Whether they are setting off on pilgrimage, leaving home for university, driving alone for the first time, taking a long-awaited holiday, or crossing the world for work or family, we want to send them with more than practical things. We want them to be safe. We want them to be protected. We want them to remember that they are loved. For generations, Christians have turned to St Christopher, the beloved patron saint of travellers, as a companion for the road. A St Christopher medal, rosary,...

Bees are far more varied than many of us realise. When we say “bee”, most people picture either the familiar honey bee or a soft, stripy bumblebee moving sleepily from flower to flower. But the bee world is much wider than that. There are mining bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, furrow bees, carpenter bees, flower bees, nomad bees and many more. Some live in hives. Many do not. Some nest in the ground, some in hollow stems, some in old walls, and some cut perfect little circles from rose...

May 1 is known in many places as May Day, Labour Day, or International Workers’ Day — a day to remember the dignity of work and the people whose labour keeps homes, families, churches, communities, and countries moving. In the Christian calendar, May 1 is also the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. That feels beautifully fitting. Saint Joseph was not a man of grand speeches or public recognition. In the Gospels, we do not hear a single word from him. Instead, we meet him through his actions:...