De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

When t he story broke about the Archdiocese of Southwark standing up for children in Catholic Schools, I recognised this could be a crunch point for Catholic education in the UK. The pressure on Catholic schools has been slowly increasing, just as it did before Catholic adoption agencies were forced to close . The problem is, Catholic Schools face an enemy on the inside: teachers who are antagonistic to the Catholic ethos they agree to promote. Faced with a forced closure on Thursday, due to striking staff who said they were “fighting for inclusive education” and against a “very concerning precedent for LGBT rights and representation in schools”, the Archdiocese has come out fighting! Writing in The Catholic Network , Joseph Kelly says : It seems hard to accept that the school chose to emphasise simply that this was an obviously well-known and talented new writer, without giving any thought to the material he represented. Kelly continues: it is perfectly in order for a Catholic schoo...

I've had a really busy old week this week. On Wednesday night, I was most pleased to attend the Ordination of a good friend to the Diaconate for the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Bishop Alan Williams attended St. John Fisher in Southend along with Mgsr Keith Newton, the Ordinary of the Ordinariate. The atmosphere around Bishop Alan is so different to that surrounding the previous incumbent. The more I see of Bishop Alan, the more I like him. It is a man at ease in his own skin and so naturally mixes with people. Thank God for him! Mgsr Keith is also very easy to talk to and very personable. He is also someone I seem to bump into in all the best places ( see here for further details ). St. John Fisher Michael is just approaching the viva for his PhD, the thesis for which centres around an examination of the neo-platonic philosophical influences behind Tolkein's writings. He is currently head of RE at the outstanding Grammar School, Westcliff High School for Boys...

Mass at Saint John Fisher Going to daily Mass was practically the most important thing, when my daughter Ruth died, that kept me functioning. An opportunity to commune with heaven, to pray, to plead with God. Daily Mass is quick and quiet, more intimate with more 'space' to pray. If you have never been, you might be surprised at how much you get out of it. With so many churches so close together in Southend Deanery, we really are spoilt for choice, but until now, all the daily Masses have been in the mornings, making it difficult for those of us who work to attend regularly. Fortunately, we now have a new initiative at Saint John Fisher, (Manners Way, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6PT) which provides the faithful of Southend Deanery the opportunity to come together for Mass after work. The Mass is just Mondays and Wednesdays at the moment, but really beautiful. Times are 7:30pm Mondays and 7:00pm Wednesdays. If it's well supported, I'm sure it would be extended- pleas...