Parish of the Holy Child & St Joseph
Midland Road, Bedford
by Marguerite Cook
“Great crowds of people spread their cloaks on the road, while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in His path. The crowds who went in front of Him, and those who followed, were all shouting: Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is He who is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heavens!
(Matthew 21, 8-10)
by Marguerite Cook
Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love me?”
Peter replied, “Lord you know everything; you know I love you.” (John 21:15-17)
By the M1 motorway in Hertfordshire stands a large modern office block called Breakspear Park, and the road the office block stands on is called Breakspear Way. This is the area in England where Nicholas Breakspear was born and spent his childhood. [Read more…] about In The Footsteps Of Nicholas Breakspear
by Marguerite Cook
In November 2014, I attended a Catholic Mass in the Palace of Westminster with my husband. For over four years Catholic Mass has been celebrated on Wednesdays, when Parliament is sitting, in the chapel of St. Mary Undercroft. I wanted to attend Mass as an English Catholic who enjoys looking at our complex church history. My husband has always had an interest in politics and enjoys reading about political matters; and as we walked the wonderful corridors of the Houses of Parliament he identified the MP’s, and the members of the House of Lords with great pride. [Read more…] about Mass In St. Mary Undercroft, in the Palace of Westminster
by Marguerite Cook
Bedford Cemetery has become one of the prettiest cemeteries in England, and is beautifully cared for by the ground-staff and the Friends of Bedford Cemetery. It was opened in June 1855 by the Victorians of Bedford who loved to walk among its beautiful woodland trees. The cemetery is set on a sloping hillside with views over the adjoining Bedford Park and Great Ouse Valley.
In Bedford Cemetery are buried six Catholic priests. These priests lie in pairs in the cemetery. [Read more…] about The Six Catholic Priests Buried In Bedford Cemetery
Within the Catholic faith, the month of October holds a special devotion to the Holy Rosary. This tradition began in October 1571 following victory in battle by the Catholic League over the forces of the Ottoman Empire. After the victory a Rosary procession was offered, and in time the whole month of October became associated with the Rosary.
The Rosary is primarily a scriptural prayer. Pope Pius XII summarized it as “a compendium of the entire Gospel” (AAS 38 [1946] p.419). The Rosary draws its mysteries from the New Testament which we are called to meditate on whilst we pray. [Read more…] about Month Of October
This week we welcome Fr Roy Karakkattu from Kerala, India, to the parish as our new assistant priest. Here he has written a few words about himself:
“I was born in Kerala, one of the tiny states in India. We are seven in the family and basically engage ourselves in agriculture. After the matriculation, I joined the congregation of the Missionaries of St. Francis De Sales (MSFS). I had my Philosophical studies in Suvidya College, Bangalore and Bachelor degree under Bangalore University. [Read more…] about WELCOME FATHER ROY