Dear Sisters and Brothers Lent is always a gift to us, if we are willing to accept it. But in this Year of Faith it could be the best gift, the timeliest gift, the gift we desperately need, whether we realise it or not. I suppose the fundamental questions to ask oneself at this special [...]
Dear sisters and brothers Where would we be without adverts? Our world is peppered with them. Turn but a corner and your eyes are bombarded with them. Flick the switch and your senses are flooded with them. Enter any shopping Mall and your ears are blasted by them. As soon as you get to an [...]
World Day of Prayer for Peace Dear Brothers and Sisters Happy New Year to you all! Does the passing from the Old Year to the New Year make things feel any different to you? I have always been disappointed with New Year. There is such a build up to it – reviews of the Old [...]
Pastoral Letter of Terence Patrick Drainey, Bishop of Middlesbrough Dear brothers and sisters, I don’t consider myself old, well, not very old, but already since my boyhood I have lived through at least six major changes in the language used to celebrate the Holy Mass and the Sacraments. I have assisted at the Tridentine Mass, [...]
Dear Sisters and Brothers After a long hard winter it has been lovely to enjoy both some spring weather, and the first green flush of the leaves on the trees which for so long have seemed barren and lifeless. New growth encourages new hope. I think this is true of every sphere of life, not [...]
19/20 February 2011 Dear Brother and Sisters Today is Education Sunday and on this particular occasion it falls within the Year of Catholic Education. During his recent visit to our country, Pope Benedict paid special tribute to the contribution Catholic schools have made over the years not just to the life of the Catholic Church, [...]
Dear Sisters and Brothers, It has always seemed strange to me that we spend so much time preparing for Christmas and yet as soon as Christmas Day is over, we are already trying to forget it and move on with life. With the recession and having to cut back, the timing was somewhat slower this [...]
Dear Brothers and Sisters Just over two months ago we were filled with awe at the impact of the visit of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to our Island. Without doubt it was a memorable occasion; uplifting and successful on many different levels. We have much to thank almighty God for, not least for [...]
Dear Brothers and Sisters Apart from dreading yet another pastoral letter, I am sure most of you are thinking, “Surely, not more retiring collections!” The Church in our diocese has a history of living hand to mouth. There are not mountains of gold accruing in off-shore accounts nor stocks and shares daily doubling our income. [...]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ As I am sure you are all aware Pope Benedict plans to visit our country for four days from 16-19 September. The visit will be a mix of State and pastoral activities which will start with him meeting the Queen at Holyrood Palace in Scotland on 16 September, and [...]
