Thought for the day
William Butler Yeats' The Ballad of Father Gilligan read by Richard Wallace
The Ballad Of Father Gilligan
William Butler Yeats
The old priest Peter Gilligan
Was weary night and day;
For half his flock were in their beds,
Or under green sods lay.
Once, while he nodded on a chair,
At the moth-hour of eve,
Another poor man sent for him,
And he began to grieve.
'I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,
For people die and die';
And after cried he, 'God forgive!
My body spake, not I!'
He knelt, and leaning on the chair
He prayed and fell asleep;
And the moth-hour went from the fields,
And stars began to peep.
They slowly into millions grew,
And leaves shook in the wind;
And God covered the world with shade,
And whispered to mankind.
Upon the time of sparrow-chirp
When the moths came once more.
The old priest Peter Gilligan
Stood upright on the floor.
'Mavrone, mavrone! the man has died
While I slept on the chair';
He roused his horse out of its sleep,
And rode with little care.
He rode now as he never rode,
By rocky lane and fen;
The sick man's wife opened the door:
'Father! you come again!'
'And is the poor man dead?' he cried.
'He died an hour ago.'
The old priest Peter Gilligan
In grief swayed to and fro.
'When you were gone, he turned and died
As merry as a bird.'
The old priest Peter Gilligan
He knelt him at that word.
'He Who hath made the night of stars
For souls who tire and bleed,
Sent one of His great angels down
To help me in my need.
'He Who is wrapped in purple robes,
With planets in His care,
Had pity on the least of things
Asleep upon a chair.'
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Hello, this is your SMR Eco champion (formerly Churchwarden) with news from the Bristol Diocese of significant steps towards Net Zero. Following our own screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing on 8th of June, many ideas were discussed on how to combat climate change and another screening will take place at SMR for those who missed it. If you want to sign a petition to ask the Government to hold a UK wide briefing on climate and nature risks click on this link: Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks - Petitions The Church of England has recently published “Hope for all Creation“ which you can read here in PDF . There are many local initiatives with growing support such as the Swindon Great Big Green week, which was a great success recently, and ongoing development of the pollinators pathways in Bristol which includes SMR. If you are interested in further details, please do be in touch with me or Liz Hewitt . Richard Dyton 20.08.2026
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A year ago I preached my final sermon as Vicar of St Mary Redcliffe. Sarah and I were overwhelmed by the kindness of the send-off and your astonishing generosity. The following morning we packed everything we owned into a Transit van and drove it to London. If you think that felt abrupt, you'd be right. More than that, moving to London, when most retirees move away from the city, has been commented on many times. People often ask whether leaving was difficult. It was; very! However, the sheer scale of the change changed pretty much everything and all at once. Whilst we miss SMR and everything it stands for, a new home in a new city, with new routines and the freedom to shape our days differently, means that life has demanded our full attention from day one. The year since has been full of surprises. We've discovered that we enjoy living in a much smaller house than the vicarages we've lived over the last thirty years. Sarah now walks to work and I clean the house. We still haven't settled into one church, but we've enjoyed going to different churches and experiencing the extraordinary breadth of the Church of England. Without question, the greatest joy has been the birth of our first grandson. Living just an hour away has been an extraordinary gift, allowing us to be part of his life in a way that would never have been possible from Bristol. Professionally, coaching has continued to grow alongside research into leadership in complex parish churches. Personally, there has been time for lots of singing and I’m getting back on my bike again! Together we've made over fifty visits to theatres (including a fantastic production of Redcliffe at Southwark Playhouse a musical about an historic event that happened in the parish!), concerts and exhibitions—most recently The Art of Mini Golf, which was every bit as joyful and ridiculous as it sounds. Do I miss parish ministry? Of course I do. But I'm discovering that my vocation didn't retire when I did. I'm still curious about how people tick, what makes communities work, and how to name the question that unlocks a stuck situation. Thank you again for all the remarkable years at SMR. We remember them fondly and they continue to shape us in ways for which we shall always be grateful. Dan Tyndall 29.07.2026
Preached by Canon Dr Stephen Spencer
Preached by Canon Dr Stephen Spencer
