Thursday, May 17, 2007

Jesmond Pilgrimage

Every year the Catholic Families Association has a pilgrimage to the medieval shrine of Our Lady of Jesmond. There are only a few ruins left of the shrine. Every month a group meets to say the Rosary there. I have been with the Catholic Families group many times but this year they will be accompanied by the indefatigable Fr Mark Withoos, an Australian priest pursuing a PhD at Durham. Normally we go to the local Catholic parish for Benediction afterwards but this is not possible this year so they are coming here instead. I look forward to the visit. It is not long since the first Family Day of the Association here which took place on Palm Sunday. The pictures of the recent Family Day in Rome which attracted over a million people shows we have quite a way to go yet.!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What an amazing photo in Rome.

i'll add your blog..do you mind adding mine?

God bless

Fr Michael Brown said...

Jackie, I`ve added yours!

Alnwickian said...

The so-called "Family Day" in Rome was in fact a political demonstration against the Italian Government (according to Zenit).

I fervently hope that the lovely and ancient shrine of Our Lady of Jesmond is not going to be used in such a way.

And do you really feel happy publishing links to the foul-mouthed invective of John Zuhlsdorf?

Fr Michael Brown said...

Alnwickian, I`m sure there will be no demonstration against the Italian government at Jesmond on Sunday!

Anonymous said...

Hm. The Zenit report I read said nothing about the Roman Family Day being an anti-government demonstration. It was to show support for family values in an increasinly 'anti-family' society.
As for Father Zuhlsdorf, I checked this out and found some extremely interesting, well-informed posts and, granted, plenty of strong opinions, but no 'foul-mouthed invective' as such. I recommend a visit. . .

Alnwickian said...

Anonymous:
The Zenit item I read described this rally as 'a show of force to the Leftist government'.
John Zuhlsdorf's article on his blog contains the expression "BS" (and in the context it does not stand for Blessed Sacrament) and the use of xxxx and xxxxx for 'expletives deleted' referring the the people in a demonstration putting forward a different point of view. Unacceptable language in a public forum, I would say.

Fr Michael Brown said...

To avoid offence I have changed the link for the Roman Family Day report. I do however think Fr Zuhldorf`s blog is worth looking at every day.

Carlton said...

I have read through John Zuhlsdorf's commentaries, and they seem to be in conflict with the rules of order that govern the Catholic Forum he is linked to. Humility and ecumenical diplomacy are absent. So are his credentials. He has been asked to draft a prayer in Latin to be recited before using the Internet, by someone unnamed, which he has done, and has submitted to a (unnamed) bishop for approval.

I love Latin, and the Solemn Mass, and use my 1962 Missal daily. That being said, Latin and my missal are tools that work for me in sharpening and refining my Catholic faith, and have helped me immensely during this year of vocational discernment. They are only tools. They are not meant to be used as tests for spiritual worthiness, or as some sort of means of division or exclusion.

The teaching of Christ, recorded in Classical Greek, in the Gospels supersede any predilections of Latin, and because equally traditional and valid expressions of the Catholic Church exist in Syriac, Arabic, Aramaic, and Greek, perhaps a more diplomatic and accepting, ecumenical tone is appropriate by all.

I am perplexed that with such a rich and variegated Church, clerics and lay persons quickly choose to hurl stones.