On 3 October 2026, Franciscans will mark 800 years since Saint Francis’s Transitus. Discover its meaning and gentle ways to prepare.

Wearing an Iona rosary opened unexpected conversations about prayer, repetition and faith. A short reflection on visible devotion.

Discover what Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, Hildegard, Faustina and Catherine of Siena teach us about prayer, trust, mercy and action.

Explore a poetic A–Z of collective nouns for faith and prayer, from an Amen of prayers to a zeal of disciples, inspired by Christian tradition.

Discover Saint Melangell, the Celtic patron saint of hares, and her enduring story of sanctuary, compassion and gentle prayer in Wales.

Discover Saint Hildegard of Bingen, her mystical visions, healing herbs, sacred music and the greening power of God known as viriditas.

Discover an A to Z of Celtic saints from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany, with stories of prayer, pilgrimage, healing and faith.

Looking for a handmade Catholic rosary online? Learn what to look for in a quality rosary, from natural stone beads to gift-ready packaging and trusted makers.

Watch Sibyl Dana Reynolds’ reflection on bees, wool, Paisley ancestry, prayer, and sacred making, shared as a guest piece for Paisley Honey.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated on 16 July, a feast day loved by many Catholics because of its connection with Mary, the Carmelite tradition, the Brown Scapular and quiet devotional prayer.

Saint Dymphna is known as the patron saint of mental health, anxiety and emotional distress. This gentle guide explores her Irish story, her link with Geel in Belgium, and why Catholics still turn to her for courage, refuge and prayer.

Protestant rosary beads are often called Anglican prayer beads, Episcopal prayer beads, or the Anglican Rosary: a tactile, Christ-centred way to pray with Scripture, silence and repeated prayer.

Choosing a Marian rosary as a gift can feel deeply personal. A rosary is not only a beautiful Catholic object. It is something made to be held, prayed with, carried, remembered and returned to over time.

Choosing a baptism gift for an adult can feel surprisingly difficult. So many baptism and christening gifts are made with babies in mind: silver frames, nursery keepsakes, soft toys, money boxes and personalised ornaments. Those gifts can be lovely for a child. But when someone is being baptised as an adult, the moment often calls for something different: a gift that recognises faith, courage, prayer, commitment and the beginning of a more conscious Christian life. An adult b

Iona: an island in a wider Celtic Christian story Iona is a small island with a deep Christian memory. Its story belongs not only to Scotland, but to the sea roads between Ireland, the Hebrides, monastic communities, pilgrims, makers and the wider Celtic diaspora. Iona is often spoken of as one of Scotland’s most sacred Christian places. That is true, but it is not the whole story. Iona also belongs to the sea. Its Christian memory flows across the water between Ireland and S

Saint Benedict is one of those saints who can feel almost too large to approach. Founder of monasteries. Father of Western monasticism. Patron of Europe. A figure whose life and Rule shaped centuries of Christian prayer, community, scholarship, hospitality, agriculture, craft, and daily rhythm.

There are some stories that ask to be held gently. Our Lady of Aberdeen is one of them. At first, it seems like a story about loss: a statue of Mary and the Christ Child, once loved in Scotland, saved from destruction during the turmoil of the Reformation, hidden for many years, and eventually carried away to safety in the Low Countries. The original statue is now in Brussels, where she is venerated as Our Lady of Good Success. In Scotland, she is remembered especially on 9 J

The garden is not solemn. It is not holding back out of respect for human sorrow. The nasturtiums are moving in the breeze. The flowers are opening. The green things are reaching over edges and filling spaces. The bees are working with their usual impossible urgency, and in the apiary, colonies are dividing and beginning again.

A pocket chapel is a small devotional object carried through ordinary life: a rosary, prayer beads, a saint pouch, or a simple handmade reminder to pray wherever the day takes you. Not every pilgrimage begins with a ferry crossing, a mountain path, or a cathedral in the distance. Sometimes it begins at the kitchen table before the house is awake. Sometimes it is the walk to work, the bus into town, the school run, the hospital corridor, the delayed train, the quiet lunch brea

A handmade rosary should feel comfortable, prayerful and meaningful in the hand, with beads, weight and materials chosen to support the quiet rhythm of Catholic prayer. When people choose a rosary, they often begin with what they can see: the colour of the beads, the style of the crucifix, the medal at the centre, or the saint connected with the design. These things matter. A rosary is a visual object as well as a devotional one, and beauty has always had a place in Christian