Fr. Ed Hone, C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist priest from Edinburgh, Scotland, spent one hour in prayer atop the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London on August 1st 2009. August 1st is the feast day of St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorist order.

Fr. Hone spent time atop the plinth as part of a larger event taking place in London, where a lottery was held to select participants to stand on the plinth for one hour each, from July 6th through October 14th 2009.

Fr. Hone said he intended to pray that Venerable Margaret Sinclair be declared Blessed by the church. He also intended to included special intentions from others sent to him by email.

you can read more about Fr. Hone here or read more about the greater event in London here.

ANNE RICE, ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING AUTHORS IN AMERICA, has published more than twenty-eight novels over the past thirty years, most of them dealing with dark themes of vampirism and witchcraft. Since her return to the Catholic faith of her youth, Rice has published Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (2005) and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (2008), the first two novels in a projected trilogy about the life of Jesus, and Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession (2008). In an interview in her Palm Springs, California, home, Rice spoke about growing up Catholic in New Orleans, Louisiana, her strong Redemptorist connection, her years as an atheist, and her return to the Church a decade ago.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Mt 13:44).

A vocation to religious life is a call to take on the mandate of the gospel in a radical way. Throughout history men and women have heard this inner call, which enabled them, like the man in Scripture, to leave behind the ordinary way of living. Many have responded by entering the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, more commonly known as the Redemptorist Congregation. Following the example of Jesus, who said of himself, “He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Lk 4:18), Saint Alphonsus Liguori founded this Order in 1732 for the preaching of the gospel to the poor.