I thought it was about time to do some blogging again, and what better time than the end of one year and the beginning of another?   I get so much from music and have become a fan of Pentatonix, the leading American a capella group, that is there is no accompaniment as the five members produce all the sounds. Here for the New Year is their version of 'The Prayer' a song with many versions, but this one really shows their skills and the beauty of the arrangements.  The lyrics are below.  Let this be our prayer...  and a blessed New Year! I pray you'll be our eyes  ..read more

These are Ghetto Kids from Kampala, Uganda, on recent 'Britain's Got Talent'. What energy... life... Easter ..read more

This is Londoner Malakai with a voice from heaven, singing 'Pie Jesu' from Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Requiem' recently on 'Britain's Got Talent ..read more

  ..read more

Today we begin the Sacred Triduum or Three Days. The drama unfolds over Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.There are always new things to discover in the Bible, especially in the Gospels. Just looking at one commentator on Mass readings, I found some thoughts on one sentence in the Gospel for this evening, the Mass of the Lord's Supper: "He got up from table, removed his outer garment". It turns out that the original Greek words were more like "laid down" his garment and "rose" from the table. Both of these words almost always refer in the New Testament to Jesus' Death and Resurrection.  ..read more

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. The weather held out, so we were able to have our processions in each of the three morning Masses in our churches.  Mind you, none of them had as many people - or palms- as they had in the city of Antipolo in the Phillipines, as this picture shows..   .    This week is the very centre of our Christian year. There is always a lot to do in parishes at this time of year, but we are blessed with many people in our chrches who get stuck in, and everything always goes well.  The Palm Sunday cry, of course, is "Hosanna ..read more

Take a listen to Sheku Kanneh-Mason's new version of the beautiful melody "Myfanwy", written by Joseph Parry, born Merthyr Tydfil, died Penarth and buried in the St Augustine's churchyard high on Penarth Head.  This famous song can reduce me and many others to tears, and some say it is a sign of Welshness if it enthrals you.  Here Sheku, member of a famous musical family, is filmed I think in Wales appropriately, either on the Brecon Beacons or maybe Snowdonia.  Listen, drift, think and maybe pray.  ..read more

Happy St David's Day!  Here's a little video about St David (and leeks) that's for children really, but that makes it easy and accessible! There are other online if you search "Saint David ..read more

  Before Lent gets too far underway, I'll share as I have done before, Allegri's setting of Psalm 50/51, the "Miserere" (Have mercy...).  This famous nd beutiful piece is sung here by the Sixteen, a wonderful choir. This psalm was teh responsorial psalm for Ash Wednesday, but serves as an intro or commentary for all of this season. Sit back, listen, relax, and be gently drawn into Lent ..read more

Ash Wednesday, c.1860 by Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885), © Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart I was surprised at first when I received today's artwork from ChristianArt. The painting is of a clown sitting in what I took to be a prison cell.  I thought of "Vesti la Giubba", the famous aria from opera "I Pagliacci", where the clown has to go on with the show despite his broken heart. In fact the opera was not written until 1892, 30 years or so after the pictuure was painted by German Carl Spitzweg around 1860.  But the painting is entitled "Ash Wednesday", so my next though was of the Carnival, an ..read more