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Gospel of 28 December 2025 Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 When the Magi had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.' And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there unti... Read More

Pope Leo XIV has donated three truckloads of humanitarian aid to regions of Ukraine most affected by bombing - "where there is no electricity, no water, and no heating." The Papal Almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, said the aid was a "small gesture' intended to support families that, like the Holy Family, "are travelling along the 'via dolorosa' of exile in search of refuge." The trucks contai... Read More

Too often in Britain might we encounter conversations where Abbots and Abbesses are assumed to be artefacts of the past - or Abbeys a form of institution consigned to noble ruin , in countryside outposts only cared for by English Heritage. As we move towards the New Year though a fresh biography of the founding Abbot of Worth Abbey in Sussex knocks such assumptions for six and points the way to... Read More

28th December 2025 I do find the first reading from Sirach rather lop sided. Of course it belongs to an age where lines of authority were clearly set and the patriarchal role far more dominant, but the language used starts with authority over others, and the call to revere your mother and honour your father does not seem to take into account a reciprocal sense of relationship being at least two wa... Read More

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ, Today's Feast of the Holy Family continues our rejoicing in the birth of Jesus, our hope and our salvation. This Feast has also been chosen as the moment in which dioceses throughout the world mark the end of the Jubilee Year with its theme of 'Pilgrims into Hope'. I think these two themes, of hope and family life, go well together. During this Holy Year ... Read More

Gospel of 27 December 2025 John 20:2-8 On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.' So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going towards the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other ... Read More

On the feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to contemplate martyrdom not as an end, but as a beginning: a "birth into heaven" that reveals what it truly means to come into the light. Greeting pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the Angelus, on the day traditionally known by early Christians as Saint Stephen's "birthday", the Pope recal... Read More

The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell says he was 'intimidated' by Israeli militias during his recent visit to the Holy Land. During his Christmas Day sermon yesterday at York Minster, Archbishop Cottrell revealed he was stopped at checkpoints and that militias told him he could not visit Palestinian families in the West Bank. His full homily text follows: "The true light, which ... Read More

Gospel of 26 December 2025 Matthew 10: 17-22 At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: 'Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are... Read More

Pope Leo XIV used his first Christmas Urbi et Orbi message to renew his appeal for peace, dialogue, and responsibility, turning to those regions where violence and instability continue to claim innocent lives. The Pope prayed for "justice, peace, and stability for Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Syria," and urged that the promise of peace rooted in righteousness be renewed. He appealed in a partic... Read More

Pope Leo celebrated the Christmas morning Mass in St Peter's Basilica, becoming the first pope to do so since Pope John Paul II in 1994. In his homily, the Holy Father insisted that "a new day has dawned" and "we, too, are part of this new beginning, even if few as yet believe it: peace is real, and is already among you." Jesus, he said, sent His disciples as messengers of peace to reveal "the pow... Read More

Cardinal Vincent Nichols gave this homily at Westminster Cathedral for Christmas Midnight Mass, 24th December 2025. Tonight is a night of prayer and praise, shaped by one much-acclaimed event: the birth of a child. Babies evoke in us tenderness and love - at least when they are not crying! And this is the tenor of our prayer tonight. The tenderness and love we have for this child, whose birth we ... Read More

Before celebrating his first Midnight Mass in St Peter's Basilica last night, attended by more than 6,000 people, Pope Leo XIV came out into St Peter's Square to address the crowds. He thanked everyone for coming and said although the Basilica was large there wasn't room to receive everyone inside - so he encouraged people to watch the Mass on screens and gave them his blessing. During the Mass Po... Read More

Gospel of 25 December 2025 John 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whos... Read More