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On Sunday, 4 October, the 800th feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi will be celebrated throughout Italy as a national holiday, for the first time in half a century. The bells of Assisi will ring at midnight tonight. Thousands of pilgrims began arriving in Assisi from 24 September to take part in many events commemorating the great saint. A Solemn Commemoration of the Transitus: remembering the f... Read More

Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time and Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi and 800th Anniversary of his death I write this in gentle recuperation in my family village in France. Surrounding me are the forests and lakes of the first plateau of the Alps in the Jura Department of the Bourgogne-Franche Comte Region, but particularly in this locale of the great vine growing region of what is called th... Read More

Gospel of 3 October 2026 Luke 10-17-24 At that time: The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!' And Jesus said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, tha... Read More

Reflecting on the recently announced theme for World Communications Day 2027, Bishop John Arnold, Lead Bishop for Communications for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, says that 'real' communication requires a human, relational connection. "Information has never been more readily available - and on a global scale - but information does not equate with communication," says Bishop Arnold,... Read More

In a corner of rural Devon better known for its market town history than its diversity, St John and St James Church in Tiverton reopened last month after a rebuild that nearly doubles its size - the realisation of a decades' long promise of a new Catholic church for Tiverton. The parish's growth has tracked migration into the region: people from Central and Eastern Europe, some of whom returned ho... Read More

There are people whose story does not end when they leave this life, because their lives themselves become a testimony. The places where they served carry something of their prayers, their struggles, and their love. Among these people is Father Archimandrite Justinus, whose name was closely connected for many years with Jacob's Well and its monastery and church in Nablus, a sacred place that holds... Read More

The Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam has confirmed that two Vietnamese-born Catholic activists who had been reported missing by family members while visiting Cambodia have been arrested and charged in Vietnam. Both men work on a range of democracy and human rights issues, including on the right to freedom of religion or belief. According to Vietnamese authorities, Ho Pham Hiep Huy (also know... Read More

Rabbis For Human Rights report: They came with clubs, pepper spray, and stones. What happened to our volunteers in Jenata has become routine for the Palestinian residents of the town. One of our partners in Jenata has stayed away from his field for far longer than he would have liked, because it sits in the valley right below an agricultural outpost farm. Arriving there alone would be too dangero... Read More

Marriage Care has launched its 80th anniversary year with a national conference celebrating eight decades of supporting couples and families and looking ahead to the charity's future. Around 160 volunteers, former volunteers, staff, partners and guests from across England, Wales and Gibraltar gathered at Kents Hill Park in Milton Keynes from 25-27 September. The conference theme, "Rooted in Love, ... Read More

Gospel of 2 October 2026 Matthew 18:1-5, 10 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven... Read More

Children from parishes and schools around Rome gathered at the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens with Pope Leo XIV, to launch the Aid to the Church in Need initiative 'One Million Children Praying the Rosary' - with one million children around the world on the first day of the month dedicated to the Rosary-October 1. Aid to the Church in Need Executive President Regina Lynch said the 'Mil... Read More

Vivaldi's beloved Four Seasons is a hugely popular and familiar work - dare one suggest possibly over-familiar? The baroque masterpiece, as recomposed by Max Richter in an avant garde and minimalist vein over ten years ago now, jolts us into a re-acquaintance with Vivaldi's music. Mystery Ensemble's playing of the Richter re-imagining in Portsmouth's Anglican Cathedral last Friday was a delightful... Read More

The Catholic Young Writer Award 2026 attracted over one hundred entries from Catholic secondary schools and individuals across the country. Two students gained first prize; one from St John's Catholic Comprehensive School in Gravesend and the other from St Peter's Catholic High School in Wigan. Two students won second prize, both from De Lisle College in Loughborough. In third place was a student ... Read More

There are wounds that often remain invisible and are lived in the deepest solitude. Those experiencing a mental illness usually face, in addition to their own suffering, the weight of stigma and the indifference of those who look the other way. Faced with this reality, the Church is called to be an open home, a community that listens without judging and that accompanies. Pope Leo, in his prayer in... Read More