About Today
Friday 5 December 2025
Friday of the 1st week of Advent
Let us adore the Lord, the King who is to come.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: Violet.
Other saints: St John Almond (c.1565-1612)
Liverpool
John Almond (or Lathom or Molyneux) was born at Allerton near Liverpool of Catholic parents about 1565 and went to school at Much Woolton. After studying at Reims he went to the English College in Rome, where in due course he was ordained priest. In 1602 he returned to England as a secular priest and ministered to Catholics there. He was arrested briefly in 1608, and then again in 1612. In November of that year, seven priests had escaped from prison, and this may have sharpened the zeal of those who interrogated him. He displayed to the last great skill in argument; the account of his death describes him as “a reprover of sin, a good example to follow, of an ingenious and acute understanding, sharp and apprehensive in his conceits and answers, yet complete with modesty, full of courage and ready to suffer for Christ, that suffered for him.” He refused to sign the Oath of Allegiance in the form in which it was offered him, but offered to swear that he bore in his heart “so much allegiance to King James as he, or any Christian king, could expect by the law of nature, or the positive law of the true Church, be it which it will, ours or yours.” He was committed to Newgate and within a few months was brought to trial as a seminary priest. Having been duly convicted he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 5 December 1612 at Tyburn, London.
Other saints: Saint Birinus
Birmingham, Northampton, Winchester, Oxfordshire
Saint Birinus was sent to England as a missionary by Pope Honorius I about the year 634; on his way, he was consecrated bishop in Genoa. He had intended to work in a remote part of Britain but when he found that the West Saxons were still pagan he stayed among them and baptised their King and a good number of his followers during his fifteen years’ apostolate. He died about 650 and the main Church of the West Saxons which he had established at Dorchester-on-Thames was later moved to Winchester, as were the relics of Saint Birinus.
Other saints: Saint Hedda (-705)
Birmingham, Northampton, Winchester, Oxfordshire
Hedda (Haeddi), whose feast is celebrated in Winchester on this day, was educated at Whitby, and ordained bishop in 676 by Theodore of Canterbury. He was appointed Bishop of the West Saxons, and moved his See from Dorchester to Winchester, which transformed it not only into the ecclesiastical centre of the kingdom but also for a time its capital. He died in 705.
Other saints: Bl Bartholomew Fanti (c.1428-1495)
5 Dec (where celebrated)
Bartholomew Fanti was born in Mantua around the year 1428. In 1452 he is known to have already been a Carmelite priest of the Congregation of Mantua. For thirty-five years at the Order’s church in Mantua he was the spiritual director and rector of the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for which he composed a rule and statutes. He was a teacher of Bl Baptist Spagnoli and is especially remembered for his devotion to and love of the Eucharist. He died in 1495 in Mantua.
Gospel: Matthew 9:27-31 Two blind men followed Jesus
At that time: As Jesus passed on from Capernaum, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David.’ When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it done to you.’ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, ‘See that no one knows about it.’ But they went away and spread his fame through all that district
Reflection on the sculpture
n today’s Gospel, we hear of two blind men who followed Jesus. They could not see Him, and yet they stayed close to Him as He walked along. There is something very moving in that. We might recognise ourselves in those two men. We too try to follow the Lord, but we often do so with our own blindness. We do not always see as Jesus sees. We do not always notice the many ways He is present in our daily lives. We can miss His face in others, and even fail to see the traces of His grace at work within ourselves.
The psalm today speaks of seeing “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”, yet how easy it is to overlook that goodness. Yes, there is darkness in our world, but there is also so much quiet goodness: the kindness of others, small acts of love, moments of light that can easily pass unnoticed.
Advent is a season dedicated to clearer sight. It is a time to lift our eyes, even in our blindness, and ask the Lord, as those two men did, to help us see more clearly.
Our sculptor, Pierre Le Gros the Elder was born in Chartres, France and became a for emost sculptor in the service of King Louis XIV. He contributed significantly to royal commissionsincluding marbles and decorative sculptures for Versailles. Despite this royal affiliation, hisroots in Chartres remained strong and he made a series of ecclesiastical works for Chartres Cathedral. In Chartres Cathedral’s ambulatory (choir‐screen area) we find our small but very powerful sculptural group of Jesus healing a blind man. The blind man, seated with apilgrim's staff, reaches out and Jesus bends in compassionate motion. Two disciples are standing behind Jesus, quietly looking upon the scene.
Chartres Cathedral, begun after the devastating fire of 1194 and largely completed by 1220,is one of the greatest master pieces of medieval architecture. It stands at the moment whenGothic building reached full maturity, introducing innovations that shaped cathedralconstruction across Europe. Its soaring pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and ingenious flyingbuttresses allowed the walls to rise higher and thinner than ever before, opening vast spacesfor stained glass. Chartres possesses the finest and most complete ensemble of medievalstained glass in the world with over 170 surviving windows. Dedicated to Our Lady, andhousing the relic of the Sancta Camisia (said to be the tunic of the Virgin Mary), Chartresbecame one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages.
Jesus healing a blind man,Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres,Ambulatory sculpture by Pierre I Legros (1629-1714),Circa 1681-1683,
Friday of the 1st week of Advent
Let us adore the Lord, the King who is to come.
Year: A(II). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: Violet.
Other saints: St John Almond (c.1565-1612)
Liverpool
John Almond (or Lathom or Molyneux) was born at Allerton near Liverpool of Catholic parents about 1565 and went to school at Much Woolton. After studying at Reims he went to the English College in Rome, where in due course he was ordained priest. In 1602 he returned to England as a secular priest and ministered to Catholics there. He was arrested briefly in 1608, and then again in 1612. In November of that year, seven priests had escaped from prison, and this may have sharpened the zeal of those who interrogated him. He displayed to the last great skill in argument; the account of his death describes him as “a reprover of sin, a good example to follow, of an ingenious and acute understanding, sharp and apprehensive in his conceits and answers, yet complete with modesty, full of courage and ready to suffer for Christ, that suffered for him.” He refused to sign the Oath of Allegiance in the form in which it was offered him, but offered to swear that he bore in his heart “so much allegiance to King James as he, or any Christian king, could expect by the law of nature, or the positive law of the true Church, be it which it will, ours or yours.” He was committed to Newgate and within a few months was brought to trial as a seminary priest. Having been duly convicted he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 5 December 1612 at Tyburn, London.
Other saints: Saint Birinus
Birmingham, Northampton, Winchester, Oxfordshire
Saint Birinus was sent to England as a missionary by Pope Honorius I about the year 634; on his way, he was consecrated bishop in Genoa. He had intended to work in a remote part of Britain but when he found that the West Saxons were still pagan he stayed among them and baptised their King and a good number of his followers during his fifteen years’ apostolate. He died about 650 and the main Church of the West Saxons which he had established at Dorchester-on-Thames was later moved to Winchester, as were the relics of Saint Birinus.
Other saints: Saint Hedda (-705)
Birmingham, Northampton, Winchester, Oxfordshire
Hedda (Haeddi), whose feast is celebrated in Winchester on this day, was educated at Whitby, and ordained bishop in 676 by Theodore of Canterbury. He was appointed Bishop of the West Saxons, and moved his See from Dorchester to Winchester, which transformed it not only into the ecclesiastical centre of the kingdom but also for a time its capital. He died in 705.
Other saints: Bl Bartholomew Fanti (c.1428-1495)
5 Dec (where celebrated)
Bartholomew Fanti was born in Mantua around the year 1428. In 1452 he is known to have already been a Carmelite priest of the Congregation of Mantua. For thirty-five years at the Order’s church in Mantua he was the spiritual director and rector of the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for which he composed a rule and statutes. He was a teacher of Bl Baptist Spagnoli and is especially remembered for his devotion to and love of the Eucharist. He died in 1495 in Mantua.
Gospel: Matthew 9:27-31 Two blind men followed Jesus
At that time: As Jesus passed on from Capernaum, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David.’ When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it done to you.’ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, ‘See that no one knows about it.’ But they went away and spread his fame through all that district
Reflection on the sculpture
n today’s Gospel, we hear of two blind men who followed Jesus. They could not see Him, and yet they stayed close to Him as He walked along. There is something very moving in that. We might recognise ourselves in those two men. We too try to follow the Lord, but we often do so with our own blindness. We do not always see as Jesus sees. We do not always notice the many ways He is present in our daily lives. We can miss His face in others, and even fail to see the traces of His grace at work within ourselves.
The psalm today speaks of seeing “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”, yet how easy it is to overlook that goodness. Yes, there is darkness in our world, but there is also so much quiet goodness: the kindness of others, small acts of love, moments of light that can easily pass unnoticed.
Advent is a season dedicated to clearer sight. It is a time to lift our eyes, even in our blindness, and ask the Lord, as those two men did, to help us see more clearly.
Our sculptor, Pierre Le Gros the Elder was born in Chartres, France and became a for emost sculptor in the service of King Louis XIV. He contributed significantly to royal commissionsincluding marbles and decorative sculptures for Versailles. Despite this royal affiliation, hisroots in Chartres remained strong and he made a series of ecclesiastical works for Chartres Cathedral. In Chartres Cathedral’s ambulatory (choir‐screen area) we find our small but very powerful sculptural group of Jesus healing a blind man. The blind man, seated with apilgrim's staff, reaches out and Jesus bends in compassionate motion. Two disciples are standing behind Jesus, quietly looking upon the scene.
Chartres Cathedral, begun after the devastating fire of 1194 and largely completed by 1220,is one of the greatest master pieces of medieval architecture. It stands at the moment whenGothic building reached full maturity, introducing innovations that shaped cathedralconstruction across Europe. Its soaring pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and ingenious flyingbuttresses allowed the walls to rise higher and thinner than ever before, opening vast spacesfor stained glass. Chartres possesses the finest and most complete ensemble of medievalstained glass in the world with over 170 surviving windows. Dedicated to Our Lady, andhousing the relic of the Sancta Camisia (said to be the tunic of the Virgin Mary), Chartresbecame one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages.
Jesus healing a blind man,Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres,Ambulatory sculpture by Pierre I Legros (1629-1714),Circa 1681-1683,