Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of John (15: 9-11) in which Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you, remain in my love’. Afterwards, Fr Paul shares a little about St Athanasius whose memorial we celebrate today.

Fr Paul says Athanasius was born in Alexandria. He assisted Bishop Alexander at the Council of Nicaea and later succeeded him as bishop. He fought hard against Arianism all his life, undergoing many sufferings, and spending a total of 17 years in exile. He wrote outstanding works to explain and defend orthodoxy.

On this special day, Fr Paul invites us to ask: ‘St Athanasius… pray for us!’.