Dominican friar; Promoter General of the Rosary; sharing my own photos of sacred art & architecture daily since 2006. Views my own; RTs are not endorsements.
Oxford, England
Joined March 2009
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Illustrating today's Mass readings:
"Brothers and Sisters: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, and is himself its Saviour. Now as the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the Church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the Church, because we are members of his body. ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
– Ephesians 5:21-33, which is today's epistle for the 30th Tuesday in Ordinary Time.
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📷 Stained glass window from Christ the King Cathedral in Atlanta GA.
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
I'm giving everyone who sees this the assignment to go to the Puy du Fou theme park. Bring your family. Yes, the shows are spectacular and often very Catholic (the one on the Vendee Rebellion made me cry) - it's amazing that this exists in 2026 France - but also, the immersive experiences are beyond description. There was a really intense one where you go down into a replica of the trenches of Verdun during WWI, and another where you go through the hold of an 18th-century French scientific vessel that disappeared on an expedition (and feel what it's like to be on a sinking ship in a storm). You can feel the passion for history with all the authentic details (for interest they had lots of actual WWI items in that set). There was another, more surreal one based on the 5th-century life of Clovis, the first French king to be baptized.
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
What if we could no longer practice our faith publicly?
Look at this cross-shaped structure in the attic of a house more than 300 years old in northern Japan.
Researchers believe it may be one of Japan’s oldest surviving Hidden Christian homes.
The family also preserved a Buddhist shrine with a gold cross concealed behind a statue of Amida Buddha.
When this house was built, Christians were still being executed nearby.
Imagine being a Catholic parent, teaching your children to pray, knowing that one careless word could put your entire family in danger.
Yet the faith survived. Parents passed it to their children, who passed it to theirs.
We are free to profess the faith they had to hide.
May their courage strengthen ours.
Illustrating today's Mass readings:
"Brothers and Sisters: Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."
– Ephesians 4:32-5:8, which is today's epistle at Mass.
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📷 Crucifix in the grounds of Farnborough Abbey.
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
A Japanese Catholic has created a remarkable interactive map of Catholic parishes throughout Japan.
From Hokkaido to Okinawa, hundreds of churches are marked on the map.
What an extraordinary undertaking, and what a valuable resource for anyone interested in the Catholic Church in Japan.
Thank you, @y_kohaku_a, for sharing your work!
日本のカトリック小教区の地図を作ってみました。
google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1…
Illustrating today's Mass readings:
"For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."
– 1 Thess 1:910, which is part of today's epistle for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
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📷 Apse painting from the Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht.
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
Pendant ce temps (et malgré une pluie battante !), une belle jeunesse pacifique marche, chante, prie... Magnifique entrée, comme chaque année à l’issue de leur pèlerinage, des routiers scouts d’Europe dans la basilique de Vézelay au son du traditionnel « Kyrie des gueux » 🙏🏻
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
Pope Leo XIV at the Angelus prays for the victims of the Islamic terrorist attack that saw seven Christians martyred at a funeral in Jordan:
“My prayers go out to all those who were injured or lost their lives last Friday in the terrorist attack on worshippers at the Orthodox Church of Saint George in Harmoud, Jordan. I express my closeness to the community and the entire country, which is known for its peaceful coexistence and respect between different religions.”
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
One of Japan’s favorite foods could open the door to a conversation about Christianity.
Tempura.
The dish developed from cooking techniques brought to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
One longstanding theory traces its name to têmporas, the Portuguese term for Catholic Ember Days.
Four times a year, Catholics traditionally fasted, abstained from meat, and thanked God for the changing seasons and harvests.
The etymology is disputed, but the theory appears in Japanese dictionaries.
Who would have thought a Japanese dish could offer an opportunity to share the Catholic faith?
"O Raphael, lead us to those who are awaiting our help, as once thou didst lead Tobias to the poor blind man who was to be restored to sight by thee. Guardian of our lives, direct our steps, whether our journey be one of soul or body. Preserve us from ill, heal us in body and soul, and grant that by thy holy guidance we may attain the joys of everlasting life. Amen."
🙏 Today, 24th of October, is the traditional feast day of St Raphael (commemorated with St Michael and St Gabriel on 29th September in the new calendar); a Dominican Rite Low Mass will be celebrated at 12:15pm today @BlackfriarsOx with Catholic students from several universities. St Raphael is the patron of travellers, pilgrims, the sick, and those suffering from demonic oppression.
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📷 This Flemish tapestry is in the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna.
Illustrating today's Mass readings:
"Brothers and Sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." – Ephesians 4:1-6, which is today's epistle at Mass for the 29th Fri in Ordinary Time.
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📷 Stained glass detail from Star of the Sea church in Bremerton WA.
"O God, who are rich in mercy
and who willed that Saint John Paul the Second
should preside as Pope over your universal Church,
grant, we pray, that instructed by his teaching,
we may open our hearts to the saving grace of Christ,
the sole Redeemer of mankind.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen."
– Collect for the feast of St John Paul II (22 Oct).
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📷 Bust from the Casa Benincasa in Siena.
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
In a world where lifelong commitments are increasingly rare, one woman in Japan has dedicated the rest of her life to God.
On October 16, Sister Francisca Miki Saito professed her perpetual vows as a Catholic religious sister in Tokyo.
She belongs to the Sisters of Bethany, a congregation whose roots go back to 1929, when a French missionary began caring for destitute tuberculosis patients in Tokyo.
Nearly a century later, that mission continues.
Pray for Sister Saito and praise God for His continued work in Japan.
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
Pope Leo XIV’s doctors have given the Pope the all clear, and confirmed that he will not require any more treatment for his lung cancer:
“The final histopathology and molecular testing reports on the tissue removed during the Holy Father's surgery were issued today. The results confirmed that the tumor was a lung adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized. A subsequent oncological assessment has confirmed that no further treatment is necessary.”
Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. retweeted
Some wonderful news Our Holy Father St Benedict recognised by the European Parliament:
Official Naming Ceremony of the Benedetto da Norcia Room
On Tuesday, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group held a ceremony in Strasbourg to officially name its meeting room WIC 200 after Benedetto da Norcia (Saint Benedict of Nursia).
Saint Benedict played an instrumental role in shaping the development of Western civilisation and European culture. His spiritual mission helped usher in a new and brighter era for Europe. Benedictine monasteries became important centres of learning, education and cultural preservation, contributing significantly to the renewal of a Europe united through its shared spiritual, intellectual and cultural heritage.
During the second half of the twentieth century, as modern Europe emerged from the darkness and devastation of war, Saint Benedict’s enduring legacy of spiritual unity, stability and order made him a natural choice as Patron Saint of Europe.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola attended the official naming ceremony.
Following the ceremony, a conference entitled “Roots That Shape the Future: Saint Benedict and the Values That Moulded Europe” took place in the newly named room.
The conference reflected upon the enduring relevance of the Benedictine tradition, its profound contribution to European history, and its continuing connection to the fundamental values upon which European civilisation was built.
Illustrating today's Mass readings:
"Brothers and Sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realised in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him."
– Ephesians 3:2-12, which is today's epistle for the 29th Wednesday in Ordinary Time.
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📷 Stained glass window from Holy Rosary church, Greenville SC.
