Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

If you are going to Cornwall this summer in search of peace and quiet, Petroc is the saint for you.   Especially if you find Padstow a bit too crowded for your liking!  He would have sympathised. This 6th century abbot is Cornwall’s most famous saint.  Petroc set sail from South Wales, landed at Haylemouth, and...

All in the month of JUNE It was: 200 years ago, on 17th June 1818 that Charles Gounod was born.  This French composer is best known for the well-loved Ave Maria and his operas, notably Faust. 175 years ago, on 26th June 1843 that the Treaty of Nanking came into effect following the First Opium...

If you choose Brittany for your holiday destination this summer, then spare a thought for Gudwal, because this obscure 6th century Celtic abbot got there before you did.  Indeed, Gudwal seems to have liked Brittany so much that he decided to stay on. When you visit Brittany today, you will find Catholic churches everywhere.  Not...

Diary of a Momentous Year:   June 1918 An interesting piece from the archives of the Church Times a few weeks ago vividly illustrates the way the war on the western front changed in 1918. For years the Church Army, like the Salvation Army, had run what they called ‘huts’, close behind the trenches, where soldiers...

Have you ever been the victim of someone else’s malice and ambition?  Then William of York (d 1154) is the saint for you.  William Fitzherbert was born into a noble family, with royal connections.  He was also smart – appointed treasurer of York at a young age, and also as a chaplain to King Stephen. ...

Emmeline Pankhurst – leader of the suffragettes Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the British suffragette movement, died 90 years ago, on 14th June 1928. Less than a month later, women were given equal voting rights with men. Born in Moss Side, Manchester, in 1858, she helped found the militant Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903,...

2013 marked the 1450th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the UK.  It was brought by St Columba from Ireland to Iona – a tiny island off Mull, in the Western Highlands. Columba was born in Donegal of the royal Ui Neill clan, and trained as a monk.  He founded the monasteries of Derry...

Get on your bike! It seems that cycling is great for keeping old age at bay, and it also rejuvenates the immune system. A recent study has found that cyclists do better at preserving their muscle mass and strength with age, while maintaining stable levels of body fat and cholesterol.  The study was done at...

Are you going to Cyprus on holiday this year?  If so, spare a thought for the Cypriot who played such a key role in the New Testament. He was Joseph, a Jewish Cypriot and a Levite, who is first mentioned in Acts 4:36, when the early church was sharing a communal lifestyle.  Joseph sold a...

No need to cut the grass weekly How often should you cut your grass?  That depends on how much you want to help the bees.  It seems that the ideal ‘gap’ is two weeks.  This helps improve the habitat for the pollinating plants that need bees to survive.  Cutting the grass more often than every...

Editor: 10th May is Ascension Day…. Hail the day that sees him rise To his throne above the skies; Christ, a while to mortals given, Re-ascends his native heaven. Charles Wesley Astronauts sink into insignificance beside this ascension!  V Havner Christ was taken up into heaven, not to enjoy blessed rest at a distance from...

Canterbury monks Signs of the times Applied Law The same yesterday… Telly trouble You asked for it As good as it gets Got it all already Say yes Eve and leaves Oh dear Bank Holiday break Dudley Editor:  Some miscellaneous one-liners …  ** Canterbury monks My boyfriend was working as an attendant in Canterbury Cathedral...