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Mayo Abbey: How a quiet village shaped the religious identity of an entire county

Mayo Abbey ruin with new church

Long before Croagh Patrick drew pilgrims, before Ballintubber Abbey defied centuries of turmoil, and before Knock Shrine became a global centre of Marian devotion, Mayo Abbey was the spiritual engine of County Mayo. Known across Europe as Mayo of the Saxons, this early monastic settlement forged international links, shaped medieval politics, and ultimately gave the county its name. When the Synod ... Read More


Caritas conference to explore Pope Leo's social teaching

Image: Mazur/cbcew.org.uk

Speaking this month, Pope Leo XIV said: "When we reach out to help those in need, there frequently develops a certain concord between those who give and those who receive, as well as among those who work together to assist their brothers and sisters. "Thus, charity becomes not only a response to human suffering, but also a powerful means of fostering fraternity and strengthening the communion that... Read More


Gospel in Art: Sell what you possess and give to the poor

Christ and the Rich Young Man, Chiesa di Santi Quattro Evangelisti, Milan by Ahtos Renzo Briosch, Heinrich Hofmann,  1889  © Alamy

Gospel of 17 August 2026 Matthew 19:16-22 At that time: Behold, a man came up to Jesus, saying, 'Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?' And he said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.' He said to him, 'Which ones?' And Jesus said, 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You sha... Read More


Indonesia: Caritas rushes aid to earthquake survivors

Image:  Caritas Indonesia

Caritas Indonesia has mobilized the Catholic Church's humanitarian network across dioceses in response to the powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), early Saturday morning, triggering a tsunami and causing damage in several areas. Several quakes followed soon after. The first earthquake struck at 04:58:24 WIB, with its epicentre located approximately 30 kil... Read More

Pope renews appeal for end to violence against Palestinians in West Bank

Separation Wall around Bethlehem. Image ICN/JS

Following the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV once again called for an end "to the repeated acts of violence against the Palestinian population of the West Bank." The Holy Father added an urgent appeal to the international community "to ensure that progress is made toward a two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace." The Holy See has consistently affirmed its position that the Two-State So... Read More


Poland: Thousands of pilgrims visit Marian Shrine

Thousands of people in Poland walked hundreds of kilometres to the Marian Shrine of Jasna Góra this weekend, for the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady. The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, is a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary and one of the country's main places of pilgrimage. The image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa, to which miraculous p... Read More


USA: Retired Anglican priest detained by ICE

Father Edward Nalwamba

A 78-year-old Colorado priest has been in ICE detention for almost a year. He is now malnourished, in a wheelchair, has a persistent cough, and with chest pain. The only treatment he gets is cough medicine. Father Edward Nalwamba came to the US from Uganda in 2002 and worked about 15 years as a priest at a church in Greenwood Village before retiring. ICE agents arrested him in Lakewood in Septembe... Read More


Ballintubber Abbey enters new chapter with major heritage project

Ballintubber Abbey with Croagh Patrick on horizon

For more than 800 years, Ballintubber Abbey has stood in the County Mayo countryside in the west of Ireland as a place of worship, pilgrimage and community life. Now, the historic site is entering another significant chapter as major works begin on a new cultural and heritage visitor centre. The development marks one of the most ambitious projects in the Abbey's modern history, combining the conse... Read More


'The Answers Are There' by Libby Hoffman

'The Answers Are There' by Libby Hoffman, Publisher: Blue Chair Press. This could have been written for a divided Britain in the 21st century. But it is the story of how people in Sierra Leone repaired their communities following the civil war (1991-2002, 50,000 dead) and Ebola (4,000 dead). The success rests in the belief that local inhabitants, and not national politicians, academics, NGO expert... Read More


Gospel in Art: Solemnity of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Assumption of the Virgin,  by Nicolas Poussin,  1630/1632  © National Gallery of Art, Washington

Gospel of 16 August 2026 Luke 1:39-56 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit... Read More


URC pays tribute to Professor Jason Arday

Professor Arday with his  Honorary Doctorate awarded by St Mary's University in 2024

The United Reformed Church has issued the following statement today: The United Reformed Church is deeply saddened by the death of Professor Jason Arday, who was found unresponsive at an address in London on Friday (14 August). Professor Arday, 41, became the University of Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023 before resigning from his position as Professor of Sociology of Education last we... Read More


After visit to West Bank village besieged by settlers, Israeli peace activist warns: 'a major inferno is coming'

Ofer Caffis

In the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, a tense and dangerous standoff has unfolded over the past week as illegal Israeli settlers have placed several Palestinian families under a siege inside their own homes without food or water. Israeli politician and peace activist Ofer Caffis warns that unless the world intervenes, there could be 'catastrophic bloodshed.' The crisis began last Sunday, Aug... Read More


In Taybeh - the only remaining Christian village in the West Bank - children live in fear

Photo> WCC

Taybeh, the only remaining Christian village in the West Bank, includes Christian archaeology dating back to the Roman era and early Christianity. Located in the Ramallah area of the West Bank, the village's population has dwindled to 1,200 people, all of them Christians. During the 1980s, the population was around 3,000 people. Today, Taybeh is surrounded by four illegal Israeli settlements: Ofr... Read More


Sunday Reflection with Canon Robin Gibbons - August 16th 2026

Master of the Cini Madonna - Dormition of the Virgin

In England and Wales this year, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1. Mary in our Christian journey. Where did you first discover a love and devotion to Our Lady, Saint Mary the mother of our Saviour? In our Catholic tradition it is not difficult to discover her either in image or devotion because she is so deeply rooted in our faith, particularly in forms of popular expres... Read More

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