This evening I needed to have a look at the website for the Archdiocese of Birmingham Vocations Team and was really pleased to see that it has been updated. Not that it wasn't already impressive, but it's great to see it very user friendly and, most importantly, I found the information which I needed very quickly. Go have a look for yourself, here.Please remember, this weekend, in your prayers, all of the children from Christ the King Junior School and St Augustine's Primary School; especially those in year three who are to make their first confession and first communion next year. All of the children will be presented, this Sunday, with a rosary to enable their year of preparation to begin with prayer. What better prayer that a decade of the rosary during October?
Finally, h/t to Jackie Parkes for the total number of pilgrims to visit the relics of St. Therese...
Portsmouth 4,500, Plymouth 3,000, Taunton 1,800, Birmingham 11,000, Coleshill 3,000, Cardiff 4,400, Filton 6,000, Liverpool 17,000, Salford 30,000, Manchester University Catholic Chaplaincy 2,000, Preston Carmel 2,000, Lancaster 8,000, Newcastle 5,000, Darlington Carmel, York Minster 10,000, Middlesbrough 15,000, Leeds 14,000, Kirk Edge Carmel (Sheffield) 3,000, Nottingham 8,000, Walsingham 5,000, Oxford 6,200, Gerrards Cross 2,000, Aylesford 17,000, Kensington Carmelite Church 10,000, Notting Hill Carmel 3,500, Wormwood Scrubs 250, Westminster Cathedral 95,000
286,650 pilgrims
These are remarkable stats. Perhaps the message to the bishops is that Catholics are searching for ways that connect the natural with the supernatural.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, this rarely happens in the liturgy. All too often the supernatural message about a mysterious and cosmic God is drained away and replaced by Shine-Jesus-Shine kind of religion. As Paul Tillich said, we need to look for God beyond God.
Thanks, Greg, for these stimulating comments. I'm sure you're onto something about us reaching beyond ourselves; looking for God in all the wrong places.
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