Hymn of Praise for Celtic Saints and Other Poems

Christian readers of all ages and persuasions will find new delight in Bishop Paul's latest volume of poetry. The Bishop has turned his attention to the early Christianity of the British Isles, and in this Celtic mist we discern the noble figure of St Patrick, who converted Ireland to the true faith; St Aidan, the founder of Lindisfarne monastery; St Brendan, who went to sea in a boat and discovered America (maybe!); St Brigid, whose not-so-noble father tried to sell her to a neighbouring chieftain; and sweet St Iltut, the warrior saint who forsook king and court for a hermit's life, saved a deer from the royal hunt, and then baptised the king himself! The trials of the early evangelists in a Britain fragmented into many warring kingdoms, and the conflict between regal authority and the higher authority of God, before Rome claimed exclusive rights at Whitby in 663, reveal a faith of simplicity, steeped in the oral and eremitical tradition. Here too are devotional poems based on Bishop Paul's beloved Orthodox Liturgy and occasional verses, notably a memorial to our courageous, and it seems too easily forgotten, monarch, George VI.