Introduction The period between the fall of Rome and the emergence of mediaeval European culture has come to be called the Dark Ages. For schoolchildren in Ireland it’s really where the national story begins. The gist of the mythic tale is expressed in a book with the unassuming title “How the Irish Saved Civilisation”, and …

inspiration in your inbox Wednesday 26th April 2023  St Wilgefortis Saint Wilgefortis in the Museum of the Diocese Graz-Seckau in Graz, Austria. Photo by Gugganij, Creative Commons Licence. Information Also known in Britain as St Uncumber, St Wilgefortis became a popular saint in the fourteenth century. A daughter of a pagan Portuguese king and a …

Tuesday 25th April 2023  St Hild of Whitby, abbess (614 – 680) image from CatholicIreland.net Introduction  Hild was an important figure in the Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England, she was abbess at several monasteries and recognised for the wisdom that drew kings to her for advice. The source of information about Hilda is the Ecclesiastical History …

image from https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2018/10/saint-james-deacon.html Introduction  There is a river in north Northumberland near Crookham called Pallinsburn, named after Paulinus, who was a key figure in Pope Gregory the Great’s mission to these islands in the late 6th century, before the monastic community on Holy Island had been conceived.  Working northwards from Canterbury, the Gregorian mission reached …

Sunday Worship from the United Reformed Churchfor Sunday 23 April   Today’s service is led by the Revd Dr Michael Hopkins.   Welcome & Call to Worship Whoever you are, wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. Welcome to this service from the United Reformed Church.  My name is Michael Hopkins, I’m minister of group of …

inspiration in your inbox Saturday 22 April 2023 St Oscar Romero    Arzobispado de San Salvador; Congregatio de Causis Sanctorum – https://anep.or.cr/media/uploads/fotos/cyclope1_sin_cat/Romeroao4282_big.png, Public Domain,  Information  Oscar Romero (15 August 1917 – 24 March 1980) was a Catholic priest and bishop in El Salvador.  In 1980, Romero was shot by an assassin while celebrating Mass.   Romero …

Introduction St Colmcille (in Irish meaning ‘Dove of the Church’) is a person of multiple names, many legends and – we might even say – different sanctities. Born in 521 in Gartan, County Donegal, to a wealthy family associated with the powerful O’Neills. Some say his given name at birth was “Crimthann”, meaning a “fox”. …

Thursday 20 April 2023  St Elisabeth the Wonderworker  Icon of St Elizabeth the Wonderworkerfrom the Orthodox Church of America’s website, http://oca.org/ and used with their kind permission. Introduction  Born around the fifth century in Heraklea, St Elisabeth the Wonderworker showed early signs of holiness. By the age of three she could recite the lives of …