St.George's College Jerusalem

07/06/2026

What a joy it has been to be amongst the lovely people of beautiful Newfoundland and Labrador. JulieAnn and I led another education day, this time for the Diocese of Central Newfoundland in Gander. On the same day was the banquet marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese, although the Anglican Church was first established in Newfoundland in 1583!
The celebration Eucharist in St Martin’s Cathedral, Gander was a delight and it was my privilege to preach.
Bishop John Watton and his wife Karen have hosted us so beautifully and it has been a most memorable time. Their support, and the solidarity of the people of Newfoundland with the people of Palestine, is a source of enormous encouragement. We celebrate our partnership in the gospel of justice and peace.

20/05/2026

Layan’s mother Lulu said these beautiful and powerful words: “The release of my daughter, Layan, creates a flood of emotions arriving all at once. . . Relief that she is finally coming back into my arms, back into the rhythm of family, home, and familiar voices.

“There is also pride: a deep, quiet pride in her strength, in the way she endured difficult days, and in the love that stayed unbroken. At the same time, moments like this can carry exhaustion and disbelief. After so much worry, the mind struggles to accept that the waiting is over. Happiness can feel overwhelming, almost fragile, because the heart has been tense for so long.

“Most of all, there is a great feeling of love: a powerful parental love. It is the feeling of seeing someone precious return safely and realising how much of your heart lives inside another. Today my heart feels lighter, grateful, and full again as my daughter Layan returns home.”

‘The prison is like a cemetery for the living’ she tells Dean of St George’s College

14/05/2026

Blessed Ascension Day to all the friends of St George’s College. We continue in the midst of a war that will not come to a conclusion. But life goes on in Jerusalem and at the College we seek to be ready for the moment when pilgrims return.
In the meantime we share again our film about Jesus’s Ascension from Jerusalem as a reminder of the spiritual riches that await pilgrims when they do, by God’s grace, return.
‘Remember I am with you to the end of the age’.

The latest in our series of films through the Christian year explor...

06/05/2026

I am running a half marathon (13.1 miles/21.1km) in the Palestine Marathon on Friday May 8th in Bethlehem. I am running in aid of the ministry of the Diocese of Jerusalem through the Jerusalem and Middle East Church Association (JMECA) which is a UK based charity. Anyone from any part of the world can donate. Funds will support the Diocese of Jerusalem, including St George's College. The ministries of our diocese have been deeply impacted by the effects of the war in the region and we are in great need of more funds to ensure that our important work can continue.
Many thanks to all who are able to donate. Sorry there is such short notice for my fundraiser but I was only able to register this week to participate in the half marathon.
Please cheer me on with words of encouragement and donations.

Help Richard Sewell raise money to support JMECA

23/04/2026

Today we celebrate St George’s Day marked on April 23 in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in other countries including Palestine and Israel on various other dates.
Of course for us at St George’s College and St George’s Cathedral, this fourth century saint is a constant source of inspiration.
The slaying of the dragon is a myth but it speaks to us of the need for Christians to be courageous in the face of evil. Note also how the spear which St George uses looks very flimsy. This is a neat way of showing that courage isn’t all about brute strength but means that we must employ intelligence and wisdom to ensure that love overcomes evil.
Many people do not notice that in numerous images of St George there’s a little fella riding the horse as well. This is a nod to a posthumous miracle attributed to the veneration of George: a Christian boy had been captured by a Saracen gang. While his mother prayed for his return in a church dedicated to St George the boy was miraculously rescued by George who returned him safely to his mightily relieved family. It represents Christ’s deep concern for all the vulnerable and especially children.
St George is a truly international saint, venerated by many countries and cities amongst these, England. His shrine is in Lydd in Israel and he is honoured by all Palestinian Christians. He is an inspiration to us all for great courage and deep compassion.

17/04/2026

We are delighted to share that we have now completed our eight short films for Lent and Easter entitled:
Songs of Suffering/Songs of Hope
We set the films in eight different locations to explore Lenten and Easter themes and reflected in the context of the war which has impacted Jerusalem and the whole region.
The Christian life is never all joy or only suffering. We must seek the light in the darkness and we must expect that times of suffering are never far away, even as we live in the light.
All episodes can be found on the College YouTube channel:

Lent 1: The Hope of the Last Supper (The Cenacle)
Lent 2: The Serenity of Gethsemane (The Garden of Gethsemane)
Lent 3: The Fear of the Trial of Jesus (St Peter in Gallicantu)
Lent 4: The Suffering of the Cross (Church of the Holy Sepulchre)
Easter 1: The Suffering of Easter Morning (church of the Holy Sepulchre)
Easter 2: The Fear of the Upper Room (St Mark’s Syrian Orthodox)
Easter 3: The Hope of Emmaus (Emmaus Road)
Easter 4: The Serenity of the Sea of Galilee (Church of St Peter Primacy)

We pray that the fragile ceasefires which have been created will become more substantial and lasting - for an end to war and for justice to be established.

13/04/2026

Just posted the seventh of our planned eight Lent/Easter film series entitled Songs of Suffering; Songs of Hope.
Film 7 is ‘The Hope of the Road to Emmaus’.
It was filmed on the remains of a Roman road which is likely to be that ‘road to Emmaus’. Our finding of it is actually captured on film and it’s worth watching.

The hope of the road to Emmaus which was filmed on a section of the remains of a Roman road, very likely to be that road. Lost in despair after Jesus's execu...

05/04/2026

Christ is risen indeed!
The Easter rising sun eventually broke through dark, heavy clouds and bathed the Mount of Olives in gentle sunlight evoking resurrection daybreak.
The gospel spoke powerfully into our situation, but as the preacher, Rev Sally Azar said in her sermon, the resurrection story comes to us as those who wake to the fear of what has happened in the night and what might yet happen in the day. As if to remind us, the planes of war rumbled over our heads as deadly destruction continues hour by hour. We can identify with the Marys and Peter going to Christ’s tomb more out of fear and sadness than with a sense of resolution which is possible when the clouds of darkness are not as overpowering as they feel today.
But Christ was resurrected into a world also not resolved and not basking in tranquility. The disciples heard Jesus’s comforting acclamation, ‘Do not be afraid’ when they still had every reason to shudder with trepidation. The reassurance to them and to us is not that nothing awful or painful will happen to us on the road ahead, but we know the risen Christ goes ahead of us and also walks beside us.
Christ is risen indeed, hallelujah!

04/04/2026

Songs of Suffering and Hope: films 5 and 6 are now available here:
https://youtu.be/ybLyOeauJOQ
https://youtu.be/Ymv2GMyPa80
and by going to the College YouTube channel:
These films are the first two Easter films in the series and focus on the Suffering of Easter Morning and the Fear of the Upper Room.
In the Passion narrative suffering and hope are juxtaposed. We reflect on all this in the context of the awful realities of the ongoing war from our perspective in Jerusalem.

The Fear of the Upper Room at St Mark's Syrian Orthodox Church. The disciples are gathered behind a locked door in fear when Jesus appears to them.

30/03/2026

The latest in our Suffering and Hope Lent/Easter series is now available.
Lent 4: The Suffering of the Cross
Archer Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The four Easter films in the series will be published as soon as possible.

All the films can be found on the College YouTube channel:

The suffering of the Cross of Christ. At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre we reflect on the site of the crucifixion and the need not to avert our attention f...