Wave of Hope

24 December Our final  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from the 11th Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols. Cardinal Vincent, after an incredibly memorable year, found goodness and hope in the pupils he met on a visit to a secondary school just before Advent. This inspired him to the central message of his reflection: “Reflect on the goodness in your life, the goo...

23 December This  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Archbishop John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark. Archbishop John was particularly inspired by a primary school Advent carol service in St George’s Cathedral, with over 1,000 pupils celebrating Christ’s story in song, word and drama. “Let’s recapture this Christmas, the joy of what it is to come with wonder and awe before th...

22 December This  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Professor Philip Booth, Director of Policy and Research for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Professor Booth finds hope in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, and specifically in his first encyclical letter: “On Christmas Day, 20 years ago, Pope Benedict XVI published an encyclical,  Deus Caritas Est...

21 December This Wave of Hope short reflection for Advent comes from Father Stephen Wang, Rector of the Venerable English College in Rome, one of the five seminaries training priests for England and Wales. Fr Stephen found signs of hope in three places this year. Firstly in witnessing the number of enthusiastic and faithful pilgrims that have visited Rome for the Jubilee Year. Secondly in the fait...

20 December This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Fleur Dorrell, Biblical Apostolate Manager for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Fleur found hope in the hidden but important details that make up every stage of our lives – in family and friendships, in hospitality and community outreach in the places where we live. “Biblical hope reminds me that the present is pr...

19 December This  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Father James Hanvey SJ, Secretary for the Service of Faith of the Society of Jesus. Fr Hanvey found hope in how people gathered in St Peter’s Square to pray for Pope Francis as he was dying: “It was a grace just to be one of the crowd. No, not an anonymous crowd, but the Holy People of God, a Church at prayer, simply and wi...

18 December This  Wave of Hope  short Advent reflection comes from Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer and a church consultant on the Middle East North Africa region and the Gulf States. “Hope is merely staying alive for most Palestinians today,” reflects Dr Hagopian, who hails originally from Jordan. “Hope is being able to preserve the property that the farmers have in Palestine...

17 December This  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Alistair Dutton, General Secretary of  Caritas Internationalis . There were two aspects of the Jubilee Year of Hope that gave Alistair reason to be hopeful – the increasing role that women and young people are playing in the leadership and life of the Caritas Confederation, and the ‘Declaration of Hope’ made by young p...

16 December This  Wave of Hope  short reflection for Advent comes from Sr Gemma Simmonds CJ, a sister of the Congregation of Jesus and a theologian working at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge. Sr Gemma shares how this year she found hope in the long-awaited union of the two branches of her congregation, which was founded by Venerable Mary Ward in 1609. With this h...

15 December This  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Bishop Jim Curry, Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Jesus was born into a mess, says Bishop Jim, but we should never lose hope that, in Him, the world can be different. “Jesus comes in order to unite heaven and earth. Not for us to wait for heaven on earth, but to unite...

14 December On the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, our Wave of Hope reflection comes from Sister Maria Cecialia Sierra, a Comboni Missionary Sister working among Bedouin communities in the West Bank. Reflecting on the Threads of Peace project through which Bedouin women gather to learn and support each other and which was recently presented with a Weavers of Hope Award from Caritas Interna...

13 December This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Abbot Hugh Allan O.Praem, Director of Mission for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Abbot Hugh reflects on Advent as a season of hope, and explains that though we may be tempted to despair during troubled times, it is our knowledge of – and deepening of – our lives with Jesus Christ that can make hope a reality in...

12 December This Wave of Hope Advent reflection comes from Bokani Tshidzu, a London-based multimedia artist. When commissioned recently to produce a stained-glass altarpiece, Bokani focused on the story of the Visitation. Reflecting on this reading, she found not only artistic inspiration but also hope: “Hope grows when we say yes to God by living in solidarity with those who are most vulnerable i...

11 December Today's Wave of Hope Advent reflection comes from Professor Jim McManus, the National Director of Health and Wellbeing for Public Health Wales and the Chair of Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT). Reflecting on the power of good over evil, and the words of encouragement which we receive from Pope Francis and Pope Leo, Jim says: “Hope means paying attention to the good. Where communitie...

10 December Today’s  Wave of Hope  Advent reflection comes from Raymond Friel, CEO of Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN). Speaking from St Mary’s University, Twickenham after the recent conference marking the 60th anniversary of  Gaudium et Spes , Raymond shared the hope that he finds in the teaching of the Church today, and especially in young people who can inspire us in the sea...

9 December This  Wave of Hope  Advent reflection comes from Dr Phil McCarthy, founder of the Hearts in Search of God walking pilgrimage project. "The thing that gave me most hope was the 'Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope'… 641 miles were walked and 21,257 feet climbed over 45 days along four 'Ways', by 20 perpetual pilgrims who walked the full distance, often sleeping in church halls, and by o...

8 December This  Wave of Hope  Advent reflection comes from Canon William Agley, General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Canon Agley reflects on a busy year that has seen him move from the north east, where he was a parish priest in Newcastle, to London to take up his appointment as the new General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference. This year, he ha...

7 December This 'Wave of Hope' Advent reflection is given by Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London. Even though we live in a troubled, chaotic world, Bishop Nowakowski sees Jesus Christ as the light piercing the darkness bringing us hope and peace: "Behold the brilliance of the newborn saviour, Jesus. It is this babe who gi...

6 December This Wave of Hope reflection is given by lecturer and theologian Dr Pia Matthews. Describing the hope she has found in the witness and formation of lay Catholics and seminarians during this Jubilee Year, Dr Matthews says: "We live in hope because, after all, the battle has already been won, Jesus has conquered sin and death. But what is truly wonderful and amazing is that God, who does...

5 December This  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Bishop John Arnold, our Lead Bishop for the Environment and Bishop of Salford. Despite the disappointment of COP30 and the lack of agreement on the phasing out of fossil fuels, Bishop Arnold actually takes heart from the number of individuals and groups in the UK keen to combat climate change: “This year, what gave me the mo...

4 December This  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Nikki Dhillon Keane, a therapist, trainer, author, activist and founder of Safe in Faith, a project of Caritas Westminster working to support survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation in ways that understand how their faith impacts their experiences. Nikki reflects on the hope she finds in accompanying pe...

3 December This  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Bishop Richard Moth, Bishop of Arundel and Brighton and Lead Bishop for Prisons for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Bishop Moth shares how he found hope through his encounters with the men and women he met during the various prison visits he made this year: “I made a number of visits to prisons during...

2 December Our third  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Dr Christine Allen, Director of CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and the official aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Dr Allen finds hope at home and abroad despite the war, violence, conflict, famine, and destruction that we’ve seen this year. “I’ve seen signs of hope in South Su...

1 December Our second  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Canon Chris Vipers, Director of the Agency for Evangelisation for the Diocese of Westminster. Canon Vipers finds his hope in young people and how they will shape the Church for future generations: “I found great hope in the events we’ve had for our catechists – those who form our young people for the Sacraments… I’ve b...

30 November – First Sunday of Advent Our first  Wave of Hope  reflection for Advent comes from Fr Issa Thaljieh, a Greek Orthodox priest from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. How appropriate that we start our series of reflections here – the place of our Lord and Saviour’s birth. Fr Thaljieh explains that it has been a very hard year in Bethlehem, the city where hope Himself was...