Viewing all items in Resource Category: Holy Days

Captain Allen Gardiner is a saint for anyone who refuses to give up on their calling.  For this courageous and indomitable man founded what became the South American Mission Society, though he sacrificed his own life in the process. Gardiner had not started out to be a missionary.  Born in 1794, he had left Berkshire to...

In both eastern and western Churches, Mary has always been held as pre-eminent among all the saints. The unique, extraordinary privilege of being the mother of the One who was both God and Man, makes her worthy of special honour.  Thomas Aquinas believed she was due hyperdulia, or a veneration that exceeds that of other...

Here is a saint for anyone with a social conscience.  Claver was born in 1581 near Barcelona at Verdu, and at 20 became a Jesuit.  He went as a missionary to New Granada and worked to alleviate the terrible suffering of the slaves who arrived from West Africa, caged like animals.  (It was said that...

On this, the 17th anniversary of the Twin Towers, we remember two innocent people who also met their death in the flames of mindless violence.  These were Roman martyrs mentioned in the 4th century list of martyrs.  Hyacinth’s tomb was discovered in the cemetery of Basilla, with his name and the date of his burial...

St Deiniol was a 6th century monk of Wales who came to be the ‘first bishop of Bangor’.  And a mighty bishop he was, too: Deiniol founded the two monasteries of Bangor Fawr (on the Menai Straits) and Bangor Iscoed (Clwyd), which, according to Bede, became the most famous monastery of British Christianity and came...

John Chrysostom (347 – 407) is the saint for anyone who applies their Christianity to public life, and also for anyone who hates travelling in bad weather.  Chrysostom did both, and had trouble both times. Born into a wealthy home in Antioch, John Chrysostom studied both oratory and law.  In 373 he became a monk,...

On Holy Cross Day the Church celebrates the Cross as a symbol of triumph, as the sign of Christ’s victory over death.   Holy Cross Day goes right back to 14 September 335, and we have the mother of a Roman Emperor to thank for it. Helena was a devout Christian, and after her son, Constantine,...

Teaching people to ‘tithe’ can be a delicate matter.  Some clergy teach ‘tithing’ well, and inspire their people to great generosity of spirit.   Other clergy teach ‘tithing’ at least well enough, and get their people’s sluggish cooperation. But – there are clergy who teach ‘tithing’ badly – and then, watch out!   St Adam (bishop 1213...

Have you ever sinned since you became a Christian?  Really sinned – or in other words done something that was SO wrong and totally ‘out of line’ with being a Christian that you are still ashamed when you think of it now.  If so, and if you went on to ask God’s forgiveness for it,...

Ninian was a Celt who was born about 360, in southern Scotland.  He was remarkable for two things:  he was almost certainly the first man in Scotland to live in a little white stone house, and also the first to preach the gospel to the Scots.   Just as remarkable:  becoming the apostle to the Picts...

Joseph of Copertino (1603 – 63) should be the patron saint of all awkward people who mean well, but who drive those around them to distraction – especially their church leaders. Joseph began life in a garden shed, because his father had sold the house to pay debts.  Then he grew up wandering about open-mouthed...

Theodore had several things in common with Justin Welby: despite living in troubled times, and in the aftermath of a severe national plague, he made extensive tours of his archbishopric, spoke at many Synods, and worked tirelessly to unite the bickering factions of the Church in England. But, unlike Justin Welby, Theodore did not start...