Author and gardener Charlie Hart explains why he took to the Roman church, with a little help from CS Lewis and a priest friend

As the winter days lengthen, preparing the garden for summeris a New Year ritual to be cherished, asks Charlie Hart

"Conversio forces me to change direction, forces me to look elsewhere, a wrenching action without which I cannot see or know the face of God, the God of justice and mercy, the God who is always waiting for me to convert." - Fr. Richard G. Cipolla

My father Robin, Lord Belhaven and Stenton, died on December 2 last year. He would have been 94 in February. “He had a good innings,” people keep saying, and while they are right, this isn’t much of a comfort in the early stages of grief, as anyone who has lost someone they love will know.

A gifted preacher, prolific writer, talented musician, artist and photographer, he was serving as chaplain at Fisher House, the Catholic Chaplaincy for Cambridge University students, when he lost his battle with cancer on January 15th. His warmth, wit and wicked sense of humour made him the life and soul of every party, as well as an inspiration to young students and colleagues of all denominations.

"A gentle and caring pastor," was how the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Scotland, Bishop Hugh Gilbert recalled Archbishop Tartaglia, "who combined compassion with a piercing intellect." Bishop Gilbert went on to say, "[W]e will miss his wisdom and wit very much."

I started counting the days since anyone had touched me: back in March, a friend hugged me good-bye. The day before my world collapsed. At least we hugged each other. What day was that? No idea. What month, then? March. That was March. Then April came. The churches closed. This was … June? July? What day is it? What month is it? At least I know the year.

“You”, he shouted, “the one who dresses up like a priest every day like an idiot in this summer heat, I forgot your name, what’s your name? “  “Ricardus”, I answered in dread. “OK, hot shot, look at that verb in the fourth line of the page we are reading: tell me everything you know about it.”

"In our desire for mastery over our lives, and the lives of others, we will believe and promote falsehoods; we will deny and suppress the truth to bolster our egos, even when doing so deadens our souls and harms those around us." - Deacon Fritz Bauerschmidt

The liturgical season of Advent has given rise to many great traditions, from the election of the Boy Bishop, to St Nicholas, to Carolling.

“An American voice came on the phone. ‘Hi, this is Meghan Markle. Want to play at my wedding?’” The call from Kensington Palace was for the 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and it led to the moment on May 19 2018 when he would play at Harry and Meghan’s wedding. After he got the call, he

In our monastery’s large refectory, at the furthest end, a large cross hangs over the abbot’s place. It is the cross we use on Good Friday. I sometimes will walk down to it, the refectory dark except for the light that is over the cross. I will stand there and sip my coffee and pray,