Azim Ahmed looks at the extraordinary life and work of the nineteenth century Liverpool solicitor William Abdullah Quilliam. Although brought up as a Wesleyan, Quilliam would convert to Islam after a visit to Morocco. He returned with indefatigable zeal to establish a mosque in Liverpool, and to create a British version of Islam, complete with hymns and a very distinctive version of the national anthem. Quilliam used the title of 'Sheikh al-Islam' of the British Isles, a title he claimed was conferred on him by the Sultan of Turkey. Azim talks to Professor Ron Geaves of Cardiff University, and to Yahya Birt, an Islamic community historian. In addition, Azim talks to writer and historian Christina Longden, whose Cardiff-born ancestor Robert Stanley went on to become one of Quilliam's most significant converts. This programme was first broadcast in January.

"Get on the pill, get a job, and stay out of my life" - such were the less than encouraging words her father once addressed to the young Lorraine Cavanagh. Despite coming from a wealthy and privileged family background (her grandmother was the inventor of the modern bra, and the proprietor of a prestigious publishing house), Dr Cavanagh endured a childhood of emotional neglect, and sexual abuse at the hands of a stepfather she was encouraged to call 'Dad'. In this candid interview, Revd Cavanagh, who is now a Church in Wales priest, talks to Delyth Liddell about her new book, a memoir about coming to terms with her early life: Rebuilding the Ruined Places, and her journey of faith, trying to make sense of some of the paradoxes of her extraordinary, glamorous and yet emotionally starved upbringing in France, America, Spain and England. This programme was first broadcast in January 2023.

The final part of a series of programmes on BBC Radio Wales marking the 900th anniversary of St David’s international recognition. David’s spiritual authority is said to have come from his reputed visit to Jerusalem in the 6th century, the city which is the focus of the Easter narrative and would have been at the centre of David’s world. In the 21st century that city’s story is a complex and involved one: this programme does not seek to explain or explore those issues, but simply offers three Easter postcards from Jerusalem. These come from places connected with the events of Holy Week, which have been significant through the centuries. Their stories are told from the perspectives and through the voices of Christian visitors to and residents of a city which continues to inspire people from around the world.

Fr Matthew Roche-Saunders, a Catholic priest from the parish of Aberystwyth is in Rome, following in the footsteps of faithful pilgrims across the centuries. 900 years ago this year, as recorded by the English historian William of Malmesbury, Pope Callixtus II granted a privilege to St Davids to be of significant spiritual importance for pilgrims. As part of our 'In The Footsteps of David' series of programmes celebrating our patron saint, Fr Matthew explores the act of pilgrimage, hearing from others visiting places around the globe linked to Saint David, to understand more about this journey of faith.

Delyth Liddell follows in St David's footsteps to Glastonbury, one of the most spiritually diverse places in Britain, and a community which David is said to have founded in the sixth century. David famously preached against heresy (the heresy of Pelagianism), so what what would he have made of a community that these days is home to 78 different spiritualities... and what would they have made of him? Delyth visits the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, accompanied by an Anglo-Saxon guide - Edgar the Anglo-Saxon - and in the beautiful surviving chapel of St Patrick speaks to the vicar of Glastonbury, Prebendary David McKeogh. That the once magnificent abbey now stands in ruins is a vivid demonstration of what happens when one orthodoxy is replaced by another, as the Reformation made heretics of former loyal Catholics, and dismissed the wonders of saintly cults such as the cult of St David. Dr Sarah White explains the nature of heresy past and present. Nowadays, Glastonbury is a more tolerant, inclusive society - Delyth visits not only a Catholic shrine but also a pagan healing centre. Far from condemning modern pagans, many mainstream Christian denominations in the town are prepared to work alongside people who hold quite different views to their own - vicar David McGeogh recalls fondly the occasion when he organised a funeral for an artist, and elves, pixies and druids all joined in to say the Lord's Prayer. As Methodist minister Tina Swire explains, 'Glastonbury is a place of seekers... and we are all seeking something'.

St. David is said to have performed a number of miracles, from restoring the sight of a man who was blind to the famous occasion when a hill rose up beneath him so that the crowds could hear his preaching. As part of our series marking the 900th anniversary of St. David’s recognition as a saint, Roy Jenkins and guests discuss miracles today. The panel examine how we make sense of St. David’s miracles in a contemporary context, whether miracles do in fact still happen, and if they do occur, why do so many earnest prayers go unanswered? Roy Jenkins is joined by four guests; Julian Richards, who founded Cornerstone church with his wife Sarah more than thirty years ago and now heads up New Wine Cymru. Joshua Brown is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Indiana University. His own experience of miraculous healing was recently featured in an article in the New York Times. He helped found the Global Medical Research Institute which investigates and publishes case studies of miraculous events. Gemma Simmonds is a sister of the Congregation of Jesus, a prolific writer who teaches at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge. She is a regular visitor to Lourdes. Lastly Trystan Owain-Hughes, a Christian theologian and author of Finding Hope and Meaning in Suffering. He’s the Director of Ministry Development for the Church in Wales.

As part of our series of programmes making the 900th anniversary of St David's international recognition, presenter and pastor Jonathan Thomas tries out a day in the life of St David. Jonathan's own contemporary religious traditions are quite different from the ancient practices of a Celtic saint. As he visits key locations in West Wales connected with David, and follows in his footsteps and practices (or their present-day equivalents) - what will he make of life lived in the style of a 6th century monk? And what will today's West Walians make of him? In this programme, Jonathan tries cold water immersion, street preaching, contemplative practices and more. Helping him along the way are St Davids' Cathedral librarian Mari James; Archdeacon of Ceredigion and dairy farmer Eileen Davis; and chaplain at the University of Wales Trinity St David, Emma Whittick. No day in the life of a saint is complete without a trusty band of followers: Jonathan is joined for part of the programme by students from Trinity St David's Lampeter Campus, and conducts some of his saintly duties in the contemplative environment of the campus' chapel, refectory and library.

Roy Jenkins discusses contemporary Welsh identity in Bangor with four guests: the Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor Andrew John; historian Elin Jones, author of the recent book History Grounded, documenting the history of Wales; political commentator Theo Davies-Lewis, a regular writer for The Spectator and contributor to both BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales; and Menna Machreth, former chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) and currently project manager for the Welsh-medium playgroups Mudiad Meithrin. The panel discuss the relevance of St. David to contemporary society; when increasing numbers of people declare that they have no religion, what is the relevance of a saint’s day? What do the faith and works of a sixth-century monk mean for those who don’t share his beliefs? And in what sense can he be significant still to the faith, language and identity of a 21st century society?

This year marks 900 years since St David’s place at the centre of Welsh identity was given international recognition by Pope Callixtus II. Two pilgrimages to St Davids, it was pronounced, were equivalent to one to Rome; a later version of this claims that three pilgrimages to the Pembrokeshire cathedral were equivalent to one pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But who really was St David, and what does he mean to us in 21st century Wales? for BBC Radio Wales, All Things Considered and Celebration are marking this anniversary during the seven weeks from St David’s Day to Easter. We’re exploring the locations connected with his story to understand what motivated him, how he’s been seen across the centuries, and what he means to us now. We’ll reflect themes linked to St David, and hear from contemporary pilgrims following in his footsteps, and we’ll worship as David did. David’s life and the stories which came to be told about him were from the very beginning shaped by an international dimension: David was given his status because of a relationship with Rome; he acquired his spiritual purpose because of a relationship with Jerusalem; his birth and upbringing involved a relationship with Brittany; while his spiritual leadership involved relationship with the whole island of Britain. In this programme Sarah Rowland-Jones investigates some deeper connections between our patron saint and the Holy City. The earliest biography of St David, written 500 years after his death, claimed that David travelled to Jerusalem and met the Patriarch, who declared him archbishop of all the the Britons. This may sound fanciful, but there is an abundance of evidence that early Christians actually did make that arduous journey to the Holy Land - not least from Britain. Not only that, David's famously austere monastic lifestyle is certainly indebted to the example set by the desert fathers, who lived in Egypt - a connection that David's earliest biographer, Rhigyfarch, explicitly acknowledges. Visiting the Garden of Gethsemane and the Old City of Jerusalem, Sarah searches for the historical context for a saint about whom so much has been written, but about whom so little is known for certain.

This week we’re marking the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022. Roy Jenkins explores some of the religious elements involved in this conflict. Many argue that Russia’s President Putin has been using religion to justify his so-called special military operation. The largest religious tradition in both Russia and Ukraine is the Orthodox Church with years of history stretching back to 988 AD. Officially there are 15 Orthodox churches worldwide, along with a dozen others whose status is said to be uncertain. It’s Patriarch Kirill who leads the Moscow Patriarchate. He’s spoken in support of Russia’s so-called special military operation; a stance which has led Pope Francis to refer to him as “Putin’s altar boy”. We hear about him and ask just how much religious liberty there is for worshippers in Russia. Meanwhile in Ukraine where there is considerable religious diversity, we hear about the friction between the pro-Moscow Orthodox and independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. We also hear about the humanitarian and pastoral work in the country. We also ask - what of the future? Our guests: Dr Geraldine Fagan: Editor of the journal East-West Church Report and a practising member of the Orthodox Church. www.eastwestreport.org Dr Joshua Searle of Spurgeon’s College in London and a trustee of the Dnipro Hope Mission in Ukraine. www.dniprohopemission.org Jonathan Luxmoore is freelance journalist based in the UK and Poland specialising in religious news throughout Europe. He writes (among others) for the Church Times and The Tablet. Music: Extracts from the Vespers Op 37 by Sergei Rachmaninov. Extract from Prayer for Ukraine by Valentin Silvestrov.