Advent Begins | Episode 8

November’s ‘At the Foot of the Cross’ really is pushing its luck, coming in on the last day of the month. Profound apologies, but, hopefully, it’s well worth the wait. Canon Christopher Thomas, General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference joins us and kick-starts the podcast by reviewing elements of the Bishops’ November plenary meeting at Hinsley Hall, Leeds. He talks about the visit of the relics of St Bernadette Soubirous – the young French girl who saw the Virgin Mary eighteen times in a series of apparitions that took place in cave on the outskirts of Lourdes, a place much-loved by pilgrims from England and Wales. The relics toured England, Wales and Scotland for two months and have been visited by tens of thousands of people. We then discuss the vital need to promote a culture of vocation in the Catholic Church in our countries and reflect on the Bishops’ plenary resolution on the subject. Canon Chris wraps his slot by talking about Advent and the O Antiphons that we hear in our liturgy on the last seven days of the season. We then hear from the man who has just been announced by Pope Francis as a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Southwark – Monsignor Philip Moger. And if that wasn’t enough, we have a lovely Advent reflection from Bishop Paul Swarbrick. The Bishop of Lancaster takes a November evening stroll with us around the grounds of Hinsley Hall. All this and more on November’s ‘At the Foot of the Cross’.