Catholic Life

Archbishop greets new rector for Poles
Archbishop Vincent Nichols greets Fr Stefan Wylezek during the bishops’ ad limina visit to Rome

In March Fr Wylezek became the new rector of the Polish Mission in London, succeeding Mgr Tadeusz Kukla. He will supervise changes in pastoral structures

Oratory prep learns ecology
Oratory Preparatory School pre-prep pupils plant vegetable seeds for Environment Focus Day

Mersey ladies set the pace
Campaigners gear up for this year’s Midnight Walk in aid of St John’s Hospice

Philippines thanks Apostleship
Antonio Lagdameo, the Filipino ambassador, pays tribute to Apostleship of the Sea

Catholic Association appoints Lourdes leader
Matthew Betts becomes new chief brancardier – French for ‘stretcher-bearer’ – of the Catholic Association

Jesuit school launches African fund
Stonyhurst College starts special scholarship with charity fashion show

Egyptian project Expands
A unique centre for people with disabilities in Egypt undergoes vital expansion thanks to Aid to the Church in Need

Norwich Catenians give cheques to good causes
Norwich circle of the Catenian Association attends annual carol concert

RAF chaplain uncovers life in forces
Chaplain at RAF Kinloss gives the second in a series of Lenten talks at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire

St Columba’s college creates a space for prayer
Staff and pupils will be able to pray and take time to reflect at the prayer sanctuary

Catholic school to play role at Olympics
Derbyshire Jesuit school lending its sports facilities to national sports teams

Older Catholic Life

St Patrick's prayer line greets its 50,000th caller
The SOS prayerline at St Patrick's Soho Square records its 50,000th telephone call since its opening in 2003

A day of joy for Catholics
Thousands of people gather to pray in Catholic cathedrals across England and Wales for the Rite of Election

Cardinal honours Polish lady
A Polish woman is honoured with an award from Cardinal Józef Glemp for her work with the Catholic Church

Archbishop inspires students
Archbishop Vincent Nichols visits Gunnersbury School to give annual lecture

Catholic singer stars in soap opera
A notable Irish Catholic singer and a parishioner of St John's church in Chorlton, Cheshire, will act in Coronation Street for six episodes

Local man ordained bishop to assist Bishop Noble
Bishop Mark Davies is ordained as Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Shrewsbury

Pupils remember St Agnes of Rome
Members of the Lower Grammar year group at Stonyhurst College enjoy their banquet celebrating the life of St Agnes

Catholics win debate at Durham
Durham Union Society debates the motion "This house believes that Catholic morality has no place in the 21st century"

Ecumenical university bestows degree on Rolf Harris
The Australian artist and entertainer receives an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Liverpool Hope University

Bishop’s Lent message: The Lord is my Light
Pope Benedict XVI and Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton are among contributors to this year’s Lenten resource in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton

Choir girls return from Ghent
Singers of Coloma Convent school with headmistress Maureen Martin in Belgium

‘Chirwirangwe’ with Zimbabweans
A Jesuit school in southern Africa will benefit from gifts of much-needed equipment thanks to school children in the north west of England

Gregorian Chant Network is launched
A new organisation devoted to Gregorian Chant is launched with the support of the Latin Mass Society

Fencers win four medals in Lancashire contest
Pupils from Jesuit college in Lancashire sweep the board in their first-ever regional competition

Ninety years of Stella Maris
Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio pays tribute to “the figure of the seafarer, so often forgotten by society”

Benemerenti medal for long-serving secretary
Secretary of an ancient charitable body in Manchester receives the papal medal for services to the community

School celebrates its diligent pupils with awards
Year of triumph for St Paul’s in Wythenshawe, Manchester

Birmingham schools in partnership
Two schools in the Archdiocese of Birmingham came together last Friday, February 12, at a Mass to celebrate a new partnership

Archbishop exhorts his deaneries
Archbishop Bernard Longley celebrated a Mass for the Universal Church with more than 70 priests from the Birmingham deaneries

Pupils pray for improvements in Sierra Leone
Aid workers attached to a Catholic college in Staffordshire are praying to see an improvement in Sierra Leone

Presentation Brother answers the call to blog
Brother Ray Dwyer hopes his digital outreach can demystify religious life for young people

Lives Remembered
Remembering Brother Noel O'Dwyer and Fr Walter Hobson OFM

School design unveiled
A new state-of-the-art secondary school for Middlesbrough has been given the planning green light

Baroness Cox offers support
Baroness Cox of Queensbury visited Stonyhurst College, Lancashire

The doctor and the Visionary
Dr Branca Paul will give a talk on the importance of the message of Fatima as shared to her by Sister Lucia, the last visionary of Fatima

Children agog as they re-enact WWII evacuation
Year 5 pupils from St Mary's Hall preparatory school, Lancashire, were amazed to experience wartime privations

Bishops enjoy their ad limina
Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton celebrates his 59th birthday during ad limina visit

Sir Sigmund renews call for world interfaith day as he receives honour
Sir Sigmund Sternberg, co-founder of the Three Faiths Forum, calls for the creation of a Nostra Aetate Day

Bishops honour Newman
Mass is celebrated in the Rome chapel where Newman was ordained a Catholic priest

Walsall's athletes reign triumphant
A Catholic school in Walsall fields winning team at indoor athletics competition

College teaches pupils CPR
St Ambrose College in Hale Barns, Cheshire, becomes first school in the country to roll out vital life saving techniques to all pupils

Catholic preparatory school raises £3,000 for Haiti
Students at New Hall School in Chelmsford, Essex, have been busy for the past week raising funds for Cafod

Six pupils receive Oxbridge offers
Six students from St Bede's College near Manchester have been given conditional offers to study at Oxbridge colleges next year

Lives remembered: Ralph McInerny
Prolific author and public intellectual dies aged 80

Learning Village is opened
Archbishop Nichols blesses £47m development at Bishop Challoner school in Tower Hamlets

Gospel choir gains plaudits
Maria Fidelis in north London reaches final of BBC Songs of Praise Choir Competition

Schola's disc boosts hospice
Camberley Schola helps Phyllis Tuckwell hospice after caring for former member

Pupils enjoy Salesian hospitality
St Paul's boys on residential retreat at Savio House

Archbishop ordains computer programmer from West Midlands
Archbishop Bernard Longley ordains first priest in new diocese

Pupils rehearse for Giselle with English Youth Ballet
Ballet pupils from Stonyhurst College will dance in a production of Giselle with the English Youth Ballet in March

Pupil is poised for a musical life
Derbyshire schoolboy is poised for a harmonious career after mastering the highest grade for three musical instruments

Hexham and Newcastle exhibits students' art
Artwork well received at Durham Cathedral exhibition

Requiem Mass for much-loved man of the people
Archbishop Bernard Longley was the chief celebrant at the Requiem Mass for Fr James (Seamus) McInerney

Ken Dodd, Litterarum doctor
Liverpool-born comedian is given degree at Liverpool Hope University

Stoke-on-Trent college gains five Oxbridge offers
Five students from St Joseph's college in Stoke-on-Trent have recorded the college's best-ever set of conditional offers from Oxbridge

Westminster ordains its first priest of 2010
Archbishop Vincent Nichols with Fr Gerard O'Brien

Hands of Compassion is 10 years old
Hands of Compassion Charitable Foundation, the Kent-based Christian charity, is to mark its 10th anniversary with an ambitious project

International award for Apostleship
Apostleship of the Sea was honoured at a recent awards ceremony

New English Orchestra inspires and refreshes Archbishop Longley
Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham attends a concert at Birmingham Town Hall on January 16

Archbishop Nichols hosts Plater awards evening
The Charles Plater Trust has announces the successful conclusion of its second annual grant-awarding round

Anne McLaren, chaplain, sees Christmas in Kiev
Anne McLaren, a port chaplain in Hull, sees the celebration of Orthodox Christmas in Kiev

School wins suicide debate
Pupils from St James's Catholic High School in_Cheadle, Cheshire trounce the opposition in a debate on euthanasia chaired by Professor Conor Gearty

Acclaim for school SVP group
The sixth form Society of St Vincent de Paul of St Benedict's school, Ealing, west London, the Diana Certificate of Excellence

Bishop Tom Williams blesses 'super school'
Liverpool bishop opens new school in Bootle, Merseyside

Roving teacher wins praise
Will Glover, a teacher from Weybridge, Surrey, is honoured with a lifetime achievement award from the English Speaking Union

Two hundred attend Brothers' day
More than 200 people attend the Presentation Brothers' open day in the village of Glasthule near Dublin

Navy chaplain recalls Christmas in the Gulf
Fr David Conroy recalls Christmas in the Gulf with two Minehunters, complete with Midnight Mass, 'secret Santa', and carols downloaded on an iPod

Ampleforth College opens bigger house for girls
Yorkshire independent school is enlarging one of its houses to accommodate girls from the age of 13

Hebburn servers enrolled into St Stephen's Guild
Ten young altar servers from St Aloysius and St James's parish in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, are enrolled in the Guild of St Stephen

New head for Oratory prep school
Governors of the Oratory preparatory school announce the appointment of Joseph Smith as headmaster

Sharing oplatek in Wolverhampton
The Polish community in Wolverhampton come together for a traditional oplatek

Pupils build small car in engineering challenge day
Gifted engineering pupils from St Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, take part in a 'challenge day'

Retired teacher enjoys pastoral role at prep school
Former headteacher Sister Joan Breen of the Sisters of Mercy in Wanstead, east London, joins pastoral team of Stonyhurst prep school

New priest ordained in Crawley
More than 50 priests watch Bishop Kieran Conry ordain Andrew Moss

Oxford chaplain shows pupils dreaming spires
Top-performing pupils at Derbyshire spend the day finding out about life at the university

Oratory ends the year undefeated
Berkshire school's rugby pleayers all-conquering in 2009

'Homeless' teen tests kindness of strangers
The spirit of Christmas is alive and well in Manchester

Provost of Oxford Oratory marks Jubilee
Fr Robert Byrne marks 25 years since ordination

School children enjoy gambolling in the snow
As freezing weather closes schools around the country, some pupils make the best of it

Bridgend girl gains highest religious studies mark
Sophie Chan scored the highest mark in the world for the Welsh Joint Education Committee exam

Lives Remembered: Mgr Canon Thomas Joseph Gavin
One of Birmingham Archdiocese's oldest serving priests dies aged 87

Six months of Clifton cathedral – through a pinhole
Long exposure captures Bristol landmark from June 21 to December 21

Cornish cross-country team reaffirms dominance
St Anselm's runs to victory in English Schools cup

A century of Jesuits in Guyana
Some 800 people attended celebrations to mark a century of ministry in the region

West Midlands netballers complete rare double
Netball players from St Joseph's college in Trent Vale in the West Midlands have been jumping through hoops to complete a unique double

Cardinal James Stafford attends Maryvale ceremony
Cardinal James Stafford from the Vatican was guest of honour at the graduation of 68 students of Maryvale

Bishop visits refugees
Fr Ray Blake, the popular parish priest of St Mary Magdalen in Brighton, hosted a party in the church basement just before Christmas for Brighton Voices in Exile.

Association of 'chums' marks century
The London Central Circle of the Catenian Association celebrated its 100th birthday

Jesuit school sings rousing version of Messiah
Mount St Mary's Senior Choir, with more than 100 singers, performs Handel's Messiah at the concert

Resolute Old Boys team lifts Brother Doyle trophy
St Ambrose College Old Boys ran out 19-0 winners in a tough encounter against the Catholic college's current first team to lift the Brother Doyle trophy

Archbishop pays first visit to Birmingham school
Archbishop Bernard Longley is pictured with pupils from Christ the King school in Kingstanding,_Birmingham

Parish club trumps awards
St Kentigern's Catholic parish club in Fallowfield, Lancashire, won its third national Club Mirror award

School hockey team wins Manchester Catholic cup
St Bede's college under-14 hockey team won the Manchester Catholic Cup in the December tournament

Saints beat Owls 3-2 in Sheffield football friendly
The two teams who competed in the football match organised by St Wilfrid's Catholic centre in Sheffield

Reindeer herders get Scriptures
Hundreds of reindeer herders will read the Christmas story in their own language this year, thanks to the Bible Society

Archbishop sings carols with the SVP at St Chad's in Birmingham
Archbishop Bernard Longley takes part in the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) Christmas carol service

Syrian Catholic bishop boosts Iraqis in Britain
Bishop Antoine Audo SJ of Aleppo, Syria, celebrates Mass at the Holy Family church in West Acton, London

Thirty years of ACN Bible
Aid to the Church in Need celebrates the 30th anniversary of its children's Bible, distributed to 140 countries worldwide

Lady of 92 meets youngsters at school's party
Cecilia Smith, 92, joins Christmas party at St Ambrose college sixth form

Cheshire schoolgirls build their own skyscrapers
Loreto preparatory school girls built their own mega-structures with the help of a visiting architect

LMS holds annual Requiem Mass in London
Auxiliary Bishop Alan Hopes of Westminster celebrates Requiem in the Extraordinary Form in Westminster Cathedral for the repose of the souls of all deceased members and supporters of the LMS

Three say 'yes' to priesthood
Three men ordained as Redemptorist priests in Dundalk, Co Louth

Cardinal meets comedian and actors
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor and comedian Frank Carson attend Christmas dinner put on by the Catholic Association of Performing Arts

Well-wishers flock to ninth archbishop's installation
Archbishop Bernard Longley looked resplendent in the vestments of the first Archbishop of Birmingham, Archbishop Edward Ilsley, writes Peter Jennings

First day at work for Archbishop Longley
The archbishop attends a carol service with the Lord Mayor and Anglican Bishop of Birmingham

Water scheme aids African students
Children in an African village are to get clean water every day thanks to a scheme set up by staff and pupils at a Derbyshire school founded by Jesuits

Pope sends Jubilee blessings to Midlands priest
Twenty-seven priests join parishioners at St Austin's Catholic church in Stafford to congratulate Fr Petroc Howell on 50 years of priesthood

LMS puts on Low Week conference
The Latin Mass Society (LMS) organises residential training conference for priests wishing to learn the Extraordinary Form of the Mass at Ushaw College, Durham

School's Catholic roll grows
Orwell Park school in Nacton, Suffolk, considers celebrating Mass more often because of a growing number of Catholic pupils

Cardinal honours pioneer
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor celebrates Sir Sigmund Sternberg's interfaith work

Lives remembered: Dame Maria Boulding
Dame Maria Boulding, an enclosed nun and hermit, died in November aged 80

Children hold candle vigil for poorest countries
Primary school children hold candlelight vigil near the Houses of Parliament for people in developing nations affected by climate change

Stonyhurst pupil wins gavel prize
Adaobi Anah from Stonyhurst College wins “Best Chairperson” in the Business and Professional Women’s Association Public Speaking Competition

Vikings invade school
History expert Steve Bacon, alias Guthren, spent a day enlightening the dark ages for children Loreto Preparatory School in Altrincham, Cheshire

Book celebrates 50th anniversary of school
St John Payne Catholic School in Chelmsford, Essex, publishes a book to celebrate its 50th anniversary

Charity benefits from show
Farnborough hill in Farnborough, Hampshire, raises over £3,000 for charity with a glamorous fashion show

Refuge for homeless to mark 150th
Providence Row was to start celebrating its 150th anniversary with a Christmas carol service at St Mary and St Michael’s church in London’s East End

Midlands children perform carols in aid of Mencap
Pupils from St Mary’s the Mount primary school, Walsall, present a short concert of seasonal carols

Museum’s Nativity trail opens
The Nativity Trail 2009 opens at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

It won't be easy leaving my friends in London, says Bishop Longley
Bishop Bernard Longley prepares to leave Westminster for his new see in Birmingham

Greyfriars emerges in new form
The former Oxford Permanent Private Hall becomes a Centre of Studies for Franciscans

Archbishop Nichols visits Hindu temple

English provosts bid farewell to Jack Sullivan at London Oratory as he thanks 'resourceful' hosts
Deacon Jack Sullivan, an American who was miraculously cured after asking for the intercession of John Henry Newman, ended his stay in Britain

Girls push creative boundaries
Bishop Crispian Hollis blessed the new art and design centre at Farnborough Hill

Choir sings Newman's hymns
The Reading Oratory School Association held its annual Requiem Mass for deceased former Oratorians

Burnley Catholic students bang drum for success
South African music teacher David Nkosi inspires students with drums at Blessed Trinity college in Burnley

A lifelong fan holds a Liverpool shirt
Friends of Westminster Cathedral hoped a generous donor would buy a Liverpool shirt for Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who is a fan

Sister reaches milestone
Sister Anne de Sousberghe celebrates 105th birthday

Father teaches son circus acrobatics
Leonardo Vieru, a Year 9 pupil at St Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Manchester, displays acrobatic skills taught to him by his father

Gifts are bound for Honduras
Jospice volunteers from Crosby, Merseyside, pack Christmas presents for needy people in Honduras

Bishop confirms in old form
Auxiliary Bishop George Stack of Westminsters administers Confirmations in the extraordinary form of the Mass at St James's church, Spanish Place, London

The Met's male voice choir sings at Police Mass
Catholic Police Guild celebrates its 87th annual Requiem Mass at Westminster Cathedral

Catholic college executes a cross-country double
St Bede's Catholic College in south Manchester once again runs to victory in the Manchester schools cross-country competition

School gears up for tour
St Ambrose College raises £13,000 at auction for its most ambitious rugby tour ever

Pupils remember those less fortunate with gifts
Pupils at Grace Dieu Catholic school in Leicestershire have been busy packing gift parcels for the charity Samaritan's Purse and its 'Operation Christmas Child'

Altar servers enjoy touring Rome’s holy sites with Guild of St Stephen
The incident-packed tour was led by Fr Stephen Boyle

Brother makes final profession
In the first ceremony of its kind for several years in Ireland Brother Kevin Mascarenhas makes his final profession as a Presentation Brother at Mount Sion in Waterford City

Herald chases away blues
Climate change campaigners from Cafod join commuters outside Parliament to raise awareness ahead of the Copenhagen summit

Rounders girls are called up
Catholic schoolgirls Millie Barlow and Isabelle Renehan, from St Bede's College in Manchester, are picked to play rounders for England under-14s

Good news of St Paul published
Archbishop Vincent Nichols attends the celebrations at St Paul’s Bookshop in Westminster, to mark the publication of the latest book by Fr Richard Parsons, The Good News of St Paul for Today

Catholic school boosts family food
St Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe works to encourage families to cook fresh, healthy food as well as teaching their pupils some essential life skills

Surrey Catholic pupils remember the price paid
Students and pupils at St George’s College and St George’s College junior school hold services for Remembrance Day

Elderly folk reminisce with young
Twenty-four Year 6 pupils from St Martin’s Ampleforth prep school in Yorkshire entertain residents of the Alba Rose residential care home on Tuesday, November 10

Sir Hugh reflects on peace, war
Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, to give the Longford lecture on December 2: ‘War is Easy: Peace is the Difficult Prize’

Parishioner’s quiet goodness earns Benemerenti
Bishop Paul Hendricks awards two Benemerenti medals to married couple, Peter and Joyce Hayland, parishioners of Fr Kevan Hayden at St Matthias church in Worcester Park, Surrey

New 'heads of line' announced
Stonyhurst College announces new head boy and head girl for this academic year

Siberia Cross for 35 Poles
Poles travelled from across Northern England to be awarded medals for their suffering during the Second World War

Bracknell man stands up for poor
Children from Margaret Clitherow primary school in Bracknell, Berkshire participated in the Just stand up against poverty campaign

Minister welcomes delegation of African prelates
The international development minister met an influential Catholic delegation from Africa to talk about the downturn

Huddersfield Poles pray for souls in Purgatory
Dozens of Poles joined Fr Wachala in a procession to the Catholic Cemetery in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Latvian schools face peril
Sean O'Donnell and Cardinal Janis Pujats, the Archbishop of Riga, Latvia petition for help to save schools

Jesuit Provincial welcomes Queen to preparatory school in Berkshire
The Queen received an enthusiastic welcome when she opened the new sports centre at St John's Beaumont Jesuit school

Youngsters set off on challenge
Two 12-year-old pupils from St Bede's College to cycle 140 miles for charity

Scots give green message to Brown
SCIAF hands over 5,000 signed campaign postcards to Gordon Brown

Pilgrims honour martyrs
Fifth annual pilgrimage to Oxford takes place in honour of Catholic martyrs

Church conducts first Polish marriage
For the first time in its 185-year history a marriage is solemnised entirely in Polish at St Mary's the Mount church in Walsall

Costumes round off book week
St Benedict's Catholic school in Ealing, west London, brought its Book Week to a close with a dressing-up day

Bishop thanks aid charity
Pakistan bishop thanks friends and benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need

Friends thank Jim Richards
Bishop Bernard Longley praises work of Catholic Children's Society in homily at Westminster Cathedral

Inspiring film ponders the problem of suffering
Award-winning film by New York-based Catholic production company to be screened in London

Lives remembered: Fr Jerome O'Hanlon and Stephanie O'Donnell
Fr Jerome O'Hanlon, a priest of the Sacred Heart Missionaries, died in Cork aged 87; Stephanie O'Donnell, a pro-life campaigner and resident of the Holy Land, died aged 82

Catholic women of the year honoured at lunch
The 41st annual luncheon features Fr Emmanuel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal as guest speaker

Catholic students meet star of Lord of Dance show
Two students from St Bede's school meet James Keegan, an old boy of the school and principal dancer with Lord of the Dance

School remembers its founder
The Oratory School in Oxfordshire celebrates the 150th anniversary of its founding by John Henry Cardinal Newman

Young Catholics in Midlands pray for vocations
Pupils from 13 Catholic primary schools in and around Walsall in the West Midlands come together for the annual deanery Mass for vocations

Jesuit schools unite across Europe
Pupils from Kolleg Sankt Blasien in the Black Forest, a Jesuit school in Germany, spend a week at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire

Priest launches book
Brentwood priest Fr Paul Keane launches The Martyr's Crown: Rome and the English Church

Pope 'sees crisis in Europe'
Francis Campbell, British Ambassador to the Holy See, delivers Craigmyle Memorial Lecture in Westminster

Lourdes pilgrimage leaves its mark on Cambridge undergraduates
Welsh S4C television programme Y Daith: Dwy yn Lourdes follows two young women from Aberystwyth to Lourdes

Northfields church marks 50 years on All Saints
The church of St Peter and Paul celebrates the 50th anniversary of its consecration with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Vincent Nichols

Sir Alex Ferguson opens Catholic-owned hostelry
Manager of Manchester United Football Club opens the Red Hall Hotel in Bury

National Rosary Crusade of Reparation marches through London
About 3,000 lay Catholics and clergy walk through Victoria, Belgravia and Knightsbridge on a glorious autumnal afternoon in central London

Pilgrims reflect on Newman's divine calling
Annual pilgrimage to Littlemore marks anniversary of John Henry Newman's reception into the Catholic Church

Faithful keep vigil for saint
Seminarians from Allen Hall, the London seminary, join others for an all-night vigil before the relics of St Thérèse at Westminster Cathedral

Bishop McMahon keeps faith in system
Bishop Malcolm McMahon, chairman of the CES, exchanges insights with Schools Secretary Ed Balls at a conference in London

School celebrates success
St Ursula's school, Bristol, celebrates its annual awards evening

St Mary's girls sing in holy city
St Mary's Shaftesbury school choir sings at St Peter's during an extraordinary visit to Rome

Teens walk from Tyburn to Cathedral for poor
Grey skies could not dampen spirits of nearly 400 students gathered for pilgrimage

Englishman delivers presents to nuns in Calcutta
Norman Imms makes eighth journey to Calcutta in India to hand over £300 to the Missionaries of Charity

Stonyhurst takes Big Band on tour to Notre Dame
The Big Band, which plays jazz and swing, will tour Paris later this month

Trio of Catholic skiers win slalom
St Joseph's college ski team wins the dual slalom at the West Midlands schools' race

New English Orchestra enthralls Cardinal Napier
The New English Orchestra and Singers perform Mozart and Bach at the British Embassy to the Holy See

Thame pupils are first to meet archbishop-elect
Archbishop-elect Bernard Longley meets pupils from St Joseph's primary school at St Chad's cathedral in Birmingham

Artists travel to Liverpool
A-level pupils from Stonyhurst school in Clitheroe, Lancashire, make a vibrant start to the term with a visit to Tate Liverpool

Crowds turn out for Bishop’s Walk
Kevin Bradley, director of St Wilfrid's centre, Sheffield, is delighted with support for 15-mile sponsored Bishop's Walk

Student speaker wins out
St Bede's A-level student Daniel Callaghan wins Catenian Association national public speaking competition

Maasai girls tell their story
A new book, Emusoi: Maasai Girls Tell Their Stories, offers an insight into the struggle of six Maasai girls to gain an education

Catholic makes history
Helena Muller, a Catholic, is appointed High Sheriff of Nottingham

Music symposium finds welcome
Pluscarden Abbey praised for its Symposium on Scottish Sacred Music

Sister Lucy serves Chinese rice to homeless folk
The Manchester Cornerstone day centre hands out rice to the poor after receiving a donation of a giant cooking pot

Rector of Welsh shrine celebrates EF at Nissen hut
Fr Jason Jones, rector of the shrine of Our Lady in Wales, celebrates Mass in the Extraordinary Form in a Nissen hut in Henllan

Notre Dame school choir performs at Westminster Cathedral
120-voice school choir performs at Westminster Cathedral in front of 2,000 people

Norbertine canons enjoy historical visit
Four Norbertines from Chelmsford visit one of their order's original English abbeys, Beeleigh Abbey in Essex, restored by the couple who now own it

Children to bishop: 'Are you the Pope?'
Bishop Bernard Longley is asked an unexpected question as he prepares to celebrate Mass before the relics of St Thérèse

Huntly church celebrates 175 years
St Margaret's Catholic church, which opened in Huntly in north-east Scotland in 1834, holds anniversary Mass

Thirty bishops attend ordination of Bishop of Forces
Archbishop Kevin McDonald of Southwark ordains Mgr Richard Moth as Bishop of the Forces at Westminster Cathedral

Jubilee of only church of St Rose
Auxiliary Bishop Philip Pargeter of Birmingham celebrates thanksgiving Mass to mark the golden anniversary of the foundation of Our Lady and St Rose of Lima Catholic church, Weoley Castle, Birmingham

Derbyshire Poles mark 60 years
Bishop Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham celebrates thanksgiving Mass alongside the rector of the Polish mission in England and Wales, Mgr Tadeusz Kukla

Soccer legend kicks off 'fun run'
Brian Kidd, a football legend and devout Catholic, starts a fun run for orphanage in Africa at St Bede's preparatory school

Girls pack cathedral for Mass
Over 1,000 students and 700 guests attend Mass at Westminster Cathedral for 140th anniversary of Coloma convent girls' school

Knights of St Columba gather for pilgrimage
Knights of St Columba and their families from all over Scotland gather at the Carfin Marian shrine for their 21st annual pilgrimage

Brother Lawrence Lew takes up his cross at solemn profession
Family and friends travel from United States, Malaysia, and Singapore to see him make profession and promise obedience as a Dominican friar

Continued rise in applications to Allen Hall seminary
Nnumber of men training to be priests at the London seminary rises for a third year running

Cafod runs against poverty
A 300-strong team of Cafod supporters put their best feet forward in the Great North Run and raised up to £90,000

Two artists team up for cathedral
Pianist Stephen Hough is to give a recital of Bach, Franck and Chopin at Westminster Cathedral against the backdrop of a new art installation by Peter Doig

Cardinal: 'Was it worth it?'
Cardinal Murphy O'Connor will ask whether Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue is 'dead in the water' in an address at Worth Abbey, Sussex

Archbishop blesses Polish memorial
An imposing bronze and granite war memorial in Alrewas, Staffordshire, is blessed by Archbishop Szczepan Wesoly

Bishop of Siedlce leads happy retreat in Henley
Fawley Court in Henley-on-Thames hosts 100 Polish priests working within the Polish Catholic mission gathered for an annual retreat

Loreto marks 100 'not out'
Television producer Mary Colwell addresses Loreto grammar school, a Catholic school for girls, at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Jogger for Jospice reaches Ramblas
The Big Breakfast Jog to raise funds for Jospice was billed as a "5K" event through the lanes near Formby, Merseyside, but for one entrant it went a good deal further...

Twenty-five priests learn how to celebrate the EF in Hertfordshire
Latin Mass Society's week-long training conference held at the Archdiocese of Westminster's conference centre, the All Saints pastoral centre in Hertfordshire

Boris visits Catholic school
St Christina's school in St John's Wood, north-west London, welcomes the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to its 60th diamond jubilee celebration

Colleges enter agreement
St Bede's Hall, Oxford, and Campion college in New South Wales, Australia, enter bilateral agreement

Rugby students enjoy weekend tackling waves
Catholic students from the St Bede's College's rugby team in Manchester spend first weekend of the new term tackling waves in North Wales

Travel agent runs half marathon in aid of cleft palate charity
A travel agent for Pax Travel, the Catholic pilgrimage company, is to run a half marathon for the new charity Cleft, which aims to improve the care of children born with a cleft lip and palate

Bletchley parishioners boost Africa charity
All Saints and St Thomas Aquinas parishes in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, come out in force to support the charity Ariba

Nostalgic return to school
A 100-year-old lady has made a nostalgic return to the stately home where she lived and worked 84 years ago

Cardinal honours north-west school
St Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, is visited by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor and Bishop Brian Noble of Shrewsbury

Bishop Longley leads Dowry of Mary pilgrimage
About 3,000 pilgrims gather in Walsingham for the annual pilgrimage

Actor inspires the young at festival
One thousand five hundred young people descend on Norfolk countryside for five days of camping, music and the opportunity to plug back into their Catholic faith

Author uncovers forbidden love that lies behind the Italian chapel on Orkney
A Highland writer's quest to tell the story of one of Scotland's best-known icons uncovers the secret love between an Italian prisoner of war and a local Orkney woman

Perfect scores for Vaughan pupil
GCSE pupils at the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School have been celebrating record results, but one pupil has a particular reason to be happy..

Sister, 97, celebrates 75 years
Sister Magdalene Quinn of the Little Company of Mary, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, celebrates the 75th anniversary of her final profession

School sets up chefs' club
A cooking club is launched for pupils at St Paul's Catholic high school in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester

Lives Remembered: Edward Joseph Houghton
Fr Edward Houghton died in a car crash on August 21 2009 at the age of 40

Funeral for fusilier who died trying to save injured comrade
A Catholic soldier killed in Afghanistan while trying to rescue his injured commander is buried with full military honours

Boy pedals from London to the Mumbles for oppressed Christians
A-level student cycles more than 200 miles from London to Swansea to raise money for Aid to the Church in Need

Catholic leader says Games can link sport and gospel
Executive team of the Christian charity More Than Gold visits the Olympic Park near Stratford, east London

Catenians boost Tanzanian mission
Parishioner and lay Salvatorian from Gloucestershire travels to Tanzania for a year as part of a project aimed at starting the second generation of lay missionaries

Record results for Jesuit comprehensive pupils
St Ignatius College, the Jesuit all-boys comprehensive school in north London, has achieved its best GCSE results ever

Citroën transports relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux
Citroën minivan is adapted as a hearse for the relics of the 'Little Flower'

Cardinal Newman: booklet tells story of miracle
Cardinal Newman: The Story of A Miracle, published at £1.95 by CTS, describes the miracle whereby Jack Sullivan, an American, was cured of a spinal disorder

New block finished at Grace Dieu
Charles Foulds, headteacher of Grace Dieu Manor school, a Catholic primary in Leicestershire, is handed the keys to a recently completed pre-preparatory building

Jesuits launch range of workshops
The Mount Street Jesuit centre in central London announces its new programme of talks and courses for 2009 and 2010

Partnership helps pupils enjoy music and art
The Hexham and Newcastle Catholic Partnership South provides pupils the opportunity to share their musical talents at Sage auditorium and to take part in an art summer school

New deputy at St Edmund's
St Edmund's College, England's oldest Catholic school, near Ware in Hertfordshire, appoints Paulo Durán, 38, as its new deputy head

Bishop Longley celebrates Mass for Travellers
Bishop Bernard Longley, Auxiliary in Westminster, celebrates a Mass for the Travelling community at the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham

Catholic pupils celebrate tip-top A-level scores
New Hall school is the top co-educational private Catholic school in the country following this year's A-level results

Young people gain expert insights at Evangelium conference
Around 150 young people are joined by leading Catholic speakers and academics at the Evangelium conference in Berkshire

Parishioners praise new-look church
Parishioners in Newent, Gloucestershire, express delight with their new-look church, completed after two years of work and four of planning and fundraising

Under hot sun, friars vary the headgear
To protect the pate from harmful ultraviolet rays, a friar can either use the 'built-in' capuce, don a casual hat, or go uncovered. The friars below were spotted in Lourdes during the English Dominican Pilgrimage

Record numbers attend Society of St Gregory's music summer school
A record number of people attend a music and liturgy summer school in Norfolk

Belgium beckons Catholic rugby star from Derbyshire school
Rising rugby star Brandon Hannam is selected to represent his country at an international festival in Belgium

Icon of St Paul presented to Birmingham parish
A beautiful icon depicting St Paul is officially presented to St Paul's Catholic church in the King's Norton area of Birmingham

Church gears up for London 2012 Olympic games
Mgr John Armitage gathers Catholic delegates together at the one-day More Than Gold 2012 Games Engagement Conference at Wembley

St Ursula's girls enjoy lively prom at golf club
Staff at St Ursula's School, Bristol, celebrate with Year 11 students at a glittering prom event at Bristol Golf Club

South London convent school receives IB status
Coloma Convent Girls' School in Croydon, south London, is awarded International Baccalaureate (IB) world school status

Summer concerts at Stonyhurst
A series of free summer concerts are enjoyed by pupils and teachers at Stonyhurst College

Sussex teenager wins Cafod competition
Top film industry professionals unanimously vote Sussex teenager Francis Fagan as the winner of Cafod's Youth Film Competition

Bishop Pargeter: a tireless pastor retires
Bishop Philip Pargeter retires as auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham

Cellist is inspiration to children
Children from the primary school of St Francis Xavier parish, Liverpool, join the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra

Sanctuary overflows with priests as celebrated blogger marks jubilee with Mass of Holy Ghost
Tuesday July 28 saw the 25th anniversary of Fr Timothy Finigan's ordination to the sacred priesthood

Lives remembered: Fr Columba Ryan OP
Fr Columba Ryan OP was born on January 13 1916. He died on August 4 2009, aged 93

Fr Seed launches memoirs at nightclub
London's famous table-dancing club Stringfellows was the unlikely venue for the launch of Sinners and Saints, Fr Michael Seed's new book

Catechists meet in Rome
Catechists from across England, Scotland and Ireland join an international catechetical conference held in Rome

School play is a 'scream'
Ernie's Incredible Illucinations, staged by pupils from St Benedict's School, Ealing, in west London, is described as "slick", "brilliant" and "a scream" by the audience

Dedicated teacher retires
A retiring teacher was the star at the end-of-year assembly at a school in Brownhills in the West Midlands

Queen bestows CVO on Sir Tom Farmer
Sir Tom Farmer is invested as a Commander of the Victorian Order by the Queen at Holyrood House

Fencers strike gold in Foil
Pupils from Stonyhurst Catholic school in Lancashire displayed speed and skill when they won gold and silver medals at a fencing tournament

Bishop gears up for Peak District hike
Bishop John Rawsthorne of Hallam prepares for a 15-mile hike through the Peak District in aid of St Wilfrid's Centre in Sheffield

Croydon school choir impresses home of opera
Choir tours some of Italy's most renowned venues, including St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Chiesa Santa Maria Dei Ricci in Florence and Pisa Cathedral

Sir Sigmund Sternberg welcomes Archbishop
Sir Sigmund says it is "a pleasure and honour" to welcome the Archbishop Vincent Nichols at the Sternberg centre in north London

Walsall faithful look back
Bishop David McGough is chief celebrant at Mass to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of a Walsall church

Nigerian priest fears Islamists
Nigeria could stand on the brink of radical Islamisation, according to a leading development official in the country

MacMillan enjoys 50th party
Composer James MacMillan celebrates 50th birthday at Brooks's Club in London

Third order Carmelite graduates
Anne-Marie Wilson, a lay Carmelite and member of the third order of Carmel, graduates from St Cuthbert's seminary at Ushaw College in Durham

Baroque music in West End
Orchestra and choir perform at Warwick Street church, Soho, raising money for Cafod

Catholic women gather
Fifty-six members of the European Alliance of Catholic Women's Organisation meet at High Leigh conference centre in Hertfordshire

Booklet gives life to old parish
A history booklet about St Ann's Catholic church, Deepcar, Sheffield, written ahead of 150th anniversary

Children's Society names new chief
Rosemary Keenan is appointed chief executive of the Catholic Children's Society (Westminster)

Archbishop marks local milestone
Archbishop Vincent Nichols celebrates Mass to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of St Vincent de Paul primary school in Victoria, London

Brigadier is guest at school
Brigadier Christopher Parker attends prize day at Grace Dieu Manor Catholic school as guest of honour

Bishop Conry opens physiotherapy centre
Holy Cross hospital in Haslemere, Surrey, celebrates opening of new physiotherapy centre - featuring a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool - with a visit from Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton

Cheshire 'army' strides out
Fundraisers from St Ambrose College in Hale Barns, Cheshire, complete the Great Cheshire March to raise more than £10,000 for the Christian Brothers' mission in Sierra Leone

Fr Clarke celebrates his 80th
A north Wales Catholic church held a mini rock music festival when its part-time priest Fr Harry Clarke celebrated his 80th birthday

St Wulstan's marks its half century
Bishop David McGough leads Mass at St Wulstan's Catholic church in in Wolstanton in Staffordshire to celebrate its foundation 50 years ago

Exhibition highlights East Timor
Archbishop Nichols joins ministers and MPs for an exhibition called Trapped by the Past at the House of Commons to support a campaign calling for justice for crimes committed in East Timor

Stonyhurst puts on show
A summer exhibition at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire includes an illuminated 15th-century Book of Hours

Honour for interfaith campaigner
Pope honours the interfaith campaigner and charity worker Anthony Bailey for his contribution to charity and inter-religious relations in central and eastern Europe

India inspires Loreto girls
Bollywood provides inspiration for a night of food and dance at Loreto Catholic Grammar School in Cheshire

Lives remembered: Fr Ernest Becher
Fr Ernest Becher died on July 9 2009, aged 88

Benedict grants audience to priestly fraternity
The Holy Father receives the superior general of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP), Fr John Berg, in his library at the Apostolic Palace

Bishop Stack ordains two deacons in Year of Priests
Rev Per Einar Odden of the Diocese of Oslo and Rev Gerard O'Brien of Westminster are ordained as deacons in Westminster Cathedral

Carmelites show new paintings
The Mystery of Faith is the title of an exhibition of new pictures by Catholic artist Elizabeth Wang at the Carmelite church in Kensington Church Street, west London

New head girl of Orwell school takes the plunge
Chloe Hobart, 12, a member of the congregation at the church of the Holy Family, Brantham, Ipswich, is appointed head girl of Orwell Park School

Chesterton illuminates economy
Phillip Blond, the so-called "red Tory" thought to have the ear of David Cameron, gives the opening talk at a conference of the Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture

Catenians boost girl's Paraguay trip
Catenian association funds Emily-May Burke's trip to Peru, where she will help in a project to build housing and teach basic Catechism and English

Pupils enjoy top stadium
St Bede's Catholic college near Manchester stages annual sports day in Longford Park athletics stadium

Bishop dedicates memorial
Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton dedicates a memorial for children lost before birth in the Arundel Cathedral cemetery in West Sussex

Parish celebrates festival
Ss Peter and Paul parish, New Brighton, Merseyside, celebrates a Festival of Vestments and Flowers

State school enjoys first cricket gala
A small Catholic comprehensive school's cricket team, which has only been playing the game for a year, joins the inaugural Catholic Schools' Twenty20 Cricket Tournament

Stories of peace unite young people
Nearly 500 young people attend annual diocesan Brightlights festival in the beautiful grounds of St Joseph's pastoral centre, in Hendon in north-west London

Bishops descend on Oscott
Almost 100 priests join five bishops and 2,500 people at Oscott College to celebrate a quartet of anniversaries

Cardinal celebrates Requiem
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor celebrates a Requiem Mass for Sir Michael Quinlan, former permanent under-secretary at the Ministry of Defence, at Westminster Cathedral

Pilgrims walk for peace
More than 300 people take part in Aid to the Church in Need's Pilgrimage for Peace in Walsingham

London boy sends work to RA
Patrick East, a Year 13 art student at St Benedict's school, west London, has work selected to feature in the A-level Summer Exhibition held by the Royal Academy of Arts

Catholic head wins top award
Catherine Myers, director of Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate School, Tower Hamlets, is named as a Teaching Awards 2009 winner

St Bede's students enjoy ball
Catholic students from St Bede's College near Manchester attend annual leavers' ball at the City of Manchester Stadium, home of Manchester City football club

Veteran headmaster bows out
The longest-serving senior school Catholic headmaster in the independent sector retires after 24 years of service as a head

Notre Dame girls' rounders triumph
Staff and pupils of Notre Dame preparatory school in Cobham, Surrey, were pleased to win the National Catholic Schools Athletics Championship

Hope is not just optimism, says book
Two hundred people gather in Westminster Cathedral Hall to celebrate the launch of the book Is It Possible to Live This Way? by Mgr Luigi Giussani

Carmelites join ducks and goats
Carmelite friars join an Anglican bishop, 200 Christian schoolchildren dressed as animals and an array of real alpacas, sheep, goats and ducks at a colourful climate event by the Palace of Westminster

Ed Balls attends Catholic Education Service reception
Education secretary Ed Balls is pictured with Oona Stannard of the Catholic Education Service and Bishop Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham at this year's CES parliamentary reception

A thousand women attend London CWL Mass
The Catholic Women's League of England and Wales changed the venue of its annual pilgrimage from Walsingham to Westminster and filled the Cathedral with over 1,100 women

Young Loreto athletes enjoy championship glory
Athletes from Loreto preparatory school in Altrincham, Cheshire, have completed a golden summer of sport with a hat-trick of championship trophies

RAF man cycles for heart fund
Flight Lieutenant Carl Fivey got on his bike for this year's London to Brighton bicycle ride on Father's Day in honour of his father Leo, a devout Catholic who died suddenly from heart disease in February

Manchester pupils enjoy walking with dinosaurs
Year 5 students were invited to "Walk with Dinosaurs" in a special fun-day summer taster session at St Bede's College in south Manchester

College serves tennis tips
Pupils, staff and parents at Mount St Mary's College in Derbyshire get into the Wimbledon spirit by taking part in their very own version of the tennis tournament

Fr O'Shea receives surprise late donation to his run
for ACN
A parish priest who ran to raise money for Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need was surprised to receive a further donation of £5,000 two months after running

College re-opens Christian Brothers' chapel
St Joseph's College in Staffordshire returns Christian Brothers chapel to its former glory

Fr Hale marks jubilee
Fr Kevin Hale marks the silver jubilee of his priesthood with a Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, Leigh on Sea, Essex, where he is parish priest

Ireland lacrosse squad calls up St Ambrose pupil
Rob Edwards, a sixth former from St Ambrose college, the Christian Brothers' foundation in Altrincham, Cheshire, is called into the full Ireland lacrosse team

Lives remembered
Monica Walsh, who founded the Legion of Mary in Malta and worked as a tutor for a Spanish prince, dies aged 100; and Con Holland-Skinner, Master of Ceremonies and Second World War veteran, dies aged 84

Corpus Christi passes through West End of London
Fr Chris Vipers carries Blessed Sacrament from Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, to the French church, Notre Dame de France, as part of Spirit in the City

Oldest active priest in Sussex area marks 60 years
Friends, family and fellow priests gather at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Hastings, east Sussex, in honour of Fr Anthony Busuttil's Diamond Jubilee

Historic parish celebrates
Sir Thomas Ingilby joins in the 200th anniversary celebrations at St Joseph's Church, Bishop Thornton, near Harrogate

Brothers extol Edmund's great vision
Friends of the Christian Brothers make their way to St Ambrose College in Cheshire for their annual barbecue to celebrate the vision of the Blessed Edmund Rice

Archbishop Smith confirms group in Welsh Marches
Archbishop Peter Smith of Cardiff crosses border into Herefordshire to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation at St Francis Xavier's church in Hereford

Poles in Midlands relish procession
People in Wolverhampton, including many Poles, hold Corpus Christi procession at the Polish church of the Holy Trinity

Top marks for Derby scholars
Four gifted children from Derbyshire win scholarships for one of the region's top schools for their academic, musical and artistic talents

Ruby night for Canon Fitzpatrick
Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton congratulates Canon Michael Fitzpatrick on 40 years of priesthood at a celebration at St Gregory's church in Salisbury

Pope enjoys philatelic memento
Pope Benedict XVI is presented with an official, unique philatelic memento issued by the Philatelic Service of the Israel Postal Company to commemorate his historic pilgrimage to the Holy Land

LMS says thanks to Archbishop
The Latin Mass Society (LMS) holds its annual general meeting at the Royal Horticultural Society Conference Centre, Victoria, London

Jesuits welcome visitors
The Mount Street Jesuit Centre (MSJC) in central London welcomes four new guests visiting from the L'Arche community in south London

Archbishop launches Priesthood book at Westminster
Archbishop Nichols joins the editor of the book, Canon Daniel Cronin, in Westminster's Throne Room

PM's wife launches sea appeal
Cherie Blair visits the port of Tilbury in Essex as part of the launch of the Apostleship of the Sea's (AoS) annual Sea Sunday appeal

Bishops and faithful from 100 nations flock to Westminster to savour the fruits of Alpha
More than 20 Catholic archbishops and bishops from across the world attend international conference in London

Book promotes theology of body
A radical new book, A Pure Heart Create for Me, edited by Robert Colquhoun, is launched at St Patrick's church, Soho, London

One thousand children look to future at Good
Shepherd Mass
More than 1,000 schoolchildren from Catholic schools around the Diocese of Westminster attend the annual Good Shepherd Mass at Westminster Cathedral

Bishop presents knighthood to Sussex couple
Bishop kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton bestows honours during Mass at St Bernard's Catholic church, Lingfield, Surrey

Hearts of young Poles fill with joy
Fifteen children make their First Holy Communion at a Polish church in Wolverhampton

Bishop blesses new window in Lymington
Bishop Crispian Hollis blessed a newly restored window to mark 150 years of a Hampshire church

Artist is ordained deacon
Gary Bevans, who painted a reproduction of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in a Sussex church, is ordained a permanent deacon

Pupils enjoy Catholic school's feast of cricket
Despite the Arctic chill a memorable day of cricket was enjoyed by well wrapped-up spectators at St Martin's Ampleforth Catholic School in Yorkshire

Church re-focuses mission
The world's largest missionary society is to relaunch in September as Missio in England and Wales

Catholic girls promote eco-friendly initiatives
The Marist Senior School in Sunninghill, Berkshire, is awarded an Eco Schools bronze certificate

Lives remembered: Fr Richard Fawssett
Fr Fawssett died on June 2 2009, aged 87

Couples celebrate marriage
Hundreds of married couples with a combined total of 45,584 years of marriage celebrated their wedding anniversaries at a Mass in Westminster Cathedral

Fr Darlington celebrates multicultural Pentecost Mass
Faithful pray and sing hymns in English, French, Filipino languages, Gaelic, Italian, Nigerian and Polish

Bishop Conry blesses parishes joined in Surrey
Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton celebrates with Holy Mass the inauguration of the new parish of the Nativity of the Lord

Teacher receives accolade
A teacher from Farnborough Hill Catholic school in Hampshire wins the Plato award for Outstanding New Teacher of the Year (South region)

Ecumenical pilgrims enjoy Chideock
A pilgrimage comprising both Catholics and Anglicans made its way to the church of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs and St Ignatius at Chideock, Devon, in April

MP views St Raphael restoration
MP Ed Davey and the Mayor of Kingston upon Thames donned hard hats and fluorescent jackets to scale 60ft up the belfry tower of St Raphael's Catholic church in Surbiton, Surrey, to see restoration work

Fr Kofler marks half a century
Fr Len Kofler, a Mill Hill Missionary, celebrates his golden jubilee of priesthood at St Anne's church in Cliftonville, Kent

Provost hands apostolic letter to Archbishop Nichols
Canons of Westminster Cathedral look on as apostolic letter of authority is passed to the new Archbishop

Hounslow mayor welcomes new local
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor attends inaugural Mass of mayor and mayoress

The Nichols brothers: a rare glimpse
Archbishop Vincent Nichols is pictured with his brothers at the end of the reception to celebrate his installation

Pupils honour Queen of Mary in procession
Children from St Mary's the Mount Catholic School, Walsall, West Midlands, take part in procession in honour of the Virgin Mary

Bishop confirms adults at Italian church in London
Bishop Bernard Longley, auxiliary in Westminster, confirms a group of Italian adults at St Peter's Italian church, Clerkenwell, east London

Ambassador calls for a return of religion to policy
The British Ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Campbell, delivers lecture at Blackfriars, Oxford, as part of the Thomas More lecture series

School dedicates house to St Andrew
Pupils at Prior Park Catholic College in Bath enter new building Baines House for first time

Catholic boys tee off in county championships
Three pupils at Stonyhurst College are to represent Lancashire at the 2009 English Schools Championships, at Thetford Golf Club, Norfolk

Marist pupils donate to Christopher's Smile fund
Pupils at the Marist Preparatory School donate £226.62 to childhood cancer charity Christopher's Smile

Priests belt out 'God bless the Pope' at Latin Mass Society conference
The Latin Mass Society's residential training conference for priests was a great success

Catenians, with Bishop Arnold, celebrate a century
Bishop Arnold celebrated Mass on April 25 to mark 100 years of the Catenians

Maestro dispenses piano tips
A series of master-classes from one of the world's leading pianists was music to the ears of students at Mount St Mary's College in Derbyshire

Deacons flock from four continents
Jesuits from four continents were ordained to the diaconate in London on May 2

All smiles for final visitation
St Bernadette's Catholic church in Brownhills, Walsall, was the venue for the last official visitation in the Archdiocese of Birmingham by Archbishop Vincent Nichols

Tyburn lecture: business should lead
Niall Fitzgerald, deputy chairman of Thomson Reuters, delivered the 2009 Tyburn Lecture on the evening of May 20 on the theme "Corporate responsibility in the 21st century"

Bishop Conry in dramatic ceremony
The Sacred Heart church in Wadhurst, east Sussex, was solemnly consecrated on May 10 by Bishop Kieran Conry

Nuncio confirms 31 pupils at Reading Oratory
The Oratory School celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation on May 10 in their school chapel

Gusting winds thrill junior sailors
Twenty-one girls from Leweston prep school in Dorset proved they had their sailors' legs when they took part in sailing courses at the Weymouth outdoor education centre

Lives remembered
Fr Stanley Jaki OSB, physicist and theologian, was born on August 17 1924. He died on April 7 2009, aged 84

Bishop O'Donoghue and family: 'Goodbye Lancaster'
Cardinal Keith O'Brien joins Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue of Lancaster and 23 members of his family who travelled from Ireland to take part in farewell Mass as fifth Bishop of Lancaster

Pope sends blessing to Oratory School for 150 years of education
The Oratory School, Reading, founded by Cardinal Newman, celebrates its 150th anniversary with Mass in a packed Westminster Cathedral

Friends re-launch chapel fund
More than 50 guests and Friends of Westminster Cathedral gather at the National Army Museum on St George's Day for a reception to mark the relaunch of the St George's Chapel Mosaics Appeal

St Mary's Hall designs memorial
Pupils from Stonyhurst St Mary's Hall, the preparatory school of Stonyhurst in Lancashire, are to represent Britain in designing a fitting memorial at a new First World War cemetery in Fromelles, northern France

New Hall romps to victory
The under-13 "Griffins" of New Hall School in Boreham, Essex, stormed to a 20-0 victory in the Year 8 final of the HSBC Rugby Festival at Twickenham

Isleworth thanks its heroes
Bishop George Stack, Auxiliary in Westminster, celebrates Mass for the centenary of the Isleworth, Middlesex, Catholic church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St Bridget of Sweden and the Isleworth martyrs

'Wife-Beater's Bible': yours for £3k
Bible produced in 1549 is offered for sale at the specialist book auctioneers Bloomsbury Auctions in London

Salesian, 89, revisits boyhood home of Shrigley
Fr Albert Carrete relives the day in 1934 that St John Bosco, founder of the Salesians, was canonised

Top orator reaches Nationals
Catholic student Daniel Callaghan, a sixth-former at St Bede's college, Manchester, completes triple by winning his third public speaking regional competition and a place in the final of a national competition

Cardinal promotes climate bill
Scotland's faith leaders join hundreds of campaigners for a rally outside the Scottish Parliament calling for a strong Scottish Climate Change Bill

Archbishop celebrates historic Mass in Welsh
For the first time in history a Welsh-language Mass is celebrated in St Teilo's church at St Fagans, near Cardiff

Mizens and Harry Hill launch 'Jimmybuses'
In memory of Jimmy Mizen, the Mizen family present the first two minibuses - known as "Jimmybuses" - to Jimmy's local scout group and to a group from Sidcup in south-east London

Peer talks to student leaders
Lord Brennan QC, President of the Catholic Union of Great Britain, appeals to Catholic student leaders to work together to influence key public debates

St Wilfrid's extends hand to Pakistan
St Wilfrid's Catholic centre in Sheffield holds a "community celebration" to commemorate Pakistan Day

Bene Merenti for Mrs Clark
Margaret Clark, from the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, receives the Bene Merenti medal from Cardinal Keith O'Brien

PE teacher gains rare laurels
The Association for Physical Education honours David Geldart, assistant headteacher at St Mary's in Menston, Yorkshire, for his "outstanding contribution to the physical education profession"

Herald man weds at Mayfair church
Eamonn Hamilton, accounts controller at The Catholic Herald, married Audrey Newbury at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, London, on April 18

Lives remembered: Barbara Wall
Barbara Wall, writer, Herald columnist and peace campaigner, died on April 8 2009, aged 97

Lives remembered: Pamela Sandilands, the Dowager Lady Torphichen
Pamela Sandilands, the Dowager Lady Torphichen, died on March 20 2009, aged 88

Lives remembered: Fr Bernard Bimson
Fr Bernard Bimson, a priest for almost 50 years, died on April 22 2009, aged 78

Birmingham priests make 13,000ft leap of faith
Four priests from the Archdiocese of Birmingham complete a tandem parachute jump to raise funds for sick, retired and infirm clergy

Order of the Holy Sepulchre appoints new leaders
Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit at Clifton Cathedral in Bristol marks a new stage in the history of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Postulator for beatification recalls Newman's mission in a gin factory
Newman's mission to the poorest people in Birmingham vividly recalled at evening Mass at St Anne's, Alcester Street

Canterbury pupils respond with fervent devotion to life of Anselm
St Anselm's Catholic School in Canterbury celebrates the 900th anniversary of the death of St Anselm, the first Archbishop of Canterbury

SNP leader delights pupils
Pupils from Stonyhurst meet Alex Salmond of the Scottish National Party on a trip to Holyrood, Edinburgh

Ealing SVP calls bingo for old folks
Society of St Vincent de Paul at St Benedict's School in Ealing, west London, entertains senior citizens with bingo

Leweston girls choir shines at diamond jubilee
Pupils of Leweston School sing works by Mozart and Beethoven in their anniversary concert at Sherborne Abbey

HCPT pilgrims spend joy-filled week in Lourdes
More than 2,000 disabled children from Britain, Ireland and further afield spend week in Lourdes with HCPT, The Pilgrimage Trust

Lives remembered: Elizabeth Ada Usherwood
Elizabeth Ada Usherwood, a nurse during the war and a stalwart friend of Westminster Cathedral, died on April 3 2009, aged 85

Archbishop McDonald appoints three new canons
Archbishop Kevin McDonald of Southwark announces the appointment of three new Chapter Canons at the end of the Chrism Mass in St George's Cathedral, Southwark

Walsall enacts ecumenical Passion
Good Friday saw the people of Walsall in the west Midlands once again publicly giving witness to the events of the Passion of Christ

Cardinal O'Brien's Easter homily makes waves
Cardinal O'Brien attracted extensive coverage in the press with his homily saying that Scotland was 'staring into the abyss of social collapse'

Cardinal: time to let go of things
In his Easter sermon Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor says the resurrection of Jesus is central to the way in which Catholics and other Christians find meaning, hope and purpose in their lives

Coventry Catholic college supports Malawi school
Pupils at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School prepare to visit Bunda LEA School in Malawi in June

Anglican bishop speaks to SPUC
Ellesmere Port and Neston Branch of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children welcome the Reverend Dr Peter Forster to their annual general meeting

Art student depicts divine love
A-level student at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial school tries to convey message of salvation in painting

Two dozen confirmed in Norwood
In Upper Norwood, south-east London, 23 GCSE-age youngsters receive the sacrament of Confirmation

Archbishop Nichols salutes perseverance of Birmingham's priests
Archbishop pays warm tribute to priests, deacons and religious in the Archdiocese of Birmingham during his homily at the cathedral Chrism Mass

Lives remembered: Ellie Constable Maxwell
Ellie Maxwell, the internationally known social activist whose grace, wit and purposefulness guided her missions, has died in Weissenburg, Germany

Archbishop-elect celebrates Mass for Poles to mark John Paul's death
Archbishop Nichols celebrates Mass at St Chad's cathedral the day after he is announced as the next Archbishop of Westminster

Cardinal O'Brien celebrates life of Sister Anne, 100
Scottish cardinal preaches at funeral Mass of Sister Anne of the Holy Spirit, of the Carmel monastery at Dysart in Fife

Mayfield girls perform at St Mark's in Venice
Twenty-six talented musicians from Catholic girls' private school, St Leonards-Mayfield in Sussex, are given the honour of performing at Mass in the Basilica di San Marco in Venice

Yorkshire school helps Zulu pupils
Children from a school in Kwa Zulu Natal benefit from a partnership with St Mary's

Pupils delight crowds with tribute to Victorian era
Eliza Doolittle shared the stage with Sherlock Holmes and Fagin in Loreto preparatory school's homage to Victoriana

Time Team excavates school built by Henry VIII
New Hall school in Chelmsford features in a special documentary made by the Channel 4 television programme Time Team

Man United FC signs Catholic twins
St Bede's Catholic college in Manchester is celebrating the double signing of two of its schoolboys, William and Michael Keane

Lives Remembered: Fr William Clarkson
Fr William Clarkson, former headmaster of Princethorpe college, dies aged 76

Archbishop celebrates jubilee
Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King welcomes one of its largest congregations ever as Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool celebrates his episcopal silver jubilee

Archbishop marks Passiontide in heart of Glasgow
Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow presides over Solemn Vespers at St Patrick's church, Anderson, in the centre of Glasgow

Abbot Geoffrey breaks new ground at Douai
The Benedictine monks of Douai Abbey near Reading go ahead with the building of their new library, the first purpose-built library in the community's history

Sir Patrick Moore films Bede special
Sir Patrick supports opening of new gallery in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, dedicated to St Bede the scientist

Catholic artist shows new work
Distinguished painter James Gillick to show 14 new paintings, including still life studies, at a new exhibition in June at Jonathan Cooper's Park Walk Gallery in London

Peer laments secularism
Lord Brennan QC's Annual Thomas More Lecture at Allen Hall Seminary examines the writings of Pope Benedict XVI

Bishop Devine amuses bishops at Mass for Pope
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, with the Papal Nuncio and the Scottish bishops, celebrates the fourth anniversary of Pope Benedict's election with a Mass in St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh

Bishop installed in North East
Bishop Séamus Cunningham is installed as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in a two-hour ceremony at St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne

Parent kayaks down canal to raise playground funds
Pupils at the Rosary Roman Catholic Primary School in Stroud, Gloucestershire, are hoping a parent's 20-mile sponsored kayak trip by night will help raise £5,000 towards the cost of a new playground

Cathedral fills with monks
For the first time in the history of Westminster Cathedral an entire Benedictine school is present for Mass to celebrate the Feast Day of the Passing of St Benedict

Fr Stan Fortuna, rapping friar, thrills Essex youth
Fr Stan Fortuna, 51, the renowned rapping priest, gives marathon session to more than 1,000 people at Brentwood Cathedral

ACN recovers losses after thief loots bingo cash
When disaster struck for young Catholics in south-west England raising money for persecuted Christians in China they refused to give in

Pupils see life through a lens
Children in West Yorkshire launch the first phase of an innovative global photography project with the help of acclaimed photographer Annie Bungeroth and Cafod

Blackfen unites in Christian joy with rose vestments funded by donations
Mass for Laetare Sunday at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, south London, is celebrated with rose vestments funded by donations from around the world

Artist unveils portrait of Baroness Thatcher
The Prince of Wales unveils Michael Noakes's new portrait of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher

Catholic girl Aiofe triumphs as biathlete
Aoife McCarthy, 10, from Dorset, qualifies for the Great Britain Biathlon Championships

Cafod launches climate justice campaign in Leeds
Environment Minister Hilary Benn highlights the need for action against climate change as he helps at the Cafod campaign launch in Leeds

Lives remembered
Patrick Azimkar and Kathleen Jaffa

Cardinal celebrates Mass for the sick
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor presides at a special Mass for the sick in Westminster Cathedral

Entrepreneur helps young man in new venture
A leading Scottish Catholic entrepreneur helps a 19-year-old to launch an unusual business venture

Milanese students handle long English school day
Three Italian students spend a year studying at St Benedict's in Ealing, west London

Creating history at Gorton
Catholic students at St Bede's College in Manchester start Lenten fundraising by creating their own piece of history at Gorton monastery

Bishop Brain's Lent talks
Bishop Terence Brain of Salford delivers the first in a series of Lenten talks at Stonyhurst College

Oxford scholar takes exam in organ recital
Ampleforth student who has won a choral scholarship at Worcester College, Oxford, takes licentiate recital diploma

Girl killed 700 years ago buried
Fr Victor Darlington was co-celebrant at the funeral and burial of an unknown young girl who may have been decapitated over 700 years ago

Chic pupils raise £1,500
Year 13 students of Ratcliffe College in Leicester host a fashion show in support of Help the Aged

Toddlers go wild at Lancashire school
For the first time in its 400-year history Stonyhurst College throws open its doors to accommodate the youngest of pupils by holding a free mother and toddler group on Wednesday afternoons

Lauren and Elizabeth win £400 a year bursary
Two pupils, Elizabeth Danaher and Lauren Cogley, from St Paul's Catholic high school in Wythenshawe, Manchester, are selected from the school's Gifted and Talented group to take part in the City Gates scheme

Yorkshire school embraces workforce reform
St Mary's Menston in Yorkshire achieves its best-ever GCSE results – and another glowing Investors in People report

Cardinal O'Brien celebrates life of priest
Cardinal Keith O'Brien marks first anniversary of the death of Mgr David Gemmell at a Mass in St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh

Newman plaque returns
The blue plaque commemorating the birthplace of Cardinal John Henry Newman is restored to London

Coventry students say 'Ni hao' to local business
Students at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School and Language College urged to keep up their language skills by visiting businesswoman

Worth 75th offers music for the soul
A concert in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of Worth Abbey in Sussex next Thursday, March 26, will feature acclaimed pianist Philip Fowke

Yorkshire Schola combines netball with singing
Girls from the Schola Sancti Martini, the girls' choir of St Martin's Ampleforth School, Yorkshire, will make their debut in Westminster Cathedral at the Vigil Mass on Saturday

TV gardener inspires Hackney pupils
Joe Swift, presenter of the BBC's Gardeners' World, visits primary school in Dalston, east London

Cardinal Pell boosts 'Faith in Oxford' appeal
Cardinal George Pell launches the Oxford University Newman Society's £100,000 "Faith in Oxford" appeal during a visit to Britain

Hume scholarship for boy in a hurry
Altar boy and all-round athletics champion wins scholarship at Ampleforth

John Doran invested as papal knight
Past Supreme Knight Brother John Doran is invested into the Papal Order of the Knights of St Gregory the Great

Lives remembered: Ruth Gorse and John Heffernan
Ruth Gorse, PE teacher, died from breast cancer aged 36. John Heffernan, an inspirational headteacher, died on March 3 aged 54

Cardinal Pell visits Oratory
Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, visits Cardinal Newman's library and celebrates Mass at the altar in Newman's room

Cardinal O'Brien applauds youngsters
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrew's and Edinburgh, visits Derry for the second annual Pope John Paul II awards for young people

Southwark welcomes 'record numbers' of converts
Archbishop Kevin McDonald of Southwark presides at the Rite of Election at St George's Cathedral, Southwark, south London

London school sends team to Sri Lanka
Sixth-form girls from St Benedict's School, Ealing, west London, spend half-term in Sri Lanka on their inaugural netball tour

Relics of St Chad process through Birmingham city centre
Archbishop Vincent Nichols presides at the annual Mass and Procession of the Relics of St Chad at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of St Chad, Birmingham

Wiseman pupils relish carnival spirit
Cardinal Wiseman RC School in Coventry opens its doors to seven primary schools for pre-Lenten festivities, including mask-making

Nuncio brings God to bankers
More than 300 bankers from across Canary Wharf come together on Ash Wednesday for a Mass celebrated by the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz

Bristolians on jaunt to Catalonia
Year 10 students of Art from St Ursula's School, Westbury-on-Trym, near Bristol, leave the classroom for three days in search of the artistic riches of Barcelona

Marists jubilant at netball triumphs
The Marist Senior School in Sunninghill, Berkshire, proves its sporting prowess as its under-13 team wins Ascot schools championship

Fond memories of Oswald Gibb
Oswald Gibb was born on April 4 1924. He died on January 21 2009, aged 84

Catechumens 'sent forth' in Rite of Election at Cathedral
Thousands gather at Westminster Cathedral as catechumens are sent forth to prepare for Sacraments of Initiation this Easter

Oratory School, Reading, honours Newman's vision of education
School founded by Cardinal Newman celebrates its 150th anniversary with Choral Vespers and Benediction at the Birmingham Oratory

Building bridges in Burnley
Pilgrims from Lancashire - including three Catholics, two Anglicans, a Methodist, a Baptist, a Quaker and 13 Muslims - spend a week in Jerusalem visiting and praying at the holy places

Liverpool Cathedral civic Mass
Vast number of dignitaries attend Mass celebrated by Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool

Catholics pack Palace of Westminster to watch new film on teen pregnancy
So many people arrived for the launch of the DVD that they had to be moved into a room three times the size

A Polish deacon remembers
Poles from Huddersfield in Yorkshire gather to celebrate 20th anniversary of the ordination of permanent deacon Czeslaw Pukacz

Purcell, Handel and MacMillan
Purcell, James MacMillan and Handel are the focus for the 2009 Choral Pilgrimage, which brings the remarkable artistry of the choral group Harry Christophers and The Sixteen to 27 venues across Britain

Lives remembered
Dr Peter E Hodgson, a nuclear physicist and Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford; Fr James Alfred McCormick, a priest for 50 years

Restoration evening
Fr Peter Rollings of Norfolk and parishioners of Our Lady's Church, King's Lynn, are to launch an appeal for funds for restoration work

Archdiocese marks Lent
Dozens of events are set to take place across Liverpool, including a series of Friday evening reflections by Archbishop Patrick Kelly

Mary's Meals - a solution
St Ursula's school in Bristol breaks record by raising £520 in one term for an organisation called Mary's Meals

Convention at St Mary's
John Lydon, from the School of Theology, Philosophy and History at St Mary's University College in Twickenham, south-west London, is to speak at a Catholic education conference in Anaheim, California, next month

Cardinal reminisces at Guildhall banquet
Over 600 people attend a Catenian Association banquet in the spectacular Great Hall of London's Guildhall

Bristolians travel back to WWII
Ten and 11-year-olds at St Ursula's school, near Bristol, are taken back in a time machine by author Veronica Bowerman

Cardinal O'Brien speaks on suffering
Archbishop Mario Conti and Cardinal Keith O'Brien concelebrate the annual "White Mass" for healthcare workers in Scotland

Archbishop Nichols is delighted with Turin Shroud show
Archbishop Vincent Nichols warmly commends an exhibition of the Turin Shroud held at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of St Chad, Birmingham

Cafod addresses school
Mike Coote from Cafod speaks to children at the Junior School hall at St Benedict's, west London

Giggling vulgarity in production of Amadeus
Theatre-goers were transported from the cold weather of west London to the court of 18th-century Vienna by the senior school pupils at St Benedict's School, Ealing, in a production of Amadeus

Catholic girl for Miss Student 2009
A keen participant in Plymouth Cathedral’s children’s liturgy enters Miss Student 2009

Murder or accident? St Paul's probes
Year 8 and Year 9 pupils at St Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Manchester, visit museum to see the preserved body of the 2,000-year-old Lindow Man

Young chefs prepare gourmet delights in Norwich
Norwich Circle of the Catenian Association holds gourmet evening in the Debut restaurant at City College

Pupils' banquet raises £10,000 for children's trust
Pupils at Stonyhurst College in Clitheroe, Lancashire, hold banquet in aid of the college's own charity, the Stonyhurst Children's Holiday Trust (SCHT)

Energy prof to give lecture
Institute of Economic Affairs editorial director, Professor Philip Booth, to give a lecture at Westminster Cathedral

Pope salutes Rome pilgrims
Pilgrims from the church of St John the Baptist, Burnley, are welcomed by name at a general audience with Pope Benedict

Maida Vale high fliers
High achievers at St George's RC School in Maida Vale are invited to a glittering ceremony at the Planetarium in Greenwich

St Peter's reunion
St Peter's Catholic school in Guildford invites all Old Petrovians, staff and students, to a reunion on May 2

St James Priory appeal
Heritage appeal launched with target of £2 million

Annual vocations retreat attracts record numbers to Wonersh
Twenty-three young men attend a weekend of prayer and reflection on the call to diocesan priesthood at St John's seminary

Essex school celebrates coming top in county
New Hall school becomes top-performing Catholic senior school in Britain when assessed by the Contextual Value Added (CVA) measure

Monks honour St Thomas
The feast of St Thomas Aquinas is celebrated with great enthusiasm by staff and students of St Benedict's School, Ealing

Computer man makes profession
Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey, Hereford, welcome new solemnly professed monk for first time in nearly nine years

Cardinal visits Sikhs in Leith
Cardinal Keith O'Brien pays visit to Sikh community in Edinburgh in their Gurdwara in Leith

Priestly blogger receives his millionth page view
Parishioners, bloggers and friends gather at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, in south London to celebrate the millionth visit to parish priest Fr Tim Finigan's blog

Women jump for cancer fund
Student and teacher at St Joseph's College in Stoke on Trent take charity sky dive together

Dorset pupils sample black pudding
Leweston School, south of Sherborne in Dorset, holds a series of events to promote healthy eating and the benefits of eating breakfast

Government grants Beacon status to Xaverian
Xaverian College is first in Manchester to receive Beacon status for outstanding further education

Abigail chosen to help planet
British Council chooses a 15-year-old girl from St Simon Stock comprehensive school in Maidstone, Kent, to represent the views of young people in the south-east of England about the need to tackle climate change

Catenians raise money
Norwich Circle welcome grand president of the association to monthly meeting and dinner

Choir ready for performance
The South Wales Male Choir (Côr Meibion De Cymru) to sing in concert at the Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral of St David

Engage is launched
Westminster archdiocese launch programme to help parishes with their marriage preparation courses

Mosque opens doors to staff
Mosque opens its doors to staff and clients from St Wilfrid's Catholic community centre, Sheffield, in order to improve community relations

Pope tells 'English Ladies': Be fountains of water in a thirsty world
Cardinal reads message from Pope at a Mass marking the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation of Jesus and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary

New canons bring gifts and experience to chapter
Two canons installed at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St Chad's, Birmingham

Snowfall fails to keep pupils away from school
Children from Years 4 and 5 of St Benedict's Catholic primary school, Wilmslow, Cheshire, made it into school despite the snow — and went to work on building snowmen

Vatican supports leprosy campaign
Vatican backs drive to eliminate the stigma attached to leprosy, which is now completely curable

St Benedict's pushes through to rugby quarter-finals
St Benedict's school, Ealing, west London, fight to latter stages of the Under 18 Daily Mail National Rugby Cup despite low expectations

Martyr's bones go north
The relics of a 16th-century Lancastrian saint finally laid to rest in St Joseph's parish church, Herefordshire

Joint Catholic and Anglican school moves forward
Christ College, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, described as having "outstanding directioni and drive" in first Ofsted report

Marists against drug-taking
Year 11 girls at the Marist senior school, Sunninghill, Berkshire, perform a play warning fellow students of the dangers of drug taking

St Mary's pupils study snow
Pupils at St Mary's the Mount Catholic primary school in Walsall learned about capacity, density, volume and even texture, using snow as a material

Local business develops young skills
Cardinal Wiseman school in Coventry, Warwickshire, begins partnership with Chamber of Commerce

Ratcliffe junior cook-off
Pupils at Radcliffe College in Leicestershire take part in cooking competition

Claretian vocations day
Parishioners at Claretian parish in Middlesex promote vocations initiative

Priest marks silver jubilee
Fr Tony McSweeney, of St George's church in Sprowston Road, Norwich, celebrates with 300 of his parishioners

Winter awards at St Mary's
About 600 people attend awards ceremony at St Mary's University College

Proliferation of twins
Authorities at St Martin's school, Ampleforth, in Gilling in east Yorkshire, claim they may have the highest ratio of twins in Britain

Baked goodies raise £8,000 for Africa
Children from The Oratory Preparatory School, Goring Heath, Berkshire, raise funds to provide much-needed toilets and running water for their partner school in South Africa

Yorkshire youngsters struggle to a draw in cold
Year 7 pupils from St Mary's, Menston, west Yorkshire, take part in seven-a-side football festival

Churches unite at cathedral St Patrick founded
A service for Christian Unity takes place in St Patrick's Cathedral (Church of Ireland)

Children who love Christ and school
Validators of Portsmouth diocese find Farleigh School in Hampshire to be "outstanding" overall

Eightieth anniversary rebuild thrills St Teresa's
St Teresa's independent nursery and prep school in Effingham, Surrey, moves into new £3.5 million premises

Dr Williams praises Cardinal for listening to Christ
A service of Vespers at Westminster Cathedral marks the retirement of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor as President of Churches Together in England

Staffordshire swimmer picked for nationals
Alex Dawson, from St Joseph's school, Stoke-on-Trent, is selected to join the English schools swimming squad

Apostolic blessing for Legion
Pope sends blessing to the Legion of Mary for the 1,000th monthly meeting of their governing body

Twins cut and thrust their way to fencing glory
Twin brothers Simon and Magnus Whittle, both pupils at Stonyhurst College, win medals in the British Youth Fencing Championships held at Fenton Manor, Stoke

Rosminian school hosts cross-country
The Leicestershire Secondary Cross Country League Race is held at the county's Rosminian foundation, Ratcliffe College

Contemplation talk in the city
The organisation Silence in the City will welcome Fr Daniel O'Leary, theologian and author, to speak on Ash Wednesday

Head teacher's new challenge
Sister Jo Goggin, a retired head teacher from south London, will leave for the Holy Land next month to participate in a joint churches project that works for peace

Voices from the edge
Trócaire, the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland, organises a fund-raising concert in Belfast on February 16

Horn-playing archbishop applauds broad repertoire
Archbishop Nichols commends the interdenominational New English Orchestra (NEO) and Singers at a concert at the newly renovated Birmingham Town Hall

Breathtaking restoration of medieval Welsh chapel
Volunteers and conservationists take coach to see newly painted church of St Teilo

Top grades in pre-U exams cause jubilation for Dorset girls
Sixth-formers at Leweston girls' school celebrate the announcement of this year's post-16 qualifications

Order of St Gregory for Fieke van den Berg
Devoted children's nurse at Lourdes receives award

Christian booksellers move to exciting new phase
Christian Booksellers' Convention join forces with the National Christian Resources Exhibition

Benedictine foundation gains Oxbridge garlands
Students at St Benedict's school, Ealing, west London, gain 10 offers from Oxbridge

Yorkshire school raises standards through games
St Mary's secondary school in Menston, west Yorkshire, gains specialist sports status

Relic of Indian saint travels to Scotland
Cardinal O'Brien is welcomed by Fr Sebastian Kallath VC for reception of relic into the church of St Philip at Livingston

Political editor in timely school visit
Politics pupils at Stonyhurst College were treated to a visit from the BBC's political editor Michael Crick last week

Jesuit pupil shines at golf
A Catholic teenager from Merseyside is selected for the Independent Schools Swifts American Golf Tour

Hope sharpens focus on Catholic studies
Liverpool Hope University celebrates the assessment of its research in Theology and Religious Studies as being "world leading"

Lives Remembered
Bishop Michael Russell, Bishop Hugh Lindsay and Permanent Deacon Michael Bykar

Cardinal, archbishop and pupils celebrate feast of St Mungo
Glasgow Churches Together celebrated the Feast of St Mungo in St Mungo's Cathedral, Glasgow, on January 11

Stonyhurst pupils live out their motto
More than 74 pupils at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, have volunteered to help local children

Young adults see in New Year with prayers
Fr Almost 300 young adults chose to see in 2009 with Mass rather than the usual fireworks

Schools' F1 technology challenge
Velocity, a sixth-form team from St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford, Essex, progressed to the national finals

Pupils' mottes and baileys win plaudits
Ratcliffe College in Leicestershire has held a Castles and Houses design competition on January 13.

Mass at York Minster honours true grit of the 'Galloping Girl'
York Minster will host a Catholic Mass held in celebration of Mary Ward

Lives Remembered
Fr Denis Finbar Barry and Fr Joseph Levins

Historic nuptial celebration in Lancs
The Smith and Ashton families of Ribchester and Longridge, Lancashire were joined in a historic celebration on Saturday December 27

School spreads Christmas cheer to parishioners
Pupils from St Paul's serve Christmas food to elderly parishioners

Portrait from an old friend
Fr Christopher Delaney OSB is drawn by Michael Noakes

Catholic teacher helps build school in Rift valley
Geology teacher Peter Loader from St Bede's in Manchester is on a mission

Catholic wins Music Teacher of Year
Painsley Catholic College in Cheadle, Staffordshire, tutor Tara Thorn has hit all the right notes

Bowling for all abilities
Saint Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, last month hosted a Boccia Festival

Manchester school plays Irish Jesuits at rugby
One of Britain's leading Catholic independent colleges, St Bede's in Manchester, played host to the prestigious Jesuit School, St Ignatius College from Galway

Thicket rings in changes
Braving the cold, Carmelites and villagers walked to the site of the new monastery

Dominicans consider new perspectives on St Paul
Dominican friars from England and Scotland gather in St Dominic's Priory, London, for a Provincial Day focusing on the theology and preaching of St Paul

OBE for interfaith champion
The interfaith and charity campaigner Anthony Bailey, 38, receives OBE

Manchester schoolboy dances to Sunset Strip
Professional dancer James Keegan, an Irish Catholic former pupil of St Bede's college in Manchester, represents Ireland in a new television series in Hollywood

Inspired by a vision of holiness
Visionary paintings and sculpture inspired by the life of St Bernadette of Lourdes are exhibited at the Piano Nobile gallery in west London

Lord Carey invested into Royal Order of Francis I
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor invests the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, to the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I

Archbishop: 'Godless reason will not bring peace'
Archbishop Vincent Nichols attacks godless rationalism at a Mass held at Birmingham cathedral on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

St Benedict's schoolboys support London poor
The society of St Vincent de Paul at St Benedict's Middle School, Ealing, west London, collects clothing and tinned food for the homeless at Christmastide

Archbishop teams up with Villa boss
Archbishop Vincent Nichols teams up with Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill for a visit to Acorns Children's Hospice in Birmingham

Speaker's emotional thank you to Apostleship
St The splendid setting of Speakers' House is the venue for a reception to celebrate the work of Apostleship of the Sea

Bioethics centre is launched at St Mary's
The Centre for Bioethics and Emerging Technologies (CBET) is launched at St Mary's University College in Twickenham, Middlesex

Lives remembered: Councillor Cath Micklewright
Cath Micklewright, deputy mayor of Walsall, died on November 22 last year, aged 78

Quiet moments with Salesians
Pupils from St Paul's Catholic High School in Wythenshawe enjoy a three-day residential retreat at Savio House in Bollington, Cheshire

Bangladeshi delegation visits schools
A high-level delegation from Bangladesh this week visited St Mary's School, Menston, and SS Peter and Paul primary school, Yeadon, in west Yorkshire, as part of a week-long visit to Britain

Seminarian walks to Assisi
Seminarian Gareth Thomas, from the Beda College in Rome, marks new year by walking from St John Lateran to Assisi

Hundreds brave cold for LMS annual High Mass
Over 200 people came to the Latin Mass Society's annual High Mass at St George's Cathedral, Southwark, on December 6

Knights expand in Scotland
Fra' Matthew Festing, recently elected Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, unveiled a statue at St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, on his first official visit to Britain

Bedian lands dream job at Man Utd
Bishop Sixteen-year-old Catholic school boy Tom Halligan, from St Bede's College in Manchester, has been appointed as head ball boy at Manchester United

Bishop Michael Campbell celebrates with Alston Lane servers
Bishop Michael Campbell, coadjutor Bishop of Lancaster, came to Alston Lane, Lancashire, to join celebrations of the altar servers' 21st anniversary of affiliation into the Guild of St Stephen

School food a hit with pupils
Pupils at St Mary's the Mount Roman Catholic Primary School in Walsall, West Midlands, have been queueing up for the lunchtime fare since major changes were introduced

Cafod's hut brings ethical shopping to Norwich
Shoppers braving a wet and windy morning at the Forum in Norwich found an African hut standing on Millennium Plane to promote Cafod World Gifts

Trentham teen skis for Britain
The "Trentham Tornado" Josh Fawcett will be the youngest member of the Great Britain team for the Half Pipe World Cup

History of archdiocese is launched
The History of the Diocese of Birmingham, 1850-2000, the first full-scale history of any modern English Catholic diocese, was launched by Archbishop Vincent Nichols at St Chad's Cathedral

St Anselm's College runs for glory in cross-country finals
St Anselm's College proved itself to be the best cross-country school in England when competing at the English Schools Cup Final, in Shepshed, Leicestershire

Timperley girl's double gold
Loreto preparatory school swimming star Eilish Brennan has emulated her heroine Rebecca Adlington by winning a double gold medal haul in national independent school swimming championships

Pupil triumphs at hockey
Lauren Potter, a pupil of Grace Dieu Manor school, has been selected for the Leicestershire under-13s hockey squad

Reuters man for Tyburn talk
The 2009 Tyburn Lecture is to be delivered by Niall FitzGerald, KBE, deputy chairman of Thomson Reuters, and former chairman of Unilever