A Pastoral Epistle for the feast of St George the Great Martyr, Patron of England
To the beloved faithful of the Old Roman Apostolate in England
Carissimi
Though the liturgical calendar this year defers the celebration of St George’s feast to April 28th, due to the solemnity of the Paschal Octave, it remains fitting on this traditional date — April 23rd — to reflect on the life, witness, and continuing spiritual significance of our national patron, especially for us who dwell in England.
We do not commemorate St George simply as a relic of the past or as a national mascot. We honour him because he bore witness to the truth when doing so came at the greatest cost. In an age increasingly unsure of truth itself, let alone our identity as a Christian people, St George calls England back to courage, to fidelity, and to Christ.
St George the Martyr — Not a Myth, but a Man of God
St George was a historical man, born in Cappadocia and martyred in Palestine — lands that today lie within the very region where millions of Christians still suffer persecution for their faith. In the Middle East — from Syria to Iraq, from Egypt to Gaza — our brothers and sisters are harassed, displaced, and even martyred for confessing the name of Jesus. In some of the same places where St George stood for Christ against Diocletian, Christians today stand against hatred, terror, and oppression.
We in England are not persecuted with sword or flame. But we do face a subtler martyrdom: the erosion of faith through ridicule, the pressure to conform to secular dogmas, and the silencing of Christian witness in the public square. In such times, we must recover the clarity and courage of St George.
He is immortalised in Christian iconography as the one who slays the dragon, defending a maiden — representing the Church, the Bride of Christ — from destruction. The dragon is not just Diocletian, but any power, ideology, or fear that seeks to devour truth and virtue. And the Church is still under threat — sometimes overtly, sometimes through the slow decay of indifference and apostasy.
There Is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of
If England is to be renewed, she must again venerate and honour her saints — especially her patron. His legend exalts his virtues, even as it preserves truths that are timeless: chivalry, charity, chastity, courage. And if medieval or Victorian romanticism sometimes wrapped him in embellishment, let it only serve to rekindle in our hearts a longing for the nobility he embodied.
We must speak truth to ignorance, dispel myth with history, and defend our spiritual heritage with love.
England Today — A Nation in Need of a Patron
Ours is a nation uncertain of its purpose and divided in its identity. Public institutions too often seem ashamed of the very values they once upheld — values rooted in the Christian Gospel: reverence, sacrifice, fidelity, justice, mercy. St George is not a symbol of empire or conquest, but a witness to the moral clarity that faith gives. He stood for truth when truth was dangerous. He gave his life for the Church — she who had first given him the light of faith, the same light we still carry. Shall we not, at the very least, live for her?
The Victory of the Resurrection
Throughout this Paschal Octave, Holy Church calls us to rejoice in the victory of Christ over death — a victory into which all the saints, including the martyrs, are drawn. As we celebrate the Risen Lord, we are reminded that the call to holiness is a call to share in His Resurrection through lives of sacrificial love. The blood of the martyrs, like that of St George, bears witness to this triumph: not merely as the seed of the Church, but as a mirror of our own baptismal vocation — to be living branches of the Vine of Christ, bearing fruit that endures.
The Power to Transform
Let no one say the Gospel has no power to change the world. It is the only thing that ever has. If England is to recover her soul, it will not come through policy, protest, or power, but through the quiet and heroic witness of those who live in grace. As Christ said, “Remain in me, and I in you.”
If we remain in Him, we will bring others to Him — our families, our communities, even this nation. The power to forgive, to sacrifice, to love truly — this is what will make England Christian again. And that is how we truly honour St George.
Let England Return to Christ
So I ask you: are you striving to remain in Christ? Are you bearing the fruit that will last? Are you actively living the eternal life that began for you at baptism?
Do you love God enough to bring His love to others?
Do you love your nation enough to fight for her soul — not with weapons, but with virtue?
Do you love the Church enough to defend her honour in a hostile age?
St George did. And so can you.
May St George intercede for us.
May England again be a land of saints.
May she once more rise — not in empire, but in holiness.
With my apostolic blessing,
I.X.
Brichtelmestunensis
Dominica de Passione MMXXV A.D.
Oremus
Deus, qui beátum Geórgium Mártyrem tuum virtútis constántia roborásti, da nobis, quǽsumus, ut, qui eius imitatiónis exémpla sectámur, inter adversitátis ǽstus invicti permaneámus. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
O God, who strengthened your martyr Saint George with constancy in virtue, grant us, we pray, that following his example of imitation, we may remain unshaken amid the storms of adversity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.
Please note that all material on this website is the Intellectual Property (IP) of His Grace, the Titular Archbishop of Selsey and protected by Copyright and Intellectual Property laws of the United Kingdom, United States and International law. Reproduction and distribution without written authorisation of the owner is prohibited.
(©)The Titular Archbishop of Selsey 2012-2025. All Rights Reserved.
Discover more from ✠SELEISI
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.