Bishop John Sherrington Homilies and Addresses

This evening three strands of this celebration come together and invite our reflection: First, the opening of the centenary celebrations to mark the death of the Founder, Venerable Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan next year; Second, the birt...Read more

At the end of the first week of Lent, when temptations will be stronger and resolutions possibly weakening, it is important to remind ourselves of the invitation which we heard on Ash Wednesday, 'repent and believe in the gospel'. These words ...Read more

My brothers and sisters in Christ, to be confirmed this evening, The readings from this Sunday's Mass help us to understand the call of Christ to each one of you and the mission to which he invites you in the sacrament of confirmation. You are ...Read more

Christmas is a time of miracles. As a parish priest, I often found that the few hours between the incredibly busy and somewhat frenetic Vigil Mass and the Midnight Mass were fairly quiet. It was a time of waiting. One bitterly cold year, I reme...Read more

'Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee'. These words open the deeply loved prayer which many generations of pilgrims have prayed as they walked to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham over the centuries since 1061. They have brou...Read more

This evening we entrust our departed brother priests to the mercy of God and pray that the angels will lead them into paradise and to the company of the martyrs. May the choirs of angels welcome them home. There they will join Lazarus, who is poor...Read more

It is good to be speaking about God's mercy at the Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden, a holy place to which pilgrims have travelled for over a thousand years. When we are in need of help, it is so often to our mother that we look. In the gospel (J...Read more

We gather in this historic and wonderful Abbey Church of St Alban, the proto-martyr of England, for Evensong during our pilgrimage of mercy. The timing of our pilgrimage is providential as we recall that last Wednesday, Pope Francis and Archbishop...Read more

I visited Brazil in September in response to La Palavra Viva's invitation to teach for a week in their School of Evangelisation in Curvelo.  My theme, which was to be developed during the week was Evangelisation and Virtue, which would examine ...Read more

My brothers and sisters in Christ, to be confirmed this evening, In the sacrament of confirmation, by the laying on of hands and the anointing with sacred Chrism, the Holy Spirit will be bestowed upon you in a new and deeper way; you will be conf...Read more

At the end of the gospel that we have just heard, the 72 disciples return to Jesus at the end of their day's work rejoicing about their success and all that they have done in his name. He reminds them of his power to enable good to triumph over ...Read more

This evening we offer the Mass for the repose of the souls of those sailors and members of the naval forces who died during the Battle of Jutland off the Danish coast on 31 May to 1 June  1916. Jutland was the Navy's greatest battle engagement ...Read more

Joy is infectious. Jesus desires to share his joy with his friends, which includes ourselves. No longer are we called servants but rather friends. He teaches us to follow the commandments which can be summarised in the commandment to love God and ...Read more

The wonderful vision described in the second reading has been painted in the triptych to be found in St Bavo's Cathedral in Gent; Jan Van Eyck's, In a tangible way we are united to earth to this reality as when we celebrate the Mass and also ...Read more