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– or how to survive in a large family Catherine of Siena, who was born 1347, should be the patron saint of anyone who has grown up in a large family, and mastered the two vital skills for survival: how to stand up for yourself, and how to make peace with others. Catherine had siblings!...

In a recent panel designed to think through how best to reach Millennials (adults aged 18 to 37 in 2021) held in Arizona, the following research findings about their emotional and mental health, which hinder relationships, were discussed: Most Millennials say they are dissatisfied with their intimate and peer relationships.  In fact, when it comes...

Samuel Morse died 150 years ago, on 2nd April 1872. The American artist and inventor is best known for developing a commercial single-wire telegraph system – and the Morse Code, with his friend Alfred Vail. He was born in 1791 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the son of Calvinist preacher and geographer Jedidiah Morse. He found a...

Two donkeys were walking the streets of Jerusalem. One said: “Just a few days ago I came down that hill carrying Jesus, and the people were all singing and shouting and throwing down their cloaks and palms for me to walk on. But today they don’t even recognise me.” The other donkey replied: “That is...

‘April is the cruellest month,’ wrote TS Eliot at the beginning of his magisterial poem, The Wasteland. And it is a good description of what April may bring us, between the war in Ukraine and soaring energy prices. But apparently, major problems do not mean that we can’t enjoy anything. According to the ‘science of...

Editor:  As the church year does not change, much of this material has appeared before.  New material is marked with an asterisk. 1          St David’s Day (two options) 1          SHROVE TUESDAY, Pancake Day 2          ASH WEDNESDAY, mourning our sins 2          ASH WEDNESDAY, a good time to admit you are sorry 2          Chad – Bishop of...

guiding the Welsh through turbulent times On 1st March Wales celebrates its patron saint, David – or, in Welsh, Dewi or Dafydd. He is revered wherever Welsh people have settled. As with most figures from the so-called ’Dark Ages’ (he lived in the sixth century), reliable details about his life are scarce, but there are...

time for daffodils 1st March is St David’s Day, and it’s time for the Welsh to wear daffodils or leeks. Shakespeare called this custom ‘an honourable tradition begun upon an honourable request’ – but nobody knows the reason. Why should anyone have ever ‘requested’ that the Welsh wear leeks or daffodils to honour their patron...

– Pancake Day Ever wonder why we eat pancakes just before Lent? The tradition dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when Christians spent Lent in repentance and severe fasting. So on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the church bell would summon them to confession, where they would be ‘shriven’, or absolved from their sins, which gives...

– our sins Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. But why ‘Ash’ Wednesday?  The reason has to do with getting things right between you and God, and the tradition goes right back to the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the Israelites often sinned. When they finally came to their senses, and saw their evil ways as...

All in the month of March The moral turmoil of our times Remembering Aretha Franklin Bob Dylan – 60 years on since his debut album Wear your daffodil to support Marie Curie and the National Day of Reflection Remembering Mothers ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this...

–  you are sorry Have you done something which haunts you?  Which makes you feel restless and defensive, every time you think of it? Why not deal with it this month, and put it behind you? Whatever your mistake has been, consider what the Bible has to say to you: ‘I have not come to...