Habemus Papam – we have a Pope!
Pope Francis – he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Pray for him as he begins the huge responsibility as the 265th successor of St Peter.
“A conclave for all”
Archbishop Nichols has written a letter explaining how we may all participate in the forthcoming Conclave (beginning on Tuesday 12th March).
Through prayer it is truly a Conclave for all. No-one is excluded. Everyone can contribute.
Pope Benedict’s farewell
Dear friends! God guides His Church, maintains her always, and especially in difficult times. Let us never lose this vision of faith, which is the only true vision of the way of the Church and the world. In our heart, in the heart of each of you, let there be always the joyous certainty that the Lord is near, that He does not abandon us, that He is near to us and that He surrounds us with His love. Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives.
Holy Land 2011
by Margaret & Victor Inegbedion
Christmas was cele-brated with particular meaning for those of us who went on the Parish Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in October 2011.
We saw the place of the Annunciation, the Church of the Nativity, the Shepherd’s fields and we walked where Christ had walked. We were very fortunate to be there.
Pope Benedict XVI
We were all taken by surprise at the Pope’s announcement that he is to resign on 28th February. It is a personal decision made before God in prayer because of failing health and strength. Let us pray for him as he enters retirement to serve the Church through a life dedicated to prayer. Bishop Peter Doyle invites us to join him in Northampton Cathedral on Thursday 28th February at 7pm for a Mass to give thanks for Pope Benedict, to ask God’s blessing and to mark this solemn moment in the life of the Church.
Celebrating Father Warmoll
by Marguerite & Kenneth Cook
On February 14th 2013, a Mass was celebrated at St Joseph’s for Father John Warmoll, on the anniversary of his death.
One hundred and fifty years ago, in 1863, Fr Warmoll celebrated his first Mass in Bedford at midnight on Christmas Day. This Mass was said in the front parlour of a small Bedford home, with fourteen people attending. The Reformation had meant that Masses had been celebrated in secret, for the two centuries previously.