Viewing all items in Resource Category: Holy Days

31st July           St Joseph of Arimathea – the man who buried Jesus Have you ever suffered from gossip?  Ever discovered that people are saying some really wild things about you?   If so, Joseph of Arimathea would understand – and sympathise with you.   This decent, godly man of the gospels seems to have fired the...

High Days & Holy Days for June 1          Justin Martyr – first ever Christian philosopher 2          Erasmus – a good saint for when you’re all at sea 3          The Martyrs of Uganda 4          Petroc – the abbot of Padstow 6          Gudwal – the first Christian in Brittany? 8          William of York – victim of...

Canon David Winter considers the first British martyr…. Alban was the very first Christian martyr in Britain – or at least the first we know of. A ‘martyr’ is someone who has died for the faith – the word literally means ‘witness’. He was probably killed during the persecution under the emperor Diocletian in the...

Justin Martyr is regarded as the first ever Christian philosopher.  He was born at Nablus, Samaria, to parents of Greek origin, and was well educated in rhetoric, poetry and history before he turned to philosophy.  He studied at Ephesus and Alexandria and tried the schools of the Stoics, the Pythagoreans, and the Platonists.  Then in...

On June 22nd the Church remembers St Alban, who was put to death on that day in 250AD, on the site of the town in Hertfordshire that now bears his name and  has a splendid cathedral which houses his shrine. Christianity was struggling to survive in third century Britain under Roman rule. In the middle...

Do you like messing about in boats?  If so, then you’ll have heard of St Elmo’s Fire. It is the light that is sometimes seen on mastheads of boats after storms at sea. St Elmo is another name for St Erasmus, a fourth century Syrian bishop who was not afraid of violent storms.  Legend has...

John the Baptist is famous for baptising Jesus, and for losing his head to a woman. He was born to Zechariah, a Temple priest, and Elizabeth, who was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  John was born when his mother was advanced in years, and after the foretelling of his birth and the...

The Ugandan Church had dozens of martyrs within just ten years of Christianity arriving there.   At first, it had gone so well:  the first Anglican missionaries arriving in Uganda in 1877 were welcomed by the Kabaka (king) of Buganda, Mutesa.  Mutesa also welcomed the Roman Catholics and Muslim Arabs, and, being a natural diplomat, retained...

The two most famous apostles are remembered this month, for they share a feast day. St Peter (d. c. 64AD) St Peter (d. c. 64AD), originally called Simon, was a married fisherman from Bethsaida, near the Sea of Galilee.  He met Jesus through his brother, Andrew.  Jesus gave him the name of Cephas (Peter) which...

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...

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...

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. ...