News
25 July 2010
Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St Chad's Cathedral Birmingham
Archbishop Bernard Longley led the Rosary for Life and presided at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament during a special afternoon service to mark Day for Life 2010, held at the Metropolitan Cathedral and Basilica of St Chad, Birmingham, on Sunday 25 July.
At the start of the service, the Archbishop of Birmingham said: "Today the Church in England and Wales celebrates the Day for Life.
"This day was initiated by Pope John Paul II to acknowledge and promote the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to its natural end.
"Each year the Day for Life takes a theme. This year’s theme is: Lord, for your faithful people Life is changed, not ended.
"This phrase taken from one of the prefaces used at a Funeral Mass, emphasises the Christian meaning of death: the place of the sacrament of the sick, prayer for the dead, and the importance of accompanying the dying person as he or she journeys towards God."
19 July 2010
Half a million in grants to support the dignity of life
Thanks to the generosity of parishioners up and down the country, the Day for Life archbishops of England and Wales were able to distribute over £500,000 in grants in support of life over the last two years.
The annual Day for Life is dedicated to celebrating the dignity of life from conception to natural death and the annual collection taken up in parishes on the last Sunday in July each year is used to give grants to life-related activities supported by the Church.
8 July 2010
Day for Life encourages people not to be afraid of death
Not one of us can predict how we are going to die or in what state we are going to die. Over 350,000 leaflets presenting the Church’s teaching on death are being sent to every parish in England and Wales this week in preparation for Day for Life – the Day dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition. This year’s Day for Life, which falls on Sunday 25 July, will highlight the importance of the Sacrament of the Sick, of praying for the dead and of accompanying the dying person as they journey towards God.
31 May 2010
Day for Life Scotland
The Most Rev Mario Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow and Scotland's Day for Life bishop, offered this reflection on this year's Day for Life:
"In a year in which the Holy Father is to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman we can do no better than look at his beautiful description in the Dream of Gerontius of the death of the faithful Christian, “fortified by the rites of Holy Church” and surrounded by the love and support of family and friends.