Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Where do you go on your summer travels?  If you enjoy including a Christian element to your trips, such as making a pilgrimage, or visiting places rich in Christian history, then St. Willibald (d. 876) is the saint for you this month.  He was one of the most widely travelled Anglo-Saxons of his time. Willibald...

St Benedict (c.480 – c.550) was an abbot and author of the famous Rule that bears his name.  Because of his Rule, Benedict is also the Patriarch of Western Monasticism, and Patron Saint of Europe. Surprisingly little is known about his life.  Born at Nursia, Benedict studied at Rome, which he then left before completing...

Sometimes those who suffer are best at helping others in a similar situation.  Discharged from the Venetian army with an incurable leg wound, St Camillus (1550 – 1614) founded a religious order called the Ministers of the Sick (the Camellians).  Both in their Holy Ghost Hospital in Rome, and by travelling to plague-stricken parts of...

Many of us are gardeners, but not many of us are buried in our gardens. Phocus was a fourth century Christian gardener who ran a little guest house in Sinope, on the Black Sea (now part of modern Turkey). He used the produce from his garden to welcome and feed any visitors who came by,...

St Swithun is apparently the saint you can blame for rainy summers.  It is said that if it rains on his special day, 15th July, it will then rain for 40 days after that.  It all began when Swithun was made Bishop of Winchester in 852 by King Ethelwulf of Wessex. It was an important...

Take the book of Samuel in the Bible, add a bit of Luke Skywalker father/son conflict from Star Wars, stir in a dash of Pirates of the Caribbean, and you sort of have the story of St Helier – the first saint and martyr of Jersey. According to the legend, it all began in 6th...

Do you have a sister?  Is she ‘good news’ in your life?   Macrina the Younger (c. 327 -79) should be the patron saint of all ‘sisters’ whose generosity helps their siblings to succeed. Macrina the Younger was the eldest of 10 children.  Their father was Basil the Elder, a leader in the church in 4th...

As the traditional Easter story is remembered again this month, you may notice that there is one name that frequently occurs. It is that of the ‘other’ Mary – not the mother of Jesus but Mary of Magdala, who stood by her at the cross and became the first human being, male or female, actually...

Russian church leader defends war C of E has good skills, says new bishop Church Mission Society refreshes its vision Trends in Persecution Eritrean Christians mark 20 years of church closures Drought in East Africa Debt leaves you so lonely ** Russian church leader defends war Patriarch Krill of Moscow recently again defended the Russian...

Later this month Christians all over the world will commemorate probably the most unlikely saint in the Bible, Mary Magdalene. There was something in her background that has always fascinated people. All we are told about her ‘past’ is that Jesus had cast ‘seven devils’ out of her, but on that slender if intriguing evidence...

Miscellaneous observations on our faith… Before we can pray, ‘Thy kingdom come’, we must be willing to pray, ‘My kingdom go’. – Alan Redpath Practice is the soul of knowledge.  –Thomas Adams Let us beware of feeling that unless we personally are up and doing, the Lord is not at work.  – John Blanchard  Never...

All in the month of JULY Sea Sunday – 10th July The beginning of Islam The beginning of genetics Reaching the deepest place on earth Royal International Air Tattoo – 15th to 17th July National ‘Don’t Step on a Bee’ Day – 10th July ** Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates...