Dear Saint George: A letter to England’s patron saint

Dear Saint George,

You’ve been a component of my life for a long time – ever since I used to be around eight months old. Back then, I used to be christened at St George the Martyr Church in Brentford, west London.

Sadly, the church closed and, for greater than 40 years, was a musical museum. Today, it’s been transformed into luxury flats, with views across the River Thames to Kew Gardens. I used to be certainly one of the primary people to see contained in the recent development.

Yet by some means that distant christening planted a seed in my life and today, I’m a Christian minister – and I rejoice that there at the moment are thriving churches just a brief walk from the old St George’s.

My links proceed, and a stained-glass depiction of St George – alongside St Paul and St Alban – is a distinguished feature of the church where I now serve.

But only in the near past, you’ve turn out to be more controversial. Flags of St George – long a feature of international sports tournaments – have been painted on roundabouts, hung from lampposts and utilized in demonstrations.

Exactly what this implies has been contested and argued over. Some rejoice in what they see as a long-overdue outbreak of national pride. Others worry that the flags are promoting racism and a nostalgic look back to an England very different from today’s multi-cultural society.

Churches with flag poles have wondered whether or not they should fly their St George’s flags on Thursday April twenty third, St George’s Day. Could this act be misinterpreted by parishioners?

Enter some Church of England bishops…

Bishop of Leicester Martyn Snow has encouraged churches to fly their St George’s flags to display ‘a healthy patriotism.’ He has called on parishes to display: a sensible view of the nation’s past, a welcome for everybody who lives of their communities, a commitment to the common good, and an emphasis on the church as an entity with each a protracted heritage and a desire to work for a greater future for all.

That seems like far more than will be explained in a social media post or set out on a fridge magnet. And it needs, after all, to be far more than words.

In a society where many individuals feel that they’ve been ‘left behind’ while others are thriving, the church must be seen to be speaking and acting for justice, and dealing to make life higher for people living across their communities. 

Churches are called to be places where everyone feels valued and treated fairly. Across denominations, our record on that has not all the time been perfect, but we’re making strides to boost our game. 

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has also entered the fray. He reminded people of your origins, Saint George, as, by legend, a heroic Roman soldier and a dragon-slayer. 

He identified that you simply’re also the patron saint of Ethiopia, Georgia, Bulgaria, in addition to Moscow and Beirut. So you’re a saint with international roots and supporters well beyond England’s green and nice land.

St George’s example, says the Archbishop, “calls us all to face the ‘dragons’ of recent life – fear, injustice, intolerance, persecution and moral compromise – with integrity and love.” 

And he has called for the red cross of St George to be “a signpost pointing to a lifestyle marked by devotion and repair to others.” He invites people “to ask where that very same courage, and an identity which transcends human difference and indifference could be needed in our lives today.”

The flag-waving may worry some and encourage others, but perhaps it’s a part of prompting a debate about our role as residents in twenty first century society. Together we’re called to work out how – in our increasingly-divided world – we are able to discover a way back to co-operating together, striving for the common good.

Christ’s call for us to like our neighbours as much as we love ourselves is a key a part of the Christian response, and challenge.

Your courage, St George, could help us as we seek to work for a greater world …

Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and a former communications director with the CofE.