tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65612490049665229832024-03-19T02:22:54.321+00:00Patrick ComerfordPATRICK COMERFORD: an online journal on Anglicanism, theology, spirituality, history, architecture, travel, poetry, beach walks ... and morePatrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.comBlogger9869125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-60203353142628579042024-03-18T18:30:00.063+00:002024-03-18T20:13:45.088+00:00Two years after a stroke, my eyes have not dimmed and my vigour has not diminished<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZXst9F1bRTIiCBwMmoeNK6b0a95bqhYqxYPfWzf0qXDGUSDEbisNwaeRhhODxhU_2spTFGAJd42jIU5bNgCZGjXbEgNvDoAtz32LIXjHK2goH4luO9b8PLhwJXtzJFCQR5IlgUHBMZfqgqIvWCumRpS9zobMeTXPK04E_-refidHRfe0MdcFz_uVmQU/s1243/Magnolia%20Tree,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZXst9F1bRTIiCBwMmoeNK6b0a95bqhYqxYPfWzf0qXDGUSDEbisNwaeRhhODxhU_2spTFGAJd42jIU5bNgCZGjXbEgNvDoAtz32LIXjHK2goH4luO9b8PLhwJXtzJFCQR5IlgUHBMZfqgqIvWCumRpS9zobMeTXPK04E_-refidHRfe0MdcFz_uVmQU/s400/Magnolia%20Tree,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The blossoming magnolia tree in Milton Keynes Hospital offered fresh hope for health, renewal and new life in the week after my stroke two years ago (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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It is two years today since I suffered a stroke in Milton Keynes on 18 March 2022. At the time, I was on leave from parish ministry in the Diocese of Limerick for compassionate and personal reasons, and I was spending Saint Patrick’s Weekend in Milton Keynes when I had that stroke, unexpectedly and without any warning.<br />
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Charlotte and I went back to the hospital this afternoon, to see the magnolia tree that gave me hope in the days and weeks immmediately after that stroke, and to thank each other for the life, health and love that we have enjoyed in the two years since then.<br />
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I was admitted to Milton Keynes Hospital immediately after the stroke, and spent two weeks in hospitals, first in Milton Keynes and then from 29 March in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Since that AVM, I have been back to Milton Keynes Hospital for a number of check-ups and consultations, and to Sheffield Hospital for a consultation and overnight for a ‘Gamma Knife’ procedure.<br />
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While I was in hospital in Milton Keynes, I was also diagnosed with Covid-19 – for the first time. This did not stop Charlotte visiting me in hospital every day, and eventually, when I was allowed out of isolation, I also took hope for health, renewal and new life from the blossoming magnolia in one of the hospital courtyards, where we sat each afternoon on three consecutive afternoons, sipping coffee and planning our future.<br />
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The consequences of that stroke were extensive and far-reaching, beyond the hospital procedures and stays. I had already decided that I was going to retire from parish ministry after that Easter, although I had not yet made any public announcement.<br />
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While I was in hospital in Milton Keynes, in advance of being moved to Oxford, I realised I was not going to return to parish ministry in Co Limerick and Co Kerry before my planned retirement date. I agreed with the Dean of Limerick as commissary of the diocese that I would take early retirement at the end of that month, on 31 March 2022.<br />
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I was moved to the John Radcliffe Hospital on 29 March and able to leave on 1 April. After another overnight stay in Oxford, I returned to Milton Keynes two weeks after I was first taken to hospital with that stroke.<br />
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I eventually moved into a flat in Stony Stratford in early April 2022, and have been living here ever since. I have returned to Ireland four or five times each year for family visits, for research on chapters for books, for interviews with a television station in Montenegro, to meet family members and friends, and I even missed a flight to attend a book launch in Dublin.<br />
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In many ways, these have not been two easy years. But there have been many joys too, and Charlotte and I got married last November in Camden Town Hall and Southwark Cathedral. Apart from those visits to Ireland, there have been return visits to Lichfield and Tamworth, visits to York and Sheffield, visits to Hungary and Finland on behalf of the Anglican mission agency USPG, and visits to Venice and Prague and a delayed – although brief – honeymoon in Paris.<br />
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I am continuing to write for books, journals, magazines and newspapers, I have now settled down into a flat overlooking the High Street in Stony Stratford – I have mused already on how I could say that over the span of over 50 years it has been a move from one High Street to another, from High Street in Wexford to High Street in Stony Stratford.<br />
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There have been continuing consultations with the hospitals in Milton Keynes, Oxford and Sheffield as a follow-up to my stroke two years ago. I had another check-up on my Vitamin B12 levels two weeks ago, and I have another hospital appointment in Milton Keynes next week. At 72, I may not quite be in rude health. But my distant ‘cousin’<a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2023/06/kevin-martin-my-distant-cousin-and.html"> Kevin Martin</a>, who died last year (14 June 2023), would greet me on my birthdays with the traditional Jewish greeting of <i>‘ad meah v’esrim’</i>, ‘may you live until 120!’ (עד מאה ועשרים שנה).<br />
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Deuteronomy recalls that Moses lived to be 120, at which age ‘his eye had not dimmed, and his vigour had not diminished’ (Deuteronomy 34: 7). Great rabbis of the Talmud, including Hillel, Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, all lived to 120 as well. The blessing carries the implication that the receiver should retain full mental and physical faculties to the end of life.<br />
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With those implications, living until I am 120 does not sound so bad a prospect at all. Another half century after my stroke in 2022, and yet another half century after moving into High Street, Wexford, in the early 1970s, may not be so dim or distant a prospect; it might be a real blessing with the love, care and attention I have been receiving over the past two years.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9EdlOw4qYBR6s3PYZgh4r1paL_g5_yq-nv38f9lASuyySQCkTjxzVmnSKpbNs4hP4wE3TdnxicDQCvaFTomNPGn2KYSWnkRB96yom5JaWRQOWZeTb4A4QmgVESQgHZzLPk-bZk65n-Iu9oH-cqbrYZ6cT9e-MblKuJq_wWP05WSYk7epnL_I2zZY/s842/Milton%20Keynes%20Hospital%202,%20Charlotte%20Hunter,%202022.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9EdlOw4qYBR6s3PYZgh4r1paL_g5_yq-nv38f9lASuyySQCkTjxzVmnSKpbNs4hP4wE3TdnxicDQCvaFTomNPGn2KYSWnkRB96yom5JaWRQOWZeTb4A4QmgVESQgHZzLPk-bZk65n-Iu9oH-cqbrYZ6cT9e-MblKuJq_wWP05WSYk7epnL_I2zZY/s400/Milton%20Keynes%20Hospital%202,%20Charlotte%20Hunter,%202022.JPG"/></a></div><i>Coffee under the magnolia tree in Milton Keynes Hospital in the week after my stroke two years ago (Photograph: Charlotte Hunter)</i><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-18673383800169231132024-03-18T06:30:00.036+00:002024-03-18T06:30:00.136+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 34, 18 March 2024, Saint Anselm of Canterbury<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Nw0dDv1zWn2NZ409ZE54T8EMPpuWRHFX8QuxVlwmlbYaiay2bolCBfrJuyLZGFjSVa_PB2amvhwtZp7NsP79Y7dqVy0ch4g24s3752Qcz64-s0LdPhLij14gk-ZVf3cKCkRxFyyt2VvBmZJhbPnTmPUEdG7DpLRzf9SOhCY_1QFNzr7pgUD4WAfrO38/s890/Saint%20Anselm,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202018.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Nw0dDv1zWn2NZ409ZE54T8EMPpuWRHFX8QuxVlwmlbYaiay2bolCBfrJuyLZGFjSVa_PB2amvhwtZp7NsP79Y7dqVy0ch4g24s3752Qcz64-s0LdPhLij14gk-ZVf3cKCkRxFyyt2VvBmZJhbPnTmPUEdG7DpLRzf9SOhCY_1QFNzr7pgUD4WAfrO38/s400/Saint%20Anselm,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202018.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Anselm depicted in Westminster Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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Passiontide – the last two weeks of Lent – began yesterday, the Fifth Sunday in Lent (Lent V), also known as Passion Sunday. Today, the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i> remembers the life of Saint Cyril (386), Bishop of Jerusalem, Teacher of the Faith.<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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Today, I am remembering that it is two years today since I suffered a stroke in Milton Keynes on 18 March 2022. But, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks for life and love, for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
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<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
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<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
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<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9UNRQvQHSeTmIxnz1NjOrG1o84ljak4KcmSnr-p5LvBDHBQh5KbWh76ykLevCrAD1bXrdxwSqkLnWJebw5w6IyFyuaYu2osaV8UgJU1CH8Xuqc0vNkVAq20fdU6jhGTko4LXLVMgOdgNUH_cA2jgGAWu3NFjp0ULHt02dCQWSWiOoTGw8UBgM8MM48sc/s827/Saint%20Anselm,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9UNRQvQHSeTmIxnz1NjOrG1o84ljak4KcmSnr-p5LvBDHBQh5KbWh76ykLevCrAD1bXrdxwSqkLnWJebw5w6IyFyuaYu2osaV8UgJU1CH8Xuqc0vNkVAq20fdU6jhGTko4LXLVMgOdgNUH_cA2jgGAWu3NFjp0ULHt02dCQWSWiOoTGw8UBgM8MM48sc/s400/Saint%20Anselm,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Anselm depicted in the window above the High Altar in Saint Dunstan-in-the-West Church, Fleet Street, London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 34, Saint Anselm of Canterbury</b><br />
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Saint Anselm (1109) of Canterbury is remembered in <i>Common Worship</i> on 21 April as Abbot of Le Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury and Teacher of the Faith, 1109.<br />
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Saint Anselm was born in Aosta, northern Italy, in 1033. As a young man, he left home and travelled north, visiting many monasteries and other centres of learning. One of his visits was to the abbey of Le Bec, where he met Lanfranc, who advised him to embrace monastic life.<br />
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Anselm had a powerful and original mind and, during his 34 years at Bec (as monk, prior and finally abbot), he taught many others and wrote theological, philosophical and devotional works.<br />
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When Lanfranc died Anselm was made Archbishop of Canterbury and had to subordinate his scholarly work to the needs of the diocese and nation. When Queen Matilda, wife of King Henry I, founded the Priory of the Holy Trinity, also known as Christchurch Aldgate, for the Austin canons or Black Canons <i>ca</i> 1108, she was advised and helped by Saint Anselm.<br />
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Twice he endured exile for championing the rights of the Church against the authority of the king. But, despite his stubbornness, intellectual rigour, and personal austerity, he was admired by the Norman nobility as well as much loved by his monks. He died in 1109.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbxodJORpqNILvRRe5l8MQuc7UKxU7gjdgSaDcPK5ZS26egR3pZJboNgaYVnKrHmnLxUaS3Zvd6Tc69GBu21GaJxNLisp3m7mGIlWNteQQHD08SbUpLyo0yh0TxRlie-e81HXrGdArrENos7UmPSfmQf3LsbIwoxARAfHgUfEJvd0yPfnKTTtvCAUjDw/s827/St%20Dunstan%20Fleet%20Street%209,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbxodJORpqNILvRRe5l8MQuc7UKxU7gjdgSaDcPK5ZS26egR3pZJboNgaYVnKrHmnLxUaS3Zvd6Tc69GBu21GaJxNLisp3m7mGIlWNteQQHD08SbUpLyo0yh0TxRlie-e81HXrGdArrENos7UmPSfmQf3LsbIwoxARAfHgUfEJvd0yPfnKTTtvCAUjDw/s400/St%20Dunstan%20Fleet%20Street%209,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Anselm (third from left), with Archbishop Lanfranc, Saint Dunstan and Archbishop Langton depicted in the window above the High Altar in Saint Dunstan-in-the-West Church, Fleet Street, London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>John 8: 1-11 (NRSVA):</b><br />
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1 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4 they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ 6 They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ 11 She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFltH88-AH3xxsOjr5TkfPE83KXawEDsT39rxDATGOUnjl-eYuIMnXyVa2OzWl458uVV_DswyOoo71G_AMMS1PuJCxjIk5xrguNa7BZfrHW-b-4zRYHjQZsDOeNkdkZq_FRDiGwpirJXRVANw9_fwLYfztiZhjcdn66sjb0w5FuDzBm8VT5g1CmnRZA1w/s1488/Pebbles,%20Robin%20Hoods%20Bay,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Yorkshire,%202023.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFltH88-AH3xxsOjr5TkfPE83KXawEDsT39rxDATGOUnjl-eYuIMnXyVa2OzWl458uVV_DswyOoo71G_AMMS1PuJCxjIk5xrguNa7BZfrHW-b-4zRYHjQZsDOeNkdkZq_FRDiGwpirJXRVANw9_fwLYfztiZhjcdn66sjb0w5FuDzBm8VT5g1CmnRZA1w/s400/Pebbles,%20Robin%20Hoods%20Bay,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Yorkshire,%202023.jpg"/></a></div><i>‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone’ (John 8: 7) … rocks, stone and pebbles on the shoreline at Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Monday 18 March 2024):</b ><br />
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The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Lent Reflection: True repentance is the key to Christian Freedom.’ This theme was introduced yesterday by the Revd Dr Simon Ro, Dean of Graduate School of Theology at Sungkonghoe (Anglican) University, Seoul, Korea.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (18 March 2024) invites us to pray reflecting on these words:<br />
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As yesterday was Saint Patrick’s Day, let us pray for the Church of Ireland and give thanks for the life and legacy of Saint Patrick.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Most merciful God,<br />
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ<br />
delivered and saved the world:<br />
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross<br />
we may triumph in the power of his victory;<br />
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
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Lord Jesus Christ,<br />
you have taught us<br />
that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters<br />
we do also for you:<br />
give us the will to be the servant of others<br />
as you were the servant of all,<br />
and gave up your life and died for us,<br />
but are alive and reign, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
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Gracious Father,<br />
you gave up your Son<br />
out of love for the world:<br />
lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,<br />
that we may know eternal peace<br />
through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,<br />
Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Collect on the Eve of Joseph of Nazareth:</b>
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God our Father,<br />
who from the family of your servant David<br />
raised up Joseph the carpenter<br />
to be the guardian of your incarnate Son<br />
and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary:<br />
give us grace to follow him<br />
in faithful obedience to your commands;<br />
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0775378266.html">Saint Osmund of Salisbury</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> Saint William of York<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJpsqZUJF2D9Owoysqdz6UCXbq5OMo4j6SuucNkwSCAK7tDVOhZPIf6yODYA1ERdkDedvLantn-SoLRVtm16zxpz3-YfmF2hrhKD4PKPPmrVDErV2wkE6hV_JmhFE9Id7GcuLh91e3AI/s1470/Site+of+Trinity+Priory%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+London%252C+2020.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJpsqZUJF2D9Owoysqdz6UCXbq5OMo4j6SuucNkwSCAK7tDVOhZPIf6yODYA1ERdkDedvLantn-SoLRVtm16zxpz3-YfmF2hrhKD4PKPPmrVDErV2wkE6hV_JmhFE9Id7GcuLh91e3AI/s400/Site+of+Trinity+Priory%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+London%252C+2020.JPG"/></a></div><i>The ‘Site of the Priory of the Holy Trinity Founded 1108’ in London, founded by Queen Matilda with the advice and help of Saint Anselm (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTel4xx-P3kFTbysGuu1_8hlYAA35ukc7cSdte4VfPsB-_rgdb7p3fbfYixpSXZd1QOeMpfQxqi3OUkLlYOmKU7sX1sy1I3FwnnOQP1CHp_Kuiz7yvfYjTDInDOhBzB-SRdLo71iztnWb907MJR3TW0o9XJJjjvStIuaN-mHB7LTmkqLLEho-Ny6eo/s768/Hospital%20Chapel%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Oxford,%202022.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="744" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTel4xx-P3kFTbysGuu1_8hlYAA35ukc7cSdte4VfPsB-_rgdb7p3fbfYixpSXZd1QOeMpfQxqi3OUkLlYOmKU7sX1sy1I3FwnnOQP1CHp_Kuiz7yvfYjTDInDOhBzB-SRdLo71iztnWb907MJR3TW0o9XJJjjvStIuaN-mHB7LTmkqLLEho-Ny6eo/s400/Hospital%20Chapel%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Oxford,%202022.JPG"/></a></div><i>A blessing in the Chapel of the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, seen shortly after my stroke two years ago (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)</i><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-76360481909442124642024-03-17T18:30:00.020+00:002024-03-17T18:30:00.125+00:00‘Dona Nobis Pacem’: War and Peace in music in Stony Stratford during ‘troubled times’<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9Zz4-F8Zr98ByIu1KYKO_g8R57ZcLiUzaPXL8A0vngC0d4sLQ99De1TUmPH2eP-PQ2RY7fd8dNKDKr5I12ouU-FnZFv8yhcDrnFgf5Bl5FAK6sJuEhKGgZe5AseofOUIWTYuRxZEnVWVL7NTExRpX7HHpdJULQgb2GuxS3d4oTBwEV7gXttxfi1Oda4/s1240/War%20and%20Peace%20SMSG.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9Zz4-F8Zr98ByIu1KYKO_g8R57ZcLiUzaPXL8A0vngC0d4sLQ99De1TUmPH2eP-PQ2RY7fd8dNKDKr5I12ouU-FnZFv8yhcDrnFgf5Bl5FAK6sJuEhKGgZe5AseofOUIWTYuRxZEnVWVL7NTExRpX7HHpdJULQgb2GuxS3d4oTBwEV7gXttxfi1Oda4/s400/War%20and%20Peace%20SMSG.jpg"/></a></div><i>‘War and Peace’ … the MK Chorale Spring Concert in Stony Stratford included Haydn’s ‘Nelson’ Mass and the Vaughan Williams cantata, ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church in Stony Stratford was the venue last night (16 March 2024) for the MK Chorale Spring Concert, ‘War and Peace’. The programme included Haydn’s ‘Nelson’ Mass (<i>Missa in angustilis</i>) and the Vaughan Williams cantata, <i>Dona Nobis Pacem</i>.<br />
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MK Chorale was accompanied on Saturday evening by the Alina Orchestra, conducted by Mark Jordan, and professional soloists, Helen Groves (soprano) and Thom Isherwood (baritone), with Olivia Shotton (alto) and Jacob Cole (tenor). The concert also supported the work of MK Chorale’s charity of the year, Unity MK, a local charity offering practical and emotional support for people experiencing homelessness or who are at crisis point.<br />
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MK Chorale was founded by Hilary Davan Wetton in 1974. It has about 100 members. The patron, Jean Rigby, is a long-time principal with English National Opera, Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera House, and a former Stony Stratford resident.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWBxu2D-otCYuTA2A1GDjxXIqOkhYPsqB4S7rGmHo5dRxxwoirdshGRiYt_EmkrPlvt84v-dL5-ZuCwfkpbgTtRfMRF_CRJtsc9rhS0LbLZZ9YKsXkU15KJjcgPotT2RwoPhtv4eF-A4TfSk14ejbFwKwvEdBfz8GxYjL3U8IZQUbFzoEx2Gt0CoMKUs/s1340/Stony%20War%20and%20Peace,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWBxu2D-otCYuTA2A1GDjxXIqOkhYPsqB4S7rGmHo5dRxxwoirdshGRiYt_EmkrPlvt84v-dL5-ZuCwfkpbgTtRfMRF_CRJtsc9rhS0LbLZZ9YKsXkU15KJjcgPotT2RwoPhtv4eF-A4TfSk14ejbFwKwvEdBfz8GxYjL3U8IZQUbFzoEx2Gt0CoMKUs/s400/Stony%20War%20and%20Peace,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>MK Chorale in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, Stony Stratford, last night (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Haydn’s reputation was at its peak in 1798 when he wrote his ‘Nelson’ Mass, but his world was in turmoil. Napoleon had won four major battles with Austria in less than a year, his armies had crossed the Alps and threatened Vienna itself, and Napoleon had invaded Egypt to destroy Britain’s trade routes through the Middle East.<br />
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When Haydn finished this Mass, he named it <i>Missa in angustiis</i> (‘Mass for troubled times’). But as he wrote the Mass, Napoleon was dealt a major defeat by Nelson at the Battle of the Nile, and the mass gradually became known as the ‘Nelson Mass’.<br />
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The Mass has six movements: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei, and reaches its climax with the plaintive plea for peace in Latin at the end of Agnus Dei:<br />
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<i>Agnus Dei,<br />
qui tolis peccata mundi,<br />
miserere nobis.<br />
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Agnus Dei,<br />
qui tolis peccata mundi,<br />
miserere nobis.<br />
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Agnus Dei,<br />
qui tolis peccata mundi,<br />
dona nobis pacem</i>.<br />
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Lamb of God<br />
who takes away the sin of the world,<br />
have mercy on us.<br />
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Lamb of God<br />
who takes away the sin of the world,<br />
have mercy on us.<br />
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Lamb of God,<br />
who takes away the sin of the world,<br />
grant us peace.<br />
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Those dramatic, concluding words, <i>dona nobis pacem</i> (‘grant us peace’) prepared the way for the second part of the evening’s programme, <i>Dona Nobis Pacem</i> by Vaughan Williams.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lmKcX6vQ3anfYJ2iXSxmmsGvPRzKxuxj5yD-lxSQkfQH3zf7KPx9py5H-GNz8iauYFlS_U_i_UWq1MXzNOJxBjGVJwTcW3PYeI1mKnONd0my76JAM_-4-sjYCeju98V5gRT-a5T1wOU/s1600/Mount+Melleray+8%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Cappoquin%252C+2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lmKcX6vQ3anfYJ2iXSxmmsGvPRzKxuxj5yD-lxSQkfQH3zf7KPx9py5H-GNz8iauYFlS_U_i_UWq1MXzNOJxBjGVJwTcW3PYeI1mKnONd0my76JAM_-4-sjYCeju98V5gRT-a5T1wOU/s400/Mount+Melleray+8%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Cappoquin%252C+2020.JPG" width="400" height="327" data-original-width="1078" data-original-height="882" /></a></div><i>‘Agnus Dei’ is the first section of the cantata ‘Dona nobis pacem’ … the Lamb of God in a Harry Clarke window in Mount Melleray Abbey, Co Waterford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) wrote <i><a href="https://youtu.be/pmRSuy3zprs">Dona nobis pacem</a></i>, a cantata for soprano and baritone soli, chorus and orchestra, in six continuous sections or movements.<br />
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Although Vaughan Williams is often best-remembered for collecting folk songs that he adapted as hymn tunes, he also wrote many works for chorus and orchestra, selecting and setting great texts for some of his finest works.<br />
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The oratorio <i>Dona nobis pacem</i> dates from the early 1930s and was written as a warning against war as another World War seemed to be looming on the horizons. The texts come from the Mass, the poet Walt Whitman, the Bible, and the politician and anti-war campaigner John Bright.<br />
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The work takes its name from the concluding phrase in the invocation to the Lamb of God sung or recited during the fraction at the Eucharist:<br />
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<i>Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem</i>.<br />
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<i>Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace</i>.<br />
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The opening and closing movements take their names from the opening and closing words of this liturgical prayer, so Vaughan Williams, in this inter-war plea for peace, opens and closes this oratorio with the Paschal invocation of Christ, pleading for the peace that he offers to a broken world.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLS6MRGf5Qxl6Zc68fP50SaU6WNfG0u9uOgnUl7Ikrffq0Y_PyQ6MiUwxQr9iilno1y7iBSz0NBnDg45BtvaLxxADWyzkOooWdVns_5vh1KzjGJbSzeTjnApg9Zj-B4MEk3AhDoOgyy76/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLS6MRGf5Qxl6Zc68fP50SaU6WNfG0u9uOgnUl7Ikrffq0Y_PyQ6MiUwxQr9iilno1y7iBSz0NBnDg45BtvaLxxADWyzkOooWdVns_5vh1KzjGJbSzeTjnApg9Zj-B4MEk3AhDoOgyy76/s400/IMG_0094.JPG"></a></div><i>The spires of Lichfield Cathedral seen from the gates of the Garden of Remembrance in Lichfield … the lettering on the gates says: ‘Pax 1919’ (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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With the current war in Ukraine and the violence in Gaza, Israel and Palestine, that plea – <i>Dona Nobis Pacem</i>, ‘Grant us Peace’ – has a new urgency and a renewed poignancy.<br />
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The first German Zeppelin air raids hit England in January 1915. Vaughan Williams, who was then 42, enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps and was assigned to ambulance duties, working with the wounded on the front lines in Flanders.<br />
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After World War I, Vaughan Williams held to his belief that music was a means to preserve civilisation, even amid war. He formed a military chorus and went on to dedicate his life to teaching others to make music. He promoted a ‘United States of the World’ where ‘those will serve that universal state best who bring into the common fund something that they and they only can bring.’<br />
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His oratorio <i>Sancta Civitas</i>, ‘The Holy City’ (1923-1925) was filled with vision, sadness, and suffering, and the music was ahead of its time in its use of dissonance. His cantata <i>Dona Nobis Pacem</i> has its roots in that earlier oratorio, expressing his anguish over the worsening political situation in Europe that would lead again to war.<br />
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When Vaughan Williams was invited to provide a work for the centenary of the Huddersfield Choral Society in October 1936, he remembered an unpublished setting he had composed for Walt Whitman’s ‘Dirge for Two Veterans,’ a poem in Whitman’s collection <i>Drum Taps</i> (1865), written at the end of the American Civil War.<br />
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He now resurrected this composition as the centrepiece of his new work, preceding it with two further poems by Whitman in <i>Drum Taps</i>, ‘Beat! beat! drums!’ and ‘Reconciliation.’<br />
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He prefaces this group of Whitman poems with a setting of the liturgical text, <i>Agnus Dei</i>, and followed it with a passage from a speech given in Parliament by John Bright in 1855 during the Crimean War: ‘The Angel of Death has been abroad throughout the land; you may almost hear the beating of his wings …’ Indeed, Vaughan Williams claimed to be the only composer ever to have set a passage from the proceedings of the House of Commons.<br />
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In the last two sections, he uses a series of Biblical passages that together express optimism for future peace.<br />
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The text is rounded off with a verse from Saint Luke’s Gospel, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men’ (Luke 2: 14) and a final repetition of the plea <i>Dona nobis pacem</i>, ‘Grant us peace.’<br />
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The whole work is welded together by his sense of urgency. As Vaughan Williams’s biographer, Simon Heffer, said, his main inspiration for <i>Dona Nobis Pacem</i> ‘is drawn not from the soil of England, but from the whole world going mad around him.’<br />
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<i>Dona nobis pacem</i> was first performed in Huddersfield on 2 October 1936, with the Huddersfield Choral Society and the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates, and was performed at countless festivals and concerts in the anxious years leading up to World War II.<br />
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<i>Dona Nobis Pacem</i> also anticipates by 25 years Benjamin Britten’s <i>War Requiem</i>, with its dramatic settings of Latin liturgical texts and poetry and its emphasis on reconciliation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYsYpCHcoudXGnZxmJf0_ky6P_27eZjfdtx1GFlS4l7fPWMRzUG5G0cY-YJFna8xYTIn3p1JcmutUeNwY_tEVEPxFvnqi6PToC6ARS6N2lMEd08pwUQLN8hZqnIfwXjlTFz__aU12mENgxsEoYjT00z1fflOmt2Ixkr_F8ZhDInhEyxNMwVb-PtUr/s768/War%20memorial,Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202022.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYsYpCHcoudXGnZxmJf0_ky6P_27eZjfdtx1GFlS4l7fPWMRzUG5G0cY-YJFna8xYTIn3p1JcmutUeNwY_tEVEPxFvnqi6PToC6ARS6N2lMEd08pwUQLN8hZqnIfwXjlTFz__aU12mENgxsEoYjT00z1fflOmt2Ixkr_F8ZhDInhEyxNMwVb-PtUr/s400/War%20memorial,Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202022.JPG"/></a></div><i>‘Beat! beat! drums! – Blow! bugles! blow!’ … the War Memorial on Horsefair Green in Stony Stratford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Given its connections with both World Wars, this cantata seems appropriate to revive as the world lives with the catastrophic consequences of the Russian invasion of and war in Ukraine.<br />
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Vaughan Williams’s perspective is no longer bound to the geography of England. His empathy now enfolds a world faced with another war. In setting biblical and poetic texts to music, he pays a subtle tribute to Verdi’s <i>Requiem</i>, which he admired – for example, the drop of a semitone on the word <i>dona</i>, bass drum key-shifts by thirds, and wild brass fanfares.<br />
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<i>Dona Nobis Pacem</i> is scored for chorus and large orchestra, with soprano and baritone soloists. It opens with a heart-rending cry. This angelic cry from the soprano, <i>Dona nobis pacem</i>, is repeated at intervals, in different settings, punctuating the entire piece. From the beginning, the angel is the first to appear, soaring high and distant, beseeching peace against a choir alternatively gloomy with war, then echoing in serenity.<br />
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In the event, Vaughan Williams’s warnings and entreaties went unheeded, and the oratorio’s optimism turned out historically unjustified in the short run. Vaughan Williams devoted the years of World War II to helping refugees find shelter and work, providing food by planting huge vegetable gardens and keeping chickens, and helping to stage free lunchtime concerts.<br />
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Nor does the oratorio’s hope does not come cheap, and the humanitarian warmth and splendour of his vision remains. With Benjamin Britten’s <i>War Requiem</i>, <i>Dona nobis pacem</i> remains one of the most satisfying musical answers to the questions posed by war itself. It fills a large canvas and its theme is anguished and impassioned on a cosmic scale as it pleads for peace, tolerance and understanding.<br />
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The six sections or movements are:<br />
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<b>1,</b> <i>Agnus Dei</i><br />
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<b>2,</b> Beat! beat! drums! (Whitman)<br />
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<b>3,</b> Reconciliation (Whitman)<br />
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<b>4,</b> Dirge for Two Veterans (Whitman)<br />
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<b>5,</b> The Angel of Death (John Bright)<br />
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<b>6,</b> <i>Dona nobis pacem</i> (the Books of Jeremiah, Daniel, Haggai, Micah, and Leviticus, the Psalms, the Book of Isaiah, and Saint Luke’s Gospel) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6GQoBIPeZnVHGy3Ga1wU9kWoBpM0h2dk4CeFBWoNQzw1eLRcQcRalcUeabpqEi11stAg4dbjj2h6CO24SG5T2CnuWkP2OgoC51oAnj95B8LAnMd_xbjTBe-e_F3WElP8UU4RruApFZWt/s1600/Falling+Angel,+Chagall,+1947.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6GQoBIPeZnVHGy3Ga1wU9kWoBpM0h2dk4CeFBWoNQzw1eLRcQcRalcUeabpqEi11stAg4dbjj2h6CO24SG5T2CnuWkP2OgoC51oAnj95B8LAnMd_xbjTBe-e_F3WElP8UU4RruApFZWt/s400/Falling+Angel,+Chagall,+1947.jpg.jpg"></a></div><i>‘The Falling Angel’, Marc Chagal (1947)</i><br />
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<b>1,</b> <i>Agnus Dei:</i><br />
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The cantata opens with a soprano solo, one voice offering an apprehensive <i>Agnus Dei</i>, a well-known phrase in liturgical texts. She introduces the theme, singing it over the orchestra and choir.<br />
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The chorus joins in her fervent cry for peace. In answer, the drums of war are heard in the far distance, no longer a contagious dance rhythm of centuries past but, instead, the harbinger of war.<br />
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<i>Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,<br />
dona nobis pacem.<br />
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Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Grant us peace.</i><br />
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<b>2,</b> ‘Beat! beat! drums!’<br />
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The second movement is a violent depiction of war and a furious setting of Walt Whitman’s poem ‘Beat! beat! drums!’ <br />
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The words in this movement are based on a poem in <i>Drum Taps</i> written by the American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892). This poem was written after he had served as a volunteer nurse in the American Civil War. He was stunned by the death toll of over 600,000 in that war over the space of four years.<br />
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Whitman’s words describe the drums and bugles of war bursting through doors and windows. When war erupts, nothing and nobody is inviolate. Peaceful lives in schools and churches, of brides, farmers and sleepers, of old men and children are in turn swept aside by the warring sounds.<br />
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The setting of this movement is for choir, heralded by volleys of brass and rattling percussion. In the use of the bass drum and its key shifts by thirds, Vaughan Williams here recalls Verdi’s <i><a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2008/03/harrowing-of-hell-reflection-4.htm">Dies irae</a></i>.<br />
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The movement erupts with articulate fear, depicting a violence that destroys peaceful daily lives. In the examples – merchants and scholars disappearing while others pray, weep, and entreat – we sense the numbers of people being swept into war’s unremitting violence once again in the 1930s.<br />
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<b>Beat! beat! drums!</b><br />
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Beat! beat! drums! – Blow! bugles! blow!<br />
Through the windows – through the doors – burst like a ruthless force,<br />
Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation;<br />
Into the school where the scholar is studying;<br />
Leave not the bridegroom quiet – no happiness must he have now with his bride;<br />
Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field, or gathering in his grain,<br />
So fierce you whirr and pound, you drums – so shrill you bugles blow.<br />
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Beat! beat! drums! – Blow! bugles! blow!<br />
Over the traffic of cities – over the rumble of wheels in the streets:<br />
Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses?<br />
No sleepers must sleep in those beds;<br />
No bargainers bargains by day – would they continue?<br />
Would the talkers be talking? would the singer attempt to sing?<br />
[Would the lawyer rise in the court to state his case before the judge?]<br />
Then rattle quicker, heavier drums – you bugles wilder blow.<br />
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Beat! beat! drums! – Blow! bugles! blow!<br />
Make no parley – stop for no expostulation;<br />
Mind not the timid – mind not the weeper or prayer;<br />
Mind not the old man beseeching the young man;<br />
Let not the child’s voice be heard, nor the mother’s entreaties,<br />
Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting the hearses,<br />
So strong you thump O terrible drums – so loud you bugles blow.<br />
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<b>3</b>, Reconciliation<br />
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The heart of <i>Dona nobis pacem</i> is found in the third movement, ‘Reconciliation.’ In this movement, Vaughan Williams uses this heart-wrenching poem by Walt Whitman in its entirety.<br />
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Although Whitman’s long lines are not easily set to music, the words have an almost intolerable beauty, marked by truth and compassion in the face of the shocking carnage suffered by humanity.<br />
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‘Reconciliation’ transcends the threatening atmosphere with a striking, bitter-sweet moment. Set like a lullaby, Whitman’s text offers a promise to the dead enemy – ‘a man divine as myself’ – that time will wash away the awful deeds of war, a promise sealed with a kiss.<br />
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The text is matched in perfect spirit by the beautiful setting by Vaughan Williams, sung by the commanding yet gentle voice of the baritone soloist. The baritone introduces the first half of the poem, which the choir echoes and varies.<br />
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The baritone then continues with the rest of the poem, followed by the choir presenting a new variation of the first half.<br />
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At the end, the soprano repeats a variation of <i>Dona nobis pacem</i>, which we heard in the first movement, hauntingly soaring above the final lines of the chorus.<br />
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<b>3, Reconciliation</b><br />
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Word over all, beautiful as the sky,<br />
Beautiful that war and all its deeds of carnage must in time be utterly lost,<br />
That the hands of the sisters Death and Night incessantly, softly,<br />
Wash again and ever again this soiled world;<br />
For my enemy is dead, a man as divine as myself is dead,<br />
I look where he lies white-faced and still in the coffin – I draw near,<br />
Bend down and touch lightly with my lips the white face in the coffin.<br />
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<b>4</b>, Dirge for Two Veterans (Whitman)<br />
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Vaughan Williams based this movement on an earlier setting of the same words he had composed in 1914, before the outbreak of World War, and which he now incorporates into <i>Dona nobis pacem</i>.<br />
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This is a setting for a third poem by Walt Whitman (1819-1892), ‘Dirge for Two Veterans,’ from <i>Drum-Taps</i> (1865). The poem provides a second drum study for Vaughan Williams, but the drums this time are not the drums of war but the drums heard after war, the drums of death and burial, the drums of mourning and a funeral procession.<br />
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The drums and brass are transformed into instruments of noble commemoration; the strings and harp create a serene field filled by the choir fill with tender, loving words.<br />
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We are invited into a moonlit scene where we find a mother, highlighted by the moon, watching the funeral march for her son and her husband, both killed together in battle.<br />
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Her grief is symbolic of the grief shared by all families when lives are cut short one generation after another.<br />
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A compassionate world witnesses the scene with one heart, giving love as the moon gives light. The mourning turns to an outpouring of compassion and love as the wife and mother opens her heart and pours out her love for husband and son.<br />
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<i>The moon gives you light,<br />
And the bugles and the drums give you music;<br />
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,<br />
My heart gives you love.</i><br />
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<b>4, ‘Dirge for Two Veterans’</b><br />
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The last sunbeam<br />
Lightly falls from the finished Sabbath,<br />
On the pavement here, and there beyond it is looking,<br />
Down a new-made double grave.<br />
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Lo, the moon ascending!<br />
Up from the east the silvery round moon,<br />
Beautiful over the house-tops, ghastly, phantom moon;<br />
Immense and silent moon.<br />
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I see a sad procession,<br />
And I hear the sound of coming full-keyed bugles;<br />
All the channels of the city streets they’re flooding,<br />
As with voices and with tears.<br />
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I hear the great drums pounding,<br />
And the small drums steady whirring;<br />
And every blow of the great convulsive drums,<br />
Strikes me through and through.<br />
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For the son is brought with the father.<br />
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In the foremost ranks of the fierce assault they fell;<br />
Two veterans, son and father, dropped together,<br />
And the double grave awaits them.<br />
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Now nearer blow the bugles,<br />
And the drums strike more convulsive;<br />
And the daylight o’er the pavement quite has faded,<br />
And the strong dead-march enwraps me.<br />
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In the eastern sky up-buoying,<br />
The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumined;<br />
(’Tis some mother’s large transparent face,<br />
In heaven brighter growing.)<br />
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O strong dead-march you please me!<br />
O moon immense with your silvery face you soothe me!<br />
O my soldiers twain! O my veterans passing to burial!<br />
What I have I also give you.<br />
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The moon gives you light,<br />
And the bugles and the drums give you music;<br />
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,<br />
My heart gives you love.<br />
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<b>5,</b> ‘The Angel of Death’<br />
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Vaughan Williams’s text for the fifth movement, ‘The Angel of Death,’ is derived from a speech on 23 February 1855 in the House of Commons by the great Victorian politician and reformer John Bright. In his speech, Bright condemned the Crimean War.<br />
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John Bright (1811-1889) was a leading Quaker, a Radical and Liberal statesman, and one of the greatest orators of his generation. The historian AJP Taylor says ‘John Bright was the greatest of all parliamentary orators … the alliance between middle class idealism and trade unionism, which he promoted, still lives in the present-day Labour Party.’ He is best remembered for his opposition to the Corn Laws, which came to an end in 1846.<br />
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Bright was an MP from 1843 to 1889, promoting free trade, electoral reform and religious freedom. He was almost a lone voice in opposing the Crimean War. In a speech in Birmingham in 1865, he became the first politician to refer to Westminster as the ‘Mother of Parliaments.’<br />
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Bright’s speech in 1855 draws on images in the Passover story in the Book Exodus, where the Angel of Death kills the firstborn children of Egypt, but spared any Israelite where the lintels and the door posts have been painted the lintels of his door posts with the blood of the lamb (see Exodus 12: 21-32).<br />
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Of course, the Exodus story makes no mention of the ‘Angel of Death’ as the author of this tenth and final plague. But Bright’s eloquence helped to popularise this image.<br />
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Afterwards, Benjamin Disraeli told Bright: ‘I would give all that I ever had to have delivered that speech.’ However, the speech did not prevent the Crimean War. As Bright had predicted, the campaign wasted many lives. More were lost through incompetent preparations than on the battlefield. Despite the technical military advances the British military had acquired, the war was marked by incompetence and 600,000 people were left dead.<br />
<br />
Shocked by the disaster, and frustrated at being unable to avert it, Bright experienced a nervous breakdown. He lost his seat as MP for Manchester, although he was soon elected MP for Birmingham in 1858.<br />
<br />
Bright’s words seem so appropriate to quote today and seem so relevant when we consider the present war in Ukraine, 170 years after the Crimean war. At the time Vaughan Williams was writing this oratorio, Bright’s speech was finding new relevance in England with the rise of Nazism and Fascism on Continental Europe, and a fear of yet another great war.<br />
<br />
Bright’s words were given new prominence in those fearful days in the 1930s, when they were quoted by the pacifist former Dean of Canterbury, HRL (‘Dick’) Sheppard (1880-1937), in his <i>We Say No</i> (1935), published a year before he founded the Peace Pledge Union and a year before Vaughan Williams’s <i>Dona nobis pacem</i> was first performed.<br />
<br />
In this movement, Vaughan Williams creates an atmosphere of anxiety and expectation, which leaves us wondering whether the war will ever end, whether we shall ever find peace.<br />
<br />
The ostinato bass which has played out the ‘veterans’ in the last movement now plays in the Angel of Death.<br />
<br />
The fifth movement begins with the baritone soloist and a quote from John Bright’s speech in which he tried to prevent the Crimean War: ‘The Angel of Death has been abroad throughout the land …’ Darkness seeps through the music, first quietly then with a dramatic interjection of <i>Dona nobis pacem</i>.<br />
<br />
In the final movement that follows, the fearful news of the presence of the Angel of Death shall cause the chorus to burst into another cry for peace, but only more trouble rolls across the land: ‘We looked for peace, but no good came … The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved …’<br />
<br />
<b>5</b>, ‘The Angel of Death’<br />
<br />
The Angel of Death has been abroad throughout the land;<br />
you may almost hear the beating of his wings.<br />
There is no one as of old …<br />
to sprinkle with blood the lintel<br />
and the two side-posts of our doors,<br />
that he may spare and pass on.<br />
<br />
<b>6,</b> ‘Dona nobis pacem’<br />
<br />
In his final movement, Vaughan Williams draws together a number of Biblical sayings urging communal action for peace. With the fearful news of the presence of the Angel of Death, the chorus bursts into another cry for peace.<br />
<br />
The attraction these Biblical texts held for Vaughan Williams is puzzling to many. At Cambridge, Bertrand Russell described him as ‘the most frightful atheist.’ By the 1930s, the music critic Frank Howes (1891-1974), editor of the journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, described him as a ‘cheerful Christian agnostic.’ Yet much of the composer’s work throughout his life is concerned with the journey of the soul.<br />
<br />
The movement opens with sombre quotes from the Book of Jeremiah, with the soprano and choir intervening with the plea, ‘<i>Dona nobis pacem</i>.’<br />
<br />
But more trouble stalks the land: ‘We looked for peace, but no good came …’ The snorting of Dan’s horses momentarily recalls the apocalyptic equine visions of Vaughan Williams’s earlier oratorio, <i>Sancta Civitas</i> (1923-1925).<br />
<br />
The words of Jeremiah continue mournfully: ‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved …’<br />
<br />
The solo baritone is reassuring ‘O man, greatly beloved, fear not, peace be unto thee.’<br />
<br />
Chorus basses intone the great text from Micah, almost every word a poem: ‘Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.’ The word spreads among all instruments and tongues in prospect of a New Jerusalem: bells ring out in a riotous succession of keys and peals.<br />
<br />
The movement then continues with more optimistic texts, including a brief setting of the news of the angels at Christmas: <i>Gloria in excelsis Deo</i>, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward me.’ A phrase that sometimes is too familiar, is repeated, ringing with celebratory optimism.<br />
<br />
It ends with a quiet coda of <i>Dona nobis pacem</i>, introduced by the soprano again, adding the choir to finish the piece. The soprano’s ‘<i>Dona nobis pacem</i>,’ floating hauntingly overhead, sounds a warning that we must heed, lest we revert and again sacrifice ‘righteousness and peace’ which ‘have kissed each other’ to war.<br />
<br />
Her voice alone lingers at the end like a solitary ray of hope, a light in the night. The final message is optimistic. Grant us peace.<br />
<br />
<b>6,</b> ‘<i>Dona Nobis Pacem</i>’<br />
<br />
<i>Dona nobis pacem.</i><br />
<br />
We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble! The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan; the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land … and those that dwell therein …<br />
<br />
The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved …<br />
<br />
Is there no balm in Gilead?; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? <br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pmRSuy3zprs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><i>‘Dona nobis pacem’ with the Eastman-Rochester Chorus, the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and Michaela Anthony, soprano</i><br />
<br />
Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-65937068236148524842024-03-17T14:30:00.002+00:002024-03-17T14:30:00.130+00:00Did St Patrick Bring Christianity to Ireland?<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpKocE_8SzQv8gMwCOKQ8li8hLEc60EiLXxzfXhS_D4cJNCzALE87JQpwywqahRG5g1hkf4NpIj5Ajyma3Vi1fHIkT8dhcB4wwnnc3WU5XUVMDxVfD6HfWA-gjAiDy1Co6p1poLJh5dvfhIxMSVIyMu5mp8vPTCAStWTCCk1UH08pJLx9ttv4sFe2Flw/s827/Conversations%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="593" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpKocE_8SzQv8gMwCOKQ8li8hLEc60EiLXxzfXhS_D4cJNCzALE87JQpwywqahRG5g1hkf4NpIj5Ajyma3Vi1fHIkT8dhcB4wwnnc3WU5XUVMDxVfD6HfWA-gjAiDy1Co6p1poLJh5dvfhIxMSVIyMu5mp8vPTCAStWTCCk1UH08pJLx9ttv4sFe2Flw/s400/Conversations%201.jpg"/></a></div><b>The Last Word:<br />
Did St Patrick Bring Christianity <br />
to Ireland? <br >
<br />
Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
Traditionally and romantically, St Patrick is said to have converted the entire population of Ireland from paganism in a very short period between 432 and 461, less than the span of one generation. These dates are of significance in the history of the wider Church: Saint Augustine died in 430, the Council of Ephesus met in 431, and the Council of Chalcedon met in 451.<br />
<br />
But putting aside myth and romance, it is important to recognise that there were Christians in Ireland before Saint Patrick arrived and that Irish mythology was long anxious to claim Irish connections with the Christian story before Patrick. These include the stories of Altus, said to have been an Irish witness to the passion and death of Christ; Conor Mac Nessa, King of Ireland, who died of a broken heart when he heard of Christ’s crucifixion; Cormac Mac Airt, who converted to Christianity in the third century; and Mansuetus, said to have been an Irish bishop in fourth century France.<br />
<br />
But there is a realistic medium between these legends and the concept of a sudden conversion to Christianity at the hands of a single missionary. Tacitus (<i>ca</i> 55-120 AD) tells us that British or Gallic merchants had a reasonably good knowledge of Ireland’s ‘harbours and approaches’. The ‘Celtic’ people in Ireland were traders, raiders and plunderers, and there is evidence of Roman traders reaching Irish harbours and beyond them up rivers such as the Nore and the Barrow, trading in wine, oil and wheat. The Irish imported pottery, metal-work and bric-a-brac from Roman Gaul and Britain, and exported copper, gold, slaves, hides, cattle and wolfhounds.<br />
<br />
By the end of the third century, people from Ireland were establishing colonies in Wales, Cornwall and Scotland. By the third or fourth century, there was regular commercial, mercantile and social contact with Roman communities in Britain and Gaul. There have been abundant finds of looted Roman coins all along the north and east coasts of Ireland, and Roman silver ingots with similar Christian provenance have been found in Kent and Limerick.<br />
<br />
Catherine Swift argues convincingly that many among the ruling class in Ireland adopted the cultural habits and social customs of Roman Britons. What is now Cathedral Hill in Armagh is an example of one of their temple sites.<br />
<br />
Christianity probably arrived in Ireland in the fourth and early fifth centuries by a slow and gradual process from Britain and from continental Europe, probably from Gaul and what we now know as Germany, and perhaps even from the Iberian peninsula, including present-day Spain and Portugal.<br />
<br />
Niall of the Nine Hostages commanded several raiding expeditions across the Irish Sea. British captives carried off by Irish raiders may be yet another way of Christianity coming to have a presence on this island. Some educated continental Christians may also have sought refuge in Ireland during the barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire at the start of the fourth century, bringing their Christianity with them.<br />
<br />
Other points of contact include the contacts made by the Irish migrants in Britain, and trade links with Roman Britain, Gaul and Spain. A gravestone for a fifth century Irish Christian has been found in a Christian cemetery in Trier, and fifth century Christians, some with Latin names, are commemorated on ogham stones in Carlow, Waterford, Cork and Kerry.<br />
<br />
In other words, many factors indicate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland long before Patrick was captured as a slave, and there was a considerable Christian presence on this island before Patrick began his mission in 432.<br />
<br />
<b>Patrick’s life and mission</b><br />
<br />
The traditional account of the life of St Patrick says he was born about 372 in Roman Britain in Bannavem Taburniae, perhaps in Cumbria or at a Roman outpost at Dumbarton in Scotland. He says his father Calpornius was a deacon and his grandfather Potitus was a priest; both were from a relatively prosperous class of Romans.<br />
<br />
At the age of 16, the young Patrick was captured in a great raid along with ‘many thousands of people’ (<i>Confessio</i> 1). According to his own account, some of them were lukewarm Christians, and some could also have been committed Christians, perhaps even priests. His account of his escape from slavery at the age of 22 may be evidence of an escape network for fugitive slaves run by concerned Christians, more than 20 years before Patrick began his own mission (<i>Confessio</i> 17 and 18).<br />
<br />
After his escape, Patrick had visions in which he heard the cry of the people in Ireland pleading to him to come back. It is an image that may have drawn on Saint Paul’s vision in Troy of a man calling him across the sea to Macedonia (see Acts 16: 9-10). Most of the details we have of his life are from his <i>Confessio</i>, written in reply to the attacks on his character brought against him in England, and from his Letter to Coroticus.<br />
<br />
Patrick arrived back in Ireland from Britain around 432. According to J.B. Bury, he landed in Wicklow, at the mouth of the River Vartry. Traditions associate his early mission with the islands off the Skerries coast, Co Dublin, and Saul, Co. Down. But there are traditions too of Irish saints who preceded St Patrick: St Ciaran of Seir Kieran, Co Offaly; St Ibar or Iberius of Begerin, Co Wexford; his nephew, St Abban of Adamstown, Co Wexford; St Declan of Ardmore, Co Waterford; St Declan’s friend, St Ailbe of Emly, Co Tipperary; St Meltioc or Multose of Kinsale, Co Cork; and so on.<br />
<br />
Most of these saints are associated with the south and the south-east. Although there is no primary evidence to support these largely unreliable traditions, they underpin a truth that Christianity was in Ireland for generations before Saint Patrick arrived and that he was not the first person to bring Christianity to Ireland.<br />
<br />
The background to St Patrick’s mission includes the presence of perhaps three heresies in Ireland – Arianism, Priscillianism and Pelagianism. Palladius was ordained by Pope Celestine, perhaps in 431, and was sent as the ‘first bishop’ on a mission to ‘the Scotti [Irish] who believe in Christ.’ So, from at least the third decade of the fifth century, Irish Christians were numerically large enough to have a bishop sent from Rome, and Palladius is associated with a number of church sites in Leinster. His work was continued, perhaps, by figures such as Secundinus, Auxilius and Iserninus. His mission activities and those of Patrick may have been confused in later writings, so that much of the work and success of Palladius was attributed wrongly to Patrick.<br />
<br />
The late Professor Patrick Corish of Maynooth, in <i>The Irish Catholic Experience</i> (1985), links the mission of Palladius in Leinster with, perhaps, three churches in Co Wicklow. The circular letter known as The First Synod of Saint Patrick seems to provide evidence of a second-generation missionary Church in Leinster, and this stream of Christianity in Ireland has been associated with the Church in Kildare.<br />
<br />
By the time Patrick began his mission, the foundations had been laid for a Church in Ireland that in the centuries that followed became a vibrant missionary Church. But, while the missions of Palladius and Patrick may have overlapped, Patrick does not refer to Palladius. Patrick was working in fresh territory, while Roman missionaries in Leinster were consolidating the work of Palladius and others who, by 431, had ensured that there were many people in Ireland who were Christians.<br />
<br />
<i>Patrick Comerford is a Church of Ireland priest living in retirement near Milton Keynes. He has lectured in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute and TCD and is a former Irish Times journalist.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZojTcjXUKWLzfvJI6tg4Ib1RqqQs3wvU0-e5RHHXAK6_dljMhu4zJ_Q76ucLx7XlZt6YkLfJ5OTl2V2A2yzC6pN-ntk7D2XK5Uvar3bsvT-CmnUxal4gYk3tRiehGOfAIELBz8GLADP-XhHmkJNPxg7SSbAsoXdrG7ypV8-0jW1SMOZ78x5Lr2NPhSA/s703/Conversations%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZojTcjXUKWLzfvJI6tg4Ib1RqqQs3wvU0-e5RHHXAK6_dljMhu4zJ_Q76ucLx7XlZt6YkLfJ5OTl2V2A2yzC6pN-ntk7D2XK5Uvar3bsvT-CmnUxal4gYk3tRiehGOfAIELBz8GLADP-XhHmkJNPxg7SSbAsoXdrG7ypV8-0jW1SMOZ78x5Lr2NPhSA/s400/Conversations%202.jpg"/></a></div><i>Naomh Pádraig Seamus Murphy, 1907-1975, Polished limestone, 1949, St Patrick’s College Maynooth, Photograph supplied by St Patrick’s College Maynooth</i><br />
<br />
• Patrick Comerford, ‘Did St Patrick Bring Christianity to Ireland’, <i><a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/the-dominicans-mark-800-years-in.html">Conversations</a></i> (Dublin: Dominican Publications, ed Bernard Treacy), Vol 1 No 2, March/April 2024, pp 77-80, ISSN 2990-8388.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oPgVfSEBX9YLp7v7Ju1uwf4R0YZc2fuAHy9YD4zXoKZn5cacNaeEIxOlH_TnUcMWNUoa2ybksmiEHFZPbrnYJAspQNOltdaB1M0zMuIymhLDmq0CMIU0f9vzfVjjQy9UwEnvsfs4Oj4_nCtrKLqgsqaoodbshkrGTrOxjNsbmWq_thZu4bIgBQinLfU/s827/Conversations%203.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="587" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oPgVfSEBX9YLp7v7Ju1uwf4R0YZc2fuAHy9YD4zXoKZn5cacNaeEIxOlH_TnUcMWNUoa2ybksmiEHFZPbrnYJAspQNOltdaB1M0zMuIymhLDmq0CMIU0f9vzfVjjQy9UwEnvsfs4Oj4_nCtrKLqgsqaoodbshkrGTrOxjNsbmWq_thZu4bIgBQinLfU/s400/Conversations%203.jpg"/></a></div><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-50160689453628784552024-03-17T06:30:00.020+00:002024-03-18T08:35:52.260+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 33, 17 March 2024, Saint Osmund of Salisbury<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0pGHTTtjqk4pyrglDYVOdqxR_04Wz8ySjTty9UKkP5jvVX8TT4dVehDmgmL-l8qm2QfDEXUY6ad3cUN1UyS26gbaWaW52DMitJMwgqHOz2MBQlQ_21lLNEOBUsx4BNm_if9q07lWZQ3ec8SbzY-LdabKPMa2ng3d3e_2t_CnkS6bCMmONz2iuRmZD3A/s827/Saint%20Patrick%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Coventry,%202023.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="503" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0pGHTTtjqk4pyrglDYVOdqxR_04Wz8ySjTty9UKkP5jvVX8TT4dVehDmgmL-l8qm2QfDEXUY6ad3cUN1UyS26gbaWaW52DMitJMwgqHOz2MBQlQ_21lLNEOBUsx4BNm_if9q07lWZQ3ec8SbzY-LdabKPMa2ng3d3e_2t_CnkS6bCMmONz2iuRmZD3A/s400/Saint%20Patrick%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Coventry,%202023.jpg"/></a></div><i>Saint Patrick depicted in a window by Burlison and Grylls in the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Spon Street, Coventry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
Lent began over a month ago on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and Passiontide – the last two weeks of Lent – begins today. This is the Fifth Sunday in Lent (Lent V), also known as Passion Sunday. But today is also Saint Patrick’s Day (17 March 2024), and I hope to say more about Saint Patrick later today.<br />
<br />
Later this morning, I hope to be at the Parish Eucharist in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, Stony Stratford, and I hope to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and my name day appropriately later in the day.<br />
<br />
Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
<br />
Before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
<br />
<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
<br />
<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
<br />d
<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jNII0pVXhWyESNN-gRxS_eIsZ_kcyPdob32z7m1x75N1YrWLhPZAMvukEJjSj3uNpzY53xZeIaPRinxWSMMgpdz_QDXUF9Jl-2UWu11E-HOmw6Xf4Zt33DXEOzwxaO5BYt6AosEeFmHXTalNjV6DDqzhz6rYjhnxw6Xk2Sm-e5gsSA6krblRaVNOvaY/s2718/Saint%20Osmund.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2718" data-original-width="1153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jNII0pVXhWyESNN-gRxS_eIsZ_kcyPdob32z7m1x75N1YrWLhPZAMvukEJjSj3uNpzY53xZeIaPRinxWSMMgpdz_QDXUF9Jl-2UWu11E-HOmw6Xf4Zt33DXEOzwxaO5BYt6AosEeFmHXTalNjV6DDqzhz6rYjhnxw6Xk2Sm-e5gsSA6krblRaVNOvaY/s400/Saint%20Osmund.jpg"/></a></div><i>A statue of Saint Osmund in Salisbury Cathedral (Photograph: James Bradley/ Wikipedia/ CC BY 2.0)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 33, Saint Osmund of Salisbury</b><br />
<br />
Saint Osmund (1099), Bishop of Salisbury, is remembered in <i>Common Worship</i> on 16 July.<br />
<br />
Osmund was born the son of a Norman count and came to England in the wake of William the Conqueror, his mother’s half-brother. He was quickly promoted to Chancellor in 1072. Six years later he became Bishop of Salisbury and completed the building of the new cathedral at Old Sarum.<br />
<br />
He was a scholar and a good administrator but was best loved for his lack of avarice and ambition, traits apparently not common in the new hierarchy of Church and State. He took part in collecting the information for the Domesday Book and was present at Sarum when it was presented to the king in 1086. He is said to have compiled the Sarum Use.<br />
<br />
Saint Osmund died on 4 December 1099 and his remains were translated to the new cathedral in Salisbury on 16 July 1457.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzuZRwdb8kA_OdNhX7TfVK2-Ut2gyfByM5z99i7zczmIuWz6OrhmojHMxcH0SelDIjah-pSCtya714y5mIez7gbi074GzLvhtXjdPL9vwsE01G9m7EVOYRBv24pZVdNMjNC87O4affOgm/s873/Saint+Patrick%252C+Saint+Patrick%2527s+Cathedral%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+2020.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzuZRwdb8kA_OdNhX7TfVK2-Ut2gyfByM5z99i7zczmIuWz6OrhmojHMxcH0SelDIjah-pSCtya714y5mIez7gbi074GzLvhtXjdPL9vwsE01G9m7EVOYRBv24pZVdNMjNC87O4affOgm/s400/Saint+Patrick%252C+Saint+Patrick%2527s+Cathedral%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+2020.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Patrick depicted on cladding during recent restoration work at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
<br />
<b>John 12: 20-33 (NRSVA):</b><br />
<br />
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.<br />
<br />
27 ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ 30 Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQP-qC2rGQ_ZANz3IVywVMfmJKPu1ABMmoQoe1lQiNu-ycKWjRp5dXbSYsVM6NvxQiskJ7xGUTj5UNnFCIWrzSublfGVqVkMsWVVA9H3fZOzKAxTR-amzHFiRe5xM9ErNQbzJUpusuZOT/s1254/Saint+Patrick%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Dundalk%252C+2008.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQP-qC2rGQ_ZANz3IVywVMfmJKPu1ABMmoQoe1lQiNu-ycKWjRp5dXbSYsVM6NvxQiskJ7xGUTj5UNnFCIWrzSublfGVqVkMsWVVA9H3fZOzKAxTR-amzHFiRe5xM9ErNQbzJUpusuZOT/s400/Saint+Patrick%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Dundalk%252C+2008.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Patrick receiving his mission to Ireland from Saint Celestine … a stained-glass window in a church in Dundalk, Co Louth (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Today’s Prayers (Sunday 17 March 2024, Lent V, Passion Sunday, Saint Patrick’s Day):</b ><br />
<br />
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Lent Reflection: True repentance is the key to Christian Freedom.’ This theme is introduced today by the Revd Dr Simon Ro, Dean of Graduate School of Theology at Sungkonghoe (Anglican) University, Seoul, Korea:<br />
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<i>Read Luke 13: 1-9</i><br />
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‘Freedom is an idea that permeates most of the major religions in our world. This idea is essential to any spiritual journey, and for many the journey focuses on how to become liberated from a love for self, a state of self-righteousness and complacency.<br />
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‘What is Christianity’s approach towards freedom? The Gospel of Luke (13: 1-9) gives insight to answers this question, but a key idea is that of repentance. Jesus Christ stresses the universal need for repentance and shows us that unless we repent and respond to the challenges of our world, we will suffer such “disasters” as hopelessness, loneliness, frustration, anger and fear. Jesus does not want just devotion but rather a deep sincere change in heart and attitude which results in a change of behaviour – both spiritual and physical.<br />
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‘For true freedom to happen, true repentance must occur. We are challenged to recognise the need for true repentance and pursue a change in our thinking, attitude, and behaviour. This is definitely a message for consideration and change during this Lent season.’<br />
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This is a sample taken from the 2024 USPG Lent Course which can be downloaded and ordered from the USPG website <a href="www.uspg.org.uk">www.uspg.org.uk</a><br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (17 March 2024, Lent V, Passion Sunday, Saint Patrick’s Day) invites us to pray reflecting on these words:<br />
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Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.<br />
Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death,<br />
even death on a cross.<br />
Therefore God has highly exalted him<br />
and given him the name that is above every name.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Most merciful God,<br />
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ<br />
delivered and saved the world:<br />
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross<br />
we may triumph in the power of his victory;<br />
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
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Lord Jesus Christ,<br />
you have taught us<br />
that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters<br />
we do also for you:<br />
give us the will to be the servant of others<br />
as you were the servant of all,<br />
and gave up your life and died for us,<br />
but are alive and reign, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
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Gracious Father,<br />
you gave up your Son<br />
out of love for the world:<br />
lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,<br />
that we may know eternal peace<br />
through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,<br />
Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0516713282.html">Saint Wulfstan of Worcester</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0860378386.html">Saint Anselm of Canterbury</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU2zvs_H6aFmFVo8dGUDh5FQdo9m7bUHjGeMrKuCzkYj9H5vDLfkk8BESdKFb6915Jk2SflqWYNVrQUqZsRUe8EyrrehPevLPqd7CZV5fx9OdSf-LBHz8UbcLQaIvOQvjGziigd5iKtU/s1600/Saint+Patrick%2527s+Church+1%252C+Saint+Patrick+Window%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Waterford%252C+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU2zvs_H6aFmFVo8dGUDh5FQdo9m7bUHjGeMrKuCzkYj9H5vDLfkk8BESdKFb6915Jk2SflqWYNVrQUqZsRUe8EyrrehPevLPqd7CZV5fx9OdSf-LBHz8UbcLQaIvOQvjGziigd5iKtU/s400/Saint+Patrick%2527s+Church+1%252C+Saint+Patrick+Window%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Waterford%252C+2019.jpg" width="293" height="400" data-original-width="645" data-original-height="882" /></a></div><i>Saint Patrick depicted in a window in Saint Patrick’s Church, Waterford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7-nJYcky8Ds?si=L1gpYMCSWBFDheeI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-67394524463208623312024-03-16T18:30:00.031+00:002024-03-16T18:30:00.151+00:00Water Eaton Church Centre is a sharedecumenical project for Anglicans and Baptists<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkIgnXQPMlbo75riAle8rj3XvEMZO7FuOn4pLPjaEsXxQbJBYq0Z87cYt_ibISoGp6ypldMMkzYEXGLi_KuSI_JILlBICIKMjCKS1oOr1ma2ngYTF11L53MaBzhpRkamy2atFSsCHiM5dNbPU_cTgHyStifjoT8RML7nvv5xQNaYzYI58ir8z91-4owo/s1488/Water%20Eaton%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkIgnXQPMlbo75riAle8rj3XvEMZO7FuOn4pLPjaEsXxQbJBYq0Z87cYt_ibISoGp6ypldMMkzYEXGLi_KuSI_JILlBICIKMjCKS1oOr1ma2ngYTF11L53MaBzhpRkamy2atFSsCHiM5dNbPU_cTgHyStifjoT8RML7nvv5xQNaYzYI58ir8z91-4owo/s400/Water%20Eaton%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Water Eaton Church Centre on Drayton Road, Bletchley … shared by Saint Frideswide’s Church and Spurgeon Baptist Church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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I was in Water Eaton in Bletchley earlier this week for a meeting of clergy in the Milton Keynes at the Water Eaton Church Centre on Drayton Road. The Water Eaton Church Centre is shared by Saint Frideswide’s Church, the local Church of England parish church, and Spurgeon Baptist Church.<br />
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The first building on this site, Saint Frideswide’s Church, served the local community while remaining within the Parish of Bletchley. Saint Frideswide is the patron saint of the Diocese, City and University of Oxford. She is said to have inspired the foundation of Christ Church College and the cathedral, and died in the year 735.<br />
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Saint Frideswide was named by Chaucer in <i>The Miller’s Tale</i> and her miraculous ‘Treacle Well’ also appears in Lewis Carroll’s <i>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</i>. Saint Frideswide’s Day on 19 October is also known as Oxfordshire Day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyoOvLFlklTOtBKBhr9583BFOHXJ8i3_4_cBXbJP_O5eWZYOUyf3saKRuDJgnCJBV8_53QoVnl145-5r9WVh2aAJWE1w8fTNdEuQMofCURvT_bAfejmHgtIxl2AAfgxbAOYKmq0X9Z03CZL2VNMCPgDyccVFrmtKeWWIdumjK-xR7LfoH0QnhO34Ww3s/s1488/Water%20Eaton%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyoOvLFlklTOtBKBhr9583BFOHXJ8i3_4_cBXbJP_O5eWZYOUyf3saKRuDJgnCJBV8_53QoVnl145-5r9WVh2aAJWE1w8fTNdEuQMofCURvT_bAfejmHgtIxl2AAfgxbAOYKmq0X9Z03CZL2VNMCPgDyccVFrmtKeWWIdumjK-xR7LfoH0QnhO34Ww3s/s400/Water%20Eaton%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Inside the shared church at Water Eaton on Drayton Road in Bletchley (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Building work on the site began on 12 December 1956, when Bishop Harry Carpenter of Oxford dedicated the building. The church was consecrated by Bishop Carpenter and opened on 9 July 1961.<br />
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Soon, the plans for the new city in Milton Keynes were gaining momentum and by 1970, Water Eaton was growing quickly. Questions began to be asked about the size and role of the church in the new situation. At the same time, Spurgeon Memorial Church on Aylesbury Street in Fenny Stratford was considering the future of its aging building, dating back to 1892.<br />
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The two congregations found they shared common interests and were asking the same questions, and came together to discuss a possible joint project. The discussions went on for some time, with both congregations conscious of the needs of the local community.<br />
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Eventually, the two congregations committed themselves to a shared project, with a building designed to be of service to the community and in the service of God. Buckinghamshire County Council became fully involved in the project when it came to the building catering for the needs of children and local young people in the area.<br />
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The cost of the project was met from a variety of sources: the major contributions coming from the sale of Spurgeon’s Baptist Church site on Aylesbury Street, a grant from Buckinghamshire County Council, and from the sale of a Boys’ Brigade property, while Saint Frideswide’s contributed the value of the site.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-r6eAO4hG0_CAZPlk3RZa8WmkizVwtuHWKQPqlkSptAmazD5KmVFB3LO5oCRzaOYjApyuT0Yo4y1nzb5HqBFjc39SsZfP7MQCC7CJMwsC2jfsC2uKLdUeHLfLtqFSu7kAzheYpVACjCF5n4OCxt71lGFfJM5XPqTL-vPNmyNnq6KxSzIuP_NzrAPFBY/s1470/Water%20Eaton%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-r6eAO4hG0_CAZPlk3RZa8WmkizVwtuHWKQPqlkSptAmazD5KmVFB3LO5oCRzaOYjApyuT0Yo4y1nzb5HqBFjc39SsZfP7MQCC7CJMwsC2jfsC2uKLdUeHLfLtqFSu7kAzheYpVACjCF5n4OCxt71lGFfJM5XPqTL-vPNmyNnq6KxSzIuP_NzrAPFBY/s400/Water%20Eaton%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Thee building is a shared project, designed to be of service to the community and in the service of God (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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The building was designed by the architects Hinton Brown Madden and Lingstone of Leamington Spa, and was built by JW Dennis of Bletchley.<br />
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The original 1950s/1960s Saint Frideswide’s Church buildings were altered and extended, and a youth hall was added, along with Boys’ Brigade room and ancillary rooms. The car park was a joint one with Sycamore Club and its cost was met by Milton Keynes Borough Council. The Water Eaton Church Centre was opened on the 10 June 1975. <br />
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The first phase of the work behind the church centre on the landscaping and play area for the local community and the church was completed in 2003.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS3GXCbcUDuwv_-BV09LhS-XiOvcAeF6Vpa37dRstMArsRbh-cs4J7UIOXqAk6wo8_hS0V2C-fimtgwvnAJS7_btO-BM4Tk4zYFeX7V8EHMsazCPtfjzSPx59h1XEq9gRF-ZudyuKziuGhF4yEhDTjedltc-Muta0kccswHK6jKJpRMikzDHDL5L04VE/s827/Water%20Eaton%208,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS3GXCbcUDuwv_-BV09LhS-XiOvcAeF6Vpa37dRstMArsRbh-cs4J7UIOXqAk6wo8_hS0V2C-fimtgwvnAJS7_btO-BM4Tk4zYFeX7V8EHMsazCPtfjzSPx59h1XEq9gRF-ZudyuKziuGhF4yEhDTjedltc-Muta0kccswHK6jKJpRMikzDHDL5L04VE/s400/Water%20Eaton%208,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Frideswide’s describes itself as a church where ‘we have fun, make friends and grow disciples of Jesus’ (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Saint Frideswide’s is a resource hub in the Diocese of Oxford for community organising and church growth. It is part of the deanery of Milton Keynes and the Diocese of Oxford. It is also a member of CitizensMK, an alliance of diverse organisations in the city working together for the common good of the local communities.<br />
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Saint Frideswide’s describes itself as a church where ‘we have fun, make friends and grow disciples of Jesus,’ and ‘living in the fullness of life which God intends for us, and to help others do the same.’<br />
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The Revd Catherine Butt has been the Vicar of Saint Frideswide’s since September 2017 after 14 years as part of the leadership team of Saint Mary’s, Bletchley. The Revd Ayo Audu joined the parish as curate in July 2021 after training at Saint Mellitus College. The Revd Steve Hallett is the Associate Minister, and Nudrat Hopper is the congregational development and community organiser.<br />
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The main Sunday service is at 9:15 am, with a 5 pm ‘tea time service.’ ‘Soup for the Soul’ at 1 pm every Tuesday offers time for reflection over lunch.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQU3TVlG6DBggfg4B53bCIqjZBnXWKWInoLfoqa4k4XfqGBWQUhBVLUF1lIbcX0Fhyphenhyphen0bhviTmGvukbJmud3BB9-l-OUDsP_WRxQi9vCm58aEGClzFH-WoR36JgO4bqbGwTEcOSiKDKE6ac_ytB8jSrDRe2glLHaKlxeiHKJ1un2Li-OKto5K8KO6neABs/s827/Water%20Eaton%209,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="678" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQU3TVlG6DBggfg4B53bCIqjZBnXWKWInoLfoqa4k4XfqGBWQUhBVLUF1lIbcX0Fhyphenhyphen0bhviTmGvukbJmud3BB9-l-OUDsP_WRxQi9vCm58aEGClzFH-WoR36JgO4bqbGwTEcOSiKDKE6ac_ytB8jSrDRe2glLHaKlxeiHKJ1un2Li-OKto5K8KO6neABs/s400/Water%20Eaton%209,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Frideswide’s is a resource hub in the Diocese of Oxford for community organising and church growth (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Baptist work in Fenny Stratford started in 1797 and by 1805 there was a small meeting house in Aylesbury Street. A new Spurgeon Memorial Church was built in Aylesbury Street in 1892 and new schoolrooms were added in 1905.<br />
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The church takes its name from the 19th century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London for 38 years. He died the year the memorial church was built in Fenny Stratford.<br />
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Spurgeon Baptist Church now shares the Water Eaton Church Centre with Saint Frideswide’s, Church of England. The leadership at Spurgeon Baptist Church is congregational, with every church member having a say in running the church. The church members elect the deacons, currently six in number, the secretary and the treasurer. With the minister, they make up the diaconate which is responsible for spiritual leadership, oversight and day-to-day administration.<br />
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The Revd Mung Hatzaw has been the Baptist minister in Water Eaton since the beginning of the month (1 March 2024), although, in the short term, some services are led by members of the lay preaching team. The Baptist Sunday services are at 10:55.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NyyuUuA2e7JO6b9PukkxBV0nDRV2oHFcRE3g7GTjvMNVMK_zMGB4sxon6M2FAT0GlMD1Yugj7uZ-T4KSCvjh9zjB0ODTJ7U7vhgAu11fbNPNe9g_SvCpqDJVvmR0sD5lHz6BYsr-a8g075nWfQJLfy9vdUFrhuLJ-gub5Hpgucsp2qDwewVL131EXvk/s971/Water%20Eaton%206,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="971" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NyyuUuA2e7JO6b9PukkxBV0nDRV2oHFcRE3g7GTjvMNVMK_zMGB4sxon6M2FAT0GlMD1Yugj7uZ-T4KSCvjh9zjB0ODTJ7U7vhgAu11fbNPNe9g_SvCpqDJVvmR0sD5lHz6BYsr-a8g075nWfQJLfy9vdUFrhuLJ-gub5Hpgucsp2qDwewVL131EXvk/s400/Water%20Eaton%206,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Bletchley,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The cross outside Water Eaton Church Centre has become a local landmark (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-86785958167990844552024-03-16T06:30:00.034+00:002024-03-17T08:47:26.021+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 32, 16 March 2024, Saint Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXYzoI0ZS2kMIEUphpdCe4jHs6-tFZplsYXTpQzFN-GBTrbCsUXK8KtSkeLpjzRREj85iOYOLmjp6P9ZIerdeMu7RQtgM5CbpD9r6IsOwx-6me5FGqAb76sS3mGfRM3eEHXIi2708nubKJN7rnGtsOX1Tc-A5hmBZ-mqS967agaJfgftzpTbY616501U/s853/St%20Wulfstan%20of%20Worcester%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXYzoI0ZS2kMIEUphpdCe4jHs6-tFZplsYXTpQzFN-GBTrbCsUXK8KtSkeLpjzRREj85iOYOLmjp6P9ZIerdeMu7RQtgM5CbpD9r6IsOwx-6me5FGqAb76sS3mGfRM3eEHXIi2708nubKJN7rnGtsOX1Tc-A5hmBZ-mqS967agaJfgftzpTbY616501U/s400/St%20Wulfstan%20of%20Worcester%201.jpg"/></a></div><i>Saint Wulfstan depicted in the Goodman window in Worcester Cathedral (Photograph: Christopher Guy © Dean and Chapter, Worcester Cathedral)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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Lent began over a month ago on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and Passiontide begins tomorrow with the Fifth Sunday in Lent (Lent V), also known as Passion Sunday. But it is also Saint Patrick’s Day (17 March 2024).<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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I plan to spend much of this afternoon watching the international rugby matches in the Sux Nations Championship, particularly the crucial fixture between Ireland and Scotland at 4:45. But, before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
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<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
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<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
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<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9GHlDA9KXUVds44G3oCkDmEDKwtOCfeUjy4rJK4UK915CRc-24-hPJw8vBNZ0ELuyX9kl96RxzRiN1GHWQMHQZzkFymfqH46g6z2Yzt3Cv-qLlLESskEUHOXqgL5bp8Lobi4s-H21qg1WQCfl-AX44WzrGeazGV9Y59hQ9tjnbHUTkmvqg1Rjzy_03E/s1600/st-wulfstan-on-jesus-chapel-reredos.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9GHlDA9KXUVds44G3oCkDmEDKwtOCfeUjy4rJK4UK915CRc-24-hPJw8vBNZ0ELuyX9kl96RxzRiN1GHWQMHQZzkFymfqH46g6z2Yzt3Cv-qLlLESskEUHOXqgL5bp8Lobi4s-H21qg1WQCfl-AX44WzrGeazGV9Y59hQ9tjnbHUTkmvqg1Rjzy_03E/s400/st-wulfstan-on-jesus-chapel-reredos.jpg"/></a></div><i>Saint Wulfstan depicted on the reredos in the Jesus Chapel, Worcester Cathedral (Photograph: Christopher Guy © Dean and Chapter, Worcester Cathedral)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 32, Saint Wulfstan of Worcester</b><br />
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Saint Wulfstan (1095), Bishop of Worcester, is remembered in <i>Common Worship</i> with a lesser festival on 19 January.<br />
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Wulfstan was born <i>ca</i> 1009, at Itchington in Warwickshire. His maternal uncle, also called Wulfstan, was the second Archbishop of York. Wulfstan was educated in the monastery of Peterborough and spent the first 25 years after his ordination in the Benedictine monastery in Worcester. He was elected Bishop of Worcester against his will in 1062. But he went on to prove an able administrator and pastor.<br />
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After the Norman conquest of England, Wulfstan was the only English-born bishop to retain his diocese for any significant time after. He carefully and gently nurtured both church and state through the transition from Saxon to Norman rule. He struggled to alleviate the suffering of the poor, was a strong opponent of the slave trade, and together with Lanfranc, was mainly responsible for ending the 11th century slave trade between Bristol and Ireland.<br />
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He died at Worcester on 19 January 1095, at the age of 87, after washing the feet of a dozen poor men, a humble ritual he performed daily. He was canonised by Pope Innocent III in 1203 on the testimony of Archbishop John Comyn of Dublin. He is the patron saint of peasants, vegetarians and dieters.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8pB-FeO16Lfuqt7BCjJvilvvNJEEoLdqAp3VaDYhlWmTyhDiRnVI2K8nfiizEWu8Bz9LD91dtM8hsT4LyBNukKtNAQo_HtwF-8G3pgZu3ZFFXKQ1Vum6ya4jtvTAmHnMRpoF28opxJ5PvFpdQh7e6_aKLDU-A0A4Ql6Y1Ble-1zJy2tgLPrNjMv05wU/s2047/Inside%20Worcester%20Cathedral.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1614" data-original-width="2047" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8pB-FeO16Lfuqt7BCjJvilvvNJEEoLdqAp3VaDYhlWmTyhDiRnVI2K8nfiizEWu8Bz9LD91dtM8hsT4LyBNukKtNAQo_HtwF-8G3pgZu3ZFFXKQ1Vum6ya4jtvTAmHnMRpoF28opxJ5PvFpdQh7e6_aKLDU-A0A4Ql6Y1Ble-1zJy2tgLPrNjMv05wU/s400/Inside%20Worcester%20Cathedral.jpg"/></a></div><i>Inside Worcester Cathedral … Saint Wulfstan was Bishop of Worcester in 1062-1095</i><br />
<br />
<b>John 7: 40-52 (NRSVA):</b><br />
<br />
40 When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, ‘This is really the prophet.’ 41 Others said, ‘This is the Messiah.’ But some asked, ‘Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? 42 Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?’ 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.<br />
<br />
45 Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why did you not arrest him?’ 46 The police answered, ‘Never has anyone spoken like this!’ 47 Then the Pharisees replied, ‘Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? 48 Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd, which does not know the law – they are accursed.’ 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, 51 ‘Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?’ 52 They replied, ‘Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.’<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-xSUsT3xDm5A7h71LHg3_LI9A9nZHFOwVWViX3l-LbZu5cG5W8tnVS2tfP2jrbtqNl8X-aHmTqrXUPzmhx5wDpbcO1Ff68DnP2LTqvJO8NPqGKn1XLhRGcfGUB6G4X3gUj3E5zXuctri3qIMn7QfZ4JWjyZk_StBser8Nui5qwtkM2Nr9SUZUmivA2c/s1013/Holy_Trinity_Long_Itchington_St_Wulfstan_%283118695706%29.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1013" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-xSUsT3xDm5A7h71LHg3_LI9A9nZHFOwVWViX3l-LbZu5cG5W8tnVS2tfP2jrbtqNl8X-aHmTqrXUPzmhx5wDpbcO1Ff68DnP2LTqvJO8NPqGKn1XLhRGcfGUB6G4X3gUj3E5zXuctri3qIMn7QfZ4JWjyZk_StBser8Nui5qwtkM2Nr9SUZUmivA2c/s400/Holy_Trinity_Long_Itchington_St_Wulfstan_%283118695706%29.jpg"/></a></div><i>Saint Wulfstan depicted in a window in Holy Trinity Church, Long Itchington (Photograph: Amanda Slater /Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 2.0)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Saturday 16 March 2024):</b ><br />
<br />
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), has been ‘Lent Reflection: JustMoney Movement.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by Matt Ceaser, Movement Builder, JustMoney Movement.<br />
<br />
The USPG Prayer Diary today (16 March 2024) invites us to pray in these words:<br />
<br />
Let us pray for us all to receive the freedom we have in Christ.<br />
<br />
<b>The Collect:</b><br />
<br />
Merciful Lord,<br />
absolve your people from their offences,<br />
that through your bountiful goodness<br />
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins<br />
which by our frailty we have committed;<br />
grant this, heavenly Father,<br />
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
<br />
<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
<br />
Lord God,<br />
whose blessed Son our Saviour<br />
gave his back to the smiters<br />
and did not hide his face from shame:<br />
give us grace to endure the sufferings of this present time<br />
with sure confidence in the glory that shall be revealed;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
<br />
<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
<br />
Merciful Lord,<br />
you know our struggle to serve you:<br />
when sin spoils our lives<br />
and overshadows our hearts,<br />
come to our aid<br />
and turn us back to you again;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
<br />
<b>Collect on the Eve of Lent V:</b><br />
<br />
Most merciful God,<br />
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ<br />
delivered and saved the world:<br />
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross<br />
we may triumph in the power of his victory;<br />
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
<br />
<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_01876340239.html">Lanfranc of Canterbury</a><br />
<br />
<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0775378266.html">Saint Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQ8fbguVLF_MSzQ1Vcdw63XfUcjYe5mx2m_qAaTY5v882UraFIiRDKCJMWkYrDwVFCObFz377PkErZXaDQLAG7U1u-1BSLEsb6GWUjBy7Z_OL23UTVSv4hKAAVDMrJoX2ah4HZ95jm54fzWfqqRr7T3Yhh8zUb9vLo-fBC9FuE3DNHLP7Es_1kWwMTm8/s1328/St%20Wulfstan%20of%20Worcester%205%20Celbridge,%20Patrick%20Comerford.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQ8fbguVLF_MSzQ1Vcdw63XfUcjYe5mx2m_qAaTY5v882UraFIiRDKCJMWkYrDwVFCObFz377PkErZXaDQLAG7U1u-1BSLEsb6GWUjBy7Z_OL23UTVSv4hKAAVDMrJoX2ah4HZ95jm54fzWfqqRr7T3Yhh8zUb9vLo-fBC9FuE3DNHLP7Es_1kWwMTm8/s400/St%20Wulfstan%20of%20Worcester%205%20Celbridge,%20Patrick%20Comerford.jpg"/></a></div><i>The River Liffey at Celbridge, Co Kildare, near the site of Saint Wolstan’s Abbey (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
<br />
Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-81809165260447789342024-03-15T18:30:00.021+00:002024-03-15T18:30:00.134+00:00Thessaloniki exhibition in Paris museum recalls the stories of Jewish life in ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWESileNERLI8Mvj4efcCLMqUGOQy7-aKAWFBNRUIMDIquGo681yzwb7UjclPpPJhK1p0e2U6UdwN6bE98vPpaMawONAoyypNnQqtI38kvVxkluAOTpRMgdhvs1ehUhs1s0C-AtWGMEWf6Prd_XY6snsykiGLjJVS_Ah9lAWhGuaBSKfFPtZMvf7YhWY/s1159/Salonique%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWESileNERLI8Mvj4efcCLMqUGOQy7-aKAWFBNRUIMDIquGo681yzwb7UjclPpPJhK1p0e2U6UdwN6bE98vPpaMawONAoyypNnQqtI38kvVxkluAOTpRMgdhvs1ehUhs1s0C-AtWGMEWf6Prd_XY6snsykiGLjJVS_Ah9lAWhGuaBSKfFPtZMvf7YhWY/s400/Salonique%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>‘Salonika, Jerusalem of the Balkans, 1870-1920’ … the exhibition in the Jewish Museum of Art and History (mahJ) in Paris continues until 21 April (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
France is home to the third largest Jewish community in the world – after Israel and the US – with a Jewish presence goes back more than 2,000 years. Jewish people have lived in the Marais neighbourhood in Paris since the Middle Ages, and most Jewish people in Paris lived in the Marais until about 1985.<br />
<br />
I spent some time in <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/02/small-synagogues-and-traditional-shops.html">the Marais</a> while we were in Paris last month, visiting synagogues, shops, cafés and other sites associated with Jewish life and history in Paris, and the two museums that document the history of Jews in France: the <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/02/the-shoah-memorial-in-paris-is-reminder.html">Shoah Memorial</a>, the Holocaust Museum of Paris, opened in 2005; the <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/the-jewish-museum-in-paris-tells.html">Jewish Museum of Art and History</a> (Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme), commonly known as mahJ, has one of the finest collections in the world of objects of worship and art works.<br />
<br />
The Jewish Museum in the Marais regularly hosts temporary exhibitions. The current temporary exhibition in mahJ, ‘Salonika, Jerusalem of the Balkans, 1870-1920,’ looks at Jewish life in Thessaloniki in Greece. The exhibition opened on 19 September 2023 and includes 150 photographs from the second half of the 19th century to the end of World War I.<br />
<br />
Thessaloniki is the second city of Greece. It is the city of Aristotle and of Alexander the Great. In Byzantine times, it was second only to Constantinople as a political and cultural city, and with its walls, towers, churches and historical and archaeological sites, Thessaloniki remains a Byzantine city.<br />
<br />
Thessaloniki was once the largest Jewish city in the world. The unique Jewish community of Thessaloniki has had a continued presence throughout the city’s 2,300-year history, a rare fact in Jewish history, even for Jerusalem or Alexandria. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Jewish community made up the majority of the population of the city.<br />
<br />
Alexander the Great granted legal equality to Jews in 331 BCE. This new freedom attracted many Jews to settle in Hellenistic cities and to become Hellenised. Jews settled in the newly-established Thessaloniki in 315 BCE and there were new Jewish arrivals from Alexandria in 145 BCE.<br />
<br />
After Jews were expelled from Spain, many Sephardic Jews moved to Thessaloniki. It is said 20,000 Sephardic moved to the city after 1492. By 1668, they were the largest community in the city, so that the Jewish community in Thessaloniki influenced the Sephardic around the world, both culturally and economically.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1xN2Y2dYnynVIHuX6Eijdb_hqJt7daTELv8kDh_7KX4e3oqpCKUMSk7H_gNiIAlQFFO9QuafGgpkTnNsUa5T__vi-SDylkDfygfEuSCa_-XapWXoHLfGfsWybLiBkDWO2Xs9i9wTgfPSaiLrjBDhZJ1jK2g5Nxf3Ur__ACmq6DNGpSbh-2S1jOsneWw/s827/Salonique%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="629" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1xN2Y2dYnynVIHuX6Eijdb_hqJt7daTELv8kDh_7KX4e3oqpCKUMSk7H_gNiIAlQFFO9QuafGgpkTnNsUa5T__vi-SDylkDfygfEuSCa_-XapWXoHLfGfsWybLiBkDWO2Xs9i9wTgfPSaiLrjBDhZJ1jK2g5Nxf3Ur__ACmq6DNGpSbh-2S1jOsneWw/s400/Salonique%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Thessaloniki was known among Jews for centuries as ‘the Mother of Israel,’ and to non-Jews as ‘the Jerusalem of the Balkans’ … one of the photographs in the exhibition (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i> <br />
<br />
The city was known in Ladino among Jews for centuries as <i>la Madre de Israel</i> or ‘the Mother of Israel,’ and to non-Jews as ‘the Jerusalem of the Balkans.’ It was the only major European city with a Jewish majority, and until 1923 shopkeepers of all traditions and denominations closed on Saturdays and during Jewish holidays.<br />
<br />
When Thessaloniki was incorporated into the modern Greek state in 1912 it became the economic capital and second city of Greece, but continued to be the ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans.’ It remained so until the deportation of almost all the Jews of Thessaloniki by the occupying Nazis in 1943. In the spring and summer of 1943, 96% of the Jews of Thessaloniki were deported and killed, and the Nazis tried to erase all signs of the Jewish life and culture in the city.<br />
<br />
I have visited Greece 40 or 50 times in the past 35 years and, after Crete and Athens, Thessaloniki is the place I have visited most. My first visits to Thessaloniki in the 1990s were working visits as a journalist. But I have often returned since on city breaks and on family occasions, to visit Mount Athos, and to visit the synagogues, the Jewish Museum and Jewish sites.<br />
<br />
The popular Greek folksong <i>Θεσσαλονίκη μου</i> means every Greek knows the city as ‘My Thessaloniki.’ My grandfather, <a href="https://comerfordfamily.blogspot.com/2009/06/comerford-profiles-19-stephen-edward.html">Stephen Edward Comerford</a> (1867-1921), was posted there during World War, and it was there he caught the malaria that eventually led to his death. Had my grandfather died there and been buried in Greek soil, surely he too would have become a son of Greece, a son of Thessaloniki. Had he not been sent home from Thessaloniki, my father would not have been conceived … and I would not have been born. In some roundabout sort of way, this city is part of my life and part of my story, and this is ‘My Thessaloniki’ too. <br />
<br />
All these memories and associations were brought to the fore once again when I visited the current exhibition in the Jewish Museum in the Marais in Paris last month. The prints by a local photographer Paul Zepdji and previously unpublished images by Ali Eniss, a keen amateur photographer, bring the vanished world to life.<br />
<br />
The exhibition also includes French military documents, old postcards, brochures and magazines. The photographs and documents come from the 400-piece collection donated to the mahJ by Pierre de Gigord, a collector who was devoted to the history of the Ottoman Empire.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjC833fyaxoaszrOqV-2jgr0A_8Wd3cd8JEwC9BY-db50ag_RyKeHQcgKD3O6JL6NTtgeeJvzXa1w9JEvVwyTisoS_sw9a3C6uMjkIBvyZKOlRvn2seV5Cjy7_i8jH9GLfqsC0E-xzX9o7eQlG7wyiA6u0Il3aldBramJKi8t6svNZaf_jXzyeLcCbxzA/s1488/Salonique%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjC833fyaxoaszrOqV-2jgr0A_8Wd3cd8JEwC9BY-db50ag_RyKeHQcgKD3O6JL6NTtgeeJvzXa1w9JEvVwyTisoS_sw9a3C6uMjkIBvyZKOlRvn2seV5Cjy7_i8jH9GLfqsC0E-xzX9o7eQlG7wyiA6u0Il3aldBramJKi8t6svNZaf_jXzyeLcCbxzA/s400/Salonique%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Pierre de Gigord’s collection is an important source for reconstructing Jewish life in Thessaloniki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />
The great fire of August 1917 destroyed much of the city. The Jewish community saw its historic quarters, the municipal archives and more than 30 synagogues swept away by the flames. This makes Pierre de Gigord’s collection an important source for reconstructing Jewish life in the ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’.<br />
<br />
Pierre de Gigord was a keen traveller in the Orient and began assembling the richest private collection of early photographs of the Ottoman Empire in the 1890s. When his company Anastasia went out of business, Pierre de Gigord sold his collection to the Getty Museum. But it did not buy his glass plates of Thessaloniki, and these have been donated to the museum in Paris.<br />
<br />
Ali Eniss was an interpreter at the German consulate during World War I and probably a spy. His photographs were discovered 40 years after he died and were sold to different dealers who eventually sent them to France.<br />
<br />
The 150 works in the mahJ exhibition bring a vanished world back to life and tell the story of Thessaloniki from the second half of the 19th century to the end of World War I. The exhibits show men and women in traditional costumes, humble craftsmen, porters and shopkeepers, and members of the local ‘aristocracy’, linked by family and commercial ties to other parts of Europe.<br />
<br />
Here I could see again the quays along the seafront, and the White Tower, the old cafés, restaurants and entertainment venues; elegant 19th century villas that are now decaying and crumbling; or the more deprived areas where industries were set up, making Thessaloniki the leading manufacturing city in the Ottoman Empire.<br />
<br />
A devastating fire raged through Thessaloniki in 1917 and destroyed two-thirds of the Jewish districts, 45 synagogues, schools, shops and businesses. About 52,000 Jewish people were made homeless and most Jewish monuments and archives were destroyed. In the rebuilding programme, the historic centre of Thessaloniki lost the Jewish character that had enriched it for centuries.<br />
<br />
The exhibition also tells the story of Thessaloniki’s unique <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2018/04/two-villas-tell-of-lost-and-curious.html">Sabbatean</a> community. The <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2018/04/two-villas-tell-of-lost-and-curious.html">Sabbateans</a> or <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2018/04/two-villas-tell-of-lost-and-curious.html">Dönmeh</a> dated from the 17th century. They can be traced back to the followers of Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676), a 17th-century rabbi and kabbalist from Smyrna who arrived in Thessaloniki claiming to be the Messiah.<br />
<br />
They converted from Judaism to a form of Islam, but were said to have secretly held onto their Jewish beliefs and practices. They formed three main groups – the İzmirlis, Jakubis and Karakashi, and two smaller groups – the Kapantzi and Lechli. They married only each other (endogamy), and remained a closed group. But they became politically and economically powerful.<br />
<br />
The banker Mehmet Kapantzi (1839-1924) was Mayor of Thessaloniki in 1908, and later Director of the Chamber of Commerce. His seafront villa was lavish and the building cost more than 40,000 gold sovereigns, a mythical amount in those days.<br />
<br />
During the ‘population exchanges’ between Greece and Turkey following the ‘Asia Minor Catastrophe,’ Muslims and Sabbateans are forced to leave Thessaloniki in 1923, never to return. They were replaced by large numbers of Greeks, many expelled from the west coast of Anatolia.<br />
<br />
Only 1,200 Jews live in Thessaloniki today, and the <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2018/04/remembering-holocaust-in-only-surviving.html">Monasterioton Synagogue</a> on Syngrou Street is the city’s only surviving, pre-war working synagogue. It was built in 1927 by Jews from Monastir in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The synagogue was saved during World War II because it had been requisitioned by the Red Cross as a warehouse. The building was structurally damaged by the earthquake in 1978, but it was restored by the Greek government.<br />
<br />
In all, there are three surviving synagogues in <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2020/04/a-virtual-tour-of-dozen-sites-in-jewish.html">Thessaloniki today</a>, some surviving Jewish mansions on Vassilisis Olgas Avenue, the Modiano Market, and a new Jewish Cemetery in Stavroupoli. The Jewish Studies Centre at the Aristotelean University of Thessaloniki, and the Jewish Museum tells the story of a unique community, and the <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2020/04/a-virtual-tour-of-dozen-sites-in-jewish.html">Jewish Museum on Agiou Mina Street</a> opened in 2001.<br />
<br />
The current exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Art and History on Rue du Temple in Paris is curated by Catherine Pinguet and Nicolas Feuillie. It remains open until 21 April 2024.<br />
<br />
<b>Θεσσαλονίκη μου</b><br />
<br />
Θεσσαλονίκη μου μεγάλη φτωχομάνα<br />
εσύ που βγάζεις τα καλύτερα παιδιά<br />
Θεσσαλονίκη μου μεγάλη φτωχομάνα<br />
όπου κι αν πάω σ’ έχω πάντα στην καρδιά<br />
<br />
Θεσσαλονίκη μου ποτέ δε σ’ απαρνιέμαι<br />
είσ’ η πατρίδα μου, το λέω και καυχιέμαι<br />
<br />
Thessaloniki, you great mother to the needy!<br />
You are the one who gives the finest kids their start.<br />
Thessaloniki, you great mother to the needy!<br />
No matter where I go you’re always in my heart.
<br />
Thessaloniki, I will never be without you,<br />
You are my home, I say it and I brag about you!<br />
<br />
<b><i>Shabbat Shalom</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYXyePxgTHAO582On8UGzcvhRz1LnPlC2b2lWYmJ4XNtXHf1LEX-zipijlcbgUxvHQAPUn2yajlhsYvsy-BHMG5j88CaWElO_VaM_Ep44zhXQN2IvC8nN82QT0LmYTn-_qv5HRKlGDVvgMDmH00OtK8xSolr1AouL6tZeVKxiN6slT-DLXymWaZ1qEZM/s1133/Salonique%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYXyePxgTHAO582On8UGzcvhRz1LnPlC2b2lWYmJ4XNtXHf1LEX-zipijlcbgUxvHQAPUn2yajlhsYvsy-BHMG5j88CaWElO_VaM_Ep44zhXQN2IvC8nN82QT0LmYTn-_qv5HRKlGDVvgMDmH00OtK8xSolr1AouL6tZeVKxiN6slT-DLXymWaZ1qEZM/s400/Salonique%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The exhibition on Thessaloniki at the Museum of Jewish Art and History in Paris until 21 April 2024 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-26167393894965246102024-03-15T06:30:00.022+00:002024-03-16T11:27:45.761+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 31, 15 March 2024, Lanfranc of Canterbury<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ofe2G4E-7fCrOq9gqjqTsN0QNP9_iY-izdkj32FfyaH3E1CAfoQJoe6lIjbA_sh4Hf35r2tm9GUsJA-M-wdBnOHHws3Qio4yZY1FsV-KopJ1MoCwoPBMquuUkVQ0TONkmI1nlXqdMIxaJ-yCUliHiKva6p1dbor67vIxjAgJfJ7MwK5jN5u-iT8rcR8/s827/Lanfranc%20of%20Canterbury,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ofe2G4E-7fCrOq9gqjqTsN0QNP9_iY-izdkj32FfyaH3E1CAfoQJoe6lIjbA_sh4Hf35r2tm9GUsJA-M-wdBnOHHws3Qio4yZY1FsV-KopJ1MoCwoPBMquuUkVQ0TONkmI1nlXqdMIxaJ-yCUliHiKva6p1dbor67vIxjAgJfJ7MwK5jN5u-iT8rcR8/s400/Lanfranc%20of%20Canterbury,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury in the window above the High Altar in the Church of Saint Dunstan-in-the-West, Fleet Street, London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
Lent began over a month ago on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and this week began with the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lent IV), also known as Laetare Sunday and Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day (10 March 2024).<br />
<br />
Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
<br />
Before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
<br />
<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
<br />
<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
<br />d
<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByXV_TL_L6rmalqqi_-PpnLUYXq5P3UCh6i31dvXAAStEG1WciepzDgmX8DOg9uFEhh7BA0X2kW7aw1-fxfAzq80mPwaRtzyEyMw6ppLXfFaqTizBGoVSbJ7u2IXrWBqNVJT9VeHAzpW73ZJw8nmMoBdDCE1rUiVA2b50ihZXb1of0hMFFV22E63zjoA/s1440/Lanfranc%20of%20Canterbury%20and%20others,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByXV_TL_L6rmalqqi_-PpnLUYXq5P3UCh6i31dvXAAStEG1WciepzDgmX8DOg9uFEhh7BA0X2kW7aw1-fxfAzq80mPwaRtzyEyMw6ppLXfFaqTizBGoVSbJ7u2IXrWBqNVJT9VeHAzpW73ZJw8nmMoBdDCE1rUiVA2b50ihZXb1of0hMFFV22E63zjoA/s400/Lanfranc%20of%20Canterbury%20and%20others,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury (left) with Saint Dunstan, Saint Anselm and Archbishop Stephen Langton in the window above the High Altar in Saint Dunstan-in-the-West, Fleet Street, London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 31, Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury </b><br />
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Lanfranc (1089), Prior of Le Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury is remembered with a commemoration in <i>Common Worship</i> on 28 May. Lanfranc was born in Pavia, Italy, <i>ca</i> 1005. At the age of 35, he became a monk of the Benedictine Abbey in Le Bec, Normandy. There he founded the school that rose rapidly to renown throughout Europe.<br />
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William of Normandy appointed him Abbot of Caen in 1062, and then in 1070 Archbishop of Canterbury in 1070. Lanfranc was a great ecclesiastical statesman, overseeing administrative, judicial and ecclesial reforms with the same energy and rigour that the Conqueror displayed in his new kingdom.<br />
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Lanfranc did not forget his monastic formation: he wrote Constitutions for Christchurch, Canterbury, based on the customs of Le Bec, and appointed many Norman abbots to implement his vision in the English abbeys. He died in 1089.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdt-Htr7SPwfD8TWD-5WBbeOc-9Avt6w8G6CKg57hfugU4D_WofpRQ1WvokuNWVSSo3FwU3AYVvfosOBwWpfdbqe_pRg9Srzj-zVab9yyLdq51Vr5uS9Cl0AXvxp8qeFxhcruMK2Um5pg/s1600/St+Mary+le+Bow+inside+pano%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdt-Htr7SPwfD8TWD-5WBbeOc-9Avt6w8G6CKg57hfugU4D_WofpRQ1WvokuNWVSSo3FwU3AYVvfosOBwWpfdbqe_pRg9Srzj-zVab9yyLdq51Vr5uS9Cl0AXvxp8qeFxhcruMK2Um5pg/s400/St+Mary+le+Bow+inside+pano%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+2017.jpg" width="400" height="197" /></a></div><i>The Church of Saint Mary-le-Bow, London, was built ca 1080 by Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury, who had accompanied William the Conqueror from Bec in Normandy (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>John 7: 1-2, 10, 25-30 (NRSVA):</b><br />
<br />
7 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. 2 Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near.<br />
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10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret.<br />
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25 Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? 27 Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’ 28 Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.’ 30 Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EQtnKrqPEaQU60tC1DQOsk59GhLIz9QKDdIbILMI8vGCvWFsHdmBVSETG4uB7ykuBgIEgZ64nUYJzJg1lya2vZsd-DawRJe6AgJ1i5EYXE4lL82zjTPAc9gfUgQfMZsYDppkTVaAyDEuMgvZAZZi8XIccybJUUEfO7QRGyY6RGa2Z6AaDxfv2gofGS4/s1600/Lanfranc%204.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EQtnKrqPEaQU60tC1DQOsk59GhLIz9QKDdIbILMI8vGCvWFsHdmBVSETG4uB7ykuBgIEgZ64nUYJzJg1lya2vZsd-DawRJe6AgJ1i5EYXE4lL82zjTPAc9gfUgQfMZsYDppkTVaAyDEuMgvZAZZi8XIccybJUUEfO7QRGyY6RGa2Z6AaDxfv2gofGS4/s400/Lanfranc%204.JPG"/></a></div><i>Archbishop Lanfranc depicted in a stained-glass window in Canterbury</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Friday 15 March 2024):</b ><br />
<br />
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Lent Reflection: JustMoney Movement.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by Matt Ceaser, Movement Builder, JustMoney Movement.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (15 March 2024) invites us to pray in these words:<br />
<br />
We pray Lord for the mission of the JustMoney Movement and their vision of a world where money is used to shape a fairer, greener future for everyone.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
absolve your people from their offences,<br />
that through your bountiful goodness<br />
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins<br />
which by our frailty we have committed;<br />
grant this, heavenly Father,<br />
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
<br />
<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
<br />
Lord God,<br />
whose blessed Son our Saviour<br />
gave his back to the smiters<br />
and did not hide his face from shame:<br />
give us grace to endure the sufferings of this present time<br />
with sure confidence in the glory that shall be revealed;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
<br />
<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
<br />
Merciful Lord,<br />
you know our struggle to serve you:<br />
when sin spoils our lives<br />
and overshadows our hearts,<br />
come to our aid<br />
and turn us back to you again;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
<br />
<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0225949809.html">Saint Edward the Confessor</a><br />
<br />
<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0516713282.html">Saint Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPA01SVdnvH_KsLx5Y-Jed_DPVtEz_LsNEPPKUXKq9QkF1jMCZoxxgTdtps8PjdQ1imvEi_6f7QZmaxSGFGIM5o_bbDBMe5-716YT20Dx835Y3aMv7hAKKilGOZEjpRKeqlKVolCZjojRPZFYmEM7s7_lFXqw1vC8BmouwI_Tnn5eFzeEHXMXFWXDIZfI/s1856/Lanfranc%20of%20Canterbury%202.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1856" data-original-width="1251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPA01SVdnvH_KsLx5Y-Jed_DPVtEz_LsNEPPKUXKq9QkF1jMCZoxxgTdtps8PjdQ1imvEi_6f7QZmaxSGFGIM5o_bbDBMe5-716YT20Dx835Y3aMv7hAKKilGOZEjpRKeqlKVolCZjojRPZFYmEM7s7_lFXqw1vC8BmouwI_Tnn5eFzeEHXMXFWXDIZfI/s400/Lanfranc%20of%20Canterbury%202.JPG"/></a></div><i>Archbishop Lanfranc depicted in a statue at Canterbury Cathedral</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-71977939241616185882024-03-14T18:30:00.001+00:002024-03-14T18:33:06.205+00:00Could the plans for Grafton Park help to make Milton Keynes ‘the greenest city in the world’<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoBcv8uhu41E9xaZQmqBit7lu7Gm_fAHMXAuCRPS9VNUSuOSk7zc-8oAqG8FzOioeUN3FJeu0muwabHxU88dGk1tZ-__QJCWXcdXzF5AyCD7V_7CtH8cMxlbc9TUIBRS4RHJiltgIotJ2joo1kQY20CYMKdldVlNW_SpGz6949lhm-baVHSmtN9Ko02g/s1103/Jaipur%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoBcv8uhu41E9xaZQmqBit7lu7Gm_fAHMXAuCRPS9VNUSuOSk7zc-8oAqG8FzOioeUN3FJeu0muwabHxU88dGk1tZ-__QJCWXcdXzF5AyCD7V_7CtH8cMxlbc9TUIBRS4RHJiltgIotJ2joo1kQY20CYMKdldVlNW_SpGz6949lhm-baVHSmtN9Ko02g/s400/Jaipur%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Grafton Park is a quiet corner beside the former Jaipur Restaurant in the centre of Milton Keynes (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
I was writing last night about the threatened demolition of the former <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/if-jaipur-restaurant-is-demolished.html">Jaipur restaurant</a> in the centre of Milton Keynes, and with that the loss of one of the architectural landmarks and unique buildings in the heart of the city.<br />
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The proposals to replace the Jaipur building, modelled on the Chandra Mahal, the palace of the Maharajas of Jaipur, and to replace it with a 33-storey high-rise tower block, would mean the loss of a unique building that has never been recognised for its distinctive design. But the plans have also raised concerns that Milton Keynes ‘is fast becoming a city of skyscrapers.’<br />
<br />
Is it ironic, or a sign of hope, that at the same time, Grafton Park, a little-known and almost-hidden park beside the former <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/if-jaipur-restaurant-is-demolished.html">Jaipur restaurant</a>, is part of an interesting plan to make Milton Keynes ‘the greenest city in the world’?<br />
<br />
Plans were announced last year (2023) to transform this hidden and overgrown site in the middle of one of the busiest areas in the centre of central Milton Keynes into an attractive urban park and a new haven for wildlife.<br />
<br />
At the moment, Grafton Gate Park is a seldom-visited, little-used and overgrown space between Lower Second Street and Lower Fourth Street. It is to the left of the former Jaipur restaurant and the Premier Inn, a few hundred metres from Milton Keynes Central rail station and close to the former bus station in Elder Gate.<br />
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The park is a hidden gem with five ponds and a number of waterfalls. The ponds and waterfalls are prone to flooding, but work is being carried out to remedy this. Landscaping work is aimed at cutting back overgrown bushes and trees, removing ivy, clearing litter, and making the park a more attractive space for both people and wildlife.<br />
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Milton Keynes City Council is working on the transformation in partnership with MyMiltonKeynes and the landlord, MKDP.<br />
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The project is part of a longer-term aim to create a masterplan for Grafton Park and make the 9,000 square metre site a premium city park. It is also hoped that Grafton Park will achieve green flag status, recognising well-managed green spaces.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDosD5p_Nn0HtlkUSuFV5x9QC5YS9KtyZtOAkr7mBg-OtEyrZ3vExsibXGbf95ot7PFySUpVdik7NODXRR0NpQhV17si4lkwvL2yGbyIrrjVmTi5Auh2h6ZhQdg1Rl5S2KGeeX85Kfv1t4jQCzI7u-j-yRylGXrXk8U_FHPmDX4OHOAjgkCdRzPcpQW8/s1103/Jaipur%206,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDosD5p_Nn0HtlkUSuFV5x9QC5YS9KtyZtOAkr7mBg-OtEyrZ3vExsibXGbf95ot7PFySUpVdik7NODXRR0NpQhV17si4lkwvL2yGbyIrrjVmTi5Auh2h6ZhQdg1Rl5S2KGeeX85Kfv1t4jQCzI7u-j-yRylGXrXk8U_FHPmDX4OHOAjgkCdRzPcpQW8/s400/Jaipur%206,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The bird tower is earmarked to become a central attraction in Grafton Park (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />
Councillor Jenny Wilson-Marklew (Labour) has said: ‘Grafton Park is a hidden gem in the middle of the city centre that deserves to be maximised to its full potential. She describes the development of Grafton Park development as a critical flagship project that will help Milton Keynes become ‘the greenest city in the world.’<br />
<br />
The proposals include refurbishing public art and sculptures in the park – including the bird tower that is earmarked to become a central attraction – upgrading pathways upgraded, installing benches and bins and improving the signage.<br />
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Grafton Park is in the south-west quarter of Milton Keynes, between CBX and the former Bus Station. Its style contrasts with the more formal layout of the Fred Roche Gardens. To the north-east stand Witan Gate House, with more recent office developments to the north and south, while Premier Inn and the former Jaipur Restaurant are beside the south-west corner.<br />
<br />
The park featured as a major green space in early plans prepared for Milton Keynes Development Corporation, and from about 2000 it was named on plans and maps as Grafton Park.<br />
<br />
The long, narrow rectangular site slopes east to west and is surrounded by shrubs and hedging. The ground has been sculpted into interesting landforms and the north and south sides have been planted with birch and pines.<br />
<br />
A large informal pool at the east end is surrounded by bamboo and birches. This feeds into a small stream or rill that flows down the site through waterfalls to a more formal, central round pond. From there, the stream flows gently to disappear at the garden’s west boundary.<br />
<br />
The stream interconnects with the main path running east-west, with metal grids to act as pedestrian bridges. The path is lined with ornamental grasses and sedges and the garden is laid to lawns leading up to the boundary shrubbery.<br />
<br />
If Grafton Park is successfully transformed into attractive urban park and a new haven for wildlife, is all that work going to be fruitless if it falls under the shadow of a 33-storey high-rise tower block on the site of the beautiful but fading and decaying former <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/if-jaipur-restaurant-is-demolished.html">Jaipur restaurant</a>? <br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/siYGI3rwsaQ?si=MyDb-y-VTpZAyJ8D" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><i>Ninety seconds by a water feature in Grafton Park (Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-43345895937660520122024-03-14T06:30:00.022+00:002024-03-15T09:49:46.869+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 30, 14 March 2024, Saint Edward the Confessor<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsloW49GbcfWjFdodtAhmIS6Jtpnm3QCGHqCxHM5Z82sNrq-yNIRhHNY4qDTJtJQW1JfZh2RrMRVCCjjpn5J_l0yYTDedw2H-6T2OPq0njdY81V9SWIgsOftZCOPr6kQYpA1Dk0mc0lg8RGJ2P0gHyIKZC4fQ_2qbtCvLOt3dUsVYOBkiR1McsOo7yTfs/s650/Edwaed%20the%20Confessor%20Laura%20Lupin%20Howard.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsloW49GbcfWjFdodtAhmIS6Jtpnm3QCGHqCxHM5Z82sNrq-yNIRhHNY4qDTJtJQW1JfZh2RrMRVCCjjpn5J_l0yYTDedw2H-6T2OPq0njdY81V9SWIgsOftZCOPr6kQYpA1Dk0mc0lg8RGJ2P0gHyIKZC4fQ_2qbtCvLOt3dUsVYOBkiR1McsOo7yTfs/s400/Edwaed%20the%20Confessor%20Laura%20Lupin%20Howard.jpg"/></a></div><i>Edward the Confessor depicted in a statue on the west front of Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: <a href="https://bugsandfishes.blogspot.com/2017/06/">Laura Howard</a>)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
Lent began a month ago on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and this week began with the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lent IV), also known as Laetare Sunday and Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day (10 March 2024).<br />
<br />
Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
<br />
Before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
<br />
<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
<br />
<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
<br />
<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISTZrVBLhyphenhyphenM_8SmF9GHLOwXWXN94kEBNVrA9c1FH6fu54hvV9rrvrP4OLneFamaYcX0och__sujTc2-abllcun27vaXZTL-TxSyvwBqCdqSzvhGgCijfPmyCjTWxCceXWiUh-iMpvK0NM7LLykfzVHpmHuQwmO0aiOxkDEHsQk0HI4xPeA28bI4b5i4k/s845/Cooper%20window%207,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Berkhamsted,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="553" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISTZrVBLhyphenhyphenM_8SmF9GHLOwXWXN94kEBNVrA9c1FH6fu54hvV9rrvrP4OLneFamaYcX0och__sujTc2-abllcun27vaXZTL-TxSyvwBqCdqSzvhGgCijfPmyCjTWxCceXWiUh-iMpvK0NM7LLykfzVHpmHuQwmO0aiOxkDEHsQk0HI4xPeA28bI4b5i4k/s400/Cooper%20window%207,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Berkhamsted,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>King Edward the Confessor (left) and Saint Hugh of Lincoln in the Cooper window in Saint Peter’s Church, Berkhamsted (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 30, Saint Edward the Confessor</b><br />
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Saint Edward the Confessor is commemorated in <i>Common Worship</i> on 13 October. Edward was born in 1002, the son of the English King Ethelred and his Norman wife Emma. Living in exile during the Danish supremacy, he was invited back to England in 1042 to become king, and was heartily welcomed as a descendant of the old royal line.<br />
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However, his reign was a balancing act between the influences of stronger characters at his court or overseas, sustained by Edward’s diplomacy and determination.<br />
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Edward’s reputation for sanctity was built on his personal, more than his political, qualities. He was concerned to maintain peace and justice in his realm, to avoid foreign wars, and to put his faith into practice. He was generous to the poor, hospitable to strangers, but no mere pietist.<br />
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As a young man, Edward had vowed to go on pilgrimage to Rome should his family fortunes ever be restored. He later felt it irresponsible to leave his kingdom, and was permitted instead to found or endow a monastery dedicated to Saint Peter. Edward chose the abbey on Thorney Island, by the river Thames, thus beginning the royal patronage of Westminster Abbey.<br />
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He died on 5 January 1066 and his remains were translated to a new shrine in Westminster Abbey on 13 October 1162.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAJ7cpv4tk0-QQw2HNmfF8H5a3GWoSiZK1_izkwrjjBVK2_teW2MPx0a2gh8ujirdGvoCXyqn55pQ1iki1O5B8aF6XF-UdJB_zGis75xHaanRtCWQX8atdABo8so7dX_AVGpj3TcDP5U/s1600/Ten+Martyrs+3%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Westminster%252C+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAJ7cpv4tk0-QQw2HNmfF8H5a3GWoSiZK1_izkwrjjBVK2_teW2MPx0a2gh8ujirdGvoCXyqn55pQ1iki1O5B8aF6XF-UdJB_zGis75xHaanRtCWQX8atdABo8so7dX_AVGpj3TcDP5U/s400/Ten+Martyrs+3%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Westminster%252C+2019.jpg" width="300" height="400" data-original-width="758" data-original-height="1010" /></a></div><i>Edward the Confessor founded Westminster Abbey and is buried there (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>John 5: 17-30 (NRSVA):</b><br />
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[Jesus said:] 31 ‘If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. 33 You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.<br />
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39 ‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 I do not accept glory from human beings. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?’<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtYyiuqYS5z-ZYNWqc5PWWOFrFqHyjc2IR9YaAJDW36fUO0yw4xnKMsXRmNfQU51sTFrbraUYXPDtmmnne38nL5d1xrY5wQhPrA8EzAKF8meAsjspJtUQ2pcdZhKji5DyRZTfqK07J1A/s1600/Christ+the+King%252C+Westminster+Cathedral%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtYyiuqYS5z-ZYNWqc5PWWOFrFqHyjc2IR9YaAJDW36fUO0yw4xnKMsXRmNfQU51sTFrbraUYXPDtmmnne38nL5d1xrY5wQhPrA8EzAKF8meAsjspJtUQ2pcdZhKji5DyRZTfqK07J1A/s400/Christ+the+King%252C+Westminster+Cathedral%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+2018.jpg" width="400" height="246" data-original-width="1435" data-original-height="883" /></a></div><i>The tympanum of the portal shows in Westminster Cathedral shows Christ enthroned, with a knelling Edward the Confessor on the right (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Thursday 14 March 2024):</b ><br />
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The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Lent Reflection: JustMoney Movement.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by Matt Ceaser, Movement Builder, JustMoney Movement.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (14 March 2024, Commonwealth Day) invites us to pray in these words:<br />
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Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ across the Commonwealth, a political association of 54 free and equal states across the world.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
absolve your people from their offences,<br />
that through your bountiful goodness<br />
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins<br />
which by our frailty we have committed;<br />
grant this, heavenly Father,<br />
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
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Lord God,<br />
whose blessed Son our Saviour<br />
gave his back to the smiters<br />
and did not hide his face from shame:<br />
give us grace to endure the sufferings of this present time<br />
with sure confidence in the glory that shall be revealed;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
you know our struggle to serve you:<br />
when sin spoils our lives<br />
and overshadows our hearts,<br />
come to our aid<br />
and turn us back to you again;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_01591603973.html">Saint Alphege of Canterbury</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_01876340239.html">Lanfranc (1089), Prior of Le Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQtNy9TCYhVxbfe_zXFqZbimFjD9UDQ_tXWJQ76NVOHkdfkebRqKu2ZrCOdfuHyLBJ02oNn3dDYC7L-u7PIk-hFCIhwKEGUENnfa1Pw1jAmLOOqIZqbljaOdoJE2NKTA9FNieJWR-Hmqg/s1600/Altar+Saint+Edwards.+Patrick+Comerford+2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQtNy9TCYhVxbfe_zXFqZbimFjD9UDQ_tXWJQ76NVOHkdfkebRqKu2ZrCOdfuHyLBJ02oNn3dDYC7L-u7PIk-hFCIhwKEGUENnfa1Pw1jAmLOOqIZqbljaOdoJE2NKTA9FNieJWR-Hmqg/s400/Altar+Saint+Edwards.+Patrick+Comerford+2015.JPG" /></a></div><i>The altar in the chapel dedicated to Saint Edward the Confessor in Sint Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-46008572431872123272024-03-13T18:30:00.002+00:002024-03-13T18:30:00.148+00:00If Jaipur Restaurant is demolished, Milton Keynes loses a unique taste of India<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1YSrOPQdsUJ2CdQVGnTMWVaty5fs4aLZUVCG69IXnNJafKSUnIX0-NPbcwiXX-ejMzDzwlAal80LttClzM7rgxfwVNwmEtR2kXak-Flr3l5lwoYFV0O2TNrPTEWyt8Ry3J886lSrnX8dEkw6fa6wiE4ilWskEoey17YF6DMEKn-2uVVuGja9n-hG4lg/s1195/Jaipur%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1YSrOPQdsUJ2CdQVGnTMWVaty5fs4aLZUVCG69IXnNJafKSUnIX0-NPbcwiXX-ejMzDzwlAal80LttClzM7rgxfwVNwmEtR2kXak-Flr3l5lwoYFV0O2TNrPTEWyt8Ry3J886lSrnX8dEkw6fa6wiE4ilWskEoey17YF6DMEKn-2uVVuGja9n-hG4lg/s400/Jaipur%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The former Jaipur Restaurant on the corner of Grafton Gate and Avebury Boulevard in Milton Keynes … closed since 2022 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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Milton Keynes may be about to lose one of its most curious landmarks and a unique architectural work on a prominent, busy city centre corner. Since I moved here two years ago, I have been captivated by the former Jaipur Restaurant on the busy corner of Grafton Gate and Avebury Boulevard, a few hundred paces from Milton Keynes Central train station to the south-west.<br />
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With its elegant domed-roof, its covered balconies, verandas and colonnades, the building looks like it has been transplanted from India’s majestic past and the places of the maharajas.<br />
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Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. The city, with a population of 3.1 million, is the tenth largest city in India. Jaipur is also known as the ‘Pink City’ because of the colour scheme of buildings in old city.<br />
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Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh, the Kachhwaha Rajput ruler of Amer, who gave the city its name. It is one of the earliest planned cities of modern India, and during the days of the Raj the city was the capital of Jaipur State.<br />
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Jaipur is a popular tourist destination and is part of the west Golden triangle along with Delhi and Agra. It has two World heritage sites and is included on the World Heritage Cities list.<br />
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The Jaipur restaurant in Milton Keynes was built in the style of an Indian palace or temple, with a dome, covered balconies and verandas inspired by the Chandra Mahal, or Palace of the Moon, still the palatial home of the Maharajas of Jaipur.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtedTlR5oMZti4IXTkTwrPJJrdIjA5O3i_115Ck1Upflv1NFXKrzQLF6gHutDao46P93Q_mu6NMlLwn316dR-C2xTGlyRxjsGKm5yBD9dNUDFFYPpL_C04rhqdHsFLAn7NpmUtr1SPoWSdg5MAYb_BzwQxQ8z1uJjJCOtfsIsxqMVWgJKlyCzYl7vDVA/s4065/Chandra_Mahal,_City_Palace,_Jaipur,_Jakub%20Ha%C5%82un.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="4065" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtedTlR5oMZti4IXTkTwrPJJrdIjA5O3i_115Ck1Upflv1NFXKrzQLF6gHutDao46P93Q_mu6NMlLwn316dR-C2xTGlyRxjsGKm5yBD9dNUDFFYPpL_C04rhqdHsFLAn7NpmUtr1SPoWSdg5MAYb_BzwQxQ8z1uJjJCOtfsIsxqMVWgJKlyCzYl7vDVA/s400/Chandra_Mahal,_City_Palace,_Jaipur,_Jakub%20Ha%C5%82un.jpg"/></a></div><i>The Chandra Mahal, or Palace of the Moon, the palatial home of the Maharajas of Jaipur, inspired the design of the Jaipur restaurant in Milton Keynes (Photograph: Jakub Hałun / Wikipedia / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>)</i><br />
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When the Jaipur restaurant opened in 2002, it was said to be the largest purpose-built Indian restaurant in the world. At the time, it was owned by Abdul Ahad, a high profile member of the Bangladeshi community, who dubbed the Jaipur not his ‘Chandra Mahal’ but his own ‘mini Taj Mahal.’<br />
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The building housed the Jaipur Indian restaurant on the ground floor and the Orchid Lounge Thai restaurant upstairs. It was a busy and popular venue, and also become a well-known wedding venue. Inside, the Jaipur had luxurious decor and opulent architectural features, including a curved staircase, a beautiful chandelier and a raised domed roof light, as well as an ornate veranda and a number of balcony areas.<br />
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The company was put into liquidation at the end of 2014, owing substantial debts. But it was bought back two months later, in January 2015, for more than £1 million by a consortium led by Adbul Ahad, who reopened the restaurant.<br />
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Jaipur closed suddenly in 2018. When it re-opened it was as a late-night cocktail and clubbing venue housing the Atesh bar and restaurant.<br />
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But on the day after Christmas Day, 26 December 2021, Nagiib Maxamed (28) was fatally stabbed outside the premises during a party. He died in hospital from his wounds two days later, on 28 December 2021. The venue’s drink licence was subsequently suspended by Milton Keynes Council and it closed down completely shortly after.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJH_HxbqWtwc6hUsUJRTaKLYfEIErQvaEh-FcOMwHVZhT7UeeJs0IoK2wpkcMUzS5B3XJFrWcvYylRgmUB75Ff2PNpBgaFAm_scTkVXxuzud-C5lFIAsjlXXdjct12FRyt8ey1ps1NtUGcOBjxTR3lp57BMDcMjzLPHSlXCXaXiCHqOkugazh_qN6uxU/s1103/Jaipur%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJH_HxbqWtwc6hUsUJRTaKLYfEIErQvaEh-FcOMwHVZhT7UeeJs0IoK2wpkcMUzS5B3XJFrWcvYylRgmUB75Ff2PNpBgaFAm_scTkVXxuzud-C5lFIAsjlXXdjct12FRyt8ey1ps1NtUGcOBjxTR3lp57BMDcMjzLPHSlXCXaXiCHqOkugazh_qN6uxU/s400/Jaipur%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The dome, covered balconies and verandas of the Jaipur restaurant were inspired by the Chandra Mahal, the palace of the Maharajas of Jaipur (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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The former Jaipur building has remained closed for the past two years, and developers have now proposed building a 33-storey apartment block on the site, with the proposed name of Jaipur Tower.<br />
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The application by Smith Jenkins Planning and Heritage on behalf of Galliford Try Investments seeks full planning permission for a 33-storey high-rise residential tower block with 302 built-to-rent apartments, ranging from one- to two-bedroom flats to accommodate one to four people.<br />
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The proposals include communal spaces that could include a gym and co-working spaces, two rooftop terraces on the ninth and 29th floors, and commercial use at ground floor and mezzanine floor level. According to the planning application, this would be a car-free development and no car parking spaces are included in the plans.<br />
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The proposed tower block would be one of the tallest buildings in Milton Keynes. Reports say the planning application has prompted many objections from nearby residents, who have describes the proposal as ‘hideous,’ ‘unsightly’ and out of character with the area.<br />
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The site is beside the 10-storey Premier Inn hotel, with a ground floor restaurant and bar. The Premier Inn says the tower block would result in ‘direct adverse impacts and potential risks to the hotel, as well as lack of light and privacy for guests.’<br />
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Residents in neighbouring areas and estates say the development would impact on their roads and infrastructure – and would be a blot on the landscape at the city centre, changing the character of the area and the view.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFx_PexBXCDOYkyl5yu5ylMxpMBkpPIzj1xirz5oB5LpEqYBeddN1u7UyQ0K0mAnWP7JTNvYWKZE_XMjTXZ9gWVyo1D5gGipVXcZPsWCO8ZEMUL9T3wT6_ObWP9mTN1IEXnYU4dBUQJ3GdCLQr2quYcaTTNO4UD_UYz-Y5nyShSa13sLe1g_26x_ILwE/s827/Jaipur%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFx_PexBXCDOYkyl5yu5ylMxpMBkpPIzj1xirz5oB5LpEqYBeddN1u7UyQ0K0mAnWP7JTNvYWKZE_XMjTXZ9gWVyo1D5gGipVXcZPsWCO8ZEMUL9T3wT6_ObWP9mTN1IEXnYU4dBUQJ3GdCLQr2quYcaTTNO4UD_UYz-Y5nyShSa13sLe1g_26x_ILwE/s400/Jaipur%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The Jaipur building has been vacant since 2022 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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With its distinctive style, the Jaipur building has been well-loved locally and is still regarded as an architectural landmark. But the building has been vacant since 2022, and the application claims ‘there is little to no prospect of it being re-used as a restaurant.’<br />
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Conservation officers at Milton Keynes City Council say it is not officially considered to have special heritage value, and it has never been considered as a heritage asset. A report says this rules out any heritage objections to the redevelopment of the site.<br />
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Despite an original planning principle in Milton Keynes that no building could be higher than the tallest tree, a worrying precedent was set in 2021 when planning permission was granted for a 33-storey ‘vertical village’ block with 288 apartments as part of the redevelopment of Saxon Court, the council’s former housing offices.<br />
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Milton Keynes is fast becoming a city of skyscrapers, and may soon lose one of its unique architectural landmarks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjU1iQWeadZeqVlbsCaQADgWqbo6WXPuxgw-15SdwIUlPtewfjqFXA018ou33cMemfIDEGRDHLpMyXO5t5NeuxJipKV-AsNEr1V8tJ9W_d-LWrUmfKw68S3fFQ3tgOvhCh0THh4mrPDmHZStzxYP7_0bOEklpa0aP22Ku0k5gNgpnNdEFE3EN1HtY1bk/s1273/Jaipur%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjU1iQWeadZeqVlbsCaQADgWqbo6WXPuxgw-15SdwIUlPtewfjqFXA018ou33cMemfIDEGRDHLpMyXO5t5NeuxJipKV-AsNEr1V8tJ9W_d-LWrUmfKw68S3fFQ3tgOvhCh0THh4mrPDmHZStzxYP7_0bOEklpa0aP22Ku0k5gNgpnNdEFE3EN1HtY1bk/s400/Jaipur%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The Jaipur restaurant in Milton Keynes was said to be the largest purpose-built Indian restaurant in the world (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-39397926519699970412024-03-13T06:30:00.025+00:002024-03-14T11:13:46.930+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 29, 13 March 2024, Saint Alphege of Canterbury<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIC0U6B9HpeWwuDPCO3jE6z2x_JISvBK3BslVz1gmXwrW3_eOBsQzIJe_2kklTJ5tE1VRiMRMT0RW0iI8j9TACYkbncTGcNRz3Rt9MH98UGwiYcfk2K3idJtL8XO56R7NuZJy7d_lOlvw/s1600/Elsyng+Spital+6%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+London%252C+2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIC0U6B9HpeWwuDPCO3jE6z2x_JISvBK3BslVz1gmXwrW3_eOBsQzIJe_2kklTJ5tE1VRiMRMT0RW0iI8j9TACYkbncTGcNRz3Rt9MH98UGwiYcfk2K3idJtL8XO56R7NuZJy7d_lOlvw/s400/Elsyng+Spital+6%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+London%252C+2020.JPG" width="400" height="271" data-original-width="1304" data-original-height="883" /></a></div><i>The site of Saint Alphege or Saint Alphage London Wall, also known as Saint Alphege Cripplegate (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
Lent began four weeks ago on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and this week began with the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lent IV), also known as Laetare Sunday and Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day (10 March 2024).<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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I am taking part in a meeting of local clergy later this morning in Water Eaton, and later this evening hope to take part in a choir rehearsal in Stony Stratford. But, before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
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<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
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<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
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<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbgSN1UcYFnwskRineR7JCG8z9xA8YSwKoa2rEvEF-eYwfSUDM4QkZeqA_enzKARaKx56jMOpHh9jncVuvvh2N2OjwFvqC6NVjZ3F3oIT7KhGUMD964edYbGmGsZXepJchut9E7FH8L8/s1280/97%252C+Bath+Abbey+1%252C+West+Front%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Bath.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbgSN1UcYFnwskRineR7JCG8z9xA8YSwKoa2rEvEF-eYwfSUDM4QkZeqA_enzKARaKx56jMOpHh9jncVuvvh2N2OjwFvqC6NVjZ3F3oIT7KhGUMD964edYbGmGsZXepJchut9E7FH8L8/s400/97%252C+Bath+Abbey+1%252C+West+Front%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Bath.JPG"/></a></div><i>The west end of Bath Abbey … Saint Dunstan called on Saint Alphege to be Abbot of Bath (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 29, Saint Alphege of Canterbury</b><br />
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Saint Alphege of Canterbury (1012), Martyr, is commemorated in <i>Common Worship</i> on 19 April. He became a monk at Deerhurst near Gloucester and withdrew in later life to be a hermit in Somerset. Saint Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, called him back to be Abbot of Bath and, in 984, Bishop of Winchester.<br />
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Saint Alphege became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1005. His austere life and lavish almsgiving made him a revered and much-loved man. In the year 1011, the Danes overran south-east England, taking Alphege prisoner. They put the enormous ransom of £3,000 on his head, but Alphege refused to pay it and forbade anyone from doing so, knowing that it would impoverish the ordinary people even more. He was brutally murdered by his captors at Greenwich on 19 April 1012.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8xavIsJY-J2KbWXFThj6EQzy-bslARqM6sy0gkXo7hd3XqARZ3aQGBpJghzHEG9xD7PwdiYSrUR7Yvxj-Fs-mrC-rqviAJmWKAOF5bf1GPfiQTZ22aOTZZXznK0Jb3Vt7bj2PscjzKcJq0CJV3Kc02m4ElnOcp5EPjE8KWLab1yLBU8qP8rYCuDMuyQ/s827/St%20Dunstan%20Fleet%20Street%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8xavIsJY-J2KbWXFThj6EQzy-bslARqM6sy0gkXo7hd3XqARZ3aQGBpJghzHEG9xD7PwdiYSrUR7Yvxj-Fs-mrC-rqviAJmWKAOF5bf1GPfiQTZ22aOTZZXznK0Jb3Vt7bj2PscjzKcJq0CJV3Kc02m4ElnOcp5EPjE8KWLab1yLBU8qP8rYCuDMuyQ/s400/St%20Dunstan%20Fleet%20Street%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Dunstan depicted in a stained glass window in Saint Dunstan-in-the-West Church, London … he called Alphege back to be Abbot of Bath and then Bishop of Winchester (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>John 5: 17-30 (NRSVA):</b><br />
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17 But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ 18 For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.<br />
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19 Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20 The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. 21 Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomsoever he wishes. 22 The Father judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son, 23 so that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him. 24 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.<br />
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25 ‘Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; 27 and he has given him authority to execute judgement, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and will come out – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.<br />
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30 ‘I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.’<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPThjwQQhjDEY5kTHImVCLGboMwrR9gRPOZPkA9a82-Ayv8IDS71nVr0vWJI9N_02qIHT5bacQTIF7X4-n73xONgA9kfujoAfM8ir78-SIhTeSCiZ4EvqrvbjzCm0q2jKdtIPI0UfxzhU/s1600/Elsyng+Spital+7%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+London%252C+2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPThjwQQhjDEY5kTHImVCLGboMwrR9gRPOZPkA9a82-Ayv8IDS71nVr0vWJI9N_02qIHT5bacQTIF7X4-n73xONgA9kfujoAfM8ir78-SIhTeSCiZ4EvqrvbjzCm0q2jKdtIPI0UfxzhU/s400/Elsyng+Spital+7%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+London%252C+2020.JPG" width="400" height="204" data-original-width="1469" data-original-height="748" /></a></div><i>The outline of the mediaeval church marked out in Saint Alphage Gardens in London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Wednesday 13 March 2024):</b ><br />
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The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Lent Reflection: JustMoney Movement.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by Matt Ceaser, Movement Builder, JustMoney Movement.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (13 March 2024) invites us to pray in these words:<br />
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Oh Lord, may you keep our minds open and our hearts generous.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
absolve your people from their offences,<br />
that through your bountiful goodness<br />
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins<br />
which by our frailty we have committed;<br />
grant this, heavenly Father,<br />
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
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Lord God,<br />
whose blessed Son our Saviour<br />
gave his back to the smiters<br />
and did not hide his face from shame:<br />
give us grace to endure the sufferings of this present time<br />
with sure confidence in the glory that shall be revealed;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
you know our struggle to serve you:<br />
when sin spoils our lives<br />
and overshadows our hearts,<br />
come to our aid<br />
and turn us back to you again;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Yesterday:</b><a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_02079844983.html"> Saint Dunstan of Canterbury</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0225949809.html">Saint Edward the Confessor</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11uHWO2hisQAIw7HBamchYgazaMX8iuTqDH8XJyoFgqJ7M4lIuythb70gry_B3tg3g4l7ucqxuCORzvweGNdu6KsPvJ5wsyy2KNvwfCnt-FNSEtjCjBFdDt3-iEKUMcLwf-llKtPUFFE/s1280/97%252C+Bath+Abbey+2%252C+Roman+Baths%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Bath.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11uHWO2hisQAIw7HBamchYgazaMX8iuTqDH8XJyoFgqJ7M4lIuythb70gry_B3tg3g4l7ucqxuCORzvweGNdu6KsPvJ5wsyy2KNvwfCnt-FNSEtjCjBFdDt3-iEKUMcLwf-llKtPUFFE/s400/97%252C+Bath+Abbey+2%252C+Roman+Baths%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Bath.JPG"/></a></div><i>Bath Abbey seen above the city’s ancient Roman baths (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-83069819127870679942024-03-12T18:30:00.032+00:002024-03-12T18:30:00.150+00:00A Mulberry tree at the Open University recalls a Cambridge tree that inspired Milton<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETQ6fCGRIs5khGMlH3zMJKzTuuM4dU0YcUsHOiAfoAcMjlBKOLwl_dul1mj96TmPOUOtlVom2SFi4TWWwifJkU6-akqKQMdjPasWiwd5eux2kYmu4lWEQuAFzc7-SKt3LiE8FsEZqYm9NPLbY-jmDe66vHEfdyT8U4SkgW5UqwOds3CeXaDnyvYhziFY/s827/Mulberry%20Tree%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETQ6fCGRIs5khGMlH3zMJKzTuuM4dU0YcUsHOiAfoAcMjlBKOLwl_dul1mj96TmPOUOtlVom2SFi4TWWwifJkU6-akqKQMdjPasWiwd5eux2kYmu4lWEQuAFzc7-SKt3LiE8FsEZqYm9NPLbY-jmDe66vHEfdyT8U4SkgW5UqwOds3CeXaDnyvYhziFY/s400/Mulberry%20Tree%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The Mulberry tree, thought to be the oldest tree on the Walton Hall estate, gives the Mulberry Lawn at the Open University its name (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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I was back on the campus of the Open University in Milton Keynes late last week for lunch with an old friend, Dr Fidèle Mutwarasibo, Director of the Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership and Lecturer in Work-Based Learning in the Department of Public Leadership and Social Enterprise.<br />
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We had lunch in the Hub, and later had coffee looking out onto the Mulberry Lawn, on the west side of Walton Hall. The Mulberry Lawn is named after the large Mulberry tree that is thought to be the oldest tree on the Walton Hall estate. It is believed to have been planted in 1908 to commemorate the birth of the painter Primrose Harley (1908-1978), a year after her father, Professor Vaughan Harley (1864-1923), bought Walton Hall.<br />
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The tree is over 100 years old. But there is also a 400-year tradition linking mulberry trees with universities and colleges. One of the best-known veteran mulberry trees in England is the ‘Milton Mulberry’ in the Fellows’ Garden at Christ’s College in Cambridge.<br />
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The tree was planted in 1609 and I first saw it virtually 400 years later in 2008 when I was a student on a course at Sidney Sussex College on a course organised by the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies. A former student at the Church of Ireland Theological College, the Revd Christopher Woods, who was then the chaplain, invited me to <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2008/07/visiting-christs-garden-and-gods-house.html">dinner in the Fellows’ dining room at Christ’s College</a>. That year, Christ’s College was marking the 400th anniversary of Milton’s birth.<br />
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Christopher is now the Vicar of <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2023/08/saint-barnabas-jericho-pre-raphaelite.html">Saint Barnabas in Jericho, Oxford</a>. He invited me back to Christ’s College in 2009, to <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2009/02/ears-of-heart-listening-to-prayers-from.html">preach at the Solemn Orchestral Mass for the Eve of Candlemas</a> and as part of the Lent Term series, ‘The ears of the heart.’ That year, Christ’s College marked the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 400th anniversary of the planting of the ‘Milton Mulberry’ in the Fellows’ Garden in 1609.<br />
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I <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2010/07/back-in-cambridge-for-weeks-study.html">stayed in Christ’s College again in 2010</a> for a weekend and saw Milton’s Mulberry once again before moving into rooms in Sidney Sussex College, where I was taking part in the IOCS annual summer school. Throughout that year, Christ’s College Chapel celebrated the 500th anniversary of its consecration in 1510.<br />
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Milton’s Mulberry was planted at the same time as several other Cambridge colleges, including Emmanuel College, Jesus College and Corpus Christi College, planted mulberry trees as part of James I’s project to start an English silk industry, with mulberry groves feeding the silkworms.<br />
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The tree at Christ’s has long associations with the poet John Milton (1608-1674), who was a student at Christ’s from 1625 and graduated in 1629, receiving his master’s degree in 1632. The tree would have been at least 20 years old when the young poet knew it and already a decent size, but hardly impressive enough to inspire poetry.<br />
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It is said Milton spent hours creating many of his greatest works while writing in the shade of this mulberry tree, and that he composed <i>Lycidas</i> under the tree. But most of his major works, including <i>Paradise Lost</i>, are from a much later date.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYacIQ9Y8k1C8TazfcRfQ18yDUH8FisKb9mOU4ZbOCl4CGw5X9TlSoM0d_K21VbMb14BUitpfYZBCxF9tP5HoHTTk4En6GDlG18UzzjLeUmEPwJf2H1MNZX1phZCGI1By_RCseQPt3SY/s1600/Christ%2527s+gatehouse%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Cambridge%252C+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYacIQ9Y8k1C8TazfcRfQ18yDUH8FisKb9mOU4ZbOCl4CGw5X9TlSoM0d_K21VbMb14BUitpfYZBCxF9tP5HoHTTk4En6GDlG18UzzjLeUmEPwJf2H1MNZX1phZCGI1By_RCseQPt3SY/s400/Christ%2527s+gatehouse%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Cambridge%252C+2019.jpg" width="300" height="400" data-original-width="722" data-original-height="963" /></a></div> <i>John Milton was a student at Christ’s College Cambridge from 1625 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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James I’s silk project soon ran out of steam, but its legacy is found in a number of veteran mulberries throughout England that have survived from the 17th century and that produce copious quantities of jam.<br />
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The tree in Christ’s College is not the only mulberry associated with Milton. In the early 17th century, he was a regular guest of his former schoolboy tutor, the Revd Thomas Young, after Young became Vicar of Stowmarket in Suffolk in 1628. Young was part of a group of controversial Puritan clergy who were later defended by Milton in his pamphlets.<br />
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The garden of the Old Vicarage in Stowmarket, now known as Milton House, has a splendid black mulberry tree said to date back to Milton’s visits. The tree was blown over in 1939, but mulberries are great survivors and are able to grow again from flattened trunks and branches that touch the ground.<br />
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To escape the plague in London in 1665, Milton moved with his wife and daughter to a cottage in Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire. There he wrote his major works, <i>Paradise Lost</i> and <i>Paradise Regained</i>.<br />
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The late 16th century cottage is now known as Milton’s Cottage. Until recently, the Grade II listed historic garden had an old mulberry tree, grown from a cutting from the tree in Christ’s College, Cambridge. The tree was felled some years ago, but a cutting was taken from it and planted nearby.<br />
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Another celebrated offspring of the Milton Mulberry is the ‘Queen’s Mulberry’ in Preacher’s Court at Charterhouse in London. The tree is thought to have been planted around 1840, and is one of seven mulberries at Charterhouse.<br />
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As part of celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Milton’s birth in 2008, a cutting from the mulberry in Christ’s College was given to the Woodland Trust for planting at Drovers Wood, in Upper Breinton, Hereford, as part of the Hay Literary Festival.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mNnH15sNqNy9zoiTZjYjwBMf6pz93Owua0wRZaw2L4rdxguxqMuepu7rRjrF1UnYI5VnIaTlGiKLrw5tcRM7552kiyWsbALQz0TDS4ZvFFSSaBIBuw8g9BX4E17ms75lNUUGiZQ6K_yvAh44P0Sqyc-q0RM8oN3Lug2dc7BSYgw4nv0TPffTBmacogs/s827/OU%20campus%20collection,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="827" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mNnH15sNqNy9zoiTZjYjwBMf6pz93Owua0wRZaw2L4rdxguxqMuepu7rRjrF1UnYI5VnIaTlGiKLrw5tcRM7552kiyWsbALQz0TDS4ZvFFSSaBIBuw8g9BX4E17ms75lNUUGiZQ6K_yvAh44P0Sqyc-q0RM8oN3Lug2dc7BSYgw4nv0TPffTBmacogs/s400/OU%20campus%20collection,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.jpg"/></a></div><i>Walton Hall and the campus of the Open University in Milton Keynes (Photographs: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Fidèle and I have known each other for almost 25 years, since I was a curate in Whitechurch Parish, Rathfarnham, Dublin. He and I were also involved in the Discovery project in inner-city Dublin.<br />
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We had lunch in the Hub, first built in 1970 as the ‘Catering Building.’ Later it was called the Refectory, and was rebuilt and rebranded as ‘The Hub’ in 2010. The Hub complex also houses the Hub Theatre, the Mulberry Suite and the Medlar and Juniper Suites, frequent venues for functions and events.<br />
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After lunch, we sat over coffee for some time at a large window in the Hub, looking out at the old Mulberry Tree and enjoying the sunshine on the lawn beside Walton Hall.<br />
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There is no connection between John Milton and the name of Milton Keynes, yet it is interesting that the Mulberry Tree was planted in 1908, the year that marked the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Milton.<br />
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The old tree is now banked up and propped up. I wonder whether it still produces fruit. And I wonder – given the year it was planted – whether it is a ‘descendant’ of the Milton Mulberry in Christ’s College, Cambridge.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dae7OJnyTYEoGBkczbuchK9Kg4-3fudF46uTRKd1jv-ZRl4wDHXNgqQjmgI1fTxgwjfQ7E2-Q6m_H8Bnb_td6k-IjDMa-TkrkBO8DZUO7byP5k1LW-hLCs76GlW8due6cpdjbI8eEXxNBbm9kuyfzWqgoZHILQcnFOhLMuxzoxOLZcH1rTQmPTz9Gmw/s827/Mulberry%20Tree%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="823" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dae7OJnyTYEoGBkczbuchK9Kg4-3fudF46uTRKd1jv-ZRl4wDHXNgqQjmgI1fTxgwjfQ7E2-Q6m_H8Bnb_td6k-IjDMa-TkrkBO8DZUO7byP5k1LW-hLCs76GlW8due6cpdjbI8eEXxNBbm9kuyfzWqgoZHILQcnFOhLMuxzoxOLZcH1rTQmPTz9Gmw/s400/Mulberry%20Tree%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Milton%20Keynes,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The Mulberry Tree was planted beside Walton Hall in 1908, the year that marked the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Milton (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-39912193600178901312024-03-12T06:30:00.015+00:002024-03-13T08:37:38.757+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 28, 12 March 2024, Saint Dunstan of Canterbury<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8xavIsJY-J2KbWXFThj6EQzy-bslARqM6sy0gkXo7hd3XqARZ3aQGBpJghzHEG9xD7PwdiYSrUR7Yvxj-Fs-mrC-rqviAJmWKAOF5bf1GPfiQTZ22aOTZZXznK0Jb3Vt7bj2PscjzKcJq0CJV3Kc02m4ElnOcp5EPjE8KWLab1yLBU8qP8rYCuDMuyQ/s827/St%20Dunstan%20Fleet%20Street%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8xavIsJY-J2KbWXFThj6EQzy-bslARqM6sy0gkXo7hd3XqARZ3aQGBpJghzHEG9xD7PwdiYSrUR7Yvxj-Fs-mrC-rqviAJmWKAOF5bf1GPfiQTZ22aOTZZXznK0Jb3Vt7bj2PscjzKcJq0CJV3Kc02m4ElnOcp5EPjE8KWLab1yLBU8qP8rYCuDMuyQ/s400/St%20Dunstan%20Fleet%20Street%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Dunstan depicted in a stained glass window above the High Altar in Saint Dunstan-in-the-West Church, Fleet Street, London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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We are more than half-way through the Season of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and this week began with the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lent IV), also known as Laetare Sunday and Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day (10 March 2024).<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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Later this afternoon, I am taking part by Zoom in an academic meeting in Cambridge, and in the evening I am attending a meeting of the Town Centre Working Group in Stony Stratford. But, before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
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<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
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<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
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<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbxodJORpqNILvRRe5l8MQuc7UKxU7gjdgSaDcPK5ZS26egR3pZJboNgaYVnKrHmnLxUaS3Zvd6Tc69GBu21GaJxNLisp3m7mGIlWNteQQHD08SbUpLyo0yh0TxRlie-e81HXrGdArrENos7UmPSfmQf3LsbIwoxARAfHgUfEJvd0yPfnKTTtvCAUjDw/s827/St%20Dunstan%20Fleet%20Street%209,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbxodJORpqNILvRRe5l8MQuc7UKxU7gjdgSaDcPK5ZS26egR3pZJboNgaYVnKrHmnLxUaS3Zvd6Tc69GBu21GaJxNLisp3m7mGIlWNteQQHD08SbUpLyo0yh0TxRlie-e81HXrGdArrENos7UmPSfmQf3LsbIwoxARAfHgUfEJvd0yPfnKTTtvCAUjDw/s400/St%20Dunstan%20Fleet%20Street%209,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Dunstan (second from left) with Archbishop Lanfranc, Saint Anselm and Archbishop Langton depicted in a window above the High Altar in Saint Dunstan-in-the-West Church, Fleet Street, London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 28, Saint Dunstan of Canterbury </b><br />
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Saint Dunstan (988), Archbishop of Canterbury and Restorer of Monastic Life, is commemorated in <i>Common Worship</i> on 19 May. He was born near Glastonbury <i>ca</i> 910 into a noble family. He received a good education and spent time at the court of the King of Wessex.<br />
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A saintly uncle urged him to enter the monastic life; he delayed, but followed the advice in time, on recovering from an illness. Returning to Glastonbury, Dunstan lived as a monk, devoting his work time to creative pursuits: illuminating, music, and metalwork.<br />
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The new king made him abbot in 943, and this launched a great revival of monastic life in England. Starting with Glastonbury, Dunstan restored discipline to several monasteries and promoted study and teaching.<br />
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Under two later kings, he rose to political and ecclesiastical eminence, being chief minister, Bishop of London and then Archbishop of Canterbury under King Edgar. This enabled him and his followers to extend his reforms to the whole English Church.<br />
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As Bishop of London and lord of the manor of Stepney, Saint Dunstan, replaced an existing wooden structure with a stone church <i>ca</i> 952 and dedicated it to All the Saints.<br />
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Dunstan fell from political favour in 970, but he continued as Archbishop of Canterbury, preaching and teaching. He died in 988.<br />
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Saint Dunstan was canonised by acclamation in 1029, and the church in Stephney was rededicated to Saint Dunstan and All Saints, a dedication it retains to this day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsFesS9ZNc6xTB58NO2-bH34uUy8j6TRXOQWbjKv5gnHhLn2XXdXtV6S_peHay7l_W9Jca36NGbT1T_VW2_31S7k9unL3S7CD2dQ4k4bMXT4F7aJAo2gvpIhNUUlh6H-DlK-8s1mMMUBLGzSmvpvjo-BhNcm8v_66R164byfPFetuYGA738RftDaI1g/s1379/Saint%20Dunstan%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stepney,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsFesS9ZNc6xTB58NO2-bH34uUy8j6TRXOQWbjKv5gnHhLn2XXdXtV6S_peHay7l_W9Jca36NGbT1T_VW2_31S7k9unL3S7CD2dQ4k4bMXT4F7aJAo2gvpIhNUUlh6H-DlK-8s1mMMUBLGzSmvpvjo-BhNcm8v_66R164byfPFetuYGA738RftDaI1g/s400/Saint%20Dunstan%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stepney,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Dunstan’s Church, Stepney … dates back to long before 952 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>John 5: 1-3, 5-16 (NRSVA):</b><br />
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1 After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.<br />
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2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. 3 In these lay many invalids – blind, lame, and paralysed.<br />
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5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ 7 The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ 8 Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ 9 At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.<br />
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Now that day was a sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ 11 But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk”.’ 12 They asked him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Take it up and walk”?’ 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVDg08XMWu4osRtBQLm0B7h2XvLh8vvYkqo_gbhlqixmIMJ6BcidyVVj4JKBjXJjAwsq4Zl63AATe9COgI8Vw7K_Umzp2X07rkRURmeMWcvA-TaxPdEkjSgFhwqX7c8U95yZsKICywG07K7X9n8skbEmk1hB10VKFH45wbIYD1oMWJbOZm0QgFKaZ/s1162/Saint%20Dunstan%207,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stepney,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVDg08XMWu4osRtBQLm0B7h2XvLh8vvYkqo_gbhlqixmIMJ6BcidyVVj4JKBjXJjAwsq4Zl63AATe9COgI8Vw7K_Umzp2X07rkRURmeMWcvA-TaxPdEkjSgFhwqX7c8U95yZsKICywG07K7X9n8skbEmk1hB10VKFH45wbIYD1oMWJbOZm0QgFKaZ/s400/Saint%20Dunstan%207,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stepney,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>The carvings of a ship (left) and the devil and Saint Dunstan’s tongs (right) above the west door (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Tuesday 12 March 2024):</b ><br />
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The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Lent Reflection: JustMoney Movement.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by Matt Ceaser, Movement Builder, JustMoney Movement.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (12 March 2024) invites us to pray in these words:<br />
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Help us Lord to be advocates for a fairer economy which prevents poverty and the lack of freedom that comes along with this.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
absolve your people from their offences,<br />
that through your bountiful goodness<br />
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins<br />
which by our frailty we have committed;<br />
grant this, heavenly Father,<br />
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
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Lord God,<br />
whose blessed Son our Saviour<br />
gave his back to the smiters<br />
and did not hide his face from shame:<br />
give us grace to endure the sufferings of this present time<br />
with sure confidence in the glory that shall be revealed;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
you know our struggle to serve you:<br />
when sin spoils our lives<br />
and overshadows our hearts,<br />
come to our aid<br />
and turn us back to you again;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0550917696.html">Alfred the Great</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_01591603973.html">Saint Alphege of Canterbury (1012), Martyr</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5LKLqa7FFnxR8VqgGezE983f-V4-gUstjm8nCnTnmolPOFRNXjeaXy_BihrAe7DcmTeiigGy6Bs7mq5sHsP4XxrbgSsY0Jey4ZbENMQ-mtNFqFcUG5cB_L3xSd9r0vLKtWUWdlfewBNaDFzd1K0Uu-iXp16TnTKP7_1odb-eaGLkWh_1z2nM2aL1/s768/Saint%20Dunstan%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202022.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5LKLqa7FFnxR8VqgGezE983f-V4-gUstjm8nCnTnmolPOFRNXjeaXy_BihrAe7DcmTeiigGy6Bs7mq5sHsP4XxrbgSsY0Jey4ZbENMQ-mtNFqFcUG5cB_L3xSd9r0vLKtWUWdlfewBNaDFzd1K0Uu-iXp16TnTKP7_1odb-eaGLkWh_1z2nM2aL1/s400/Saint%20Dunstan%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202022.JPG"/></a></div><i>The ruined Church of Saint Dunstan in the East is a tranquil oasis in the heart of the City of London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv2SyvStCDJckn8WDJBD_RHENJ-CTjwkkFqsn23pnQLgmTTeYNBKdGBm8RRy0tMbTQuz4-iiMyA5rDSaKJv505N9HgiqE0nYjjxzTnD2_DYmWGPb9zOpd_r0AFaGnCTGbYYWnqyZjv7HxlP0MHSvLi-o9ZU8ELHlnF3j3FzFNQBGPz-DLgcQVj9PA/s768/Saint%20Dunstan%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202022.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv2SyvStCDJckn8WDJBD_RHENJ-CTjwkkFqsn23pnQLgmTTeYNBKdGBm8RRy0tMbTQuz4-iiMyA5rDSaKJv505N9HgiqE0nYjjxzTnD2_DYmWGPb9zOpd_r0AFaGnCTGbYYWnqyZjv7HxlP0MHSvLi-o9ZU8ELHlnF3j3FzFNQBGPz-DLgcQVj9PA/s400/Saint%20Dunstan%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20London,%202022.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Dunstan in the East is now a popular venue for parties, receptions and photoshoots (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)</i><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-78117068559715519422024-03-11T18:30:00.017+00:002024-03-11T18:30:00.147+00:00The mosque in Wolverton is the largest and newest mosque in Milton Keynes <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKKRo5BsJ9plrgNxYjs1hqFRFKj_DXKqAXEcXM3cj_CjWrcxeDjC8jr35QVeJyAntT45qmiiA77wDuqTV31LlaioCVwfE1-GK4zvmZUCWgE8YYA4tPCan7p2DOYVBZ8yqRGVSBSDyrGbXbrJsWDS4i3WEib3y9VPyHmJ5mjno0VhEqbAVj-WSL3oga50/s1308/Wolverton%20Mosque%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKKRo5BsJ9plrgNxYjs1hqFRFKj_DXKqAXEcXM3cj_CjWrcxeDjC8jr35QVeJyAntT45qmiiA77wDuqTV31LlaioCVwfE1-GK4zvmZUCWgE8YYA4tPCan7p2DOYVBZ8yqRGVSBSDyrGbXbrJsWDS4i3WEib3y9VPyHmJ5mjno0VhEqbAVj-WSL3oga50/s400/Wolverton%20Mosque%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The Central Jamia Mosque in Wolverton was converted from an old post office building in 1995 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began last night, on the evening of Sunday 10 March, and today has been the first day of fasting. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. The annual observance of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts 29 to 30 days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.<br />
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In the days immediately before Ramadan, I visited the Central Jamia Mosque at 14-16 Church Street in Wolverton this week. It is the largest and newest of the Sunni masajids or mosques in Milton Keynes.<br />
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It was converted from an old post office building in 1995, with just one main room and an initial capacity for 350 people. Since then, the mosque in Wolverton has gone through many phases of development and progress. As the Muslim population of Wolverton grew over the past 30 years, the mosque has seen much structural change, extension and improvement, inside and outside.<br />
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A second larger room, the Shaikan Ahmed Alfarsi Hall, was built in 2003, bringing the capacity of the masjid to close to 1,600 people – 1,450 in the men’s section and 150 in the women’s section upstairs.<br />
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The mosque has a fairly large wudu area and also provides facilities for funeral preparation and body-washing. The small car park in the grounds has about 25 spaces.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hwuWwsJduyTMZQ53i4JTvQYqgVz23oixQiOWo9VQWqr2D2_Ztx5CRDE5Lf6149DM4t4jksbKeyf0GKRtvs3KDU6d4cNzuD2zDmdZZDDEwDuM9I1ZyDkrNqrA7cAE7lY3H1hhMZfIYiBQ54KbcwZN17Wd0hiIIIONfoQslvgXor-l8jl9ZNU8B_ZuTBA/s1488/Wolverton%20Mosque%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hwuWwsJduyTMZQ53i4JTvQYqgVz23oixQiOWo9VQWqr2D2_Ztx5CRDE5Lf6149DM4t4jksbKeyf0GKRtvs3KDU6d4cNzuD2zDmdZZDDEwDuM9I1ZyDkrNqrA7cAE7lY3H1hhMZfIYiBQ54KbcwZN17Wd0hiIIIONfoQslvgXor-l8jl9ZNU8B_ZuTBA/s400/Wolverton%20Mosque%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Inside the Central Jamia Mosque in Wolverton, the largest and newest of the Sunni masajids or mosques in Milton Keynes (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Most Pakistanis living in Milton Keynes originate from the Azad Kashmir area and speak Punjabi, Mirpuri and Urdu. The Pakistani community in Milton Keynes is well dispersed, but there is a significant concentration in Wolverton.<br />
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At first, the <i>khutbah</i> or sermon was delivered in Urdu, reflecting the large Pakistani community that lives in Wolverton and the surrounding areas. However, an ever increasing number of non-Urdu-speaking Muslims have been living in the area, and the <i>khutbah</i> is now delivered in both Urdu and English, and English is the mosque’s primary language used.<br />
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The Central Jamia Mosque is a hub for the Muslim community in Wolverton. As it has grown and developed, it has become a welcoming and inclusive place of worship for a diverse community, fostering a sense of belonging and unity.<br />
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Nūr Academy is a children’s madrasah attached to the mosque. It has a full curriculum that includes Quran recitation and memorisation, Islamic law, prophetic biography and Islamic creed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbsyhMJLMhb5nLtiMU9108RmkBLSI-vk24HTZy5CjG65OCeP2xKRDubrKQgu-pQ5BVC01yw-Mx98Hr6o8X85l-8RFKEXY5RMTPjWK5dtxcu4Wej8w82WehxdjdmTIOsNwJnAt0wDJA7GQCr0SEC8epXupGQv0kEbf2Uzx2GSFIbv4JQc3920y0ykifso/s1488/Wolverton%20Mosque%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbsyhMJLMhb5nLtiMU9108RmkBLSI-vk24HTZy5CjG65OCeP2xKRDubrKQgu-pQ5BVC01yw-Mx98Hr6o8X85l-8RFKEXY5RMTPjWK5dtxcu4Wej8w82WehxdjdmTIOsNwJnAt0wDJA7GQCr0SEC8epXupGQv0kEbf2Uzx2GSFIbv4JQc3920y0ykifso/s400/Wolverton%20Mosque%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The Shaikan Ahmed Alfarsi Hall was built in 2003, bringing the capacity of the masjid to close to 1,600 people (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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The Central Jamia Mosque is open to visitors throughout the year. It welcomes a large number of visitors from schools, colleges, universities and other institutions wishing to find out more about a mosque and about Islam.<br />
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The other Sunni mosques in Milton Keynes include the Milton Keynes Islamic and Cultural Association at South Row in central Milton Keynes, the Jamee Masjid in Bletchley and the Islamic Centre in Coffee Hall. The Shia Muslim community is served by the Zainabiya Islamic Centre in Granby, Bletchley, and there is also an Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Milton Keynes.<br />
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The mosque in Granby is in traditional style, with a dome and a minaret, but the other mosques are in buildings converted from other uses.<br />
<br />
I have visited a variety of churches throughout Milton Keynes over the past two years, I have a long association with the synagogue, and I have been to the Japanese Buddhist monastery and pagoda at Willen Lake for a number of events, including the annual Hiroshima Day commemorations.<br />
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With the frightening rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia and religious hatred, it is important that we all get to know our neighbours well, and to reassure them of their valued place in our society and culture. Ramadan offers suitable opportunities to engage with our Muslim neighbours.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipP1uMnrGDpvG9W8BOfe65RcOVPSR75e4I2auKPexIpGIcupwt_4RK0RyKnZPrGv7r_KI3zE0CQwtRCaA4m08ZHArBfiEc7BthaGk4yo3Y_u-MJP6930MIbx7vpCi9_RZKZpsDJrE1b0K86PirWoM2rUBjnxDXpWHWcgXk0fx_u8m5aPpb_ApHKS2B_9E/s827/Wolverton%20Mosque%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipP1uMnrGDpvG9W8BOfe65RcOVPSR75e4I2auKPexIpGIcupwt_4RK0RyKnZPrGv7r_KI3zE0CQwtRCaA4m08ZHArBfiEc7BthaGk4yo3Y_u-MJP6930MIbx7vpCi9_RZKZpsDJrE1b0K86PirWoM2rUBjnxDXpWHWcgXk0fx_u8m5aPpb_ApHKS2B_9E/s400/Wolverton%20Mosque%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Ramadan offers suitable opportunities to engage with our Muslim neighbours (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-58267731969766507952024-03-11T06:30:00.023+00:002024-03-12T06:34:49.083+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 27, 11 March 2024, Alfred the Great<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4ithff7D5b-SIlirDbsew4XMh5WLnXruVWwjosG5Sh21DQWQIKZPUQs81-nvU_e4gGWwbxBTAW2UNMUN2X1ehtMo6EtBMQ2R7UQpulQVNXicdo-pfxHn85RnI1f_DwDGTzA3dtht0Jad1JKhDNkgCC9vvsG6bNbvShgUCK4_0hKRu0dSJACKkHIWeho/s838/Alfred%20the%20Great%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield,%202022.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4ithff7D5b-SIlirDbsew4XMh5WLnXruVWwjosG5Sh21DQWQIKZPUQs81-nvU_e4gGWwbxBTAW2UNMUN2X1ehtMo6EtBMQ2R7UQpulQVNXicdo-pfxHn85RnI1f_DwDGTzA3dtht0Jad1JKhDNkgCC9vvsG6bNbvShgUCK4_0hKRu0dSJACKkHIWeho/s400/Alfred%20the%20Great%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield,%202022.jpg"/></a></div><i>King Alfred the Great with his harp … a carved image on the west façade of Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
We are more than half-way through the Season of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and yesterday was the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lent IV), also known as Laetare Sunday and Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day (10 March 2024).<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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Before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
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<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
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<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
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<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDEizKZbQZ5Zs_vG7bsSoJrO_XL14FoDoZxNua7_ql1kNb1lxE7EAj7CuOGXEqs2jm094xNT0sRwV0Z5JhOCCgmrfweIetDztXsRVWfnzutiF7fyoBEg47H-2qVJwPE_05u_WijO863luBrjdrds6p9iq1MuA8hbggym2MGETrecg6cCWUqjzUJR498M/s1488/Alfred%20the%20Great%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield,%202022.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDEizKZbQZ5Zs_vG7bsSoJrO_XL14FoDoZxNua7_ql1kNb1lxE7EAj7CuOGXEqs2jm094xNT0sRwV0Z5JhOCCgmrfweIetDztXsRVWfnzutiF7fyoBEg47H-2qVJwPE_05u_WijO863luBrjdrds6p9iq1MuA8hbggym2MGETrecg6cCWUqjzUJR498M/s400/Alfred%20the%20Great%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield,%202022.jpg"/></a></div><i>Alfred the Great (right) with other Anglo-Saxon kings on the west façade of Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2022; click on image for full-screen viewing)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 27, Alfred the Great </b><br />
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Alfred the Great (899), King of the West Saxons, Scholar, 899, is commemorated in <i>Common Worship</i> on 26 October with a lesser festival.<br />
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Alfred was born in the year 849. As the king of the West Saxons, he effectively brought to an end the constant threat of Danish dominion in these islands. He came to the throne at the age of 22 and, after establishing peace, he set about bringing stability to both church and state.<br />
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He gave half of his income to founding religious houses which themselves acted as Christian centres for education, care of the sick and poor and respite for travellers.<br />
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He was a daily attender at Mass and translated many works into the vernacular. He evolved a legal code based on common sense and Christian mercy. His whole life was marked by the compassion of Christ. He died on 26 October 899. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI1F2oSPEroILJiTsiw44llsVsPphHQ67RmzxPOE7jqIIyzwWGNVnDQbDWH0B64qbYzbHpxsHpLCx6m25rkNiiO6pCZx3oESh-HXA0IHB6jMh9RANtwmDAOCMu3kjGHFoWl_jz6Bpip47fWUpBM9J9OmjOjk7kO3D3WnsOIzPV4DOLfbsHp5GGt_q/s768/Icons%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield%20Cathedral,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI1F2oSPEroILJiTsiw44llsVsPphHQ67RmzxPOE7jqIIyzwWGNVnDQbDWH0B64qbYzbHpxsHpLCx6m25rkNiiO6pCZx3oESh-HXA0IHB6jMh9RANtwmDAOCMu3kjGHFoWl_jz6Bpip47fWUpBM9J9OmjOjk7kO3D3WnsOIzPV4DOLfbsHp5GGt_q/s400/Icons%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield%20Cathedral,%202023.JPG"/></a></div> <i>Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine (John 4: 46) … the miracle at Cana depicted in an icon in the Lady Chapel in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>John 4: 43-54 (NRSVA):</b><br />
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43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honour in the prophet’s own country). 45 When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.<br />
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46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ 49 The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ 50 Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1Akhc2vCmOXFGYTQglJUeUYX1I1FqwSS1cfFUVBX5JqoAZEUVsZgGDsJdfDdebxjrLUuotLS8mVQ77FJBVEGFY1K1QQIrRj7EBhvCPVv9WnLcLu3Oh2G3jm47cFvUbkuQEE4NyX-fBI/s1600/Old+banknotes%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Rethymnon%252C+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1Akhc2vCmOXFGYTQglJUeUYX1I1FqwSS1cfFUVBX5JqoAZEUVsZgGDsJdfDdebxjrLUuotLS8mVQ77FJBVEGFY1K1QQIrRj7EBhvCPVv9WnLcLu3Oh2G3jm47cFvUbkuQEE4NyX-fBI/s400/Old+banknotes%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Rethymnon%252C+2019.jpg" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1342" data-original-height="1006" /></a></div><i>The theme of the Lent reflections in the USPG Prayer Diary this week is inspired by the JustMoney Movement … torn and ragged banknotes in a tin box outside an antiques shop in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Monday 11 March 2024):</b ><br />
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The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Lent Reflection: JustMoney Movement.’ This theme was introduced yesterday by Matt Ceaser, Movement Builder, JustMoney Movement.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (11 March 2024) invites us to pray in these words:<br />
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As yesterday was Mothering Sunday, we thank you Lord for all who are mothers and all who mother. May you surround them with your blessings and help them know how appreciated they are.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
absolve your people from their offences,<br />
that through your bountiful goodness<br />
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins<br />
which by our frailty we have committed;<br />
grant this, heavenly Father,<br />
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
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Lord God,<br />
whose blessed Son our Saviour<br />
gave his back to the smiters<br />
and did not hide his face from shame:<br />
give us grace to endure the sufferings of this present time<br />
with sure confidence in the glory that shall be revealed;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
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Merciful Lord,<br />
you know our struggle to serve you:<br />
when sin spoils our lives<br />
and overshadows our hearts,<br />
come to our aid<br />
and turn us back to you again;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0425777247.html">Saint Edmund the Martyr</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_02079844983.html">Saint Dunstan of Canterbury</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuPmf0Y4wfP_w4b7RLmWpuuuKFCxUMBU3dLtcf42ZW8HDlTLcgPhKHk8PChQcdlf12KRGX4prewQ5zduqRUzRoafOnp0We7r8DXMIrUXRybfSEkCWm1Ip3jVonMTMaeIPicwxDaqBms0/s1600/Old+coins%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Rethymnon%252C+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuPmf0Y4wfP_w4b7RLmWpuuuKFCxUMBU3dLtcf42ZW8HDlTLcgPhKHk8PChQcdlf12KRGX4prewQ5zduqRUzRoafOnp0We7r8DXMIrUXRybfSEkCWm1Ip3jVonMTMaeIPicwxDaqBms0/s400/Old+coins%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+Rethymnon%252C+2019.jpg" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1255" data-original-height="941" /></a></div><i>Old Greek coins in a tin box outside an antiques shop in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-81695543248865777842024-03-10T14:30:00.074+00:002024-03-14T14:29:27.577+00:00Saint Edmund, the English king and martyr who almost replaced Saint Patrick as the patron saint of Ireland<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmW1DoBBl9kdUDBwlv2N4xTJL4rnNRBR3Y92Y1nnVHBj1caiO1ZDPABJs9g2uUTXLTx-gyjfHwKUyTMoFJ-ONpvdefXjZiWM3SiaT7Hpf76FgA5VhHbjMWX3kKAAcjV8wmInQk72Z9YlkZ8Sp1ylZH1BNStYka28Job6IAwp_8wBpXbrrvhQnMcR-LFI/s827/Saint%20Edmund%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Dublin,%202015.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmW1DoBBl9kdUDBwlv2N4xTJL4rnNRBR3Y92Y1nnVHBj1caiO1ZDPABJs9g2uUTXLTx-gyjfHwKUyTMoFJ-ONpvdefXjZiWM3SiaT7Hpf76FgA5VhHbjMWX3kKAAcjV8wmInQk72Z9YlkZ8Sp1ylZH1BNStYka28Job6IAwp_8wBpXbrrvhQnMcR-LFI/s400/Saint%20Edmund%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Dublin,%202015.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Edmund depicted in a window in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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Saint Patrick’s Day always falls in Lent, and this year it coincides with the Fifth Sunday in Lent, which used to be known in the Church Calendar as Passion Sunday, marking the beginning of the two-week period of Passiontide before Easter Day.<br />
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To mark Saint Patrick’s Day this year, the latest edition of the new Dominican journal <i>Conversations</i>, edited by Bernard Treacy, has published a paper by me, asking: ‘Did St Patrick Bring Christianity to Ireland?’<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, in my prayer diary on my blog each morning, I am looking at the life and influence of an early, pre-Reformation English saint or martyr commemorated in the Church of England in the calendar of <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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This morning, I was reflecting on <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0425777247.html">Saint Edmund</a>, the ninth century king, who was martyred in 869 or 870 and who is commemorated <i>Common Worship</i> on 20 November. As I was researching his life and story, I came across the fascinating claim that Saint Edmund almost supplanted Saint Patrick as the patron saint of Ireland in the 14th century.<br />
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Perhaps, after England’s defeat of Ireland at Twickenham yesterday, I dare not suggest that Saint Patrick was probably what we would today call an Englishman. Of course, that is a form of an anchronism, as the Angles had not yet arrived in former Roman Britain by the time of Saint Patric. But the story of another English saint, Saint Edmund, and how he almost replaced Saint Patrick as the patron of Ireland, has been told recently by Dr Francis Young in his book <i>Athassel Priory and the Cult of St Edmund in Medieval Ireland</i> (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2020), and in a feature that year in <i>History Ireland</i>, ‘St Edmund: Patron Saint of Ireland?’<br />
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Saint Edmund was the Anglo-Saxon king of East Anglia when he was shot through with arrows and finally beheaded by Viking invaders. His shrine at Beodricesworth, the Suffolk town that later became Bury St Edmunds, was an important centre of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages. By the end of the 11th century, Saint Edmund was seen throughout Europe as the patron saint of England and his shrine church at Bury St Edmunds was of the largest Romanesque churches ever built. He became the patron saint of pandemics as well as kings, and he remained the patron saint of England until he was supplanted by Saint George.<br />
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At an early stage, Saint Edmund also became a popular saint in Ireland. A hoard of coins minted by 10th-century Vikings in memory of Saint Edmund within a century of his death, was found in Co Offaly in the 19th century. It seems Saint Edmund was also popular in Norse Dublin by the early 11th century, and he is named in the 12th century Irish text, the Félire Húi Gormán or Martyrology of Gorman.<br />
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Following the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169-1170, a chapel was dedicated to Saint Edmund in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Francis Young wonders whether devotion to Saint Edmund was been brought back to Ireland by knights who fought under the banner of Saint Edmund to save the abbey of Bury St Edmunds in 1173. Or, he suggests, there is the possibility that the chapel was partly funded by English merchants from East Anglia, as merchants from Chester had paid for <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2015/03/wiping-out-memory-of-mediaeval-saints.html">Saint Werburgh’s Church in Dublin</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDdAZckWYpmtUBcYgfvHMcgTjMsekS3TSr3EG-Nw2jwe6YsnVsBBI1XZvOCe0iR9oSmLOCmPGAcMMiLODOsWgb5QXPNtPEYBFdlzWIMxT6GsL8j5tbya2nl7D6X2NUtekHbOP_bqzYpx5A_XL5BokRz8f7Al2BCnrrzuhU-SY14UxUuhnHyJa1NPXwP0/s827/Saint%20Edmund%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Whitby,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDdAZckWYpmtUBcYgfvHMcgTjMsekS3TSr3EG-Nw2jwe6YsnVsBBI1XZvOCe0iR9oSmLOCmPGAcMMiLODOsWgb5QXPNtPEYBFdlzWIMxT6GsL8j5tbya2nl7D6X2NUtekHbOP_bqzYpx5A_XL5BokRz8f7Al2BCnrrzuhU-SY14UxUuhnHyJa1NPXwP0/s400/Saint%20Edmund%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Whitby,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Edmund depicted in a window in Saint Mary’s Church in Whitby, Yorkshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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Francis Young is a writer historian who was born in Bury St Edmunds. He studied Philosophy at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and Classics at the University of Wales, Lampeter, before receiving his doctorate in History from Cambridge University. He points out that the early leading Anglo-Normans in Ireland included William de Burgh (died 1206), who took his name from the village of Burgh-next-Aylsham in Norfolk, and who was ancestor of the powerful Burke or Bourke family. Young argues that William de Burgh’s devotion to Saint Edmund is explained by his origins in East Anglia. William founded two significant churches dedicated to Saint Edmund – one at Ardoyne, Co Carlow, and the other at <a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2019/02/i-missed-comerfords-lot-first-time.html">Athassel Priory, near Golden</a>, Co Tipperary.<br />
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<a href="http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2019/02/i-missed-comerfords-lot-first-time.html">Athassel Priory</a> became the largest mediaeval priory in Ireland and for 300 years it was the centre of the veneration of Saint Edmund in Ireland for the next 300 years. Saint Edmund’s status as the patron of England gave Athassel a special status for the English of Ireland.<br />
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At the beginning of the reign of Richard II (1377-1399), a monk of Bury St Edmunds claimed that Athassel Priory held a miraculous image of Saint Edmund. The story claimed that immediately before the death of the head of the Burke family of Clanwilliam, the image of Saint Edmund would hurl the spear it was holding onto the pavement of the choir. The monk named Saint Edmund as the patron saint of Ireland, describing him as ‘the protector and defender of that whole land.’<br />
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The claim that Saint Edmund was the patron saint of Ireland could easily be dismissed as the ramblings of an English monk, Young writes. But, he points, nine years later, when Richard II gave the title ‘Duke of Ireland’ to Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, in 1386, he also gave him the right to quarter his coat of arms with the arms of Saint Edmund (three gold crowns on a blue background) – for as long as he remained Lord of Ireland.<br />
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The three crowns of Saint Edmund were used as an emblem of English royalty from as early as 1276, and, from 1460, the three crowns of Saint Edmund appeared on coins minted in Dublin in the name of the king. However, Saint Edmund’s significance in England had been declining steadily from the mid-14th century, and by the 15th century Saint George was well established as the patron saint of the Order of the Garter and of England’s military.<br />
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Under the Tudors, Saint George became the sole patron of England and Saint Edmund lost his popular appeal. When Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland in 1542, the three crowns of Saint Edmund disappeared from Irish coins, replaced by the harp. By then, it appears, the original meaning of the three crowns was forgotten, and Henry VIII’s officials thought they represented the triple tiara of the pope and the papacy’s long-standing claim to Ireland as a papal fief.<br />
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Young sees lingering traces of the mediaeval importance of the cult of Saint Edmund in the flag of Munster, with three gold crowns on a blue background. The flag is first recorded in the 17th century, but Young tries to link it with the Butler family, Earls of Ormond, who had replaced the Burkes as patrons of Athassel Priory in the early 16th century.<br />
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He sees a further trace of the once-prominent cult of Saint Edmund in Ireland in the persistence of the name Edmund and its Irish equivalent Éamon, popular in Ireland since the 14th century. Éamon was one of the few male names of English origin to gain widespread popularity in Gaelic Ireland in the Middle Ages. The earliest individuals to bear the name in Ireland were members of the Burke or Bourke and Butler families, successive patrons of Athassel Priory. The earliest Gaelic Irish families to adopt Éamon as a forename were the septs of Ó Broin (O’Byrne) and Ó Cinnéide (O’Kennedy), clients of the Butlers of Ormond.<br />
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The name Edmund or Edmond is first found in the Comerford family, thanks perhaps to close connections with the Butlers of Ormond, in the person of <a href="https://comerfordfamily.blogspot.com/2007/12/comerford-profiles-1-edmund-comerford-d.html">Edmund Comerford</a> from Co Kilkenny, who died in 1509. He was educated at Oxford, and was Rector of Saint Mary’s, Callan, Prior of Saint John’s, Kilkenny, a canon and then Dean of Saint Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, and Bishop of Ferns (1505-1509). Although Hore, Leslie, Foster and Gillespie incorrectly give his name as ‘Edward,’ although he is named Edmund in Cotton, Carrigan and Crockford’s, and is called both Edmond and Edmund by Grattan-Flood.<br />
<br />
Edmund’s brother, Richard Comerford, was the direct ancestor of the Comerford families of Ballybur and Bunclody, and the name Edmund continued to be passed down in the Comerford family through Edmund Comerford (1722-1788), until my father’s generation: the eldest brother he never knew was Edmond Joseph Comerford (1900-1905).<br />
<br />
Saint Edmund’s connection with Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, continues. A stained glass window by Clayton and Bell in the Baptistry depicting Saint Edmund was presented by the architect George Edmund Street (1824-1881) in memory of his second wife Jessie (1843-1876). They were married on 11 January 1876, but she contracted typhoid fever during their honeymoon in Rome and died on 6 March 1876, eight weeks after their wedding.<br />
<br />
However, Saint Edmund’s brief time as patron saint of Ireland in the late Middle Ages was long forgotten until Francis Young published his research in recent years.<br />
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<b>Further Reading:</b><br />
<br />
Anthony Bale (ed), <i>St Edmund, King and Martyr: Changing Images of a Medieval Saint</i> (York Medieval Press, 2009).<br />
Francis Young, <i>Edmund: in search of England’s lost king</i> (London: IB Taurus, 2018).<br />
Francis Young, <i>Athassel Priory and the cult of St Edmund in medieval Ireland</i> (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2020).<br />
Francis Young, ‘St Edmund: patron saint of Ireland?’, <i>History Ireland</i> (July/August 2020), Vol 28 No 4.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSIQ6MpH9q7MnXcywkMkBvnb6WJ7KqQeCeIZ4NLfWhwJbtu42yACrpJDuq9iftFQSOdvZdWcfq5D-Xs6F_2Liwe1Jvy14otswvDnu7fzVvAAlD5J1w4tEE36Nc-r5uVICnuJzNKFR4QKjDMsessO8_8LeYGnF7xJLBA8AvClv8Ok7d8cM7_ewmlJ5k7A/s1103/Saint%20Edmund%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Dublin,%202015.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSIQ6MpH9q7MnXcywkMkBvnb6WJ7KqQeCeIZ4NLfWhwJbtu42yACrpJDuq9iftFQSOdvZdWcfq5D-Xs6F_2Liwe1Jvy14otswvDnu7fzVvAAlD5J1w4tEE36Nc-r5uVICnuJzNKFR4QKjDMsessO8_8LeYGnF7xJLBA8AvClv8Ok7d8cM7_ewmlJ5k7A/s400/Saint%20Edmund%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Dublin,%202015.JPG"/></a></div><i>The Chapel of Saint Edmund in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<i>Last edited: 14 March 2024</i><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-18098232377688992952024-03-10T06:30:00.059+00:002024-03-14T14:30:34.661+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 26, 10 March 2024, Saint Edmund the Martyr<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6CQOTNu0XRA7H2ibjAiEn7_AdBHE8l33k3QngbxFFaS8g9nECBBMvM-BFf8tGs45BjWanffTpg3xaKdNo5zCCAupNARfgzfSSIY3luiSaFZTKJlUjRDFgtIT_Yu1AePnWkL7y1FARL9hRgjUUFsVbs32d11awpKsuG70L3D8X4_3tWK9cRhpci1iRx0/s1488/Martyrs%20window%202a,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield,%202023.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6CQOTNu0XRA7H2ibjAiEn7_AdBHE8l33k3QngbxFFaS8g9nECBBMvM-BFf8tGs45BjWanffTpg3xaKdNo5zCCAupNARfgzfSSIY3luiSaFZTKJlUjRDFgtIT_Yu1AePnWkL7y1FARL9hRgjUUFsVbs32d11awpKsuG70L3D8X4_3tWK9cRhpci1iRx0/s400/Martyrs%20window%202a,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield,%202023.jpg"/></a></div><i>Saint Edmund the Martyr (centre) with Saint Martin of Tours (left) and Saint Maurice (right) in a window in Lichfield Cathedral by CE Kempe (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
We are more than half-way through the Season of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and today is the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lent IV), also known as Laetare Sunday and Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day (10 March 2024). This Sunday is also called Mid-Lent Sunday or Refreshment Sunday, a day of respite from fasting halfway through the penitential season of Lent.<br />
<br />
Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
<br />
Later this morning, I hope to be at the Parish Eucharist in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, Stony Stratford. But, before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
<br />
<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
<br />
<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
<br />
<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWI3LiAm9IIUBYDBK83swpErzwxohT_DTLBTASA4Ff_QUp-zXDPpH_83dpkLRKi9De2msk_epzaTrOPgqFh0IsCA3SsMmcbpIm7qfyITkvHJbrX_3WnXEzNiMtB18HpUt_CByVLbeJadTpyMA4CdlAzKuhKsD4SLwlIPW-hIQ2K9Hv8rJknYkyv5NMgo/s845/Martyrs%20window%201a,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield,%202023.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="782" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWI3LiAm9IIUBYDBK83swpErzwxohT_DTLBTASA4Ff_QUp-zXDPpH_83dpkLRKi9De2msk_epzaTrOPgqFh0IsCA3SsMmcbpIm7qfyITkvHJbrX_3WnXEzNiMtB18HpUt_CByVLbeJadTpyMA4CdlAzKuhKsD4SLwlIPW-hIQ2K9Hv8rJknYkyv5NMgo/s400/Martyrs%20window%201a,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Lichfield,%202023.jpg"/></a></div><i>CE Kempe’s window in the north nave aisle in Lichfield Cathedral with Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Edmund the Martyr and Saint Maurice (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 26, Saint Edmund the Martyr </b><br />
<br />
Saint Edmund (870), King of the East Angles, Martyr, is commemorated in <i>Common Worship</i> on 20 November.<br />
<br />
Edmund was born <i>ca</i> 840, and was nominated as king while je was still a boy. He became king of Norfolk in 855 and of Suffolk the following year. As king, he won the hearts of his people by his care of the poor and his steady suppression of wrongdoing.<br />
<br />
When attacked by the Danes, he refused to give over his kingdom or to renounce his faith in Christ. He was tied to a tree, shot with arrows and finally beheaded on 20 November 870. His shrine at Beodricesworth, the town that became known as Bury St Edmunds, was an important centre of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages.<br />
<br />
Saint Edmund is the patron saint of pandemics as well as kings, and he was the patron saint of England until he was supplanted by Saint George. During the reign of Richard II (1377-1399), there was an attempt to make Saint Edmund the patron saint of Ireland.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmW1DoBBl9kdUDBwlv2N4xTJL4rnNRBR3Y92Y1nnVHBj1caiO1ZDPABJs9g2uUTXLTx-gyjfHwKUyTMoFJ-ONpvdefXjZiWM3SiaT7Hpf76FgA5VhHbjMWX3kKAAcjV8wmInQk72Z9YlkZ8Sp1ylZH1BNStYka28Job6IAwp_8wBpXbrrvhQnMcR-LFI/s827/Saint%20Edmund%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Dublin,%202015.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmW1DoBBl9kdUDBwlv2N4xTJL4rnNRBR3Y92Y1nnVHBj1caiO1ZDPABJs9g2uUTXLTx-gyjfHwKUyTMoFJ-ONpvdefXjZiWM3SiaT7Hpf76FgA5VhHbjMWX3kKAAcjV8wmInQk72Z9YlkZ8Sp1ylZH1BNStYka28Job6IAwp_8wBpXbrrvhQnMcR-LFI/s400/Saint%20Edmund%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Dublin,%202015.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Edmund depicted in a window in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>John 3: 14-21 (NRSVA):</b><br />
<br />
[Jesus said:] 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.<br />
<br />
16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.<br />
<br />
17 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSIQ6MpH9q7MnXcywkMkBvnb6WJ7KqQeCeIZ4NLfWhwJbtu42yACrpJDuq9iftFQSOdvZdWcfq5D-Xs6F_2Liwe1Jvy14otswvDnu7fzVvAAlD5J1w4tEE36Nc-r5uVICnuJzNKFR4QKjDMsessO8_8LeYGnF7xJLBA8AvClv8Ok7d8cM7_ewmlJ5k7A/s1103/Saint%20Edmund%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Dublin,%202015.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSIQ6MpH9q7MnXcywkMkBvnb6WJ7KqQeCeIZ4NLfWhwJbtu42yACrpJDuq9iftFQSOdvZdWcfq5D-Xs6F_2Liwe1Jvy14otswvDnu7fzVvAAlD5J1w4tEE36Nc-r5uVICnuJzNKFR4QKjDMsessO8_8LeYGnF7xJLBA8AvClv8Ok7d8cM7_ewmlJ5k7A/s400/Saint%20Edmund%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Dublin,%202015.JPG"/></a></div><i>The Chapel of Saint Edmund in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Sunday 10 March 2024, Lent IV):</b ><br />
<br />
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Lent Reflection: JustMoney Movement.’ This theme is introduced today by Matt Ceaser, Movement Builder, JustMoney Movement:<br />
<br />
Read Deuteronomy 15: 1, 4-5, 15<br />
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The Exodus is perhaps the defining story of the people of God in the Hebrew Bible. They understood themselves as a people who had been miraculously rescued from slavery – by the power of God alone – and brought into a new land in which they were to live distinctively.<br />
<br />
For Christians, this story points ahead to the even greater rescue of all humanity through the saving work of Jesus. Once we were enslaved in our sin, but Christ’s death and resurrection accomplish what no human effort could achieve in liberating us to a life of freedom.<br />
<br />
Yet for many around the world today, poverty is limiting their sense of any kind of freedom.<br />
<br />
Poverty means having fewer choices for how to live, and bigger risks if those choices go wrong. It can also lead to exclusion from many areas of life, whether through lack of time, education, or status. Simple pleasures such as food, hobbies, and socialising become out of reach, as all money goes on essentials. The experience of poverty can feel a million miles from life to the full (John 10: 10) or the freedom for which Christ has set us free (Galatians 5: 1).<br />
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God’s vision of freedom, revealed in the Old Testament law and brought to completion in Christ, is clearly concerned that no one should feel the shackles of debt slavery and of poverty limiting their capacity to enjoy that freedom. And we, as Christians, must take up the challenge of ensuring that no one in our society is in need when there are sufficient resources to go around. This means being generous with what we have and sharing with those in need, but it also means advocating for an economy that works for everyone.<br />
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<a href="www.justmoney.org.uk">www.justmoney.org.uk</a><br />
<br />
This is a sample taken from the 2024 USPG Lent Course which can be downloaded and ordered from the USPG website <a href="www.uspg.org.uk">www.uspg.org.uk</a><br />
<br />
The USPG Prayer Diary today (10 March 2024, Lent IV) invites us to pray in these words:<br />
<br />
In a world of limited resources, Lord,<br />
where a few have too much<br />
and most have too little,<br />
teach us there’s enough for all, if we can only learn to share.<br />
(Nick Fawcett).<br />
<br />
<b>The Collect:</b><br />
<br />
Merciful Lord,<br />
absolve your people from their offences,<br />
that through your bountiful goodness<br />
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins<br />
which by our frailty we have committed;<br />
grant this, heavenly Father,<br />
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
<br />
<b>The Collect of Mothering Sunday:</b><br />
<br />
God of compassion,<br />
whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary,<br />
shared the life of a home in Nazareth,<br />
and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself:<br />
strengthen us in our daily living that in joy and in sorrow<br />
we may know the power of your presence to bind together and to heal;<br />
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
<br />
<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
<br />
Lord God,<br />
whose blessed Son our Saviour<br />
gave his back to the smiters<br />
and did not hide his face from shame:<br />
give us grace to endure the sufferings of this present time<br />
with sure confidence in the glory that shall be revealed;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
<br />
<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
<br />
Merciful Lord,<br />
you know our struggle to serve you:<br />
when sin spoils our lives<br />
and overshadows our hearts,<br />
come to our aid<br />
and turn us back to you again;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
<br />
<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_01098519925.html">Saint Swithun of Winchester</a><br />
<br />
<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0550917696.html">Alfred the Great (899), King of the West Saxons, Scholar</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PKWhNBUs4SUZAzyBCIt5nkFjvwkacnG-OnjhASUyBIZgX4AmPw1THAJqDICd6Vzc0IDTG65NJvlzI7NKyNy3FBlNrQk-coLK8L1WAT1CiQDA7CQBIjgZUCrGJM7616seui8dUhxAM0I/s1600/Saint+Edmund%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+London%252C+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PKWhNBUs4SUZAzyBCIt5nkFjvwkacnG-OnjhASUyBIZgX4AmPw1THAJqDICd6Vzc0IDTG65NJvlzI7NKyNy3FBlNrQk-coLK8L1WAT1CiQDA7CQBIjgZUCrGJM7616seui8dUhxAM0I/s400/Saint+Edmund%252C+Patrick+Comerford%252C+London%252C+2019.jpg" width="221" height="400" data-original-width="522" data-original-height="943" /></a></div><i>Saint Edmund, King and Martyr … the last remaining church in Lombard Street, London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDdAZckWYpmtUBcYgfvHMcgTjMsekS3TSr3EG-Nw2jwe6YsnVsBBI1XZvOCe0iR9oSmLOCmPGAcMMiLODOsWgb5QXPNtPEYBFdlzWIMxT6GsL8j5tbya2nl7D6X2NUtekHbOP_bqzYpx5A_XL5BokRz8f7Al2BCnrrzuhU-SY14UxUuhnHyJa1NPXwP0/s827/Saint%20Edmund%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Whitby,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDdAZckWYpmtUBcYgfvHMcgTjMsekS3TSr3EG-Nw2jwe6YsnVsBBI1XZvOCe0iR9oSmLOCmPGAcMMiLODOsWgb5QXPNtPEYBFdlzWIMxT6GsL8j5tbya2nl7D6X2NUtekHbOP_bqzYpx5A_XL5BokRz8f7Al2BCnrrzuhU-SY14UxUuhnHyJa1NPXwP0/s400/Saint%20Edmund%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Whitby,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Edmund depicted in a window in Saint Mary’s Church in Whitby, Yorkshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<i>Last edited: 14 March 2024</i><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-10923693273444390402024-03-09T18:30:00.027+00:002024-03-09T18:30:00.144+00:00Wolverton Park, a 300-year-old house, railway sports grounds and a Victorian gate lodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1sj-KChy2AegdzS-RAVRaczscmeOaiKh4oABJ2PBztOx2Nthbo_TgCOLaYoKGHEDgi-NHsCHyobBh77VQaULrxObAZ6HlOKRi-1eyCiU5bYv56J5m1xVBaaIvJXuq_svsYkv7FWPVaqKIUieAHuhMq2HneVs2BI4BtZT4VEXJ-v2AEpIWWok2tiYREU/s1103/Wolverton%20Park%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1sj-KChy2AegdzS-RAVRaczscmeOaiKh4oABJ2PBztOx2Nthbo_TgCOLaYoKGHEDgi-NHsCHyobBh77VQaULrxObAZ6HlOKRi-1eyCiU5bYv56J5m1xVBaaIvJXuq_svsYkv7FWPVaqKIUieAHuhMq2HneVs2BI4BtZT4VEXJ-v2AEpIWWok2tiYREU/s400/Wolverton%20Park%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Wolverton Park, near Old Wolverton, was built over 300 years ago, ca 1720 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
I was writing on a recent evening about <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/public-sculpture-and-art-in-old.html">Martin Heron’s public sculptures ‘Reaching Forward’</a> along the canal banks at the Wolverton Park development, close to the railway lines and the former railway works.<br />
<br />
Wolverton Park is originally the name of a much older house, built <i>ca</i> 1720, standing in its own spacious grounds just off the old Wolverton to Stony Stratford road and close to Holy Trinity Church, Old Wolverton.<br />
<br />
When a new road was cut through to Wolverton Station, the house at Wolverton Park found itself on a corner with Mill End, isolated from much of the land on which it once stood. The house still stands there, and – although it has been enlarged and added to over the years – there have been few visible exterior changes over the last 50 or 60 years.<br />
<br />
Wolverton Park is an early to mid-18th century two-storey house with an attic and a slightly older two-storey extension to the right. The house has a steep early tiled roof with a dormer to the rear. A mid-19th century addition at the rear links with the stables. Inside, the house has a staircase that dates from <i>ca</i> 1720, with heavy turned balusters and a moulded handrail, and that rises by short flights in the central well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTDFx1Hcq2k-rpXNyLunHa9yBhg85ItdPaEfN2aWWJbckZJJw-8_nyfRVDupuDqN7oBKNoEaIbIV8ey69JJuD10BT3jiE3LH1B6amNbFbbOoS1_iDfOUjowYvRJDTugetkKz4m9YTt3acVvXRpCFsjUWlQXirGZ8sVkA9KovbXWrEdz7qQN_S4A7FcPg/s827/Wolverton%20Park%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="662" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTDFx1Hcq2k-rpXNyLunHa9yBhg85ItdPaEfN2aWWJbckZJJw-8_nyfRVDupuDqN7oBKNoEaIbIV8ey69JJuD10BT3jiE3LH1B6amNbFbbOoS1_iDfOUjowYvRJDTugetkKz4m9YTt3acVvXRpCFsjUWlQXirGZ8sVkA9KovbXWrEdz7qQN_S4A7FcPg/s400/Wolverton%20Park%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The mid-19th century addition at the rear of Wolverton Park (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Wolverton’s leading local historian Bryan Dunleavy, who has known the house since his childhood, has researched the history of Wolverton Park. For much of the 19th century, it was the home of James E McConnnell (1815-1883), the locomotive engineer who designed the famous ‘Bloomers’ that were built at Wolverton Works. He succeeded Edward Bury as Works Superintendent in 1847 and remained at Wolverton until 1862.<br />
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McConnell was born in Fermoy, Co Cork, on 1 January 1815, the son of a Scottish father, Quentin McConnell, and an English mother, Elizabeth (Bradbury). His father died when James was a four-year-old, and at the age of 13 he was apprenticed to an engineering firm in Glasgow in 1828.<br />
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McConnell was working at Edward Bury’s locomotive works in Liverpool by 1837, and he became the locomotive superintendent for the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway in 1842. The L&NWR recruited him to take over from Edward Bury in Wolverton in 1846. By then, he had married Charlotte Bowton Addison (1822-1886). The McConnells moved with their children into Wolverton Park, and were soon followed by Charlotte’s widowed father, Dr James Addison (1774-1852), a surgeon from Burnham in Essex.<br />
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James McConnell was paid £700 a year, a salary that allowed the family could to live in style at Wolverton Park. Bryan Dunleavy suggests this also made McConnell the highest paid man in Wolverton at the time.<br />
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McConnell’s locomotives were among the most successful of the time. But he clashed with some board members, resigned in March 1862 and moved to Great Missenden where he practised as a civil engineer. The board never replaced McConnell in Wolverton. Instead, engine building was consolidated at Crewe and Wolverton specialised in carriage building.<br />
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In the mid-20th century, Wolverton Park was the home of the military historian and journalist Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart (1895-1970). He died in 1970 and his library formed the nucleus of the Liddell Hart Centre, the military studies library at King’s College, London.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XBXzHbDmOC9twlmsSdy00Xs7dyFQ8m2AHH-3ftFwHNKlJplwjF4sGF1wy_-PmOXfN3HrDYU1psK7TQbBvOBAt8q5HsxuTootIvLWvI5r1WDBflixSjb4dxAXo3cKDVlfxWYDbGopSQHZ7gByCuCebetzDnV-d6j3rkDb5twt_B4GuKJLKhAot1k3b5s/s1488/Wolverton%20Park%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XBXzHbDmOC9twlmsSdy00Xs7dyFQ8m2AHH-3ftFwHNKlJplwjF4sGF1wy_-PmOXfN3HrDYU1psK7TQbBvOBAt8q5HsxuTootIvLWvI5r1WDBflixSjb4dxAXo3cKDVlfxWYDbGopSQHZ7gByCuCebetzDnV-d6j3rkDb5twt_B4GuKJLKhAot1k3b5s/s400/Wolverton%20Park%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Wolverton Park opened in 1885 as the railway company sports grounds (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Wolverton Park is also the name of the former railway company sports grounds, opened on the other side of the railway tracks, on the north-east fringe of Wolverton in 1885. James McConnell came to Wolverton after the London and Birmingham Railway, later part of the London and North Western Railway, established its works in the town in 1838.<br />
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Wolverton was chosen because it was a midway point between the two cities and a place where engines could be changed conveniently, refuelled and repaired. Wolverton began to grow close to an older village by the side of the Grand Union Canal and locomotives were made in Wolverton until 1861. After that, carriage building largely took its place. The works covered 37 acres in 1886 and employed 2,000 people, figures that had more than doubled by 1907, and remained at that until the early 1960s.<br />
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At first, the area was referred to as Wolverton Station and was described as the London & Birmingham’s ‘grand central station and locomotive depot,’ making it the world’s first Grand Central station.<br />
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The company built railway sheds and a locomotive works and laid down streets of slate-roofed, red-bricked terraced houses on a grid plan for their workers. Workers from across Britain were attracted to work in the new town, and the facilities they were provided with included a park, educational facilities and allotments. When locomotive building was moved to Crewe, Wolverton became a centre for building and repairing railway carriages.<br />
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Wolverton Park, an LNWR company sports ground, opened on the north-east fringe of the town in 1885. The facilities included a football ground, a running and cycling track, a bowling green, and grandstand.<br />
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The park was one of the finest company sports grounds in Victorian England, alongside those in Bournville (1887) and Port Sunlight (1889). It was laid out with an elegant a gatekeeper’s lodge, and included a bandstand, a running track, a cycle track, a football pitch, tennis courts and a bowling green.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60dsg2C4FhdwDcsWZncK0uFB7Wu2QjARfveJ-gniuL5mZwxrPNveA1WPJlrW5VSx6K1oq2jZ7gj2YY1V4HUcWXfzws9mGhw8xTE078-xjHoAdxbOP5qEOM6uOeid485GOsikKv8XVXQ8dRqo3FCxbeHZ0ssTBulJG6VZov2dDWF2jNjVAmmDaxbtpC_A/s827/Wolverton%20Park%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="718" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60dsg2C4FhdwDcsWZncK0uFB7Wu2QjARfveJ-gniuL5mZwxrPNveA1WPJlrW5VSx6K1oq2jZ7gj2YY1V4HUcWXfzws9mGhw8xTE078-xjHoAdxbOP5qEOM6uOeid485GOsikKv8XVXQ8dRqo3FCxbeHZ0ssTBulJG6VZov2dDWF2jNjVAmmDaxbtpC_A/s400/Wolverton%20Park%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The lodge at Wolverton Park is an integral part of the park (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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The lodge is an integral part of Wolverton Park. It was built at the park entrance in 1885 as part of the original scheme, and may have been designed by an in-house architect at the LNWR. It was built in the Old English style and is a similar lodge at Queen’s Park, Crewe, another LNWR town.<br />
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The former Victorian gatekeeper’s lodge at the entrance of Wolverton Park is on a busy corner close to Wolverton train station and between the two railway bridges that cross Old Wolverton Road.<br />
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The two-storey house is built of brick, with some elevations now painted, and it retains many of its original features and windows, including timber framing, some tile-hanging on the first floor, and a red tile roof with ornamental ridge tiles.<br />
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The house has a projecting gabled front façade with a bay window on the ground floor, and jettied window with a long four-light window on the first floor above. There is a timber-framed first floor and gable, and the gable has two small attic windows. A tall brick stack rises from the centre of the roof, and there is a prominent lateral stack at the rear of the house.<br />
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The decorative details include a stucco plaque with an urn, and the interior may still have the original fireplaces, joinery and staircase.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpK4AtFJUTgm68EWtKFtQum02YvBLgPgw5p7t_E75e_KeaQ_WRFYmCw6XSVTkR7Us1tqiWX0kPQg9-pRBK8To7-jqpJG0etzDaH0IsfWVyVqyDRrUewa517NafSoWqS0vv7MNFrGO1zlIN65sYJ4NU9UtWPDJ3wS2srekhFYcaTVs4pDOELvtXJCTdjq8/s827/Wolverton%20Park%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="797" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpK4AtFJUTgm68EWtKFtQum02YvBLgPgw5p7t_E75e_KeaQ_WRFYmCw6XSVTkR7Us1tqiWX0kPQg9-pRBK8To7-jqpJG0etzDaH0IsfWVyVqyDRrUewa517NafSoWqS0vv7MNFrGO1zlIN65sYJ4NU9UtWPDJ3wS2srekhFYcaTVs4pDOELvtXJCTdjq8/s400/Wolverton%20Park%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The lodge at Wolverton Park was built in the Old English style and may have been designed by an in-house architect at the LNWR (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Wolverton was incorporated in the new town of Milton Keynes in 1967. But the railway workforce was reduced to under 1,000 in 1986. As Wolverton declined, its buildings fell into disrepair and dereliction, the works became largely vacant and some of the buildings were demolished.<br />
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Milton Keynes Partnership and Places for People worked to revitalise the old industrial area, and the brownfield site became an award-winning showcase of how to invigorate a historic site, with shops, offices and homes bringing new life to the area.<br />
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Wolverton Park accommodates 290 homes that are a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, duplexes, penthouses and townhouses. A key part of the project was refurbishing the Royal Train Shed and the Triangular Building that date back to 1845, creating 80 homes and commercial space.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLeYStA5YBA6XfqgibWQQHmE1RYcSQpQ15131Lo9EPW7VSp2C1NrvfCkhMYMaY-6lrQmBso7XM1Pq_WASjYNzGUDF54n2Nb6ihYHjvsyG0gk9O_4S9pylzwY0Sq56iu15LhK0zShAOaYlLOgzFeq15gUzs8dNbtFzV5pPfZH355bWxqeO7bVrlZZQTJA/s1195/Wolverton%20Park%206,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLeYStA5YBA6XfqgibWQQHmE1RYcSQpQ15131Lo9EPW7VSp2C1NrvfCkhMYMaY-6lrQmBso7XM1Pq_WASjYNzGUDF54n2Nb6ihYHjvsyG0gk9O_4S9pylzwY0Sq56iu15LhK0zShAOaYlLOgzFeq15gUzs8dNbtFzV5pPfZH355bWxqeO7bVrlZZQTJA/s400/Wolverton%20Park%206,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The site and park are bisected by the Grand Union Canal, and most homes have either park views or canal-side frontages (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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The site includes the park originally built for the works’ employees. It is bisected by the Grand Union Canal, which means that most homes have either park views or canal-side frontages.<br />
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The architects RPS Design worked to incorporate the new homes into the existing structures. Construction work was managed by Willmott Dixon Housing, with Rolton Group providing civil and structural engineering services.<br />
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The original park area at Wolverton Park has been retained for public use, although the football club, model car club and bowls club were all relocated to new venues, and the old gatekeeper’s lodge has recently been restored and refurbished and was let on the open market.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTSsK3R0HX__iX3MhlhqsvO_K60W9xfuInc6lB7lPIuki77KN_rLttubEXWsj1ZnrHR3zni2zG_Zc3ztZesUWQAIs_vQq8u2DxThKlgZga1Qq5Dpi-y7uzeRLCiGuMRH9xsYH4Ibyxa2mEcR_RPDz3cTRkbPmlwyA7Z2ZZt9SnNFE1wF5JR1Lw9jpiok/s1000/Wolverton%20Park%207,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTSsK3R0HX__iX3MhlhqsvO_K60W9xfuInc6lB7lPIuki77KN_rLttubEXWsj1ZnrHR3zni2zG_Zc3ztZesUWQAIs_vQq8u2DxThKlgZga1Qq5Dpi-y7uzeRLCiGuMRH9xsYH4Ibyxa2mEcR_RPDz3cTRkbPmlwyA7Z2ZZt9SnNFE1wF5JR1Lw9jpiok/s400/Wolverton%20Park%207,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The decorative details at Wolverton Park Lodge include a stucco plaque with an urn (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-36857659539500546632024-03-09T06:30:00.019+00:002024-03-10T09:06:40.058+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 25, 9 March 2024, Saint Swithun of Winchester<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3uBahgaVzbhSucJ_Vshh6gW0ppHIvr1ga9J80QPMIMAaYJwaHdLoOrngBiVbnhssMku32Rauarjy_BnrefVJPiDwPPnQypuK9nHSlsPthGfXYvSgeyvun7UjpUbut9wUyE4i3chzUSDIoz1BeLNHb_-4CGDV78xmeozjegW6po2FHOrUoFX-vQPDi48/s827/Saint%20Swithun%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Oxford,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3uBahgaVzbhSucJ_Vshh6gW0ppHIvr1ga9J80QPMIMAaYJwaHdLoOrngBiVbnhssMku32Rauarjy_BnrefVJPiDwPPnQypuK9nHSlsPthGfXYvSgeyvun7UjpUbut9wUyE4i3chzUSDIoz1BeLNHb_-4CGDV78xmeozjegW6po2FHOrUoFX-vQPDi48/s400/Saint%20Swithun%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Oxford,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Swithun depicted on the gateway at Magdalen College, Oxford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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We are more than half-way through the Season of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and tomorrow is the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lent IV) and Mothering Sunday (10 March 2024). I am probably going to spend much of the weekend watching rugby on television, especially the match between Ireland and England at Twickenham later this afternoon.<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in the Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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Before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
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<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
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<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
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<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhok9pIeIGT18UWXuDvRbASXumKljVOHW7VIVVhnEF69sSX0CfTIXPmt152i6wfkrsHn9BLLVjnpH1YQZOqA5PqYcmq4bU5-cccqDwOz6gYMtEPVXFYud9UKGf3gp1nty4kuAqh2G8pkXCFGOYAcKApaH46y0-vhNSFnvPfjtjI0FrgoK2cVnCspbtGZI/s1284/Magdalen%20College%2011,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Oxford,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhok9pIeIGT18UWXuDvRbASXumKljVOHW7VIVVhnEF69sSX0CfTIXPmt152i6wfkrsHn9BLLVjnpH1YQZOqA5PqYcmq4bU5-cccqDwOz6gYMtEPVXFYud9UKGf3gp1nty4kuAqh2G8pkXCFGOYAcKApaH46y0-vhNSFnvPfjtjI0FrgoK2cVnCspbtGZI/s400/Magdalen%20College%2011,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Oxford,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>The gateway at Magdalen College, Oxford with Saint Mary Magdalen (centre) between Saint Swithun (right) and Bishop William Waynflete (left) of Winchester (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 25, Saint Swithun of Winchester</b><br />
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Saint Swithun of Winchester is commemorated in <i>Common Worship</i> on 15 July. He was Bishop of Winchester in the ninth century, although little is known of his life.<br />
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He was bishop for 10 years and appears to have been the trusted adviser of Egbert, King of Wessex. He had asked to be buried ‘humbly’ and not in a great shrine and, when he died on 2 July 862, his request was fulfilled. However, when a new cathedral was being built, Ethelwold, the new bishop, decided to move Swithun’s remains into a shrine in the cathedral, despite dire warnings that to move the bones would bring about terrible storms.<br />
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His body was translated on 15 July 971 and, although many cures were claimed and other miracles observed, it apparently rained for 40 days, as forecast. Thus the feast-day of Swithun became synonymous with long, summer storms, rather than as an occasion for celebrating Christian simplicity and holiness.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-CjlbBzFLPy-4smqpcTV96s84VsbtbWsT-98BLE-WYRoHDtUeAp2XlHHMvrPaJDeQwzKSXY73pYx8ryoANX0kNdpZKhQsFMYNOJAMBg7JqjSCRcD3q61_TrOyCJSWleUT1nRE4-tgjYfZM6XNMoSNSMX8lZiqcEMFJmXalsMsplolyTcF80I71sLocI/s845/Magdalen%20College%208,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Oxford,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-CjlbBzFLPy-4smqpcTV96s84VsbtbWsT-98BLE-WYRoHDtUeAp2XlHHMvrPaJDeQwzKSXY73pYx8ryoANX0kNdpZKhQsFMYNOJAMBg7JqjSCRcD3q61_TrOyCJSWleUT1nRE4-tgjYfZM6XNMoSNSMX8lZiqcEMFJmXalsMsplolyTcF80I71sLocI/s400/Magdalen%20College%208,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Oxford,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Swithun’s Tower in Magdalen College, Oxford, leads from Saint John’s Quad into Saint Swithun’s Quad (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Luke 18: 9-14 (NRSVA):</b><br />
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9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” 13 But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aaCBZkZcEQb0mwENoXD8qy66iA_idMZ6lUTeWXaD8J1cdf8h3Bb87-dq4ZcdDD__vHMNAMxy7ePy-LyttbEOu-g3uVVYj2sehId1qgZ9B2PweN_hwFBcm_WfB9wafvF3X-FIpyyUHh7oksmVuKMNPWd4uqOC6LEENWxIBm75-CAyn0M21wiASqRd/s1380/Southwark%20screen%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Southwark%20Cathedral,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aaCBZkZcEQb0mwENoXD8qy66iA_idMZ6lUTeWXaD8J1cdf8h3Bb87-dq4ZcdDD__vHMNAMxy7ePy-LyttbEOu-g3uVVYj2sehId1qgZ9B2PweN_hwFBcm_WfB9wafvF3X-FIpyyUHh7oksmVuKMNPWd4uqOC6LEENWxIBm75-CAyn0M21wiASqRd/s400/Southwark%20screen%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Southwark%20Cathedral,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>Saint Swithun (second from left) in the second row of saints and martyrs on the Great Screen in Southwark Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023; click on images for full-screen viewing)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Saturday 9 March 2024):</b ><br />
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The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), has been ‘International Women’s Day Reflection.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by the Right Revd Beverley A Mason, Bishop of Warrington.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (9 March 2024) invites us to pray in these words:<br />
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Lord, we pray that women with one heart and mind will exert their power and authority to work for peace.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Almighty God,<br />
whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain,<br />
and entered not into glory before he was crucified:<br />
mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,<br />
may find it none other than the way of life and peace;<br />
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
<br />
<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
<br />
Merciful Lord,<br />
grant your people grace to withstand the temptations<br />
of the world, the flesh and the devil,<br />
and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Additional Collect:</b><br />
<br />
Eternal God,<br />
give us insight<br />
to discern your will for us,<br />
to give up what harms us,<br />
and to seek the perfection we are promised<br />
in Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Collect on the eve of Lent IV:</b><br />
<br />
Merciful Lord,<br />
absolve your people from their offences,<br />
that through your bountiful goodness<br />
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins<br />
which by our frailty we have committed;<br />
grant this, heavenly Father,<br />
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
<br />
<b>Yesterday:</b><a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0968981886.html"> Alcuin of York</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0425777247.html">Saint Edmund (870), King of the East Angles, Martyr</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXKnd_udGoPCXaRjpe076Y2RU7yVQUo5JLqUSUVqja-Gq6dkzICOmRQPl6vGBQBKOmgNV73Q8wPpzz1RpcHSd7GopaNK08TtCZMrTmMDVQfP7GsLEH0tq2AzqZoQ6Dd5uG8LsZWWjhOE8UiQIAw1KAOaKRcqb79QCxK5jlC7As6u88JyeJeA5aLs5/s1040/Southwark%20screen%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Southwark%20Cathedral,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1040" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXKnd_udGoPCXaRjpe076Y2RU7yVQUo5JLqUSUVqja-Gq6dkzICOmRQPl6vGBQBKOmgNV73Q8wPpzz1RpcHSd7GopaNK08TtCZMrTmMDVQfP7GsLEH0tq2AzqZoQ6Dd5uG8LsZWWjhOE8UiQIAw1KAOaKRcqb79QCxK5jlC7As6u88JyeJeA5aLs5/s400/Southwark%20screen%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Southwark%20Cathedral,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>The choir, Great Screen and High Altar in Southwark Cathedral … Saint Swithun is said to have set up a college of priests in Southwark (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-59042755596975754002024-03-08T18:30:00.011+00:002024-03-08T18:30:00.135+00:00A small square in front of a school in the Marais remembers the children of the Holocaust in Paris<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AMs1jXIt1F8dZmKNdCbSWVBjSFdvIOvjNzYhJzIqz4rre6OpThcZoq4N8AJfxelHUGyUhHhKovmepggVHS_ojnjTB5V4Ks6LgAobzzFJZXaFOVZLAkSG5hJijwHTBiBJ08qHz3eEy-Y1LI1NtPf6mp0a7oWP-dOMarWUTSj5I01JlhD4_dUgByrytGs/s1103/Jewish%20school%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AMs1jXIt1F8dZmKNdCbSWVBjSFdvIOvjNzYhJzIqz4rre6OpThcZoq4N8AJfxelHUGyUhHhKovmepggVHS_ojnjTB5V4Ks6LgAobzzFJZXaFOVZLAkSG5hJijwHTBiBJ08qHz3eEy-Y1LI1NtPf6mp0a7oWP-dOMarWUTSj5I01JlhD4_dUgByrytGs/s400/Jewish%20school%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The school on rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais in the Marais … 260 Jewish children from the school rounded up and murdered during the Holocaust (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />
<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
<br />
Le Parvis des 260-Enfants or the Square of the 260 Children is a tiny square or small open area in the Marais in Paris, in front of the elementary school of Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais.<br />
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The <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/02/small-synagogues-and-traditional-shops.html">Marais</a> is the historic centre of the Jewish community in Paris and I spent some time a few weeks ago, visiting synagogues, shops, cafés and other sites associated with Jewish life and history in Paris, and the two museums that document the history of Jews in France: the <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/02/the-shoah-memorial-in-paris-is-reminder.html">Shoah Memorial</a>, the Holocaust Museum of Paris, and the Jewish Museum of Art and History (mahJ).<br />
<br />
The name of Le Parvis des 260-Enfants recalls how 260 Jewish children from the school on rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais were deported during the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup on 16-17 July 1942 and then murdered in the Nazi death camps.<br />
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The school stands on the site of the former Marché Blancs-Manteaux market. The courtyard is housed in the old cut stone hall that once served as a butchery pavilion, first opened in 1823. This explains the twinned fountains on the façade with ox-heads whose horns and cheeks are decorated with fruits and pendants. The sculptures were made in an ancient Assyrian style in 1819 by the sculptor Edme Gaulle and were listed as historic monuments in 1970.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiot6s7vzbZWimQrWBnv2pRrnBtBNZWTSWyFWLWVkYUpWVSIX64ecO4Or1jePR2e0C8JHdoKK-IQXEacqv4sx4LFgCcOv3sNslgLJKEGw1D1pyHFOptg-fXRqn6i0ianCYfLHB2Y72UerOObwtQKEv6W10AYl4TQJruFCFE6OF9ZSdLiicTVyadC8LDttg/s1103/Jewish%20school%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiot6s7vzbZWimQrWBnv2pRrnBtBNZWTSWyFWLWVkYUpWVSIX64ecO4Or1jePR2e0C8JHdoKK-IQXEacqv4sx4LFgCcOv3sNslgLJKEGw1D1pyHFOptg-fXRqn6i0ianCYfLHB2Y72UerOObwtQKEv6W10AYl4TQJruFCFE6OF9ZSdLiicTVyadC8LDttg/s400/Jewish%20school%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The school was founded in the Marais in 1844 and opened in 1847 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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The school was founded in 1844, when Paris City Hall decided to provide a secular school for children in the Jewish community, with boys on one side (No 6) and girls on the other (No 10). Although financing was mainly from public or municipal sources, extra support came from the Consistory representing Jewish communities in Paris. Due to support from Baroness de Rothschild, the school was sometimes known as ‘the Rothschild school’ at the end of the 19th century.<br />
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An inscription above the boys’ door reads: ‘Communal Primary School for Young Israelite Boys – Mutual School – Municip Fund. June MDCCCXLIV’ (1844). A similar inscription above the girls’ entrance reads: ‘Communal Primary School for Young Israelite Girls – Mutual School.’<br />
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The school opened in 1847, with 338 boys and 370 girls in its early years. The first schoolgirl was five-year-old Sophie Léopold, the daughter of a shoemaker. Unlike other schools in Paris, the school closed on Saturday, and instead opened on Thursday, the day off in other schools. There was no religious instruction and neither teachers nor students were required to be Jewish.<br />
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During the Nazi occupation, Jewish people in France were forced to wear the yellow Star of David and were banned from certain professions and public places. Some deportations to the concentration camps began in 1940, and group roundups began in 1941. During the occupation, 76,000 of France’s 330,000 Jews were deported – and only 2,500 or so survivors returned.<br />
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On 16 and 17 July 1942, 13,152 Jews were rounded up. Of these, 8,160 people, including 4,115 children, were first taken to the Vél’ d’Hiv, the Vélodrome d’Hiver, an indoor bicycle racing track and stadium near the Eiffel Tower. They were held there for five days with little food and water and with no sanitary facilities, and eventually were deported to Auschwitz. The Vel’ d’Hiv roundup is recounted in the film <i>La Rafle</i> (2010).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwaFo7cPA4k9fzhy0unBWIjUWfn6eu5xTHumiJiYqO7X1doI-UDs75BXR0KUpxZpK9iKbReV7HlIBadLQRr2gsSsneUWLUCLX2R1_nF4wAz85fUE96qdKitvQizFTFoN8pO8wbz52QOdnnh9f0pRpDZMiWJbUnPVFi1Lx81oqTOgN0FA9gPuTeWDbLUrs/s1008/Jewish%20school%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1008" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwaFo7cPA4k9fzhy0unBWIjUWfn6eu5xTHumiJiYqO7X1doI-UDs75BXR0KUpxZpK9iKbReV7HlIBadLQRr2gsSsneUWLUCLX2R1_nF4wAz85fUE96qdKitvQizFTFoN8pO8wbz52QOdnnh9f0pRpDZMiWJbUnPVFi1Lx81oqTOgN0FA9gPuTeWDbLUrs/s400/Jewish%20school%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Most schools in the Marais have placards recalling the Shoah or the Holocaust (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Most schools in the Marais have black placards with gold lettering recalling the Shoah or the Holocaust. Outside the school on Rue des Hospitalières Saint-Gervais, however, the placard is white with gold lettering. In all, 260 children from the school were deported during World War II, including 165 children in the Vél’ d’Hiv roundup. When the summer holidays came to an end, only two pupils on the school roll turned up when term commenced in October.<br />
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A plaque on the school reads: ‘To the memory of the children of this school deported between 1942 and 1944 because they were born Jewish. They were innocent victims of Nazi barbarism and the active complicity of the Vichy Government. They were exterminated in the death camps. May we never forget them.’<br />
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The stark language is haunting. The phrase ‘who were born Jewish’ is not the same as ‘who were Jewish.’ Under the 1935 Nuremberg Laws, the Nazis developed a ‘mixed-blood test’ to determine who was officially Jewish. The test defined as Jewish someone with one Jewish parent or one Jewish grandparent. To be Jewish was not necessarily about faith, culture or chosen identity, but was defined using pseudoscientific ideas based on the racist concept of multiple human ‘races.’ In all, over 11,000 children were deported from France to the east and the concentration camps ‘because they were born Jewish.’<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYz1cImvPu36xw8foPuHJb7NLH5HKaLeYm5ZBR2SZpMY5HDIaBqTScl5yDShYn-QYS9k_npW3WLZ49YVIoIwr1x2O3KG7UKzsE4xW85a800CMC6yLqu8NORLsBTh99o-2Y5hCQ29MzK89-cE1Ziph8eOvRYoG5TK2zlZ4BLxe399nsBRzOvneR1oqfqhY/s1344/Jewish%20school%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYz1cImvPu36xw8foPuHJb7NLH5HKaLeYm5ZBR2SZpMY5HDIaBqTScl5yDShYn-QYS9k_npW3WLZ49YVIoIwr1x2O3KG7UKzsE4xW85a800CMC6yLqu8NORLsBTh99o-2Y5hCQ29MzK89-cE1Ziph8eOvRYoG5TK2zlZ4BLxe399nsBRzOvneR1oqfqhY/s400/Jewish%20school%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The twinned ox-head fountains on the façade were made by the sculptor Edme Gaulle and are listed as historic monuments (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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The head of Ecole des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, Joseph Migneret (1888-1949), watched as his pupils were almost totally nearly wiped out. At the start of the new school year on 1 October 1942, only four children turned up.<br />
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Migneret, who was not a Jew, joined an underground network to help children and their families to escape. He was actively involved in the Resistance, forging papers and hiding children in his home. Through the effort of Migneret and people like him, the lives of dozens of people were saved.<br />
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Migneret died shortly after World War II ‘of sadness at seeing what was done to his students’, according to one of the survivors. He was recognised as one of the Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, thanks to the testimony of Milo Adoner a former Jewish deportee. His name is inscribed among the 2,693 ‘Righteous of France’ on the Allée des Justes Monument.<br />
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A plaque remembers his actions: ‘To Joseph Migneret, teacher and director of this school from 1920 to 1944 who, through his courage and at the risk of his life, saved dozens of Jewish children from deportation. His grateful former students.’<br />
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A commemorative plaque was on the façade was unveiled on 7 May 1971 in memory of this tragedy. Two additional commemorative plaques nearby remember Lyon Léopold, a teacher at the school from 1853 to 1900, and Fernand Lévy-Wogue (1867-1944), founding president of the association of former students of the schools on rue des Tournelles and rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais.<br />
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The square in front of the school was renamed the 260-Enfants square in 2018 at a ceremony attended by Anne Hidalgo, the first woman Mayor of Paris, the politician Patrick Bloche and Ariel Weil, who has been the Mayor of Paris Centre since 2020 – his wife Delphine Horvilleur is France’s third female rabbi.<br />
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<b><i>Shabbat Shalom</i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31T0n7Yb0ILFYFRTGXKJ760xeZCwgjGwv_TF2tSOBbRgaW_UlTIofPp8lg1_MvIPD3XN70Ot7S458tN2EX7BKZVOZQeX2bufYRIWimahd9qa7oUjXVyfRK0DO9YTcxosjS7BOuXYI-HFQ0iU8sY9UnbTC0ROimwUsv7Zx6zsYDE3OBW-luYmn6PPMSP8/s1368/Jewish%20school%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31T0n7Yb0ILFYFRTGXKJ760xeZCwgjGwv_TF2tSOBbRgaW_UlTIofPp8lg1_MvIPD3XN70Ot7S458tN2EX7BKZVOZQeX2bufYRIWimahd9qa7oUjXVyfRK0DO9YTcxosjS7BOuXYI-HFQ0iU8sY9UnbTC0ROimwUsv7Zx6zsYDE3OBW-luYmn6PPMSP8/s400/Jewish%20school%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Paris,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The square in front of the school was renamed the 260-Enfants square in 2018 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-47846793116581187992024-03-08T06:30:00.011+00:002024-03-09T11:23:28.218+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 24, 8 March 2024, Alcuin of York<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawmFcVVvUTjRyefheJP7Edic9WqjRFcPUSop7Y1I8iI8O046nZUv3a82__OKsks4WNZ4MQwXMwhKoe_X6k5-oHaTvjMe8Dfs-BewzCTnj6Kjo6Yad-9vHzb35fyXdmZiucs0Q2aQYuwb_Um8LXHzhOe9yEWncs7RnIwhiEIUN9g21_Si0asEiVHbO230/s927/Alcuin%20of%20York.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawmFcVVvUTjRyefheJP7Edic9WqjRFcPUSop7Y1I8iI8O046nZUv3a82__OKsks4WNZ4MQwXMwhKoe_X6k5-oHaTvjMe8Dfs-BewzCTnj6Kjo6Yad-9vHzb35fyXdmZiucs0Q2aQYuwb_Um8LXHzhOe9yEWncs7RnIwhiEIUN9g21_Si0asEiVHbO230/s400/Alcuin%20of%20York.jpg"/></a></div><i>A woodcut image of Alcuin of York by Kreg Yingst</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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The Season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and this week began with the Third Sunday in Lent (Lent III, 3 March 2024).<br />
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The Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i> today (8 March) remembers Edward King (1910), Bishop of Lincoln, Saint Felix (647), Bishop and Apostle to the East Angles, and Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (1929), Priest and Poet.<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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Before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
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<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
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<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
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<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToqSYdgZVbogeDGUjGRe6RfL9jXGMpANxKXdwjCBHUebojSvQCF8PMybyB80x7dYuwg97U-_99pdrL0V48O4eKiV-SP_OPopkIDEs2h__v_j3e13I6Gl3Tg2ENO9UxaMtDVzB-9qC7NCN03aCYgMIARsOvXtes4aQbx8iDPRbnphwVfxlnCNkM0ms1xw/s845/Coverdale%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToqSYdgZVbogeDGUjGRe6RfL9jXGMpANxKXdwjCBHUebojSvQCF8PMybyB80x7dYuwg97U-_99pdrL0V48O4eKiV-SP_OPopkIDEs2h__v_j3e13I6Gl3Tg2ENO9UxaMtDVzB-9qC7NCN03aCYgMIARsOvXtes4aQbx8iDPRbnphwVfxlnCNkM0ms1xw/s400/Coverdale%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>Alcuin’s library in York was destroyed by the Vikings in 866 … York Minster Library has been housed in the 13th-century Archbishops’ Chapel since 1810 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 24, Alcuin of York</b><br />
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Alcuin of York is commemorated in the calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i> on 20 May. Alcuin was descended from a noble Northumbrian family. Although the date and place of his birth are not known, he was probably born in 735 in or near York.<br />
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He entered the cathedral school in York as a child, continued as a scholar and became master. In 781, he went to Aachen as adviser to Charlemagne on religious and educational matters and as Master of the Palace School, where he established an important library.<br />
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Although not a monk and only in deacon’s orders, in 796 he became Abbot of Tours in 796, and he died there in the year 804. Alcuin wrote poetry, revised the lectionary, compiled a sacramentary and was involved in other significant liturgical work.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEjyUgBxzXwh8Sn6AIYqDRFShhqq7b6jILSr2Ln3jMejFJYha9O7waBZVU2evWaIFPtAZW4yUkWARhbT6T-kiWUDHd21ANi7RiDxLWjkl7JEKv6Y_SdYDbv8igYxb3WPqZT5NGPqjDnyu8doYnloytOU3EVAfaKpCW-S1CAYAZzkYNvoTU7LKrruPgUE/s1055/Coverdale%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1055" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEjyUgBxzXwh8Sn6AIYqDRFShhqq7b6jILSr2Ln3jMejFJYha9O7waBZVU2evWaIFPtAZW4yUkWARhbT6T-kiWUDHd21ANi7RiDxLWjkl7JEKv6Y_SdYDbv8igYxb3WPqZT5NGPqjDnyu8doYnloytOU3EVAfaKpCW-S1CAYAZzkYNvoTU7LKrruPgUE/s400/Coverdale%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>The old library at York Minster now houses the gift shop (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Mark 12: 28-34 (NRSVA):</b><br />
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28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ 29 Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” 31 The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ 32 Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; 33 and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”, – this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDooiiaWEQV1C5w1cf8N0EoRkswIgCERNngiASoWkeT5gweh_VuRF8qZN4LcXJnWKmVZ3sytXBb70HzG74bkorBD5JOZrZD5DgZVruxc52Mv07GPgZ-LmK6KlFKJuQe06hRzQf8hOec764XejjJ84co8R0f8SzYbVht09bdeWtTspzykAAjDluh545bhY/s1127/Coverdale%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%202023.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDooiiaWEQV1C5w1cf8N0EoRkswIgCERNngiASoWkeT5gweh_VuRF8qZN4LcXJnWKmVZ3sytXBb70HzG74bkorBD5JOZrZD5DgZVruxc52Mv07GPgZ-LmK6KlFKJuQe06hRzQf8hOec764XejjJ84co8R0f8SzYbVht09bdeWtTspzykAAjDluh545bhY/s400/Coverdale%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%202023.JPG"/></a></div><i>The library at York Minister is regarded by many as the most important cathedral library in Britain (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Friday 8 March 2024):</b ><br />
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The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘International Women’s Day Reflection.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by the Right Revd Beverley A Mason, Bishop of Warrington.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (8 March 2024, International Women’s Day) invites us to pray with these words:<br />
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Let us pray for women throughout the world. May they know dignity, equality and fullness of life, and courage and solidarity in the face of oppression.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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God of peace,<br />
who gave such grace to your servant Edward King<br />
that whomever he met he drew to Christ:<br />
fill us, we pray, with tender sympathy and joyful faith,<br />
that we also may win others<br />
to know the love that passes knowledge;<br />
through him who is the shepherd and guardian of our souls,<br />
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
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God, shepherd of your people,<br />
whose servant Edward King revealed the loving service of Christ<br />
in his ministry as a pastor of your people:<br />
by this eucharist in which we share<br />
awaken within us the love of Christ<br />
and keep us faithful to our Christian calling;<br />
through him who laid down his life for us,<br />
but is alive and reigns with you, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0961002350.html">Saint Boniface of Crediton</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_01098519925.html">Saint Swithun of Winchester</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAF6cXdFgoHFvXHei26prsqQ97Xy4d1VJ1Qg0xe_nvBdNCiNEUZhugIvp1uOLcdmhDoAqVDbhPyLnK6IsBUTcngupNw5d9Pic-xnM9p1v7g9hYWSAuIut-GapGqhntVt4d5CTfkcwC3y7aX9Peso-IcwmTcIQ2JzmbwB_EnTX_GDig9UUtUv9FSsK74I/s845/York%20Minster%201a,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20York,%202023.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="641" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAF6cXdFgoHFvXHei26prsqQ97Xy4d1VJ1Qg0xe_nvBdNCiNEUZhugIvp1uOLcdmhDoAqVDbhPyLnK6IsBUTcngupNw5d9Pic-xnM9p1v7g9hYWSAuIut-GapGqhntVt4d5CTfkcwC3y7aX9Peso-IcwmTcIQ2JzmbwB_EnTX_GDig9UUtUv9FSsK74I/s400/York%20Minster%201a,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20York,%202023.jpg"/></a></div><i>York Minster … Alcuin entered the cathedral school in York as a child and later became master (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-31155391889353794572024-03-07T18:30:00.083+00:002024-03-07T18:30:00.137+00:00Public sculpture and art in Old Wolverton could inspire similar works in Stony Stratford<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52-IkGPVW_1WLA7LTqChL2SrHGo8mS6gyeoauWq8ATLB7qIa_PxNIz8OPFTvA-rAdkTSl84g3nCFVRMu6Rwlr_5etTxg8gWGq6gzFDiBT5lpueyctXypPS9_DbCdYC1Mh3TgPh64NjNAV4ZIFzjbFi1F8iGy9VtLJFc0ahhyBPRMppGyv77k48L0q60U/s827/Wolverton%20art%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52-IkGPVW_1WLA7LTqChL2SrHGo8mS6gyeoauWq8ATLB7qIa_PxNIz8OPFTvA-rAdkTSl84g3nCFVRMu6Rwlr_5etTxg8gWGq6gzFDiBT5lpueyctXypPS9_DbCdYC1Mh3TgPh64NjNAV4ZIFzjbFi1F8iGy9VtLJFc0ahhyBPRMppGyv77k48L0q60U/s400/Wolverton%20art%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Martin Heron’s ‘Reaching Forward’ in Wolverton Park is in two parts … a tribute to the town’s railway heritage (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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Milton Keynes has a collection of over 230 public artworks located throughout the city. The collection includes sculptures, installations and art in the public realm, often reflecting the people, place and time when they were commissioned.<br />
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From the very early days of the development of the city, Milton Keynes placed public art at the heart of its design and communities. In recent months, I have enjoyed discovering, exploring and blogging about these works, include numerous sculptures in the city centre, in shopping centres, in parks like Campbell Park, and in open spaces.<br />
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But they are not confined to the centre of Milton Keynes. There are sculptures too in the satellite towns and villages and their parks, and I have blogged about sculptures in a variety of locations, including Bletchley, Great Linford and Bradwell Abbey.<br />
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It is regrettable that more of these sculptures and installations are not seen on the streets and in the corners of Stony Stratford. Yet neighbouring Wolverton has an interesting collection of works of public art.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfb_3eGBgkhSPu_OZ5KQ7oPDw_4oaSG3zBxbsgKemGyjU_kP9xmlQV1zCkpk8Qg60SIWwphYjsHjLkZgtVJBqw11tyy6JbGYFCyOx3MRcsKs6PokRn0aNImZMplccOcFxm9fEPKjPY4J1GsUS6VJh25jIyVTBGfG3UDpQ4qf3BLC-1mdSWP3U3GiJfKI/s1147/Wolverton%20art%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfb_3eGBgkhSPu_OZ5KQ7oPDw_4oaSG3zBxbsgKemGyjU_kP9xmlQV1zCkpk8Qg60SIWwphYjsHjLkZgtVJBqw11tyy6JbGYFCyOx3MRcsKs6PokRn0aNImZMplccOcFxm9fEPKjPY4J1GsUS6VJh25jIyVTBGfG3UDpQ4qf3BLC-1mdSWP3U3GiJfKI/s400/Wolverton%20art%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Martin Heron’s ‘Reaching Forward’ in Wolverton Park is in two parts … a super hero by the banks of the Grand Union Canal (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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As I was strolling around Wolverton earlier this week, I noticed the attention given to providing publicly accessible art even in private developments such as Wolverton Park, in among the apartment blocks.<br />
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Martin Heron’s two figures of ‘Reaching Forward’ stand on either side of the pedestrian bridge over the Grand Union Canal. They have been part of the award-winning Wolverton Park development since 2012, and they reflect the distinctiveness of each of the waterway.<br />
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Martin Heron carried out extensive research into the Wolverton area and met many groups and individuals to understand the identity of the place and the aspirations of the community. Through a series of workshops, he explored and tested ideas, all of which informed his final proposal for ‘Reaching Forward.’<br />
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With ‘Reaching Forward’, the artist captures both the past and the future of Wolverton. He responds to place by the way the new development takes forward the old railway buildings into a new life as modern and contemporary homes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVrIS1K2tF4Ev6agesve-AYK6y_moavInPaIRA92nBdDM4rOnbjSEaMA_EC_svax1HrHreHTloOseQqEOIAsyLqixok_ZDbsltQR8kyd3PNI-jEainwL_WhYxhTmzt2FP4tvuX_aFSOEpzYXWfPCJdM-E7ef_3VQLycQqvKSEE_AtTHK3UsbGkRweSXw/s827/Wolverton%20art%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="814" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVrIS1K2tF4Ev6agesve-AYK6y_moavInPaIRA92nBdDM4rOnbjSEaMA_EC_svax1HrHreHTloOseQqEOIAsyLqixok_ZDbsltQR8kyd3PNI-jEainwL_WhYxhTmzt2FP4tvuX_aFSOEpzYXWfPCJdM-E7ef_3VQLycQqvKSEE_AtTHK3UsbGkRweSXw/s400/Wolverton%20art%205,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Martin Heron’s ‘Reaching Forward’ by the Grand Union Canal in Wolverton Park recalls the town’s railway heritage (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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The figure on the heritage or south side of the canal is made from steel that is rusting and aging in harmony with the qualities of the old brickwork of the railway building. a A steam train is running along his arm, reminding viewers of the heritage of the site. This is a model of a 19th century Bloomer locomotive of the type once built at the railway works. The supporting columns represent railway tracks in a design inspired by the railway works.<br />
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The old railway buildings behind this sculpture were in use when steam trains stopped to be refuelled with coal and water. While the trains were being refuelled at Wolverton, Victorian passengers would alight and retire to the reading rooms to spend time and to enjoy the refreshments.<br />
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It is said that when the London to Birmingham railway was being built, Northampton declined to have a station with these facilities, fearing it would attracted the ‘riff raff’ from London. So, the tiny rural village of Wolverton was chosen instead and it grew into being a thriving railway centre. The Reading Room remains but it now part of a development that includes offices, cafés and restaurants beside the canal.<br />
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On the north bank of the canal bridge, atop a straight pole set at an angle, a spring-heeled stainless steel superhero bursts through ribbons of metal as he sprints forward. On the upper side of his outstretched left arm, a row of seven cyclists ride assorted bicycles, a theme inspired by the velodrome that was once located nearby.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkdWS5_d_XA-jvfEPEe2xDNYGZmtNmmULIqsn-So9tA_vl7IHd4ptcp2peh57veZn28j5yYHhNQJxcPk-bdMcW2kS1Ezs_W1QY1i4M96y0mACnDjyPVw4agdZQfXnlWixxWMZcldhgoJAjYjnWtgoPJqoHSdKPgSCTNOyIQX58LwI8VtPJfE7tpXGFWE/s1354/Wolverton%20art%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkdWS5_d_XA-jvfEPEe2xDNYGZmtNmmULIqsn-So9tA_vl7IHd4ptcp2peh57veZn28j5yYHhNQJxcPk-bdMcW2kS1Ezs_W1QY1i4M96y0mACnDjyPVw4agdZQfXnlWixxWMZcldhgoJAjYjnWtgoPJqoHSdKPgSCTNOyIQX58LwI8VtPJfE7tpXGFWE/s400/Wolverton%20art%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Wolverton,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>A brightly coloured mural at the corner of Cambridge Street and Stratford Road in Wolverton (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Nearby, in <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2022/04/the-secret-garden-in-wolverton-has.html">the Secret Garden</a> in Wolverton, a couple on a couch are the creation by art pupils from the Radcliffe School under the direction of Phil Smith and Bill Billings. The sculpture was unveiled in October 2007 shortly before Bill died on 26 December 2007.<br />
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There are interesting, locally inspired works of public art at the entrance to Tesco in Wolverton, and a photograph of a brightly coloured mural on a wall at the corner of Cambridge Street and Stratford Road attracted favourable responses when I posted it on Facebook and Instagram earlier this week.<br />
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So, why are there fewer works of public art on the streets and corners of Stony Stratford to date?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSSMwJq2w4qk72qlpxaMp80c-k7I5MHO853RlBD9TCfUVyiXHa_ee-J5ntbWNbHJMZcTDPQu1r6TGQ6wiGdp3AcYElm9bj8zFGkh-Nxg49z4VHXMUeB2rDuk7vRUVosgiJeqYz8ZgUx5Ld2VNG-T-cblyYQdRs7MkbSrl0Uc_EAGJrZFwIFAAPBsRliA/s827/Stony%20art%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSSMwJq2w4qk72qlpxaMp80c-k7I5MHO853RlBD9TCfUVyiXHa_ee-J5ntbWNbHJMZcTDPQu1r6TGQ6wiGdp3AcYElm9bj8zFGkh-Nxg49z4VHXMUeB2rDuk7vRUVosgiJeqYz8ZgUx5Ld2VNG-T-cblyYQdRs7MkbSrl0Uc_EAGJrZFwIFAAPBsRliA/s400/Stony%20art%203,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Luke McDonnell’s mural of Queen Eleanor on the corner of New Street and High Street in Stony Stratford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2022/04/a-royal-love-story-is-told-on-streets.html">Luke McDonnell’s mural of Queen Eleanor</a> on the corner of New Street and High Street always attracts attention. The mural was painted in August 2018 and is a reminder of the town’s long lost Eleanor Cross.<br />
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A fading mural on the gable end at the corner of London Road and Horsefair Green represents the legend of ‘Cock and Bull’ stories and the coaching heritage in Stony Stratford, but is as far south of the Cock Hotel and the Bull Hotel on the High Street as one can get.<br />
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But there are many suitable sites for more murals in Stony Stratford, including the gable walls of the Library on Church Street, facing the door of Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, where the statue of Saint Giles must be one of the earliest sculptures in the town.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-E8CjhsBz_EFQRNFMN4YhyzEJaFLvurK9PiZvIX5zQOdp12LBZ5gJSS68HrCYCr3yWtx317oM_SZcoatdEsq3OYAL0qzH2jyUqXM5Pt3ksnT-i1xTV3tnE98oCzQajl4EfLR80tgw93XAm1q53roMJjZCHOdvip1smHV-2Fu2ktD-yeyeLtV4c0WS6E/s827/Stony%20art%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="827" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-E8CjhsBz_EFQRNFMN4YhyzEJaFLvurK9PiZvIX5zQOdp12LBZ5gJSS68HrCYCr3yWtx317oM_SZcoatdEsq3OYAL0qzH2jyUqXM5Pt3ksnT-i1xTV3tnE98oCzQajl4EfLR80tgw93XAm1q53roMJjZCHOdvip1smHV-2Fu2ktD-yeyeLtV4c0WS6E/s400/Stony%20art%201,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>There are up to a dozen sculptures in the Sculpture Park beside York House in Stony Stratford (Photographs: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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After enjoying Martin Heron’s two figures of ‘Reaching Forward’ in Wolverton earlier this week, I returned that afternoon to the interesting <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2022/12/names-and-sculptures-in-stony-stratford.html">Sculpture Park in Stony Stratford</a>. Ten or twelve sculptures in a green area beside the car park at York House recall Edward Hayes and his Watling engineering and boat works.<br />
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Sadly, only one of these sculptures is immediately visible to passers-by on London Road, and the others are almost hidden in a secret and overgrown green area, squeezed between the car park at York House and a modern housing development off London Road.<br />
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In Galley Hill, Ian Freemantle’s beautiful carved oak leaves and poetic words on his <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2022/12/was-galley-hill-really-gallows-hill.html">bench in Galley Hill</a> are a reminder of a gib and gallows in the past that give Galley Hill its name.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyR6LIiI4mYA-sTyhF0a5bDJ222KeCrQf3k7WhHOu92mhzDRlBKldEl3ONPurxoHxXceKv_hubQMcuL5ofJgsIZBABIykbFI0lNNara6CNznhc0O2vE3HrCJH3uIBlRSmOjNUyrDnQA0jJlHn0t3F7ExvvracFhyyAoiiM2FDjHSZPjwUyEAVvl-2JxI/s827/Stony%20art%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="655" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyR6LIiI4mYA-sTyhF0a5bDJ222KeCrQf3k7WhHOu92mhzDRlBKldEl3ONPurxoHxXceKv_hubQMcuL5ofJgsIZBABIykbFI0lNNara6CNznhc0O2vE3HrCJH3uIBlRSmOjNUyrDnQA0jJlHn0t3F7ExvvracFhyyAoiiM2FDjHSZPjwUyEAVvl-2JxI/s400/Stony%20art%202,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>Only one of the sculptures remembering the boat works is immediately visible from London Road in Stony Stratford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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There are so many places in Stony Stratford I see as suitable locations for modern sculptures and art. I can see how new sculptures and murals along the High Street, in Market Square or on Church Street, in the front of the library, in Cofferidge Close, on Horsefair Green, or, say, at the junction of London Road and Wolverton, would add to the attractions of the town, make it more interesting for residents and visitors alike, and retain and increase footfall for shops and businesses.<br />
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And there so many appropriate, potential themes too, beyond the old ‘Cock and Bull’ themes. Those that suggest themselves include:<br />
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• the town’s old tanneries;<br />
• the ‘<a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2023/10/a-famous-painting-in-wallace-collection.html">Princes in the Tower</a>’;<br />
• the former light railway between Wolverton and Stony Stratford;<br />
• the colourful <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2022/11/the-prince-from-napoleons-family-who.html">Prince Louis Clovis Bonaparte</a>, a grandnephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, who once lived in Stony Stratford;<br />
• Stony’s possible links with the family of William Penn of Pennsylvania;<br />
• the supposed connections through the <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2022/05/did-christopher-wren-design-shell-house.html">Shell House with Sir Christopher Wren and John Radcliffe</a>;
• long-standing business like Odell’s, Cowley's or Cox and Robinson;<br />
• a celebration of Stony featuring in the 1987 film <i>Withnall and I</i>;<br />
• or even <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2022/11/how-sir-herbert-leon-saved-tram-line.html">Sir Herbert Samuel Leon</a> of Bletchley Park, the man who was singularly responsible for once saving the tram line between Stony Stratford and Wolverton and effectively saving the town’s economy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwzw3pUk16HW21Ft6TC4vATJyp8-sPTrKK_Xok1rwX_Un1pg3K_cppPcpSdZHQJIJIUvviPuxBeI7nI-i0zEFG0zIppflZku3nNW1w-QJrHij8kL2U13NUztsqwOTnsQaGKa38RZsxvMSnH-Qk8foVlY5MCub1opYMXqQfo8ibwTnkDNg2tChFGbEPFs/s1488/Stony%20art%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwzw3pUk16HW21Ft6TC4vATJyp8-sPTrKK_Xok1rwX_Un1pg3K_cppPcpSdZHQJIJIUvviPuxBeI7nI-i0zEFG0zIppflZku3nNW1w-QJrHij8kL2U13NUztsqwOTnsQaGKa38RZsxvMSnH-Qk8foVlY5MCub1opYMXqQfo8ibwTnkDNg2tChFGbEPFs/s400/Stony%20art%204,%20Patrick%20Comerford,%20Stony%20Stratford,%202024.JPG"/></a></div><i>The ‘Cock and Bull’ mural on the corner of the corner of London Road and Horsefair Green in Stony Stratford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)</i><br />
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Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561249004966522983.post-34302384713944021932024-03-07T06:30:00.004+00:002024-03-08T09:17:31.964+00:00Daily prayer in Lent with early English saints: 23, 7 March 2024, Saint Boniface of Crediton<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcz-0suCAWDNKgZinHYdXG9hqFu7ugkHkm8tQVB-n-hI03T5dwKxTrJnWgggtDSLxB28q1XEVmDAgG64zimDf14T22F1A2yWX5ipcDz2gcTD5gcO5Lkhr0u0UK-_Dls9EDg1Glw62nTjAOxsNiu7bbjjCq7IABmFEOBVpRD6FMigMXDXpHoUkwux88XM/s818/Saint%20Boniface-window-exeter.jpeg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcz-0suCAWDNKgZinHYdXG9hqFu7ugkHkm8tQVB-n-hI03T5dwKxTrJnWgggtDSLxB28q1XEVmDAgG64zimDf14T22F1A2yWX5ipcDz2gcTD5gcO5Lkhr0u0UK-_Dls9EDg1Glw62nTjAOxsNiu7bbjjCq7IABmFEOBVpRD6FMigMXDXpHoUkwux88XM/s400/Saint%20Boniface-window-exeter.jpeg"/></a></div><i>Saint Boniface depicted in a window in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Exeter (Photograph: Julian P Guffogg / Geograph / Commons)</i><br />
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<b>Patrick Comerford</b><br />
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The Season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and this week began with the Third Sunday in Lent (Lent III, 3 March 2024).<br />
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The Calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i> today (7 March) remembers Saint Perpetua, Felicity and their Companions, Martyrs at Carthage in the year 203.<br />
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Throughout Lent this year, I am taking time each morning to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated in <i>Common Worship</i>.<br />
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Before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:<br />
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<b>1,</b> A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;<br />
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<b>2,</b> today’s Gospel reading;<br />
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<b>3,</b> a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWLpTxNXYT8E7cw8azLnT6wZ-c2Odhiw8xCGtIh3351cGPmCp5uyPeap-fJTxvszU0dEDLNi0kerybREnKMXlx9YFb59Q0oDJp1jhMK5uZ46JbchMdeagg_o-sKlgOQlG6CJp7Ol6eYZB56Ot1eIDK_0em8nwora4CQbVJl8Q9LLtn29s3UsePVR0Mv4/s777/St_Boniface_-_Baptising-Martyrdom_-_Sacramentary_of_Fulda_-_11Century.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWLpTxNXYT8E7cw8azLnT6wZ-c2Odhiw8xCGtIh3351cGPmCp5uyPeap-fJTxvszU0dEDLNi0kerybREnKMXlx9YFb59Q0oDJp1jhMK5uZ46JbchMdeagg_o-sKlgOQlG6CJp7Ol6eYZB56Ot1eIDK_0em8nwora4CQbVJl8Q9LLtn29s3UsePVR0Mv4/s400/St_Boniface_-_Baptising-Martyrdom_-_Sacramentary_of_Fulda_-_11Century.jpg"/></a></div><i>Saint Boniface depicted in the 11th century Fulda Sacramentary, baptising (above) and being martyred (below)</i><br />
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<b>Early English pre-Reformation saints: 23, Saint Boniface (Wynfrith) of Crediton</b><br />
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Saint Boniface (Wynfrith) of Crediton, is commemorated in the calendar of the Church of England in <i>Common Worship</i> on 5 June. He was born Wynfrith at Crediton in Devon <i>ca</i> 675, and took the name Boniface when he entered the monastery in Exeter as a young man. He became a Latin scholar and poet and was ordained when he was 30.<br />
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Boniface rejected a safe ecclesiastical career in England and, in the year 716, became a missionary to Frisia, following in the steps of Willibrord. He eventually was commissioned by the pope to work in Hesse and Bavaria, where he went after his consecration as bishop in 722. He courageously felled a sacred oak at Geismar and, since the pagan gods did not come to the rescue, widespread conversion followed.<br />
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He was the founder of a string of monasteries across southern Germany and made sure that they were places of learning, so that evangelisation could continue. He was made Archbishop of Mainz in 732, where he consecrated many missionary bishops. He worked assiduously for the reform of the Church in France and managed to ensure that the more stable Rule of Saint Benedict was observed in French monasteries.<br />
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Saint Boniface crowned Pepin as the Frankish king in 751, but was already very old. While waiting for some new Christians to arrive for confirmation, he was murdered by a band of pagans on 5 June 754. He is the patron saint of Germany and the Netherlands. Although he is little known in Britain, Boniface has been judged as having a deeper influence on European history than any other Englishman.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8FTlRl7nzifxlD2su0qvBD4OgHgehdjAlvKWnzFkmnxEbJbI_XyWAXis-oCLh5ODLUFr8R8f3jsUnPoS_oWJfW4-vK310MksajwBd37X335pGC1cX2eb3c_TxoqsYRcVBPubBSx8xdadqkn7PvLPj1ErlMHpNsYtklh_LyVcUTj73aRUGD1kyyEOQ3Y/s1936/Saint%20Boniface%20statue_Fulda.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="1244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8FTlRl7nzifxlD2su0qvBD4OgHgehdjAlvKWnzFkmnxEbJbI_XyWAXis-oCLh5ODLUFr8R8f3jsUnPoS_oWJfW4-vK310MksajwBd37X335pGC1cX2eb3c_TxoqsYRcVBPubBSx8xdadqkn7PvLPj1ErlMHpNsYtklh_LyVcUTj73aRUGD1kyyEOQ3Y/s400/Saint%20Boniface%20statue_Fulda.jpg"/></a></div><i>A statue of Saint Boniface by Werner Henschel in Fulda (Photograph: Frank Schulenburg / Wikpedia / CC BY 2.5)</i><br />
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<b>Luke 11: 14-23 (NRSVA):</b><br />
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14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.’ 16 Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? – for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted and divides his plunder. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.’<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i5zBuUsP9a7sE6ikYTNB34AWgW64ZC8T7o5t13lLULYCQ4pmf1KJ3mOOGsYNgC8FZDwr8L86qisOLKJRP-Vp9hyphenhyphenihlAQIBRhOZ_P4Ba6svTrlZMoA31ac1sWgicf5SzrT02Ujja_J4oKxuDVRu2moskKZNJY6inupeyEDpZ16p9PEWt5y88W_P5bvuU/s864/Saint%20Boniface%20axe.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i5zBuUsP9a7sE6ikYTNB34AWgW64ZC8T7o5t13lLULYCQ4pmf1KJ3mOOGsYNgC8FZDwr8L86qisOLKJRP-Vp9hyphenhyphenihlAQIBRhOZ_P4Ba6svTrlZMoA31ac1sWgicf5SzrT02Ujja_J4oKxuDVRu2moskKZNJY6inupeyEDpZ16p9PEWt5y88W_P5bvuU/s400/Saint%20Boniface%20axe.jpg"/></a></div><i>Saint Boniface fells Thor’s sacred oak in Geismar</i><br />
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<b>Today’s Prayers (Thursday 7 March 2024):</b ><br />
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The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘International Women’s Day Reflection.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by the Right Revd Beverley A Mason, Bishop of Warrington.<br />
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The USPG Prayer Diary today (7 March 2024, Saint Felicity and Saint Perpetua) invites us to pray with these words:<br />
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Let us pray for those persecuted for their faith. May they find solace in the prayers of others, fortitude under threat and hope in despair.<br />
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<b>The Collect:</b><br />
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Holy God,<br />
who gave great courage to Perpetua, Felicity and their companions:<br />
grant that we may be worthy to climb the ladder of sacrifice<br />
and be received into the garden of peace;<br />
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,<br />
who is alive and reigns with you,<br />
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,<br />
one God, now and for ever.<br />
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<b>The Post-Communion Prayer:</b><br />
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God our redeemer,<br />
whose Church was strengthened by the blood of your martyrs Perpetua, Felicity and their companions:<br />
so bind us, in life and death, to Christ’s sacrifice<br />
that our lives, broken and offered with his,<br />
may carry his death and proclaim his resurrection in the world;<br />
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<br />
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<b>Yesterday:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0176759696.html">Saint Willibrord of York</a><br />
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<b>Tomorrow:</b> <a href="https://www.patrickcomerford.com/2024/03/daily-prayer-in-lent-with-early-english_0968981886.html">Alcuin of York</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV2yz-wujZqJZAabgvRRFee_a3Ily73dbjqyiTOFj9O4H73d26k7BziWQftPNPO59nIuOT40L7XJCm9TgC4S2oRuIy3D_GzFhRpjAG-Mr1PeiUD3vaQZjefaMdKeRN4Hr47V0ZOJLV8i-/s1600/Saint+Perpetua+and+Saint+Felicity.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV2yz-wujZqJZAabgvRRFee_a3Ily73dbjqyiTOFj9O4H73d26k7BziWQftPNPO59nIuOT40L7XJCm9TgC4S2oRuIy3D_GzFhRpjAG-Mr1PeiUD3vaQZjefaMdKeRN4Hr47V0ZOJLV8i-/s320/Saint+Perpetua+and+Saint+Felicity.jpg" /></a></div><i>Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity are commemorated on 7 March … a modern icon by Brother Robert Lentz OFM</i><br />
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Scripture quotations are from the <i>New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition</i> copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. <a href="http://nrsvbibles.org">http://nrsvbibles.org</a><br />
<br />Patrick Comerfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00558394038241172440noreply@blogger.com0