This is the Real Life of a Parish Priest
Recently at Mass, at the General Intercessions, there was a prayer that went something like “May the priests of the Church always know and experience the support...
Fr Chris Townsend
Why I Don’t do ‘Bling’ Weddings or Funerals
Recently, at a funeral service, a bling, boutique undertaker asked me to step aside from my customary place at the head of the grave as I was...
164 Hours to Change my Heart
For 15 years at Christ the King church in Queenswood, Pretoria, someone has been on the bench in front of the Blessed Sacrament, every hour, every day.
What? No Midnight Mass?
One of the seasonal irritations of any parish office happens around this time. “Father, what time is midnight Mass?” In South Africa, What time is midnight Mass?...
Open up the Church Doors
In a jubilee year, the pope opens the Holy Doors in Rome – a powerful symbol of admitting all the faithful. I am fascinated by church architecture....
To Meet the Angel of Death
One of my favourite semi-liturgical times of the year is the month of November, the month of the Holy Souls.
Thoughts from the Wedding Whisperer
My secretary Karin calls me the wedding whisperer. I love marriages and preparing couples for marriage. It’s a large part of my work and that of Karin’s....
Let’s Raise the roof above Jesus
One of the challenges any pastor (in the Catholic sense) faces is enabling and encouraging a community to be a welcome space for all who need to...
