Please keep Bishop Martin in your prayers as he continues to recover from his heart attack.

Two Bishops of Wakefield have paid tribute to a predecessor at the rededication of steam locomotive 45428 ‘Eric Treacy’ at Pickering Station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on the 27th August.

The current and twelfth Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Revd Stephen Platten, gave thanks for the life and ministry of Bishop Treacy, who was the eighth Bishop of Wakefield from 1968 to 1976, and whose name is renowned amongst railway lovers as a talented photographer of trains from the 1930s to his death in 1978. Treacy’s collection of 12,000 pictures now forms a major part of the National Railway Museum’s photographic collection.

The locomotive is a ‘Black Five’ built in the 1930s and privately preserved at the end of steam traction on British Rail in the 1960s. Named after Bishop Treacy in the early 1970s, its brass nameplate features a bishop’s mitre. It has returned to service in 2010 after an overhaul lasting ten years, and is ready for another decade’s service pulling heritage trains through the incomparable North Yorkshire Moors from Pickering to the coast at Whitby.

Bishop Platten paid tribute to the skill of those who built the locomotive and restored it; to the staff and volunteers of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway who give pleasure to thousands and help to boost the local economy every year; and to the well-known tendency of so many church people to find relaxation and refreshment through a love of railways.

Lord Hope of Thornes (Bishop David Hope), tenth Bishop of Wakefield and later Archbishop of York, and the Revd Stephen Sorby, Railway Chaplain for the North East, were joined by over fifty clergy for the rededication at Pickering Station before boarding the 12.00 noon train for Whitby pulled by ‘Eric Treacy’.

We don't yet know when he'll be released from hospital, or when he will come back to the UK, but we will update you when we know those arrangements. Please keep Bishop Martin in your prayers.

This is likely to affect large churches currently using Channel 69, which tend to be those using four or more wireless microphones, or those in dense urban areas which have experienced problems with interference in the use of unlicensed channels. Compensation of up to 55% of the cost of replacement equipment, or modification costs up to the same amount, are likely to be available to such churches if they held a valid Channel 69 licence during 2008. It is, however, vital that such churches register with the scheme administrator between September and December this year, in order to be eligible for the compensation.

For details on how to register, visit Ofcom's website. Your PA installation company should also be able to help with further advice.

64 children aged between 4 and 11 years came to Rocky's Plaice, St Peters Church Norton Holiday Club. Everyone involved had an exciting time with singing, art and craft,drama,games and keepfit on a daily basis.

The weeke ended with a short concert for the children to show their parents, other family members and people from the church what they had done, and to sing the songs they had learnt. This was then followed by a BBQ. Unfortunately the British Summer showed it's true colours and the heavens opened! Even this didn't dampen the spirits of the children and they all just partied in the rain.

The Archdeacon of Italy, the Ven Jonathan Boardman and the Anglican Community in Florence are being incredibly supportive, as is the British consul, and we are all very thankful for their help. We will let you know more details when we have them, and please continue to pray for Bishop Martin.

As the bells toll at the UN headquarters in both New York and Nairobi, bell ringers from small parish churches to large cathedrals and minsters are being encouraged to ring on September 22. This year was declared the UN 2010 International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) and the Church of England is one of the official partners in the UK.

The UN General Assembly will discuss for the first time ever the crisis affecting the world’s biodiversity on September 22, underlining the importance of how plants, animals and life are all linked and the loss of one species through human actions can affect many others.

With a Christian presence in every community, around 6,000 of the CofE’s 16,000 churches have a peal of bells (not including those with a single bell). IYB in the UK is encouraging bell ringing by faith groups, schools and organisations from 12-2pm.

The UN declared 2010 as IYB in recognition of the fact that, despite the formation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) following the Rio Earth Summit, targets set to stop the global loss of biodiversity by 2010 have not been met.

In October 2010, following the UN meeting, the 193 heads of state who are signatories to the Convention will meet in Nagoya in Japan to make binding agreements. The Secretariat of the Convention is encouraging the ringing of bells all over the world as an urgent ‘memo’ ahead of this meeting to rouse the world to take action to stop the loss of species.

David Shreeve, the Church of England’s national environment adviser said: “As Christians we believe it is important to care for God’s creation and our natural world is suffering because of our own actions. Many of our estimated 10,000 churchyards are full with often rare biodiversity and others in towns and cities support fewer, but equally important wildlife. The church is providing protected havens right on our own doorstep.”

Dr Jill Hopkinson, the Church of England’s National Rural Officer, said: “Ringing the church bells is a great way for the wider community to be reminded and to celebrate the beauty of creation. Rural churches are at the heart of village life and their churchyards are part of the collective history and memory of that community. Celebrating the biodiversity of countryside and churchyard will bring a community together and ringing the bells is a very prominent way of doing it.”

Dr Bob Bloomfield, co-ordinator of IYB in the United Kingdom said: “It is excellent that the Church of England see the importance of people being responsible stewards of the environment. Their support of the International Year of Biodiversity will encourage people to ask why biodiversity is so important and what would be the consequences of its loss on the health and wellbeing of people and the environment. The bell ringing will draw attention to critical negotiations taking place in Nagoya that will effect all of us for decades to come.”

News of the forthcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI has been difficult to miss.

Whilst he is here the Pope will be declaring the beatification of the 19th Century priest and theologian, John Henry Cardinal Newman. Although on the surface of it this would appear to be a strictly Catholic affair, Newman’s immense influence on the Church of England cannot be underplayed. Indeed, Newman began life as a committed and quite vocal Anglican; it is, therefore, not surprising that a large amount of interest in his beatification has been generated from within the Anglican Communion.

There would be a tendency of some biographers to understate Newman’s Anglican roots, but Michael Rear’s book ‘Blessed John Henry Newman’, concisely and faithfully summarises his whole life and the legacy it provides. Rear quite expertly focuses on the key events of Newman’s life which led to his high regard as a preacher, his involvement in the Oxford Movement, his conversion to Roman Catholicism and his eventual appointment as a Cardinal. Newman’s considerable influence in both the First and the Second Vatican Councils are also discussed, the book noting that he has been described as the ‘unseen presence’ (P.30) at Vatican II.

In the book, the focus throughout is on Newman’s, often costly, commitment to spiritual integrity and the gospel. With what appears to be quite heartfelt sympathy, Rear discusses Newman’s journey with the Tractarian Movement and the events which eventually led to his rejection by Oxford and the Anglican Church. He goes on to discuss the causes of Newman’s not always harmonious relationship within Catholicism and is not afraid to draw out Newman’s disappointments at any stage:

For Newman, the crying need in the Church was for an educate laity, yet his was a voice crying in the wilderness when he suggested it. Clericalisation and the consequent inferior position of the laity was a weakness of the Church. His bishop disagreed with him. ‘He has a horror of laymen’, Newman confided. (P.27)

The concise but faithful nature of Rear’s book makes it an excellent starting point for those interested in the life of this intriguing and often controversial character. At slightly less then fifty pages in length, reading it will not require the same commitment as a more detailed biography, and at £4.95 ‘Blessed John Henry Newman’ is not going to break the bank. Furthermore, although respectful, the book is not bogged down in sentimentality or flowery devotions, it is, instead, entirely biographical.

There is certainly a wide selection of biographies on Newman and prayer books available at the moment, not to mention his personal writings, and if you are looking for something more detailed the staff of ST PAULS would be more then happy to help you. However, as a starting point, Rear’s short book is ideal and comes highly recommended.

David Cropper, ST PAULS.

Blessed John Henry Newman, St Pauls publishing, Published 2010, Cost: £4.95

www.stpauls.org.uk