Exploring Anglo-Saxon Spirituality: some prayers to try
Prayers to help our conversations with God
Pilgrim prayer cards
We can talk to God about anything that matters to us. We don’t always need words but here are some prayers you may find helpful. They are based on themes which were important in Anglo-Saxon experience and spiritualitySpiritualityTerm used to describe the experiential dimensions of religion, encompassing aspects such as prayer, meditation, contemplation, and mysticism. and are still very relevant to our lives today.
Anglo-Saxon Christians faced challenges surprisingly like our own. Life was tough and uncertain; wars and pandemics often brought loss, grief, pain, and loneliness. They needed to know that they were not alone, and how to find a way through day by day. That’s why their deep trust in God’s help on their pilgrimPilgrim1. In the New Testament and Christian thought, someone engaged in the Christian journey through life towards heaven. 2. Someone who journeys to holy places (such as biblical sites or shrines of the saints) to seek God's help, to give thanks, or as an act of penance-journey through life can be encouraging and inspiring for us.
FaithFaith1. Belief and trust in someone or something. 2. Acceptance of particular religious teachings. in the North Cards_FINAL.indd
BedeBede, the Venerable(c.673-735) Anglo-Saxon historian and biblical scholar. Sent to study at the monastery of Wearmouth at seven; later transferred to Jarrow. Renowned in his lifetime for his learning, Bede wrote treatises on poetry, time and cosmography. Historical works include History of the Abbots, prose and verse versions of the Life of St Cuthbert and Ecclesiastical History of the English People. shown as a scribe in ‘The Life of St CuthbertCuthbert, St(d. 687) Celtic monk and hermit. Bishop of Lindisfarne 685.,’ Yates Thompson MS 26 f002r. Courtesy of the British Library Archive
Bede shown as a scribe in ‘The Life of St Cuthbert,’ Yates Thompson MS 26 f002r. Courtesy of the British Library Archive
St PaulinusPaulinus, StBishop of York 627-644. Sent to England with Saint Augustine. Accompanied Queen Ethelburga north on her marriage to King Edwin of Northumbria. Converted King Edwin and the Northumbrians in 627 and founded the first York Minster. from window at Bishopthorpe Palace Chapel
St Paulinus from window at Bishopthorpe Palace Chapel
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