St Paul's Cathedral

‘Hope shows up when we are fighting for justice. Hope shows up when we show up making clear that the way things are is not the way they are destined to be, that the way things are is not God's promise for us.’ Join Kelly Brown-Douglas and Paula Gooder, as they reflect together on vocation and preaching, on racial justice and, most importantly, on hope. Kelly Brown-Douglas is an African-American priest in the Episcopal Church in the USA. She is a leading voice in womanist theology and racial justice, and is a brilliant preacher and communicator. Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral.

On 9th April 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was killed in Flossenbürg concentration camp. A German Lutheran pastor and theologian, he was imprisoned for his opposition to the Nazis during the 1930s and 40s. 80 years on, Bonhoeffer’s writings, especially his reflections on the Sermon on the Mount and what this means for discipleship, remain as inspirational as ever. Join Andreas Loewe and Paula Gooder as they discuss Bonhoeffer’s enduring legacy and impact. The Very Revd Dr Andreas Loewe is Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne. His book, written with Dr Katherine Firth, 'Journey with Bonhoeffer: Six Steps on the Path of Discipleship' is available in the UK at https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9780647532928 Dr Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Rose Hudson-Wilkin is the Church of England’s first black woman bishop. Overcoming challenging beginnings in Jamaica and discrimination in the UK, she became one of the first women to be ordained priest in the Church of England, going on to be the first black female priest to be Chaplain both to the Queen and the Speaker of the House of Commons. She will reflect on ‘a wonderful life and a wonderful God’. Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin is the Bishop of Dover. Appointed MBE for services to young people and the church in 2020, her autobiography 'The Girl from Montego Bay' is published in 2025.

Who was Grinling Gibbons? Not just a man with a fantastic name, but also the master carver behind the incredible carvings around the Cathedral, including those in the Quire stalls and the floral garlands on the North exterior of the building. Find out more about his life and his contributions to St Paul’s, as well as how they’ve evolved over time through numerous restoration projects, in today’s podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Edith Cavell was a nurse who became a symbol of courage around the world. In 1915, she was executed for helping Allied soldiers escape - an act that shook many around the world. In the wake of her death, hundreds of nurses and mourners gathered at St Paul’s to honour her, and her legacy continues to inspire today. Hear her extraordinary story in our latest Stories from St Paul's podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Jane Williams says that the sacraments are a glorious expression of God’s love for the world in all its beauty and brokenness. They invite us into the mystery that the world has meaning and purpose, and that all things come together in Jesus. Though they can seem confusing and sometimes divisive, she says that by entering into them we can find ourselves not only refreshed but re-enchanted. Dr Jane Williams is the McDonald Professor in Christian Theology at St Mellitus College, London, and a visiting Lecturer at King's College London. Her latest books are The Merciful Humility of God and the new York Course, The Sacraments: Responding to God’s Loving Invitation.

The question of suffering has always been something with which people have wrestled. In his 2025 Lent book, Healing Wounds, Erik Varden attempts to offer new reflections on this most challenging of themes. Reflecting on the cross, on Jesus’ own suffering as well as on our own sufferings, he draws out the ways in which Jesus’ suffering on the cross can turn into sources of healing for ourselves and for others. In this online conversation, Erik Varden and Paula Gooder draw on these and other themes. Erik Varden is Bishop of Trondheim in Norway and a Cistercian monk.

For two thousand years, the Virgin Mary has been depicted throughout art, literature and culture as symbolising the perfect mother: chaste, beautiful, meek, mild and white. These supposed virtues and symbols have penetrated not just Christianity but wider popular culture, and contributed to harmful views about motherhood and what it is to be a woman. Chine McDonald deconstructs the myth of perfect motherhood and reflect on its theological, social and personal impact, proposing a more authentic, grace-filled way forward. Chine McDonald is the Director of Theos, the religion and society think tank. Previously she headed community fundraising and public engagement at Christian Aid. The author of the best-selling 'God is Not a White Man (and other revelations)', her latest book is 'Unmaking Mary: Shattering the Myth of Perfect Motherhood'.

Janet Williams introduces the tradition of apophatic spirituality and explores its relevance to 21st century Christian life. The Revd Dr Janet Williams is the Vice-Principal of St Hild’s College, Mirfield in Yorkshire, an Anglican centre for ordination training and theological study. Her latest book is Seeking the God Beyond: A Beginner’s Guide to Christian Apophatic Spirituality.

Did you know that world famous poet and writer, Walter de la Mare was a one-time Chorister of St Paul’s? Born in Charlton, South London, in 1873, de la Mare attended the Cathedral School from the age of 10 to 16. Find out more about his life, and how St Paul’s may have shaped his literary work. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.