On January 4, we commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Fr Graham Francis, a beloved former parish priest of St Mary’s. In memory of him, here’s the homily preached at his funeral by Fr Dean Atkins Let me take you away, for a while at least, from the hill country of Judah whereContinue reading “Graham Francis, priest”
Author Archives: Dean Atkins
Light in the Lockdown
The final ‘O’ Antiphon for Advent seeks the light of Christ even (especially) during lockdown. O Morning star, radiance of eternal light, sun of justice, come and enlighten those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death. With an early lockdown, the five day window of relaxation at Christmas has been removed, andContinue reading “Light in the Lockdown”
An everyday, effortless verse?
What did she think along the way, as she walked to the hill country of Judah? Mary is the first Christian pilgrim, journeying with the growing presence of Jesus, and today’s gospel reading at Mass stirs us to poetry and song, and an “everyday, effortless verse.” “And I was travelling, lightly, barefoot / over bedrock,Continue reading “An everyday, effortless verse?”
Dust and glory
Today’s reflection on the Advent ‘O’ Antiphon for December 22nd takes us from here to eternity!
Safe and Sacred
In the midst of our Christmas celebrations there is, of course, some sadness, frustration and fear. We reflect on what it has meant to be able to create a safe and sacred space at St Mary’s, and how our Christmas celebrations, wherever we are, can bring us closer to Jesus, a safe harbour. Some prayersContinue reading “Safe and Sacred”
Behind closed doors
In our fifth Advent Antiphon for December 21st, we end up, for a while, in the gutter!
Recognising Royalty
In the fourth Advent Antiphon for December 20th, we discover a God who is never far away O Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver, come and save us, Lord our God. Brought up on the old black and white movies (a scarcity these days with multiple channels competing with the production of new and shiny boxContinue reading “Recognising Royalty”
Worth your weight
The reflection on the third Advent Antiphon for December 19th sheds light on runts and the overlooked!
The Truth about Toilet Rolls
Whilst some people are criticising the modern art of this year’s Nativity Scene in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, we wonder what they would have said about a very different kind of creative expression of the Nativity! Read on!
The Law of Love
Imagine a world in which any or all of us could do what we wanted, whenever we wanted with no regard for others. What kind of world would that create? How much chaos would there be? Check out the our Advent Antiphon reflection for Dec 18th
St Mary the Virgin, Cardiff 