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Dear Brothers & Sisters
Feast days in August often get overlooked because many families are away on holiday, so this week we have the chance to keep the summer feasts and treasure their import.
Tuesday is the day of St.John Vianney, the Curé of Ars who is a patron saint and pastoral model for diocesan priests.
Wednesday is the Dedication day of the church of St.Mary Major in Rome. The story behind this Dedication is that back in 431 the Council of Ephesus decided that the 2 natures of Jesus (human & divine) could not be divided, and that Jesus was One person. This meant that Mary could be called the Mother of God and not just mother of the ‘human half’ of Jesus. The church built to fête this mystery was the first major church in the West to be dedicated to the Mother of God. Hence St.Mary Major.
Pope Francis likes to visit this place to pray in semi-secret, when he has important decisions to make. Our Companions of Betharram have happy memories of their pilgrimage mass in the Sistine chapel there during their 2014 pilgrimage
Thurdsay is the feast of the Transfiguration, the time when three disciples caught a glimpse of who Jesus really was, on Mount Tabor. Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus…… God’s way of telling the disciples that Jesus really was the One for whom the prophets prepared the way.
Saturday is the feast of St.Dominic who founded the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) and moved the focus of the church’s mission to the cities. Prior to this there had been a bias to the countryside as the place to find holiness. But the Dominicans always went to the towns and the cities, because that is where God lives among his people.
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