Features Archive
David Anthony Andrew Amess was born in and grew up in the East End of London. The son of an electrician and a seamstress, David absorbed a stringent work ethic from his earliest years but his passion was always politics and he studied economics…Read more
Just over 38 years ago David Amess, Julia and I stood on this sanctuary. They were getting married and I was officiating at the wedding. He was the newly-elected MP for Basildon, just three months into the job. In the years that followed I…Read more
By Reverend Roger Carr-Jones, Marriage & Family Life Co0rdinator for the Diocese of Westminster I have three vocations: Christian; husband and deacon, it is the former that informs the whole and for me, Zacchaeus is the model of domestic…Read more
This month, the Pope expresses his closeness to all those who are feeling overwhelmed in their daily life, above all those suffering from stress and depression, and he asks us to pray that they receive the help they need. Aware that people around…Read more
Marriage Care are the largest faith-based relationship support-specialists in the UK and was founded in the Diocese of Westminster in August 1946 in response to the significant breakdown in marriages following the war. 75 years on the need to…Read more
By the Reverend Roger Carr-Jones Marriage & Family Life Coordinator, Diocese of Westminster The inspiration for this piece comes initially from my reflecting once again on a remarkable art installation by the sculptor Fenwick Lawson commissioned by…Read more
In 2019, Pope Francis addressed 6,000 members of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network in Rome, telling us that ‘the heart of the church’s mission is prayer’. When he invites us all, each month, to pray with him for a specific intention, he…Read more
The people of God, and all people of good will, have many concerns that they want to bring to their prayer, as does Pope Francis; yet some of our prayer may be devoted to his particular intention selected for this month, which is: ‘Let us pray…Read more
The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us: ‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven’. This idea of the seasons seems to fit very well, when we come to speak of our life-enhancing relationship with grandparents…Read more
In July, we are invited to pray ‘that, in social, economic and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and passionate architects of dialogue and friendship’. All the monthly intentions in 2021 are expressions of the Pope’s…Read more
For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in campaigning for social justice, a key factor in why I wanted to work for Caritas Westminster, the social action agency of the Diocese of Westminster. A pivotal moment for me was when I…Read more
It’s June, the month of weddings, midsummer and warm sunny days, our intention is for young people who are preparing for the holy sacrament of marriage. The Pope asks: ‘Let us pray for young people who are preparing for marriage with the…Read more
By reverend Roger Carr-Jones Marriage & Familiy Life Coordinator , Diocese of Westminster I like watching fireworks, whether in the domestic setting, or as part of an organised event. The myriad of colours, patterns and sounds add to the sense of…Read more
Each story is set within the wider canvas of God’s infinite love and mercy, where even the saddest and most difficult situations can be transformed. We are reminded of Christ’s suffering through the experiences of the patients, and are given a…Read more
One of the treasures of the English College in Rome is an atlas; an old atlas. It is dated 1570; and it is beautiful. The College opened just nine years later; so that atlas must have been bought to show the students where to go once they got…Read more
The monthly intentions of the Holy Father, offered to the people of God through the channel of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, name realities about our world that need prayerful reflection. These are challenges that face humanity and the…Read more