Author: Leigh Hatts

Leigh Hatts is the author of 'Keeping Advent and Christmas' and 'Keeping Lent and Easter' (DLT).
Updates

Plough Monday revival

The village school in Tilney All Saints near Wisbech in East Anglia, which has been awarded a grant to look at the village’s Plough Monday custom, is involved in reviving the tradition. For many years until the 1550s the village’s plough was suspended with ropes from the beams of All Saints Church on Plough Monday. […]

Leigh Hatts 
Updates

Holy Family replaces Becket

Today would normally be the Feast of St Thomas of Canterbury because on 29 December 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in his cathedral. Next year is the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom when, thanks to 2020 being leap year, the day will be a Tuesday and much highlighted. But this year 29 December is […]

Leigh Hatts 
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Pray for MPs on Boxing Day

Boxing Day is St Stephen’s Day when we remember the first Christian martyr. The cost of following Baby Jesus’ teaching can be high. Stephen was a deacon and is the patron saint of altar servers, who with the clergy have brought dignity to our Christmas Day liturgy, and international development charity CAFOD. He is also […]

Leigh Hatts 
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Midnight Mass on Radio 4

If you cannot go to Midnight Mass tonight listen on BBC Radio 4 at 11.30pm. The live broadcast is from St George’s Cathedral in Southwark, the Roman Catholic cathedral opposite the Imperial War Museum. The entire church was a glorious Pugin building until bombed during the Second World War. The celebrant and preacher is the […]

Leigh Hatts 
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The Expectation of Mary

Yesterday we imagined Mary and Joseph setting out from Nazareth to reach Bethlehem. Today we think about Mary’s pregnancy due to an old custom of recalling the Annunciation on 18 December. This began with the Mozarabic Rite in Toledo and the tradition remains in Spain where they speak of Our Lady of the O as […]

Leigh Hatts 
Updates

Mary & Joseph have set out…

Today is another Advent staging post. It’s just over a week to go before Christmas and if Mary and Joseph are to be in Bethlehem they will need to have started their 90 mile journey from Nazareth. By tradition they set out about now and are accompanied by the singing of the O Antiphons at […]

Leigh Hatts 
Updates

Britain’s Christmas Story on BBC1

One reason for the BBC being accused of ignoring religion is that its often very good programmes are hidden. Britain’s Christmas Story is a good example. Part one was shown yesterday morning. Even the Sunday morning political shows have small audiences. When Robert Peston switched his Sunday morning show to the evening viewing figures shot […]

Leigh Hatts 
Updates

St Lucy brings light to Advent

In Sweden this morning a young girl representing St Lucy wearing her crown of candles will make an early morning appearance in many homes and schools. There will also be Lucia processions in many darkened churches tonight. Lucy wore candles on her head to light the way and leave her hands free to assist persecuted […]

Leigh Hatts 
Updates

Loreto feast is universal

The Feast of Our Lady of Loreto 10 December now appears in the universal calendar. The announcement by Pope Francis was made last month with the view that it may help us during Advent to think about the Annunciation. The feast marks the day in 1294 that the Holy House from Nazareth arrived at Loreto […]

Leigh Hatts 
3d book display image of Keeping Advent & Christmas

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