David Sheen ☩

‘The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism.’ #HannahArendt

We adore you, O Christ,
and we bless you;
because by your cross
you have redeemed the world.

#HolyCrossDay

3 weeks today to race day! Good long run this morning. Cardiff Half is on Sunday 5 October.

I’m fundraising for #CancerResearch at Cardiff Uni. To give, go to my JustGiving page. Every little helps Diolch! Thanks!

#running #training #halfmarathon #fundraising

www.justgiving.com/page/running...

Five weeks to go until @CardiffHalf. Raising money for #CancerResearch @cardiffuni. Every little helps. You can donate via my JustGiving page. #running #training #fundraising #cardiffhalf
Diolch yn fawr!

www.justgiving.com/page/running...

(Why) are young people flocking to religion? Is there really a resurgence in Christianity? Nick Spencer interrogates recent claims before asking why young people are seeking religion. 13/05/2025

(Why) are young people flocking to religion? #TheosThinkTank
It's a long read but well worth it. Is there really a resurgence in Christianity? Nick Spencer interrogates recent claims before asking why young people are seeking religion.
www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2025...

How Big Tech Sets the Agenda in Trump’s America Podcast Episode · The New Yorker Radio Hour · 22/08/2025 · 33m

“It was Meta and Mark Zuckerberg many, many years ago who used the very clichéd slogan, ‘move fast and break things.’ And that is very much something that many of these people embody.”

A beautiful sky and a gloriously quiet Radcliffe Square. Taken early in the morning before the summer tourist rush. Even after a couple of years I still have to pinch myself occasionally that this where I work.

In 6 weeks I’m running my sixth #CardiffHalf. To support donate via my JustGiving page. #CardiffAlumni #running #training #fundraising for #CancerResearch @cardiffuni.bsky.social
Diolch yn fawr! Many Thanks!

Almighty God, who looked upon the lowliness of the Blessed Virgin Mary and chose her to be the mother of your only Son: grant that we who are redeemed by his blood may share with her in the glory of your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ…

#BVM #Dormition #Assumption

I'm running the 2025 Cardiff Half for Cancer Research at Cardiff Uni. Help Revd David Sheen raise money to support Cardiff University

I'm running my sixth #CardiffHalf in 8 weeks time. I'm raising money for Cancer Research at #CardiffUniversity If you would like to support this then please donate via my JustGiving page. #CardiffAlumni #running #training #fundraising
Diolch yn fawr! Many Thanks!
www.justgiving.com/page/running...

84 years ago, 14 August 1941, #MaximilianKolbe died in Auschwitz. The deputy camp commander picked 10 men to be starved to death in an underground bunker to deter further escape attempts. When one of the men cried out ‘My wife! My children!’ Kolbe volunteered to take his place.

Opinion | José Andrés: The World Cannot Stand By With Gaza on the Brink of Famine

‘Give us this day our daily bread’ - A starving human being needs food today, not tomorrow.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/o...

Always great espresso at Hardlines, Canton, Cardiff.

Very much looking forward to the next few days attending this conference at Pusey House,Oxford.
#restoringtheimage

Jeremy Taylor on Saint Peter and episcopacy:

"Not S. Peter alone, but every Apostle, and therefore every one who succeeds them in their ordinary power, may and must remember the words of S. Paul; We are Embassadors or Legates for Christ: Christ's Vicars ... they are Pastors 1/2

P D James, The Children of Men, was a work of fiction and a warning not a blueprint. Welcome to Death-Cult Britain!

Hope for a Hurting Church Leadership, Trust, & the Future of the Church in Wales

I hesitated to write this. But after 12 years in the Church in Wales, I’ve seen patterns we can’t afford to ignore. This isn’t about blame—it’s about honesty, care, and the hope of renewal. A hard post, written with love.

open.substack.com/pub/markclav...

An energy filled Oxford Pride March 2025 which even the rain could not dampen. Good to walk with friends & colleagues. The route was in reverse this year, ending rather conveniently in front of Brasenose.
#OxfordPride2025 🏳️‍🌈
#BrasenoseCollege
#UniversityOfOxford

Didn’t realize this was a prophecy.

10 books to read this Pride Month [reading list] Dive into ten remarkable books that illuminate the diverse and vibrant experiences of the LGBTQ+ community.

From untold LGBTQ+ histories to powerful biographies of musical icons who changed culture - discover 10 essential reads for #PrideMonth, curated by Oxford University Press ⬇️

#EidMubarak to all our Muslim communities celebrating Eid al-Adha.
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful celebration marking the end of the Hajj. #EidAlAdha

Ascension Day eccentricities in Oxford at Brasenose & Lincoln colleges. Beating the bounds, Ivy Ale, and Madrigals. The main college site is half in the parish of the University Church of SMV & half in the parish of SMNG. We crowned the day with a Choral Mass with the joint choirs of both chapels.

Happy Oak Apple Day to those who celebrate. As my late father specialised in Restoration literature, I take off my hat in his honour this morning.
Oh, and Happy Feast of the Ascension to Latin and Orthodox churches!
ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ.

Ascension Day - if you are in Oxford this evening please do come along at 6.00pm for our Choral Eucharist. A joint service with Lincoln College.

We’re probably not far off young people thinking that ‘landlines’ were some woo 60s thing hippies believed in

Image of library book display labeled:

“It's A Warning Not An Instruction Manual.”

Books on display:
• On Tyranny
• Twenty Lessons From
The 21st Century
• 1984
• A Handmaids Tale
• Diary of Anne Frank
• Parable of The Sower
• Fahrenheit 451
• Animal Farm
• Brave New World

~TAiLS of a Bookworm

Rule of law is ‘endangered,’ chief justice says Speaking at Georgetown Law, Chief Justice John Roberts denounced “ad hominem” criticism of the justices.

It's almost as if granting a criminal blanket immunity was a bad idea.

Eighty years ago, enemies laid down their arms.

Since then, we, Europeans, have built something extraordinary: a Union of peace, democracy, and solidarity. An anchor of stability.

Our Union was born as a peace project, and it remains one today.

8 May 1660: William Ryley, herald, proclaims Charles II through #Westminster #otd (Rijksmuseum)