Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Responding to the recent King’s Speech, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has spoken about the importance of hope at a time of rising hate crime, intimidation and hostility. “The work of integration has never been more urgent. We have witnessed a deeply concerning deterioration in intercommunity relations. I therefore welcome the commitment in the...

A group of Church of England bishops has issued an invitation to Christians to pray for wisdom and love in national life in the face of “division and hatred”. The newly established Bishops’ Working Group for Promoting Unity in our Nation has shared a prayer – which can be used by churches or individuals – speaking of...

 Osmund is the saint for you if you like cathedrals, or if you have ever met the dean, precentor, chancellor or treasurer of one. Why? Because nearly 1,000 years ago, it was St Osmund who first invented all those roles, and it was he who also decreed that a cathedral is to be the ‘mother...

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...

The Good News of Christ needs to be shared, Pope Leo says in a video message recently launched for the worldwide Thy Kingdom Come (TKC) international prayer movement. Christ is “everything” for us and in Him we find fullness of life and its meaning, the Pope said. “In Him, we find the fullness of life...

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...

Church of England congregations saw their fifth year of growth in a row in 2025 with steady increases in weekly and Sunday attendance and strong growth in Christmas and Easter services, an early snapshot of official figures shows. Overall, there were an estimated 1.023 million regular worshippers across Church of England congregations last year, up...

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...

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...

Guidance on applying to a new Government grants fund for listed places of worship to help pay for capital works including fabric repairs and essential improvements, such as electrical upgrades, heating, toilets and step-free access, has recently been published. The Places of Worship Renewal Fund, for listed places of worship, was launched with details of...

It is easy to understand the popularity of Mary Magdalene over the centuries: she is the patron saint both of repentant sinners and of the contemplative life. Jesus drove seven demons from Mary, who came from near Tiberius in Galilee.  She became His follower to the bitter end.  She followed Him to Jerusalem and was...

Sea Sunday – 12th July Head of the Ukrainian church prays for his people What the PM said to the Archbishop God and the Americans – 250 years on Church Commissioners warn of uncertainties ahead The 16th century Bible that may have saved the Welsh language Christians are suffering “immense pressure and emotional trauma” in...