25th March 2026

County authors explore wide sweep of rich spiritual heritage in new book

A new book exploring a wide sweep of Christian heritage has been authored by a Bishop and Priest from The Church of England in the County.

‘Held in God’s Gaze’ by Rt Rev Dr Jill Duff, the Anglican Bishop of Lancaster and Fr Nicholas Heale, a Priest in Blackburn, has its local launch soon at Whalley Abbey.

• Bishop Jill made an appearance on BBC Radio Lancashire at the weekend to talk about the book and look forward to the local launch. Listen to that interview here from 01h 39m approx.

The authors draw on their distinct perspectives within the breadth of the Church of England to create a work together that is all the richer for their respectful dialogue and common commitment to the gospel. This is their first collaboration.

Launched nationally this week, the book has already been featured at the London Book Fair as their publisher SPCK’s ‘top pick’ and it is currently riding high in the Amazon chart for books on Christian Mysticism.

‘Held in God's Gaze: Keeping Company with the Saints and Mystics’ (to give the book its full title) is about how reconnecting with Britain's rich spiritual history and includes a treasure trove of ancient and often forgotten saints from across the centuries. In so doing, the book also explores how those saints can offer us valuable insight into our culture today.

The book also reveals how the wisdom and rich spiritual inheritance of these saints and mystics - who despite having lived centuries ago, experienced many of the same trials we encounter today, including personal suffering and societal division - are key to understanding modern Britain.

Held in God’s Gaze also speaks to how these holy figures - from ancient and Celtic saints to medieval mystics, women spiritual leaders, the Spanish Mystics and modern voices of faith - can offer deep spiritual transformation and hope for our society.

Through short, engaging chapters, the authors explore how these saints encountered God through prayer, scripture, and devotion; offering reflections that help readers grow in spiritual maturity.

Each chapter concludes with study questions, making the whole package perfect for individual meditation or group discussion.

Speaking about the origins of the book, Bishop Jill said: “In 2018 as a new Bishop, I happened to be doing an exit interview with Nicholas, then a priest in Lancaster, who was moving to a new post in Blackburn. I asked what gave him life.

“Held in God’s Gaze is the fruit of that initial meeting and many subsequent conversations and exchanges between myself and Nicholas, alongside much research.

“At our first meeting Nicholas spoke simply and in the present tense about the mystics and saints as if they were alive to him so I asked him how he had discovered them. It was then he told me he had trained as a medieval historian and his tutors had told him there was no way to understand the British Isles as it has become without understanding the religious and spiritual experiences of that cultural moment. I was intrigued.

Bishop Jill continued: “These saints and mystics described charismatic and contemplative experiences in ways I had not encountered before … and my discovery of them has fired in me a deep-seated longing for God to call out 'giants of faith' in our day.

“My prayer is that we may have the same faith in the fiery renewal of the Church, and revival in our nations in our time.”

• The local launch for Held in God’s Gaze is at Whalley Abbey in the Ribble Valley at 4pm on Monday, March 30. At the launch, the authors will be in conversation about their book with Rt Rev Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn. Spaces are still available; email bookings@whalleyabbey.org 

Captions for the above pictures, top to bottom:

• Bishop Jill Duff
• Fr Nicholas Heale
• The front cover of ‘Held in God’s Gaze’, co-authored by Bishop Jill Duff and Fr Nicholas Heale