A COLLECTION of poems by a depressive priest has been launched at Durham Cathedral.

Hope in Dark Places is a 50-page collection of poems about depression and Christianity by David Grieve.

The book, published by Durham-based Sacristy Press, explores the depths of depression through the poetry of the Anglican priest.

Mr Grieve, who is married with three grown-up children, retired in 1989 at the age of 37 due to a breakdown.

He writes poetry as both therapy and vocation and is also a volunteer chaplain at Durham Cathedral.

He said: “These poems are not about curing depression, but about the companionship of Christ within it, and I have written them over a thirty-year period, some during and some after illness or respite.

“I have arranged them in alphabetical title order and this seems to convey the changeability of my experience of depression.

“I hope that they will be a resource that readers may dip in and out of whenever it is helpful.”

“I dedicate and offer them to all who, like me, are depressives, whether or not they are currently ill, sometimes ill, or in remission.

Hope in Dark Places is available from the cathedral shop.

Richard Hilton, from Sacristy Press, said: “Readers will be moved to tears but also laugh unexpectedly. You will feel the raw reality of suffering and feel Christ’s presence in its midst,” said .

“This new book of poems emerged out of a sell-out event we organised at Durham Book Festival in 2016 about how to survive as a Christian with mental health problems. Although the topic may sound quite gloomy, it has been generating significant interest both locally and nationally. The book has been enthusiastically endorsed by bishops, an author, and a qualified clinical psychiatrist who is now a professor of theology at Durham University.”

” is now available in the shop at Durham Cathedral or from the Sacristy Press website (www.sacristy.co.uk), where it can also be downloaded as an e-book.

ENDS