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The English have a patron saint who isn’t English, about whom next to nothing is known for sure, and who, just possibly, may not have existed at all. But that didn’t stop St George being patriotically invoked in many battles, notably at Agincourt and in the Crusades, and of course it is his cross that...

It was 250 years ago, on 23rd April 1775, that ground-breaking British artist J M W Turner was born. The London-born watercolourist and printmaker transformed the established methods of painting, sweeping aside classical preoccupations of form and order. Joseph Mallord William Turner, known in his time as William Turner, was a child prodigy born to...

Have you seen the film How to Train your Dragon? It’s set in a Viking village under attack from dragons, who steal livestock and burn down houses. Hiccup, the village Chief’s son, invents a machine to capture dragons. However, when he catches one of the most dangerous dragons, he cannot kill it, when he sees...

Young men don’t like being told that they give you the ‘ick’ feeling. The ‘ick’ word describes a feeling or disgust or repulsion at a specific behaviour. It was popular slang until last year, when it entered the Cambridge Dictionary. The word is currently very popular with young women, who use it across social media...

The Saint of an English Army before he was Patron Saint of England, St George may have been a soldier, but he was no Englishman. Some stories say that he was an officer in the Roman army under Diocletian, who refused to abandon his faith during the Terror, and was martyred at Lydda in Palestine...

“Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe it.” (John 20: 25) How patient Jesus was, in giving ‘Doubting Thomas’ a second chance!  Earlier, the risen Christ had said to His disciples, “Peace be with you!”...

The C of E is providing a £2 million grant to the Clergy Support Trust, an independent, national charity which supports clergy with financial, health and wellbeing needs. Last year it provided more than 6,300 such grants, equalling financial support to 22% of serving Church of England clergy. The grants covered the basics of daily life, such as...

Your Easter egg can be traced back to the early Church in Mesopotamia. Since ancient times, people had been giving each other eggs at pagan Spring festivals, as eggs were a symbol of the new life and rebirth in nature all around them. Then came Jesus and His death and resurrection, which made Easter the...

Sadly – a problem that is far too heavy for their young shoulders, but which can cripple them with anxiety: climate change. ‘Eco-anxiety’ now affects nearly four out of five children, according to a recent YouGov survey. And, increasingly, teachers are struggling to cope with the rising numbers of pupils who confess they are really...

Our present bishops have big troubles within the Church. Mellitus had big troubles outside the Church. It all began quietly enough in Rome, where Mellitus was born into a noble family, and became abbot of a monastic community. Then in 601 Pope Gregory the Great sent him to help Augustine, who had arrived in Canterbury...

After North Korea, where in the world is it most dangerous to be a Christian? The World Watch List puts Somalia in second place. In the entire country there are only hundreds of Christians, almost all from a Muslim background. As under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, being Muslim is a huge part of Somali identity,...

Applications for grants to fund the conservation of special church objects such as stained glass, paintings, bells, organs and clocks in churches have been opened. They are part of an expanded £5 million scheme administered by the C of E. Parishes are invited to apply for such grants towards the conservation of their historical and cultural...