Portsmouth Roman Catholic

Through Advent we are often occupied with our own particular need for salvation.   We are concerned with how far we are from God and Advent becomes a time of increasing our Faith.  But the Prophet Isaiah in Sundays reading looks beyond his own self and looks at the world around him and is conscious of how sinful mankind has become.   He asks God why he has let the world sink into  such a sinful place.   Surely He must care?   And yet it seems he has abandoned us. But Isaiah looks forward to the time when God will come to the help of the just and oppressed. Today in our world we can cry out like Isaiah.  "Why,Lord, leave us  to stray from your ways, and harden our hearts against fearing you?"   In our families our children are leaving their religious practices, in the world our children know little about chastity living and drifting into sexual relationships and in doing so they learn to despise marriage.    And of those who marry...

The Bishop of Portsmouth is to be congratulated  in speaking up for the Pro-Lifers who picket Abortion Clinics.   He should not be surprised however that he is not listened to by the Abortionist Industry and their supporters.   When Abortion was first introduced in Britain theca was to end Back Street Abortion although there had been a revolution in back street practice and only one deaths registered in the ten previous years.    But the Sex Revolution had begun and there was a need to use abortion when unprotected sex had taken place or whether contraception had failed.    It is hardt to understand that in Births Law Abortion is actually forbidden except in 5 circumstance, the last being in cases where 'the mental health of the woman would suffer'.    This of course opened the door to the idea that every woman's health suffered as a result of pregnancy and abortion on demand became the practice despite the law.  MILLIONS of babies have ...

'Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array'. The above quote will be familiar to only a few Catholics today,   It was once on the lips of members of the Legion of Mary which was present in many parishes.    Fair as the moon and bright as the sun certainly describes Our Lady of Fatima but who exactly is meant by 'terrible as an army set in battle array?'   Certainly Our Lady appeared to ask us to pray for the conversion of sinners many of who were going to Hell for their sins as forewarned by her Son Jesus when he preachedHis Gospel.  Often we are trying and feel we are succeeding in living good lives when suddenly everything goes wrong  Like St Paul we often do the things we do not want to do rather than those that we want to do.   It is because we are involved in a war between Good and Evil and we are the children of Mary that the red Dragon wishes to devour in Rev...

The Second Fatima Evening will take place at St Josephs, St Michaels Rd, Basingstoke, on Wednesday, 15th November at 7.30pm.   The idea behind this monthly event is to spread devotion to Mary and say the Rosary as she requested at Fatima.   Fatima is either a genuine apparition or a fake. If it was genuine then surely we should show our love by listening to her.    We want to start again the Family Rosary and find ways of involving children by saying the Rosary in a way that children will enjoy.   Hope to see you there.

Does Mary have a good relationship with the Catholic Church?   Or put another way do bishops, priests, and people give her the attention she deserves, especially when she appears on earth pleading for her Son? Let us examine the evidence.   The first of her apparitions of the 19th and 20th Century was at La Salette.  Two children Melanie, 14, and Maximin, 11, came across her weeping.   She revealed to them that her Son disapproved of so many people using his name in blasphemy in conversations and how the people no longer kept the Sabbath as special day for God.   She also gave them a secret.  My understanding now is that a secret is something the visionaries have to write down at a later stage so that the message as given will not be misrepresented.   After much interrogation by senior members of the Church and even St John Vianney, the children were found to be speaking truthfully.   When the secret was written how caused great consternation. ...

Above is a picture of the people of Poland demonstrating against the power of the EU who want them to accept 160,000 migrants.  Poland is also in a fight against Gay Marriage, Abortion, and all the evils that the West has decided is good for a country.    Poland is part of the Fatima message for she too struggled under Communist errors for so many years and her history is one of struggle against being conquered by other nations and especially the Moslem armies.   It was one of her sons's Pope John Paul II who brought Fatima alive again when in 1982 he miraculously survived an attempt on his life on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.    He handout doubt that Our Lady of Fatima had rescued him and went to Fatima where he perfomed with other bishops of the world the Consecration of Russia.   He then dared to visit his native Poland and in a remarkably short time the Iron Curtain was torn to shreds and Poland and the rest of Russian occupied Eastern Eu...

I do not put myself forward as an expert on Fatima.   As just a lay Catholic I look at what Jesus taught, what he said in Matthew 28 about those who went forth to bring salvation to the world as having his Authority to teach people to 'observe whatever I have commanded you"   Not being an expert I therefore accept the teaching authority of the Church rather than my own conscience and when I am in doubt about anything in my Faith I go to the official teachings of the  Church and check in Scripture what Jesus said on the matter.   I do not use the modern idea of scripture and say "Well we must interpret this according to the times, and especially in the light of ecumenism".   That is a rejection of Jesus Christ - a total rejection of Jesus Christ, and accusing others of having a childish or immature faith does not excuse the insult to Christ in any way.   So as a faithful Catholic I have no difficulty nor do I have to question the Miracle of Fatima.   I ...