The parish gathered for lunch today to celebrate the Holy Father's visit. Unfortunately it poured with rain so the Treasure Hunt we had planned outside for the children wasn't possible - they had to make do with Father leading Simple Simon says... (or in this case, Fr Simon says...)What struck me this morning is that many parishioners expressed how emotional they had found the experience of the visit as they watched it on television. Something of the mystique of the person of the Holy Father, the link to the universal Church, the link back to the apostles and feeling somehow more a part of that through a connection with him. Also, of course, the visible emotion of those meeting him and his warmth for them was also very moving.
Let us pray that all those who greeted him so warmly (from within the Church and without) will take his teaching to heart. He is gentle, he is wise, he is reasoned in his speeches BUT he also challenges us without compromise:
Reject the tyranny of relativism!
Do not let your Faith be sidelined or become merely private!
Strive to be a saint!
Do not let your Faith be sidelined or become merely private!
Strive to be a saint!
It seems that many did follow the events with the booklets provided by "Magnificat" that came to the parishes, which was also good.
Interestingly, the consensus appeared to be that the coverage on Sky was less biased in its commentary than the BBC.
I set James, one of our young parishioners, loose with the camera - here are a few of the shots he captured for posterity as we toasted the Holy Father's health.
How delightful to see Farington becoming the "Blackfen of the North"!
ReplyDeleteIf the beautiful and deep pain of loss I feel today, at the physical departure of a holy friend from our shores yesterday, is any way to measure the richness of the papal visit, then, truly, it was indeed a treasure to be valued in our hearts and memories for decades.
...and just in case anyone missed it.
ReplyDeleteTucked away in the Pope's Oscott address:
..."Finally, I should like to speak to you about two specific matters that affect your episcopal ministry at this time. One is the imminent publication of the new translation of the Roman Missal. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the contribution you have made, with such painstaking care, to the collegial exercise of reviewing and approving the texts. This has provided an immense service to Catholics throughout the English-speaking world. I encourage you now to seize the opportunity that the new translation offers for in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in the manner of its celebration. “The more lively the eucharistic faith of the people of God, the deeper is its sharing in ecclesial life in steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted by Christ to his disciples” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 6). The other matter I touched upon in February with the Bishops of England and Wales, when I asked you to be generous in implementing the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus"...
Oscott speech
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