Walking on my pilgrimages, I have seen many examples of monasticism in one form or another. Perhaps most obviously, my walks have taken me to the picturesque ruins of great medieval religious houses such as at Furness Abbey in Cumbria in the north of England or the historic Abbaye de Beauport on the coast of… [Continue Reading]
Reflections from a Welsh Valley
A tree ne’er to be priced, a tree whose fruit is immortality…
So wrote Henry Vaughan (1621-1695) of the yew tree in his collection of poems known as Silex Scintillans. Vaughan, born and buried at Llansantffraid-on-Usk near Brecon in mid-Wales, would have known of the venerable yew trees found in the churchyards of his home area, such as at Llanfeugan and at Defynnog. Further afield, he may… [Continue Reading]
Listen all you distant lands….
It was very special to me, in September of this year, to be able to walk peregrinatio around the very scenic county of Cumbria in the north of England. Worshipping one Sunday morning in a large and lively church in the town of Whitehaven, I was interested to see that the congregation there included a… [Continue Reading]