Elizabeth Prout, a Shrewsbury born nun, is on course to become Britain’s first female non-martyr saint in 800 years after the Vatican ruled she had lived a life of ‘heroic virtue’. Her sainthood cause was submitted to the Vatican in 2008. Elizabeth Prout, also known as Mother Mary Joseph of Jesus (1820-1864) was the founder of the Roman Catholic religious institute originally called the Institute of the Holy Family, but known later as the Passionist Sisters or Sisters of the Cross and Passion. She was received into the Catholic faith in her early twenties-parents opposed it. The so called ‘Mother Teresa of Manchester’, i n 1848. aged 28, became a nun and was given a teaching post in some of th poorest areas of Manchester, working largely among Irish migrants and factory workers who were fleeing the Great Famine. Parts of Manchester in 1844 were described as ‘this hell on earth’. An observer 4 years later described the place where Elizabeth worked - the Angel Meadow district as*the lowest, most filthy, most unhealthy and most wicked locality - the home of prostitutes, their bullies, thieves, codgers, vagrants, tramps and in the very worst sties of filth and darkness- the low Irish. The life of Elizabeth and her female companions was strict They laboured for much of the day in prayer and working for the local poor. Her original companions found it too strict and left. Father Gaudentius Rossi, who greatly influenced her, drew up ’ a rule of life’ for the Institute of the Holy Family. and new recruits joined. On 21st November 1852 the new sisters received a religious habit . At her clothing she became Mother Mary Joseph of Jesus - her religious name. The new institute was criticised for its revolutionary ideas -the nuns had to earn their own wages to support themselves The nuns worked so they became ill. Unable to afford a doctor she nursed them back to health. Conflict within the community took its toll on her work, particularly the finances of the Institution. She went to Ireland to beg for alms for her Institute. On her return things were even worse- the sisters were accused of irregularity. The resulting investigation proved extremely positive because it revealed the deep poverty of the sisters and the sacrifices they had made in their hard work. She opened 9 schools for poor children and homes for the destitute women across the industrial region ( Read ‘Work in Manchester’) The Vatican approved the new order in 1863. The institute was originally called the Institute of the Holy Family, but later known as the Passionist Sisters or the Sisters of the Cross and Passion. The deeply practical Elizabeth was the first Superior General. Elizabeth, aged 43, died the following year,on 11th January, 1864. Her body , with Dominic Barberi and Ignatius Spencer lies in the shrine of St. Anne’s Church, Sutton. The latest up date on her possible saint hood. Elizabeth declared Venerable by the Vatican in January 2021.

Saint Oswald ( c.604-642)was king of Northumbria (634-642) until his death and is venerated as a saint. As a youth he was exiled to Iona, Columbia’s island, in the Scottish kingdom of Dal Riata in Northern Britain, where he was converted to Christianity. His brother Eanfrith became king of Bernicia but was killed by Cadwallon in 633/4 after attempting to negotiate peace. Oswald fought Cadwallon in the battle at Heavenfiels, near Hexham. He had a vision of Columba before the battle which he described to his council. They all agreed to be baptized and accept Christianity after the battle. Before the battle he erected a wooden cross. He knelt down, holding the cross in position until enough earth had been thrown to make it stand firm. He then prayed and asked his small army to join him. In the battle which followed Oswald was victorious. Cadwallon was killed. The tall, fair, blued eyed King Oswald reunited Norhthumbria and re-established the Berniccian supremacy. He established himself as the most powerful king in Britain. Adomnan describes Oswald as ‘ordained by God as Emperor of all Britain’. He was able to speak the 4 languages of Britain- Britons, Scots, Picts and English. He was on good terms with the West Saxons. He stood sponsor tot the baptism of king Cynegils and married his daughter Kyneburga. Oswald asked for a bishop from the Irish of Dal Riata. The first, an ‘austere’ bishop, was not successful. The second, Aidan proved to be very successful. He was given the island of Lindisfarne as his episcopal see. The Venerable Bede mentions that Oswald initially interpreted Aidan’s preaching because he did not know English well. Bede recounts Oswald’s generosity to the poor and strangers. One Easter, while dining with Aidan. he hears from a servant that there is a crowd in the streets begging for alms from the king. Oswald gives his * silver dish full of dainties* to them and the dish is broken up. Aidan is so impressed he takes Oswald’s right hand and says May this hand never perish. Saint Oswald died fighting the pagan Mercians under Penda in 642 in the battle of Maserfoeld. Bede says he ended his life in prayer when he realised he was about to die. His head and limbs were placed on stakes. His bones were dispersed as relics, but his head was buried at Lindisfarne - later taken to Durham when the monks fled before the Danish invasion. . After his death, according to Bede, the site where he died * Oswestry or Oswald’s Tree became associated with miracles and legend. Sources used The Churches Year by Charles Alexander Wikipedia

The Annunciation also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady or Annunciation of the Lady The Annunciation of Mary is when the Archangel Gabriel visits Mary to say that she is going to have a son, who she was to call Jesus. * (See Luke ch. 1 verses 26-38) Mary is surprised because she asks, How can this be I do nor know a man? She is still a virgin who has only recently become betrothed to Joseph. The angel replies with these words The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Gabriel goes on to explain that her cousin Elizabeth, in old age, is going to give birth to a son. (This son is John the Baptist) Mary says Behold the maidservant of the Lord!. Let it be to me according to your word. Gabriel then departed. This is how Mary learned that she was going to give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Brief information about Mary and the Archangel Gabriel included. Sources The Bible Wikipedia

Henry Townsend (1815-1886) was an Anglican missionary in Nigeria. He was ordained in 1842 and he then set off for Sierra Leone. After working there for only a few months he was transferred to the Yoruba Mission. He celebrated Christmas Day, 1843, in Badagry sharing the Gospel with Thomas Birch Freeman in who was the first European to enter Abeokuta. From 1846-67 -twenty- one years - he based his mission in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Working with Samuel Crowther, a Yoruba Anglican priest, He wrote several hymns in Yoruba and helped in the compilation of Crowther’s Yoruba primer. In 1858 he published a Yoruba newspaper - it was the first bilingual paper in Nigeria. Paper finished in 1866 but is said to have stated off the print media in Nigeria. From 1971-2 Henry and his wife were co-principals of CMS Female Institution Lagos, Nigeria. Henry retired in 1876. He died 10 years later in 1886.

Saint Francis was an Italian Catholic Friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men’s order of Friar Minor, the women’s Order of saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. He is one of the most venerated religious figures in Christianity. He was born in 1181 in Assisi Italy. He enjoyed life until 1202 when he had a serious illness which changed his behaviour. He turned to God and spent his time and money on helping the poor and sick people especially those with leprosy. In 1209 he started to live like a hermit- he lived in a hovel near the church he was rebuilding. In 1210, with eleven friends, he went to see Pope Innocent 111. They were officially recognised - it was the beginning of the Franciscan Order - now world wide. 1217 saw him involved with the Crusades He preached in the Saracens camp and spoke with Sultan. He attempted to make a truce with the Christians and Muslims. He decided in 1220 to give up the leadership of the Order. His health began to fail but his joyful spirit never failed. He had frequent visions and received the Stigmata - marks on his hands, feet and side in his own flesh. Before he died in 1226 he composed the Canticle of the Sun. Saint Francis was known for his love of nature and animals. He was canonized in 1228, just two years after his death. There is a great deal of information to found about him. Wikipedia gives him 22 pages. I have put together a mixture of different types of data. Ducksters gives children an outline of his life. !2 interesting questions are asked and answered. I have included a translation of the* Canticle of the Sun.* Sources used wikipedia * The Church’s Year* Charles Alexander Encyclopedia.com Canticle of the Sun Biographies for Kids Catholic Encyclopedia

Augustine of Hippo is one of the 4 Doctors of the church. He was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived He was born in Numidi (now Algeria) in 354. His parents were Saint Monica and Patricius, a pagan. His father, on his death bed became a Christian and died in 373 when Augustine was just 19. Augustine was rebellious and his mother prayed for 17 years before he became converted. He was educated in Cathage, then went to Rome, followed by moving to Milan where he taught rhetoric. For 10 years he was interested in Manichaeism (see notes). In Milan he listened to the sermons of Saint Ambrose. To his mother’s joy he was converted and baptised. He was 33. He and Saint Ambrose probably composed the * Te Deum.* The year was 387 when Saint Monica died. She had spent many years praying for her son before he was converted. In her last two years she saw her prayers wonderfully answered. Saint Monica died in Ostia as she and her son gazed at the sea and discoursed about the joys of the blessed. He returned to Africa. H e spent several years in communal living, teaching, meditating, fasting and praying. He ended up becoming a priest and went to Hippo as an assistant to bishop Valerius and established a monastic community. On the bishop’s death he became bishop - Augustine of Hippo. He began to write. Many of his books, all in Latin, are still available to read. Confessions and City of God are his most famous books. Confessions looks at his childhood and conversion. (See list of books) He died in 430 ,aged 76, when his city was being besieged by Vandals who had invaded the Roman Empire. Saint Augustine is considered by many to be the greatest teacher of Christian Truth after Saint Paul - writer of the epistles in the New Testament. I have included a list of his books his ideas, plus definitions for Manichaeism and Filique Gold from Dark Mines by Irene Howart ch1 pages 7-44 Sources Wikipedia and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Amy Carmichael was a girl from Belfast. She , with her two brothers, helped an elderly lady carry a heavy bundle. Aged 18 she, not her brothers, had a revelation, similar to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. ‘That day she talked to God, and settled once and for all the pattern of her future life.’ *They found the Secret *by V. Raymond Edman. She was the first missionary appointed under the Keswick .convention. She went initially to Japan, then Ceylon and then spent 55 consecutive years in Southern India. In Japan she learnt the importance of simple dress sense and appearance. In India she always dressed in saris never in western clothing. She felt the calling to save both girls and boys being used in the temples.The children were being sold to ‘marry’ the Brahmin temple priest. She first took girls then boys. The refuge was called DOHNAVUR. With other Indian women she created a hostel and hospital for children. Through her tireless effort laws were put in place to protect the children After an accident, when she broke her leg and ankle, she was confined to bed as an invalid for 20 years. She then began to write - 37 books in total Thing as they are, Meal in a barrel, Gold Cord, Though the Mountains Shake - to name just four. Amy also wrote a great deal of Christian poetry. In 2017 , 150 years after her birth, Roger Carswell, a member of the Association of Evangelists, wrote the article I have photocopied.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria is one of the most popular Christian martyrs. Her feast day is November the 25th. She is also remembered on November 5th, Firework Night, because one of the fireworks - the Catherine Wheel - has been named after her. Very little is actually known about her. She is not mentioned in writing, until the 9th century, so it is only through memory and traditional stories, that we know anything about her. It is believed she was born of noble birth, probably a princess. She became a Christian aged 14 years old following amoving vision of Mary and the infant Jesus. She spoke to emperor Maxentius about his cruelty to Christians. Initially, rather than her executed, he summoned 50 orators and philosophers to debate with her. She was so eloquent in her defence of her faith that several pagans were converted. Unable to intimidate her to give up her faith he ordered her to be tortured and imprisoned. He decided to have a killed. She was tied to a water wheel fitted with spikes. Somehow she survived this form of torture. Eventually he had her beheaded. I have included pictures of Saint Catherine and listed meaning of her name. Sources used The Church’s Year, britannica, catholic org/saints and nameberry.

Elim Pentecostal Church have just celebrated 100 years. Their founder, George Jeffreys, a Welshman, was an evangelist with a Welsh Congregational background. At the age of 15 he gave his life to Christ. George, along with his brother Stephen and others, started a Christian revival movement. It started in a small way but soon 1000s of people came to their conventions and camp meetings and many were saved. In 1962 George spoke to Reinhard Bonnke. just before he left for south Africa.He invited him in for tea and prayed for the 22 year old, passing on his 'mantle'. Elim Pentecostal Church have brought out a book, a DVD and a Music CD to celebrate. They also have a very good web site simply called Elim - Our History.

George Muller is remembered for the tremendous work he did with orphans in the nineteenth century in Bristol. He, with his first wife Mary, were responsible for looking after over 10,000 orphans. If he needed anything he took it to the Lord in prayer. He never solicited for donations but money or food or drink, or what ever was needed ‘happened’ following prayer. He was also responsible for 117 Christian schools and the educating of 120,00 children. Aged 70 he began a 17 year period of missionary travel with his new wife, Susannah, which took him across the five continents. This was in pre-aviation times and he covered some 200,000 miles. Incredible He returned to England in 1892. He died on 10th March 1898 in New Orphan House no.3. George Muller had originally came over to England in 1825 to work for the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews but due to ill health early on they went their separate ways. Their loss was Bristol orphans gain.

Saint Joseph of Arimathea feast day falls on the same day as Saint Patrick in some countries. Joseph was the one who went to Pontious Pilate, the Roman governor, to ask for the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. He with Nicodmus placed His body in a new tomb. I have typed out in full all the passages where Joseph is mentioned in each of the four Gospels He is mentioned in the Apocryphal (hidden) Gospels saying he went on a preaching mission to Gaul which lasted nearly thirt years. Legends about Joseph and Glastonbury were written in the Middle Ages…

A Christmas and New Year Vocabulary plus a clip art picture for the diary.

Catherine of Siena is one of the outstanding figures of Medieval Catholicism She was the youngest of 25 children. She was a nun and a mystic. She was both clever and good so even popes sought her advice. She is remembered for her role in encouraging the Pope Urban V to return to Rome and for her letters. She never actually learnt how to write- dictated letters to secretaries. She died at the young age of 33 through exhaustion. She remains a greatly respected figure for her spiritual writings and political boldness to ’ speak truth to power ’ - it being exceptional for a women in her time period (Middle Ages) to have such an influence in politics and on world history. There were two tasks she set herself to accomplish. She wanted the Popes to move from Avignon, in France back to Rome so that ancient tradition was restored. Secondly she wanted peace between the pope and the people of Florence. She accomplished both of those aims/tasks. Her ’ Dialogue ’ , 100s’ of letters and dozens of prayers also gives her a prominent place in the history of Italian literacy. Pope Urban V1 celebrated her funeral in the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. She was the first woman to be declared ’ doctor of the church ’ by Pope Paul V1 in 1970. Sources used wikepedia, The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander, Historicas Women and Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Saint Columbo was an Irish priest, who following a dispute in Ireland , moved with 12 friends to the small Isle of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. Iona’s place in history was secured in 563 AD when Saint Colombo arrived with his 12 followers, built a church and established a monastic community. The monks spent their day in pray, teaching, writing - transcribing and illustrating beautiful books, and cultivating the land or fishing. Saint Columbo became the Abbot of Iona and surrounding isles. His wish was that Iona would become a centre of Learning. Hundreds of years later it is still a centre of Christianity. It has an influence far out of all proportion for its size in Scotland, England and mainland Europe. It is a place of pilgrimage, 130,00 come each year. Kings of Scotland, Ireland and Norway are buried there. The original building has gone but by the side of the Abbey entrance a small roof chamber is claimed to be the site of the saint’s tomb. The Lochness monster even gets a mention. Sources -wikipedia and * The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander

Sister Annie was a Norwegian missionary nurse who served in China and Hong Kong. In China she stood out because she was 190cms tall. She became a national hero when she appeared on the Norwegian version of *This is Your Life * in 1985. The Miracle at Midnight heading is the story of when Sister Annie and a friend almost lost their lives. This happened one day in June 1941 in northwest China. They were watching a procession and were asked to take off their hats to show respect to idols. Sister Annie refused and said her God would bring rain before midnight. Half an hour before midnight it rained. Sister Annie’s prayer was answered. By the age of 27 she had joined the Norwegian Missionary Association. In 1938 she arrived in Shaanxi, a province in Northern China where she stayed until the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War in 1950. In 1951 the defeat of the Kuomintang meant all foreign missionaries had to leave and she moved to Hong Kong. Between 1953-5 Sister Annie worked at the Rennie Mill refugee camp. In 1955 Sister Annie worked with Helen Wilson and Hanny Gronlund to found the Haven of Hope Hospital - it is a rehabilitation centre for Chinese refugees.She worked there until her retirement in 1978. In 2015 it celebrated 60 years. In 1963 she was appointed as a First Class Knight of St. Olav. In the 1975 December Time * cover story named her as one of the world’s * living saints* along side Mother Teresa. In 1979 she was rewarded and MBE (Member of the British Empire) for her tireless labours in Hong Kong. I have included a list of the books she wrote. Sources wikipedia and * Ambassadors for Christ* edited by J.D. Woodbridge contributors Avid and Gudveig Meller

Mary was an American educator , stateswoman, philanthropist, humanitarian, womanist and civil rights activist. Whilst she was studying at the Moody Bible Institute she felt clear call to mission service in Africa. She was rejected - no openings for a black missionary in Africa - her major disappointment. She taught for a while in Georgia and then returned to South Carolina. She met and married Albertus Bethune. In 1899 they opened a mission school. In 1904 Mary met a traveling Methodist minister who told her about the terrible conditions in Daytona working on the railways. She was up to the challenge and the same year, on October 4th, she opened a new school. She then, for a few dollars down, bought an abandoned garbage dump and turned it into a school. It became the permanent site for the Daytona Beach Literacy and Industrial School for Negro girls. Within 2 years she had 250 female students. Mary developed extraordinary fund raising skills. John D. Rockefeller, the oil magnate was a major benefactor. As the school grew Mary’s greatest challenge was the Ku Klux Klan In 1920 Mary led a spirited vote registration drive that promoted Klan harassment. The stage was set for showdown between Mary and the Klan on the night before the mayoral election. Mary and her female pupils were ready. (Read ’ Quit running ') The election the next day the black voters waited patiently until all the white voters had cast their votes -the Klan endorsed candidate lost. By 1929 the school had been renamed Bethune-Cookman College. After this she turned her attention to black womens civil groups. (read ’ Civic Groups’ ) Resources used wikipedia Britannica online Encyclopedia Ambassadors for Christ contribution from Harold ivan Smith.

George Frisk shortly after his arrival in Borneo commented 'I’ll fly the gospel here ’ watching two hornbills gliding along effortless after they had taken hours to travel, by canoe, only a few hundred yards from their campsite. Born into a godly family in Binghamton , New York 1905 . Aged 8 he attended a circus where he showed a lot of interest in 'Wild Man of Borneo '. He asked his mother if missionaries went there. She replied ’ No '. It planted a seed that he would be the one to take the gospel to them. 16 years later, 1929, he was in Borneo. He had pursued missions and medical studies in college. His first attempts to be accepted for Borneo failed but Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA) accepted his application. His comment amount fly the gospel was said in 1932 after carrying boats around an unnavigable section of a Borneo river. George corresponded with Dr. R. A. Jaffrey, the person who had first encouraged him. Jaffrey was now his field director and he was supportive. George in 1935, on his furlough, obtained his pilot’s license and ‘soloed’. In 1938 the board granted George’s proposal to buy an aircraft. The Beechcraft SE 17B was selected. Floats were installed . The plane was then disassembled, crated and shipped to Borneo. where it was reassembled. Paul Robinson, a pilot, listened to George’s presentation before WW11. After the war he was deemed too old to fly but persuaded the Moody Bible Institute to begin a programme to train students to fly and care for airplanes. James Truxton , another pilot,in 1943 heard George speak. He with George and two others formed Christian Airman’s Missionary Fellowship (CAMF) - now MAF. Six mission aviation programmes were created within a short space of time (Read Missionary Aviation Fellowship paragraphs). George’s vision of 1932 was more than fulfilled. In 2013* Arrivals and Departures* under the title * The Plane Truth* tells the story of George Fisk. In 2017, Geogette , his grand daughter, says thanks for keeping his story alive. George’s vision of using aeroplanes to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ is very much alive. Sources used wikipedia Ambassadors for Christ* contribution from John and Steve Wells Mission Aviation fellowship

Martin Luther King was a gifted African- American Preacher and civil rights leader. His sermonic appeals for justice and personal activism helped change the course of American life. His most famous appeal was* I have a dream* speech - a dream for freedom and equality for black people. ( Read I had a dream speech). I have included a brief bibliography of his life written by History . It highlights all the important events of his public life - from his birth to his assassination ( page 1, of 4, lists the highlights). As a preacher his sermons became more Christ centred with a growing emphasis on the cross. He was one of the most compelling speakers of the twentieth century. Michael Duduit in his list of top 10 twentieth preachers in the world ranked Martin 4th. ( Read 4. Martin Luther King, Jr) Martin considered himself a preacher of the gospel rather than a civil rights leader. Fundamentally he was clergyman, a Baptist preacher. He was tragically assassinated in 1968. May his dream one day be fulfilled. I have also included 2 large print pages I used when teaching. Sources History The 10 greatest preachers of the 20th century

George was born and raised in Fenny Drayton, Leicestershire. At the age of 11 he remembered experiencing the ‘pureness’ of Divine presence. At the age of 12 he was apprenticed to a local tradesman - a cobbler, then as a partner with a wool and cattle dealer. His integrity brought him commercial success but there was a spiritual rage furiously within. In 1643 he left home to seek the truth. By 1647 he was already a discerning critic of his culture. He turned to Bible reading and prayer. he began to talk to everyone about his ideas. In 1649 he was imprisoned for the first time. At his second trial in Derby (1650/1) a judge used the word ‘quaker’ in a sarcastic manner- according to George that’s whenit was first used. 1652 he climbed Pendle Hill in Lancashire where he had a vision of a’ great people to be gathered together’ waiting for him The beginning of the Society of Friends (Quakers) is dated soon afterwards. George preached on Firbank Fell,near Sedbergh, in Cumbria. Some days later he was at Swarthmoor Hall, home of Judge Fell, Margaret Fell and family. Swarthmoor was to become a vital hub for the Society in Margaret’s capable hands. Many of the new Friends were seekers from various denominations who were disillusioned with state religion. They responded eagerly to his prophetic proclamation of a new Day of the Lord. George and other Friends travelled all over the country. George went to Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. Judge Fell did a lot to protect them until he died in 1658. Charles11 came to throne in 1660. George was imprisoned for 2 years in 1664/6. He began a journal which he continued to write until his death. On October 27th 1669 he married Margaret. There were now had Friends in the Caribbean. In 1671 they set sail for Barbados arriving in October. The Barbadian economy was slave based; some Friends were slave owners. George suggested freedom after 30 years service 1677 they went to to Holland and Germany. In the 1680s he spent a great deal of time lobbying Parliament against the persecution of Quakers. George lived to see the fruits of his labour when the Declaration of Indulgence followed by The Toleration Act of 1689 granted limited freedom to Quakers. The movement gradually took shape as a denomination. Several meeting houses were built before he died in London, on 23rd January 1691. George believed faithful witness to the Kingdom by word and deed would speed the gathering of the world’s peoples to Christ. Sources used Quakers in the World Great Leaders of the Christian Faith Woodbridge contribution by Arthur O. Roberts wikipedia

John Knox was an ordained minister successively for 3 Christian churches - Roman Catholic, Church of England and Church of Scotland. And for 19 months he was a galley slave. John in turn became a tutor, preacher at St. Andrews, galley-slave in French bondage and chaplain to the young English king- Edward VI. In the 1540s John came under the influence of converted reformers… He became the bodyguard for fiery Protestant preacher George Wishart. In 1546 Cardinal David Beaton had Wishart arrested, tried ,strangled and burned. 3 months later Beaton was murdered by Protestant conspirators. John was not ‘privy’ to the murder but did approve of it. In 1547 the occupants of St. Andrew Castle, including John, were put under siege. Some occupants were imprisoned; John was sent to the galleys as a slave. Released after 19 months he spent 5 years in England where his reputation for preaching quickly blossomed. During the reign of Mary Tudor (1553-8),when England reverted back to being Roman Catholic, John was exiled in Europe. Whilst there he helped originate the Puritan tradition and worked on an English version of the Bible. In 1559 he returned to Scotland to be proclaimed an outlaw by the Roman Catholic queen regent. The English ambassador, Randolph said, The voice of one man is able in one hour to put more life in us than 500 trumpets continually blustering our ears. Queen Mary arrived in Scotland in 1561. . When Mary was contemplating Don Car;os of Spain John sounded the Protestant alarm bell. John was charged with treason but the privy Council refused to convict him. Aged 50 John married 17 year old Margaret Stewart a distant relative of the queen - that completed the queen’s ‘cup of bitterness’. The Reformation finally came to Scotland. John laid down the right foundations. He aimed at support for the poor, equality of men before God and the advancement of education by having a school in every parish. He and his fellow ministers went to great pains to establish sound doctrine. Parliament ordered John and 5 colleagues to write a Confession of faith, the First Book of Discipline and *The Book of Common Order * . He ended up as preacher in Edinburgh church where he wrote History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland His power as a preacher lay in his capacity to fuse reason with emotion and to be a passionate logican in the pulpit. He was considered one of the most powerful preachers of his day. John was a minister of the Christian gospel who advocated a violent but bloodless revolution.He was a key figure in the formation of modern Scotland. Sources used *Great Leaders of the Christian Church editor Woodbridge content by J.D. Douglas Britannica Online Encyclopedia Christianity Today