Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2026: 79, Saturday 25 July 2026, Saint James the Apostle

Saint James the Apostle, or Saint James the Great … his statue among the apostles on the west front of Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

We are continuing in Ordinary Time in the Church and tomorrow is the Eighth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity VIII, 26 July 2026). The Church Calendar today celebrates the Feast of Saint James the Apostle (25 July).

Saint James the Apostle is often known as Saint James the Great. He was called with his brother John as one of the first apostles. The two brothers were with Christ at the Transfiguration, they were with him again in Gethsemane, and were present for his resurrection appearances. He was put to death by the sword on the order of Herod Agrippa, said to have been in the year 44 CE.

Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a reflection on the Gospel reading;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Saint James the Apostle, or Saint James the Great … his statue in the shrine in the cathedral in Santiago de Compostella (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Matthew 20: 20-28 (NRSVA):

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him [Jesus] with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favour of him. 21 And he said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.’ 22 But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’ 23 He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’

24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

Saint James (in the light green robes) with Saint Peter (white beard) and Saint John … a fresco of the Transfiguration in the Church of the Transfiguration in Piskopiano in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford; click on image for full-screen view)

This morning’s reflection:

When I was writing about the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, on Thursday evening (23 July 2026), I described how the foundation stone of the chapel was laid by King Henry VI 580 years ago, on the Feast of Saint James the Apostle, 25 July 1446.

The English name James comes from Italian Giacomo, a variant of Giacobo, which is derived from Iacobus in Latin and Ἰάκωβος in Greek; it is the same name as Jacob in the Hebrew Bible. In French, the name is Jacques, in Spanish it is Jaime, and in Catalan it is Jaume. Variations include Diego in Spanish, giving us San Diego and Santiago, and Diogo in Portuguese.

This Saint James, traditionally regarded as the first of the apostles to be martyred, is said to have been a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of Saint John the Evangelist. He is also called Saint James the Great to distinguish him from Saint James, son of Alphaeus, and Saint James, the Brother of the Lord, or Saint James the Just.

His father Zebedee was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and probably lived in or near Bethsaida in present Galilee, perhaps in Capernaum. His mother Salome was one of the pious women who followed Christ and ‘ministered unto him of their substance.’ But James and John are also known as ‘the Sons of Thunder’ (see Mark 3: 17).

This Saint James is one of the first disciples. The Synoptic Gospels say James and John were with their father by the seashore when Christ called them to follow him (see Matthew 4: 21-22; Mark 1: 19-20). James was one of the three disciples, along with Saint Peter and Saint John, who witnesses to the Transfiguration, which we celebrate on Saturday 6 August.

Saint James and Saint John, or their mother, ask Christ to be seated on his right and left in his glory. They also want to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but they are rebuked for this (see Luke 9: 51-6).

The Acts of the Apostles records that Herod (probably Herod Agrippa) had Saint James executed by sword, making him the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament (see Acts 12: 1-2).

Saint James is linked with the Camino, a mediaeval pilgrimage that has become popular in recent decades with people seeking spiritual rootings that are relevant to the demands of modern life. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great.

According to Spanish legends, Saint James spent time preaching in Iberia, but returned to Jerusalem after seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary on the bank of the Ebro River. One version says that after his death, his disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula, to be buried in what is now Santiago. Off the coast of Spain, a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost in the ocean. After some time, however, it washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops.

A second version of the legend says that after Saint James died his body was transported by a ship piloted by an angel, back to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in Santiago. As the ship approached land, a wedding was taking place on the shore. The young groom was on horseback, and on seeing the ship approaching, his horse took fright and horse and rider were plunged into the sea. Through miraculous intervention, both horse and rider emerged from the water alive, covered in seashells.

Saint James became the patron saint of Spain, and Santiago de Compostela became the end point of the popular pilgrim route known as the Camino. The emblem of Saint James is the scallop, which has become a general symbol of pilgrims and pilgrimage. The name Santiago is a local Galician form of the late Latin name Sancti Iacobi, Saint James.

The history of the Camino de Santiago dates back to the early ninth century and the discovery of the tomb of Saint James in the year 814. Since then, Santiago de Compostela has been a destination for pilgrims from throughout Europe.

The Way of Saint James became one of the most important pilgrimages in the Middle Ages, alongside those to Rome and Jerusalem. With the Muslim occupation of Jerusalem and later during the Crusades, the Camino became a safe and popular alternative to pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

The flow of people along the Camino brought about a growth in the number of hostels and hospitals, churches, monasteries and abbeys along the pilgrim route.

The scallop shell has long been the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Along the Camino, the shell is seen frequently on posts and signs to guide pilgrims, and the shell is commonly worn by pilgrims too. Most pilgrims receive a shell at the beginning of the journey and either sew it onto their clothes, wear it around their necks or keep it in their backpacks.

I am reflecting this morning on where I am in my own pilgrimage in life, asking questions about the role am I playing in the Kingdom of God, and wondering how I might truly serve God’s kingdom rather than serving my own interests in life.

A window depicting Saint James the Great at the west end of the north aisle of Saint James the Great Church in Hanslope, Buckinghamshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Saturday 25 July 2026, Saint James the Apostle):

In Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), the theme this week, from 19 to 25 July 2026 (pp 20-21), is ‘Flood Relief in Mozambique’. This theme was introduced last Sunday with a programme update from the Revd Mauricio S Mugunhe, Executive Director Anglican Social Action, Igreja Anglicana de Moçambique e Angola (the Anglican Church of Mozambique and Angola).

The USPG prayer diary today (Saturday 25 July 2026, Saint James the Apostle) invites us to pray:

Lord of the pilgrim Church, strengthen us to walk together in faith and perseverance. Inspire us to serve with courage and compassion.

The Collect:

Merciful God,
whose holy apostle Saint James,
leaving his father and all that he had,
was obedient to the calling of your Son Jesus Christ
and followed him even to death:
help us, forsaking the false attractions of the world,
to be ready at all times to answer your call without delay;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion Prayer:

Almighty God,
who on the day of Pentecost
sent your Holy Spirit to the apostles
with the wind from heaven and in tongues of flame,
filling them with joy and boldness to preach the gospel:
by the power of the same Spirit
strengthen us to witness to your truth
and to draw everyone to the fire of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect on the Eve of Trinity VIII:

Almighty Lord and everlasting God,
we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern
both our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws
and the works of your commandments;
that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Yesterday’s reflections

Continued tomorrow

The spire of Saint James the Great Church in Hanslope, at 57 metres, is the tallest church spire in Buckinghamshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Daily prayer in Easter 2026: 27, Friday 1 May 2026, Saint Philip and Saint James

‘In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places’ (John 14: 2) … colourful houses in the Cathedral Close in Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Patrick Comerford

Our Easter celebrations continue in the Church Calendar, and this week began with the Second Sunday of Easter (Easter II). Easter is a 50-day season that continues until the Day of Pentecost (24 May 2026), or Whit Sunday.

The Church calendar today celebrates the feast of Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles. This is also May Day (1 May) in many European countries, although the Bank Holiday in Britain and Ireland is on Monday next (4 May 2026). Today is also Staffordshire Day. Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, reading today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Saint Philip (left) and Saint James (right) in stained glass windows in Saint Editha’s Church, Tamworth (Photographs: Patrick Comerford)

John 14: 1-14 (NRSVA):

[Jesus said:] 1 ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ 5 Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ 6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ 9 Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.’

‘In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places’ (John 14: 2) … colourful houses and shopfront on the Main Bazaar in Kuching (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Today’s Gospel reading (John 14: 1-14) is also the Gospel reading for net Sunday(John 14: 1-14, 3 May 2026, Easter V). This reading is set within the context of the Last Supper, Christ’s Passover meal with the Disciples, and introduces his ‘Farewell Discourse’ in Saint John’s Gospel, in which Christ responds to the disciples’ questions by telling them he is the way, the truth and the life.

Judas Iscariot has left the table and the upper room and has gone out into the dark (John 13: 30), about to betray Christ.

Christ then gives his disciples the new commandment, ‘that you love one another’ (John 13: 34). In response to questions from Peter, Thomas, Philip and Jude, Christ now prepares his disciples for his departure.

This Gospel reading includes some well-known sayings, including:

• ‘In my Father's house are many mansions’ (KJV), translated in the NRSV and NRSVA as ‘In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places’ (John 14: 2)

• ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ (John 14: 6), the sixth of the seven ‘I AM’ (Ἐγώ εἰμι) sayings in Saint John’s Gospel

• ‘If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it’ (John 14: 14)

Saint Philip and Saint James have been associated since ancient times: an ancient inscription shows the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles in Rome had an earlier dedication to Philip and James.

In Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure (III, ii, 204), a child’s age is given as ‘a year and a quarter old, come Philip and Jacob,’ meaning, ‘a year and a quarter old on the first of next May, the feast of Philip and James.’ This day has also given us the word ‘popinjay’ for a vain or conceited person or ‘fop.’

But, despite the cultural legacy they have left us, the Philip and James recalled on 1 May are, to a great degree, small-bit players – almost anonymous or forgotten – in the New Testament, and in the Church calendar.

The Western Church commemorates James the Greater on 25 July, and James the Brother of the Lord on 23 or 25 October. But James the Less has no day for himself, he shares it with Philip, on 1 May. Philip the Apostle who has to share that same commemoration is frequently confused with Philip the Deacon (Acts 6: 7; 8: 5-40; 21: 8 ff) – but Philip the Deacon has his own day on 6 June or 11 October.

The Saint James that the Church remembers on May Day is James, the Son of Alphaeus. We know nothing about this James, apart from the fact that Jesus called him to be one of the 12. He is not James, the Brother of the Lord, later Bishop of Jerusalem and the traditional author of the Letter of James. Nor is he James the son of Zebedee, also an apostle and known as James the Greater. He appears on lists of the 12 – usually in the ninth place – but is never mentioned otherwise.

Philip the Apostle, not Philip the Deacon, came from the same town as Peter and Andrew, Bethsaida in Galilee. When Jesus called him directly, he sought out Nathanael and told him about ‘him about whom Moses … wrote’ (John 1: 45).

Like the other apostles, Philip took a long time coming to realise who Jesus was. On one occasion, as we shall read tomorrow (John 6: 1-15), when Jesus sees the great multitude following him and wants to give them food, he asks Philip where they should buy bread for the people to eat. We are told Jesus says ‘this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do’ (John 6: 6). Philip answers unhelpfully, perhaps in a disbelieving way: ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little [bit]’ (John 6: 7).

When Christ says in today’s reading, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life … If you know me, then you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him’ (John 14: 6a, 7), Philip then says: ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied’ (John 14: 8).

Satisfied?

Enough?

Jesus answers: ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father’ (John 14: 9a).

Yet, despite the near-anonymity of James and the weaknesses of Philip, these two became foundational pillars in the Church. They display total human helplessness, yet they become apostles who bring the Good News into the world. Indeed, from the very beginning, Philip has an oft-forgotten role in bringing people to Christ. Perhaps because he had a Greek name, some Gentile proselytes came and asked him to introduce them to Jesus.

We see in James and Philip ordinary, weak, every-day, human, men who, nevertheless, become pillars of the Church at its very foundation. They show us that grace, holiness and the call to follow Christ come to us not on our own merits, or as special prizes to be achieved. They are entirely the gift of God, not a matter of human achieving.

We need not worry about questions and doubts … there are many dwelling places in God’s house, and faith grows and develops and matures, just as a child learns, through questions.

Questioning is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of willingness to learn.

It is OK not to have all the answers. It is OK not to have all the answers. For Christ is ‘the way, the truth and the life’ (John 14: 6).

In following Christ, we need not worry about our human weakness or that others may even forget us. God sees us as we are, and loves us just as we are. It is just as we are that we are called to follow Christ.

Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

‘In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places’ (John 14: 2) … street art seen in Iraklion at Easter last year (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Friday 1 May 2026, Saint Philip and Saint James):

‘Prayer and Action in Pakistan’ provides the theme this week (26 April to 2 May 2026) in ‘Pray With the World Church’, the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), pp 50-51. This theme was introduced on Sunday with Reflections from the Revd Davidson Solanki, Senior Regional Manager for Asia and the Middle East.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Friday 1 May 2026, Saint Philip and Saint James) invites us to pray:

Gracious God, we give thanks for the faithful witness of Philip and James. May we, inspired by this example, share your love through service, strengthen communities, and bear witness to your light in all we do.

The Collect:

Almighty Father,
whom truly to know is eternal life:
teach us to know your Son Jesus Christ
as the way, the truth, and the life;
that we may follow the steps
of your holy apostles Philip and James,
and walk steadfastly in the way that leads to your glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Post Communion Prayer:

Almighty God,
who on the day of Pentecost
sent your Holy Spirit to the apostles
with the wind from heaven and in tongues of flame,
filling them with joy and boldness to preach the gospel:
by the power of the same Spirit
strengthen us to witness to your truth
and to draw everyone to the fire of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

A return visit to Comberford yesterday … today (1 May) is also Staffordshire Day (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2026)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Daily prayer in Christmas 2025-2026: 34, Tuesday 27 January 2026

‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother’ (Mark 3: 34-35)

Patrick Comerford

This is the last week in the 40-day season of Christmas, which continues until Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation next Monday (2 February 2026). This week began with the Third Sunday of Epiphany (Epiphany III, 25 January 2026), and today is Holocaust Memorial Day. this year's Holocaust Memorial Day event in Milton Keynes takes place this morning at the MK Rose at 11 am, and the theme is: ‘Building generations’.

Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

‘A crowd was sitting around him … And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!’ (Mark 3: 32-35) … the crowd on Good Friday in Tsesmes near Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Mark 3: 31-35 (NRSVA):

31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ 33 And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’

A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you’ (Mark 3: 32) … a crowd on the streets at a Ukrainian religious celebration (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Reflection:

Saint Mark’s Gospel is very sparse in its account of the story of Christ’s temptations in the wilderness – just two verses (see Mark 1: 12-13). In the much fuller accounts given by Saint Matthew (Matthew 4: 1-11) and Saint Luke (Luke 4: 1-13), Christ is tempted to do the right things for the wrong reason.

In our recent Gospel readings, Christ is challenged in two fundamental ways: he is challenged about whether his work is the work of God or the work of the Devil (Mark 3: 22); and he is challenged to think about what his family thinks about what he is doing (Mark 3: 32).

The Gospels name the brothers of Jesus as James, Jude, Simon and Joses or Joseph (Matthew 13: 55; Mark 6: 3; see also Galatians 1: 19).

Saint James is described in the New Testament as a ‘brother of the Lord.’ Josephus in his Jewish Antiquities (20.9.1) describes James as ‘the brother of Jesus who is called Christ.’ In the Liturgy of Saint James, he is described as ‘the brother of God’ (Iάκωβος ο Αδελφόθεος, Iácobos ho Adelphótheos).

Some say Jesus and James could have been cousins, saying ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ in the Aramaic spoken by Jesus also applied to cousins, and that the Greek words ἀδελφός (adelphos) and ἀδελφή (adelphe) were not restricted to their literal meaning of a full brother or full sister. However, in the classical Greek from the time of Homer on, these words convey an idea about being ‘from the same womb.’

The Letter of James can be compared with some of the wonderful Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Scriptures, with, for example, its challenging words of wisdom on true worship (James 1: 19-20), on discrimination and respect for the poor (2: 1-13), on the false dichotomy of faith and works (2: 14-26), on truth and careful speech (3: 1-12), on godliness and worldliness (4: 1 to 5:6), on putting love at the heart of all our relationships in the Christian community … and so on.

They are words of wisdom that we can all take to heart in any community or society – how we speak about one another, how we respect one another, how we hold up one another, how we love each other, in spite of our failings towards one another.

We are to value one another, but not because of wealth or status or intellect. We are to listen to one another, to be slow to speak and equally slow to anger; to bridle our tongues and not to speak loosely about one another. We are not just called to be Christians, but we must do Christianity too.

How many of us would like to be so close to Christ that we could be called brothers or sisters of the Lord, still more ‘the brother of God’ (Iάκωβος ο Αδελφόθεος Iákobos o Adelphótheos)?

To be a real brother or sister of Christ, to be a real brother or sister of God, is to be brothers and sisters to one another in Christ. And when we do that we are true brothers and sisters of Christ, true witnesses to the Risen Christ, and worthy to share the name ‘Christian.’

Saint James the Brother of the Lord … an icon written by Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG, for Saint James Episcopal Church, Parkton, Maryland, in 2008

Today’s Prayers (27 January 2026):

The theme this week (25-31 January 2026) in Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Connections That Last’ (pp 22-23). This theme was introduced on Sunday with Reflections from Paula de Mello Alves, a Brazilian lawyer and theologian, Executive Secretary of the Southern Diocese, and former co-leader of the Anglican Communion Youth Network (ACYN).

The USPG Prayer Diary today (27 January 2026) invites us to pray:

We pray for the Anglican Communion Youth Network, that it may continue to nurture young leaders and foster understanding across cultures and communities.

The Collect:

Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Almighty Father,
whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light of the world:
may your people,
illumined by your word and sacraments,
shine with the radiance of his glory,
that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed
to the ends of the earth;
for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

Additional Collect:

God of all mercy,
your Son proclaimed good news to the poor,
release to the captives,
and freedom to the oppressed:
anoint us with your Holy Spirit
and set all your people free
to praise you in Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s Reflections

Continued Tomorrow

The crowds at the Good Friday processions in Rethymnon (Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Saint James the Great Church, the parish church in Hanslope, has the tallest spire in Buckinghamshire

The spire of Saint James the Great Church in Hanslope, at 57 metres, is the tallest church spire in Buckinghamshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Patrick Comerford

I was writing yesterday about my stroll around the village of Hanslope in Buckinghamshire, about 6.4 km (4 miles) north of Stony Stratford. I particularly wanted to see the parish church in Hanslope, Saint James the Great, with its tall church spire. The spire is the most prominent feature of the village and the tallest in Buckinghamshire, and it can be seen for many miles across the surrounding countryside.

Saint James the Great is an unusual building, with external arcading. It is a Grade I listed building and is very large for a village church, probably because of the area’s links with the Earls of Warwick.

The tower at the west end has a crocketed spire, pinnacles and flying buttresses. It was built with a bequest from Thomas Knight, Rector of Hanslope in 1395-1414 and was originally 61 metres (200 ft) high. But it was destroyed by lightning in 1804 and was rebuilt to the slightly lesser height of 57 metres (186 ft). The spire is topped by a weather vane of a hound with an arrow through its foot, recalling an incident when William Watts was saved from an attacking dog when he was India.

The present Church of Saint James the Great in Hanslope dates from 1160 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Hanslope may have had an earlier church, and one sources suggests the Saxon church was to the south of the village, east of the present Park Road, near Ivy Farm. The present church dates from 1160 when William Maudit, lord of the manor of Hanslope and a royal treasury official, applied to the Bishop of Lincoln for permission to pull down an earlier church and build a new one.

Through marriage, the manor continued to be held by the Earls of Warwick until the last earl, ‘Warwick the Kingmaker,’ was killed at the Battle of Barnet in 1471. During those years, the church was added to and rebuilt, including the aisles, tower and spire, making it exceptionally large for a mediaeval village church. But there is little evidence of further building after the manor reverted to the Crown.

The church is dedicated to Saint James the Great, one of the 12 apostles, who was reputedly buried at Santiago de Compostela. By the 12th century, Santiago ranked alongside Rome and Jerusalem as one of the great destinations of mediaeval pilgrimage, and many of the churches dedicated to Saint James the Great and may have been along the pilgrim routes or the Camino.

A mark in the stonework over the entrance at the north porch is said to be a symbol indicating the church was connected with these mediaeval pilgrimages.

A mark on the north porch is said to be a symbolise the mediaeval pilgrimages to the shrine of Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The parishes of Castlethorpe and Hanslope were combined in the 14th century, when Castlethorpe was no longer able to support its own priest.

Henry VIII sold the advowson or the right to appoint the rector or vicar, along with the glebe lands and tithes in 1546 to the mayor, sheriffs, citizens and commonality of Lincoln.

Inside Saint James the Great, looking towards the chancel and the east end (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The main body of the church in Hanslope, from the east window to the west door, is 41.5 metres (136 ft) long, and it is 18.5 m (61 ft) wide, and the spire is 57 m (186 ft) high. The architectural historian Sir Niklaus Pevsner says that both aisles are remarkably wide for their date, as was the Norman nave before the aisles existed.

The 12th century church was probably about the same size as the present chancel and nave, from the east window to the tower, without the aisles. The rounded Norman arch between the chancel and nave suggests that the original building included the nave. However, the only remaining parts of a Norman building are in the chancel, and it too has seen much rebuilding.

There is evidence of rebuilding the east and north walls of the chancel as early as the 13th century. The north and south aisles were added in the 13th century, along with the chapel dedicated to Our Lady and Saint Benedict, the east wall was rebuilt, and the north aisle was extended to meet the chapel.

An extra bay was added to the west end of the south aisle in the 14th century.

The tower and spire were built in the 15th century, the north aisle and nave were rebuilt, and the nave arcades and clerestory and the north and south porches were added.

After lightning destroyed the spire in 1804, it was rebuilt, though some 6 metres shorter. The west end of the south aisle may have been rebuilt at that time, and other changes introduced at then included an organ and candle-light in the brass chandeliers. New pews were introduced in 1810-1811 and the Watts gallery and vault were built at that time.

The internal walls were once covered with mediaeval biblical paintings and other decorations (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The church was in poor repair by the 19th century when it was heavily restored by the architect George Edmund Street (1824-1881) in 1864-1865.

More repairs and rebuilding were carried out by John Oldrid Scott (1841-1913) in 1904-1905. The floors were lifted, and wall paintings, believed to date from the 15th to 17th centuries, were removed from the north and south aisles and over the chancel arch. The finds during this work included the holy water stoup by the north entrance, which was unblocked, and the piscina near the altar in the south aisle.

The internal walls were once covered with mediaeval biblical paintings and other decorations. Some may have been vandalised during the Cromwellian period, and much of the remaining painting was removed when plaster was taken from the walls during refurbishments in 1904-1905.

They included three paintings over the east window in the south aisle, traces of a painting over the chancel arch, traces of a painting above the entrance to the rood loft, a cross in blue on a white ground on the north side of the chancel arch, a large wall painting over the Easter sepulchre arch in the south aisle, and a large painting of angels and other figures on the north aisle wall over the sepulchral arch.

The chancel is the oldest part of the church, dating from the 12th century (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The chancel is the oldest part of the church, dating from the 12th century, with many later additions. The east window has fine 14th century intersecting tracery. The stained glass made in 1893 by Percy Bacon of London commemorates Diana Caroline Monk, and the five lights depict the Nativity, Christ with the elders in the Temple, the Crucifixion, Christ before Pontius Pilate, and the baptism of Christ by Saint John.

The sedilia on the south wall are the dominant feature of the chancel. Beside them is an aumbry once used to hold the Communion elements and the sacred vessels.

There is a 12th century priest’s doorway into the chancel in the south wall. The two-light stained-glass window in the south wall depicting the Sermon on the Mount was made by William Worrall (1831-1911) of London in 1884.

The east window with 14th century intersecting tracery (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The Chapel of Our Lady and Saint Benedict is a 13th century addition on the north side of the chancel. It has been a vestry, but now is used as a Sunday school room. Pevsner dates a north window there and in the room to the west to the late 13th century. In the south-east corner is a richly carved piscina with a fluted basin.

A doorway has been inserted into the north chapel and there is an aumbry to the west of it. Over the doorway to the chapel is a 12th century window in round-headed Romanesque style, with an external lintel carved with radial leaf motifs.

A chantry was founded in 1324 to say masses in the Chapel of Our Lady for the soul of Thurstan Keswick or de Hanslap, who was the vicar of Hanslope in 1300, but was abolished in 1547 during the Tudor Reformations.

Troughton’s Chapel takes its name from the Troughton family who held the manor of Castlethorpe in the early 17th century. The north wall in the chancel also has a late 13th century arch opening into Troughton’s Chapel, the extended east end of the north aisle, now cut off by the Watts tomb. A new oak screen and doors were installed in 2010.

The only remaining part of the original 12th century nave is preserved in the Norman Romanesque chancel arch (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The only remaining part of the original 12th century nave is preserved in the Norman Romanesque chancel arch. The stair turret at the south-east angle of the nave dates from the later 15th century. It provided access to a rood screen above the chancel arch, of which the only trace now is the loft doorway in the south side of the arch.

The last traces of wall paintings can be seen near the rood screen door above the south side of the arch, where there is a remnant of a painting of the Warwick badge with a bear and ragged staff.

The pulpit is probably 18th century, and Pevsner dates it to ca 1800. During the refurbishments in 1905, an older font was reworked to form a pedestal for the pulpit.

The memorial to Lewis Rees and his two wives, Elizabeth and Agnes, in front of the chancel arch (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Above the chancel arch two hatchments of the Watts family flank the coat of arms of King William IV. In front of the chancel arch, a grave slab with the figures of a man and two women is a memorial to Lewis Rees who died in 1523 and his two wives, Elizabeth and Agnes. The words coming from the mouths of the women say: Sancta Trinitas unus Deus, Miserare nobis, ‘Holy Trinity one God, have mercy on us.’

The altar at the east end of south aisle is a memorial to the dead of two World Wars. The stained glass window (1921) over the altar by Percy Bacon (1860-1935) shows Saint George, Saint Michael and Saint Alban. The arched piscina in the north wall beside to the altar was excavated during the 1904-1905 works.

The stone arch with a symbolic tomb chest inserted into the wall of this aisle is thought to be an Easter sepulchre, where the Resurrection would have been re-enacted in mediaeval times. The Communion Host would have been ‘buried’ on Good Friday and removed at the first Mass of Easter.

The 15th century south porch is now used as a kitchen. In the west window of the south aisle is a group of encaustic, or inlaid, tiles, made in the late 15th century.

The window over the altar in the south aisle shows Saint George, Saint Michael and Saint Alban (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

A window depicting Saint James the Great at the west end of the north aisle (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

The east end of the north aisle is dominated by the 18th century burial vault of the Watts family, landlords of Hanslope for 150 year. William Watts, who made his fortune in India, bought the manor in 1764. His grandson, Robert Jenkinson (1770-1828), 2nd Earl of Liverpool, was Prime Minister in 1812-1827.

The west end of the north aisle has a stained glass window depicting Saint James the Great. The gilt-framed Lord’s Prayer, Creed, and Ten Commandments nearby were originally placed on each side of the rood screen, although it is not known when the rood screen was removed.

The box pews were replaced in the early 20th century and oak pews were installed in 1929. More new oak pews were installed in 1958-1959 and the pews were moved in 1998 from a conventional aisle arrangement to the present central altar configuration.

The 19th century font was moved to its present position in 1999 from a central position at the rear of the nave.

The etched glass internal door at the north porch was designed by David Peace and executed by Sally Scott in 1999, who also completed glass work at Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes. It was a bequest from two parishioners, Frank and Edith Brownsell.

There are eight bells in the tower, regularly rung by a team of Hanslope bellringers.

The ‘priest’s door’ into the chancel on the south side has ornate stone carving (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Outside, the church has many interesting features, including a carving of the bear and ragged staff of the Earls of Warwick on the north-west corner of the tower.

The ‘priest’s door’ into the chancel on the south side has ornate stone carving. This doorway is an example of late Norman work, with an arch with moulded bases and decorated capitals, flower and leaf motifs and a bold chevron pattern. The pillars along the chancel walls are an unusual feature in a Norman church.

On the north side, toward the east end, is a gargoyle in the form of a man laying on his side, with the spout over his shoulder, and wearing an embossed belt and a short apron. On the south side, above the aisle roof, is a large gryphon-like carving.

The Old Rectory beside Saint James the Great Church in Hanslope (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

• The Parish Priest is Father Gary Ecclestone SSC, who is supported by Father Robin Carter SSC. The Sunday services in Saint James the Great, Hanslope, and Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Castlethorpe, are: 9:30, Sung Mass, Castlethorpe; 11:15, Sung Mass, Hanslope; 5 pm, Evening Prayer, Castlethorpe, second and fourth Sundays. Mid-week Masses are at 5 pm in Castlethorpe on Wednesdays and 9:30 in Hanslope on Thursdays.

Autumn colours at Saint James the Great Church on a rain-soaked morning in Hanslope (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2025: 77, Friday 25 July 2025, Saint James the Apostle

Saint James the Apostle, or Saint James the Great … his statue among the apostles on the west front of Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

We are continuing in Ordinary Time in the Church and this week began with the Fifth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity V, 20 July 2025). The Church Calendar today celebrates the Feast of Saint James the Apostle (25 July).

Saint James the Apostle is often known as Saint James the Great. He was called with his brother John as one of the first apostles. The two brothers were with Christ at the Transfiguration, they were with him again in Gethsemane, and were present for his resurrection appearances. He was put to death by the sword on the order of Herod Agrippa, said to have been in the year 44 CE.

Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a reflection on the Gospel reading;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

Saint James the Apostle, or Saint James the Great … his statue in the shrine in the cathedral in Santiago de Compostella (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Matthew 20: 20-28 (NRSVA):

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him [Jesus] with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favour of him. 21 And he said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.’ 22 But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’ 23 He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’

24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

Saint James (in the light green robes) with Saint Peter (white beard) and Saint John … a fresco of the Transfiguration in the Church of the Transfiguration in Piskopiano in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024; click on image for full-screen view)

This morning’s reflection:

The English name James comes from Italian Giacomo, a variant of Giacobo, which is derived from Iacobus in Latin and Ἰάκωβος in Greek. It is the same name as Jacob in the Hebrew Bible. In French, the name is Jacques, in Spanish it is Jaime, and in Catalan it is Jaume. Variations include Diego in Spanish, giving us San Diego and Santiago, and Diogo in Portuguese.

This Saint James, traditionally regarded as the first apostle to be martyred, is said to have been a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of Saint John the Evangelist. He is also called Saint James the Great to distinguish him from Saint James, son of Alphaeus, and Saint James, the Brother of the Lord, or Saint James the Just.

His father Zebedee was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and probably lived in or near Bethsaida in present Galilee, perhaps in Capernaum. His mother Salome was one of the pious women who followed Christ and ‘ministered unto him of their substance.’ But James and John are also known as ‘the Sons of Thunder’ (see Mark 3: 17).

This Saint James is one of the first disciples. The Synoptic Gospels say James and John were with their father by the seashore when Christ called them to follow him (see Matthew 4: 21-22; Mark 1: 19-20). James was one of the three disciples, along with Saint Peter and Saint John, who witnesses to the Transfiguration, which we celebrate on Saturday 6 August.

Saint James and Saint John, or their mother, ask Christ to be seated on his right and left in his glory. They also want to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but they are rebuked for this (see Luke 9: 51-6).

The Acts of the Apostles records that Herod (probably Herod Agrippa) had Saint James executed by sword, making him the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament (see Acts 12: 1-2).

Saint James is linked with the Camino, a mediaeval pilgrimage that has become popular in recent decades with people seeking spiritual rootings that are relevant to the demands of modern life. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great.

According to Spanish legends, Saint James spent time preaching in Iberia, but returned to Jerusalem after seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary on the bank of the Ebro River. One version says that after his death, his disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula, to be buried in what is now Santiago. Off the coast of Spain, a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost in the ocean. After some time, however, it washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops.

A second version of the legend says that after Saint James died his body was transported by a ship piloted by an angel, back to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in Santiago. As the ship approached land, a wedding was taking place on the shore. The young groom was on horseback, and on seeing the ship approaching, his horse took fright and horse and rider were plunged into the sea. Through miraculous intervention, both horse and rider emerged from the water alive, covered in seashells.

Saint James became the patron saint of Spain, and Santiago de Compostela became the end point of the popular pilgrim route known as the Camino. The emblem of Saint James is the scallop, which has become a general symbol of pilgrims and pilgrimage. The name Santiago is a local Galician form of the late Latin name Sancti Iacobi, Saint James.

The history of the Camino de Santiago dates back to the early ninth century and the discovery of the tomb of Saint James in the year 814. Since then, Santiago de Compostela has been a destination for pilgrims from throughout Europe.

The Way of Saint James became one of the most important pilgrimages in the Middle Ages, alongside those to Rome and Jerusalem. With the Muslim occupation of Jerusalem and later during the Crusades, the Camino became a safe and popular alternative to pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

The flow of people along the Camino brought about a growth in the number of hostels and hospitals, churches, monasteries and abbeys along the pilgrim route.

The scallop shell has long been the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Along the Camino, the shell is seen frequently on posts and signs to guide pilgrims, and the shell is commonly worn by pilgrims too. Most pilgrims receive a shell at the beginning of the journey and either sew it onto their clothes, wear it around their necks or keep it in their backpacks.

I am reflecting this morning on where I am in my own pilgrimage in life, asking questions about the role am I playing in the Kingdom of God, and wondering how I might truly serve God’s kingdom rather than serving my own interests in life.

Saint James’s Church, Quop, was built in 1863-1865, and is one of the oldest church buildings in Sarawak (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Today’s Prayers (Friday 25 July 2025, Saint James the Apostle):

The theme this week (20 to 26 July) in Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Diversity in Sarawak’ (pp 20-21). I introduced this theme last Sunday with reflections from Sarawak and the Diocese of Kuching.

The USPG prayer diary today (Friday 25 July 2025, Saint James the Apostle) invites us to pray:

We give thanks for the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Diocese of Kuching, and we pray that this diversity may enrich community life in Sarawak and throughout Malaysia.

The Collect:

Merciful God,
whose holy apostle Saint James,
leaving his father and all that he had,
was obedient to the calling of your Son Jesus Christ
and followed him even to death:
help us, forsaking the false attractions of the world,
to be ready at all times to answer your call without delay;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion Prayer:

Almighty God,
who on the day of Pentecost
sent your Holy Spirit to the apostles
with the wind from heaven and in tongues of flame,
filling them with joy and boldness to preach the gospel:
by the power of the same Spirit
strengthen us to witness to your truth
and to draw everyone to the fire of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s reflection

Continued tomorrow

Saint James’s Church, Quop, still uses the bell donated by the banking heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Daily prayer in Christmas 2024-2025: 35, Tuesday 28 January 2025

‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother’ (Mark 3: 34-35)

Patrick Comerford

This is the last week in the 40-day season of Christmas, which continues until Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation next Sunday (2 February 2025). This week began with the Third Sunday of Epiphany (Epiphany III, 26 January 2025), and today the Calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship commemorates Saint Thomas Aquinas (1274), Priest, Philosopher, Teacher of the Faith (28 January 2025).

Later this evening, I have a meeting of the trustees of a local charity I have been involved with for the past two years. But, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a short reflection;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

‘A crowd was sitting around him … And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers!’ (Mark 3: 32-35) … the crowd on Good Friday in Tsesmes near Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Mark 3: 31-35 (NRSVA):

31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ 33 And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’

A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you’ (Mark 3: 32) … a crowd on the streets at a Ukrainian religious celebration (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Reflection:

Saint Mark’s Gospel is very sparse in its account of the story of Christ’s temptations in the wilderness – just two verses (see Mark 1: 12-13). In the much fuller accounts given by Saint Matthew (Matthew 4: 1-11) and Saint Luke (Luke 4: 1-13), Christ is tempted to do the right things for the wrong reason.

In yesterday’s Gospel reading (Mark 3: 22-30) and in today’s reading (Mark 3: 31-35), Christ is challenged in two fundamental ways: he is challenged about whether his work is the work of God or the work of the Devil (Mark 3: 22); and he is challenged to think about what his family thinks about what he is doing (Mark 3: 32).

The Gospels name the brothers of Jesus as James, Jude, Simon and Joses or Joseph (Matthew 13: 55; Mark 6: 3; see also Galatians 1: 19).

Saint James is described in the New Testament as a ‘brother of the Lord.’ Josephus in his Jewish Antiquities (20.9.1) describes James as ‘the brother of Jesus who is called Christ.’ In the Liturgy of Saint James, he is described as ‘the brother of God’ (Iάκωβος ο Αδελφόθεος, Iácobos ho Adelphótheos).

Some say Jesus and James could have been cousins, saying ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ in the Aramaic spoken by Jesus also applied to cousins, and that the Greek words ἀδελφός (adelphos) and ἀδελφή (adelphe) were not restricted to their literal meaning of a full brother or full sister. However, in the classical Greek from the time of Homer on, these words convey an idea about being ‘from the same womb.’

The Letter of James can be compared with some of the wonderful Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Scriptures, with, for example, its challenging words of wisdom on true worship (James 1: 19-20), on discrimination and respect for the poor (2: 1-13), on the false dichotomy of faith and works (2: 14-26), on truth and careful speech (3: 1-12), on godliness and worldliness (4: 1 to 5:6), on putting love at the heart of all our relationships in the Christian community … and so on.

They are words of wisdom that we can all take to heart in any community or society – how we speak about one another, how we respect one another, how we hold up one another, how we love each other, in spite of our failings towards one another.

We are to value one another, but not because of wealth or status or intellect. We are to listen to one another, to be slow to speak and equally slow to anger; to bridle our tongues and not to speak loosely about one another. We are not just called to be Christians, but we must do Christianity too.

How many of us would like to be so close to Christ that we could be called brothers or sisters of the Lord, still more ‘the brother of God’ (Iάκωβος ο Αδελφόθεος Iákobos o Adelphótheos)?

To be a real brother or sister of Christ, to be a real brother or sister of God, is to be brothers and sisters to one another in Christ. And when we do that we are true brothers and sisters of Christ, true witnesses to the Risen Christ, and worthy to share the name ‘Christian.’

Saint James the Brother of the Lord … an icon written by Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG, for Saint James Episcopal Church, Parkton, Maryland, in 2008

Today’s Prayers (Tuesday 28 January 2025):

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 ‘A Reflection on 2 Timothy’. This theme was introduced on Sunday with a Programme Update by the Revd Canon Dr Nicky Chater, Chair of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Friendly Churches and Chaplain for these communities in the Diocese of Durham.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Tuesday 28 January 2025) invites us to pray:

We pray for the work of Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Friendly Churches, especially the preparation and planning for a conference with the Diocese of Salisbury in the cathedral in May 2025.

The Collect:

Eternal God,
who enriched your Church with the learning and holiness
of your servant Thomas Aquinas:
give to all who seek you
a humble mind and a pure heart
that they may know your Son Jesus Christ
as the way, the truth and the life;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

God of truth,
whose Wisdom set her table
and invited us to eat the bread and drink the wine
of the kingdom:
help us to lay aside all foolishness
and to live and walk in the way of insight,
that we may come with Thomas Aquinas to the eternal feast of heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yesterday’s Reflection

Continued Tomorrow

The crowds at the Good Friday processions in Thessaloniki (Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Saint James’s Church in Quop, built of belian in 1865, is one of the oldest church buildings in Sarawak

Saint James’s Church, Quop, was built in 1863-1865 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Patrick Comerford

Standing on a hill at the edge of Kampung Quop, 20 km from Kuching, Saint James’s Church has been virtually unchanged since it was built almost 160 years ago, in 1863-1865. It is one of the oldest church buildings in Sarawak, and although it is in need of much restoration and repair work, it is still part of life in the Bidayuh community it has served for many generations.

It is one of the many churches Father Jeffry Renos Nawie of Saint Augustine’s Church, Mambong, brought us to visit on whirlwind tours of over a dozen Anglican churches and chapels in his part of the Diocese of Kuching over the past few weeks.

The old church was built through the efforts of Father Frederic William Abe, the second SPG missionary priest to live in Quop. He came to Quop with the Anglican mission agency SPG (now USPG, the United Society Partners in the Gospel), and his vision for a new church may have been inspired by an earlier church at Banting, built of belian or ‘iron-wood’ for the first Iban community to become Anglican.

Quop may be Sarawak’s earliest organised village, thanks to the work of Anglican missionaries. The Quop mission was the first successful mission to reach out to the Bidayuh people after an earlier mission in Singai failed.

The modern Saint James’s Church, Quop, in the Bidayuh heartland south of Kuching (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

The Bidayuh heartland south of Kuching was originally called Kuap by its first settlers in the mid-1800s. They had migrated from old Siburan’s Gunung Sintah. Led by the warrior-chief Bai Mandai, they were in search of greener pastures and wanted to escape marauding pirates.

After a long trek through the rain forest and the jungle, Bai Mandai’s exhausted followers cooked up a colossal meal, ate and slept – but not before each of them simultaneously gave out a long, stretched-out yawn from complete utter fatigue. That is how Bai Mandai’s first hilltop settlement came to be called Kuap, which means ‘yawn’ in Bidayuh and Malay. Later missionaries spelt it as Quop.

The SPG mission in area was started about 1859 by the Revd William Chalmers (1833-1901), the first missionary to work amongst the Bidayuh or ‘Land Dayaks’ of Sarawak. His industry and energy enabled him to acquire and reduce the difficult Bidayuh language to writing, and to instruct many of the Quop people who offered themselves as catechumens.

Because of health problems, Chalmers moved to Victoria, Australia, in 1861, and later became Bishop of Goulburn (1892-1901). He was followed in his work among the Bidayuh in Quop by the Revd Frederic William Abe (1829-1876) and the Revd John Lewis Zehnder (1827-1892), who were sent to Borneo by SPG in 1861. Abe and Zehnder were German and Swiss born and had studied as Lutherans.

By 1863, the chiefs of Quop and Murdang had been baptised and within six years, the entire population of Quop had become Christian, with the exception of four elderly people.

An archival image of the original Saint James’s Church, Quop, from 1902

Father Frederic William Abe initiated building a new church in Quop, one of a few churches of its kind built in Sarawak in the early years of Anglican mission work and the only one still standing.

Like many of the out-station forts built of belian during the Brooke Rajah, Saint James’s was a pre-fabricated church. Work on assembling the prefabricated parts of the church began in 1863. The walls, roof and truss were made in Kuching, 20 km away, under the supervision of the master carpenter, TA Stahl. The pieces were then shipped upriver along the Sarawak and Quop rivers. Villagers carried the heavy woodwork on their shoulders from the jetty at the Quop River through dense jungle to a small hill at the edge of the village, where the church was assembled on site.

The church was built in the Gothic style but is made entirely of belian – the local ‘iron wood’ that substitutes for stone. Yet it blends European and Asian styles and cultures. Even the one and only stained glass window is still intact with its belian mouldings.

The striking interior, which I caught only a tiny glimpse of, is a step back in time. The church measured 46 ft by 16 ft. A huge shell, the symbol of Saint James, served as the fount. Later, a font, cast from imported stone, was installed, and metal altar rails were put in place.

A glimpse inside the original Saint James’s Church, Quop, built 160 years ago (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

As the church was being put together, Bishop Francis McDougall wrote to a friend in England: ‘I am hard at work overseeing the construction of the church for Quop Hill … It is very pretty and all ironwood. I want three church bells of 100 cwt each. I hope you could persuade some good people to bring them. Bells, we must have.’

Two other churches were being built in Sarawak at the time, and the English banking heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts (1814-1906) donated the silver and nickel bell to the church in Quop. She was one of wealthiest women in 19th century England and a close friend of Sir James Brooke, the first White Rajah. Bishop McDougall consecrated Saint James’s Church, Quop, on 7 December 1865.

From Quop, SPG mission work expanded to Bunuk and Taee and later to Padawan and the Jagoi areas. When some of the older people returned to earlier religious traditions and rites in 1873, the young Christians refused to join them.

Meanwhile, Abe worked from in Kuching from 1874, and died there on 11 June 1876, while Zehnder moved in 1866 to work in Lundu and died there in 1892.

Saint James’s Church, Quop, still uses the bell donated by the banking heiress Angela Burdett-Coutts (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Saint James’s Church, Quop, was extended in 1890 with the addition of a north aisle. Belian frames holding glass panes were added to stream in the daylight. At the same time, the church’s entire porch was refurbished with belian.

The Revd FW Nicholls moved to Quop in 1893 and with the Revd Chung Ah Luk maintained the pastoral work in the large mission area with many villages are many. In Quop, it was said at the time, ‘the work is similar to that of a small English parish, all the people being Christians.’ There was a school and the Gospels, the liturgy and hymns were being translated into local languages.

The silver candlesticks were designed by the silversmith Omar Ramsden (1873-1939), one of England’s leading designers and makers of silverware, and are used in the new church. A painting by the English artist Emma Irlam Briggs (1867-1950) still hangs in the old church building.

Over the years, the village grew up around the church, and a graveyard was laid out below the church. Baroness Burdett-Coutts owned a house in Kampong Quop and land and a plantation in the area. She wandered deep in the jungle and it is said that whenever she got lost she relied on the toll of the church bell for the Angelus, ringing at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm, to find her way home.

Saint James’s Church, Quop, was built of belian and is now in need of restoration (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Bishop Francis Septimus Hollis (1884-1955), who went to Sarawak with SPG in 1916, was the Priest-in-Charge of the mission of Saint James, Quop, in 1923–1928. Later he was the Principal of Saint Thomas’s School, Kuching (1928-1938), Archdeacon of Sarawak (1934-1938), and was consecrated Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak (1938-1948).

Hollis was interned by the Japanese at Batu Lintang camp near Kuching from 1942 to 1945, and this period of internment seriously undermined his health. He resigned in 1948 and was an Assistant Bishop of Leicester until he died in 1955.

Bishop Peter Howes (1911-2003), who spent who spent 44 years with SPG in Borneo, was the Priest-in-Charge of Quop in 1940-1950. During those 10 years he was interned by the Japanese at Batu Lintang in 1941-1945. He translated the New Testament from Greek into Bidayuh. Later he was the first Warden of the House of the Epiphany Theological School, Kuching (1952-1956), its principal (1971-1976), and Assistant Bishop of Kuching (1976-1981).

The parts of Saint James’s Church that are built of belian survived in all weathers. But those parts made of softer wood succumbed to old age, termites and water damage. A second, bigger church was built beside the old Saint James was built in 1986 and consecrated in 1987. The bell donated by Angela Burdett-Coutts was moved to the turret of the new church and is still in use today. Some items, including a silver tray and two chalices, were stolen from the church in 1990s.

The parish community has grown to 3,000 members and serves 10 outstation churches, chapels and worship centres. The Revd Handi Ipoh retired as Vicar two months ago (20 September 2024).

Batu Tipire, a geological phenomenon known as the ‘Split Rock of Kampong Quop’, beside Saint James’s Church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

The old church and a nearby split rock are the two landmarks in Quop. Batu Tipire is a geological phenomenon known in English as the ‘Split Rock of Kampong Quop’. It has a distinct fissure in the middle, as if it was neatly sliced into two parts by someone with a knife.

Tradition says the stone was not actually sliced but is a heavenly couple – with the male on the and his female companion on the right. It is 17 ft high and 18 ft across, and both boulders tilt about 20 degrees to the right.

According to local lore, after Bai Mandin and his followers established a settlement on Quop Hill, one of his descendants, Bai Rimau, strayed away deep into the jungle. As he realised he was lost, a torrent of hujan panas (hot rain) poured out of the skies. In tribal lore, this is seen as an unfavourable moment when bad spirits come out to cause mischief. Bai Rimau hurriedly sought shelter and ended up face to face with the two huge boulders. He took shelter under the concave underside of Batu Tipire’s right half.

When he found his way home, Bai Rimau dreamt that night that the friendly guardian spirits (penunggu) of Batu Tipire wanted him to establish a new settlement near their abode. In the months that followed, two disasters struck Quop, when a cholera outbreak was followed by a smallpox epidemic. Taking this as a bad omen, Bai Rimau led his remaining followers to the site near Batu Tipire, where they set up their first longhouse from which Kampong Quop came to be.

With the arrival of the SPG missionaries and Christianity, the people of Quop stopped revering the guardian spirits of Batu Tipire. But strange happenings were experienced in the village. During funeral processions, the pallbearers carrying the corpse on a wooden bier felt the dead person became unusually heavier as they neared Batu Tipire. So much so, extra hands were needed to carry the body to the burial site.

The cemetery below Saint James’s Church, Quop (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

Bishop Peter Howes, in his autobiography In a Fair Ground, records some of his experiences as a young priest at Saint James: ‘Sometimes at night, there were domestic echoes from the site, such as the clink of pots and pans, the chopping of wood, the sound of gongs and snatches of people in conversation. Each sound made a distinct impact, with a curious resonance as though reflected from a cave.

‘It was so clear, so normal that one felt certain that it must come from a house near the site, perhaps someone hosting a private party. Yet there was never a glimmer of a light to be seen and no sound of activity from the living, as one looked out from the mission house verandah.

‘When you asked the following morning if there had been a party in the village, the answer was always: “No, it was our grandparents you heard.” This was in every sense an alarming experience. It was a phenomenon to which a great many can bear witness.’

Sometimes, he recalled, when he heard sounds from the direction of Saint James’s Church, he would walk around the church with a torch only to find nothing.

Inside the new Saint James’s Church, Quop, built in 1986-1987 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)

The old church has been used recently for youth activities, a Sunday school and as a multi-purpose hall. Its woodwork, its tabernacle, the crafted decorative embellishments and one lone stained glass remain in place.

The original church is in need of restoration and a programme of continued maintenance, and restoration work is being carried out bit by bit, preserving and maintaining the church and replacing parts that are rotten or broken. The building has been gazetted since 2007, meaning any refurbishment work needs the approval of the Sarawak Museum Department.

The former Bishop of Kuching, Bishop Bolly Lapok, wrote some years ago: ‘Not many of our institutions have the vintage of Saint James Quop, and fewer still have such impact on the life of the community as to have given it a reputation which is synonymous with education and progress and a musical tradition that is the envy of all our parishes.’

‘Not many of our institutions have the vintage of Saint James QuopSaint James’s Church, Quop’ (Bishop Bolly Lapok) (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2024)