Sammy and Debara 'Tex’Tippett have been married for over 50 Years. Sammy was born in 1947 and married Debara Ann ‘Tex’ Sirman in 1968. Sammy was converted when he went to his girl friend’s church. Debra’s father would not let them go out unless they went to church first. Sammy went to church despite the laughter and derision of his partying friends. He heard the gospel and received Christ. For over fifty years he has been preaching the gospel. In 2019 he was re-elected to be president of the Southern Baptist Evangelists. The book Ambassadors for Christ looks at his life until 1990. On the day they were married they had all their belongings stolen. With nothing but the clothes on his back and unshaven he was invited to a regional evangelism conference. He spoke from the ‘floor’ and dozens of invitations to speak followed. He preached the gospel across the globe. He had a break in the early 80’s and accepted a pastorate for 3 years. Challenged by Arthur Blessitt In 1986 he returned to full time international evangelism and saw his ministry explode.(See notes). Sammy Tippitt continues to preach all over the world. He and Tex have remained faithful to their call. For up to date information go to Sammy Tippet Ministries (page would not print clearly). I have included notes form the Southern baptist Convention -18th June 2019. Other sources Ambassadors for Christ edited article written by jerry Jenkins

Mary Magdalene was an original follower of Jesus. The name Magdalene suggest she came from a small town called Magdala. We first notice her in Luke’s gospel (Chapter 2 v 1-3). it simply says who seven demons had come out. She is mentioned 12 times in total by name in the canonical Gospels- that is more than most of the disciples or non-family women in the Gospels are mentioned. She is mentioned in the list of women who watched Christ’s crucifixion and his burial (Matthew 27 v 55-61 Mark 15 v 40-47 and John 19 v25 ). She come very much to the fore in the resurrection story. She is one of the first to witness the empty tomb. She is the first to see him after his resurrection - but initially believes he is the gardener until Jesus simply says,* ‘Mary’. She gives her wonderful reply of Rabboni * -Master She is the first to testify to his resurrection. This is why in many Christian traditions she is known as the apostle to the apostles. (Matthew 28 v1-10, Mark 16 v 1-9, Luke 24 v10 and John 20 v 1-18). We do not know for certain what happened to her afterwards. It is thought she went with John the disciple/apostle to Ephesus. I have included Biblical texts from the burial and the resurrection. In the Gnostic Gospels her closeness to Jesus results in tension with the other disciples. Sources NIV Bible, wikipedia and ** The Church’s Year * by Charles Alexander

Saint Boniface was a Benedictine monk who was born in Crediton in Devon. His original name was Wynfrid or Wynfrith. Pope Gregory 11 renamed him Boniface - doer of good. Boniface studied at the abbeys of Exeter and Newell and became a monk. He was ordained a priest a priest at about the age of 30. He tried three times to evangelise in Frisia/ Friesland ( now in the Netherlands ). The first two attempts -716 and 722 failed, the third, when he was aged 75, cost him his life. In 718 he went to Rome. Gregory11 entrusted him with a mission to the pagans east of the Rhine… 722 he went to Hesse where he established the first of many Brendictine monasteries. His success was so great Gregory11 consecrated him a missionary bishop 725-735 he was active in Thuringia converting pagans and renewing the faith of Christians. Pope Gregory 111 ordered him to organize the church in Bavaria. In 751 Boniface became archbishop of Mainz. In 754, as a monk, he returned to Friesland. As he confirmed some converts he, along with 52 others, was martyred by a band of pagan Frisians. Consuelo Maria Aherne, in the Britannica notes I have included, concludes Saint Boniface was an organizer, educator and reformer and that he influenced the course of intellectual, political and ecclesiastical history in Germany and France throughout the Middle Ages. Saint Boniface was indeed a* doer of good.* In 2019 Devon County council officially recognised Saint Boniface as the Patron Saint of Devon. Sources used Britannica, wikipedia, The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander and *The Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton.

Festo was a Ugandan Christian leader who faced the wrath of the brutal dictator Idi Amin. Festo was a world renown evangelist, founder of African Evangelistic Enterprises (AEE), and bishop of Kigezi Diocese in Uganda. In 1973 Festo attended the firing squad of 3 Christians by Idi Amin’s army. (The included article by Frederick Quinn is very moving) When Idi Amin in1977 had Archbishop Janani Luwum killed Festo, with his family were encouraged to flee the country. During his exile he settled in California. USA and travelled extensively preaching and teaching about the situation in Uganda. April 1979 Idi Amin was overthrown and Festo returned home. He continued an active ministry untilhis death , by leukemia, in 1988. A good part of the year was spent on evangelistic tours to raise money for AEE. Early in his career he was asked to translate into Swahili the sermons of Billy Graham. Billy was very impressed and they became lifelong friends. Forgiveness, reconciliation and proclamation were the three corner stones of his ministry. He wrote a book * I love Idi Amin.* In the book he asked for forgiveness from the Lord and for grace to love President Amin more. The Anglican Community lost an articulate and inspiring preacher; the church of Africa lost one of its most courageous leaders. He played a large role in the Christian revival in southwestern Uganda. Festo was indeed the Billy Graham of Africa.. Sources Christian History, DACB C0llection, Archives of the Episcopal Church *Ambassadors for Christ -editor J.D. Woodbridge contributor Jay Russell

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

Saint James the Great is the brother of John. They were the sons of Zebedee. Together Jesus named them the sons of thunder. James and John were fishermen who Jesus called to become * fishers of men.* They were two of the original twelve chosen by Jesus. They, with the other 10 disciples, were with Jesus throughout his ministry. Jesus had an inner circle of four disciples - two sets of brothers James and John, and Simon Peter and Andrew. These four were with Jesus for two important events in his life - the Transfiguration and the betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane. James would have witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and seen him after his glorious resurrection. James would have also been present at both the Ascension and Pentecost. King Herod Agrippa in AD 44 had James executed by the sword (Acts 12 v20). Saint James the great is the patron saint of Spain Two disciples of Jesus were named James, the other one is James the son of Alphaeus. A third James mentioned was the brother of Jesus. Sources used wkipedia, catholic on line and The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander.

Dr. Hyung -Ja Lee is the chairperson of Torch Trinity Graduate University in South Korea. She was brought up by Christian parents and when she was only 6 she had an unusual experience. She saw a shining light that felt she was in a world of fantasy. It showered upon her face and filled her sight. The sunbeam was absolutely beautiful - she never forgot the experience. During her senior high schooldays her relationship with the Lord grew. In her second year at college whilst studying oriental painting she stepped in front of a bus and suffered serious injuries. It took 6 months to recover but surre from tiredness. Whilst at college she met Soon-Young Choi and married him following graduation. After 4 years of marriage first her mother, then her mother-in-law died and she became depressed. With her husband’s business also suffering they turned to prayer. They prayed together from 4am in the morning for hours. Their worries disappeared. If her husband had a problem he would ask her to pray into the problem -her prayers were answered and his business flourished. In 1977 an indescribable force overpowered Hyung-Ja. A voice was heard . Light the torch! This was a call to a new direction of ministry. The Korean Center for World Missions was formed. Where were they to meet? In a pre-dawn prayer time Hyung-Ja was shown a vision of a building. Through prayer she asked how big it should be. It grew to 63 floors! Ony 20 storey buildings were allowed on Yeoido Island. President Park said, ‘No’. The president was assassinated. The building law was changed. Permission was granted. Three and a half years later it was built- 60 floors above ground, 3 beneath the building -63 in total -the 63 building, shaped like a pair of hands, it is a symbol of spiritual triumph. ( now such a tall building is not allowed in Seoul) 63 building was originally named Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology. It is now Torch Trinity Graduate University’s academic building. Dr. Hyung-Ja Lee is their inspirational chairperson . She believes Torch Trinity can reach the 12,000 unreached people groups that make up the 2 billion of the Earth’s population. Sources used Ambassadors for Christ - Editor J.D. Woodbridge contribution by David Kim wikipedia Torch Trinity Graduate University

Saint Lawrence (or Laurence) is one of the most venerated Roman martyrs. He was born in Spain and went to work for the future Pope Sixtus11 in Rome. He was ordained as a deacon to work in the cathedral. He was appointed first deacon among the 7 deacons. (deacons are responsible for looking after the poor - the indigent) He was the archdeacon of Rome a position of great trust which included the care of the treasury and riches of the church. August 258 the Roman emperor Valerian sent out an edict that all bishops, priests and deacons should be killed. On August 8th Pope Sixtus 11 was executed. The prefect of Rome asked Saint Lawrence to hand over the riches of the church. Saint Lawrence asked for and was granted three days to collect the riches. Instead of collecting the riches he distributed the riches/alms amongst the indigent, crippled, blind and suffering. One account suggests that he told the prefect * The church is truly rich, far richer than the emperor.* For his defiance, Lawrence the last of the 7 deacons - the ranking church official, was martyred. In those days to be martyred you were normally beheaded. ** Legend ** has it the prefect was so angry with Saint Lawrence that he had a great gridiron prepared with hot coals underneath and Saint Lawrence was burnt alive . In pain the dying saint declared *I am roasted enough on this side; turn me over and eat Saint Lawrence became famous. He is the patron saint for cooks, chefs and comedians. King Philip 11 of Spain had his great palace built in the shape of a grid iron. There are over 200 churches dedicated to Saint Lawrence. There has been a Saint Lawrence church in Reading, Berkshire since 1196. Sources used wikipedia, youronlinechoices * The Church’s Year* by Charles Alexander

Dieumeme was given this name by mistake! His father thought it meant ’ Gift of God ’ the correct translation is ’ God himself '. Dieumeme is proof that it is possible, through faith, to climb to the top of the mountain. He is now the president of the Caribbean Evangelical Theological Association (CETA). He is the Professor of Theological Ethics;Vernon Ground Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Social Ethics at Denver( Conservative Baptist) Seminary. He was born into an illiterate Christian Haiti family. He wanted to learn how to read. His sister made a starling offer she would sell her rooster to make it possible for him to go to school. Aged 13 he placed his faith in Christ during a vacation Bible School. He entered an Unevangelized Fields Mission for 5 years. This was one year short for sitting the Baccalaureate 1 exams. So 4 of them self tutored themselves in their fifth year. Dieumeme , with 2 others, passed the exam 1 and he passed exam 2. His older brother had gone into the ministry. Seeing how poorly it paid he decided to study law. He completed 3 out of the 4 year course. Whilst there he worked at the Christian Radio Lumiere. He impressed Dr. Harold Merchant who offered to sponsor him going to the USA to study the Bible at Detroit Bible College. He agreed to go. In Detroit he fell in love with theology and then Gloria Charleston.Shortly after graduation in 1979 he married Gloria. They moved to Deerfield. They began to work with the Haitian community and in !982 they launched the Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church. (please read the rest of column 2 and columns 3 and 4 of the notes from * Ambassadors for Christ *. The Caribbean eventually got their dean. Being fluent in English, French, Creole and Spanish he was ideally prepared for a Caribbean -wide education role. The sale of the rooster by his sister turned out to be one of the soundest investments ever made. Sources used *Ambassadors for Christ * - contribution from Harry Genet Denver Seminary CETA

Saint Christopher is a Christian martyr saint of the third century. Christopher in Greek means ’ child bearer. Christopher is often shown carrying a child on his shoulder. The legend is that Saint Christopher offered to carry a small child across a river. As they moved into the water the child became increasingly heavy. On reaching the other side he learns that he had just carried upon his back the world and Him who created it. It is uncertain which of two Roman emperors were responsible for his death by beheading. Two emperors have very similar names Decius (reigned 249-251 ) and Maximinux 11 Dacian (reigned 308-313) As a result of his famous legend of carrying the boy Jesus Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travellers. Many people as a result wear a Saint Christopher pendant image around their neck. Please note that Saint Christopher’s name was dropped from the Roman Catholic Church’s calendar in 1969 so his feast day is nolonger obligatory. Sources wikipedia and The encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton.

Saint Lambert was born in Maastricht, now Holland, in the seventh century. His parents are thought to have been Apre, lord of Liege, and his wife Herisplende. He was educated by Landoald the archpriest of the city. He is described by early biographers as a prudent young man of pleasing looks, courteous and well-behaved in his speech and manners, well built, strong, a good fighter, clear headed, affectionate, pure and humble and fond of reading. He was a protege of his uncle Theodard, the bishop of Maastricht. When Theodard was murdered in c.669 the councilors of Childeric made Saint Lambert the next bishop. He remained bishop until he was martyred in c705 except for the 7 years in exile when he had been driven from his see for supporting King Childeric who Ebroin had murdered in 675. Saint Lambert lost his life during the political turmoil that developed when various families fought for dominance with the Merovingian dynasty giving way to the Carolingians. Saint Lambert, with others, was surrounded. He refused to defend himself and was killed. Date of martyrdom sometime c 705-709. He is considered a martyr for his defence of marriage fidelity. He denounced Pepin’s liaison with his mistress Alpaida, who was the mother of Charles Martel. The present day Cathedral of Our Lady and Saint Lambert in Liege was built in his honour. Saint Lambert’s tomb is located in the Cathedral. Saint Lambert is the patron saint of city of Liege. Sources used Wikipedia * The Church’s Year* by Charles Alexander

Samuel was born in Michigan on April 12th 1867, the thirteenth of fifteen children. His parents were Adriaan and Catherina Boon Zwemer. His father was Reform Church pastor. Both father and son attended Hope College, Holland Michigan. 5 other brothers also became pastors. After his college days he attended a seminary in New Brunswich, New Jersey. Samuel and his friend James Cantine had the idea of doing missionary work in Arabia. The mission Board gave them a negative response but they still proceeded with the idea. Samuel was ordained on May 29th 1890. He saw Arabia for the first time in January 1891. He was a missionary at Busrah, Bahrein and other locations in Arabia from 1891-1905. He was a member of the Arabian Mission from 1890-1913. He was the founder of the American Mission hospital in Bahrain. He rode camels across the hot deserts of Arabia to bring the Gospel to the Muslims. He founded the * Moslem World*, published quarterly, in 1911. He not only edited it for 35 years but also covered much of the funding out of his own pocket. He saw the printed page as * the leaves for the healing of the nations. He moved to Egypt for 16 years 1913-1929. From 1929 -1937, he was professor of missions and professor of religion at Princeton Theological College Seminary. 1937, now aged 70, he retired from active work but carried on writing. He lived to the age of 84 and died in New York City. His legacy is that through the work of the Student Volunteer Movement, which he was strongly connected to*, 14,000 young men went out to the mission field.* . There is also the enormous volume of work he wrote. Sources wikipedia * Ambassadors for Christ* contribution from James Dretke Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions

Paul E.Reed was the founder of Trans World Radio (TWR) in1960. In 1931 Radio broadcasting of the Gospel by shortwave radio started in. HCJB Quito in Ecuador went on the aie after careful planning by Clarence W. Jones and Reuben Larson. In 1948 the Far East Broadcasting Company began its initial broadcasting in Manila, the Philippines. On February 22, !954 the Voice of Tangier began broadcasting the gospel on air. Paul E. Reed was at the helm. Paul had travelled reluctantly to Spain having received a burden to reach the Spaniards with the Gospel. (See page 1 of Tower to Eternity- the book he published in 1979 ) After 5 years he learnt that all radio stations were to be nationalised in Morocco. In 1960 TWR was formed and on October 16th TWR began broadcasting from Adolf Hitler’s former bomb proof radio building in Monte Carlo. With his mother’s encouragement and prayers and the miraculous intervention of Radio Monte Carlo who were willing to discuss entering into a contract with the newly named TWR. TWR could now begin to reach out to the world. Read extract from Ambassador for Christ Read * Tower to Eternity , published in 1979, which is Paul’s inspirational history/biography from 1948- 1964 (available from american radio history/history com. /archive -station - 152 pages to read/ down load/buy). He helped to build up a network which stretched around the world. To the extent that 80% of the world could receive broadcasts in 120 languages. 1993 Paul retired from the presidency but continued as chairman of TWR. He died in 1996. His legacy is the Trans Word Radio (TWR) which is a the largest Christian media organization in the world. Currently programmes can be heard in 190 countries in more than 230 languages and dialects. I do not think he regretted to Spain after all. Sources Tower of Eternity by Paul E. Reed * Ambassadors for Christ * contribution by E. Brant Gustavson dacb Dictionary of Christian Biography wikipedia

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

Frederick W. Baedeker life changed dramatically for him and his second wife Harriet, in 1866 following a Brethren meeting held in Western-super- Mare lead by Lord Radstock. He was 42/3 years of age. Frederick reluctantly attended a meeting in the Assembly Rooms. For the first few meeting he attended he managed to slip away. The day came when the preacher ‘caught’ him. Lord Radstock laid his hand on his shoulder and said , My man, God has a message through me for you tonight. Frederick and his wife left the meeting converted. He was introduced to the Brethren net work. He spent a year with George Muller in Bristol. Soon after his conversion he began to preach. he was invited to conduct his own evangelistic tour. Lord Radstock introduced him to his life’s work in Russia. Frederick began by evangelising the aristocracy mixing with princesses, counts and barons. generals and ambassadors. Meetings were held in noble households. He stayed with Princess Nathalie Lieven. The palatial country homes of the nobility were open to Frederick, Harriet and adopted daughter. This kept him occupied between 1875 and 1887. For the next 18 years he preached to prisoners. His first epic trip, covering 1000s of kilometers, took him across Russia and Siberia… Through the influence of an unnamed countess he obtained a special command from the director of prisons to visit prisons and hand out Holy scriptures. He had a renewable 2 year permit, with enlarged privileges which gave him permission to visit prisoners in their cells. To reach these prisons he travelled by boat and by tarantass - an old fashioned coach. Frederick seemed to be able to communicate with the prisoners as well as he had the nobility.* He was moved by a compelling desire to proclaim Christ to Russians, whether they were in a prison house or in an aristocrat’s reading room. Harold Rowdon Sources used *Ambassadors for Christ * contribution by Harold Rowdon Gospel Hall Biography 65

Melvin Ernest Trotter was a former alcoholic who founded and directed the Grand Rapids Michigan City Rescue Mission. Today it is flourishing and called Mel Trotter Ministries. In 1897, a bedraggled,drunk, suicided minded Mel, was invited into a Pacific Garden Mission by Harry Monroe. Harry, the mission superintendent said ’ Jesus loves you and so do I.’ He then gave a personnel testimony about his own troubled life. At the close of the message Harry gave an altar call. Mel, aged 27, walked forward and gave his life to Christ. It was the beginning of a new life and career. He was on his way to becoming an evangelist. For the next 40+ years he worked as a rescue worker, mission superintendent and evangelist. He devoted his energy to redeeming lives of men and women who fought the same demons he once knew. He became known as ’ the man who raved about Jesus.’ Mal helped supervise 68 rescue missions. Many of these were founded by former alcoholics. He remained a simple person . He believed God’s love had the power to change even the most ruined life. In my research I found his own testimony -it’s a very power read. The Mel Trotter Ministries (MTM) he founded is flourishing. Their statement of intent reads MTM exists to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus Christ through rescue and restoration for anyone experiencing hunger of homelessness. I also decided to have a look at The Pacific Garden Mission where it all started for Mel. It is still flourishing. I also found a 12 page history of the mission written in 1942 about the* The Great Triumvirate* - Harry Monroe, Mel and Billy Sunday. The first 7 pages look at the whole of Mel’ s life association with the Rescue Mission. Sources used Ambassadors for Christ contribution from Margaret Bendroth Wikipedia Pacific Garden Mission A testimony of Mel Trotter

Saint Remigius was the bishop Reims for 70 years. There are three main stories about Saint Remigius. The first is that when the people of Reims were looking for the next bishop that the a ray of light from a window fell on him. He was aged 21/2 at the time. The second is that Saint Reminguis, with Queen Clotible tried to persuade King Clovis to become a Christian. He said he would change his faith if he won his next battle. He won the battle and on Christmas Day 496, he and 3,000 franks were baptized. King Clovis then helped Saint Remigius to convert many heathen and Arians or heretic Christians. The third story is about vials. The baptism of Moribund pagan was delayed because there was no oil of the Catechumens or sacred Chrism available. Saint Remigius took empty vials and prayed -miraculous they were filled. Years later when the sepulcher was opened in the reign of Charles the Bald two vials were found! Sources wikipedia The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander

Ludwig is often referred to being the Apostle of the Batak. In 1862 Ludwig went as a missionary to the island of Sumatra which is part of Indonesia. Efforts to win the natives had started with 3 missionaries back in 1820 but they were unsuccessful. 1834 there was a second attempt. The Bataks were cannibals and they eat the two missionaries. In 1834 Ludwig was born. In 1846, aged 12, he had his legs crushed by a horse cart. It was feared he would never walk, but with prayer, three years later he was able to walk again. In 1857 an interest in missionary work led him to enroll at the Rhenish Missionary Society seminary at Wuppertal- Barmen. In 1865 he baptised his first converts. In 1878 he translated the New Testament into Batak. 1878-1881 involved as interpreter in the First Toba War. His aim was to save lives and to avoid Dutch brutal punitive action against local villages. After the war the Batak people saw Ludwig as the person who could protect them against Dutch influence. ( For more detail read the 4 columns from Ambassadors for Christ.) For 56 years he worked tireless in Sumatra. He helped the Barak church come into existence. He led it with great skill until his dying day.He trained indigenous native Baraks to be elders, pastors and teachers to be the backbone of the church work. The church was integrated into the community - this made Christinaization much easier. Ludwig was probably one of the most successful missionaries to ever preach the gospel. His work was recognised and he received a knighthood - the Royal Dutch Order of Orange Nassau in 1893 and an officer of this order in 1911. Included map of Sumatra Sources Ambassadors for Christ - contribution from Werner Raupp wikipedia History of Missiology Britannica

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was one of the most influential churchmen of his time. He was a man who by personality and goodness of character, rather than by his position, influenced kings. Both his parents died whilst he was still young.His father Tecelin was killed on a crusade. His mother Aleth died in 1107. He claimed his mother’s death led him towards his ’ long path to complete conversion '. Saint Bernard decided he wanted to become a monk. He entered the Citeaux monastery with 30 other youths of noble rank. The monks of Citeaux and its daughter monasteries were called Cistercians. In 1115 Saint Stephen Harding appointed him abbot of Clairvaux . Aided by 11 others it became a celebrated abbey. The monastic rule he perfected at Clairvaux became the model for 163 monasteries of the Cistercian reform. He became the most conspicuous figure in the history of the 12th century. He founded numerous abbeys. For 10 years Saint Bernard had a penchant for penitential practices and as a result was plagued by poor health -anemia, migraine, gastritis hypertension and a poor sense of taste. He was most active between 1130 and 1145. He was the confidant for 5 popes. He was mediator and councilor for several civil and ecclesiastical councils and theological debate during 7 years of papal disunity. Saint Bernard was given the task to promote the Second Crusade (1147-9). It ended unfortunately in failure. Saint Bernard was loved and respected by everyone. He died on the 20th August 1174. Sources used Britannica, Catholic 0nline and *The Church’s Year * by Charles Alexander

Saint Aidan was an Irish monk from Saint Columbo’s monastery on the Isle of Iona. In 635 Aidan was made bishop and set off for Northumbria. He decided to make his new headquarters on Lindisfarne or Holy Island, a rocky island off the east coast of Northumberland. There he built a wooden church and monastery huts for his companions and himself and started a school for boys. The monks lived a life of prayer, study and austerity (no luxuries). From here they went on their missions. The monastery was in sight of Bamborough, the castle/capital of King Oswald. Initially he had a problem with the English language so the king interpreted for him. They soon became great friends. Saint Aidan was a simple and gentle man but quick to recognise goodness. He walked everywhere spreading the gospel and founded churches for his small Christian communities. (The king’s son Oswin , when he became king, offered him a horse but he gave it away) In his years of evangelism he was responsible for the the construction of churches, monasteries and schools throughout Northumbria. His friend King Oswald was killed after a battle with Penda, king of Mercia. Penda unable to take Bamborough created a fire which he hoped, wind assisted, would destroy the city. Saint Aidan prayed and the wind turned dramatically - Penda’s army retreated. A while later Oswy invaded Northumbria. Oswin, knowing he could not win, dismissed his army. One of his own earls betrayed him. Saint Aidan died of shock when he heard the news - August 31st 651. Saint Aidan is known as the Apostle of Northumbria. Joseph Lightfoot, Bishop of Durhamwent several steps further Augustine was the Apostle of Kent, but Aidan was the Apostle of the English*. I have included some information about the island of Lindisfarne. Sources used Wikipedia, * The Church’s Year* by Charles Alexander Marygate House