“A healthy person cannot feel the pains of sickness, nor can one who is well-fed feel the pangs of hunger.” This passage, a popular saying of the time, is quoted by St Bernard (1090-1153) in his first teaching as abbot of Clairvaux (1119). It is a commentary on chapter seven of the Rule of St…… Continue reading Empathy: softened hearts and hopes restored
Category: Quest Bulletin
Quest support for LGBT+ refugees and asylum seekers
In the margins of the 2018 Conference a few delegates gathered on Saturday afternoon to discuss the important work being undertaken by individual members to support asylum seekers and refugees. In particular, discussion centred around whether it would be possible to support those members at a more formal level. One area that was considered to…… Continue reading Quest support for LGBT+ refugees and asylum seekers
Quest 2018 Retreat
The retreat was deemed to have been a great success and worth repeating so the dates for next year’s retreat at the same venue have been booked (17th-19th May 2019). This year’s retreat was led by the Retreat Facilitator (and National Committee member), John Ashman. This was a last minute change as the member of…… Continue reading Quest 2018 Retreat
Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad)
Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad). Pope Francis I. Catholic Truth Society. ISBN 978-1-784-69596-5 Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Rejoice and Be Glad, on the call to holiness in today’s world, at a first glance did not appear to be the good read that I hoped it would be. Reviewers elsewhere have described it as…… Continue reading Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad)
Tragedies and joys in the pursuit of happiness
In March 2016, a 35-year-old junior barrister appeared at the Old Bailey in March and admitted two counts of supplying controlled drugs to his boyfriend, 18-year-old Colombian waiter, Miguel. The barrister woke on a morning in January 2015 to find his partner dead beside him. The previous afternoon they had taken their dog to the…… Continue reading Tragedies and joys in the pursuit of happiness
“Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness”
Do these words of Jesus offend our sense of justice and fairness? Jesus uses them in the parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:2-14). Those invited to the banquet not only refuse to come, they make light of the invitation and even kill the king’s servants who delivered the invitations. So, the king sends…… Continue reading “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness”
2018 Conference Report
This year’s Annual Conference, held in the comfortable surroundings of Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, was my first experience of any Quest event, and I was not at all disappointed. It was good to enter as a group into the highly topical discussion surrounding James Martin’s book Building a Bridge. In a more general way I…… Continue reading 2018 Conference Report
Sexuality, Gender Identity and Belief (Bulletin 80)
“My partner’s very robust and very self-assured about his sexuality. But even he’s struggled at times remaining within his faith.” “It is a sad fact that for some people, coming out within their own faith context is simply not an option.” These two quotes are taken from a guidance document – Sexuality, Gender Identity and…… Continue reading Sexuality, Gender Identity and Belief (Bulletin 80)
“…for he was an old man, and heavy” (Quest Bulletin 80)
This line from the first book of Samuel (4:18) could well describe me now that I am into my seventh decade. To the consternation of my friends and family members I have been piling on the kilograms in recent years. One friend, a doctor, looked at me and simply said, “Exercise!” For a while I…… Continue reading “…for he was an old man, and heavy” (Quest Bulletin 80)
Happy to be both: Lesbian and bisexual Catholic women (Bulletin 80)
Happy to be both: Exploring lesbian and bisexual Catholic women’s experiences of religion and sexuality The following is a summary of the findings of Marie Houghton’s MSC dissertation entitled “Exploring lesbian and bisexual Catholic women’s narratives of religious and sexual identity formation and integration”. Introduction and research aims: Research has shown that many LGBT people…… Continue reading Happy to be both: Lesbian and bisexual Catholic women (Bulletin 80)
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