The Rector writes . .
Dear sisters and brothers,
Today we celebrate St George, who was martyred during the Diocletian persecution,
maybe on this day in around the year 304 in Lydda, modern day Lod in Israel, where you
can still visit his shrine.
And that is about all we can say with any truth.
No dragons…
But nevertheless people around the world have made St George their own. He is the
patron saint of Portugal, Venice, Beirut, Catalonia, Malta, Ethiopia, Georgia, Palestine,
Serbia, Lithuania, and also, England.
It seems as if knowing almost nothing about St George has enabled people around the
world to find something in him, something which speaks to them of themselves. Be it as
the defender of Palestinian Christians, or as the soldier saint during the horrors of the
First World War, or a symbol of Englishness.
However we still battle to claim St George back from far-right groups, to restore his image
as a person who crosses peoples and cultures, and to see him as a person of faith. He
believed in a God who would always remain faithful to us, who will always remember us,
even when we forget God.
May we be inspired by the faith of St George to hold onto the truth of the Gospel which
proclaims the love of God which not even sin and death could defeat. Let us look to our
national patron as a sign of unity between the different people who look to him as their
protector and inspiration, and work to make a world where we can rejoice in the common
life which we share.
With all blessings,
Fr Edward
