Cardinal's Homilies
Here at the Grotto, we gather at the feet of Mary, our Blessed Mother. We come to her with our troubles and our joys. We salute her - 'Hail Mary!' - as the one who is 'full of grace', who carried within her the Incarnate Word of God,...Read more
Ordination of Priests Saturday 24 June 2023 This morning we have before us the awesome figure of John the Baptist, wearing his camel hair and eating locusts and wild honey! And there are other characters I want to mention this morning. But...Read more
The Gospel passage this evening, from the Gospel of St Matthew, records the event at the end of Jesus' life and provokes us to ponder deeply on its meaning. Here, Matthew tells us, is the moment in which the Church, in the figures of the eleven...Read more
Every year, in our celebration of this Marriage Mass - such a happy and joyous occasion - we hear the account of the Marriage Feast of Cana. Each year our diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land includes a visit to Cana, an opportunity for those...Read more
My brothers and sisters, in the wake of yesterday's remarkable and historic Coronation of King Charles III, today we pray for him. Being King is not easy. Think of the unending, high expectations that are placed on him. Think of the relentless...Read more
This afternoon we are enriched by many noble sentiments and gracious memories. I thank all who are contributing to this Memorial Service. For my part, the words of the first reading had special resonance - in part because it was one of the...Read more
This day is a day of a celebration of a startling faith. Jesus Christ risen from the dead, as he said he would, opening for us a pathway of life for now and unto eternity. Last night in the cathedral at the Vigil, we celebrated this fact, this...Read more
Tonight we have journeyed from darkness into startling light! It's been quite dramatic. And its deeper meaning has been made clear in the account of Jesus' rising from the dead: a violent earthquake, the guard of soldiers 'like dead men',...Read more
There is a haunting beauty to the Gospel of the Passion of the Lord which we have just heard proclaimed. Now we allow that beauty to sink into our souls, moving us with love of the Lord who gives his life for our sake. Shortly the image of the...Read more
As we know, actions often speak louder than words. The words of this Sacred Liturgy are precious and rich. Yet this evening the actions are even more eloquent. This is Maundy Thursday. Now we enter the three sacred days which bring us to the...Read more
This is a moment of profound renewal for us all. In this solemn liturgy, we reach out to the Lord, asking him to renew in us the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we may be strengthened and restored in our daily effort to be his faithful disciples....Read more
Holy Week begins. Our first act is this procession of the palms, remembering and recreating the entry of our Blessed Lord into the holy city of Jerusalem. The moment has been presented to us in the passage we have just heard from the Gospel of St...Read more
On Wednesday, Lent begins. I write today to give you every possible encouragement to use these weeks of Lent to refresh and deepen your faith. As we have just heard from the Book of Leviticus: 'Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy'...Read more
The Message of Pope Francis for this World Day of Prayer for the Sick begins with these words: 'Illness is part of our human condition. Yet if experienced in isolation and abandonment, unaccompanied by care and compassion, it can become...Read more
It is real pleasure for me to welcome you all here this morning as we celebrate religious and consecrated life in the Diocese. I have a special word of welcome to those who are celebrating particular anniversaries of profession or ordination: Sr...Read more
Think, for a moment, of your first glimpse of a person you love. You remember so clearly the time and the place. Think of those treasured moments of life: a wedding, a birth, a child's first day at school. The event and the place are bound...Read more