St Catherine Of Siena

05/09/2026

Matthew 18:15-20

‘If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.’

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’

04/09/2026

Mother Teresa, officially known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was a world-renowned Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. She devoted her life to caring for the sick, poor, and dying, primarily through her religious congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, which she founded in Kolkata (Calcutta), India.

Birth & Death: Born 26 August 1910 (as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu) in Skopje; died 5 September 1997 in Kolkata.

Major Legacy: Founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. The order grew to manage soup kitchens, mobile clinics, orphanages, and hospices for people with leprosy, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis globally.

Major Awards: Received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work.

Sainthood: Canonised by Pope Francis on 4 September 2016 following a formal recognition of miracles attributed to her. Her feast day is celebrated on 5 September.

Famous Quotes

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

"Peace begins with a smile."

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."

03/09/2026

Saint Cuthbert (c. 634 – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, and hermit who became the patron saint of Northumbria and one of the most revered figures of medieval English Christianity. Known as the "wonderworker of Britain," his legacy spans the Anglo-Scottish borders, heavily associating him with the holy island of Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral, where his shrine rests today.

The Shepherd & Soldier: Born near Dunbar (then part of the Kingdom of Northumbria), Cuthbert spent his youth working as a shepherd. He also served a stint as a soldier in the Northumbrian army before dedicating his life to faith.

The Vision: In 651, while guarding sheep, Cuthbert witnessed a streak of heavenly light and saw angels carrying a soul to heaven. He later discovered that Saint Aidan, the founder of Lindisfarne, had died that very night. This profound experience inspired him to instantly enter the monastery at Melrose.

Prior of Lindisfarne: Cuthbert rose quickly through the church ranks, eventually moving to Lindisfarne as Prior. He was highly praised for helping guide the community smoothly through the historical transition from Celtic to Roman church customs after the Synod of Whitby in 664.

The Hermit of Farne: Yearning for deeper devotion and solitude, he retired to the remote island of Inner Farne. There, he lived an austere lifestyle, famously striking up a gentle relationship with local wildlife—medieval lore often highlights otters warming his feet after he prayed in the freezing sea.

Reluctant Bishop: Despite wanting to remain in solitude, King Ecgfrith and church leaders persuaded him to become the Bishop of Lindisfarne in 684. He served faithfully for a couple of years before retiring back to his island hermitage just before his death in 687.

Eleven years after his burial on Lindisfarne, the monks opened his tomb to transfer his bones into a wooden casket. To their amazement, they discovered his body was entirely undecayed (incorrupt), which was widely accepted as a testament to his immense holiness.

When devastating Viking raids struck Lindisfarne in the 9th century, the monks fled the island, carrying Cuthbert’s coffin and historical treasures with them. According to famous local legend, they wandered for over a century until the cart carrying his body became entirely unmovable. Following a divine dream and a chance conversation about a lost cow, the monks were guided to "Dunhome" (modern-day Durham) in 995. They built a shrine that eventually evolved into the spectacular Durham Cathedral, where his remains still rest today.

03/09/2026

02/09/2026

Pope Saint Gregory I, widely known as St. Gregory the Great, was the head of the Catholic Church from 590 to 604 AD. He is remembered as one of the most influential popes in history, recognized as a Doctor of the Church, and considered a primary founder of the medieval papacy.

Born into wealthy Roman nobility around 540 AD, he initially served as the prefect (governor) of Rome. He later gave up his political career, sold his vast estates, and converted his family home into a monastery before being reluctantly elected pope.

Liturgical Reform & Music: He is traditionally credited with standardizing the structure of the Mass and organizing the collection of liturgical music that became known as Gregorian Chant.

Evangelisation of England: Gregory launched the famous Gregorian mission by sending [St. Augustine of Canterbury](wikipedia.org_ Canterbury "Augustine of Canterbury") to convert the Anglo-Saxons. This pivotal move helped reshape medieval European culture.

Prolific Writings: He authored several monumental Christian texts, including the Pastoral Rule (a guide for bishops), Moralia in Job, and the Dialogues, which featured the earliest biography of St. Benedict.

Civils Support & Charity: In the wake of the Western Roman Empire's collapse, Gregory stepped into the political vacuum. He protected Rome from barbarian invasions, rebuilt failing aqueducts, and established vast relief systems to feed the poor.

Feast Day: Celebrated on September 3rd in the Western Catholic Church.

Patron Saint of: Choirboys, singers, musicians, students, and teachers.

01/09/2026

Luke 4:38-44

‘I must preach to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’

At that time: Jesus arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.

Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

01/09/2026

Luke 4:31-37

‘I know who you are — the Holy One of God.’

At that time: Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent and come out of him!’ And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’ And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

30/08/2026

Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne (c. 590 – 31 August 651) was an Irish monk and missionary celebrated as the "Apostle of Northumbria" for successfully restoring Christianity to northern England.

He founded the famous monastery on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, served as its very first bishop, and worked in close partnership with Anglo-Saxon kings to convert the region. Revered for his extreme humility, ascetic lifestyle, and compassion, Aidan's legacy was heavily praised by the historian Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

Born in Ireland, Aidan became a monk at the famous Iona Abbey in Scotland, a major hub for Celtic Christianity. In 635, King Oswald of Northumbria—who had been exiled at Iona and converted to Christianity—requested a missionary to help evangelise his kingdom. Oswald granted Aidan the tidal island of Lindisfarne (Holy Island) near the royal seat at Bamburgh Castle. This became Aidan's base of operations.
Aidan famously refused to ride a horse, choosing instead to walk from village to village to converse directly with both the wealthy and the poor.

He routinely gave away royal gifts to the poor, including a fine horse given to him by King Oswin. He also used funds to buy the freedom of enslaved locals.
Aidan established a school at Lindisfarne to train future Christian leaders, including influential saints like Chad and Cedd. According to legend, while on retreat at the Inner Farne island, Aidan saw pagan Mercian forces raiding Bamburgh. He prayed for the wind to shift, which blew the smoke and fire back onto the attackers and saved the city.
Aidan passed away on 31 August 651, leaning against the wooden buttress of a church in Bamburgh. His death date is celebrated globally as his official feast day. The monastery he established would eventually go on to produce the world-famous Lindisfarne Gospels and set the stage for later northern saints like Cuthbert

30/08/2026

Congratulations to Sue for receiving the 20 years service award for her contribution and services to Mothers Union presented this morning by Fr Richard.

29/08/2026

Matthew 16:21-27

‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself.’

At that time: Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’

Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.’