Please pray for the family and friends of Fr Michael McCarthy, Parish Priest of St Joseph the Worker at Sherburn-in-Elmet and the Immaculate Conception at Scarthingwell, who died at St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds on the evening of 10th July 2018. Fr Michael was a poet as well as… Continue reading
My mum, who is 86, was with me this weekend. She shared this prayer with me that she always carries with her. It made us both laugh, as we recognised some aspects of ourselves in it. I hope it makes you smile too. Lord, thou knowest better than I know… Continue reading
As we age, or as our health deteriorates, we can make plans for what treatments we would wish to avoid or where we would like to be cared for. In a recent edition of The Tablet (26th May 2018), a palliative medicine pioneer explains that it’s often a surprise to… Continue reading
Together for the Common Good have spotlighted a Channel 4 TV programme entitled ‘Old People’s Home for Four Year Olds’ which explored how bringing those born in the early 1930s with those born in 2013 together benefited not only the residents, but also the children who came to visit them. … Continue reading
I was made so welcome at two different parishes in Dewsbury Deanery this month. I enjoyed my visit to the Happy Memories Group at St Paulinus Church Hall, Dewsbury last Thursday. This group is run by volunteers and run activity groups for people with a dementia type illness and their… Continue reading
This week (14th-20th May 2018) is Dying Matters Week. Dying Matters is a coalition of individual and organisational members across England and Wales, which aims to help people talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life. This week offers the opportunity… Continue reading
“When you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.” John 21:18 This true story told by Fr Paul O’Reilly SJ about one of his fellow Jesuits who had a stroke and… Continue reading
I have never seen so many wild primroses, got too hot in April by the sea in the UK, been blessed in water from 6th century St Seiriol’s Well and seen a circle of yew trees nearly 3,000 years old! I was staying at Noddfa, a retreat centre in… Continue reading
Caritas Leeds have produced some helpful information regarding the changes to the Universal Credit. Caritas Leeds is an umbrella organisation where all charities and groups involved in social action or social care in the Diocese of Leeds, whose work is inspired by the Gospel and operate in accordance with Catholic… Continue reading
Here’s an interesting report from The Guardian about how a former pub in Leeds has been transformed into a busy hub, tackling loneliness by bringing young and old together. Churches are often the only truly intergenerational regular meeting places for people of all ages in our society. We would love… Continue reading
