In today’s gospel John the Baptist talks about fruits. He tells the crowd: they have to bear fruit in their lives, and makes clear this starts with our neighbour. Everyone who has two coats must share with any who has none; whoever has food must do likewise. He says all this. And then Jesus appears. […]
News
News from Fr Thomas CR
November 2024 Storm Bert left us with a pleasant dusting of snow, some ice and plenty, plenty of rain. Selfishly, I dream of a deep stable covering of snow, sometimes. Just for the youngsters, you understand. The last apples have been gathered and used for Spicy Apple Jam and apple cider vinegar; the last apples […]
Fr Thomas’s sermon, 1 December 2024
Luke 21:25-36 And oh what joy, the year of Luke, Luke that writer of accounts and parables, that author who is ‘the scribe of the gentleness of Christ’. Yet as is so much of the gentle writers, it bears the greatest punch. Quite rightly Advent 1 kicks off with one of pictures of final […]
Br Patrick’s sermon, 10 November 2024
2024-11-10 (Heb. 9:24-28; Mark 1:14-20) The Kingdom of God has come near… Over the past eight or so years, I seem to have opened a number of sermons and talks I’ve done by quoting the phrase, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ It is commonly claimed to be an ancient Chinese curse, yet any […]
Fr John’s sermon, 3 November 2024
One of the joys of being involved with an auction is the way in which it can transport you to a moment of the past. A few months ago Bloomfield Auctions Belfast sold CS Lewis’s bath. I have walked down his road hundreds of times, I’ve often worshipped in St Mark’s Dundela where he was […]
Bishop Mark’s sermon on College Foundation day, 28th October
FOUNDATION DAY MASS 2024 This perpetual conversation, in which the past speaks to the present to create the future, is fundamental…….. Fundamental. “Fundamental to what?” you might ask. I think it is fundamental to the operation of tradition and neatly expressed in that little piece of signage from a museum in Florence. Tradition is much […]
Fr Nicolas’ sermon, 27 October 2024
“Son of David, have mercy on me” Today’s story of the healing of Bartimaeus must be one of our favourite gospel stories. It’s a beautifully told tale full of pathos, excitement and movement. Many artists have produced beautiful paintings of this story. It’s wonderful to pray through as an ignatian meditation; you can’t help but […]
CRQ Michaelmass 2024
Fr Oswin’s sermon, 13 October 2024
“Then who can be saved?” ************************ We are not at a time of great confidence. Even when numbers may be ticking up, people believe their lives are getting worse. Certainly the news seems to be getting worse. And this is true in the Church as well, even though there is an unreported uptick in numbers […]
Library Cataloguing Project 2024/2025
The Community Library is a large library, with over 60,000 volumes, 200 journal titles and 12,000 pamphlets (& tracts). Volumes range from medieval to modern day. The environment of the library rooms is that of any historic building, where shelving, storage room and environmental conditions can be challenging. In order to provide access to the […]