Helen O'Sullivan

Downloaded to listen to on plane journey home tomorrow.

A long train journey means starting another pick from Take Four Books with @jdcrawf.bsky.social Looking forward to this one.

@hannahswiv.bsky.social saw you post about this book earlier so thought you might be interested in this.

A wonderful weekend celebrating those of our students being ordained priest and deacon this year. And the icing on the cake was having all but one of my curacy cohort together for the first time in four years. #grateful

Some moments make you stop, breathe deeply and rejoice in the wonder of creation. The world may feel heavy at the moment but a pause on an evening walk back to the car can be long enough to let in a glimmer of hope and a promise of peace.

I loved this episode, an exploration of what sounds like a beautiful book about storytelling & interconnection The comment “the same water we might have shed as tears yesterday may be the same drop that fell on the head of a mighty king in Ancient Assyria” may have led to a few tears itself.

I’m so sorry to hear this Jon. Praying for the appeal.

Rest in peace and rise in glory - a faithful servant and inspiring theologian.

The Sojourner Truth Project Read the most accurate version of Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a woman” speech. And hear it as she would’ve sounded, in her upper New York State low-Dutch accent.  Sojourner Truth’s original “Ain’t I a ...

Annual anniversary reminder that Sojourner Truth didn’t speak the way we thought. A white woman doctored Sojourner Truth’s speech so it sounded more the way white people thought it should.

Professor Nell Irvin Painter was the first to bring awareness to this:

www.thesojournertruthproject.com

‘Placing the biblical narratives in the streets of the city [medieval mystery plays] implied a relationship between the here and now with the there and then…making the lives of the people part of the fabric of salvation history’

Todd Johnson- Performing the Sacred

A sad thing to see on a Wednesday.

Today is this sort of a day (out of shot are coffee and book - of course)

It was somewhat disconcerting to discover E.M. Forester’s book ‘The Machine Stops’ on the same day that power failures brought Spain and a Portugal to a stop.

Hadestown hints at so much more | Seen & Unseen

Hermes seems to have a divine vocation to keep telling the tale “regardless of how it ends” until it changes. This act is presented to us as faith, hope, resistance…the tale might turn out differently upon the next telling, & so Hermes strikes up the band once again.
A great piece on a show I love.

Words from a poem by Ann Lewin ‘Easter Morning’

A joy to preach & preside today at Twyford, the church which supported me through so much of my pre-ordination journey. Old friends & new celebrating & reflecting on the breaking open of the tomb & the breaking open of our own imaginations when it comes to the gift of new life.
(Words by Ann Lewin)

It’s taken 3 months but Lord of the Rings is finished. I loved this book the first time I read it & loved it even more this time. You emerge from the journey with Frodo, Sam, Pippin & Merry with a little more hope & determination to face the brokenness of the world & seek the good, true & beautiful.

Lenten Reflection: The Wonder of the Wilderness - Diocese of Winchester Today’s Lenten reflection was written by Revd Helen O’Sullivan, a Tutor within the Licensed Ministry Training programme. “Surely the Lord your God has blessed you in all your undertakings; he knows yo...

My Lent reflection on the theme of Wilderness.

winchester.anglican.org/lenten-refle...

A brilliant end this evening to our seminar series looking at “On the Incarnation”. Finishing with students wanting to continuing reading ancient texts and discussing together because of all they have learned about mercy, hope and love and the inspiration they have found for their ministry.

It’s 9am TFT time here, and citizens are already gathering to protest Tariffs by the United States. Our plain clothes Officer Penguins are attempting to maintain calm, but unfortunately we keep losing them in the crowd.

I love the little details you get in late medieval / early modern records of Christian drama that give insight into their theatricality.

The costume list for the c. 1583 Lucern Passion play includes "an iron skullcap" under a wig for Abel, to protect the actor when he's hit by Cain.

This is the next book on my TBR. It was great to hear Elizabeth speaking about it at the Faith and Literature festival a few weeks ago.

Portrait of a black and white cat with green eyes.

Picture of the moon

Sunlit picture of white blossom

Close up picture of pink blossom

Very grateful for the photography course I have been taking this term. A way of paying far more careful attention to the world and slowing down enough to capture the beauty and wonder.

“There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge; that is Curiosity.

There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is Vanity.

There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve; that is Love.”

― Bernard of Clairvaux

I had let this podcast fall off my radar - thank you for the reminder and just in time for what sounds like a lovely series for Lent.

Such a joy to lead a quiet morning today for clergy and LLMs. Holding space for God to minister to those who minister for him.

Enjoyed the conversation between Jem Bloomfield and Malcolm Guite at the Faith and Literature festival exploring the literary influences on the Narnia books. It left me imagining C.S Lewis on @jdcrawf.bsky.social ‘Take Four Books’ although I fear he would have needed more than three inspirations!

Brilliant to hear so many great speakers at the Faith & Literature festival & spend far more than planned on books! A real joy to hear @malcolmguite.bsky.social speaking on his new Arthurian project especially as his thinking on the Christian Imagination shaped one of the sections of my MA thesis.

Brilliant to hear from @elizabetholdfield.bsky.social today speaking about her book ‘Fully Alive’. An inspiring exploration of our human tendency not just to be broken but to break things and the ways in which the treasures of the Christian tradition can actively form us for fullness of life.

Booking a photography course has been a real blessing at the start of the year. Still lots to learn but it is lovely having this as a creative outlet.

CS Lewis: That Hideous Strength - The people from NICE - BBC Sounds Lewis's 'modern fairy tale for grown-ups' warns of a world where technocrats are kings.

A timely adaptation of C.S Lewis’ ‘That Hideous Strength’. A good script and though this episode focussed on Mark’s story I can see why and hopefully next week’s will capture Jane’s experiences.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...