Our final full day together at the Oswestry Eucharistic Congress. Hope does indeed abound. Much good cheer, love, and encouragement & that greatest of clergy traps is largely absent… cynicism. There is much to be excited about and much to look forward to.

So moving to visit the ‘Speak Their Name’ exhibition in Parliament. The beautiful quilts are created by families & friends in loving memory of someone they’ve lost to suicide. A powerful reminder of the need for continued work on suicide prevention: speaktheirname.org/home/

Sorry this is late in the day, but do sign up, they are great days!

❗️🇬🇧 - United Kingdom: Fire Damages Historic Church in Norfolk, Amid Rising Anti-Christian Incidents in Europe A fire broke out on October 1, 2025, around 3:40 p.m., at the Victorian-era St. John the Baptist Church on Broad Street in Harleston, Norfolk—a 1843 landmark often called the "heart of the community." Six crews from the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service responded to thick smoke and flames visible through the windows, closing the street during operations. The blaze caused significant structural damage but no injuries, leaving the town in shock as the Archdeacon of Norfolk vowed to undertake "whatever work is necessary" for recovery. This event unfolds against a backdrop of escalating anti-Christian incidents across Western Europe, including a deliberate arson at a Shropshire church in June 2025 and a 30% rise in arson attacks on French churches in 2024 compared to the prior year. Broader data shows 2,444 documented hate crimes against Christians in 35 European countries in 2023 alone, with vandalism comprising 62% of cases—a trend worsening into 2024 and 2025.