Lion sermon
The Lion sermon is an annual sermon preached on 16 October at 13:00 at St Katharine Cree in the City of London.[1] The sermon has traditionally been preached on the theme of 'challenges to the Christian faith'.[2]
The sermon commemorates the memory of Sir John Gayer, Lord Mayor of London in the 17th century.[1] Gayer was faced with a lion in the Syrian desert, prayed for mercy, and the lion left without harming him. In gratitude Gayer endowed St Katharine Cree with a fund to preach a sermon in memory of this event, gave money to charities, and bought a font for the church inscribed with his coat of arms.[1]
In 2013, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, was the first woman in 371 years to give the Lion Sermon. She named the three pillars of Liberty as Dignity, Equality and Fairness.
References
- ^ a b c Benedict Le Vay (2007). Eccentric London: The Bradt Guide to Britain's Crazy and Curious Capital. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 309–. ISBN 978-1-84162-193-7.
- ^ "Sanctuary in the City". Sanctuary in the City – Lion sermon. Sanctuary in the City. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.