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Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is the day after Shrove Tuesday (Pancake day!) and marks the first day of Lent, the six weeks of penitence before Easter (40 days not including Sundays). Many Christians attend a service on Ash Wednesday and have a cross, made from the ashes of the previous Easter Day crosses, marked on their forehead by their religious leader. It was a sign of repentance in biblical times. An Anglican website speaks of mixing the ashes with small amount of holy water or olive oil as a fixative. Many Christians choose to keep the mark visible throughout the day. The liturgy for Ash Wednesday reads We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need to repentance and our need for the love and forgiveness shown to us in Jesus Christ. I invite you therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a Holy lent, by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting , by practicing works of love, and by reading and reflecting on God’s Holy Word. Source Wikipedia

Richard of Chichester, also known as Richard de Wych, lost his parents as a child. His elder brother was too young to inherit the estates so the land was subject to feudal wardship. On coming of age his brother had to pay a medieval form of death duties. This left the family impoverished and Richard had to work for his brother. The elder brother made Richard heir to the estate but he reconveyed it back to his brother preferring a life of study and the church. He studied at the University of Oxford, under Edmund of Abingdon, and then taught there. He then went to Paris and Bologna where he distinguished himself in canon law. Back in the UK he was elected Oxford’s chancellor in 1235. Edmund, now Archbishop of Canterbury (A of C), appointed him chancellor to the diocese of Canterbury in 1237. Richard joined him in Pontigny when he was exiled. Edmund died in 1240. He decided to become a priest and for 2 years he studied Theology with the Domunicans at Orleans. Back in the UK became priest at Charing and Deal. Quickly reappointed chancellor of Canterbury by new A of C, Boniface of Savoy. 1244 elected Bishop of Chichester -Henry lll and part of chapter unhappy with appointment but Pope Innocent lV confirmed his election He was merciless to usurers, corrupt clergy and priest who mumbled the mass. He was a stickler for clerical privilege. He produced a body of statutes with the help of his chapter. His term in office (1244-1253) was marked by the favour which he showed to the Dominicans and his earnestness in preaching a crusade. Pilgrims visiting the Shrine of St. Richard believed miracles happened. Level of popularity approached those who visited the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. HenryVlll had the shrine destroyed in 1538. Nearly 400 years later it was re-established in 1930 by Dean Duncan Jones. (Read paragraphs on** Shrine**) Sources Wikipedia Oxford Dictionary of Saints by David Farmer

Richard was an English Bridgettine monk who was executed fir refusing to agree to the Oath of Supremacy to Henry Vlll of England. He had been educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and joined the Syon Abbey in 1513. He was well versed in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. In April 1535 he, along with 3 others, were imprisoned in the Tower of London. All 4 were tried for the denial of the royal supremacy and found guilty. He was also charged with trying to dissuade people from submitting to the king’s authority. All 4 were executed on 4th May 1535. They were dragged through the streets of London before being drawn and quartered. Thomas More, also in the Tower of London awaiting his own execution, watched their last moments with his wife Meg, ( See notes) According to the book The Angel of Syon Richard said after a sharp breakfast they should have a sweet superbefore his execution. Richard had been the first man to refuse the oath and was chopped to pieces and hung in different parts of London, including the gate of Syon Abbey. Richard was canonised by Pope Paul Vl in 1970 among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales Sources Wikipedia Oxford Dictionary of Saints by David Farmer

Sir Thomas More was born in London. He was the second of 6 children.He .was educated at St. Anthony’s school - one of the best London schools. From 1490 to 1492 he served John Morton, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England as a household boy. He believed Thomas had great potential In 1492 he began his studies at Oxford University and became fluent in both Latin and Greek. His father in 1494 insisted he began legal training in London at New Inn. In 1496 he became a student at Lincoln’s Inn. There he remained until 1502 when he was called to the bar. Between 1502-3 he lived near a monastery. He thought of becoming a monk - he continued to wear a hair shirt next to his skin and occasionally engaged in self-flagellation for the rest of his life. He stayed a layman and was elected in 1503 to be a member of Parliament. He later became and Speaker of the House. When Henry Vlll, aged 18, came to throne in 1509 Thomas became one of his chief advisors. In 1521 he was knighted and made under-treasurer of the Exchequer. On Wolsey’s recommendation in 1523 he became Speaker in the House of Commons. In 1525 he became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He supported the Catholic church and saw the Protestant Reformation as heresy. He wrote several books against William Tyndale’s English version of the New Testament. In 1530 Henry Vlll sought to annual his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn Thomas refused to agree to this. In 1531 Henry Vlll sought to become Supreme Head of the Church of England. Thomas, as a Catholic, saw the Pope as head of the church. In May 1532 he resigned as Chancellor. In 1533 he expressed his happiness that Henry Vlll had found a wife in Anne Boleyn but he did not attend the coronation. Thomas Cromwell accused him of various allegations. On 13th April 1534 he refused to swear allegiance to the Act of Succession. That was the last straw and on 17th April he was taken to the Tower of London and charged with treason. 1st July, 1535 was his trial, he was found guilty. Sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. 6th July he was decapitated instead - Henry Vlll showed some leniency to a former friend. While on the scaffold he declared he died for the faith of the Holy Catholic Churchthe king’s good servant, and God’s first Thomas had stayed true to his beliefs and convictions to the end. Feast Day 22nd June (formerly 9th July) Sources Wikipedia The Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton Oxford Dictionary of Saints by David Farmer

Theresa of Lisieux, born Marie Francoise-Therese Martin, was a French Discalced Carmelite who is widely venerated in modern times. Therese de I’Enfant Jesus et de la Sainte Face Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face in English She is popularly known as la petite Therese The Little Flower of Jesus*. or simply* Little Flower.* in English She was the youngest daughter of a watchmaker. Her mother died when she was only 5 years old and was brought up by her elder sisters and aunts. She longed to join 2 of her elder sisters who had become nuns. In the spring of 1888, aged 15, she was allowed to enter the Carmel convent. In 1895 she suffered a haermorrhage, symptomatic of tuberculosis which proved fatal. Theresa died on 30th September 1897 aged just 24, from TB… After 9 years as a Carmelite nun she had filled various offices - sacristan and assistant to the novice mistress. She was encouraged out of obedience to her superior , Mother Agnes of Jesus ( her religious superior and sister, Pauline) to write her autobiography before she died. The autobiography is called The Story of a Soul. It is a spiritual classic and is one of the most beautiful autobiographies ever written. It reveals her deep love of God and draws the reader into the beautiful workings of grace within her soul. During her lifetime she was obscure. The book made her famous. As a result of her immense popularity and reputation for holiness Pope Pius X called her the greatest saint of modern times Beautified on 29th April 1923 by Pope Pius X1 Canonized on 17th May 1925 by Pope Pius X1 Declared Doctor of the church by Pope John Paul 11 in 1997 Her feast day is now October 1st (since 1969) Her major shrine Basilica of St. Therese, Lisieux, France is second most popular place of pilgrimage in France. Sources Wikipedia The Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Saint Simon or Simeon was the first and most famous of the pillar hermits. 3 major early biographies of his life exist. He developed a real zeal for Christianity at the age of 13. He entered a monastery before he was 16. His practise of austerity was so severe that the brothers judged him unsuitable for the community and asked him to leave. He then spent 18 months in a hut. In Lent he neither eat or drank anything - hailed a miracle. To get away from the ever increasing number of people who came to him for prayers and advice he discovered a pillar which had survived among the ruins in nearby Telanissa ( Taladah in Syria) and formed a small platform on top. His first pillar was 3 metres from the ground. He third and last pillar 15 metres. Boys from the village would climb the pillar to deliver food parcels. Even on the highest pillar /column he was not withdrawn from the world. Pilgrims and sightseers, including three emperors, came to see and hear him preach. With use of a ladder they could get to a speaking distance. He spent between 35-42 years on his pillar. Simon died on 2nd September 459. A disciple found his body stooped in prayer. The Patriarch of Antioch, Martyruis, performed the funeral before a huge crowd. He was buried not far from the pillar. Simon inspired many imitators. For the next century Christian ascetics living on pillars was a common sight. Sources Wikipedia The Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Remiguis, Remy or Remi was born traditionally at Cerny -en- Laonnois near Leon, Picardy into the highest levels of Gallo-Roman Society. He studied at Reims and soon became noted for his learning, sanctity and preaching. Aged 21 he was elected Bishop of Reims while still a layman. He converted Clovis, King of the Franks, to Christianity, with the help of Vedast and Clovis’s Christian wife Clotilde, a Burgundian princess. Clovis was baptized by Remiguis at Reims , on 25th December 496, after his victory over the Alamanni in the battle of Tolbiac. 3,000 Franks were baptized that day -an important event in the Christianization of the Franks. King Clovis granted Remiguis stretches of territory and a large number of churches were established in the former pagan lands of the Frankish empire. His Feast day is 1st October. Sources Wikipedia Encyclopedia of Saints By Howard Loxon

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Radegund was a Thuringian princess and Frankish queen. Her father was Bertachar, a German king.She is the patron saint of several churches in France and England. She founded the monastery of Sainte Cross in Poitiers in about 500 AD where she cared for the infirm. She was known for her extreme ascetic behaviour (prayer, fasting and manual labour). She followed a vegan diet refusing to eat all animal product. She only ate legumes and green vegetables. She abstained from drinking wine, mead and beer and only drinking a little water. She also did not eat bread, oil or salt. She was warned that she might become ill. She bound her neck and arms with 3 iron circles; her flesh was ’ badly out’ because of this. She wrote poetry to the poet Venantius Fortunatus on tablets in Latin. Radegund was buried in what became the church of St. Radegund in Poitiers. Her tomb can still be found in the crypt of the church There were originally stained glass windows depicting her life but these were later largely destroyed by the Huguenots. Source Wikipedia

Philip was an Italian priest who founded the Congregation of the Oratory a society of secular clergy dedicated to pastoral care and charity work. His spiritual mission emphasized personal holiness and direct service to others particularly through the education of young people and care of the poor and sick. His work played a significant role in the Counter-Reformation especially within the city of Rome. Source Wikipedia

Peter was a 13th century Italian Catholic priest. He was a Dominican friar and a celebrated preacher. He preached from the 1230s against heresy, and especially Catharism who referred to themselves as Good Christians ( See brief notes on* Catharism*) He was appointed General Inquisitor for Northern Italy in 1234 by Pope Gregory 1X and Peter evangelized nearly the whole of Italy He was recognized by Pope Innocent 1V in 1251 for his severity of life and doctrine, talent for preaching and zeal for the orthodox Catholic faith. Crowds came to meet and follow him. In his sermons he denounced heresy. He had served as an inquisitor in Lombardy for only 6 months when he and his companion Domenico were assassinated on 6th April 1252. A group of Milanese Cathars had conspired to kill him. He was returning from Como to Milan with friar Domenico when they were attacked. The blow which hit Peter cut off his head. The testimony given at the inquest confirmed that he began reciting the Creed when he was attacked. Domenico was mortally wound and died 5 days later in Meda… Peter was canonized as a Catholic saint 11 months later- March 9th 1253 - the fastest canonization in history. His feast day is 29th April - April 6th, his death Loxton date was not used because it would too often conflict with Easter Triduum Note Carino of Balsamo, one of the assassins, confessed his crime and converted to the Catholic church and eventually became a lay brother in the Dominican convent of Forli. Sources Wikipedia The Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Paul of the Cross, born Paolo Francesco Danei, was an Italian Catholic mystic and founder of the Passionists - order of Barefooted Clerks of the Holy Cross and Passion He was the second of 16 children, only 6 survived infancy. As a child he was taught by a priest who kept a school for boys in Cremolino. In his early years he taught catechism in the churches near his home. He experienced a conversion to a life of pray aged 19. It became his lifelong conviction that God is most easily found in the Passion of Christ. In 1715 he left working for his father in his dry-goods store to join a crusade against the Turks. He quickly realized he did not want to be a soldier and returned to working for his father. In 1720 he had a series of prayer experiences which made it clear to him that he was to form a community (it became a congregation) A legend tells that in a vision he saw himself clothed in a habit which he and his companions would wear. His bishop clothed him in the black habit of a hermit. He wrote the Rule for the community during a 40 day retreat at the end of 1720. The community were to live a penitential life, in solitude and poverty, teaching people in the easiest possible was how to meditate on the Passion of Christ. Paul’s first companion was his brother John Baptist. They helped Cardinal Corrandini establish a new hospital. They devoted their energies to providing nursing care and administered pastoral care to both a patients and staff. X! In 1727 they were both ordained.by Pope Benedict X111. They devoted themselves to preaching missions in parishes. Paul was a popular preacher. He also had the gifts of healing and prophecy. In 1737 the first Retreat ( the name Passionists gave to their monasteries) was opened. Paul wrote more than 2,000 letters, most of them letters of spiritual direction, have been preserved, There was a steady growth. By the time he died in 1775, some 38 years later, the congregation had 180 fathers and brothers, living in 12 Retreats mostly in the Papal States. There was also a monastery of contemplative nuns. In 2020 there were 1,890 members - including 1,423 priests. The Passionists official name is the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Sources Wikipedia Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

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Peter Vins, a Baptist minister of the Gospel, in 1930 was invited by Communist officials to support and nominate 2 government chosen members to the Baptist Union Board. He refused. Within days a few days he was arrested and spent 3 months to Butyrki prison under investigation. He was sentenced to 3 years in a labour camp at Svetlaya Bay. His 2 year old son Georgi prayed, Jesus, Bring my Daddy back. Peter was released in 1933 but his passport was taken.Meeting in secret the believers grew to 1,000. 1936 arrested again Georgi said, Mother I don’t want To live and longer , Witnesses retracted their evidence. After 9 months Peter went home thin and smelling unpleasantly of prison. 1937 arrested again and received a 10 year sentence. He died on the 27th December 1943, aged 45 - cause unknown. The family was only later informed of his death. (In 1995 Georgi was given access to his father’s KGB file and learned he had been executed.) Georgi was brought up by his mother Lidia with his various siblings. Lidia became involved with the Baptist Prisoners Relatives organization After WW11the family moved to Kiev where Georgi qualified as an electrical engineer. He became involved in Baptist churches in Kiev. Nikita Khrushchev’s anti-religious persecutions had begun in 1959. New regulations were imposed on the Baptist church which drastically curtailed the small independence they had enjoyed. The Baptist movement split acrimoniously. He became a leading figure in the campaign to resist state pressure. The pastor at Kiev had accepted the new terms- Georgi opposed him and became the pastor instead! The result was he was imprisoned for 3 years in 1966. Lidia in 1971 imprisoned for 3 years for seeking the help of the United Nations. After his release he carried on as pastor and organizer of the movement. He went into hiding but was discovered and seized in March 1974. Andrei Sakharov. human right campaigner and the World Council of Churches joined the protests but to no avail. - sentenced to 5 years in labor camp and 5 years internal exile. He had become the Soviet Union’s most famous religious prisoner. Peter, his son,aged 23, sent to prison. International pressure resulted in his expulsion. On 26th April 1979 he along with 4 expellees were exchanged for 2 Russian spies. He was joined by his family 6 weeks later in the USA. They lived in the USA for the rest of their lives. He dedicated himself to helping Christians in what was formerly the Soviet Union Gorbachev revoked decree In the late 1980s that had stripped Georgi of his Soviet citizenship. In the 1990s he revisited his homeland and made numerous preaching trips. In 1997 they discovered he had a malignant inoperable brain tumor, he died on11th January 1998 aged 69. Sources Wikipedia Peter Vins '85 Place for Truth 70 Great Christians by Geoffrey Hanks

Richard and Sabina were both born Jews but became born again Christians in 1938. Richard (1909-2001 Sabina Oster( married in 1936 , died in 2000) Richard was ordained twice first as an Anglican and then after WW11 he became a Romanian Evangelical Lutheran priest. As an adolescent he was sent to study Marxism in Moscow. He was arrested by the secret police.and sent to Doftana Prison. He was an important Comintern agent leader and coordinator directly paid by Moscow. Like other Romanian Communists he was arrested several times, sentenced and released again. He preached at bomb shelters and rescued Jews during WW11. In 1944 when the Soviet Union occupied Romania and wanted to establish a Communist regime he immediately began an ‘underground’ ministry to his people. He was highly ecumenical and worked with Christians of many denominations. Under the Communists the church was once more subject to persecution and believers were forced underground. Yet despite restrictions,evangelism continued and literature specially designed for Communists was printed. In 1948 he publically said Communism and Christianity were incompatible. He was on his way to a Divine Service when he was arrested on 29th February 1948. This was the beginning of him being imprisoned for his faith.He spent 3 years in solitary confinement. He was released after 8 1/2 years. He was arrested again and sentenced to 25 years. He was imprisoned under a false name so no one could trace him. Secret Police, posing as released prisoners, visited Sabina saying he was dead, She did not believe them. In 1964 Richard received an amnesty. He had spent a total of 14 years in prison before the $10,000 ransom was paid. He had been beaten, tortured (including mutilation), burnt and locked in a large ice box. His body bore these physical scars for the rest of his life. Sabina in 1950 also spent 3 years in penal labour. On his release they moved first to Norway then England. Finally They emigrated to America and dedicated the rest of their lives to publicizing and helping Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs. He became known as The Voice of the Underground Church He wrote more than 18 books, Tortured for Christ is his best known book. Richard had such an extraordinary memory that while in prison he composed 350 sermons and the result was With God in Solitary Confinement(1969) Sabina wrote* The Pastor’s Wife.* (See list of* Books*) Richard died at the age of 91 in 2001. Sabina had died the year before 2000. Sources Wikipedia 70 Greatest Christians** by Geoffrey Hanks (pages 318-323)

Janani was one of the most influential leaders of the modern church of Africa. He was Archbishop of Uganda from 1974-1977. He was a leading voice in criticising the excesses of the Idi Amin regime that assumed power in 1971… In On February 16th 1977 he was arrested with 2 cabinet ministers, Erinayo Wilson Oryema and Charles Oboth Ofumbi. On the same day Idi Amin convened a rally in Kampala with the 3 accused present. The next day it was announce on Radio Uganda that the 3 had died when the car transporting them to an interrogation centre had collided with another vehicle… When Janani’s the bodies was released to relatives it was riddled.with bullets, The ministers also died from bullet wounds. According to Vice president of Uganda Mustafa Adris and the Human Rights commission Amin’s right hand man Isaac Maliyamungu had carried out the murder of Janani and his colleagues. Janani has been recognised as a martyr. February 16th in Uganda is Archbishop Janani Luwum Day .His death is celebrated annually. Sources Wikipedia 70 Great Christians by Geoffrey Hanks (pages 334-337)

Andrew ‘Anne’ van der Bijl was a Dutch Christian Missionary who founded Open Doors. He was known for smuggling Bibles and other Christian literature into communist countries. In July 1955 he went to the 5th World Festival of Youth and Students in Communist Poland. He secretly visited 5 churches in the capital. After preaching a sermon at a Baptist church their pastor said* We want to thank you for being here… we feel at times as if we are alone in our struggle. In Revelations he read* Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death It came as a call from God to minister to this remnant church, in a mission field seemingly without labourers. He also met a Christian bookstore owner who told him about the lack of Bibles in the Soviet Union. He signed up for a government controlled Communist tour of Czechoslovakia to find out more information. In 1955 he founded* Open Doors* which initially involved smuggling Bibles and Christian literature, plus offering training for Christian leaders and providing financial and other support to persecuted Christians. Andrew openly smuggled the Bibles in! He knew he was violating the laws of all the countries that he visited by bringing religious literature into their country. He often placed the material in view when he was stopped by police checkpoints, as a gesture of his trust in what he believed to be God’s protection. In 1957 he visited Moscow in a new Volkswagen Beetle ( a gift from an elderly couple). (VW symbol of* Open Doors*). After the fall of Communism in Europe he shifted his focus.to the Middle East. His autobiography God’s Smuggler, published in 1967 was a great success The press exposure which followed stopped him from personally smuggling in books. He shifted to evangelism and fund raising campaigns in North America and Europe. At the time of his death Open Doors was active in over 60 countries. The ministry yearly distributes 300,000 Bibles and 1.5 million books & materials His autobiography*God’s Smuggler,*by 2022 had sold over 10 million copies. Andrew died , aged 94, on 27th September 2022 Sources Wikipedia* 70 Great Christians by Geoffrey hanks (pages 323-327)

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Geoffrey Bull, aged 15 was baptised into the Open Brethren persuasion. He original ambition was to be a banker but in 1941 he became absorbed into missionary work. In 1947, aged 26, he went to China with George N. Patterson. They travelled deep into the interior up to the border shared with Tibet. For 3 years they studied Mandarin and Tibetan. 29th July 1950 he entered Tibet. He was soon imprisoned by the invading Red Army on the pretext he was a spy. He started off in solitary confinement but later underwent re-education-over 200 brain washing sessions. He claimed that his faith in Christ kept him from mental breakdown. After 3 years and 2 months he was released to the British authorities in Hong Kong on 19th December 1953. He was mentally fatigued and hardly able to meditate on Scripture or pray. Thousands had been praying for his release and God on his throne had intervened. Mentally and physically he had changed but he was still the same person underneath. He had proved God’s Word to be unbreakable. On his return he married Agnes (Nan) Templedon of Milngavie, Scotland, in June 1955. They spent a year in Australia and then 14 months in North Borneo (1959/60). They had 3 sons Ross, Peter and Alister. He built up a worldwide Bible teaching ministry in Brethren assemblies and beyond. In 1999, aged 76, he died following the breaking of bread service ,in his local church in Largs, Scotland. He was buried in Largs. Sources used Wikipedia 70 Great Christians by Geoffrey Hanks (pages 303-307)

Watchman Nee , Ni Tuosheng or Nee T’o-sheng was a Chinese church leader and Christian teacher who worked in China during the 20th century. His evangelism was influenced by the Plymouth Brethren. He was brought up in a Christian family and was converted when he was 18. Instead of going to University he gave himself to Bible study and evangelism and many students were won for Christ. In 1922 he initiated a church meeting in Fuzhouu, Fujian province. He became well known for his preaching and writing. In 1928 he moved to the treaty port of Shanghai which would remain the centre of his ministry for the rest of his life. he established a small meeting place on a lane known as Wen Teh Li. He produced a magazine called Revival, later called The Christian which carried extracts from his sermons.He also wrote a number of books (See Publications). In 1933 he visited the UK to seek advice from the Brethren. Unhappy with the Chinese denominational churches he wanted to build a less rigid pattern. He established a Sunday evening act of worship around the Lord’s Table. The Shanghai church flourished. By the 1940’s there were 470 groups in fellowship as The Little Flock. (nickname). The emphasis was on evangelism. In 1941, during WW11, to help raise money he opened, with his brother, a chemist, a pharmaceutical company. The company flourished but the church missed his leadership. He was asked to leave. He was accepted back in 1948. October 1949 the Communist Party took control. to set up the People’s Republic of China. 1951 they revealed plans to take the Chinese Church under its control He was arrested in 1952 and at his trial in 1956 many false accusations made. If he had agreed to stop preaching he could have been released. Instead he spent the last 20 years of his life in prison. He died in 1972 aged 68. Little is known about his years in prison except his physical condition deteriorated and he continued faithfully to the Lord. Watchman Nee was an outstanding Christian leader whose vision of an indigenous church in China prepared believers for the onslaught of Communism and the fiery trials which followed. Geoffrey Hanks. Sources Wikipedia 70 Great Christians by Geoffrey Hanks (pages 295- 298)