Signpost 45 (8 March)

Good afternoon,

Welcome to our 45^th issue of Signpost. We had some very positive feedback about last weeks’ St. David’s Day special and as always, it is lovely to hear from you.

We continue to bring you a varied selection of resources from across the internet to keep you entertained over the coming months.

During this week in history, The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell was published in 1937, former British Lions and England international rugby captain, Bill Beaumont was born in 1952 and The Church of England ordained the first women priests (32 in total) at Bristol Cathedral in 1994.

REFLECT

Labyrinths have been used for centuries to facilitate prayer and meditation in many faiths and religions including Christianity. This article provides a useful guide to praying in a labyrinth. While many of us can’t travel far at the moment, it is also possible to create a labyrinth at home to aid your own reflections. You can watch a video on how to draw a Christian labyrinth here or how to use a sand labyrinth here.

CONNECT

As the country travels through the coronavirus roadmap to cautiously ease restrictions, what we can and cannot do are changing regularly. Whilst St Monica Trust will keep all residents up to date on how we are preparing for this, you may wish to also look at how your local authority is delivering the roadmap.

You can see information from Bath and North East Somerset council and sign up for their email newsletter. Bristol City Council has a COVID-19 page here and you can sign up to receive regular emails here. If you live in North Somerset, you can view their website here.

LEARN

Newscast is a regular podcast produced by the BBC that looks at the week’s political events. It features well-known journalists including Laura Kuenssberg, Katya Adler and Adam Fleming. You can browse the whole selection of episodes here.

For at least 1,500 years a legend has held sway in the Scottish Highlands that Loch Ness is home to a mysterious aquatic animal. You can read more about the Loch Ness Monster here.

The mysterious and macabre writings of Edgar Allan Poe form the basis for "Twisted Tales of Poe," a 1940's-style radio adaptation, complete with musical accompaniment and a live crew creating all of the sound effects whilst you watch! You can watch it here.
Redmaids' student Esther has recorded another wonderful video for you all to enjoy this month, in which she recites two poems and plays Allegro by G.B Pescetti on the piano. You can view this, and Esther's previous videos here.

FUN

The vaccine rollout is well underway in the UK, and in America they are also trying to encourage people to get the injection. Dolly Parton donated funds to support the development of the Moderna vaccine and has made headlines this week by altering one of her more famous songs to celebrate. You can find out more here.

Please get in touch through our email communityimpact@stmonicatrust.org.uk and let us know how we are doing.

Don't forget that our online services of worship and contributions from the Pastoral Care Team can be found at https://vimeo.com/stmonicatrust.