3rd January        

Morris Williams: Writer and Translator

 

Usually known by his bardic name of Nicander, Morris Williams was born at Caenarfon in 1809.  His literary gifts were recognised when he was a carpenter’s apprentice, and he then studied in Chester and Jesus College, Oxford.  Ordained in 1835, he was a curate in Amlwch and then Rector of Llanrhuddlad from 1859.  Nicander’s literary skills were used in the revision of the Welsh Book of Common Prayer, and many of his poems were adapted into hymns and had a great influence on Welsh-speaking Anglicans.

 

Pray for

· Translators and teachers of foreign languages

· Welsh Language students, teachers, writers and publishers

· Those who Teach English as a second language

· Carpenters, Joiners and craftsmen

 

 

18 February        

Andrei Rublev: Painter and Iconographer

 

Andrei Rublev is the best known of the medieval Russian icon painters.  He lived over the turn of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries at a time when Russia was divided, suffering from the feuds of the princely families and invasions by Tartar warriors.  Rublev became a monk at the monastery of St Sergius, was trained by Theophanes the Greek and painted frescos and icons for churches around Moscow, the most famous of which is the icon of the Holy Trinity, painted in 1425.  His gentle spirituality is very evident in his paintings, which offer the viewers a way to keep their hearts and minds centred in God despite the trials and unrest of the world around them.

 

Pray for:

 

· Those who are living in situations of war or conflict where everyday life is difficult

· Artists, poets, authors and musicians and all who influence popular culture

· People who work in museums, art galleries and libraries

· People who work in graphic design and the production of visual media

 

 

31st March

John Donne: Priest and poet

 

A great-great nephew of Sir Thomas More, John Donne was born in the early 1570s and brought up as a Roman Catholic.  As a youth, he was sceptical about all forms of religion.  He studied at Oxford when he was fourteen, later going on to Cambridge and for a brief time in Europe.  His faith journey led him to the Church of England, where he was ordained and later became the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral.  He became a strong advocate for discerning vocation, wrote much poetry and preached to large congregations who flocked to hear his sermons.

Pray for

· Speech writers. orators and public speakers

· Printers and publishers

· Those who work in the media and broadcasting

 

8th April

Griffith Jones: Priest and Teacher of the faith

 

Born in 1683, Griffith spent his early years as a shepherd before attending grammar school in Carmarthen. He was ordained in 1708 and gained a reputation as a preacher that drew people from across South Wales to hear him. Concern about widespread illiteracy led him to set up “circulating schools” that met for three months at a time in churches, barns and private houses, using the Bible and Prayer Book as texts to learn to read. By the time of his death 158,000 people had been taught to read in this way. His work played a major role in the Welsh spiritual awakening of the 18th century

 Pray for

· People who work in community literacy projects and other community education programmes.

· Individuals and organisations who produce reading and learning resources

· Those who work in the field of dyslexia, special needs and other causes of literacy problems.

 

 

16th April

Isabella Gilmore: deaconess

Isabella Gilmore (born in 1842) was the sister of William Morris.  She trained as a nurse at Guy’s Hospital in London and worked there for some years.  At a time when women’s ministry was not recognised Bishop Thorold of Rochester persuaded Isabella to work with him to establish an order of deaconesses, with training similar to the ordained ministry for men.  She became a deaconess herself in 1887 and served for nineteen years, training women from other dioceses at her centre on the north side of Clapham Common. She wrote:

God has placed us in the world and we are to work for it and in it.  We can make our secular work full of his Spirit … if Christ is not in us we are nothing and can do nothing.  If he is, then we can go on in peace and quietness, not troubling, rejoicing that the work was given us, full and running over, more than we could ever do, and that he blessed us in it, gave us love and gratitude beyond our deserts.

 Pray for

· People who provide training in business, industry and the Church

· Spiritual directors

· Those who face discrimination

 

 

 

27th April

Christina Rossetti: Poet

 

Christina Rossetti, born in 1830, was the younger sister of Dante, a prominent member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood with which Christina was also associated.  Her first recorded verses were written for her mother’s birthday in April 1842 when Christina was twelve.  She became well-known for her poetry which covered the sadness of unrequited love as well as religious themes.  She wrote the well-known carol ‘In the bleak midwinter’

 

 Pray for

· Poets and playwrights

· Actors, broadcasters, film makers and all involved in producing plays

· Those who work in libraries and bookshops

 

 

30th April

Pandita Mary Rambai: Translator of the Scriptures

 

Mary was the daughter of a Sanskrit scholar, born in India in 1858. She became a Christian and combined her faith with elements of Hindu culture to develop an Indian form of Christianity. She was a social reformer, lecturing on social issues, founding schools and orphanages and working to improve the situation of women. She lived in personal simplicity and emphasised the dignity of labour for all castes.

 Pray for

· Those who work for women’s rights, equal opportunity and with projects that transform the lives of women throughout the developing world.

· The work of Christians who translate the Bible and seek to make it available in the vernacular.

· Those who work and research in areas of social reform and cultural understanding.

 

 

17th June             

Samuel and Henrietta BARNETT (Social Reformers)

 

Henrietta (d.1936); a co-worker with Octavia Hill (1838-1912) before her marriage to Samuel (d.1913). Samuel and Henrietta devoted themselves to the religious and cultural improvement of London’s East End.  They helped initiate projects directed to the reform of social conditions on Christian principles and urging Christians to study their faith.  In 1884 Samuel helped to found the Education Reform League. ‘Barnett House’, for the study of social problems, was founded at Oxford in his memory.

 

Pray for: 

· Social reformers

· All who work with and campaign on behalf of minorities;

· All who challenge our thinking;

· Educators and trainers.

 

 

31st July

William WILBERFORCE (Social Reformer)

 

Philanthropist and advocate of the abolition of the slave trade William Wilberforce as M.P. for Hull and later for Yorkshire served the cause of Christianity in Parliament.  He presented bills which were repeatedly refused passage but finally became law in 1807.  This was followed by the Emancipation Act of 1833 which effected the abolition of slavery.  He was a member of the famous ‘Clapham Sect’ and a leader of the Evangelical party of his day.

 

Pray for:

·  Lay ministry;

· Perseverance in the face of opposition;

· Defenders of the weak and oppressed;

· Any held slaves in the world;

· Christians in Parliament.

 

 

5th August

Oswald of Northumbria: King and Martyr

 

Son of King Elfrith of Northumbria, Oswald was forced to flee from home as an eleven-year old after his father’s death and spent part of his exile on Iona where he was influenced by the monks, learning the Christian faith from St Aidan.  He returned to Northumbria in 634 and won a decisive battle to regain his kingdom.  The place where he set up the cross and prayed with his army on the night before battle was known as ‘the heavenly field’.  As king, he worked closely with Aidan, travelling with him and translating for him on several missionary journeys, and provided land for a monastery on the island of Lindisfarne.  According to Bede’s history, Oswald demonstrated the Christian virtues of humility, kindness and generosity until his death in battle against the Mercians at Oswestry in 642.

 

Pray for

· Rulers and political leaders

· Chaplains in the armed forces

· People with responsibility for  Christian education for children and adults

 

13th August

Florence Nightingale: nurse and social reformer

 

Born into a wealthy family in 1820, Florence refused to conform to the normal social conventions, and determined when she was 12 that she would ‘do something useful’ with her life.  Despite family opposition, she trained as a nurse and won independence when she was appointed Superintendent of a hospital for invalid women.  She became a national figure with her work at the barracks hospital at Scutari during the Crimean War, and established a nursing school in London on her return.  Less well-known are her pioneering work to establish a proper policy on public health and her campaigns to improve sanitation.  She was also the first woman to be elected a Fellow of the Statistical Society, in recognition of her contribution to Army statistics.

Pray for

· Nurses, doctors and other specialists in the health services

· Researchers working to understand and reduce hospital infections

· Christians involved in developing health policies

·  Wateraid and other organisation providing safe water supplies in developing countries

  Industrial Christian Fellowship — Lectionary Reflections

LECTIONARY

REFLECTIONS

 

This feature is offered as a prayer resource to our members. In many churches and congregations, we celebrate the lives of ‘Christian men and women down the ages whose examples excite us to holiness.’ Here we focus on those whose ministry touches on some aspect of the world of work, using their example as an impetus for our own prayers