2nd Sunday of Easter

I’ve had a few days off after the rather surreal Holy Week and Easter celebrations.  I was very moved on Good Friday and still rather delicate at the Easter Vigil.  As the first notes of the Exsultet were sung so beautifully I remembered the other Exsultets I had heard or sung with my parish community and simultaneously felt a sense of being apart and yet unity in our being one body of Christ. If there are any budding young writers please take a look at the News section of the website for details about the Knights of St Columba Young Writers Award for pupils in years 9 -11.

As it’s St George’s Day on Thursday I wondered if you’d like to have a go at the St George Quiz I found online (The Guardian).  I am ashamed to divulge I only got 4/9 right…  Answers next week! God Bless, Helen

1. According to the stories of his martyrdom, where was Saint George executed for refusing to abandon Christianity in the year 303?
a) Byzantium b) Nicomedia c) Carthage d) Elysium

2. Which red flower is traditionally given as a gift on St George’s Day in Barcelona?
a) Anthurium b) Tulips c) Poppies d) Roses

3. What was Saint George’s occupation? a) Tinker b) Tailor c) Soldier d) Spy

4. “Saint George!” was the battle cry of which European navy in the late middle ages?
a) Dutch Navy b) Belgian Navy c) Venetian Navy d) Portuguese Navy

5. Which two Mediterranean islands have Saint George among patron saints? a) Corsica and Sardinia b) Malta and Gozo c) Sicily and Sardinia d) Cyprus and Crete

6. Which English king first adopted the Saint George emblem of a red cross on a white background?
a) Æthelred the Unready b) Henry V c) Richard the Lionheart d) William II

7. It is traditional to give your love a red flower on St George’s Day in Catalonia. What could you expect as a gift in return?
a) Food b) Books c) Something silver d) Wine

8. Which English chivalric club, set up by Edward III, invokes Saint George?
a) Order of the Garter b) The Star Chamber c) Knights of the Royal Guelphic Order d) Knights of the Royal Oak

9. St George’s Day is widely celebrated as one of the most important Name Days in Bulgaria. But when is it celebrated?
a) 23 April b) 30 April c) 1 May d) 6 May