UK & Ireland

A long cloth covered table, placed in the central church aisle, gradually filled up with colourful baskets of Easter Food for the Polish 'Święcenie pokarmow' or Blessing of Food, at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Staines, west London today, Holy Saturday. Polish, and some Slovak parishioners streamed into church for the eleven o'clock service of blessing, which has become a regular custom here... Read More

They are known as some of London's most elite venues with a string of VIP guests going through their doors. But Annabel's, George, Harry's Bar and Mark's Club are also helping to feed the homeless at a West End church thanks to a service set up by a group of churches during the pandemic. Yesterday, the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Cllr Robert Rigby, visited the project, and helped serve lunch to aro... Read More

In this Jubilee year, we have many extra opportunities to reflect and celebrate many groups of people who are often overlooked or treated as an outcast in society. As we prepare for Easter, over the next three days we have an opportunity to respond to Jesus' death and resurrection by seeing how Jesus asked us to respond to those people. Even when Jesus was preparing for his death, he reached out t... Read More

Around 2,000 people gathered in Westminster Cathedral today (Tuesday 15 April) for the Chrism Mass celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster with hundreds of members of the Diocese of Westminster clergy. In his homily, Cardinal Nichols said: "In this ceremony today, we celebrate the gifts of this priesthood in its different forms. We bless the chrism through which the pries... Read More

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The world was plunged into a huge unknown. Throughout, the experience was marked by impasse, frustration, disorientation, loss of control and a lost sense of security. For so many, the pleasures of life seemed to have dried up as social distancing became the norm. And yet, paradoxically, during this ti... Read More

The UK Catholic Medical Association (CMA), has released its position statement on the Terminally Ill Adults (Assisted Dying) Bill passing through parliament that seeks to legalise assisted suicide. Statement The Catholic Medical Association (CMA) is committed to upholding the moral teachings of the Catholic Church as applied to the field of healthcare. It is therefore fundamentally opposed to the ... Read More

The Presidents of Churches Together in England have issued a pastoral letter to mark the joint celebration of Easter 2025 and the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea. The Acts of the Apostles records that in the earliest days, as the message of Jesus was preached and it spread across the Mediterranean lands and beyond, questions arose and there were tensions and divisions ... Read More

A record number of Christians took part in the Ecumenical Procession, Prayers and Blessing of the Palms at Finsbury Park in north London on Palm Sunday. Parishioners from St Thomas More RC church, Manor House, St John the Evangelist CoE church Brownswood Park, St Olave's, Woodberry Down and the Eritrean and Ethiopian Orthodox churches, took part in this beautiful event. Passers by stopped and to w... Read More

Zara Mohammed, former leader of the Muslim Council of Britain, visited Mount St Mary's College in Spinkhill, Derbyshire, on Wednesday, 9 April, to speak to the students. Dr Mohammed was elected Secretary General of the MCB - an umbrella organisation for mosques and Muslim associations across the UK - in 2021, not only the first woman to hold that post, but also the youngest person, at just 29, and... Read More

At St James Catholic Church in Marylebone, central London, parishioners are engaged in a number of programmes dedicated to providing relief and support to homeless and marginalised persons throughout the year. Kate MacKenzie, London Coordinator for the Companions of the Order of Malta said: "The Companions of the Order of Malta is the auxiliary volunteer force for delivering the charitable work of... Read More

Churches Together in England has sent this open letter to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley. It has also sent copies to the Home Secretary Rt Hon Yvette Cooper and Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan. Dear Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, Member Churches of Churches Together in England were dismayed to learn of the police raid of the Westminster Quaker Meeting House on 27 March 2025. Approx... Read More

Catholics in Fundraising has called on Catholic charities to participate in the government's 'Consultation on financial thresholds in charity law' to ensure a well-regulated sector that maintains public trust while minimizing administrative burdens on smaller charities. Catholics in Fundraising, says this initiative has the potential to help small charities reduce their administrative burden by al... Read More

On Monday night, members and supporters of the Catholic Union attended a Pub Talk given by former MP Stephen Pound. Chaired by journalist Catherine Pepinster, the event raced through a range of themes with witty anecdotes, tales and home truths including the importance of taking faith with you when you enter, or leave, any establishment, including Parliament. Stephen Pound says: "People may change... Read More

Nottingham Cathedral Church of Barnabas has been awarded a £1.69 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as part of its £2.3 million Restoring Pugin Project, aimed at restoring the Cathedral's east end to its former glory and engaging over 20,000 people from across the City in this exciting work. A Grade II listed building, Nottingham Cathedral was designed by Augustus Welby North... Read More