Happy Easter, or as they say in Italy "Buona Pasqua"! Thank you all so much for your best wishes. I want you to know that, with the help of God and Our Blessed Mother, and despite my many failings and weaknesses, I willingly recommit myself to do my best to be a good spiritual father to you all.

Christ is risen. Both in his divinity and his humanity he has broken the chains of sin and death and liberated us in order to share in his divine life which is nothing less than the life of the Trinity itself.

This week has proved to be momentous in both our life of faith and in the life of the Church. Who would have thought that on Easter Sunday we would bear farewell to the Holy Father Pope Francis. We all knew that he was very unwell but somehow he kept coming back from the brink. Throughout everything his indomitable spirit shone through. He continued doing God's work right up to the very end, including meeting prisoners on Holy Thursday, and blessing a family in St Peter's in his wheelchair, shorn of all the trappings of the Papacy and covered by a blanket. How did he manage to do this? Well, I think that his conviction about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, his absolute confidence in the promise of eternal life, and his dependence on the divine mercy of Our Lord and Saviour carried him onwards, God willing, to and beyond the gates of heaven. Rest in peace dear Pappa, if anyone deserves it you do. 

Please do pray for the repose of his soul. Up until the commencement of the Conclave we are specifically praying for this at every Mass.

Pray also for the Cardinals, including our former Bishop Arthur, as they commence their work on choosing a successor to the Holy Father. May the Holy Spirit guide them.

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday, an extraordinary day for us when we have the opportunity to open our hearts to the Lord and receive his love, mercy and forgiveness. On Sunday I will bless an image of Divine Mercy in St Urban's to complement the one already in Our Lady of Lourdes.

I still wish you all a very happy and blessed Easter and please be assured of my prayers for you and your intentions during this holy time. 

Fr Chris