Fr Paul Gooley reads today’s Gospel from Mark (6:53-56) in which Jesus was recognised as people bought the sick to him to be healed. Afterwards, he shares a little about the life of St Agatha whose memorial we celebrate today. Fr Paul says Agatha was martyred at Catania in Sicily, probably during the persecution of Decius (250-253). Devotion to her was widespread in the Church in the very earliest times and, like Agnes, she is mentioned in the Roman Canon of the Mass – that is Eucharistic Prayer 1. So on this day Fr Paul invites us to ask ‘St Agatha pray for us!’.