There are moments when even angels weep. This is an article I wrote for another publication and have permission to reproduce here. I write as: * The CofE House of Bishops change direction on services of blessings on Same Sex couples and their acceptance of SS clergy who have entered into a civil marriage contract. * The Anglican Diocese of Ballarat in Synod at the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ the King - Ballarat receive and debate a motion in relation to the place of GBLT in the local church. Moments when wings feel too heavy, when the light they carry dims beneath the weight of sorrow or silence. In those moments, another angel comes — not to preach, not to fix, but simply to be. To sit beside, to listen, to hold the space sacred and still. Too long have many of our brothers, sisters, and siblings been told that heaven has no room for them — that their love, their truth, their song is somehow “less.” But I say this: the divine is found wherever love abide...
🕊️ The Feast of Saint Francis: Beyond the Fluff and the Fur Every year on October 4th, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi comes around with wagging tails and flapping wings. Churches fill with Labradors and lorikeets, poodles and parrots, all queued up for their annual blessing. It’s a delightful sight — a moment when even the most hardened church-shy neighbour will wander in, dog leash in hand, for a photo-worthy moment with the local vicar. And yes, The Vicar of Dibley captured it perfectly: chaos and holiness mingled in equal measure — goats bleating, cats hissing, and Geraldine Granger standing there with that divine mix of amusement and exasperation. It’s a scene that could happen in any parish hall, really. But beneath the comedy lies a deeper question: have we turned the blessing of animals into a feel-good marketing event — or are we genuinely hearing the call of Saint Francis to honour creation itself? Saint Francis: The Radical, Not the Romantic Saint Francis wasn’t ...