Easter Sunday
Given at the Mass of the day on Easter Sunday, 16 Last night there was a fire in the Cathedral. It was strong and powerful and it spread very quickly. We did not call the fire brigade. It was the Easter fire, the fire of the Resurrection of Jesus...Read more
Easter Vigil of the Holy Night
Given at the Easter Vigil of the Holy Night, 15 Today in these words of majesty and in this sumptuous music we celebrate and we sing of his new life. We read of echoes of his victory in the past, in the history of Israel. We hear that it is ours ...Read more
Solemn Commemoration of the Lord's Passion
In these days of Holy Week we have said 'Hosanna', save us. We have heard the In the First Reading, we heard the words of Isaiah: 'He shall be lifted up; raised to great heights.' We shall be both appalled and amazed. We witness him being...Read more
Maundy Thursday 2017
This evening we celebrate the Last Supper with his disciples of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  On Sunday we took to heart his entry into Jerusalem: his deliberate and determined journey towards his death. We accepted palms as a sign of pe...Read more
Chrism Mass 2017
With this ceremony of the Chrism Mass, we are entering the holiest days of the Church's year. Here we stand at the threshold, ready to step gratefully into the mystery of faith, the vast landscape of the great plan of God for our human family. In ...Read more
CCEE Symposium Barcelona
The first reading in our Mass this evening is one of the most beautiful and evocative passages in the Bible. These words of Ezekiel flow throughout the Biblical texts. They are echoed in the words of Jesus as he proclaims: 'If anyone is thirsty,...Read more
Mass for Victims of London Attacks
In the texts for our Mass this morning, as they are in the Missal, there are three phrases which we can do well to remember today and in the days to come. The first is from the Psalm that is given for today: 'The Lord is my shepherd; there is...Read more
Brentwood Centenary
Two weeks ago, ten thousand young Catholics from across England and Wales were gathered at Wembley for Flame 17m an opportunity to pray, to learn and to celebrate their faith. While in their company, I remembered the stirring appeal of Pope Franci...Read more
Called to Serve the Sick
One of the great gifts of Pope Francis to the Church has been the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which concluded last November. During that Year, we entered so much more deeply into an understanding and acceptance of the mercy of God towards each of us, n...Read more
Visit and Crowning of National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima
In the great Jubilee Year 2000, a crowd of well over half a million people gathered in Rome. It was 13 Within these simple words lies a considerable challenge, and not just for excitable children on a visit to Rome. It is this: How well do we e...Read more
Lourdes Mass 2017
How I love this passage from the Gospel of St Luke. Every time I hear it, I admire again its wonderful, step-by-step approach. And every time, it always catches me out. Yes, this is a lesson directed to every one of us, leading us to understand af...Read more
Thanksgiving for Apostolic Nuncio
Today we celebrate the Feast of St Paul Miki and his companions. They are among the larger group known as the Nagasaki Martyrs who died rather than deny their faith, in Japan, at the end of of the 16th century. Before dying a cruel death, manacled...Read more
Silver Jubilee of Episcopal Ordination
I thank you all for your presence this evening, especially those who have come, some at a great distance, for this Mass of thanksgiving for 25 years of episcopal ministry, which has been God's gift to me.  I thank especially my brother bishops...Read more
Requiem of Canon John McDonald, RIP
  Today, as we pray for the repose of the soul of Canon John McDonald, we hear again the solemn proclamation of the Beatitudes, which take us to the heart of the Gospel message of the coming of the Kingdom of God.  'Blessed' is such a powe...Read more
Pastoral Letter for the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,  My mother taught me many things. One was this: that a mother can never forget her child, even if that child is no longer in her presence and care. The bond between them endures. It is written into he...Read more
Christmas Midnight Mass 2016
Given at Midnight Mass of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas 2016, at Westminster Cathedral. Midnight Mass is full of light and darkness. We gather in the dead of night. We are referred to as a people 'that walked in darkness'. Yet we rejoice ...Read more
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