Sunday 11 January 2026
A trip north to see family for the weekend and another chance to attend Mass in Neston, and another wonderful homily from the young priest there.
Again, he spoke without notes, mesmerizing us with stories of baptism, of water (it was raining outside), having started it all with a comparison using the current search for water on Mars.
I wish I could do it justice by remembering more of it.
I don’t know if it’s appropriate to say you enjoy a mass (which suggests you don’t enjoy others). That can’t be it. It’s not necessarily better. Every homily has something. Most leave me with a head full of thinking. But they’re not usually this entertaining.
We all filed out, back into the rain. I thought I’d better say something to the priest as I left and found him standing outside alone by the door, looking deep in thought.
I just about managed “plenty to think about” before heading back to my car, annoyed I couldn’t think of something more praiseworthy. I wanted to ask questions. But they would have been about technique, more than scripture. Perhaps he would have preferred the other way around.
Maybe I’ll think of something for next time.
I’ve been tempted before to Church hop a bit while visiting family. The Wirral has plenty of Catholic churches, more than most places. But I’m beginning to get a sense of the familiar, and of stability in St Winefrede’s. I’m looking forward to going back.