Category: Fr John’s Weekly
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Ask For Everything
A strange fable. A man died, came to the pearly gates, welcomed by St Peter who offered him a quick tour before he met God who was lovingly busy with a group of war victims, refugees, exiles, cruelly imprisoned, consoling them “and showing them how to make heaven of earth when they had had little…
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G7 Nation Leaders
Four of the seven heads of government at the G7 are Catholic. We know that Joe Biden bases his world vision on Catholic Social Teaching – how about the others and the other three leaders? Should we expect these heads of government to follow Catholic teaching? Shall we condemn them if they don’t? Certainly, Biden…
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Marriage – Boris Johnson
Last week Boris Johnson was married at Westminster Cathedral in a full Catholic wedding. You may have been pleased, puzzled, amused, angry. When did he undergo the marriage preparation course? When had he followed the baptism preparation course for the baptism of his latest child – also in Westminster Cathedral? Were we witnessing a new…
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Rev Fr John – Health Update
At 1.15 pm on Tuesday 18th May I was finishing work at my desk before going into church for prayer at 1.30 and mass at 2.00 pm. After mass I would be back in the house and ready for the phone consultation at 4.00 pm from the hospital. Over the months these phone conversations had…
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Pentecost 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Solemnity of Pentecost reminds us that everything which exists, every person and the whole of creation, is a gift of “God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” God our loving Father creates and continues to give life to the world through His Word, Jesus Christ, in…
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Suffering And Brutality
It has been another heart-breaking week. The Covid-19 pandemic continues its ravages in many, mostly poor, countries, the Palestinian Israel conflict has worsened, other ethnic and tribal conflicts continue (Yemen, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Chad, etc.), a priest due to be consecrated bishop in South Sudan on 23rd May was shot – and three of those arrested…
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World And Faith
In our part of the world education, democratic rights, careers and work, opportunity and equal pay seem to be open to everyone, but we know it is an illusion: privilege is everywhere – private education, old-boy networks, favouritism, etc. Before the Education Act of 1944 there was no opportunity for secondary education except for those…
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A Strange Dream
During the week I had a strange dream… … Dear Fr John, I was having a few jars with Jurgen and Pep and some of the lads, talking about the crowds coming back to watch football. You know the excitement. We also talked about that idea of a Super League – and the fans were…
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Church Vocations
Would you consider being a priest if you were allowed to marry, if invited even though you are married, if invited though you live in a loving same-sex relationship, if you were willing to live alone as is expected of priests at present, except in the areas of the Church where priests have their women…
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God’s Mercy
For four years I was a member of the National Conference of Priests, chosen by the priests in the East Anglia diocese, and then voted on to the committee where I served for four happy years. Each year the committee asked me to go to the Irish conference to represent us, and they were wonderful…