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 [...]

Paul Kennedy offers a view of ministry in the Northern Province   Bishop Glyn has given me six things that he wanted me to share. First, he said, ‘Tell them what it is like to be a catholic priest in [...]

nally from Jerome to Augustine of Hippo, were used to describe Dr Gavin Ashenden, I imagine he would be very happy to receive such an accolade.  In the final weeks of 2019, this well-known figure was received into the Roman [...]

Jonathan Goodall on the patience of Mary   The scriptures for this celebration focus our thoughts on mothers. Not mothers in general, but mothers in the ancestry of the Church: Eve, the Mother of all Living (in whose posterity there [...]

From Fr Nicolas Stebbing CR   May I thank all those who have so generously contributed to Tadiwanashe’s school fees? (See November “Catholic Compassion”.) We now have enough to see him and his young sister through the coming year. I [...]

Colin Podmore speaks about his retirement as Director of Forward in Faith   It’s seven years since I embraced the role of Director of Forward in Faith, and seven years is a season. Now it’s time to move on. It [...]

Tony Robinson pays tribute to Colin Podmore   Dr Colin Podmore will be retiring in February 2020 as Director of Forward in Faith after nearly seven years in post. Before coming to this post, he served for twenty-five years in [...]

Christopher Chessun commemorates the Mayflower in Rotherhithe   It is a very great pleasure to be with you at St Mary’s for this Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, on New Year’s Day.  I express my gratitude to Fr [...]