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Gospel of 9 October 2026 Matthew 13:47-52 At that time: Jesus said to the crowd, 'The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw ... Read More

Pope Leo XIV presided over a special Mass this evening in St Peter's Basilica for the opening of the Pontifical Universities' new academic year, attended by around 5,000 students and professors. In his homily, the Holy Father stressed that the beginning of a new year is about far more than simply returning to lectures and research. Study, he said, must become service, sustained by the Holy Spirit ... Read More

In this beautiful video, Father Patrick van der Vorst from Christian Art, travels to Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire to explore one of Britain's most beautiful monastic ruins and discover the extraordinary story of the Cistercian monks who made this remote valley their home. Through its soaring architecture, the writings of St Aelred and the living witness of monasticism today, he asks why, al... Read More

Christians For Palestine state: 'The events of the last three years in Palestine have been horrific for everyone. The people of Palestine both in Gaza and the West Bank are still living under daily terror. We continue to feel a deep sorrow and have a strong desire to speak out in favour of a just and lasting peace. UK government policy is evolving and it is as important as ever to make your suppor... Read More

Over 100 works by the troubled genius Richard Dadd are presented in this absorbing exhibition. He spent over 20 years in Bethlem, ending his days in Broadmoor in 1886. His most celebrated fantasy works crammed full of fairies verging on the macabre were painted in the asylum. He also painted portraits and vivid scenes inspired by his travels. Dadd was born in Chatham in 1817. The family moved to L... Read More

Donegal-born Sr Mary T Barron is to become the first woman to lead the Pontifical Mission Societies, bringing the experience of a lifetime spent in missionary service to one of the most senior roles in the Vatican's missionary network. A woman from rural Donegal is set to take up one of the most prominent missionary positions in the Catholic Church, in an appointment that brings together the tradi... Read More

Canada Needs Our Lady will be holding Rosary Rallies across the country this Saturday, 10 October 2026. This special campaign, which originated in Saint Hubert, Quebec, has been inspired by the Tradition, Family Property (TFP) movement of Brazilian Catholic activist Plinio Correa de Oliveira. According to Joseph Gensens, Fatima Custodian for Canada Needs Our Lady: "The reaction from Canadians has ... Read More

An Orthodox priest narrowly escaped being shot after armed men opened fire during an outbreak of violence in a Christian village in western Syria. Violence broke out on the night of 3rd October following an altercation between young people from the Christian village of Al-Suqaylabiyah and the neighbouring Muslim village of Al-Qalaa (also known as Qalaat Al-Madiq) . Local sources told Aid to the Ch... Read More

Gospel of 8 October 2026 Luke 11:5-13 At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey and I have nothing to set before him"; and he will answer from within, "Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and ... Read More

On 7 October 2026, in New York, Archbishop Christophe Z El Kassis, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, delivered a statement at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the General Assembly, under Agenda Item 70: 'Promotion and protection of human rights.' The Holy See reaffirmed its position that the death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and di... Read More

The Church's first mission in the contemporary world "is to help people be attentive to the profound questions of life: those of our origin and destiny, as well as those concerning the meaning of love and suffering," Pope Leo XIV said in his catechesis during the weekly General Audience. Continuing his reflection on the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, the Pope contr... Read More

Britain seems constrained to join other European States in re-armament. Putin's fantasy of Ukraine's return to the Russian Federation and a restoration of the former Soviet territory, Xi Jinping's determination to absorb Taiwan by all means available, seem utterly intractable, a grave injustice if accomplished. Military deterrence is an understandable response. At one level, this 'confrontational ... Read More

The Volunteer Missionary Movement (VMM) trained, placed and supported well over 2500 volunteer lay missionaries to work in Africa, Central and South America and Southeast Asia in a variety of roles in education, health and social services, diocesan and community development, including a number of people from the Diocese of Hallam. A recently published short history of VMM written by Martin Desforg... Read More

Pax Christi on Merseyside and Health Workers for Palestine organised a vigil for the Palestinian paediatrician Dr Abu Safiya outside BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool on 24 September. Dr Safiya has now been held in an Israeli detention facility since the end of 2024 without charge. His son Elias has reported on the deteriorating health of his father who has been subject to routine beatings, sleep ... Read More