Anthony Rumgay

From the 3rd to the 6th of April our congregation of Holy Trinity and St. George, in Kendal, were led by in a mission. The Church was pretty well packed to the roof, morning and evening, and anyone who could not find a seat could watch and listen to a live video link that had thoughtfully been set up in the Parish centre next door. I won’t give you a detailed account of each day but I will share some of the thoughts that have stayed with me since.

Although it was sad time because of the loss of Pope John Paul II, it was joy to be drawn apart to be closer to Jesus and to be given a deeper appreciation of the riches the Church freely offers to all. Fittingly, both took every opportunity to remark that these were the very treasures that our late Pontiff had directed us to embrace wholeheartedly: the Sacramental Priesthood, the Mass, Holy Communion, Reconciliation.
Among the many examples and testimonies she gave us, Sister Briege told us of her moment of conversion. She was a young nun and a primary school teacher when she was given a vision, while in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, that lasted for several hours. Through it she was led to a deep understanding of the fundamental importance of the Priesthood to the fulfilment of the meaning of human life. Although this was the end of her career as a teacher of children, it was the beginning of her mission to priests. She will tell it better than I ever can, but the essence of her talk was to make us aware that if we are deprived of the Sacramental Priesthood there can be no sacraments to spiritually sustain us and without spiritual sustenance, then what? As she said, it is no wonder that Satan focuses so much on attempting to destroy priests; once the shepherd is gone the wolves will show the flock no mercy

On the Monday evening the theme was Reconciliation with The Father who longs for us to return to Him. It was a moving sight to see six priests and lines of people patiently waiting late into the evening to confess. There was such a strong sense of sin being poured away so that the vessels could be thoroughly cleansed and refilled with living water from the fountain of God’s infinite mercy. The last time I was part of anything like that was in Medjugorje and the lightening of the burden was every bit as tangible, every bit as visible in Kendal that night.

The final day was a day of encouragement in which, among other things, we celebrated the gift of family life with a blessing for parents and children. For weeks in advance our Mission had been the focus of prayer. Those prayers were answered. That it happened at all was the result of an invitation made by our Parish Priest to Sr. Briege and Fr. Kevin some two years ago. I for one give thanks to God for Fr. Chris Loughran’s far-sightedness and courage and for their generosity in responding.