Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Laurence was a deacon of the Church in Rome who was martyred in 258.  His story is found in the very ancient Depositio Martyrum, which tells us that he was closely associated with Pope Sixtus II, who was martyred just a few days before him during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian.   We also know...

John Henry Newman (1801 – 1890) was a highly influential 19th-century theologian, scholar and poet. Born in London in 1801, the son of a banker, Newman had an evangelical conversion when he was just 15. He went on to Oxford in 1817, and in time became Fellow and then a tutor at Oriel College. Here...

In the year 1212 Clare, the 18-year-old daughter of a local Count, heard a young preacher called Francis. A few years earlier he had caused a sensation in the centre of the town where they both lived, Assisi in Italy, by stripping himself of his wealthy clothes and declaring that from now on he would...

All in the month of AUGUST The infamous Berlin Wall When John Lennon said the Beatles were ‘more popular than Jesus’ The Story of Apple Inc Ten things to know about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe National Allotment Week – 10th to 16th August Where are we all? ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks...

Copyright and you Why you may be killing your houseplants Missing breakfast? Don’t drive fast with your windows down Hot and humid – what to do with those amber and yellow health alerts How to keep your pets safe in hot weather We love our trains – when they finally arrive What is the scariest...

Clare (1194 – 1253) was the famous virgin foundress of the Minoresses or Poor Clares.  Born at Assisi of the Offreduccio family, Clare grew up to hear the teaching of St Francis of Assisi, and at 18 she renounced all her possessions and joined him at the Portiuncula, where she became a nun.  Soon Francis...

Christian Aid launches Ebola Emergency Appeal WCC refuses to expel Russian Orthodox Church C of E apologises for historical adoption practices 150 years on, Mothers’ Union is a “powerhouse” – Archbishop of Canterbury New more generous support for ordinands as the numbers in training rise Record number of grants awarded for conservation in parish churches Church...

Christian Aid has launched an Ebola Emergency Appeal, as the deadly disease continues its spread. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. There is no vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has a fatality rate of up to 50%. Christian Aid...

The urgent need for decent, affordable housing is a hot topic these days. It was an even more urgent need in Victorian London, where the homes of the poor were tiny, cold, damp, and infested with lice and vermin. Water came from an outside pump, and filthy outside toilets were shared with several dozen neighbours....

If you have a strong sense of calling from God, then you will well understand Florence Nightingale. At the age of 16 she felt God was calling her to some great lifework, and so she determined to avoid marriage, and thus be available to obey Him. Florence had been born in Italy in 1820, while...

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Revd Professor Jerry Pillay, has rejected recent calls from Ukraine, and even some WCC member churches, for the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to be stripped of its membership of the WCC. He said: “There remains, however, a clear need for active and ongoing dialogue...

St Radegund (518-87) is a saint for anyone who has suffered domestic abuse. She is also a reminder that domestic abuse can occur in any family, however wealthy, and can span the generations, so that some women go straight from violent father to violent husband. Radegund was born in 518, the daughter of Berthaire, king...