Atmospheric view from our house one evening, with the baby crawling off into the sunset!
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Hey y’all. Well, I feel like I’ve been eking out the final blissful sunny hours of summer this last week… The (final!) holiday of the year. My family went to the beautiful coastline of Pembrokeshire and spent a week swimming in turquoise waters (seriously!), spotting dolphins, seals (and jellyfish!), lying on sun-drenched beaches and revelling in late-night hot-tub sessions with much laughter and champagne (it was Mum’s 50th birthday!). Now I’m back into a full-on marathon of a September…
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Did I mention that my book launch is on Wednesday? I did?! I am getting excited. We’re expecting a great little crowd of catechetical leaders from around the country to come and hear about the new Transformed in Christ Confirmation programme. I’ve got a few fun things planned… Watch this space!
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So, if you’ve received your copy of Transformed in Christ Catechist’s Guide through the post by now, you’ll know it’s a “tome”. When I first saw it, I wondered if I actually wrote it, it is so big. I’m telling you, it’s a bargain for £29.99! If you’ve got yours and you’ve flicked through yet, I’d love to know what you think. Leave your comments in the comment box or send me a message here.
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Speaking of launches, tomorrow I’ll be up at the crack of dawn to go to Buckfast Abbey and the opening of the new School of the Annunciation. This will be my first visit, so I’m really excited to be going, especially as so many friends are involved in it.
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On Tuesday evening, back in Portsmouth, we are getting together the core team and small group leaders of our new 24-week series, The Bible Timeline. In January, I led the short, eight-week version of this. It went down a storm, and since then, a core team of seven people have come together to organise the full 24-week series. We have had a big publicity drive this weekend in all the parishes of our local area. We have groups of intercessors praying for it. We have 40 places and I am praying that the Lord will fill them with those people who need this most. Come Holy Spirit!
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I am loving the new Word on Fire website, and have checked it out pretty much every day since it launched (which is saying a lot for me!). It is gorgeously attractive, easy to use, has a brilliant tagging system… I listened to Fr Barron’s homily this morning (the first one I’ve actually ever listened to) and decided it was the perfect solution when there isn’t an overly edifying homily at Mass (today we had a mission appeal). It is funny, isn’t it, because I always knew the homilies were there, but it was the shiny new website that made me go over and listen. How superficial I am that I am drawn irresistibly by sparkly new shiny things… Well, I don’t apologise. After all, beauty attracts, and Word on Fire has used this fact superbly with their new website.
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Finally, I leave you with this absolutely stunning video from Youth 2000, highlights from the Walsingham weekend. What I love about it is how it combines the ancient (processions, Eucharistic Adoration) with the new expressions (worship music and upbeat evangelisation)… beautiful!
