Cardinal's Homilies

There is a tradition, which I am sure you are all familiar with, that the Christmas Crib can stay in place until the 2nd of February, the feast of the Presentation. I have always thought that was a rather good idea, because the Crib is about Mary…Read more

Your Royal Highness, Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, It is a great privilege to stand before you today in this Hall, where exactly eighty years ago the seeds of a fresh global framework were sown. On…Read more

Tonight is a night of prayer and praise, shaped by one much-acclaimed event: the birth of a child. Babies evoke in us tenderness and love - at least when they are not crying! And this is the tenor of our prayer tonight. The tenderness and love we…Read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ, Today’s Feast of the Holy Family continues our rejoicing in the birth of Jesus, our hope and our salvation. This Feast has also been chosen as the moment in which dioceses throughout the world mark the…Read more

This University comes from small beginnings. It started in Brittany, with 6 students all seeking religious life. Then, in 1850, a more solid start was made, the anniversary of which we celebrate today. Forty men were the first student body…Read more

This evening we have just heard a sobering passage from the Gospel of St Matthew. It reminds us, vividly, as we pray for our deceased brethren, that a firm judgement awaits us all, as it awaited them. This, I trust, adds a seriousness to our…Read more

Today, my dear sisters and brothers, we thank God for the gracious life of St Carlo Acutis, our newest and dear Saint. St Carlo is such a young saint, characterised by simple sincerity and a life of holiness. He is an inspiration to so many,…Read more

This is a moment rich in meaning and association. This evening, I welcome you to this great Cathedral and thank you for making such a journey to gather here. This evening, we celebrate Mass with our minds on the Holy Angels, particularly on our…Read more

‘Come, creator Spirit, visit the minds of your faithful’. So begins the hymn, ' It is a Mass steeped in history. Mass has been celebrated in this country to mark the start of the legal year for more than 800 years, and in Europe still longer. It…Read more

In 1968, as some of you may well remember, it was announced that the seminary based in St Edmund’s College had begun actively seeking a new home. (Also in 1968, the Beatles released Hey Jude with its line ‘Take a sad song and make it…Read more

My dear brothers and sisters, Monday, 29th September, is an important birthday. It is the birthday of our Diocese of Westminster, established on that day 175 years ago. The first Archbishop of Westminster, Nicholas Wiseman, was appointed by Pope…Read more

This morning we humbly approach the throne of God seeking the grace of ordination for these two men, James and Seán. This is an awesome moment. And in it, we are joined by many saints, women and men, whom we will invoke and who will add…Read more

St Mary's University has a long and complex history. Its very first steps were in Brittany in 1848 with 6 students, destined for religious life. But then, in 1850, Cardinal Wiseman and the Catholic Poor School Committee opened the College in…Read more

We are the humble flock on a journey to the place where the Brave Shepherd has already reached, the Risen Lord, our heavenly home. The first reading vividly portrays how this journey took on a particular moment, a decisive moment, how the message…Read more