The Spilsby & Stickney Groups

Bolingbroke Deanery Team Parishes Faithful, Confident, Joyful 25th April 2021 FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Gold/White)

9.00am • Meeting the Good Shepherd where we are 25/04/2021 Rev Rachel Mann speaks of meeting the Good Shepherd where we are, in this extract from our online worship. The full service celebrates The Fourth Sunday of Easter, with prayer, music and praise from St Nicholas Church, Burnage, Manchester.

https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online

10.00am Prayer in our own homes See below

The Fourth Sunday of Easter Services in the Spilsby Cluster 9.30am Spilsby Eucharist (PC) Services in the Marden Hill Cluster 9.30am East Keal Holy Communion (+DR) Services in the Stickney Cluster 11.15am Stickford Morning Worship (FJ) Services in the Partney Cluster 11.15am Sausthorpe Morning Prayer (PMcL) 3.00pm Skendleby Evening Prayer (TMcL) Services in the South Ormsby Cluster 9.30am Tetford Holy Communion (TMcL)

Almighty God, source of our hope and all good things; you call us in love to share in the work of creation in making all things new. Bless our diocese: may we be faithful in our worship; confident in our discipleship; and joyful in our service; that, through us, the world may catch a glimpse of the love you have for each one of us, made known to us in your son, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

We will publish a short video on YouTube and link it to our website. Our Web Site http://lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/spilsby/index.php

Bolingbroke Team Churches YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqTDWzvL2jxeB6ESF- aP9Nw?view_as=subscriber

Monday St Mark the Evangalist 7.00pm South Ormsby Group Annual Meeting via Zoom

Tuesday Christina Rossetti Poet, 1894 11.00am Manor Care E Kirkby Prayer for Jean Jeffries 1.00pm Willingham by Stow Jean Jeffries Funeral 7.30pm Gregory Croft Trust Meeting via Zoom

Wednesday Peter Chanel Missionary in the South Pacific, Martyr, 1841 10.30am Spilsby Eucharist 3.30pm Team Meeting

Thursday Catherine of Siena Teacher of the Faith, 1380

Friday Pandita Mary Ramabai Translator of the Scriptures, 1922

Saturday Philip & James Apostles

The Fourth Sunday of Easter Services in the Spilsby Cluster 9.30am Hundleby Morning Worship (FJ) 10.00am Spilsby Spirit of Light (PC) 11.15am Halton Holegate Eucharist (JC) 3.00pm Great Steeping APCM (PC) Services in the Marden Hill Cluster 9.30am East Keal Holy Communion - Banns (+DR) Services in the Stickney Cluster 11.15am Stickney Morning Worship (FJ) Services in the Partney Cluster 9.30am Scremby Morning Prayer (TMcL) 11.15am Partney Holy Communion (TMcL) Services in the South Ormsby Cluster 9.30am Tetford Morning Prayer ()

Private Prayer in the Following Churches: St James Spilsby Daily 08.00 to 16.00 St Helen East Keal Sun to Thursday 10.00 to 15.00 St Nicholas Partney Thursdays 11.30 to 12.30 St Mary Tetford Thursdays 14.00 to 15.00 St Luke Stickney Daily 10.00 to 16.00 St Helen Stickford Daily 10.00 to 16.00 St Mary Hundleby Daily 10.00 to 14.00

Spilsby Daily 8am Morning Prayer & at Noon God of love, turn our hearts to Your ways and give us peace. Amen

The sick at home or in hospital, Leo Seebacher-Hobson, Nigel Worth, Kathleen, Molly, Veronica, Dorothy, Maggie J. Betty Brawn, Tristan, Michael P, Joan T. Mark, Jossie Lee, June, Hilary, Michael, Harriet, Rose L., Abby, Sheila Janes, Fleur, Mary, Jeff Mason, Rosie, Bob, (Baby) Chloe Lear, Lawrence, Ann Howman, John and Audrey Prince, Sylvia Bonsey, Anthea B, Jo & John, Bessie Reddin, Mary Julyan.

The Departed: Bob Kirk, Georgina English, Gill Denniff, John Milliken, Emma Masterton, David Mason, Jacylin Shaw, Sandra Gorham, John Hudson, Jean Jeffries, Ann Hicks, Janet Enderby, Prince Philip, +Robert Hardy (Bishop of Lincoln 1987-2001).

Anniversary: Carol Tobbias, Geoffery Elphic, Janet Bucknell, Doris Tuplin, Pauline Nash, Mickey Grant, Harold Cresswell, Peter Parr, Daisy Drinkell, Enid Kisby, Beryl Derby, Fr Adrian Sullivan, Jean Kelly. Raymond Ward, Graham Moles. Madge Gregory, John Large, Phylis Bauer, Audrey Rogers, Jacqueline Handcock, David Dawson, Albert Padley, Frank Senneck, John & Lizzy, Terry Hill, Mark Faulkner, Barry Arnold, Peter Gibson, David Slater, Audrey Murden Robin Healey, Roy Evers, Sylvia Page, Alistair Miller, Shirley Holderness Sylvia Emerson, June Acaster, Vera Wroe, Cliff Royston, Gill Rymer, Rodney Dodds, June Wilkinson, Lawrence Fenwick, Bill Short, Jean Timmings, Gwen Worth, Sheila Mee, Lillie Marriott, Edna Brammer, Michael Dobson, Nev Chamberlain, Dorothy Haseldon, Thomas Litster.

Sunday 25th I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay Prisons down my life for the sheep. John 10: 14 – 15

The Nippon Sei Ko Kai Monday 26th The Fen and Hill Group – Revd Andrew Roberts Mark the Evangelist Please pray for the people and communities of the Fen and Hill Group, that they may be always aware of God's love for them Social Services and for the world.

The Diocese of Brasília – Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil (3 Province) Tuesday 27th The Hemingby and Asterby Groups – Revd Cilla Smith Christina Rossetti, Poet, Pray for our ongoing mission and ministry at this time. 1894 Trusts Committee

Tourism The Diocese of Brazzaville – Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo Wednesday 28th The Horncastle Group – Revd Charles Patrick Peter Chanel, Missionary For our Churches and the communities they serve, for in the South Pacific, discernment of the Holy Spirit and the development of gifting Martyr, 1841 as we look to progress out of lock-down.

Universities and Colleges Financial Reporting Advisory Panel

The Diocese of Brechin – The Scottish Episcopal Church Thursday 29th The Woodhall Spa Group – Revd Joseph Snelling Catherine of Siena, Pray for everyone who is able to connect with us via online Teacher of the Faith, 1380 Church.

Young Peoples Uniformed Search and Nominations Committee

Organisations The Diocese of Brisbane – The Anglican Church of Australia (Queensland Province) Friday 30th The Wragby Group – Revd Mark Holden Pandita Mary Ramabai, We seek to make real for people God's transforming love 4

Translator of the shown in Jesus. We particularly remember people who are Scriptures, 1922 isolated and the work of the Food Bank.

Youth and Childrens Work The Diocese of Bristol – The Church of England (Canterbury Province) Saturday 1st The Deanery of Lafford – Rural Dean: Revd Philip Philip and James, Apostles Johnson Lay Chair: Mrs. Diana Holt

The Diocese of British Columbia – The Anglican Church of Animal Care. Canada (BC & Yukon Province) * These items are sectors of Lincolnshire life. Each sector will receive a notification that they are being prayed for – please pray for the sector in general and any specific organisations close to you

Bolingbroke Team Ministry

Easter 4 Morning Worship

Safe in the knowledge that we are loved, we come to the Good Shepherd seeking succour for our souls. Let not the wolf snatch our thoughts and scatter them, for our minds belong to Jesus, and our hearts are open to him. Amen.

Hymn: O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder 5

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

And when I think of God, His Son not sparing; Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow with humble adoration, And then proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!" (Stuart K. Hine 1899 - 1989)

Prayer of Confession Lord, like a shepherd, you never stop searching for your people. Your care for us anticipates our need. Before we recognized we needed your grace, in love, Jesus gave his life for our forgiveness.

We confess that we need your forgiveness. You are the shepherd and we are your flock, but we admit the times we have tried to take your place and take control ourselves. We admit that we have not always trusted that your good news would be good for us. At times we have pleaded with you to care for us, but we have held back from caring for others.

Lord, have mercy upon us. Forgive us in the name of Jesus. Loving shepherd, teach us by the Holy Spirit to follow you in the days and places of the weeks ahead. Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Assurance of Pardon May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins,

and restore us in his image to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading: Acts 4:5 – 12 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is “the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.” There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’ This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God

Hymn Jesus is the name we honour; Jesus is the name we praise. Majestic name above all other names, the highest Heaven and Earth proclaim that Jesus is our God.

We will glorify, we will lift him high, we will give him honour and praise, we will glorify, we will lift him high, we will give him honour and praise.

Jesus is the name we worship; Jesus is the name we trust. He is the King above all other kings, let all creation stand and sing that Jesus is our God.

Jesus is the Father’s splendour; Jesus is the Father’s joy. He will return to reign in majesty, and every eye at last will see that Jesus is our God.

Reading: John 10: 11 - 18 Jesus said: ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’ This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God

Homily from the Diocesan Website Jesus had a knack of speaking with people in a way that engaged them. What he said was accessible, and he would often use stories or illustrations that were relevant for the time. He understood the culture and context he was in and related with people in a way that fit. Jesus’ parables used themes of agriculture, family and celebrations to teach the crowds. Jesus used different images to try and help people understand who he is and what he was able to offer people. I am the Good Shepherd is one of seven I am sayings of Jesus along with “I am the vine”, “I am the gate/door”, “I am the Bread of Life”, “I am the way, the truth and the life”, “I am the Light of the world”, “I am the resurrection and the life”. Some of these illustrations and 8

images are easier for us to interpret and understand today. Others are harder to comprehend because we are in a different culture and context and they don’t have the same meaning or relevance for us. Today in the West we struggle to fully understand the role of the shepherd within the context that Jesus spoke of in today’s gospel reading. I am the Shepherd doesn’t quite have the same meaning for us as it did back then. The role of a shepherd was hard. It was dangerous, often lonely and the shepherd was often put out on the margins of society. (King David before he was anointed as king was called from the fields where he looked after the sheep. He was tasked with protecting the sheep from lions and bears, risking his life to save the sheep when one was taken). This Old Testament illustration re-emphasises Jesus’ message of the care that the shepherd has for the sheep. The love that is shown by the willingness to risk their own life for the sake of the sheep. The connection between shepherd and their flock as their voice is recognised by the sheep and the sheep are known by the shepherd. Jesus uses the image of the shepherd to speak about his love and commitment to the people of Israel and for the Gentiles. He uses this image of the Shepherd to tell those who are willing to hear it what he will do for them at the first Easter. The reason we hear the story during the season of Easter. At Launde Abbey they have a textile display near the chapel called Jesus Is… by Jacqui Parkinson. Each piece has a different image and how it helps people to relate to Jesus and understand who He is. Some examples include… Jesus is the ‘Rock of Ages’…so that geologists can understand; Jesus is the ‘Bread of Life’ so that bakers can understand; Jesus is the ‘Good Teacher’ so that educationalists can understand; Jesus is the ‘Cornerstone’…so that architects can understand and Jesus is the ‘Good Shepherd’ so that shepherds and farmers can understand. These illustrations and images are brilliant ways to help people understand who Jesus is and why he is still as relevant today as he was when he walked among us. They are culturally and contextually relevant. The Bible is full of these images that can be used to engage with people who are not connected to church and do not have a relationship with Jesus. Hannah Steele in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book for this year encourages Christians to use these images as we share the good news and be witnesses for Christ in the world. Evangelism is a scary word and people often want to run a mile when we use it. But what if we understood

evangelism to be storytelling and using images and illustrations for the Bible to explain our faith in Jesus and what the Christian faith is about? This ‘I am the Good Shepherd’ passage helps to explain the role that Jesus plays in lives of humanity. It points to the love and care that Jesus has for all people. It reminds us of the reliance humanity has, as the sheep, on the shepherd and how we should all rely and trust in Jesus. It illustrates the sacrifice Jesus is was willing to pay for each one of us by dying on the cross, so that we could be free. Conversation Questions 1. How might you use the image of the Good Shepherd to talk about your own faith journey 2. What other image or illustration could you use to help others relate to Jesus? 3. Is there anything else from the passage not already discussed that speaks to you? What is it? 4. What will you do this week in your Monday-to-Saturday ministry in response to what you have heard today? #everydayfaith

Let us declare our faith in God. We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hymn Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace (Words: Helen Howarth Lemmel)

Prayers of Intercession Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. (Psalm 95:6,7)

Good Shepherd, within your embrace we are safe and secure. Within your embrace we know that we are precious in your sight. Within your embrace we feel the warmth of family and belonging. Within your embrace we grow and are nurtured together as one flock, the people of your pasture under your loving care and protection. Come, let us bow down Before the LORD our Maker

Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find comfort and healing. We bring to you those who are weak, or struggling with physical, mental or spiritual health. You are the great healer, and we pray for healing of mind and body for those we now name in the silence of our hearts. Come, let us bow down Before the LORD our Maker

Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find justice. We bring to you the brave voices who cry out for freedom, those prepared to stand up and be heard without counting the cost. We pray for those who have been imprisoned or tortured for their race, colour, caste or faith. For all Christians who have taken up the Cross and know its weight and pain. Come, let us bow down Before the LORD our Maker

Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find peace. We bring to you those orphaned, crippled or dispossessed by war, for refugees wandering this earth in search of a home, for all victims of strife and warfare, and for all those who have dedicated their lives for the search for peace and reconciliation. Come, let us bow down Before the LORD our Maker

Collect

Risen Christ, faithful shepherd of your Father’s sheep: teach us to hear your voice and to follow your command, that all your people may be gathered into one flock, to the glory of God the Father. Amen

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

Hymn O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!

Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease, 'tis music in the sinner's ears, 'tis life and health and peace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid: The Lamb of God was slain, His soul was once an offering made For every soul of man.

He breaks the power of cancelled sin, he sets the prisoner free; his blood can make the foulest clean; his blood availed for me.

He speaks, and listening to his voice, new life the dead receive

The mournful broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe.

Hear him ye deaf, his praise, ye dumb, your loosened tongues employ; ye blind, behold your Saviour come, and leap, ye lame, for joy

My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honours of your name. (Charles Wesley 1707 – 1788)

Lord God, we rejoice in your greatness and power, your gentleness and love, your mercy and justice. Enable us by your Spirit to honour you in our thoughts, and words and actions, and to serve you in every aspect of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

An act of Spiritual Communion You may wish to find a space for prayer in front of a cross, a candle, or a special place. You might choose to make your Spiritual Communion at a particular time of day, or after viewing a live streamed service.

Reflect on the day and on your relationships. - What good things have come from God today? - Where have I fallen short? - What might I do tomorrow?

You may wish to say or pray Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Read the following words from Scripture. If you have access to today’s readings for Holy Communion, you may wish to read and reflect on them. Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ John 6.35

Pray for the needs of the world, for your local community, and for those close to you. End with the Lord’s Prayer. Our Father...

Give thanks for the saving death and resurrection of Jesus and ask him to be with you now. Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have given me, for all the pains and insults you have borne for me. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, I ask you to come spiritually into my heart.

O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen. after the Prayer of St Richard of Chichester

Conclude with the following: The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life. Amen.

A prayer for all those affected by coronavirus

Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy. Sustain and support the anxious, be with those who care for the sick, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may find comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Clergy Team The Rev’d. Canon Peter Coates The Vicarage, Church Street, Spilsby, PE23 5EF email: [email protected] Tel: 01790 752526

The Rev’d. Ms. Fran Jeffries The Rectory, Horbling Lane, Stickney PE22 8DQ email: [email protected]

The Rev’d. Mrs Joan Thornett email: [email protected] Tel: 01790 754151

The Rev’d Mrs Jean Coates Contact via Spilsby Vicarage – As above email: [email protected]

Rev’d. Mrs Teresa McLaughlin & Mr Paul McLaughlin – Community Chaplain

The Rectory, Scremby Road Partney PE23 4PG [email protected] 01790 752344

We mark the death and pray for the soul of the Rt Revd Robert (Bob) Hardy

The Rt Revd Dr Alistair Redfern writes: RECALLING an incident just before his enthronement as Bishop of Lincoln, Bob wrote: “I slipped into the cathedral in my ancient duffle coat, only to be followed around by a verger, who clearly regarded me as a suspicious character! Naturally I did not reveal my identity, but somehow the story got into the press, and the comparison was made between myself and Richard Harries, just appointed to Oxford. We were de -scribed as ‘the Rough with the Smooth’. ”Bob’s genius was that he could do both rough and smooth as the occasion demanded. He could be tough and direct; he could be polite and charming. On the surface, there was a smooth unfolding of vocation: Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield, where he sang in the cathedral choir with David Hope; Clare College, Cambridge; Cud des-don; ordination in 1962; a parish in Manchester; Chaplain and Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge; Vicar of Borehamwood; Director of St Albans Ministerial Training Scheme; Bishop of Maidstone with Robert Runcie (he was the youngest bishop in the Church of England at that time); Bishop of Lincoln; and, in retirement, an assistant bishop in Carlisle diocese. In June 2001, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the Church of England and to prisoners. Yet, beneath the surface, there were many challenges — most notoriously the very public issues with Lincoln Cathedral, which caused him great anguish, and which he handled fairly but graciously, at considerable cost to himself. Bob was someone who cared deeply about his work and his responsibilities; he gave himself unstintingly to others. His workload was always huge, and he was often at his desk at ten in the evening. He was always willing to go the extra mile to help others. He gained a first-class degree and was a gifted theologian. When he appointed me Bishop of Grantham, he gave me a tremendously succinct and profound definition of episcopacy in the Anglican tradition. In one of his rougher contributions, he told me: “The Bishop is the only bugger who bats for the Church”, i.e. everyone uses church according to their own views and priorities: the Bishop is called to embrace all of this and more — God’s Church is always bigger than her members can imagine. This is Anglicanism in its most appealing aspiration. He exercised outstanding leadership in this wider area, a significant position in the House of Lords, especially as Bishop for Prisons, in key posts in ministry and public-affairs work for the Church of England, as President of the Lincoln shire Show, and supporter of many important causes across the diocese. He was Visitor to Eton College, Brasenose and Exeter Colleges in Oxford, and King’s College, Cambridge. In each place, he made an important contribution with his wisdom and his teaching. Bob was a person who said his prayers. He reflected deeply upon his calling and that of the Church, particularly around the theme that we must decrease to enable others to increase. His wife, Isobel, was a medical doctor, and 16

he would sometimes muse on the increasing tendency of people to go to their GP rather than their parish priest for pastoral support. Bob was very proud of his family, Isobel, Ben, Alexander, and Rebecca. He treated colleagues as part of the extended family, and knew that the Church of England was called to be that kind of gracious and including web of relationships. He entertained widely and generously, but a point would come at which his chaplain announced carriages. He was always conscious of the next challenge and task. His legacy will be widespread and profound, through his teaching, his example, and his enabling leader-ship, which was so effective in developing the skills and gifts of others. Once, he stopped to eat in a Little Chef, and the waitress asked about the colour of his shirt. When she discovered that he was a bishop, she asked him to autograph the menu. He wrote “+Robert Lincoln”. “Ah,” she said, “you’ve added a kiss!” Bob’s vocation was to add a kiss — affection, affirmation, and encouragement — to countless lives. A very Anglican way of doing ministry: the Way of Love. The Rt Revd Bob Hardy died on 9 April, aged 84. (From the Church Times)

Saints on Earth ¶ April

Christina Rossetti 27 April Poet, 1894 Christina Rossetti, the youngest member of a remarkable artistic Anglo-Italian family, was born in London in 1830. A devout Anglican from an evangelical background, Christina and her sister became greatly influenced by the Tractarians and her sister Maria eventually entered the sisterhood of All Saints', Margaret Street. Some of Christina's earliest work, written under the pseudonym 'Ellen Alleyne', was published in The Germ, the organ of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Her poetry reflected her Christian faith and also a pervading sense of melancholy, both strong facets of her character. She also wrote fantasy poems and pieces for children, for example her 1862 work, Goblin Market. But this can also be interpreted as a religious allegory with themes of temptation, sin and redemption clearly apparent. She gave up the prospect of marriage for religious reasons. She broke off her engagement to James Collinson in 1850 when he became a Roman Catholic and in 1866 she turned down a proposal from James Bagot Cayley. Not surprisingly the themes of renunciation of earthly love and the habitual Victorian concern with death are also recurring themes, particularly in her later poetry. Her poetry is recognized by critics as having a high degree of technical perfection and encompasses a wide range of styles and forms. Two Christmas carols, In the bleak 17

mid-winter and Love came down at Christmas, remain popular today and are in many hymn books. At one point she was considered as a possible successor to Tennyson as Poet Laureate. When her father's failing health and eyesight forced him into retirement in 1853, Christina and her mother attempted to support the family by starting their own school, but it was a short-lived venture. Her brother Dante's breakdown in 1872 and death ten years later affected her deeply. She herself suffered from chronic ill- health in later life and became something of a recluse. She developed cancer in 1891 and died three years later. Shortly before her death she published the poem 'None other Lamb', later put to music as a hymn: None other Lamb; none other name, None other hope in heaven or earth or sea, None other hiding-place from guilt and shame, None beside Thee. My faith burns low, my hope burns low, Only my heart's desire cries out in me, By the deep thunder of its want and woe, Cries out to Thee. Lord, Thou art life, though I be dead, Love's fire Thou art, however cold I be: Nor heaven have I, nor place to lay my head, Nor Home, but Thee.

Peter Chanel 28 April Missionary in the South Pacific, Martyr, 1841 Born of humble parentage at Cuet in the Ain department of France in 1802, Peter Chanel was ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church in 1827. Routine parish ministry occupied him for some years, but his imagination was fired by reading the letters of missionaries in far-away lands and in due course he himself offered for missionary service, joining the Society of Mary (the Marists) in 1831. In 1836 he embarked for the South Pacific. He was assigned by his bishop to the island of Futuna, in the New Hebrides (today Vanuatu) and landed in 1837, the first Christian missionary to set foot there. In common with many Pacific islands cannibalism and endemic inter-tribal warfare had reduced its population to a few thousand by the time Chanel landed there. Despite the difficulties of mission work among such savagery, Chanel laboured faithfully amid the greatest hardships, learning the native language, attending the sick, baptizing the dying and gathering around him a small band of Christian converts and a larger group who were being taught the rudiments of the Christian faith. European missionaries were always vulnerable in such situations but Niuliki, the chief, initially gave Chanel his support and even declared him 'taboo', so that he was not harmed; but his attitude changed when he saw the decline of tribal religion and, what was even worse, the conversion of his son and daughter.

With the chief's apparent agreement, a plot against Chanel was put into practice by Musumusu the Prime Minister. At dawn on 28 April, 1841 the mission compound was attacked and after a number of the converts who were caught unawares were wounded, Chanel's hut was attacked and he was battered to death, his head being split by a blow from an adze. But as so often, before and since, the blood of the martyrs proved to be the seed of the Church and two Marist missionaries resumed Chanel's work the following year with remarkable results. At the same time Chanel's remains were exhumed and taken back to France. Chanel was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1889 and is revered in the Roman Catholic Church as the proto-martyr of Oceania, though in fact his death took place some eighteen months after the martyrdom of John Williams of the London Missionary Society at Dillon's Bay on the nearby island of Erromanga.

Catherine of Siena 29 April Teacher of the Faith, 1380 Born at Siena in Italy in 1347 Catherine was the 23rd of 25 children. From an early age she was known to want to lead a life of prayer and penance, despite opposition from her parents and family. She refused marriage, and instead opted for a life of solitude. She joined the Dominican order as a Tertiary (lay volunteer) at the age of 16. She lived in solitude for three years, until she felt a call to leave her seclusion and care for the poor. As Catherine became involved for caring for the sick, a diverse group of followers, both men and women, clerical and lay, gathered around her. This group soon became known for their desire for reform of the Church, their call for a life of total devotion to God, and their focus upon the crucified Christ. Unsurprisingly this group attracted criticism as well as praise wherever they went. Catherine was a great correspondent, but had to dictate all her letters as she never learned to write herself. She wrote a 'Dialogue' in which explained her beliefs and expounded the sense of devotion to the crucified Christ that so ordered her life. This work was dictated to others when she was in a state of prayer and ecstasy. Eventually, as her calls for reform went unheeded, Catherine became more and more involved in the political life of the Church. She acted as a peacemaker between Church and State when relationships deteriorated. The schism of 1378, when rival popes were elected after the death of Gregory XI, saw Catherine attempting to intervene and bring clarity to the situation. She supported Urban as the genuine Pope, although she was not unafraid to challenge him on his more extreme and unbending attitudes to the Avignon papacy. She died, of a stroke in 1380, before the papal split was resolved. Her devotion to Christ is evident throughout her 'Dialogue': The soul begins to lose fear, knowing that fear alone is not sufficient to give eternal life. And so the soul proceeds, with love, to know itself and God's goodness within, and begins to take hope in God's mercy in which the heart feels joy. Sorrow for 19

grief, mingled with the joy of hope in mercy, causes the eye to weep, and these tears issue from the very fountain of the heart. The 'Dialogue' of St Catherine of Siena

Pandita Mary Ramabai 30 April Translator of the Scriptures, 1922 Born into a high-caste Indian family in South Kanara in 1858, Ramabai was taught Sanskrit by her father, an expert on the language. But she lost both her parents during a pilgrimage to South India in 1874 and had to fend for herself, travelling with her bother to sacred Hindu shrines, where she recited Sanskrit poetry to the crowds. She ended up in Calcutta and it was there that she was accorded the then novel title of Pandita ('mistress of learning'), so unusual in Indian culture was an educated woman with such linguistic skills. She challenged traditional Indian culture by making calls for female emancipation and by marrying a man of a lower caste. But her marriage was short-lived and she was left a widow with no status and with a small child to care for. This experience gave her an insight into the sufferings of Hindu women and widows less privileged than herself. In Bengal she encountered Christian believers and finding that Hinduism, with its expectation of resigned suffering was no help to her, studied the Bible and Christianity. At the same time she opened welfare and education centres and campaigned to improve the political situation of widows and women in general. Invited to England by Anglican nuns – the Wantage Sisters – for further education, she and her daughter were baptized there. Returning to India she continued her work, extending it to unmarried mothers and young girls. She was criticized by Hindus for denying her roots and by Christians because conversion of the people she worked with was not a major priority. She had no time for denominational in-fighting and based her faith on the Jesus of the Bible and sought to express it in an authentically Indian way. In 1891 she experienced an evangelical conversion and added evangelism to her social work. Her main sphere of work was the administration of the Mukti Institution which she had founded at Kedgaon near Poona (Pune). Opening as a small school, it quickly developed into a much larger institution where lower-caste women, widows and orphans found care and support. This demonstration of practical Christianity resulted in many of the women becoming Christians. But Ramabai never turned entirely away from her scholarly upbringing and, in addition to her work amongst women in need, she lectured widely on social issues and translated the Bible into the Marathi, the language of educated Hindus. She died in 1922.