THE SACRED HEART MESSENGER

Supporting our Readers and Promoters:
The monthly Messenger continues to be despatched to subscribers and promoters as usual. Please note that we do not expect promoters to distribute copies unless it is absolutely safe for them to do so.

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FEBRUARY 2020

For many, February can be a lull period, the cold, dark days of winter having passed but only glimpses of the springtime yet to come.  Within the Church, however, February is busy and this is reflected in the February Messenger.  The month that the Pope urges us to support women who experience violence starts, appropriately, with the Feast Day of the great St Brigid. Susan Jones writes that for the Church to be a credible advocate against gender-based violence, it needs to give women a voice with its structures. Another Feast Day, that of St Valentine, provokes Alan Hilliard to ponder the different sources and expressions of love in our world. As Lent commences mid-month Denis Tuohy suggests that changing behaviour that may be hurtful to others may be a more worthwhile Lenten practice that giving up chocolate. Echoing this focus on social friendship Gerry O’Hanlon SJ writes about our common humanity, fraternity and solidarity, which form the themes of Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Fratelli Tutti.

Our series on Irish Ecumenists has an article on Revd Ruth Patterson, and we continue visiting Hidden Gems of art, learning about the Flowers of Ireland and how to cook up a warming vegetable Chilli, along with our regular children’s pages, crossword, prayer and RE:LINK supplement.