Read again this week's 'Live the Liturgy' section from the Newsletter and get inspiration for the week ahead.

We need history. We need it in order to understand ourselves, personally and collectively. The pieces of our histories may not have always been the most positive, honest, exemplary, dignified, proud and best moments of our lives, but they are ours.

The distinction between chastisement and punishment is, in many ways, a subtle one, but which is still relevant in our Catholic tradition.

Fr Christopher's thoughts on the New Year.

Prepare yourself for the coming of Christ by celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Priests will be available every hour, on the hour, from 1pm to 7pm, Monday 21, Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 December. In addition, we are restarting the sacrament of reconciliation on Saturdays before and after the 11am Mass from 19 December.

Sometimes you have something to share with people that causes you to well up inside with excitement to the point of going crazy. A pregnancy test, a pay raise, a college acceptance, a wedding or engagement are all examples of moments in life when we might be bursting at the seams to tell somebody the good news.

Bring along the Baby Jesus from your Nativity Scene this weekend for a special blessing in preparation for Christmas.

Prepare the way of the Lord! The message of John the Baptist becomes the calling of every baptized disciple of Jesus Christ. Each one of us is asked to prepare the way of the Lord. Given the humble means of our lives, how can we do this?

People knew over a year in advance that the Pope was coming for a visit and the preparations began. Security, space limitations and requirements, protocols, crowd management, itineraries, invitations, regulations, and so much more was necessary to pull this event off effectively. It’s not every day that we get a visit from such a prominent dignitary.

“What could happen next?” How many times have you asked yourself that question in the past year? Though we most often use that expression when things don’t seem to be going our way, this year it has been an expression of the constant changes to our world which the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought.

Be watchful! Be alert! The core message of Advent cannot be more direct or simple.

It’s the grace of Advent to become watchful and attentive because we are never sure when God will surprise us.

Like everything else this year, Christmas is going to be different. We've introduced a booking system for the Christmas Masses.

Growing up Catholic means I must have heard a million times the passage in Matthew’s Gospel about how doing things for the “least of these” means you have done them for Jesus. Okay, that is an exaggeration to make a point. But it has been a slogan for so many social justice activities, from clothing and canned food drives, to letter writing campaigns and peaceful protests.

Many people are fascinated with the Royal Family. For many different reasons, we are drawn to the regal pageantry and all of the protocols associated with royal lifestyles. What’s most amazing is that for all of the media attention focused on them, they really have very little effect on the day to day dealings of the country.