I can’t breathe!!!These are the words uttered by George Floyd as he lay on the ground with a knee on his neck. They were a cry for justice, a plea for release, a request for freedom. In his cry, George Floyd not only echoed the physical demand for air, but he also echoed the call for justice and equity. His appeal was against all forms of injustices. All that prevents men and women, old and young, irrespective of race, education, or sexuality from living their lives to the fullest. His cry was against all forms of modern-day slavery, his plea represents victims of abuse, domestic or otherwise. His cry echoes the ‘thieves’ as mentioned by Jesus in John 10:10. His sobbing was against all unjust structures inherent in our society of which our churches are not immune. Like the air, many of these are not visible to many but are nonetheless present.Breathing is the essence of life, without which no human being can live. The air we breathe has an impact on our lives. It is no wonder that we all strive to have good air quality. If there is one thing the pandemic has shown us, it is the fact that what we breathe in and out has an impact not only on us but also on those around us. Figuratively and otherwise, we all need clean air! Our churches should be places where everyone can breathe and flourish.The Church of England through the Lament to Actions Report has set in motion efforts to create such an environment. Guildford Diocese is doing likewise through the Racial Justice Focus Group. What are you doing in your parish and as an individual? Is the quality of air in your parish life so clean that it allows everyone to flourish?
A TEAM of cyclists from Bradford Cathedral have set off on a regional journey promoting wellbeing benefits of taking to two wheels.The cyclists are riding part of the new Cathedrals Cycle Route linking all the UK’s 42 Anglican cathedrals. Twenty cyclists started by riding between Bradford and Wakefield Cathedral, passing on a baton to the next group of riders, in a relay event launching the new route. Joining a national network of cyclists from all cathedrals to promote green travel and mental and physical wellbeing, the Bradford team will carry the baton etched with the words ‘Some days you need a hand....other days you are called to lend a hand’.Bradford Cathedral has teamed up with the University of Bradford Union of Students and Bradford’s Capital of Cycling for the 20-mile journey to Wakefield cathedral, which takes in the Spen Valley Greenway and Dewsbury Minster.The first group of cyclists set out from Newcastle Cathedral on Sunday and a group is expected to return to Newcastle in early July, having cycled to every cathedral. The relay coincided with The World’s Biggest Bike Ride, marking the opening of Bike Week organised by Cycling UK.The 2,000-mile route is a partnership between Sustrans, Cycling UK, the British Pilgrimage Trust and Association of English Cathedrals. Cyclist Shaun Cutler, who came up with the idea, said: “Now more than ever, after a year of living with the pandemic, this is a way to support mental and physical health and promote the mission of England’s cathedrals through pilgrimage, wellbeing and heritage.”The ride will raise money for Cycling UK’s Break the Cycle appeal, improving wellbeing through community cycling clubs and projects. Bradford Cathedral Cycling Champion Maurice Manktelow said:“Establishing the routes will help encourage positive physical and mental health, as well as supporting a sustainable way of travelling.”University of Bradford Student Development Leader Adam Tasker said: “UBU have trained up a group of students who have never cycled before to join us on this ride. It will be a wonderful challenge.” Aggie Maxwell, Capital of Cycling outreach officer, said: “Increasing cycling in Bradford will make our city a happier, more prosperous place, by reducing congestion and air pollution, making people healthier and reducing the costs of transport. This ride celebrates the strength of Bradford’s cycling community and the hope we have in its future.”
Hundreds of churches have signed up to a week-long ‘nature count’ beginning last weekend which will encourage people to visit churchyards and record what they see.Churches Count on Nature, is running this week to 13 June 2021, is a citizen-science event covering churchyards across the England and Wales. The project will see communities and visitors making a note of the animals, birds, insects, or fungi in their local churchyard.Their data will then be collated on the National Biodiversity Network.One church getting involved is St Pol de Léon's Church, Paul, in Cornwall.As part of their nature count the church will be marking Environment Sunday and be holding their morning service outside in their “Celtic Quiet Garden.”Their garden overlooks nearby Mounts Bay, which was the site of Paul Aurelian, a Welsh Saint, coming to warn his sister Sitoffola, about rising sea level in the 400s. As Revd Andrew Yates said: “Rising sea levels is part of our DNA and will be thinking about that too as climate change affects people across the world.”During the service, the G7 conference will be prayed for – a few weeks before the leaders of the seventh richest nations meet in Cornwall. Revd Andrew Yates explained: “Elements of the service will include asking everyone to face in a north east direction to look at Carbis Bay where G7 will be taking place and to direct prayers for the forthcoming G7 and the leaders soon to be gathering there.”For inner-city churches, the nature count provides unique opportunities. The Revd Grace Thomas, curate at Moss Side, St James with St Clement, and Whalley Range, St Edmund, in Manchester Diocese explained her church’s approach. She said: “Our church, St Edmunds Whalley Range, is in a built-up area and only has a small amount of greenery at the front.“However, we decided to take part to encourage local people to spend time in the church grounds, which they are all welcome to do, and to celebrate the green spaces we have even in an urban context.” The church will be hosting a week-long event to allow people to come and go at their leisure and has already attracted interest. “People in the area are really interested in creating and maintaining good green spaces,” she said. The community already has strong environmental groups locally, and the various lockdowns have increased appreciation for parks and other open spaces. Revd Grace Thomas added: “I also got a message from someone at Manchester Health and Wellbeing service, who saw the post on a local Facebook site and wanted to connect to see how we could support each other.”
Around 30 churches in the dioceses of Durham and Newcastle are part of four revived pilgrimage routes starting from villages and towns in the region, re-creating the routes taken by pilgrims to Durham Cathedral,'The Way of Learning, The Way of Life, The Way of Light and The Way of Love,' allows pilgrims to walk from 27 to 45 miles while exploring places of historical and religious significance. Modern- day pilgrims can visit churches and historical monuments, museums and galleries on the route, including shrines and places associated with Saints Cuthbert, Bede, Hilda, Helen, Wilfrid, Oswald, Aidan and Godric. Further pilgrimage routes, The Angels Way, (30 miles) and the Way of the Sea (62 miles) link Lindisfarne and Durham, the two most important pilgrimage centres in the region. Pilgrims on 'The Way of Light' can stand where medieval pilgrims once made the Sign of the Cross as they caught their first glimpse of Durham Cathedral from a hill near the village of Esh.Mount Joy, just south of Durham, on the Way of Life, takes its name as the place where pilgrims had their first sight of the cathedral close at hand.In Esh, ‘Cuthbert’s Cross’ commemorates the village’s role as a refuge for the coffin of St Cuthbert during the era of Viking invasion.Other highlights of the trails include St Mary’s Well near a ford on the River Tees at Gainford, where Cuthbert’s coffin is likely to have crossed on its last journey from Ripon to Durham.Northern Saints Trail Coordinator David Pott said he believed the new routes will help cater for a growing interest in pilgrimage and a hunger for spiritual exploration. “There is a 21st-Century revival in pilgrimage – only 2,500 people walked the Camino to Santiago in 1985, but there were 347,538 pilgrims recorded in 2019," he said."Pilgrimages are attracting people who are not necessarily of strong Christian faith but want to explore more."For many from the London and the South East, this will be the first time they have visited the North East and learned about its crucial role in the history of Christianity in Britain.”
