Andrew Salt
Let’s not be April fools.
At school I was taught that the French say ‘Cocorico’ instead of ‘April Fool’. I have believed this for years - but it turns out to be fake. I may be the last credulous victim of a long running prank. The French equivalent of ‘April Fool’ is not ‘Cocorico’ but Poisson d’Avril!’ or ‘April Fish’. All a bit fishy, anyway.
Nonetheless, ‘cocorico’, or ‘cockadoodledoo’ can be a bit of a tease too. There’s history here. In Edmond Rostand’s 1910 play Le Chantecler the rooster’s self-important delusion is that it is his duty to announce the day – that if he fails to do his duty the sun cannot rise and day will not begin.
And in the gospels, Jesus tells Peter that by the time the cockerel crows he will deny knowing Jesus three times. When this happens, Peter weeps bitterly. The truth about ourselves is sometimes hard to swallow.
Cockadoodledoo is a mocking signal of untruths told and loyalties lost. Of moments missed, and opportunities wasted. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up to what is going on around you! Don’t sleepwalk into disaster. The events of the first Easter, and the events that lead up to it, are remote from our 21st century world, but they are real. And they are relevant as ever.
They are real because of the places they happened, still there today. A so called ‘Holy Land’ brutalised by violence, hatred, and division. Jerusalem, towards which Jesus set his face, to the city and the confrontation that would inevitably happen there. To the upper room, where he would break bread and share wine with them. Where their weary, dusty feet were washed by the one who would next day give his life for the world. To the place also where Jesus, three days later, would suddenly appear, behind locked doors, and startle them all with his greeting, ‘Peace!’
Not dead at all, but alive, with them: a new beginning, and a whole new world.
This is the city where Jesus gave himself in love. ‘Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.’ Whilst they could be a comment on current events, these words were Jesus’ prayer for his torturers and executioners, and for all who colluded with the scandal of an innocent man condemned to die. God is with us the suffering and death of Jesus. God is with us in the joy of resurrection, and in the new creation that springs from the love of God in Jesus.
How we long for Easter peace this year! How we pray for the peoples of the Holy Land, and for real, just, and lasting peace! We think especially of the people of the Anglican churches across the Middle East at this time. We don’t know how or when this prayer will be answered. Though, as the writer to the Hebrews says, ‘but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.’ Hebrews 2.9
The Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton
Bishop of Repton
If in addition to praying for peace in the middle east you would like to give, please join Bishop Libby and me in contributing to the Good Friday appeal for the work of the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza, serving the sick and injured of that community at this time? Donations can be sent directly via this link: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/24585
1 April 2026
The Revd Benedict (Mark) Crowther-Alwyn, Curate of Fenny Stratford and Water Eaton (Oxford) 1977-1980, Curate of Moulsecoomb St Andrew (Chichester) 1980-1981, Team Vicar of the same benefice 1981-1983, Rector of Glasgow St Serf (Glasgow and Galloway) 1983-1987, Rector of Baillieston St John 1983-1987, Rector of Bassingham St Michael and All Angels (Lincoln) 1987-1990, Vicar of Aubourn St Peter with Haddington 1987-1990, Vicar of Carlton-le-Moorland St Mary with Stapleford 1987-1990, Rector of Thurlby St Germain with Norton Disney 1987-1990, Vicar of Elmton (Derby) 1990-2003, Priest-in-Charge of Matlock St Giles 2003-2005, Rector of the same benefice 2005-2014, Rector of Matlock St Giles, Dethick, Lea And Holloway 2014-2023, who retired in 2023 and held the Bishop of Derby’s Permission to Officiate 2023-2026, died on 25 March 2026.
Mark will be brought into St Mary and All Saints Chesterfield at 4.30 pm on Friday, 10 April, followed by a service of Evening Prayer.
The Funeral (Requiem) Mass will be held at 10 am on Saturday, 11 April, followed by burial at Barlow churchyard.
The Revd Malcolm Pyatt, Assistant Curate (Associate Priest) of the benefice of St John Newbold with Dunston, Diocese of Derby, has announced his retirement. Malcolm’s last day in post will be Friday, 3 April 2026, with his retirement taking effect from Saturday, 4 April 2026.
The Revd Prebendary Romita Shrisunder will be collated as Canon for Community Outreach and Social Justice at Derby Cathedral, Diocese of Derby, on Sunday, 26 April 2026 at 5.15 pm at Derby Cathedral by the Bishop of Derby and installed by the Dean of Derby.
The Revd Lindsay Pearson will be collated as Canon for Worship and Music at Derby Cathedral, Diocese of Derby, on Sunday, 21 June 2026 at 5.15 pm at Derby Cathedral by the Bishop of Derby and installed by the Dean of Derby, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
Growing a Younger Church Conference - Saturday, 6 June 2026 from 10am - 4pm.
The conference is tailored to clergy, paid or voluntary leaders, and helpers who want to be equipped and encouraged in their children’s and youth ministry.
A full day of teaching and learning, and chance to connect with others.
Discover practical, creative approaches to discipling Gen Alpha and making church life welcoming and accessible for every child.
Hear how to begin new worshipping communities for young people, learn to run retreat days for your local primary schools, and explore much more.
Secure places for yourself and others today!
Find out more and sign up - https://bit.ly/GYC2026
Visit a Religious House in Person
Anyone can visit a Religious House as a guest by prior arrangement whether for a few nights or even just for half a day. This will include being invited to join the community in their corporate prayer. It may also include eating with the Sisters or Brothers.
>> Find a Religious House near you
Attend a Religious Vocation Event in Person or Online
Throughout the year all kinds of “Zoom hangouts” and Monastic Taster Days take place around the country to help those wishing to find out more about Religious Life.
The easiest way to stay aware of upcoming events is to subscribe / check the Anglican Religious Life Project X feed
Other Valuable Resources
>> The Anglican Religious Life Project website
>> The Anglican Religious Life Directory
Derby Cathedral has launched a search for a new Head Verger, offering an exciting opportunity for a skilled and motivated leader to play a central role as the Cathedral approaches its 100th anniversary in 2027.
This pivotal position comes at a transformative moment in the Cathedral’s story. The successful candidate will help shape the next chapter of a historic and much‑loved institution, supporting major events, growing visitor numbers, and ambitious development projects.
The Head Verger will lead the Cathedral’s Vergers and Facilities team, ensuring the smooth and dignified delivery of worship, events, and daily operations. Working closely with clergy, staff, and volunteers, the role is key to maintaining the Cathedral’s reputation for welcome, hospitality, and high‑quality visitor experience.
Derby Cathedral welcomes applications from current Vergers and Deputy/Head Vergers, as well as experienced managers from heritage, hospitality, operations, or similar settings.
The Most Reverend Sarah Mullally will be installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury at Canterbury Cathedral
The 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, will be installed at Canterbury Cathedral on 25 March 2026, the Feast of the Annunciation.
The live stream will start at 2.30 pm.
>> BBC website
>> Download the order of service [PDF]
The Most Revd Hosam Naoum, Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem and Primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, has shared a pastoral letter following on from the news of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
28 February 2026
Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As you are all now painfully aware, in the early hours of this morning, February 28th, a coordinated and massive military assault was launched by the United States and Israel against numerous cities and installations within Iran. This operation, described by the leaders of the two nations as a ‘pre-emptive’ attack, has brought fire and destruction to the heart of Tehran, Isfahan, and beyond, striking at the very centers of governance and civilian life. Moreover, just prior to these events, Israel had also ‘pre-emptively’ attacked various targets in southern Lebanon, where the number of casualties has yet to be determined.
Tragically, the cycle of violence has expanded with terrifying speed. In the hours following, Iran launched a widespread reprisal, with missiles and drones targeting Israel and U.S. military assets across the Gulf—striking installations in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kurdistan-Iraq, Jordan, and Qatar. Sirens also blared across the Holy Land, warning of incoming missiles from Iran. Suddenly, our people from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf find themselves once again huddled in shelters, fearing for their lives as the shadow of a total regional war looms over us.
These developments strike at the very soul of our Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Every single nation now engaged in this combat, and those bearing the brunt of the retaliatory strikes, resides within our ecclesiastical boundaries. Our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Iran are currently enduring the terror of aerial bombardment; our members in the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf are witnessing the arrival of war at their doorsteps; and our faithful in the Diocese of Jerusalem—extending across Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria—face an unprecedented threat of military escalation.
In the face of such overwhelming force, we recall the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Matt 5:9). Today, that calling feels heavier than ever before. When the ‘spirit of fear’ threatens to consume our hearts, we must anchor ourselves in the ‘spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind’ (2 Tim 1:7).
First, I call upon the global Church to join us in urgent, unceasing prayer. We implore God to protect the innocent—the mothers, the children, and the elderly—who are caught in the crossfire of this ‘Operation Epic Fury’ and the subsequent ‘crushing responses.’ We pray specifically for a ‘sound mind’ for the leaders of the United States, Israel, and Iran, that they might recognize the futility of this bloodshed and turn back from the precipice of a global catastrophe.
Second, we must offer each other the sanctuary of Christian love. I therefore urge our clergy and laity to be beacons of comfort. In a time of ‘regime change’ rhetoric and military ultimatums, let our message be the unchanging promise of Christ’s peace: to build each other up (1 Cor 8:1), for our hope is not in the strength of armadas or missile shields, but in the Prince of Peace.
Finally, we must remain ‘Bridge Builders.’ Even as diplomatic windows seem to slam shut, the Church must keep the doors of reconciliation open. We refuse to see our neighbors as enemies, whether they be in Tehran, Tel Aviv, or the military bases of the Gulf. I extend an urgent invitation to the wider Anglican Communion and all people of goodwill: Intercede for us now. The hour is late, and the danger is great. We remain “battered and bruised, but not defeated.” May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
In Christ,
The Most Reverend Dr Hosam E. Naoum
Primate and President Bishop
The Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East
