by Peter James | Dec 28, 2023 | Helen Roseveare
She was a featured speaker at Urbana several times in her retirement years, a mission conference for collegiates attracting upwards of eighteen thousand students. What attracted college students to this diminutive, white-haired lady from Northern Ireland? Surely, her...
by Peter James | Dec 27, 2023 | Fanny Crosby
She visited a Manhattan prison one spring day in 1868 to speak to inmates. As she was leaving, one prisoner cried out in a pleading voice, “Good Lord, do not pass me by.” She couldn’t get the man’s plea out of her mind as she composed a poem...
by Peter James | Dec 26, 2023 | Earl of Shaftesbury
You won’t find her name enshrined among the great saints in the church, but Maria Mills certainly belongs in the spiritual hall of fame. She was housekeeper for the 6th Earl of Shaftesbury and his wife, Lady Spener. Anthony Ashley Cooper (1801-1885) was their...
by Peter James | Dec 25, 2023 | St. Augustine
In the port city of Annaba, Algiers is a large archeological site with remnants of a once flourishing cathedral. The remains of a mosaic floor, wall foundations and bases to support enormous columns are still clearly visible. A semi-circular chancel at the front is...
by Peter James | Dec 24, 2023 | Gelasian Sacramentary
There were no birthday parties in the annals of early Christians. No party favors or gift-giving. The deaths of notable people were considered more significant than people’s birthdays. It should come as no surprise that Easter became the first Christian festival...
