St Paul's Cathedral

Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral for 33 years, John Collins was a remarkable priest and social reformer who was one of the world's leading proponents in the causes of justice, freedom and peace. Discover more about Collins’ life, work and activism in this podcast episode. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

When St Paul’s was constructed under the stewardship of Sir Christopher Wren, it was by a male dominated workforce – almost exclusively male – except for one woman: Jane Brewer, who cast and polished the golden pineapple found on the Cathedral’s south west tower. Find out more about Jane, and the curious pineapple architectural details to be found all over London! Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Why do some places feel full of spiritual meaning and some feel desolate? There is a rich understanding of place in the Bible, which is full of stories of the surprising places where God is encountered, often interwoven with hospitality and welcoming the stranger. Andrew Rumsey will explore what place means in our spiritual lives, in the search for meaning and identity, in the Bible, as well as in our own local neighbourhoods, parishes, city and nation. The Right Revd Dr Andrew Rumsey is the Bishop of Ramsbury and was formerly the vicar of Gipsy Hill in the Diocese of Southwark. He is also a musician and poet, who in 2023 released an album, Evensongs. His latest books are 'Parish: An Anglican Theology of Place' and 'English Grounds: A Pastoral Journal'.

Selina Stone and Paula Gooder explore the practice of tarrying - waiting on God – which is at the heart of Selina Stone’s Lent book Tarry Awhile: Wisdom from Black Spirituality for People of Faith, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for 2024. They talk about favourite Bible stories about tarrying including Gethsemane, Jacob and the Angel, and Hagar in the desert, as well as the importance of bodies in our spiritual lives, being honest about disappointment, and about how to keep a good Lent.

On the 7th May 1913, the Suffragettes brought the fight for women’s votes to St Paul’s, when a plot to blow up the Bishop’s throne was narrowly foiled – after a Virger found the ticking bomb at the Cathedral’s east end. This podcast episode explores this fascinating story, and how it was reported at the time. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

James Baldwin is best known as a novelist and essayist, but he grew up in the church, steeped in scripture, and was a celebrated preacher when he was young. Though he later criticized the church, it gave him his vision of the world. Jarel Robinson-Brown introduces his life and work, and explores how he can help us as Christians to broaden our horizons, to be more honest, more imaginative and challenge us to ask ourselves what kind of world we hope for. A handout referred to in this talk can be found at https://www.stpauls.co.uk/sites/default/files/2024-02/James%20Baldwin%20timeline%20handout.pdf

Anderson Jeremiah and Paula Gooder talk about Jesus in the Bible, in history, and in our lives. They explore his suffering, death and resurrection, how much stories and images of him matter, and how we can live as disciples of Jesus today.

John Donne is one of England’s greatest poets and preachers, famed for lines such as, ‘No man is an island…’ and ‘Never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.’ He is also a former Dean of St Paul’s, and certainly one who lived many lives in one lifetime. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

Christmas at St Paul’s in 1940 was as normal as it could be, considering it was wartime. This, however, would all change on the night of the 29th December during a bombing raid of the city. This was the time when one of the most famous photographs of the Second World War was taken – one of St Paul’s appearing through the smoke of the surrounding fires. Produced and presented by Douglas Anderson.

The Bible is full of angels, from the cherubim in Ezekiel’s visions, to the strangers appearing to Abraham, to the messengers that bring the good news of Jesus’s birth to Mary and the shepherds in the Christmas stories. Paula Gooder explores what angels are and what they do in the Old and New Testaments. Dr Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral and a distinguished Biblical Scholar, writer and speaker. The author of many books, in 'Heaven' she explored what the Bible says about angels.