Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

This month is the 501th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, and so a good time to pay tribute to an outstanding English scholar, translator and martyr of the Reformation. William Tyndale (c. 1494 – 6th October 1536) was born near Gloucester, and studied at Oxford and Cambridge.  He could speak seven languages, and...

Demetrius of Sirmium should be the patron saint of anyone who takes a stand for the right, despite knowing they will suffer for it. Demetrius was a soldier from Serbia in the fourth century.  He fought for the Roman Emperor, and that took courage.  Then Demetrius converted to Christianity – and took his stand with...

Do you want your life to make a difference – for the good – in this world?  Then Luis Bertran (1526-81) is the saint for you.   This fearless Dominican priest so inspired tens of thousands of people in Latin America that he was chosen as patron of Columbia. Luis Bertran was born at Valencia in...

Have you ever held your head in your hands and felt that events were against you? Then Denys is the saint for you.  This Christian martyr knew all about holding his head in his hands when times got rough. According to Gregory of Tours, Denys was an Italian bishop who became the first bishop of...

Here is a saint for you if you have lost the person you love.  Here is a saint for you if you would not let your wealth and security stop you from doing something daringly good with your life. Francis Borgia (1510 – 72) certainly began with it ‘all’.  He was the son of a...

Thomas Traherne (1636 – 1674) is a good saint for anyone who loves our planet, and who wants to preserve Creation.   This 17th century poet and clergyman wrote extensively about his love for nature, seeing in it a reflection of the glory of God. Traherne was not of a literary family, for his father was...

James the Deacon is the saint for any lay person who has stepped in to lead their church when the clergy are far away. In fact, an historian has called James the Deacon ‘the one heroic figure’ in the Roman mission to Northumbria. No wonder – in a time of political chaos, with the king...

Elizabeth Fry had endless compassion and endless energy – and together with a steadfast determination to do God’s work, this outstanding philanthropist became one of the foremost promoters of prison reform – not just in Britain, but in all of Europe. Elizabeth was born in 1780, far from any prison. The family lived in Norwich,...

Autumn bazaar law Forgive the wasps A very modern problem with driving after dark Why walking a small dog may win a woman’s heart Nurseries under threat One reason for heavier flooding in suburbia and urban areas ‘Ban car sat navs in lorries to stop them getting stuck One in five puppies ‘falling ill or...

The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren After all these years, who would have believed it: to have my own book printed!  I must admit, I had imagined a leather-bound volume with gold leaf lettering on the spine – perhaps even titled ‘Volume One’, implying future delights when further work would appear....

If you approve of giving money to help cathedrals survive, then Edward the Confessor (1003 – 66) is the saint for you.  This early King of England was the virtual founder of Westminster Abbey.  And never mind entrance charges –   at one point in his life, Edward was giving a full tenth of his income...

‘… from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales… and it was distributed to anyone who had need…’ Acts 4:33-35 Imagine someone in your church is ‘decluttering’ their home, and soon fills up a box with unwanted items. Then they offer it to you, to...