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In 1993, the IRA bomb detonated on Bishopsgate, almost completely destroying the church. Yet vision, creativity and commitment ensured that ten years later it opened its doors once again in a new incarnation – as a Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. For many, St Ethelburga’s has become an iconic symbol of the opportunities for growth and evolution that are hidden within crisis and conflict. This story is at the heart of our approach to working with difference and disagreement.
The life of St Ethelburga was characterised by courageous action in the face of devastation. Ethelburga was a fearless and selfless leader. When the plague came to her doorstep in Barking, Ethelburga gave her nuns a choice: close the doors and pray, or open the doors and serve the community. They chose to serve, even knowing that many of them would die as a result. Ethelburga is our inspiration for putting spiritual values into action in challenging times, for bringing faith and action together as one.
St Ethelburga’s is one of London’s most enduring church buildings. An 800-year-old church site, it has stood for centuries as consecrated ground. Now, surrounded on all sides by development works, skyscrapers, and the economically-driven activity of the City, St Ethelburga’s remains true to its ancient purpose. We continue to offer a space for connection with the sacred and with our deepest human values, protecting them against erosion.
Our Bedouin tent was built as a response to 9/11. The tent is welcoming to all, bringing Eastern architecture alongside the Western heritage of the church. It is a space without hierarchy where differing perspectives can be explored. Reflected in the fabric of our building, this theme of diverse narratives and belief systems co-existing fruitfully, side by side, is present within all our projects.
Join Pat McCabe and Bayo Akomolafe for a conversation that upends our thinking about the monstrous, the chaotic, and the dark. What can indigenous traditions teach us about clear-seeing in times when darkness and chaos are on the rise? What ancient wisdoms can we draw upon, to grow our resilience to live in the heart of the storm?
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In this episode Amisha Ghadiali speaks with Rabiah Abdullah, traditional herbalist, activist and community healer.
This Series is part of a collaboration with The Future Is Beautiful, which reaches for the place where spiritual ecology and climate justice meet. It explores the integration of spirituality with grounded action through the lives and leadership of people of colour.
In this episode Amisha Ghadiali talks with black-latinx transdisciplinary artist, educator, and designer Brontë Velez.
This Series is part of a collaboration with The Future Is Beautiful, which reaches for the place where spiritual ecology and climate justice meet. It explores the integration of spirituality with grounded action through the lives and leadership of people of colour.
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Seetha Tan reflects on St Ethelburga’s 2022 Nowruz celebrations by considering the relationship between crisis and renewal, displacement and re-rooting and the importance of celebration and...
In this guest blog Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee reflects on the war in Ukraine, how truth and freedom are interlinked, and how ‘ the silence of the soul is needed amidst the barrage of war.’ War has again...
Dear friends, St Ethelburga’s exists because 25 years ago one man stood in the crater of a bomb blast and prayed. That man was Bishop Richard Chartres, the bomb was the infamous Bishopsgate bomb...
Dr Justine Huxley reflects on St Ethelburga’s work through the lens of liminality, and describes how her personal destiny and experience of politically motivated violence drew her to a centre...
Poem by Helen Simpson So suddenly the sky is dark, Patterned with brightly sprinkled stars. A heavy jar of liquorice called tea To sweeten and soften tummies. Waking in the quietness of...
By Aarif Abraham, St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace We live in an age of flux – personal, professional, and political. Previously, we may have been lulled into a false sense...
By Clare Coyne When I left the immersive retreat for inner and outer resilience at 42 Acres earlier this month – facilitated wonderfully by Justine and Tarot from St. Ethelburga’s – I...
Seetha Tan writes about her experience at Migrateful’s cookery class with Chef Awa. St Ethelburga’s Centre hosts Migrateful cookery classes twice a month, working with migrants, refugees...
An exploration of the HHC model with Sophy Banks We speak with facilitator and teacher Sophy Banks about what makes a human culture healthy and resilient. Sophy has been a trainer for over 20 years,...
Seetha Tan reflects on St Ethelburga’s 2022 Nowruz celebrations by considering the relationship between crisis and renewal, displacement and re-rooting and the importance of celebration and...
In this guest blog Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee reflects on the war in Ukraine, how truth and freedom are interlinked, and how ‘ the silence of the soul is needed amidst the barrage of war.’ War has again...
Dear friends, St Ethelburga’s exists because 25 years ago one man stood in the crater of a bomb blast and prayed. That man was Bishop Richard Chartres, the bomb was the infamous Bishopsgate bomb...
Dr Justine Huxley reflects on St Ethelburga’s work through the lens of liminality, and describes how her personal destiny and experience of politically motivated violence drew her to a centre...
Poem by Helen Simpson So suddenly the sky is dark, Patterned with brightly sprinkled stars. A heavy jar of liquorice called tea To sweeten and soften tummies. Waking in the quietness of...
By Aarif Abraham, St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace We live in an age of flux – personal, professional, and political. Previously, we may have been lulled into a false sense...
By Clare Coyne When I left the immersive retreat for inner and outer resilience at 42 Acres earlier this month – facilitated wonderfully by Justine and Tarot from St. Ethelburga’s – I...
Seetha Tan writes about her experience at Migrateful’s cookery class with Chef Awa. St Ethelburga’s Centre hosts Migrateful cookery classes twice a month, working with migrants, refugees...
An exploration of the HHC model with Sophy Banks We speak with facilitator and teacher Sophy Banks about what makes a human culture healthy and resilient. Sophy has been a trainer for over 20 years,...
St Ethelburga’s is a ‘maker of peace-makers’. We inspire and equip individuals and communities to contribute, in their own particular contexts, to activating a global culture of peace.
