Easter Sunday

What is the Resurrection?

• Festivals
• Video

It is on Easter Sunday that the fasting and sadness of Lent turns to joyful celebration as Christians celebrate the Resurrection and declare that death is defeated and Jesus is alive. Jesus had told the disciples before he was arrested that he would be crucified […]

Easter Vigil

How do Catholics celebrate the resurrection of Jesus?

• Festivals
• Video

What is celebrated at Easter? Why is Easter seen as so important? What happens during an Easter vigil? Watch this film to see how and why Catholics celebrate Easter.

Art and the Christian Faith – Catherine Stephenson

What is the relationship between art and faith? Does one come out of the other?

• Life
• Video gallery

Can faith inspire art? How can art be a reflection of your faith? What inspires art? What is the relationship between art and worship? Christian artist, Catherine Stephenson, considers these and other questions surrounding her faith and her art.

Jesus’ teaching about eternal life

What do Christians believe about eternal life?

• Life
• Text

What happens to us after death has been the theme of many a book and film – it is a subject that has fascinated people from the beginning of time. Some people hope that heaven is a real place, where they’ll be reunited with loved […]

Denominations

Why are there different denominations?

• Life
• Text

Over the years, the Christian church has divided into different groups called denominations. Although they share the same basic beliefs, or creed, the way they do things can be very different. This family tree shows how each new denomination branched out from an older one. […]

Divorce

What is the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox view of Divorce?

• Issues
• Text

A Protestant view of divorce Protestants believe that Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce in the New Testament shows the ideal way to which all Christians should aspire. They accept, however, that sometimes humans fall short of this ideal, because we live in a fallen world, […]

Mary – a sister’s story

The raising of Lazarus from the dead - as told by his sister.

• Bible
• Video

Mary, Martha and Lazarus were amongst Jesus’ best friends. One day, however, when Lazarus needed Jesus the most – he seemed to be no where in sight. How would you feel if the man who had healed so many let your brother, his good friend, […]

A Good Friday Service in a Catholic Church

How do Catholics remember Jesus' death?

• Festivals
• Video

What is the Lord’s Passion? What is remembered on Good Friday? Why do Catholics hold the service at 3pm? Watch this film to see how Catholics remember the events of Good Friday.

Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday

How do Catholics celebrate the Mass of the Last Supper?

• Festivals
• Video

What happened during the last meal that Jesus shared with his disciples before his death? How do Catholics celebrate this meal? How do Catholics remember the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross?

The Story of Christmas

What happened at the first Christmas?

• Festivals
• Video

In this fun film Gran tells Mark, her grandson, and all the children watching the story of the first Christmas. In doing so she answers the BIG questions: What is an angel? Were there really three wise men? Why did they bring such strange gifts? […]

Christmas in the Bible

Discover more about the characters in the Christmas nativity.

• Festivals
• Timeline

Joseph

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to raise God's son as your own?

• Festivals
• Video

This film is from the Relive Film series. Find more films from Relive at reliveresources.co.uk. Imagine being engaged to be married – you are excited and cannot wait for the wedding day to come around. Imagine then discovering that the lady you are planning to […]

Westminster Cathedral

Virtual Tour

• People
• Video

Take a virtual tour of Westminster Cathedral by clicking on the circles on the map. The Cathedral situated in Francis Street, London is the Mother Church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster. It […]

Saint Peter

The First Pope

• People
• Video

Saint Peter, formally Simon, was renamed by Jesus – a sign that Peter was going to be one of the founders of the Christian Church. Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends and disciples – he followed Jesus with enthusiasm and zeal. However, he sometimes […]

TUDORS

What was the Reformation?

• People
• Text

The story of the Reformation in England is really two stories at once. The first one is a story about ordinary people. The second is about Kings and Queens, and how they made changes in the way the Church worshipped and worked. Right through this […]

Tudors

Why was Martin Luther so important for the Christian church?

• People
• Text

In 1505, when he was 22 years old, Martin Luther became a monk. He entered the cloister of the strict Augustinian order in the German town of Erfurt. Unbeknown to anyone, Martin’s actions were to start a split in the medieval church which would eventually […]

THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTRIES

Where did all the Monasteries go?

• People
• Text

By 1291 the country had been divided into parishes, each served by a parish church and Priest. Farmers gave a tythe (tenth) of their crop to pay for this, and the grain was collected and stored in tythe barns. Huge Cathedrals were built and expanded […]

William Tyndale

Why was it important to translate the Bible into English?

• People
• Text

Today, English has become the international language. In Tudor times, it was Latin that was used, especially amongst scholars. This meant that many books were not available in English – including the Bible. The ordinary people who did not speak Latin therefore could not read […]

The Apocrypha

Why do some Bibles have more books than others?

• Bible
• Video

At the beginning of the 5th century AD (400s), an early Christian scholar, Jerome, was given the job of translating all the books of the Bible into one common language, Latin. Amongst these books was a collection that Jerome did not believe had the same […]

Mary

What was her part in the Christmas story?

• Festivals
• Video

Mary was a girl in her teens, engaged to be married to a man she loved called Joseph. One night, she was visited by an angel who gave her a unique task – a part to play in saving the world. Watch this film to […]

St. Francis of Assisi

What was the life of this amazing man like?

• People
• Video gallery

Many people all over the world and throughout history have chosen to join a movement started by St Francis of Assisi, born in Italy in the 12th Century. Discover more of his story here. What makes him such an inspirational figure?

The Roman Catholic Church

What is the Catholic Church?

• Life
• Video gallery

The Roman Catholic Church is one of the oldest branches of Christianity. Take a look at the films to learn more about life in the Roman Catholic Church.

The Pope

What does being the Pope mean?

• Life
• Text

The Pope  is the Bishop of Rome, Sovereign of the Vatican City (a city within a city) and the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. The title Pope comes from a Latin word that means father or dad. Catholics believe that the first Pope was St. Peter, […]

Catholic Days of Obligation

What are the special days in the Catholic Church?

• Life
• Text

Catholics believe that there are some days during the year that are so special that every Catholic should go to Mass to celebrate. Every Sunday counts as one of those special days, and there are seven others. Sometimes these days are called ‘Holy Days’ – days […]

The Roman Catholic Sacraments

What are the seven sacraments?

• Life
• Text

Catholics have seven sacraments or ceremonies that they believe God can bless people through. Baptism Penance / Confession Eucharist / Communion Confirmation Matrimony (marriage) Holy Orders (ordination) Sacrament of the Sick Most Catholics are baptised when they are babies. During the ceremony adults will make […]

Roman Catholic Mass

How do Catholics worship God?

• Life
• Video gallery

At the centre of Roman Catholic worship is the Mass. Some Catholics go to Mass on Saturday or Sunday evening; all Catholics are supposed to go to at least one of these services. On entering a Catholic Church next to the door there is a […]

Roman Catholic Leaders

What is the role of the Catholic Priest?

• Life
• Video

Each Roman Catholic parish church will have a Priest. Most Roman Catholic Priests are asked to remain celibate, as this allows them to share their lives in service to all, whilst devoting themselves to God alone. The Priest says the Mass each service; he is […]

John Smyth and the Baptist Church

How did the Baptist Church begin?

• People
• Text

For many years after Henry VIII’s reformation of the Church of England, the people with political power had strong control over religious worship. There were people, however, who wanted to do what they believed God was telling them in the Bible, rather than what the […]

The Book of Common Prayer

How did the Book of Common Prayer come about?

• Life
• Text

From the seventh century until the sixteenth, the only accepted church in England was the Roman Catholic church. King Henry VIII was very worried because he had no son. He thought it was because he had married a woman who had previously been married to […]

Church of England Leadership

Who is who in the Anglican Church?

• Life
• Text

The Church of England is organised into two provinces or areas. Each area is led by an archbishop – The Archbishop of Canterbury  for the Southern Province and the Archbishop of York for the Northern. Each province is made up of dioceses – a bishop is in […]

Advent

How do Christians prepare for Christmas?

• Festivals
• Text

The Christmas season begins four Sundays before Christmas Day with Advent. Advent means ‘coming’. Christians prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth as a baby in the weeks that lead up to Christmas. They also remember that he will return as king and judge. Many Advent customs […]

Confirmation

What happens when someone is 'confirmed'?

• Life
• Text

When a baby is baptised, parents and godparents make promises for them. Once they are old enough, they can decide for themselves if they wish to live as a Christian, and make their own promises in the confirmation service. Confirmation happens in Anglican and Catholic […]

Infant baptism

What happens when children are baptised?

• Life
• Text

A baby cannot decide to follow Jesus for themselves, but infant baptism – or Christening – shows that the child is included as a member of the church family. When a child is baptised the family and church members look forward to the day when […]

Jesus’ life and ministry

What do Christians believe about Jesus' life and ministry?

• Jesus
• Text

Jesus’ family Perhaps one of the most famous stories about Jesus is his birth: God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was […]