It is known as The Cathedral of the Marches and attracts 65,000 visitors from all over the world every year.

And when the Ven Colin Williams got the chance to become rector of St Laurences Church in Ludlow five years ago, it wasnt a hard decision to make.

I knew Ludlow a little bit because I used to live in Liverpool, and that was just about near enough for me to get to for walks across the Long Mynd, he says.

So when I saw this job advertised, I thought it seemed ideal.

St Laurences, which has stood in the market town for 800 years, is one of the greatest parish churches in Britain.

In 1999 it became one of just 18 churches to be given a five-star rating in Simon Jenkins acclaimed book Englands Thousand Best Churches.

It is also the 13th most popular free visitor attraction in the whole of the West Midlands.

We get people from most of the countries in the world, and we also get visitors from all over the UK, he says.

I think places like Canada and the US are where the largest number come from, but we also get quite a few from Western Europe.

Mr Williams, who worked as a solicitor before training as a priest in the early 1980s, says it is both daunting and rewarding being responsible for such an important part of English history.

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St Laurences Church in Ludlow - the Cathedral of the Marches

Rochester, NY (PRWEB) February 19, 2015

Tailored Lighting, makers of SoLux natural daylight sources, was commissioned to illuminate new icons painted by Tom Clark in the Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church located in Rochester, NY.

In 1998, the parish entered the present location, the former South Avenue Baptist Church. Construction of an iconostasis and the placement of icons in the altar area transformed the sanctuary into a home of Orthodox prayer and worship. An icon (from Greek eikn "image") is generally a flat panel painting depicting Jesus, Mary, saints and angels.

Peter Los, of Holy Spirit contacted Kevin McGuire, President of Tailored Lighting and inventor of SoLux, to re-light the church after installing SoLux lighting in his own home. "The lighting in our church is fabulous. It really brings the best out of the icons on the walls...The icon of Christ with the gold leaf around it looks great - before it was completely in the shadow." James Palis another parishioner involved in the re-lighting of the church commented, "I think the lighting is an incredible enhancement to the iconography and the ability to dim (the lighting) was essential to the Lenten and Holy Week services."

Tailored Lighting also used SoLux lighting in the church to demonstrate a unique lighting technique. SoLux lights illuminated the stained glass windows still preserved from their baptist beginnings from inside the church and the resulting images were observed by passersby on the city streets of Rochester. According to Kevin McGuire, "SoLux lighting provides a presentation of stained glass surpassed only by natural daylight. By lighting the stained glass from inside the church with SoLux, the community can share in the beauty the parishioners see. Perhaps as more churches incorporate what I call the "communification" of their church by installing SoLux to illuminate artwork, both inside and out, more people will want to enter these welcoming doors of faith."

SoLux is a patented light source sold by Tailored Lighting Inc., Rochester, New York, 14624. SoLux provides an unparalleled replication of natural daylight. Use of SoLux in many of the world's top museums including the van Gogh, Musee d'Orsay, MoMA, and Guggenheim is testament to its unmatched color quality and safety. SoLux also has eight times the life and twice the efficiency of standard incandescent sources and is dimmable. For more information visit http://www.solux.net or call (800-254-4487).

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Iconic Church Artwork Illuminated by SoLux Natural Daylight Light Bulbs

Photo: Facebook/TB Joshua Ministries

TB Joshua. The influential Nigerian preacher is under fire for the collapse of a six-storey guesthouse in his church compound in September 2014.

A court in Nigeria has ruled against TB Joshua and the Synagogue Church of All Nations following successive delays in their case against the Lagos Coroner's Court.

Joshua filed suit in November last year, alleging that Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe of the Coroner's Court had exceeded his jurisdiction by repeatedly summoning the influential pastor to appear and testify as part of an investigation into the September 12, 2014 collapse of a guest house at his church complex that killed more than 100 people.

According toSahara Reporters, the church had also filed a similar suit in the Federal High Court in Lagos but it was dismissed.

According to Information Nigeria, Ikeja High Court Judge Lateefa Okunnu fined TB Joshua and the Church N25,000 (around $125, 81) for further delaying the proceedings of the suit.

Vanguardreported that Joshua's counsel, Prince Lateef Fagbemi told the court that Magistrate Komolafe was only limited to "(determining) the cause of death and identify the body (or bodies) of the deceased" as, mandated by the Sections 32 and 33 of the Lagos State Coroner's Law 2007, but had in addition to this been hearing evidence on the building's construction.

The Lagos State Government defended Magistrate Komolofe, stating that the Coroner's Court can investigate the causes of the deaths that it examines. It said that the Magistrate "has all the powers of a magistrate to summon and compel the attendance of witnesses" as part of its investigation. The State then moved to have the case dismissed.

The case had been adjourned and was due to resume hearing on Tuesday, but Fagbemi filed a motion and a consolidated Reply on Points of Law on Monday shortly before. The Lagos State Government's legal team requested another adjournment to examine the new applications.

Information Nigeria reports that Justice Okunnu then levied the fine against the church for instigating the delays, noting that the case was repeatedly adjourned upon request of TB Joshua and the church. She then told them to file an affidavit of compliance before the case resumes hearing on Friday.

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Court fines TB Joshua for delaying proceedings after church complex collapse

Published on February 17, 2015

The bell from St. Marys Polish Church, which was destroyed by fire late last year, is now half-buried by snow. Church officials hope to begin the rebuilding process by this summer.

Laura Jean Grant - Cape Breton Post

Published on January 12, 2014

Tom Urbaniak

Published on December 31, 2014

In the midst of the horror of the fire at the St. Mary's Polish Church parishioners were overwhelmed with hope at the site of the sign in front of the church that had some how escaped the flames. The sign was saved and is said to be a part of plans to rebuild.

Greg McNeil - Cape Breton Post

Published on December 31, 2014

Many parishioners from the St. Mary's Polish Parish came out the afternoon of the fire that destroyed their church. All showed varying elements of grief as evident by this image that shows one woman consoling another who was overcome with sadness at the site of the fire.

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St. Mary's Polish Parish taking steps toward rebuild

INDIANAPOLIS | A philosophical dispute at the Statehouse over the role of the free market in setting pay rates for public construction projects could soon translate into smaller paychecks for thousands of Indiana building trades workers.

The Republican-controlled House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 8-4 on party lines Tuesday for House Bill 1019, which eliminates the common construction wage used for state and local government building projects worth more than $350,000.

State Rep. Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, the sponsor of the measure, believes it is wrong to have five-person boards made up of union and nonunion contractors, along with two local taxpayers decide how much each position on a public construction job should be paid.

"In my view, this sets up an artificial wage and I just think it's better for us to go to the free market," Torr said. "If the committee set a higher wage rate, then the workers on the job benefit but the taxpayers don't."

Torr estimated, based on the savings realized in other states that eliminated their prevailing wage laws, Indiana local governments could spend between 10-20 percent less by ditching the common construction wage.

"When we have local governments concerned about the property tax caps trying to save every dime they can and school districts clamoring for more money for public education, it would seem to make sense for us to go to the free market and let folks bid and have the best at the lowest price," Torr said.

Jason Horwitz, a public policy consultant at the Anderson Economic Group of Michigan, told the committee the total savings statewide likely only would be about $50 million, or 6 percent, and possibly less because Indiana already has such a high threshold for projects to use the common construction wage.

Nevertheless, Republican city councilmen from Fort Wayne and Terre Haute, and representatives from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Builders and Contractors trade association insisted it still is worth eliminating a system the state and local governments have used since 1935.

"Government should not be in the business of fixing prices and mandating wages," said J.R. Gaylor, president of ABC of Indiana and Kentucky. "The market should be the solution to that."

In response, nearly two dozen building contractors, representing billions of dollars in annual projects, each told the committee they want the common construction wage preserved.

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House panel OKs repeal of common construction wage

SHENANDOAH Demolition of a century-old church building that housed a convent and an archival center for a possible future saint began last week.

Workers began taking down the three-story building that was constructed as a convent and rectory during the leadership of the Rev. John Dobrowski, who became pastor of St. Casimir Church on Nov. 29, 1912.

From the time of its construction, the convent was the Shenandoah home of the Bernardine Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis and was being used as such until last year when structural problems caused the sisters to leave.

The half of the building closest to the church that had served as the parish rectory was the Ciszek Center, the headquarters of the Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League, which was formed in 1985 to promote the cause for canonization of Ciszek, a Shenandoah native who was a prisoner in the Soviet Union for 23 years. The cause officially began in 1989 five years after Ciszeks death in the Ruthenian Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic. After the retirement of the Most Rev. Michael J. Dudick as bishop, the cause moved to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown in 1998 through the support of the Most Rev. Thoma J. Welsh, bishop. It was after the diocesan change that the headquarters was moved from Sugarloaf to Shenandoah.

The cause for canonization is currently being reviewed in the Vatican.

In addition to memorabilia of the life of Ciszek, the building also held a Perpetual Adoration chapel. The prayer leagues board president is Monsignor Ronald C. Bocian, pastor of Divine Mercy Church in Shenandoah, with St. Casimir Church as a worship center. Attempts to contact Bocian for information on the demolition were not successful.

Prayer league board member Elaine Cusat said the league is in transition with its location due to the need to move.

Were projecting well be getting ready with a new center in the spring, Cusat said.

The new center will be located in the former Annunciation BVM Church rectory on the 200 block of West Cherry Street near Divine Mercy Church and Trinity Academy.

The Bernardine sisters have moved into the former St. Stephen Church rectory, which is now called the Father Ciszek Convent, 18 E. Oak St., Shenandoah. The convent is also the temporary mailing address for the prayer league.

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Structural problems force demolition of church building in Shenandoah

ST. JOHN the Baptist Church, which was built by Franciscan missionaries during the Spanish colonial period, in Camalig, Albay, has been declared a historical landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. MICHAEL B. JAUCIAN

Imelda Moraleda has bound her life and faith to the massive stone church built by Franciscan missionaries during the Spanish colonial period in the 1800s in Camalig town in Albay province.

The church is indeed a very old church that provided us refuge during the war, says Moraleda, 84, who goes regularly to the St. John the Baptist Church, which was recently declared a historical landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

Describing the place of worship as God-given, she recalls that during World War II in 1942-1945, it sheltered town residents during the Japanese occupation and when the Americans came to liberate the country.

She was a teenager then during the war years and was asked to play the piano during the daily Mass, while Japanese soldiers watched the parishioners every movement. There was no way to escape the garrison of the Japanese soldiers, which was just located at the back of St. John the Baptist Church, she remembers.

The NHCPs board of commissioners approved the declaration of the church as a historical landmark after noting its significant contributions to Camaligs history.

The marker is very educational on the part of the tourists as it will give them an idea of how Christianity started, said the agencys executive director, Ludovico Badoy, who attended the unveiling ceremony on Dec. 14, 2014.

The Franciscan missionaries administered the church for over 400 years, from 1579-1983, according to the marker. Originally, it existed as a structure of wood and nipa from 1579 to 1580.

The second church was made from stone by prisoners in 1605. It was, however, destroyed by successive eruptions of Mayon Volcano from 1766 to 1814.

Strongest in region

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Old church a testament of history, faith

The First Church building on the corner and Tay and Ythan Streets celebrates its 100th birthday this weekend and the Southland community is welcome to join in the celebrations of this iconic heritage building. Tours of the Church buildings and graphic displays will be held between 10am and 12 noon on Saturday, 14 February 2015. Tours will include the opportunity to climb the 32 metre Campanile bell tower and view Invercargill from a height. Following the format of the buildings opening in February 1915 a Celebratory Ecumenical Service of Worship will be held on Saturday afternoon at 2.00pm, followed by a heritage themed dinner in the evening.

On Sunday, 15 February a Service of Holy Communion will be held where a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between First Church and Pacific Island Church (Samoan). This will be followed by a pot luck lunch and farewell to Rev Richard and Morag Gray.

"First Church is an iconic heritage building and we would be delighted to show people through the building" said Rev Richard Gray. "The buildings design, construction and maintenance means that we were delighted to recently receive a report from Hadley & Robinson Limited, Dunedin based consulting engineers, who confirmed that the building rates at better than 80% NBS. This means that the building is not earthquake prone. It allows the congregation to move forward with confidence knowing that this important Church building will serve the Invercargill community for another 100 years."

It was Rev Richard Grays great-grandfather (the Rev R M Ryburn) who was minister of First Church when the controversial design for the building was chosen, when the foundation stone was laid in 1910 and at the official opening in February 1915. "When I accepted the call to became Minister of First Church I was delighted to be able to preach in the same pulpit as my great-grandfather" Rev Gray said.

First Church is a major Invercargill landmark which was opened in 1915 and is of an Italian Romanesque design. Over one million bricks were used in the construction of the church which has a height of 15 metres. The Campanile bell tower has a height of 32 metres, with the walls at its base being one metre thick. Arthur Sefton, bricklayer, was regarded as one of the finest tradesmen in the country when the building was constructed with its complex arches and patterns.

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First Church building celebrates 100th birthday

18:00 10 February 2015

Madeleine Burton

Emma Wiggs cutting the ribbon watched by Mayor of Hertsmere, Cllr Carey Keates.

Archant

Paralympian Emma Wiggs cut the ribbon when a church marked the opened of upgraded kitchen and toilet facilities.

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Emma, the daughter of Annie Wiggs, church warden of St John the Baptist Church in Aldenham where the new facilities were built, was a member of the sitting volleyball team in the 2012 Paralympics.

The development includes toilet accommodation for people with disabilities.

The ceremony was held at the end of matins at the church and among the guests were the Mayor of Hertsmere, Cllr Carey Keates, Hertsmere borough councillor John Graham and Aldenham parish council chairman, Cllr Neil Payne.

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Paralympian opens new church facilities in Hertsmere

TOCCOA - A construction worker died from a fall while working on a project at a Toccoa church Tuesday morning.

Toccoa Police Chief Tim Jarrell confirmed the death.

"At approximately 8:59 this morning the Toccoa Police Department, Stephens County ambulance service and Toccoa Fire Department responded to 475 Tugalo St., which is our First Baptist Church," Jarrell said. "We responded in reference to a work-related accident at the church's new construction site."

Jarrell provided some basic details of what happened.

"There was a worker on a steel beam who fell and appears to have suffered a head injury," Jarrell said. "He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the coroner's office."

The man's name has not been released yet, pending notification of his family.

The victim is a 35-year-old Hispanic male from the Gainesville area, Jarrell said.

"The incident is still under investigation," Jarrell said. "OSHA and the coroner's office are investigating, and the police department is supplying assistance as needed."

An autopsy to determine the cause of death will be performed at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation State Crime Lab in Decatur.

"We do not believe foul play is involved, however we investigate all deaths as if they are criminal until otherwise proven differently," Jarrell said.

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OSHA, coroner investigating death of worker in Toccoa