St Thomas More Catholic Parish Church, Ruse

05/10/2026

On November 24, 2026, "The Private Diary of Pope Francis," a book by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, will hit bookshelves.

The book presents and comments on notes Jorge Mario Bergoglio kept between 1992 and 2024, offering a deeper understanding of the personality and inner life of the Jesuit Pope, who led the Catholic Church from March 13, 2013 until his death on April 21, 2025.

The Private Diary of Pope Francis will be released simultaneously worldwide in five languages and distributed in 94 countries on 24 November.

The English edition will be published by Penguin Random House and the Italian edition by the Vatican Publishing House (LEV).

PRH Christian Penguin Random House

05/10/2026

This is beautiful. Pope Leo's tweet this morning is profound.

"There exists a martyrdom of those who offer their lives in a single moment, and the more hidden martyrdom of those who give their lives day after day. This is exactly what all Christians are called to do: to give our lives with love, every day

"Our age needs men and women who have the courage to do good even when it comes at a cost. Draw close to those who are alone, support those who are weary, and seek out those who have drifted away. Have the courage to forgive, to begin again, and to engage in dialogue."

"Doing good does not always receive recognition and often requires effort, but this is the daily courage of charity. Friendship with Jesus Christ gives us the strength to live this way."

04/10/2026

In a world that can be filled with division, anger, fear & uncertainty, the Prayer of Saint Francis reminds us that peace begins with us.

May we choose love where there is hatred, forgiveness where there is hurt, hope where there is despair and light where there is darkness.

May we seek to understand before demanding to be understood and give without expecting anything in return.

Today, let us place this prayer into action—not only by saying the words, but by becoming the answer to them in the lives of those around us.

Lord, make us instruments of Your peace.

04/10/2026

Today we honour the great 20th century Polish nun, St Faustina Kowalska, whose apparitions of Our Lord inspired the popular Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy.

At St Faustina’s canonisation in April 2000, Pope John Paul II said in his homily before more than 200,000 people in St Peter’s Square: “Jesus shows his hands and his side to the Apostles. He points, that is, to the wounds of the Passion, especially the wound in his heart, the source from which flows the great wave of mercy poured out on humanity”.

May we continue to draw inspiration from St Faustina who pointed us to the merciful love of God shining through the whole Easter mystery. St Faustina Kowalska, pray for us!

04/10/2026

This weekend we honour the 800th anniversary of the transitus (death) of the great Italian saint, Francis of Assisi!

Francis came from a rich family and as a young man enjoyed high living and romantic chivalry. Jesus' invitation of love and peace came alive for Francis when he encountered a poor man living with leprosy, and he soon renounced his life of comfort for one lived in solidarity with the poor.

During a time of prayer under the San Damiano Cross, with Jesus' arms outstretched, Francis heard the Lord's cry to go out and rebuild his church – a mission he would dedicate his life to. Francis' witness to the gospel is a reminder that any life of faith must begin with a conversion of the heart.

Although he lived in the 13th century, St Francis truly is a saint for all ages. Not only did he model a life of humility, prayer, and community, but he also showed us the true path of spiritual revolution: understanding the love Jesus showed us on the cross. In this Jubilee Year of St Francis, may we all receive the grace to fall in love with Jesus, whose love drove him to the cross for our sake. 🙏

03/10/2026

Mass for You at Home (MFYAH) is a production of the Catholic Dioces...

03/10/2026

Happy Feast Day, Saint Francis of Assisi! 🙏

03/10/2026

In today’s parable, we can sympathise with the vigneron. We’ve all experienced ingratitude: we do our best and get no thanks for it.

It annoys us, because we hope for some personal satisfaction, a sense of indebtedness, even admiration from those we’ve helped.

But God isn’t like that. When He seeks our gratitude, it is for our sake. When we worship Him, it is our gain, not His.

03/10/2026

03/10/2026

Today, we are celebrating the feast of St Francis of Assisi a day early as tomorrow the liturgy for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time takes precedence.

This year, St Francis' feast takes on special significance as it falls during the Jubilee Year of St Francis marking the 800th anniversary of his death. In Italy, celebrations will begin this evening for the traditional 'Transitus' ceremony. Churches have been invited to ring their bells at midnight to mark Francis' transition to eternal life and tomorrow a public holiday has been declared (Italy only!) so no doubt there will be joyous liturgies, blessings of animals of every variety and festive gatherings in celebration. We wish a very happy day to all our Franciscan sisters, brothers, oblates and friends as well as all the pets who will enjoy the day with special blessings and treats, ours included!

As we know, the feast of St Francis marks the official end of the Season of Creation, so let us join him in his great hymn of cosmic praise:

Praise be to you, my Lord, through all your creatures,
Laudato Si', Mi Signore
especially through my Brother Sun,
through Sister Moon and the stars,
through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene,
and every kind of weather.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
through Brother Fire,
through Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains us, producing
varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.
Praise be to you, my Lord, through all your creatures,
Laudato Si', Mi Signore!

Amen, alleluia, let the bells ring out...Happy Feast to all!

Image ~ with thanks to artist, Sue Betanzos