1 August 2026 ‘The Parish Communion’ was a set of essays edited by AG Hebert in 1937. The essays were on various subjects pertinent to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist. Austin Farrer wrote, ‘Eucharist and Church in the New Testament’ and Gregory Dix wrote, ‘The idea of ‘the Church’ in the primitive liturgies’ and so on. The book was designed to encourage members of the Church of England to gain a deeper understanding of the Church and its central act of worship, the Eucharist. It was part of an initiative to centre the worship of the Church on the Sacrament of Holy Communion instead of Matins. In the Preface, Hebert emphasises the importance of teaching within the parish. Some have tried out the Parish Eucharist but it has failed through inadequate preparation. He introduces the testimony of a Belgian parish priest who has taken eight years to introduce liturgical reform: ‘ He would be a simple man who thought that he could gain from my people an active participati...
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31 July 2026 Erella has sent us another update on life in the West Bank. As she travelled to see a friend who was dying of cancer, she heard about the theft of 200 sheep. They had been stolen by armed Jewish settlers from the pens of the Moor family in the village of Mnezel. Although the sheep had Palestinian Authority ear tags, they were being driven out in broad daylight by settlers who claimed they had been stolen from them! Full military backing prevented the herd owner, his family and his friends from resisting this outrageous theft. Friends got together to discuss the situation. Samir drafted an e-mail to all the villages in the Masafer and beyond. Within twenty-four hours, 85 sheep had been brought to Samir’s home. They were loaded into a large truck and taken to the Moor family in Mnezel. As Erella wrote, ‘Neither reporters from the Palestinian Authority nor foreign correspondents showed up. It wasn’t reported in any newspaper or on the news. They di...
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30 July 2026 Last Saturday, there was an interesting act of worship on the island of Papa Stronsay in the Orkney Islands. It took place in the chapel at the Golgotha Monastery and lasted four hours. Three bishops from South America consecrated Father Michael Mary, the Superior of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, a bishop. The consecrating bishops were unauthorised by Pope Leo to conduct this act of consecration. As such is was considered to be a schismatic act. Prior to this, the Society of St. Pius chose to ordain four new bishops without the authorisation of the Pope. It constitutes an act of schism. Michael Mary’s consecration comes late in life. He is now 73 and without this consecration the future of the order would be in jeopardy. It is only bishops who can confirm new communicants and ordain new priests so a bishop is essential for the future well-being of the community. Listening to what some of the members say is disheartening. Like many other splinter ...
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29 July 2026 In one of his holiday poems, Cardinal Newman wrote, ‘Welcome the thorn – it is divinely sent!’ This enduring faith is evident throughout his life. He was only free to take this extended holiday because of a specific thorn. In his work as tutor at Oriel College, he displeased the Provost by spending too much time with his students. One of Newman’s gifts was his pastoral care which he exercised effectively throughout his ministry. In the days when tutors had little personal contact with their students, Newman took time to listen, engage, guide and care for them in a way that is expected nowadays. But not then! As a result, his students were removed. Two things happened. Firstly, he had time to travel. And out of this experience came his sense of purpose. Secondly, he had time to concentrate on what became known as the Oxford Movement. In his second letter to the Corinthians, St Paul writes about a thorn which was given to him to keep him from becoming too ela...
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28 July 2026 Jan-Emmanuel De Neve is an economist and behavioural scientist at Oxford University. He is also the editor of the ‘World Happiness Report’ which has just published its findings. Once again, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world. It has retained this position for the past nine years! De Neve gives several reasons for their quality of life. Firstly, they have high levels of economic productivity but their wealth is more evenly distributed. Wealth inequality is much lower and as De Neve says, ‘Greater income inequality is associated with worse well-being’. Secondly, money gets distributed through a welfare state. Thirdly, there’s a healthy life expectancy. Fourthly, and most importantly, there are strong social ties in Finland. This relates to the number of shared meals and the number of friends you can rely on. Fifthly, the people in Finland have high levels of social trust. ‘If you lost your wallet what is the likelihood that you think you w...
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27 July 2026 On Wednesday, the Glasgow School of Art Board informed the public that the most prized building in Scotland would not be rebuilt in its original form. They were talking about the iconic Mackintosh building which was seriously damaged by two fires in 2014 and 2018. There has been a long running dispute with the insurers which had just been settled. Whilst the amount of the settlement was not disclosed, Ann Priest, the Chair of the School’s Board of Governors, told the press that £265M was required to reinstate it and they didn’t have the funds available. ‘It is a national disgrace what has happened here. Nothing less than an authentic recreation of what Mackintosh left Glasgow and the world will do.’ said Lachlan Goudie, painter and writer. ‘The Scottish Government need to be saying this is vital to our national character – we had architectural crown jewels left to us.’ It is certainly a different response to President Macron’s immediate intervention when Notr...
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26 July 2026 ‘Living Stones: English Cathedrals as Sacred Spaces in Changing times’ is a report produced by Theos, a think tank for understanding the Christian faith. It was based on a YouGov Poll of 1,300 cathedral visitors and qualitative fieldwork done across six Anglican cathedrals including Derby, Rochester and St. Albans. 75% of adults in England have visited a cathedral at least once in the last three years. This compares favourably with those who have attended a sporting event (30%) or engaged with a museum or gallery (41%). However, this doesn’t extend to a sense of responsibility for sustaining cathedrals. One of the most interesting statistics refers to what are known as Nones, people with no religious affiliation. One in three cathedral-visiting Nones say they experience God through the calm and quiet. Spiritual experiences are mediated through art, music and the building itself which is also a work of art. In the last fifteen years, there have b...