Discover

2025 Walking Together Lenten Devotionals

Walking Together Saturday Lenten Devotionals

For the Lenten season, Walking Together, our weekday online devotional, expands to include Saturdays and we invite guest writers to contribute.

This devotional is intended to draw us together in seeking God's wisdom and guidance and to remind us of the good news of Jesus Christ and the relevance of the wonderful promises of God.

To have Walking Together delivered directly to your email inbox, subscribe today, and it will arrive in your inbox from Monday to Saturday every week during Lent. After Lent it arrives Monday to Friday. To have the Walking Together delivered directly to your email inbox, subscribe today, and it will arrive in your inbox from Monday to Saturday every week during Lent. After Lent it arrives Monday to Friday. To learn more about the devotional and to subscribe, click here>

Introducing this year's guest contributors:

March 8: Rev. Bert Radford
March 15: Rev. Dale Soble
March 22: Rev. Peter Babington
March 29: Rev. Catherine Shelley
April 5: Julia Cody
April 12: Joanne Davies

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 

BIOGRAPHIES

March 8
Rev. Bert Radford

Rev. Bert Radford is a retired Baptist minister and school principal. Bert has offered numerous interim ministries since retiring as Minister of Burlington Baptist Church. He is currently serving as Interim Minister at First Baptist, Brantford, Ontario. Bert is married to Mae and he is best known at YP as the father of Carol Radford-Grant, father-in-law of David, and the grandfather of Jeffery and Anthony.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 

March 15
Rev. Dale Soble

The youngest of three children to Bill and Carol Soble, Dale was raised in Belleville, Ontario. The family's home church was Victoria Avenue Baptist Church where Dale was baptized when he was thirteen years old. After high school, Dale attended McMaster University, thinking he would eventually turn toward a career in journalism, but he was drawn or pushed into ministry in his final years of arts. Following graduation, Dale enrolled in McMaster Divinity College. His first church was a small country church, Wainfleet Baptist. While there, Susan and Dale were married in 1978 and had their first child, Nicholas. They were called to Lakeside Heights Baptist Church in the West Island of Montreal during which time their children, Katie and Nathaniel, were born. From Montreal they were called to First Baptist Church, Ottawa, where Maggie was born. The next adventure in ministry came when Dale became one of the Area Ministers for the CBOQ, watching over 80 plus churches in the southern part of Ontario. After ten years as Area Minister, Dale accepted the call to Murray St. Baptist Church in Peterborough. Since retiring in 2015, Dale writes weekly blog posts at theunconventionalbaptist.blogspot.com. Susan spent part of her childhood at Yorkminster Park when her father, the Rev. Dr. Bruce Neal, served on our ministry team. Susan retired in 2022, and their seven grandchildren keep them busy and happy and proud.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––  

March 22
Rev. Peter Babington

Canon Dr Peter Babington is Priest-in-Charge of St Mary le Strand church in London, where he is leading a major restoration and development project ‘The Jewel in the Strand'. If you would like to find out more, you can visit the project pages of the church website: https://stmarylestrand.com/flower-appeal/

Peter is married to Dr Paula Gooder, Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, who was a keynote speaker at the Lester Randall Preaching Fellowship 2024.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––  

March 29
Rev. Catherine Shelley

Born into a non-Christian family in Manchester, Catherine came to faith whilst at University in Cambridge and was baptised and confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church. Within a year she felt a call to priesthood but that was not possible at that stage in either the Roman Catholic or the Anglican church. Instead, Catherine qualified as a lawyer, specialising in Criminal, family and child protection law. She tried her vocation in religious life with the Congregation of Jesus, serving in a number of community roles, but it was not her vocation and she left before making final vows and returned to law.

Whilst working as a lawyer and local Councillor in Brighton Catherine made the transition to the Church of England. She returned to Manchester concerned about her mother's health; she continued to work as a lawyer and began a PhD in Theology and Law, examining the ethics of safeguarding and faith communities. It was in Manchester that she was ordained in 2010. Since Ordination she has served in parishes in Manchester Diocese, as a University Chaplain in Birmingham, as a lawyer for the Church and part time priest, as a parish priest and Area Dean in Southwark Diocese and is now Parish priest of Todmorden, Walsden and Cornholme on the Yorkshire /Lancashire border, Adviser for Women's Ministry in the Huddersfield Area of Leeds Diocese and a member of General Synod.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––  

April 5
Julia Cody

The Revd Prebendary Julia Cody is a priest in the Church of England. She currently enjoys serving as Team Rector of Smestow Vale, Rural Dean of Trysull and Acting Archdeacon of Walsall in Lichfield Diocese in the lovely West Midlands (too many hats!). Julia has been in this area since ordination 17 years' ago, having previously lived and worked/studied in Cambridge, London, Budapest and Vienna; and grew up in beautiful Somerset in South-West England. She shares her home with Missy, who keeps her muddy from daily walks whatever the weather! Julia enjoys reading novels, watching movies, time with friends, and has been privileged to travel to various fantastic locations around the world. These include 5 visits to the Holy Land, a place and people very precious to her. Her last pilgrimage was in the summer of 2023 when she met the lovely Rev. Paula Willis as their group explored "Women of the Bible", led by Paula Gooder, an incredibly rich, challenging and blessed time. Julia appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the Lent reflections.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––  

April 12
Joanne Davies

The Rev. Canon Joanne Davies was born in Nottingham, England. She came to Canada with her family, to live in Alberta, when she was a child. Joanne moved to Ontario when she was 15. She has two adult children and a cat. Joanne is an Oblate of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine.

A graduate of Trinity College, Joanne completed a single unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton during her M. Div. studies. She worked as an on-call Chaplain at St. Michael's Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital and occasionally at the UHN hospitals. In September 2001 Joanne began a year's residency of Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Michael's Hospital. Upon completion of the residency Joanne became a Diocesan Chaplain with the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, working at Mount Sinai Hospital. Joanne was ordained a priest in 2010, continuing her work as a Chaplain. In the summer of 2013 Joanne became the Priest Chaplain at St. John's Rehab. She is now the Spiritual Care Coordinator at St. John's Rehab, working on behalf of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine.

Back to top