The 'People of Faith' section of Target Magazine has been a consistent favourite of TEAR supporters for years. This collection will be progressively updated.
Elizabeth Fry: The mother of prison reform. Photo: University of Tasmania Special and Rare Material Collection.
Elizabeth was born on 21 May 1780 to Joseph and Catherine Gurney, a wealthy Quaker family, in Norwich, England.
Catherine Gurney educated her daughters, nurtured them in the faith, and taught them the importance of helping the poor. But 'Betsy' and her sisters, in their colourful silk clothes, often shocked the 'plain Quakers' who were committed to radical simplicity.
Betsy's diary reveals that her early life was shaped by two very different, but equally significant, experiences. The first was the…
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This article appeared in Issue 2, 2008 of Target Magazine.
Bartolome De Las Casas - Defender Of Indigenous Peoples
Defender Of Indigenous Peoples
Bartolome De Las Casas' father had been a lowly foot soldier with Columbus on his first voyage to the New World, but he'd acquired so much booty from the expedition that he'd been able to set himself up as a wealthy merchant in Seville by the time Bartolome was born in 1474. So he sent his son to study at the famous University of Salamanca in Seville, where he read law and divinity.
In 1502, Bartolome joined a Spanish military expedition to Cuba, and in return for his services, was…
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This article appeared in Issue 1, 2008 of Target Magazine.
A Witness Against All Violence
George Fox was born in 1624 in Leicestershire, England. His father was a weaver and a warden in the Church of England. George got little education other than reading, writing and studying the Bible. As a boy, George was apprenticed as a shoemaker, and was encouraged by his pious parents to live a life dedicated to the service of God, regardless of his humble status in society.
In 1643, at the age of 19, George had a vision. He'd been in a pub with his mates who had tried to drag him into…
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This article appeared in Issue 4, 2007 of Target Magazine.
Nilus Sorsky, an icon.
A Voice in the Wilderness
Nilus Sorsky was born in Russia in 1443. At an early age, he joined the famous Russian Orthodox monastery of St. Cyril of Belozersk at White Lake.
Very sincere about his faith, Nilus quickly became disillusioned with the corruption in the White Lake monastery. So, as an able scholar, he obtained permission to study at the revered Russian Orthodox monastery on the Holy Mountain of Athos in Greece.
Nilus made the most of this time at Mount Athos. He was particularly interested…
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This article appeared in Issue 3, 2007 of Target Magazine.
St Benedict from a fresco by Fra Angelico
A Gentle Guide for Beginners
Benedict was born into a noble Roman family at Nursia, Italy in 480AD. In Rome, he pursued literary studies. At the age of 19 or 20, he became convinced that, if he was reading the Gospels correctly, he should “forsake” his family’s wealth, set aside his academic career, and “serve only God”.
Benedict left the city, and moved to Enfide in the Simbrucini mountains about sixty kilometres outside of Rome. There he joined “a company…
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This article appeared in Issue 2, 2007 of Target Magazine.
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