Arthur Middleton on the meaning of the incarnation The antiphon to the Benedictus for the Circumcision in The English Office is a succinct exposition of the incarnation. It reads: A great and wondrous mystery is made known to [...]
John Gayford considers the beautiful symbolism of this feast Candlemas is the popular name for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, which had several names, until 1969 called The Purification of Mary. It celebrates [...]
We suggest you use this guided meditation before the Blessed Sacrament, praying for the life and work of the Church. God is everywhere, there is no spot in heaven or on earth where he is not present. From the [...]
David Wilson goes on Pilgrimage to The Holy Land with Bishop Norman of Richborough As we weaved through the burning tyres, a loud thwack unnerved the shocked pilgrims at the back of the bus. One of the kufiyah-muffled teenagers, [...]
Thurifer takes the air In the depths of winter, some look forward to summer sun. Refreshment and reinvigoration were part of the attraction of Spa towns where many would flock ‘to take the waters.’ If that attracts you, why [...]
Art George IV: Art and Spectacle Queen’s Gallery until 3rd May, 2020 George IV anticipated all the recent scandals of the House of Windsor, with the exception of those of the Duke of York. He had a very [...]
Christopher Smith decides not to relocate to Canada It has been mild but wet in London recently, and, in the words of the song, nothing falls like London rain. Who wouldn’t rather be somewhere less rheumatic, like Lisbon or [...]
As Christians we are programmed to remember. The very central act of our faith, the Eucharist, has at its hearts the words of Jesus to ‘do this in remembrance of me’. As this edition of New Directions goes to the [...]
Tom Sutcliffe goes to the opera One topic not mentioned during the election has been the state of British live-performing-arts culture and how much subsidy would be needed to restore it to anything like what existed in the 1960s [...]
The little church of the tiny Shropshire village of Astley Abbotts, just outside Bridgnorth, has two most notable features. One is its dedication to Saint Callixtus, martyred around AD 222, who gave his name to the catacombs on the Appian [...]