How To Live Forever

The recent discovery of an Anglo-Saxon saint’s relics reminds us of the fragility of human life and the power of hope.

the Parish Church of St Mary and  St Eanswythe, Folkestone, c.1890 Courtesy Library of Congress, Washington DC/Wikimedia/Creative Commons.

A few years ago, on a grey and rainy day in April, I happened to be in Folkestone in Kent. Since there’s not much to do in a seaside town on a drizzly Sunday morning, a visit to a church seemed like the best idea. This church, dedicated to St Mary and St Eanswythe, is an imposing building, standing high on the cliffs from which the old part of the town winds down to the harbour. On that day we timed our visit well: the morning service had just finished and the rain had started coming down hard, so we were welcomed inside with solicitous kindness.

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