Author Archives: hughpol

Today would have been the perfect chance to be up on Scout Scar but that is not allowed so I am getting on with The Pickwick Papers and have read Patris Corde, the Pope’s letter on Saint Joseph. You might think they are pretty different but in the gentle character of Mr. Pickwick I thinkContinue reading “16th January 2021”

So, it has been a while since I wrote, but as I am now self-isolating, after an impressively pleasant and efficient test here in Kendal, I though it would be a good time to start again. Apart from Covid, what has happened? Our friendly rat who appeared before Christmas and was scampering around the garden,Continue reading “15th January 2021”

The Catholic Church has never claimed to be a democracy. However in the times of St.Ambrose, the 4th century, things were a bit more fluid. The clergy and laity of Milan were at odds, with clergy and laity on both sides of the argument between Arianism and orthodox Catholicism. This could come to blows; perhapsContinue reading “7th December. St. Ambrose”

Today is the feast of St. Nicholas who was a bishop in Cappadocia or some part of what is now eastern Turkey. The legend is that a merchant in the town went bust and he was not able to pay a dowry for his three daughters. The family’s fate and especially that of the daughtersContinue reading “6th December. St. Nicholas”

Yesterday I was talking about Malawi, and earlier today I was reflecting that one of the things that attracts me to Catholicism is the understanding that God is present in everything and everyone good and natural in this world. The mystery for us is that God is so close and so definitely with us. GodContinue reading “4th December”

When we studying in Rome there was an old tradition that at Prima Nix, first snow, we could have a day off college. Of course it hardly ever happened in Rome, and the one time it did when I was there, strangely the staff had all forgotten the tradition and we were off to collegeContinue reading “3rd December. Saint Francis Xavier”

Every Apostle has a good bit of legend attached to the stories we know from the Bible. It seems that St. Andrew was martyred while preaching in Achaia, Greece, but that is not something we find in the the New Testament. Possibly it was important too to the early Church that the Apostles often followedContinue reading “Feast of St. Andrew”

Looking out on a very foggy damp Kendal, you can hardly believe that this was the view from Scout Scar the day before yesterday, but that is what makes November such a wonderful month (not just because my birthday is in it.) It is the range of types of weather, and especially the differences inContinue reading “First Sunday of Advent”

Sadly our last day and my last blog from Italy as we are getting up at 5.30 am tomorrow and I doubt I will feel like doing much other than getting on the coach. The weather is getting colder, the wind is up and I needed a blanket on the bed last night. We areContinue reading “11th October Sunday”

As I write the person in the room next to me is listening to the singing from the Beatification service which is has been going for an hour and a half now. The town is full of pilgrims who have come for it and particularly young people. We began our day down at the BasilicaContinue reading “10th October continued”