Turbulent priests

With numbers dwindling, the National Conference of Priests appears to be in spiritual retreat, if not terminal decline. But, argues a former NCP officer, now is the time to grapple with such ecclesial hot potatoes as celibacy, sexuality, ministry and justice...

Faith’s sure foundations

Catholics suffering grievously for their beliefs are recalled in an exhibition currently showing at the first Catholic church to be built in Liverpool after the Reformation. There are relics of saints, monarchs and priests, and the first wave of the city’s Irish immigrants...

Jails: why more isn’t better

The prison system of England and Wales is seriously overcrowded. Now it wants to put even more people behind bars despite research showing that creating more prison places just creates more criminals. Only effective rehabilitation can bring the numbers down...

Freedom behind bars

There is no material incentive for inmates of an American prison to undertake the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, but those taking part testify to their transformative power to liberate the mind and soul, and let their imaginations soar without hindrance...

Humbled yet exalted

The people of Israel were healed when Moses lifted up the brazen serpent and they gazed on it. Similarly, as Daniel McCarthy explains, when Christ was raised on the Cross he drew sinners to himself. This Sunday’s prayer recognises that through Christ’s offering of himself we are sanctified...

A model for mission

The training and setting up of Parish Evangelisation Teams is the focus of this year's Home Mission Sunday, which we celebrate on 21 September, a day of prayer for the spread of the Gospel in England and Wales...

Soothing the credit crunch

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