church's...
Praying with the pope in June
If we feel drawn, this June, to praying with Pope Francis for the concerns that lie in his heart, we can definitely make our prayer richer and more consoling if we unite them to Christ's heart, too.This month has traditionally been devoted to the heart of Christ, the Sacred Heart, and it's at the beginning of the month, when the church – you and I – mark the feast-day properly known as the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics "to renew,...
Praying with the pope in May
In this month of May we're asked to pray with Pope Francis for respect for women: that in every country of the world, women may be honoured and respected, and that their essential contribution to society may be highly esteemed. The pope's Evangelisation Intention concerns the Holy Rosary: that families, communities and groups may pray the Holy Rosary for evangelisation and peace.It's well known that, not long ago in our own history, women had to struggle for the most basic of...
Praying with the Pope in March
In March, we want to pray with Pope Francis for families – "that families in need may receive the necessary support and that children may grow up in healthy and peaceful environments". It's a prayer we want to make at this time of Lent and in this Year of Mercy. As Pope Francis said, last year, "All families need God: all, all! They need his help, his strength, his blessing, his mercy, his forgiveness". This month's universal intention of the Holy Father brings that need to our attention,...
Click To Pray, the new app to pray with Pope Francis
Following the release of the first video series starring a pope, now Francis is back in the news with the launch of the Click To Pray app, an initiative to gain prayer support from people around the world for his monthly intentions. The pope wishes to promote daily prayer on behalf of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer).Click To Pray presents something different each of the 365 days of the year. Users can join millions around the world from different cultures and...
Praying with the Pope in February
The Holy Father has once again, this month, invited his Global Prayer Network, the Apostleship of Prayer, to pray with him about the great concerns that face humanity. This month of February finds him directing our attention to the area about which he wrote with such power and passion in 2015's groundbreaking encyclical letter, Laudato Si. His universal prayer intention, which he invites all people of good will everywhere to ponder and pray about, is: "That we may take good care of...
Fr Fitzmaurice SJ On Witnessing An Execution