Alan Smith considers the state of the party system   The first-past-the-post system used for elections to the House of Commons and to most of our councils no doubt originated in a very simple approach: here is a list of [...]

Michael Fisher offers reflections for Corpus Christi   Bryn Seion chapel stands at the lower end of the main street in Pencoed, the town in south Wales close to where my daughter and her family live. Bryn Seion—the hill of [...]

It seems that the inter-generational cultural war over what constitutes Tradition has reached the pages of New Directions. Fr Alan Cooke raises some interesting points in his letter in the May issue, responding to the feature on ‘The Young Tractarians’ [...]

David Chislett reflects on what we can learn on the way to Emmaus   It was near the end of Easter Day, the first Easter Day. According to Luke (Chapter 24), two disciples of Jesus were on their way to [...]

Gabriella Masturzo explains Benedictine work for unity   About 50 miles north of Rome, near the small medieval town of Vitorchiano, is the first Trappist convent in Italy, founded originally in 1875 in Turin, and transferred to Grottaferrata near Rome [...]

Come to the Father     Andy Hawes    Jesus has enabled us to come to the Father, to live under his loving care as brothers and sisters always anticipating that a place is prepared for us in his house. The [...]

Robert Beaken sets out a plan for commemorating the anniversary of Jesus’ ministry   No one is entirely sure of the dates of Jesus Christ’s life on earth. Some scholars estimate him to have been born around 4BC, though that [...]

Elections Officers Next year will see elections to the General Synod, and planning for our election campaign is underway. Ensuring that we are well represented by a strong Catholic Group in General Synod is essential. Elsewhere in this issue we [...]

Nicolas Stebbing CR suggests a way to help our religious communities   Religious communities in England are much smaller than they were years ago. When I first met the Community of the Resurrection in 1965, there were more than 80 [...]

Police Chaplain Fr Paul Cartwright meets Sir Rod Stewart   Sir Rod Stewart met up with Father Paul Cartwright, deputy lead chaplain for West Yorkshire Police and a member of West Yorkshire Police Fanfare team, during a charity concert at the [...]