Daily Prayers

Prayer is Love, I want to Love

Fr Johns Weekly:

  • Come Celebrate – 160years

    Last week Sister Mary Campion celebrated her 100th birthday and Sister Mary Coen celebrated 60 years of religious life. Here in the parish and at the convent in Rearsby were joyful celebrations. From the Rearsby Mass leaflet we learn: Mary Campion was born 22nd July 1917 and although her birth certificate names her as Evelene…

  • Your Kindness

    I have been surrounded by kindness and help in these recent weeks. I am very grateful. I am now moving around the house and across to the church in a wheelchair, each day a little weaker. As I look back only three weeks to my Golden Jubilee weekend I am grateful I was able to…

  • The Holy Spirit

    Thirty-three days later he died suddenly. The same cardinals met to elect his successor. On the first ballot Siri, Benelli and Colombo all received good support. In the second ballot, Siri lost and Benelli and Columbo gained support. On the third ballot, Benelli almost reached the two-thirds required but…

  • Golden Memories and Possessions!

    At 6 o’clock last Saturday evening began the most bewildering 24 hours of my life. As I looked up from the book at the end of the first hymn I saw friends from around the country, some of whom I had said goodbye to only a few hours before with the hopes of seeing each…

  • My 50th Ordination Anniversary

    Today I celebrate 50 years of priesthood. Thank you for being here in your prayer, as are all those I would love to see today but who are here, also, in prayer. There were 600 people in my home church of St Alban’s in Cardiff that happy day in 1967 – family, brethren, friends, neighbours…

  • One Thousand…

    Early in my parish life I was at a clergy fraternal, ministers of the local Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, URC Churches welcoming me to the area. Good men, and we worked well together over the years. The Baptist minister and I walked partway home together before he left me to visit one of the elderly in…

  • Questions!

    If you were asked anything about sex would you answer? Whatever you said would be remembered, and perhaps against you. If you were asked about abortion or euthanasia would you have a clear answer – death is involved. If your answer were to be broadcast would that influence the way you phrased your reply? Tim…

  • Democracy UK

    Our prayers have been answered. We have a truly democratic parliament. The Conservative party has formed a government and there is a strong opposition to hold government to account in its legislation and decisions. This is democracy at its best: for the whole of the parliament all our votes will have importance because all government…

  • Praying – Vocations

    A month before my final exams in Rome a letter came to tell me I would be teaching in a school in Huddersfield from the September. Four very happy years I was there, teaching all week, helping in the local parishes at the weekend, and earning a good salary which helped support our retired elderly…

  • Manchester Horror – May 2017

    So many voices, so many words. The best words have been spoken by those who have suffered and those who have helped alleviate their suffering. They are inspiring. The “grandstanding” speakers spoke strongly but spoke duty words for effect; the suffering and the nursing spoke from the heart and drew us into the truth of…

  • We Are All Invited

    Seeking to blame is futile. People choose to believe in God or not, to attend church or not, and no one can touch that freedom of choice. Example is best, persuasion will rarely work and forcing young people to come looks to be counter-productive.

  • Vocations In The Church

    Years ago I was speaking with a lady who had just retired. I suggested she might like to visit some of the elderly and lonely in the parish. She laughed. She wanted to enjoy her retirement, she said, and she didn’t fancy visiting. A few years later she was ill and I was bringing her…