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With great sorrow, the Caritas Internationalis family shares the following communication from Caritas Ukraine, following the tragic death of Yana Zhernovskaya, a 40 year-old social worker at Caritas Kharkiv, who was killed in a missile strike on Sunday, 26 July. Please join CAFOD in holding Yana, the Zhernovskaya family and the Caritas Ukraine team in your thoughts and prayers at this terrible mo... Read More

IACS Secretary General Robert Ashdown has been appointed Chair of Trustees of Stella Maris UK , the official maritime charity of the Catholic Church. Robert, who previously served for nine years as a Stella Maris trustee, succeeds Capt Esteban Pacha, who is stepping down after eight years as Chair of Trustees. Robert's maritime sector experience and long engagement with Stella Maris ensures conti... Read More

Gospel of 28 July 2026 Matthew 13:36-43 At that time: Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.' He answered, 'The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is... Read More

Pope Leo XIV left Castel Gandolfo this evening, Monday, 27 July, to return to the Vatican, after a three week break. As his car left the papal residence, the Pope greeted a group of people who had gathered to see him off and blessed several children waiting with their parents. He will return to Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, 29 July, to attend 'Canticle of Peace' (Cantico di Pace), an evening ga... Read More

The General Secretariat of the Synod has published a new resource to help Dioceses prepare their evaluation Assemblies, which will conclude the local stage of the Synod's implementation process. Entitled 'Recollecting: Accompanying the preparation of the local Church's evaluation Assembly,' the document was released today, 27 July, and is available in several languages. "Evaluation is not a techn... Read More

As Andy Burnham starts work as our new prime minister, he will have a huge list of priorities to address as he hopefully hits the ground running. But, as a charity that supports people experiencing poverty and homelessness in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, Caritas Salford is keen to make sure that the core issues affecting the lives of those people aren't lost in the mix. With almost one in th... Read More

In a message from the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice, Rev Munther Isaac appeals: "Every day we wake up wondering which Palestinian village will be attacked next. We are exhausted. We live in fear and terror." Settler violence in the West Bank has become a daily, relentless reality. Families attacked in their homes. Farms burned. People killed. And Palestinians left defenceless with no p... Read More

The wonderful film: Cinema Paradiso is showing this Thursday, 30 July, at the Tim Hetherington Film Club at Farm Street in the Arrupe Hall at 6.30 for 7pm. Cost: no charge, free refreshments but donations are welcome Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, Cinema Paradiso is a 1988 coming-of-age comedy drama that has been credited as revitalizing the Italian film industry. Set in a small Sicil... Read More

Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland, gave this homily yesterday, at Mass for the 2026 Grandparents' pilgrimage to the Shrine of Knock: 'I will never forget you'. Many grandparents nowadays say they get a whole new lease of life from being around young people. I was surprised recently when a 70 year-old grandad was able to explain to me all about TikTok and Snapchat, and I got a real s... Read More

Fr Michel Abboud, OCD, immediate past President of Caritas Lebanon and Provincial Superior of the Carmelite Fathers in Lebanon gave the following reflection at WeBelieve Festival of Catholic Life: entitled Blessed are the Peacemakers - From the Wounded Heart to the Healing of the World. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Matthew 5:9 First of all, I would like t... Read More

Gospel of 27 July 2026 Matthew 13:31-35 At that time: Jesus put another parable before the crowd, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.' He told them anot... Read More

Pope Leo XIV reflected on the mystery of the Kingdom of God as a treasure that transforms human life during his Angelus address on Sunday, 26 July, delivered from Castel Gandolfo, where he is taking a summer break. Commenting on the Gospel parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value (Mt 13:44-52), the Pope said that the Kingdom of God brings a joy so profound that leaving everythi... Read More

On Saturday, 25 July 2026, the Liturgical Institute of Ealing Abbey welcomed scholars, clergy, students, and friends of the Syriac tradition for the Third Annual St Ephrem Lecture in Syriac Studies. The afternoon opened with a welcome from Abbot Dominic Taylor, who reflected on the importance of Eastern Christianity for understanding the origins of the Christian faith. He reminded those present th... Read More

We have just had a memorable weekend of Catholic summer conferences and festivals in England. (Perhaps next year the organisers could discuss dates in advance to avoid such big diary clashes!) People are still coming home from: 'One heart, one voice' - the National Network of Pastoral Musicians Conference in Highgate House, Northampton and the National Justice and Peace Network Conference at Swanw... Read More