A Jewish proverb states: ‘God could not be everywhere, so He made mothers&#039;. In this Jubilee of Marian Spirituality we celebrate God&#039;s gift to us, echoed down the centuries from the very moment of Christ&#039;s words from the cross: “Behold, your mother” (John 19:26).This Jubilee is not some celebration of an abstract devotion of popular piety. Mary, as Pope Benedict XVI once said,“was the first person to take the ‘way&#039; to enter the Kingdom of God that Christ opened, a way which is accessible to the humble, to all who trust in the word of God and endeavour to put it into practice”.And so we are called to follow Mary, our Mother, along the pilgrim road to salvation.The Scriptures provide us with moving accounts of key moments of Mary&#039;s life: travelling in haste to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, and that wonderful prayer of praise, the Magnificat; the Mother to whom Simeon addressed the words “and a sword will pierce your soul, too” (Luke 2:35); and, of course, the Mother at the foot of the cross.“Mary is able to recognize the traces of God&#039;s Spirit in events great and small. She constantly contemplates the mystery of God in our world, in human history and in our daily lives. She is the woman of prayer and work in Nazareth, and she is also Our Lady of Help, who sets out from her town “with haste” (Lk 1:39) to be of service to others. This interplay of justice and tenderness, of contemplation and concern for others, is what makes the ecclesial community look to Mary as a model of evangelization. We implore her maternal intercession that the Church may become a home for many peoples, a mother for all peoples, and that the way may be opened to the birth of a new world” (Evangelii Gaudium. n. 288).Mary, our Mother, is the model for saying ‘Yes&#039; to God and then witnessing to that faith in daily life. May the Jubilee of  Marian Spirituality be an opportunity for us, with Mary&#039;s help, to renew our faith in God.The ProgrammeIn preparation for and to coincide with the Jubilee event in Rome, some reflections will be posted 10 - 13 October 2025 to help us participate with the pilgrims of hope gathered in Rome.

Jubilee of Marian Spirituality

Mother, help our faith!
Open our ears to hear God's word and to recognize his voice and call.
Awaken in us a desire to follow in his footsteps, to go forth from our own land and to receive his promise. 
Help us to be touched by his love, that we may touch him in faith. 
Help us to entrust ourselves fully to him and to believe in his love, especially at times of trial, beneath the shadow of the cross, when our faith is called to mature.
Sow in our faith the joy of the Risen One. 
Remind us that those who believe are never alone. 
Teach us to see all things with the eyes of Jesus, that he may be light for our path. And may this light of faith always increase in us, until the dawn of that undying day which is Christ himself, your Son, our Lord!
(From Lumen Fidei, n. 60)


Advent reflections“Advent: the time to listen for footsteps – you can&#039;t hear footsteps when you&#039;re running yourself” (Bill McKibben). The footsteps we often hear at this time of year are the hustle and bustle of rushing round the shops to get everything we need: food, drink, presents, cards, decorations…and so the list goes on.But we should not confuse Advent with the month of December. By all means rush around and be busy in December; but don&#039;t let that be our celebration of Advent: let us devote time to Advent, the season of hushed expectation, because Advent is the only true way to reach that special date towards the end of the month of December.  “Advent is a continuous call to hope: it reminds us that God is present in history to lead it to its ultimate goal, to lead it to its fullness, which is the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. God is present in the history of humanity, He is the “God-with-us”, God is not distant, he is always with us, to the extent that very often he knocks on the door to our heart” (Pope Francis).Let us use this season of preparation to respond to the Lord so that we are ready when he comes.“In a special way during these weeks, let us prepare the house of the heart with care, so that it is orderly and hospitable. In fact, keeping watch means keeping the heart ready. It is the attitude of the sentinel, who in the night is not tempted by weariness, does not fall asleep, but remains awake awaiting the coming light. The Lord is our light and it is good to dispose the heart to welcome him with prayer and to host him with charity” (Pope Francis).The ProgrammeTo guide us through the Advent season, to invite us to pause in silent expectation, reflections using the words of Pope Francis will be posted every Sunday and Wednesday in Advent, and then every day leading up to and including Christmas Day (22, 23, 24 and 25 December).Join us on our Advent journey.

Advent retreat through the words of Pope Francis

God of Love,
your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of your love.
Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent,
as we wait and prepare for his coming.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our Saviour. 
Amen.


Sign our giant Best Wishes Card for Pope Francis' fifty years of priesthood and service for the Church! All you have to do is join this community of prayer! The card will be given to him in person during the <a href="https://www.levoyagedubiencommun.com">Voyage for the Common Good</a>. It isn't often that we get the chance to celebrate 50 years of priesthood! If we want to express how much we love the Holy Father and how important he is to us, we musn't let this day go by like any other! Let us all get together to show how much Pope Francis means to us! <h2>Would you like to be part of the festivities?&nbsp;</h2>What does Pope Francis really need? What would give him the most pleasure?He told us himself in his first speech as a Pope just after his election:Now I would like to give you my blessing. But before, I would like to ask a favour of you. Please pray to the Lord and ask Him to bless me, your bishop, before I bless all of you, my people? Let us be silent so that we can all pray to the Lord, our God for me. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fi8T1fkRui4?&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> Since his election, the Pope has regularly asked to be prayed for. For his fifty years of priesthood, we ask you all to pray 11 days for our pastor from the 3rd to the 13th of December. <h2>Sign the giant birthday card!</h2>A gift always comes with a birthday card!On December 2nd, we will give him personally a printed list with the names of each and everyone of you who has participated in our 11-day prayer community. We will ask him to especially bless each of you.This list will be given during the private audience of the participants of the Voyage of the Common Good (<a href="https://www.levoyagedubiencommun.com">Voyage du Bien commun</a>). The Voyage of the Common Good is a three day trip to Rome organised for entrepreneurs and committed leaders for the benefit of 3 associations that actively help for the common good in France. They are Entourage which is an App to unite the homeless with others who can help; Café Joyeux &nbsp;which is a coffee shop that hires handicapped servers and Alpha France. Don't hesitate to join in on the fun.&nbsp; Don't forget to “sign the card” by joining our prayer community! (big button “Sign Up” in the top right hand corner) The longer the list of the names of the participants, the bigger and better the gift for our Holy Father! <h2>The program: 11 days of prayer for the Pope!</h2>The prayer will begin on December 3rd, the day following our meeting with him and will last till December 13th, the day of his 50 years of priesthood. Each day you will receive:<ul><li>A short biography of our Holy Father: &nbsp;to give us a better understanding of his life.</li><li>An excerpt of one of his speeches that is especially significant during his pontificate. By the end the eleven days, you will have better insight into Our Holy Father's great pastoral guidelines for the Church.</li><li>A prayer intention for our Holy Father or and/or for the Church.</li></ul> Would you like to offer a beautiful gift to our Holy Father for his fifty years of priesthood? Sign up right now!&nbsp;And even better; invite a friend to join you in this big adventure!

🎁 A joint gift for the Holy Father - 50 years of priesthood

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.


<h2>A Walk of Faith for Valentine&#039;s Day!</h2>Now is the time to experience the spirit of Valentine&#039;s Day, by confidently entrusting our desires to live a Christian marriage to St. Valentine, a great martyr and the patron saint of lovers.Be assured that we share your hopes and keep your intentions in our hearts every day!<h2>The Grace of Love: a Gift from God</h2><ul><li>Pray for yourself: pray that you meet someone in accordance with the Lord &#039;s heart.</li><li>Pray for yourself: entrust God with your desire to live a fruitful Christian marriage.</li><li>Pray for a single person you know who suffers from loneliness.</li><li>Pray for all those who desire to get married.</li><li>Pray that marriages be based on the « Rock of Faith » .</li><li>Pray for young people who are not looking to commit to the Sacrament of Marriage </li><li>Pray that the world regains a deep sense of commitment to sacraments.</li></ul>… other ideas? Share them with us!St. Valentine will certainly be happy to hear them and present them to the Lord!<h2>Commitment</h2>Commit yourself to offer your thanks to St. Valentine: if you feel that he answered your prayers, celebrate his Feast Day in a spirit of gratitude for his intercession on your behalf!<h2>Click Join to receive the prayers</h2><a href="https://hozana.org/en/intentions">Click here to leave your prayer intention.</a>

Meet Your Soulmate with the Novena to St. Valentine

Loving Father,
You know that the deepest desire of my heart is
to meet someone that I can share my life with.
I trust in Your loving plan for me and ask that I may soon meet
the person that you have prepared for me.
Through the power of Your Holy Spirit,
open my heart and mind so that I recognize my soulmate.
Remove any obstacles that are in the way of this happy encounter,
So that I might find a new sense of wholeness, joy and peace.
Give me the grace too, to know and accept, if you have another plan for my life.
I surrender my past, present and future into the tender heart of Your Son, Jesus,
full of confidence that You will hear and answer my prayer.
AMEN.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.
St Valentine, pray for me.