Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

The Church of England has warmly welcomed the announcement by Pope Francis that John Henry Newman is to be canonised later this year. Newman, a former Anglican priest who became a Roman Catholic in 1845 – midway through his life – and eventually a Cardinal, is regarded as one of the most influential figures from...

St Ceolfrith is a good patron saint for anyone who has studied hard for their profession, is strong in the face of tragedy, and who can also offer some homely care to others in need. This well-loved abbot of Wearmouth and Jarrow came from a noble Northumbrian family, and was ordained at Ripon when he...

You are the editor of a local magazine or website, and are contacted by some people who want you to use some of their photographs. There’s the proud uncle whose nephew has just won a competition at a uniformed organisation for baking a cake. His wife took a photo of the entrants and the winning...

By Paul Hutchinson and Padraig O Tuama, Canterbury Press, £12.99  Corrymeela – a Christian community committed to reconciliation, is bounded by bells. Twice a day – morning and evening – a large bell sounds out over the site. This is a call to attention, a call to pause, a space to reflect on God, self,...

The world of ‘prayer bots’ goes largely unremarked, but it is growing fast.  Now three researchers at the University of Oxford have made some surprising findings. For example, millions of Muslims are using online robots to post prayers automatically on social media.  Just one site alone is uploading 1.9 million messages a day, mostly from...

Very few people stand out as being incredibly good, but Vincent de Paul was one of them.  His life touched thousands of people, who were helped and inspired by his love and kindness. Vincent de Paul was born in 1581 to a Gascon peasant family at Ranquine. Educated by the Franciscans and then at Toulouse...

We’ve certainly had a summer of sport, too much, some will say, while others of us simply indulge in the cricket, football and then Wimbledon. Truly the ball has had its day! One side product of international sport is national anthems. Don’t think I’ve ever heard so many at anytime in my life. And to...

Millions of people have been displaced, as monsoon rains cause extreme flooding and devastation in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The most vulnerable have been hit the hardest. Children are particularly affected, with widespread damage and closure to primary schools. Shivani Rani, Christian Aid’s Emergency Programme Officer for South Asia, said: “Huge numbers of families have been...

What really gets a woman remembered?  Loved? Respected? Lioba the abbess of Bischofsheim is the patron saint for any woman who wants to make the most of her life. Lioba was born in Wessex early in the 8th century.  Her family was noble, her mother was a relative of the monk Boniface (the Billy Graham...

The number of students opting to do theology and religious studies at university has almost halved in just six years. More than 14,000 were enrolled in 2011-12, but that fell to 7,585 by 2017-18, putting the degrees at some risk of disappearing from university curriculums. Prof Diarmaid MacCulloch, an expert in church history at the...

All in the month of SEPTEMBER First time around the world – 500 years ago Marks & Spencer – celebrating 125 years 65 years of science at CERN Why your garden needs an old sink Give nature two hours a week The reason behind food allergies? We are killing off the plants as well Where...

St Michael is an archangel, whose name means ‘who is like unto God?’  He makes various appearances throughout the Bible, from the book of Daniel to the Book of Revelation.  In Daniel, he is ‘one of the princes’ of the heavenly host, and the special guardian of Israel.  In Revelation, he is the principal fighter...