The Year of Faith will coincide with two anniversaries: the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of Vatican Council II and the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Year of Faith aims, above all, to support the faith of believers who, in their daily trials, never cease to entrust their lives to the Lord Jesus, with courage and conviction.
There's another snip of news from the NE, says Angela. "I'll have to be up early on Saturday but I only have to look out of the window to see the torch!" Nicholas Ridgeon, from Westoe Village in South Shields, has the honour of carrying the Olympic Torch through Whitburn on Saturday.
Then He ascended into heaven. Peter and the boys didn’t grieve that Jesus was gone. Mary Magdalene and the girls didn’t resume their crying. No, they were too busy. Instead, they got to work and proclaimed the wonders and the beauties of Jesus’s life.
The Swiss Guard, a group of soldiers founded in the 14th century and charged with protecting the pope, has opened an account on Facebook to seek out new recruits.
Young Catholics from across the country met in Iloilo City last week to discuss ways of preserving the nation’s religious heritage and pilgrimage sites.Called “Angat Kabataan 2012,” the gathering was attended by 39 representatives of dioceses that host cultural and heritage sites.
The Sistine Chapel Choir, the Cappella Musicale Pontificia ‘Sistina,’ performed its first ever concert in Britain at Westminster Cathedral last Sunday. 6th of May. The Sistine Chapel Choir is the Holy Father’s personal choir and consists of 20 men and 35 boys (aged 8 to 13) along with its director, Monsignor Massimo Palombella.
The National Office for Vocations has announced the start of an “ambitious” three-year National Vocations Framework. Fr Christopher Jamison, Director of the National Office for Vocations, made the announcement today at a press conference at the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales headquarters in London.
We must seek to be messengers of God's love, declares Pope on Easter Monday. Jesus Christ is “present as a force of hope through his Church,” Pope Benedict XVI announced in his Easter greeting addressed to the city of Rome and the world on April 8. In his noon message, the Pope said the risen Lord inspires his Church to remain “close to all human situations of suffering and injustice,” including the persecution of Christians themselves.
Instead of turning to consumerism, look deep within yourselves in silence and prayer to open the door of the light to Lord. It was Archbishop Vincent Gerard Nichols of Westminster, President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, who voiced this invitation to thousands of young people at the Flame National Youth Congress at Wembley Arena.
Complete silence filled Wembley Arena on Saturday afternoon as approximately 8,000 young Catholics adored the Blessed Sacrament. The famous sports arena was host to the Flame Youth Congress which was a day of prayer and praise for young Catholic across Britain.
A week of celebrations mark the bicentenary of Augustus Welby Pugin, one of Catholicism’s great architects. The 200th anniversary of the birth of Augustus Welby Pugin on 1 March 2012 is being marked in England and Ireland with celebrations of Holy Mass, book-launches, exhibitions and lectures in Dublin, Birmingham, Cheadle, Nottingham and Ramsgate.
Ann Mullaney, Fairtrade representative in Hayes, West London, shares some encouraging information echoing the statement from Harriet Lamb, Fairtrade Executive Director: ‘We believe that responsible businesses are those who don’t just tackle the company bonuses at the top – but take steps to ensure a fairer deal for the workers and farmers at the bottom of the supply chain too. Forward-thinking companies are showing leadership in committing to Fairtrade, realising that they need to invest in smallholders, developing better, longer-term relationships.
On Saturday 10th March, in the middle of London’s noisy and bustling Trafalgar Square, the electro-pop British band ooberfuse stopped the traffic long enough to tell otherwise indifferent Londoners the harrowing story of persecuted Christians throughout the world.
The Sistine Chapel Choir, the Cappella Musicale Pontificia ‘Sistina’ is to perform its first ever concert in Britain at Westminster Cathedral on Sunday, May 6, 2012 The Sistine Chapel Choir is the Pope’s personal choir and sings whenever the Pontiff requests its presence. Consisting of twenty men and circa 35 boys (aged 8 to 13).
The number of men training for the priesthood in England and Wales is at its highest level for nearly two decades, according to figures from the bishops' conference. There are now more than 200 seminarians preparing to serve in English and Welsh dioceses - the first time this figure has been reached since 1994.
Visitors to the 2012 Olympic Games might be surprised to discover the extent to which London has been marked by the Catholic faith over the centuries. Here are a number of sites well worth a visit, not listed in order of importance or prominence.
‘The Games are coming and we need to make the most of this unique opportunity. School sport is a place where so many Christian beliefs can be learnt and expressed but two in particular stand out: communion and integrity. Communion is the central reality of contemporary Catholic theology, a reality much more profound than contemporary understandings of community.
British bishops plan to use the 2012 London Olympic Games to renew interest in the Catholic faith, with initiatives ranging from fighting human trafficking and homelessness to promoting youth ministry and ecumenical dialogue.
Prison director Gareth Sands said music was among a number of activities the inmates take part in. "We see changes in them and music is part of that driver for change," he said."Music and the arts can play a part in their rehabilitation and we hope the Turnage project will be successful in helping prisoners raise their aspirations so they don't return to a life of crime," he said.
