LATEST
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23 APRIL 2025
St George's Day
St George of Svipi in Georgia
St George, Saint and Martyr is the Patron Saint of England.
St George is also the patron saint of many other countries and organisations.
The traditional flag of St George
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21 April 2025
EaSTer TUESday
© Photograph: Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, presides over the rite of certification of the death of Pope Francis in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta.
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21 April 2025
EaSTer MONday
HE HaS GONE HOME
At 7.35am local time the death was announced by the Vatican of
His Holiness Pope Francis.
(More about Pope Francis will be shown on the menu page below)
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20 April 2025
EaSTer day
EASTER SUNDAY EVENING
31 March 2024
Here is the account in the Holy Bible of the first Easter Evening from the Gospel according to St Luke, Chapter 24, verses 13-49.
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN!
Χριστός ἀνέστη!
Khristós Anésti!
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12.00 Noon at St Peter's Square, Rome.
His Holiness Pope Francis delivers the traditional Easter Blessing:
URBI ET ORBI
"Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!" said the Pope, before an aide read the rest of his annual Urbi et Orbi blessing and speech, which called for an end of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
"May the risen Christ grant Ukraine, devastated by war,
his Easter gift of peace, and encourage all parties involved to pursue efforts
aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace.”
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ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN!
Χριστός ἀνέστη!
Khristós Anésti!
HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!!
Ἀληθῶς ανέστη!
Alithós Anésti!
Here is the account in the Holy Bible of the first Easter Morning from the Gospel according to St John, Chapter 20, verses 1-18.
The Empty Tomb
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him,
should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
[John 3: 16]
Jesus said:
“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die."
[John 11:25-26]
A Prayer:
Lord God, the resurrection of Jesus
gives us new life and renewed hope.
Help us to live as new people
in pursuit of the Christian ideal.
Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,
the will to want to do it,
the courage to undertake it,
the perseverance to continue to do it,
and the strength to complete it.
Amen.
Christ Crucified is God’s Power and Wisdom:
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
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19 April 2025
HOLY WEEK - HOLY SATURDAY
† ‡ †
The bodies of Jesus and the two criminals had been removed and their crosses were 'empty'.
The Biblical account of first Good Friday evening and Holy Saturday:
That Friday evening Joseph of Arimathaea, a member of the Jewish Governing Council but also a follower of Jesus, asked Pilate if he might have Jesus’ body. Once Pilate had given permission, the body was taken down from the cross and wrapped in a linen sheet. Then it was laid in a tomb cut out of the rock, which Joseph had prepared for himself, and a large stone was rolled in front of it. Some of the women who had witnessed the crucifixion watched over the grave.
The Jewish leaders asked Pilate if they could protect the tomb with a guard, lest the disciples should come, steal the body and then falsely claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. Pilate agreed to their request, and the tomb was sealed and guarded.
Here is a provocative and disturbing poem entitled "The Armaments Factory Worker" composed by the young Karol Wojtyla (pronounced Woi-tee-wa), long before he became Pope John-Paul II, when he was forced to work in such a factory under the then Communist regime in Poland when it was part of the USSR. And it carries a message today to all those involved in the invasion of Ukraine and elsewhere in the world - whether they are high Political Leaders, Armed Forces Commanders, officers, non-commissioned officers or other ranks in all the Services. If War Crimes are committed all are equally guilty:
I cannot influence the fate of the globe
Do I start wars? How can I know
whether I'm for or against?
It worries me not to have influence,
that it is not I who sin.
I only turn screws, weld together
parts of destruction,
never grasping the whole,
or the human lot.
I could do otherwise (would parts be left out?)
contributing then to sacrificial toil
which no one would blot out in action
or belie in speech.
Though what I create is all wrong,
the world's evil is none of my doing.
But is that enough?
† ‡†
Ꚛ __________________ ___________ Ꚛ
18 April 2025
HOLY WEEK - GOOD FRIDAY
When I survey the wondrous cross
When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died,
my richest gain I count as loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ my God:
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.
See from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down:
did e'r such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all!
Words: Isaac Watts
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The events of the first Good Friday
During the night Jesus’ guards insulted and tormented him. They blindfolded and beat him, saying mockingly: ‘If you are a prophet, tell us who hit you’. When morning came Jesus was brought before the Jewish Governing Council, which consisted of the chief priests, elders and teachers of the Law. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.’ His reply, ‘It is you who say that I am’, was regarded as sufficient evidence for his condemnation for blasphemy. He was taken before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, and accused of claiming to be King of the Jews and thus of subverting Roman rule. After interrogating him Pilate concluded he had done nothing wrong, and was inclined to release him. When however he discovered that Jesus came from Galilee, he sent him to be judged by the ruler of that province, Herod son of Herod the Great, who happened to be in Jerusalem.
Herod had heard a great deal about Jesus and had long wanted to meet him. He questioned him at length, but Jesus refused to reply. Eventually Herod sent him back to Pilate arrayed in a gorgeous robe, thereby making up a quarrel between them.
Pilate still believed that Jesus was being falsely accused, and his wife sent him a message to the same effect. So he decided to take advantage of a custom by which a prisoner chosen by the people was released at Passover-tide. He was holding another well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas, and he asked the crowd which had gathered: ‘Which one would you like me to release - Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ The chief priests and elders had worked on the crowd, so they responded ‘Barabbas’. ‘What then am I to do with Jesus called Messiah?’ asked Pilate. The reply came repeatedly and with increasing emphasis: ‘Crucify him!’
When Pilate saw that his efforts to save Jesus were fruitless, and that there was a danger of a riot breaking out, he took water and washed his hands, saying; ‘My hands are clean of this man’s blood.’ He released Barabbas and had Jesus flogged; then he handed him over to be crucified. The soldiers made sport of him, stripping him, dressing him in a scarlet cloak, and putting a reed in his hand, like a royal sceptre, and a crown of thorns on his head.
They paid him mock homage, spat upon him, and beat him. Then they put on his clothes again, and led him away.
(see: Luke 22.63 - 23.12; Matthew 27.15 - 31)
The Crucifixion
By then Jesus was too weak to carry his cross to the place of execution, so the soldiers compelled a man named Simon from Cyrene in North Africa to carry it for him. Among the great crowd which followed him were many women, who wept for him. Jesus told them to weep for themselves and for their children because dreadful times were coming.
When they reached the place called ‘The Skull’ the soldiers crucified him and two criminals, one of them on his right and one on his left.
Jesus said: ‘Father forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.’ Above his head was an inscription saying ‘The King of the Jews’. The soldiers shared out his clothes by casting lots; they and the crowd, which included Jewish leaders, jeered at him, saying: ‘He saved other people; now let him save himself if he really is God’s chosen Messiah’. Even one of the criminals crucified with him joined in the taunting; but the other reproached him, saying: ‘We are getting what we deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong’. Then he said to Jesus: ‘Remember me when you inherit your kingdom’. Jesus replied: ‘Today you will be with me in Paradise’
From midday darkness fell until three o’clock in the afternoon. Then Jesus shouted: ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ Some of the bystanders thought he was calling upon Elijah; one of them offered him wine in a sponge held on the end of a stick, and said: ‘Let’s see if Elijah will come and help him’. Jesus then gave another loud cry and died; and at that very moment the curtain dividing the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple building was torn in two. When the Roman officer who had supervised the execution saw how Jesus had died he said: ‘This man was really God’s Son.'
The day was a Friday, the eve of the Sabbath, and the Jews were anxious that the bodies should not remain on the crosses once the Sabbath had begun. Pilate therefore agreed that the legs of the condemned men should be broken, to hasten their deaths. This was done in the cases of the two criminals but when the soldiers came to Jesus they found he was already dead. They did not break his legs, but one of them thrust a spear into his side, causing a flow of blood and water.
(see: Luke 23.26 - 43; Mark 15.33 - 39; John 19.31 - 37)
Ꚛ ______________________________________________ Ꚛ
17 April 2025
HOLY WEEK - MAUNDY THURSDAY
The word 'maundy' comes from the Latin 'mandatum' - a mandate or command - recalling that on this day in Jerusalem Jesus gave his disciples his (new) Commandment for them to obey. That they should love one another. And so should we. After this he symbolically washed their feet (as their servant) and, traditionally, the British Monarch follows this tradition, though money is given instead.
This "Royal Maundy Service" is now held in a different church each year, and the 2025 event took place at Durham Cathedral in the northeast of England.
During the service, King Charles presented two purses, one white and one red, of money to recipients being honoured for their outstanding Christian service and for contributing to the lives of people in their communities.
The white purse contained the exclusively made commemorative Maundy coins, while the red purse had a special £5 coin that marked the life of Charles’ late grandmother, the Queen Mother, and carries messages about World War II.
King Charles also released an Easter message from Buckingham Palace.
It reads:
“One of the puzzles of our humanity is how we are capable of both great cruelty and great kindness.”
The King added: “This paradox of human life runs through the Easter story and in the scenes that daily come before our eyes — at one moment, terrible images of human suffering and, in another, heroic acts in war torn countries where humanitarians of every kind risk their own lives to protect the lives of others.
“A few weeks ago, I met many such people at a reception in Buckingham Palace and felt a profound sense of admiration for their resilience, courage and compassion.
“On Maundy Thursday, Jesus knelt and washed the feet of many of those who would abandon Him.
“His humble action was a token of His love that knew no bounds or boundaries and is central to Christian belief.
“The abiding message of Easter is that God so loved the world — the whole world — that He sent His son to live among us to show us how to love one another, and to lay down His own life for others in a love that proved stronger than death.
“There are three virtues that the world still needs — faith, hope and love. ‘And the greatest of these is love’.
“It is with these timeless truths in my mind, and my heart, that I wish you all a blessed and peaceful Easter.”
Ꚛ ______________________________________________ Ꚛ
16 April 2025
HOLY WEEK - "SPY WEDNESDAY"
We don't know very much about what happened on Holy Wednesday. Most likely Jesus and his disciples prepared for Passover, which would occur on Friday. The term "Spy" refers to Judas Iscariot and how he betrayed our Lord to the Sanhedrin, the religious leaders in Jerusalem. In the New Testament St Matthew records the event thus: "Then one of the twelve - the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests and asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?' So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over." (Matthew 26: 14-16)
Ꚛ ______________________________________________ Ꚛ
PAlm SunDAY - 13 APRIL 2025
Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey, not as a warrior King but humbly, yet King of All.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
The crowd answered. "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." (Matthew 21: 10-11)
"Dennis" from Nepal - made locally
St George's Anglican Church, Lisbon, Portugal.
Photo by
The Grand Prior of Portugal, Chevalier Luciano Fernandes
with Chevalier Richard Ford being the personal representative of the Grand Prior of All Britain
during a visit to Portugal in April 2025.
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9 APRIL 2025
Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camila met
His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican.
They were deeply touched by the Pope's kind remarks about their 20th Wedding Anniversary and honoured to be able to share their best wishes to him in person.
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PASSION SunDAY - 6 APRIL 2025
1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicea (325AD)
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God;
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father,
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
and by the power of the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
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mothering SunDAY - 29 mARCH 2025
Flowers and shrubs in the Grand Prior's garden today.
As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby. (1 Peter 2: 2)
Fel rhai bychain newydd-eni, chwenychwch ddidwyll laeth y gair, fel y cynyddoch trwyddo ef. (1 Pedr 2: 2)
Mar leanaban ùra, miannachadh fìor bhainne an Fhocail, airson gum fàs sibh troimhe. (1 Peadar 2:2)
Mar naíonáin nuabheirthe, is mian leat bainne íon an Bhriathra, ionas go bhfásfaidh sibh leis sin. (1 Peadar 2: 2)
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SATURDAY 29 mARCH 2025
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made ... (Psalm 33:6)
Partial Eclipse of the Sun over Britain at about 11.00am
A series of photographs of the eclipse, as seen over Lyndhurst, Kent.
The Liver Bird, Liverpool. The Grand Prior's garden.
Monks Risborough. Weston-super-Mare.
NOTE: The next total solar eclipse visible from the UK will occur on 23rd September 2090
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25 MARCH 2025
UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAYS
The United Nations lists days to recognise events, themes and topics across the world in which the UN has a special interest - see: www.un.org/en/observances/list-days-weeks
The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 1807.
From that day on, “all manner of dealing and trading in the purchase, sale, barter, or transfer of slaves or of persons intending to be sold, transferred, used, or dealt with as slaves, practiced or carried in, at, or from any part of the coast or countries or Africa shall be abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful”.
On Tuesday 25 March 2025 at 14.00 pm GMT:
The United Nations General Assembly
convenes its annual plenary meeting to Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery etc
with keynote speaker Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature Mr. Wole Soyinka.
Watch live or on demand on UN WebTV
United Nations General
Assembly:
Plenary meeting, 79th session
International Day
of Remembrance
of Victims of
Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade
Summary
Commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade Held pursuant to General Assembly resolution A/RES/73/345 of 16 September 2019
Description
The General Assembly will convene its annual plenary meeting to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Speakers will include the President of the 79th Session of the General Assembly, His Excellency Philemon Yang; the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres; keynote speaker and Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature Mr. Wole Soyinka; youth speaker and former United States Youth Poet Laureate Ms. Salome Agbaroji; and representatives of Member States and regional groups.
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MONday 17 MARCH 2025
Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuir!
(Happy St Patrick's Day to you!)
ST Patrick's BLESSING
Go n-ardóidh an bóthar chun bualadh leat,
Go mbeannaí an
ghaoth i gcónaí ar do dhroim,
Go lonraí an ghrian te ar d'aghaidh,
Titeann an
bháisteach bog ar do ghoirt,
Agus go dtí go mbuailfimid le chéile arís,
Go
gcoinní Dia thú i dtearmann a láimhe.,
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always
at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon
your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His
hand.
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sunday 16 MARCH 2025
SECOND sunday in lent
See the page above entitled "Daily Thoughts Lent to Easter 2025"
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sunday 9 MARCH 2025
First sunday in lent
See the page above entitled "Daily Thoughts Lent to Easter 2025"
also
Fifth Anniversary of the start of the Covid-10 pandemic.
Remembrance walk along the Covid Memorial Wall in London
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4 MARCH 2025
King Charles visits the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.
His uniform is that as an honorary Admiral of the Fleet. He is wearing his Canadian decorations
Charles holds several Canadian honours that reflect his role as King of Canada and his connection to the country. These include:
Order of Canada: One of Canada's highest civilian honours, recognizing outstanding achievement and service to the nation.
Order of Military Merit: Awarded for exceptional service by members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Canadian Forces Decoration: A medal awarded for long service in the Canadian Armed Forces.
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1 MARCH 2025
DEWI SANT HAPUS DYDD!
or
DYDD gŴYL DEWI HAPUS!
Happy St David's Day
Dewi Sant - Saint David
Dyuw ein Tad
Rydych yn enw dy was Dafydd
i gynnal y ffydd Gristnogol ymhlith pobl Cymru,
i'w hannog gan ei gadw at ymprydio ac ufudd-dod,
ac i ddangos tosturi iddynt trwy weithredoedd bach o gariad mawr.
Gan fod golau yn cael ei dywallt ar y bennau'r mynyddoedd
ac fel glaw ffres yn cael ei ysgeintio ar y bryniau,
yn ein helpu i fod yn ofalwyr da o un arall
ac o Eich Creation mawr a gogoneddus.
Amen.
† ‡ †
God our Father,
You called your servant David
to uphold the Christian faith amongst the people of Wales,
to encourage them by his observance of fasting and obedience,
and to show them compassion through small acts of great love.
As light is poured onto the mountain-tops
and as fresh rain is sprinkled on the hills,
help us to be good carers of one another
and of Your great and glorious Creation.
Amen.
† ‡ †
(This prayer was written by a former Anglican Archbishop of Wales, The Most Reverend Dr Barry Morgan)
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26 FEBRUARY 2025
It was with great sadness and deep sorrow
that the death was announced today of the
Grand Prior of France, His Excellency, Michel-Marie,
Count Gaudart de Soulages.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends
and to our Brothers and Sisters of our noble Order in France.
In memoria aeterna erit iustus.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Grant him eternal rest, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
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11 FEBRUARY 2025
800th Anniversary of the issue of the 1225 Magna Carta
Today is the 800th anniversary of the issue of the 1225 Magna Carta.
After the death of King John the 1215 Magna Carta was re-issued in the name of the (young) King Henry III in 1216 and 1217. But on 11 February 1225 Henry had reached his majority and issued this revised Charter and made his personal commitment to rule in accordance with the terms set out. This has become the definitive version of Magna Carta and some of its clauses remain on the Statutes of the United Kingdom.
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6-8 FEBRUARY 2025
Tanworth in Arden
The Grand Prior paid a visit to the village of Tanworth in Arden in Warwickshire.
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27 JanUARY 2025
WORLD HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY
Today is World Holocaust Memorial Day and world and civic leaders, politicians, diplomats, presidents and royalty are gathered in Poland on this, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the first and largest of many concentration death camps which were freed by the Allies at the end of the European element of the Second World War. During that war some 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazi regime in their policy of genocide against the Jewish people.
Let us remember: “Lest we forget”.
___
Dysgn gwersi o'r gorffennol er mwyn
cren dyfodol gwell a mwy diogel
Learning lessons from the past
to create a safer, better future
We Knights Templar have reason to remember that in the 14th century Templar knights across Europe were rounded up and many killed or died in prison, all as a result of the trumped-up charges of heresy and the like brought against the Order by King Philip of France.
Today such an attempt to destroy a particular group of people on the basis of their perceived religious beliefs or practices would constitute an act of genocide.
However, and fortunately for the Order, the Pope eventually absolved the Order and its knights from the accusations. Unfortunately this was not until after the Order had been 'officially' disbanded throughout the areas of the Pope's authority.
But many knights escaped the persecution, either having fled abroad or they were already based in countries like Scotland, Switzerland or Portugal where they regrouped and survived, thus enabling the Order to emerge again and today it thrives and is growing across the world including, of course, in All Britain!
"FIRST THEY CAME"
by
Pastor Niemoller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist;
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.
A prayer for use by Christians on Holocaust Memorial Day 2025
Please invite the congregation to stand and to join in the words in bold.
God of the past, present, and future,
We remember today, 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution, and all those who have been targeted and killed in subsequent genocides.
We remember those who, having survived genocide, share their stories with us:
We give thanks to You for the lessons of human stories, both in their suffering and in their joy.
We remember those who stood up against injustice and saved lives:
We give thanks to You for their example.
Together we acknowledge the sacrifice of those that stood together with those who suffered during the Holocaust and other genocides.
And we affirm that every life is loved by You and sacred.
Yet, during the Holocaust too many failed to stand together with their neighbours. Oppression stains Your world and contradicts Your love.
So we pray that You will inspire us now as we stand together on this day in the love that we know of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us commit to remembering:
And glorify God in our words and actions.
We make these prayers in the name of Christ Jesus who through His life, death, and resurrection, journeys with us into the eternal hope of Your truth and light.
Amen.
Kindertransport - bringing children from Nazi Germany to Great Britain
Ar Ddiwrnod Cofio'r Holocost (HMD) - 27 Ionawr 2025 - fe gofiwn am y miliynau o bobl a laddwyd yn yr Holocost o dan Erledigaeth Natsiaidd, ac achosion ers hynny o hil-laddiad yn Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia a Darfur a hyd heddiw, heriwn gasineb ac erledigaeth.
On Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) - 27 January 2025 - we remember the millions of people killed in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution, and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur and challenge hatred and persecution today.
In particular Holocaust Memorial Day this year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp:
In the UK, thousands of local events and activities take place every year – each one an opportunity for people to reflect on those whose lives were changed beyond recognition, and to challenge prejudice, discrimination, and hatred in our own society today.
A prayer:
Heavenly Father,
whose many gifts include memory and empathy:
we hold in remembrance before you those many of the Jewish people
who were murdered, harmed, or displaced in the horror of Nazi persecution,
and whose communities were destroyed.
In your mercy, help us to learn to accept our differences without fear
and cleanse our hearts of all hatred.
So may every human community flourish and every home be secure,
to the advancement of your loving purposes
and the glory of your name.
Amen.
Ymddiriedolaeth Diwrnod Cofio'r Holocost yw'r elusen
sy'n hyrwyddo a chefnogi Diwrnod Cofio'r Holocost yn y DU
More information can be found about Holocaust Memorial Day
on the website of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
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18 - 25 January 2025
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The whole of this topic can easily be summed up in Jesus own words, as recorded in St John's Gospel, Chapter 17 where He prays for all believers; particularly in verses 20-21:
"My prayer is not for them [His disciple] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message [us?], That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
"That all of them may be one ... so that the world may believe that you have sent me"
It seems that we really do need to ask ourselves how it is, that even after many hundreds of years, Christian churches across the world are still talking about Christian Unity instead of just being and doing it ............
so tHat the world will Believe
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6 JanUARY 2025 : EPIPHANY
Epiphany is an ancient Christian festival and is celebrated across the world in numerous ways.
The word comes from the Greek έπιφάνεια (epiphaneia) which means the “manifestation” or the “showing forth” of Jesus to non-Jews (the Gentiles) after his incarnation (his birth).
In the Western Church we usually relate this to the arrival of the Magi (wise men) at the house where the Holy Family were living, some 2 years after the birth of Jesus.
In the Orthodox or Eastern Church the word is Theophany (θεοφάνεια)
meaning the "appearance of God".
According to the Holy Bible in the Gospel of St Matthew (Chapter 2:verse 11) the Magi offered Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Gospel account indicates that the Magi had been following a star
which led them to the house where they found Jesus, his mother Mary and Joseph:
The star which the Magi followed can remind us of the lovely Epiphany Carol
by William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898):
As with gladness, men of old
Did the guiding star behold
As with joy they hailed its light
Leading onward, beaming bright
So, most glorious Lord, may we
Evermore be led to Thee.
As with joyful steps they sped
To that lowly household bed
There to bend the knee before
Him Whom Heaven and earth adore;
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek Thy mercy seat.
As they offered gifts most rare
In that homestead plain and bare;
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King.
Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And, when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide.
In the heavenly country bright,
Need they no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down;
There forever may we sing
Alleluias to our King!
Or as the Gospel of St Matthew (Chapter 2, verse 10) puts it:
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.”
This event is re-enacted by some children:
Epiphany can also represent the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt
in order to escape Herod's anger and the murder of boys under 2 years in Bethlehem:
In Eastern churches, Epiphany usually celebrates the baptism of Jesus by St John the Baptist,
in the River Jordan:
Alternatively it also commemorates Jesus' first miracle at the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee,
where he turned jars of water into high quality wine:
All of these celebrations and images seek to illustrate 'Epiphany'
'the showing forth' or 'revelation' of Jesus to non-Jews (that is, the Gentiles) -
on various occasions during His life.
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NEW YEAR'S DAY
1 JANUARY 2025
A Franciscan Benediction
Attributed to the earliest followers of St Francis
May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
and turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world,
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen.
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NEW yEAR'S EVE
31 DECEMBER 2024
OUR FIRST THOUGHTS MIGHT BE FROM ....
Minnie Louise Haskins' poem which as Princess Elizabeth, Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, gave to her father, the late King George VI, to say during his Christmas broadcast in 1939:
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied:
"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way."
(So I went forth, and finding the hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.)
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The First Sunday after Christmas - 29 December 2024
A Gathering prayer:
As we come together pause for a moment in silence to draw close to the presence of God.
Prayer of Confession:
For the times when we do not draw close to You
Father, forgive us
For the times when we do not see You at work in our lives
Father, forgive us
For the times when we fail to acknowledge Your sovereign authority
Father, forgive us
For the times when we place ourselves at the centre
Father, forgive us.
Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Emmanuel; God with us.
We thank You for Your presence in our lives
For walking with us in the everyday
For standing with us in times of pain and loneliness
For celebrating with us; the times of joy.
Amen.
Prayer for Others:
In your own words or thoughts take the opportunity today to pray for children and young people, as is appropriate to your context. This may be for children within your church or chapel community; for those connected; grandchildren and neighbours; or for those children and young people within your local community who your church or chapel can reach out to and serve.
Blessing / Closing prayer:
The Lord Bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn His face toward you
and give you peace.
Amen.
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THE FEAST DAY OF ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
27 DECEMBER 2024
One of special days (a Feast Day) which the Order observes is that of Saint John, the Apostle and Evangelist.
In the first extract from the Holy Bible below we read St John's own account of his encounter with Jesus. The second piece is from St John's Gospel. St John is sometimes depicted as an eagle and similarly used in church lecterns to hold the Bible - carrying the Word of God across the world.
The Epistle
1 St. John 1.1-end
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all un-righteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The Gospel
St. John 21.19-end
Jesus said unto Peter, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, That that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose, that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.
A Prayer
Merciful Lord, we beseech thee
to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church,
that, it being enlightened by the doctrine
of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John,
may so walk in the light of thy truth,
that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Christmas Message from King Charles
"Earlier this year, as we commemorated the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, The Queen and I had the enormous privilege of meeting, once again, the remarkable veterans of that very special generation who gave of themselves so courageously, on behalf of us all. Listening to these once-young Service men and women touched us deeply as they spoke of their comrades, drawn from across the Commonwealth, who never returned and who now rest peacefully where they made the ultimate sacrifice.
"Their example of service and selflessness continues to inspire, across the generations. During previous commemorations we were able to console ourselves with the thought that these tragic events seldom happen in the modern era.
"But, on this Christmas Day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict - in the Middle East, in Central Europe, in Africa and elsewhere - pose a daily threat to so many people’s lives and livelihoods.
"We also think of the humanitarian organisations working tirelessly to bring vital relief.
"After all, the Gospels speak so vividly of conflict and teach the values with which we can overcome it.
"The example that Jesus gave us is timeless and universal. It is to enter the world of those who suffer, to make a difference to their lives and so bring hope where there is despair.
"As the famous Christmas Carol, ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ reminds us, ‘Our Saviour holy’ ‘came down to Earth from Heaven’, lived among ‘the poor and mean and lowly’ and transformed the lives of those he met, through God’s ‘redeeming love’.
"That is the heart of the Nativity Story and we can hear its beat in the belief of all the great Faiths in the love and mercy of God in times of joy and of suffering, calling us to bring light where there is darkness.
"All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical. The degree to which we help one another – and draw support from each other, be we people of Faith or of none - is a measure of our civilisation as Nations. This is what continually impresses me, as my Family and I meet with, and listen to, those who dedicate their lives to helping others.
"I am speaking to you today from the Chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in London – now itself a vibrant Community space – and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals and volunteers here in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart, care for others - often at some cost to themselves.
"From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my Family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed.
"I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement. On our recent visit to the South Pacific to attend the Commonwealth Summit, I was reminded constantly of the strength which institutions, as well as individuals, can draw from one another. And of how diversity of culture, ethnicity and Faith provides strength, not weakness.
"Across the Commonwealth, we are held together by a willingness to listen to each other, to learn from one another and to find just how much we have in common.
"Because, through listening, we learn to respect our differences, to defeat prejudice, and to open up new possibilities. I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom when, in response to anger and lawlessness in several towns this Summer, communities came together, not to repeat these behaviours but to repair.
"To repair not just buildings, but relationships. And, most importantly, to repair trust; by listening and, through understanding, deciding how to act for the good of all.
"Again, listening is a recurrent theme of the Nativity Story. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, listened to the Angel who revealed to her a different future full of hope for all people.
"The message of the Angels to the shepherds - that there should be peace on Earth - in fact echoes through all Faiths and philosophies. It rings true to this day for people of goodwill across the world.
"And so it is with this in mind that I wish you, and all those you love, a most joyful and peaceful Christmas."
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At this most Holy and Joyful Christmas time we sent our very Best Wishes and Blessings to all of the
Templar Knights and Dames of the Order of the Temple of Jerusalem throughout the world
and to the hundreds of others who visit these pages on a daily basis.
God is merciful and full of grace, and, "when the time was right" He entered His own creation and was born as Jesus in Bethlehem. Hymn writer and Congregational Church Minister Isaac Watts (1674-1748) makes the direct connection between the coming of Jesus and a new beginning to restore and establish His Kingdom again. Jesus is the Life-giver, who brings "joy to the world", a light where there is darkness, growth where there is decay so that we, along with all Creation, can sing this lovely song of praise:
Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King:
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the world! The Saviour reigns!
Let all their songs employ:
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.
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In the Holy Bible, the Gospel of St John tells us who the Babe at Bethlehem is - none other than Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, the Creator and Lord of All .....
John 1: 1 ─ 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as receive Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
A Blessing
May God
(the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - Ever and Only One)
bless, preserve and keep you safe
in His Love and Care today
and in the New Year ahead
Amen.
‡ The Grand Prior of All Britain
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on Christmas Eve at the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
BEFORE CHRISTMAS : 22-23 DECEMBER 2024
A message from the Grand Prior and Spiritual Protector of the
Grand Priory of Wales and the Grand Priory of England,
together with our new groups in Northern Ireland and Scotland which form the
Knights Templar of the Grand Priory of All Britain.
In the holy Name of the Lord Jesus: Greetings, dear brothers
and sisters.
The Advent season is coming to an
end and we prepare again to celebrate the ancient, yet always new, Christmas
story which St Luke tells us about in his Gospel (Luke 2:14) and which The Revd
Charles Wesley gave us in his famous carol "Hark! how all the Welkin
(heaven) rings; Glory to the King of Kings".
I realise that we normally sing The Revd George Whitefield's modification "Hark! The Herald Angels sing: 'Glory to the new-born King'."
BUT the Gospel actually reads that the "multitude of the heavenly host" were "praising God and saying. 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men'.” So Wesley was somewhat nearer to the angel's message.
However, a few verses earlier St Luke tells us that the announcement, made to the shepherds by the angel, of "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people," was that "born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
These are all familiar words from the Bible and/or our carol sheets but I would invite you to look carefully at these Bible words, the message and the promise.
At this time of the year we see a lot about a baby in a crib and about animals in a stable and schools show us children dressed as angels (or sheep) and the television abounds with mince pies, turkeys and tinsel.
BUT the Gospel stresses that the 'arrival' was of a Saviour, not a Christmas tree! Indeed the prophecy in Isaiah 9: 6-7 was being fulfilled:
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
This was NOT the arrival of a Santa Claus with a sack of goodies.
Hopefully you and I, as Christians, know these facts but, frankly, the secular world which wants us to “spend, spend, spend” can so easily dominate our lives ….. . For example, I saw an advert on the television recently suggesting that pet owners should buy their animals a cuddly toy as a Christmas present! I don’t have a pet at present, though my wife and I did take in a stray cat some years ago, so I don’t necessarily disapprove of pets having ‘things’ but our cat seemed quite content with a ball of string to pat around the room. We didn’t have to purchase him an expensive musical, green mouse-looking ‘toy’ because it was Christmas!
I don’t want to appear to be a ‘kill-joy’ or being accused of not entering into the “spirit of the season”. But let’s remember that on that first Christmas Day it was God Almighty who came, entering His own creation, and not as a spirit but as one of us.
St John puts it very clearly in his Gospel account (John 1: 14):
“And the Word [Jesus] was made flesh [human] and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
A fellow Minister of the Gospel (he was actually my ‘Best Man’, when my wife and I married) pointed out to me that a literal translation of this passage – his knowledge of Greek being better than mine – could render the first few words of this verse as:
“And the Word was made flesh and pitched his tent among us,”
No doubt that would have been very relevant to a pastoral community of the first century. But I venture to suggest that today it still has meaning – that our lives and possessions here are only in a temporary camp. Our Saviour, Jesus, asks us to follow him, all the way to heaven, since we are already its citizens and he has prepared a permanent home for us there. And so, surely, that’s the reason why Charles Wesley wrote:
“Hark! how all the Welkin rings; Glory to the King of Kings".
I pray that you all have a very Happy Christmas,
God Bless you and all whom you love.
Graham.
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SATURDAY - 7 DECEMBER 2024
After the fire on 15 April 2029, today, after a little over 5 years France has seen Notre Dame rise again over the Paris skyline.
ALSO REMEMBERING 15 APRIL 2019
The news on 15 April 2019 was dominated by a fire which had destroyed large parts of the great Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris:
It has been many years since such an extensive fire has engulfed a British cathedral. But it does bring to mind the Great Fire of London which destroyed the old St Paul's Cathedral in 1666. When Sir Christopher Wren visited the site prior to considering how to rebuild it he asked a workman to bring him a bit of stone. The workman picked up the first piece which came to hand. On it was inscribed one word in Latin: "Resurgam" - "May I rise again". Duly St Paul's, as we know it today, took 35 years to complete.
However, we remember that Jesus predicted his fall (John 12: 20-38) and we have the advantage of knowing that Jesus had his own 'resurgam' to come and that on that first Easter day Jesus duly 'rose again'.
So we must also remember that no matter how many times a building in an Earthly city may be rebuilt, in the end it will fall to dust.
But we Christians are citizens of heaven; we have an Eternal City in which to dwell forever.
A prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ as we follow your teachings here on earth;
We pray that when we return to dust you will receive us safely in heaven.
Amen.
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As a matter of interest we Knights Templar have many connections with Notre Dame. The Third Crusade started from there. And each March, on the island just below the cathedral, hundreds of Templar Knights and Dames assemble to commemorate the execution and martyrdom of our last medieval Grand Master, Jacques de Molay. Here are 3 of our group standing below the commemorative plaque in March 2018:
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STORM DARRAGH
SATURDAY - 7 DECEMBER 2024
Storm Darragh battered much of the United Kingdom and especially in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the west of Wales. Winds reached 93mph in north Wales and there were widespread power cuts, trees blown over, some roofs blown off, transport disruption and air ports closed.
Our members reported wild winds and heavy rain with many cultural events cancelled.
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FRIDAY - 6 DECEMBER 2024
Details shortly
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ADVENT
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13
ADVENT SUNDAY - 1 DECEMBER 2024
Historically purple is the main colour used for Advent because it reflects penitence, fasting, and the colour of royalty as we welcome the Advent of the King of All - Jesus Christ. The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ at his first Advent, and the anticipation of the future return of Christ the King on his second Advent.
Advent wreaths are symbolic of Advent in some countries. They are usually made of fir and decorated with gold and silver ribbons or scarlet woollen threads. Lit wreaths may be displayed on the table where family and friends sit while singing carols and preparing handmade gifts.
A Prayer for Advent
Lord, thou hast given us thy Word for a light to shine upon our path;
grant us so to meditate on that Word, and to follow its teaching,
that we may find in it the light that shines more and more
until the perfect day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(St. Jerome, c 342 - 420)
Advent. The eternal theme is one of light in the darkness.
Imagine for a moment, the world just before the birth of Christ; a world that was dark, in need of salvation, a world that was lost and believed in its own righteousness, a world of empires and of human laws.
The Light arrived in the most inauspicious of circumstances, born to a carpenter and his bride-to-be in a stable in Bethlehem. This event was largely ignored by the human world at the time but let’s not rush ahead. Advent is a special season in which we look at the events that led to the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
The first candle is a candle of hope; the hope that those early prophets such as Daniel and Samuel had in God, the faith that they held, knowing the Holy Spirit would move, and bring a new possibility, a new way, a change for good, a hope that in this moment things would never be the same again.
And so we can light candles in Advent:
We hold that hope of change, especially at this time of wars, economic uncertainty and increasing secularisation. But there is good news, we can be hope-givers to a weary and hurting world. We can share our hope so that others are liberated and can also walk free from chains of despair, or addiction, or fear. We have that faith that God will send the Holy Spirit, His Light upon us.
And so we pray:
Creator God, who saw a world in darkness. And when you saw your people losing hope, you kindled the flame within them and sent hope to the world that was not an empty hope but a hope that has moved through your people and that has touched the hearts of many ─ the hope that we can bring and live out, that we can inspire others and bring your kingdom closer. Amen.
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30 NOVEMBER 2024
St Andrew's Day
Our Templar members from and in Scotland
send warm and hearty Greetings
to fellow Knights and Dames wherever they reside.
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St Michael & All Angels in Llantarnam.
SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2024
Christmas Pudding Sunday?
At this time of the year some people ask why it is that this particular Sunday is occasionally referred to as "Christmas Pudding Sunday". The very simple answer is that in those churches which still use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer the 'Collect' [the introductory prayer to the Sunday Service] for the day was this:
Taken from a 1701 Book of Common Prayer printed by the Oxford University Press:
The words "Stir up O Lord ... " inspired mothers and others to invite members of their family to join in making the annual Christmas Pudding by stirring the pudding mixture - usually in a large bowl on the kitchen table. Children were often invited to make a 'wish' - possibly related to what Christmas present they would like 'Santa Claus' to bring them for Christmas.
Hence an alternative name was to call the day "Stir up Sunday".
Meanwhile it is perhaps interesting to note that no matter how many Sundays had passed since the earlier Trinity Sunday (always more than 20), the Sunday before Advent Sunday, which could have been the 25th Sunday after Trinity, was always designated the Sunday in which this prayer was used. It's as if no one wanted to miss out on the opportunity to make a Christmas wish!
Today is also a Celebration of Christ the King
Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world"
(John 18:36)
As Christian people we Templar Knights and Dames of the Order of the Temple of Jerusalem are, already, citizens of Christ's kingdom. And so daily we pray in the words Jesus gave us: "Thy kingdom come on earth as it is (already) in heaven". So we need have no fear of temporary earthy dictators, nor even rulers by conquest, election or inheritance. These are only 'in charge' for a while. Others will come and will also go. But the Kingdom of God is eternal. Rejoice therefore and be glad !
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19 and 23 NOVEMBER 2024
The first snow of winter 2024
Tuesday 19 November 2024
Antony Gormley's Angel of the North on Saturday 23 November 2024
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10 NOVEMBER 2024
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
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REmembrance-tide : november 2024
† ‡ †
A Prayer for the Fallen
Remember, O Lord
all those who have died the death of honour and
are departed in the hope of resurrection to Eternal Life,
especially the Officers, Men and Women
of our Sea, Land and, Air Forces,
to whom it was given to lay down their lives
for the cause of Freedom and Justice.
In your heavenly place of Light,
where pain, sorrow, tears and mourning are no more,
give them rest, O Lord, the Lover of all people.
Grant this for Jesus Christ’s sake.
Amen.
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In memoria aeterna erit iustus.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
The just shall be in everlasting remembrance.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
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Friday 1 November 2024
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you -
the riches of his glorious inheritance in his saints
[Ephesians 1: 18]
The well-known hymn "For all the saints" is a favourite with Templars.
It expresses our hope and trust in the future and
calls upon us to follow the example of our forebears:
1 For all the saints who from their labours rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
2 Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
3 O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
and win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
4 O blest communion, fellowship divine,
we feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
5 And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
6 The golden evening brightens in the west;
soon, soon to faithful warrior cometh rest;
sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
7 But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
the saints triumphant rise in bright array;
the King of glory passes on his way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
8 From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Words: William Walsham How (1864)
Tune (Sine Nomine): Ralph Vaughan Williams (1906)
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13 October 2024
Friday 13 October 1307 is a day that will live in infamy in the history of the Knights Templar.
Founded around 1118 as a semi-monastic-style military order devoted to the protection of pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land following the Christian capture of Jerusalem in 1099 during the First Crusade, the Knights Templar quickly became one of the richest and most influential groups of the Middle Ages, thanks to lavish donations from the crowned heads of Europe, eager to curry favour with these fierce Knights. By the turn of the 14th century, the Templars had established a system of castles, churches and 'banking-like' arrangements throughout Western Europe. And it was this astonishing wealth that would lead to their downfall. For the Templars, that end began in the early morning hours of Friday, 13 October 1307. In the days and weeks that followed that fateful Friday, more than 600 Templars were arrested, including Grand Master Jacques de Molay, and the Order’s Treasurer. But while some of the highest-ranking members were caught up in the net of the French King Philip IV ("the Fair"), so too were hundreds of non-warriors; middle-aged men who managed the day-to-day banking and farming activities that kept the organization humming. The men were charged with a wide array of offenses including heresy, devil worship and spitting on the cross, homosexuality, fraud and financial corruption. Many were tortured and some died.
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In memoria aeterna erit iustus.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
The just shall be in everlasting remembrance.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them,
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But today the Order lives on throughout the world and we, in the Grand Priory of All Britain, are open to welcome into membership committed Christian men and and women who are willing to pray and work together for the wholesome good of all peoples, everywhere.
If you are interested do please get in touch via our "Contact Us" form (lower down of the menu). Please state whereabouts you normally reside.
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INVESTITURES
Our most recent Investitures were on 14 September 2024 at Brecon Cathedral in South Wales and Wivenhoe in Essex, England on 12 October 2024. Photos from these events will be posted here in due course.
Our next Investiture will be in Spring 2025.
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Meanwhile on an entirely different matter we have been asked to confirm (August 2024) that we have no connection whatsoever with an American organisation going under the name of the "Knights Templar Church". We know nothing about this organisation and, in any case, .....
We are NOT a church!
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Further clarification previously issued:
Information published on behalf of the Grand Magistral Council
OTJ – v – OSMTJ
20 May 2023
The Name “L’Ordre du
Temple de Jerusalem”
Many Templars have asked why we have changed the name of the Order.
We have not changed the name of
the Order; we have simply registered it under its historical provenance.
The name, “Sovereign and Military
Order of the Temple of Jerusalem” (OSMTJ) and its many translated versions, is
not original or ancient.
We don’t really know the true
founding name of the Order (presumably something related to The Poor Knights of
Christ).
As best we know, the OSMTJ name
first appeared in Belgium around 1932 when the Belgium Templar association was
registered under that name.
All honors afforded to the Order
by the Emperor Napoleon and others were not to an entity named OSMTJ. They were to an Order of the Temple.
Furthermore, the name OSMTJ was
never registered as an international organization. This lack of international registration of
the Order prevented several activities of the Order, especially affiliation
with the United Nations and other international groups where one of the first
questions asked in the affiliation process is “where is the Order registered?” Consequently, registration was long overdue.
Unfortunately, the name OSMTJ is
no longer an honored name:
Is it: the OSMTJ of the Hastier-Haimovici obedience,
the obedience of the Van der Stock obedience,
the OSMTJ obedience of the Martinez obedience,
the obedience of the Timothy Jones group,
the OSMTJ of the Matta obedience, or
the OSMTJ of the Mangum obedience?
Games played in the past several
years have destroyed the sanctity of our Order’s name.
We do know that through the
centuries the Order was simply referred to as the Order of the Temple. Some radical groups, such as the Freemasons
and the Solar Temple, copied and exploited that name. Consequently, we have returned to the
historically correct name of the Order – The Order of the Temple or L’Ordre du
Temple, with the addition of “de Jerusalem” to clarify our distinction from
radical temple groups.
Therefore, the name of the Order
has returned to its historical provenance, L’Ordre du Temple de Jerusalem.
National subgroups of the Order
may continue to use the OSMTJ name, but at the international level, the Order
is L’Ordre du Temple de Jerusalem or simply The Order of the Temple.
(signed) General Ronald Scott Mangum, Master.
Note: The name of the Order, as registered in the official Belgium Gazette, is given as the “Ordre du Temple de Jérusalem”. Therefore, in the Grand Priory of All Britain, we shall henceforth refer to the Order as the “Ordre du Temple de Jérusalem” and this was duly registered in England and Wales in 2024. (Grand Prior)
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15 August 2024
V.J. DAY
End of World War II : Victory over Japan
Burma Star Medal Veterans Badge Pacific Star Medal
When you get home, tell them from us and say:
"For your tomorrow, we gave our today"
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ARMED FORCES DAY : 29 JUNE 2024
We have numerous Knights and Dames serving with or veterans of UK Armed Forces and we support and encourage them EVERY day and not just on Armed Forces Day each year.
GOD SAVE THE KING
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25 JUNE 2024
HRH THE PRINCESS Royal
We are deeply concerned to hear that Princess Anne has been injured and taken into hospital.
We have send a message to Her Royal Highness expressing our support for her swift recovery and we pray for her return to her exemplary service to the Crown and Country.
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KATE : HRH THe Princess of WALes
27 March & 14 June 2024
The Princess made it known that she was
receiving treatment for cancer.
The Princess announced that she would be attending the 'Trooping the Colour' (tomorrow) - 15 June 2024.
"I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days."
"On those bad days you feel weak, tired have to give in to your body resting.
But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well"
"My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months."
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D-DAY 80 : 6 june 2024
We Knights Templar, including many of our veteran membership, commend to God all those men and women who planned and took part in this momentous event which set the scene for the final defeat of the Nazi tyranny which had threatened to destroy civilisation and our -
FREEDOM
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TRINITY SUNDAY - 26 May 2024
The celebration of the Holy Trinity on this important Christian festival day is best summed up in the words of the great hymn: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty":
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
Which wert and art and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity.
The writer of this hymn, Reginald Heber (1783-1826), was born into a wealthy, educated family. He was a bright youth, translating a Latin classic into English verse by the time he was seven and entering Oxford University at 17. He won two awards for his poetry during his time there. After graduation he became rector of his father's church in the village of Hodnet near Shrewsbury in the west of England where he remained for 16 years. He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 and worked there tirelessly for three years until the weather and travel took its toll on his health and he died of a stroke. Most of his 57 hymns, which include "Holy, Holy, Holy," are still in use today.
The usual tune, NICAEA, is named after the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325), convened in the town of Nicaea in Bithynia, at which church leaders formulated a consensus of belief and practice amongst Christians concerning the doctrine of the Trinity in order to oppose the heresies of Arius. The result was the well-known Nicene Creed, a document passed down through the ages as one of the pillars of church doctrine. The primary function of this creed was to establish a firm belief in the Trinity, countering Arius, who believed that Jesus was not fully divine and was neither the Creator of all things, nor “being of one substance with the Father …”, as the creed puts it so neatly.
The Nicene Creed inspired Reginald Heber to write this great hymn of praise to the Triune God, with the intent that the hymn be sung before or after the creed was recited in church services, and especially on Trinity Sunday – eight weeks after Easter.
The tune for this hymn is one of the finest composed by John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876) in recognition of Heber's text. The words evoke a sense of awe at the majesty of God and call on all of creation - humans, saints and angels and all living things - to praise the non-divisibility unity of God, three-in-one and one-in-three.
New Knights and Dames, seeking to be admitted to the Grand Priory of All Britain at their Investiture, recite the Nicene Creed before kneeling to receive the accolade on behalf of the Grand Master.
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PENTECOST - 19 May 2024
The celebration of Pentecost is regarded as the Birthday of the Church. The first 'Christian' Pentecost is recorded in the New Testament in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2.
The lesson for the Church in the 21st Century is that the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit enabled the early church to develop and grow and the result was that God blessed their work: "And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved" - as the last verse of Chapter 2 puts it. And as Jesus put it "Go and do thou likewise".
The hymn "Breathe on me, Breath of God" beautifully expresses these sentiments:
The text is a prayer for renewal by God's Spirit, a renewal that is to be expressed in a life of love (verse 1), in purity of heart and will (verse 2), and an intimacy with God that heralds the perfection of Eternal Life (verses 3 and 4). In both Hebrew and Greek the Word for "spirit" is the same as "wind/air/breath"; so here the Spirit of God is referred to as the "Breath of God".
It was written by Edwin Hatch (born in Derby, England in 1835), printed privately in 1878 and then published in Henry Allon's "The Congregational Psalmist Hymnal" in 1886.
Hatch was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford but subsequently taught at Trinity College in Toronto, Canada (1859-1862) and at a high school in Quebec City (1862-1867). He died in England in 1889.
(For the Scripture references see also: Ezekiel 36:27, Joel 2:28, John 20:22)
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10 & 11 MAY 2024
AURORA BOREALIS (NORTHERN LIGHTS)
&
SUNSPOTS
A massive sunspot at 10.15 on 10 May 2024
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A selection of Aurora Borealis photographs taken by our Knights and Dames:
Seen above Turriff, Aberdeenshire
Seen above Turriff, Aberdeenshire Like an angel over Turriff
Turriff, Aberdeenshire
Felixstowe, Suffolk
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9 MAY 2024
ASCENSION DAY
The Ascension - Being witnesses of Christ
Today we celebrate the Ascension to heaven of the Lord Jesus. This is when Our Lord and Saviour, after having finished his ministry here on earth, until he comes again in glory, returned to His Father in Heaven. Let us look at what God's word in the Holy Gospel is telling us today:
Mark 16:15-20 (NIV)
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
The Gospel today seems to be focused more upon the apostles going out and spreading the Holy Gospel, than it does about Jesus going up to The Father. As Jesus goes to his Father, the message to us is that we all must take over the spreading of Our Lord's Gospel now, and that we need to be witnesses to him. We are all called to share that which we have received, and to speak of what we have seen and heard.
We witness to Jesus in our lives in many ways. This includes by prayer, by reading and spreading the Gospel and in our service to others with Christ’s love. Prayer is our time to be in personal touch with God who is constantly reaching out to us. The Gospel feeds our souls, our minds, and our spirits. It is a daily opening to the true words and deeds of Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour. Our service in The Love of Christ to others, brings us to witness in the true way; the care of God as we give and receive care for each other.
NEW PRESENCE: This is what we give to our ascended Lord and is also what we receive from him. The Word of God is the divine word of truth and salvation, spoken in our human words. All of our time in prayer with God is the linking of heaven and of earth, and we are each sharers in his divinity as we are in Jesus and Jesus is also in us. He has shared in our humanity. Far from being the absence of Jesus, it is his presence in a new way among us.
Indeed, Our Lord Jesus has gone back to The Father to make a heavenly place for us, and will return in Glory to bring us home. Until then, we are all called to continue our Lord's ministry here upon the earth. We are, as it seems, the only 'Jesus' that now can be seen, through our witnessing of him in our lives to others.
Are you being a true witness of Christ in your life?
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus Christ, before your Ascension into heaven you told your apostles to be your witnesses to the ends of the earth upon receiving the Holy Spirit. May we be similarly inspired to spread your Gospel message in word and deed, according to your will for us. And may we do so prudently and joyfully, with your help, your guidance, and your grace! And remembering this glorious event, help us to seek what is above - Heaven - where you are to be seated at the right hand of God the Father!
Amen.
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25 APRIL 2024
ANZAC DAY
Rosemary for Remembrance
Anzac Day commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died
in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations and
the contribution and suffering of all those who have served.
We Templars of All Britain remember and honour all these brave men and women.
Their devotion to the fight for Freedom and the Rule of Law
will never be forgotten.
Thank you.
Australia New Zealand
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8 APRIL 2024
"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands"
[Psalm 19: 1]
Total eclipse of the sun seen across North America:
Photo from NASA
New Moon seen across Britain:
Photo from the Grand Prior's garden
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EASTER SUNDAY EVENING
31 March 2024
Here is the account in the Holy Bible of the first Easter Evening from the Gospel according to St Luke, Chapter 24, verses 13-49.
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN!
Χριστός ἀνέστη!
Khristós Anésti!
HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!!
Alithós Anésti!
† ‡ †
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28 March 2024
HOLY WEEK - MAUNDY THURSDAY
The word 'maundy' comes from the Latin 'mandatum' - a mandate or command - recalling that on this day in Jerusalem Jesus gave his disciples his (new) Commandment for them to obey. And so should we. After this he symbolically washed their feet (as their servant) and, traditionally, the British Monarch follows this tradition. This year Queen Camilla attended the Service in Worcester Cathedral on behalf of King Charles where, instead of actually washing the feet of anyone she gave purses of special money (called Maundy Money, of course) to 150 elderly men and women (one for each 75 years of the King's age).
The Queen at the Royal Maunday Service
© Chris Jackson/Getty Images
In a pre-recorded message to the congregation -
His Majesty said:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is, for me, a great sadness that I cannot be with you all today. The Maundy Service has a very special place in my heart. It has its origin in the life of Our Lord who knelt before his disciples and, to their great surprise, washed their travel-weary feet.
"And, as we have just heard, in doing so he deliberately gave to them and to us all an example of how we should serve and care for each other. In this country we are blessed by all the different services that exist for our welfare. But over and above these organisations and their selfless staff, we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need.
"The 150 men and women who have been chosen today to receive the Maundy money from my wife are wonderful examples of such kindness; of going way beyond the call of duty and of giving so much of their lives to the service of others in their communities. The act of worship, here in Worcester Cathedral, reminds me of the pledge I made at the beginning of the coronation service – to follow Christ’s example ‘not to be served but to serve’. That I have always tried to do and continue to do, with my whole heart.
“It is my special prayer today that Our Lord's example of serving one another might continue to inspire us and to strengthen all our communities.
“May God bless you all this Easter."
The biblical text of this New Commandment is in St John's Gospel (Chapter 13, verses 34-35):
34 Mandatum novum do vobis: ut diligatis invicem: sicut dilexi vos, ut et vos diligatis invicem.
35 In hoc cognoscent omnes quia discipuli mei estis, si dilectionem habueritis ad invicem. Ioannes 13: 34-35 (Biblia Sacra Vulgata [The Vulgate])
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 13: 34-35 (Authorised Version [King James Version])
34 Gorchymyn newydd yr wyf yn ei roddi i chwi, Ar garu ohonoch eich gilydd; fel y cerais i chwi, garu ohonoch chwithau bawb eich gilydd.
35 Wrth hyn y gwybydd pawb mai disgyblion i mi ydych, os bydd gennych gariad i’ch gilydd.
Ioan 13:34-35 (Beibl William Morgan [Welsh])
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24 MARCH 2024
PALM SUNDAY
A passage from the Holy Bible, St Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 21, verses 1 - 11 which echoes what the Old Testament prophet Zechariah declared would be the manner in which the future King would arrive.
(see Zechariah Chapter 9, verse 9)
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds tha went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”The view from the Chapel of Dominus Flevit ("Jesus wept") on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem.
The golden dome to the left of the cross is the 'Dome of the Rock' built on the site of the Temple destroyed by the Romans and just in front with the blue dome is the building given to the "Poor Soldiers of Christ" who therefore became the Knights Templar. To the immediate right of the cross but partly hidden by the horizonal bar is another blue dome. This is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of the Crucifixion of Jesus.
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20 MARCH 2024
SPRING EQUINOX or VERNAL EQUINOX
The word Equinox is made up from two Latin words: "equi" (= equal) and "nox (= night) and simply refers to the fact that on this day the length of daylight is the same as night (12 hours). The alternative, Vernal, is also from the Latin - "vernus" (= of Spring) and infers 'fresh and new'.
Vernal Equinox sunrise at Stonehenge:
Apple Blossom in the Grand's Prior's Garden
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18 MARCH 2024
710th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARTYRDOM (1314)
OF
jAMES OF mOLAY
(Jacques de Molay - the 23rd and last Mediaeval Grand Master)
(Paris, France - 18 March 1314)
Over the weekend 9 - 11 March 2018 nearly 700 Knights & Dames from 70 countries from all across the world gathered together in Paris, France, to celebrate the start of the 900th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Order in Jerusalem in 1118.
We were also there to Commemorate the Anniversary of the Martyrdom
in Paris in 1314 of Jacques de Molay, the last mediaeval Grand Master.
Five Knights and Dames of the Grand Priory of Wales attended the events.
(left to right: Chevalier Ormond; the present Grand Prior Graham; Dame Phoebe)
The Grand Prior of All Britain humbly suggests that each year, on the 18th March - the anniversary of the execution and martyrdom of the last mediaeval Grand Master (Jacques de Molay) in Paris in 1314 - and on Holy Saturday (the day following Good Friday and before Easter Sunday), each Knight, Dame, Esquire and Demoiselle should read The Rule of the Poor Knighthood of the Temple which forms part of The Primitive Rule of the Knights Templar.
This can be found on the next page on this website entitled: "Templars' History" (opposite, left) as the first sub-page there and shown as: "The Templars' Primitive Rule".
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St Patrick's Day
17 MARCH 2024
Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuir!
(Happy St Patrick's Day to you!)
ST PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation
of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of
Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with
His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with
His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the
Judgement Day.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto
reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today
God’s Power to guide me,
God’s Might to uphold me,
God’s Wisdom to teach me,
God’s Eye to watch over me,
God’s Ear to hear me,
God’s Word to give me speech,
God’s Hand to guide me,
God’s Way to lie before me,
God’s Shield to shelter me,
God’s Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury
to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false
prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of evil people,
Against every knowledge that binds
the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against
burning,
Against drowning, against
death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my
left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ on the deck,
Christ in the heart of everyone who
thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who
speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of
the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
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8 march 2024
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
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SUNDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2024
Graduations at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff
We are delighted to send our whole-hearted congratulations to husband and wife, Chevalier Keiron and Dame Ceri-Ann, on the award of their Batchelor of Theology (BTh) degrees. Both are currently in training for ministry in the Church in Wales and we look forward to their ordinations in due course. Very well-done!
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SHROVE TUESDAY - 13 FEBRUARY 2024
The World-famous Olney Pancake Race
(Olney, Buckinghamshire, England)
Firstly Recorded in 1445
Warm Up Stand By
Get Ready Get Steady
Underway
Not Far To Go The Winner All Done
SHROVE TUESDAY - 13 FEBRUARY 2024
"The heavens declare the glory of God"
Two evening views from the Grand Prior's garden
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SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2024
His Majesty the King has expressed his thanks to the hundreds and thousands of people who have sent messages to him since he was diagnosed with cancer. He wrote:
"As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kinds thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement."
"It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world."
King Charles concluded:
"My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience."
Queen Camilla said that the King was:
"very touched by all the letters and messages the public have been sending from everywhere ."
She added that the support had been:
"very cheering."
l
The King and Queen attending church at Sandringham today
Ꚛ We Knights Templar continue to pray for His Majesty and all the Royal Family Ꚛ
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18.05 : 5 FEBRUARY 2024
It was announced at 18.00 today that
His Majesty King Charles III
has been diagnosed with a form of cancer,
We Knights Templar send our very best wishes to His Majesty and we pray that God will protect and care for him and his family and will send one of his holy angels to stand beside them and assist in bringing about a satisfactory and early end to this most distressing news.
GOD SAVE THE KING
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27 January 2024
DIWRNOD COFIO'R HOLOCOST
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY
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sunday 9 MARCH 2025
commonwealth day
Members of the Royal Family attend the colourful
Annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey
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The Royal Maundy Service is now held in a different church each year, and the 2025 event took place at Durham Cathedral in the northeast of England.
During the service, King Charles presented two purses, one white and one red, of money to recipients being honoured for their outstanding Christian service and for contributing to the lives of people in their communities. The white purse contained the exclusively made commemorative Maundy coins, while the red purse had a special £5 coin that marked the life of Charles’ late grandmother, the Queen Mother, and carries messages about World War II.
King Charles also released an Easter message from Buckingham Palace.
It reads:
“One of the puzzles of our humanity is how we are capable of both great cruelty and great kindness.”
The King added: “This paradox of human life runs through the Easter story and in the scenes that daily come before our eyes — at one moment, terrible images of human suffering and, in another, heroic acts in war torn countries where humanitarians of every kind risk their own lives to protect the lives of others.
“A few weeks ago, I met many such people at a reception in Buckingham Palace and felt a profound sense of admiration for their resilience, courage and compassion.
“On Maundy Thursday, Jesus knelt and washed the feet of many of those who would abandon Him.
“His humble action was a token of His love that knew no bounds or boundaries and is central to Christian belief.
“The abiding message of Easter is that God so loved the world — the whole world — that He sent His son to live among us to show us how to love one another, and to lay down His own life for others in a love that proved stronger than death.
“There are three virtues that the world still needs — faith, hope and love. ‘And the greatest of these is love’.
“It is with these timeless truths in my mind, and my heart, that I wish you all a blessed and peaceful Easter.”
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