Here we present a selection of Anniversaries of church and world events for you to contemplate and enjoy over Spring. Perhaps you may wish to delve a little deeper into an item of particualr interest.
We ask if you might have a little room in your prayers for Ukraine, a land blessed by nature, but troubled by its mighty neighbour. Our PM’s visits on 1st February & 9th April 2022 were heartening for the people there.
We also have a happy coincidence of Spring Anniversaries in relation to this:
In March we have the birth and death of Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and artist, who is their bard.
In April we have the birth and death of Shakespeare, our bard
Anniversaries for Spring
March
2nd Ash Wednesday
9th 1814 Taras Shevchenko b., Ukrainian poet & artist
10th 1861 Shevchenko d.
15th 44 BC Julius Caesar assassinated
17th St Patrick
20th Vernal Equinox – Astronomical Spring begins
20th Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne
21st 1556 Martyrdom of Archbishop Cranmer
24th 1980 Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, Martyr
31st 1631 John Donne, priest and poet
April
10th 1347 William of Ockham, friar and philosopher
11th 1878 George Selwyn: first Bishop of New Zealand
14th 1865 President Lincoln assassinated
17th Easter Sunday
23rd St George
23rd 1616 Shakespeare d.
25th 1915 Anzac Day: landing at Gallipoli
25th Mark, the Evangelist
26th 1564 Shakespeare b.
26th 1859 Wedding of William Morris & Jane Burden at St Michael’s
May
1st Philip & James, Apostles
4th 1493 Papal Bull dividing the New World between Spain & Portugal
21st 330 Helena, Empress & mother of Constantine the Great
24th 1791 John Wesley
24th 1788 Charles Wesley
25th 735 The Venerable Bede
26th 1564 John Calvin
26th 1595 Philip Neri, founder of the Oratorians
29th 1453 Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans