Pope John Paul II only blessed my Uncle Danny and Auntie Nora.
For rearing six children in south Co. Donegal, all of whom became monks or nuns.
Which, without any signposting, other than maybe me watching Call the Midlife…
I’ve decided to shine a light on our Brothers and Sisters.
I more than fulfilled my holy obligations last year with visits to the holy sites of Lourdes…
See The Lourdes prayer, https://en.lourdes-infotourisme.com and Medjugorje The faces of 2019 – Pilgrimages.
And I hope to see Oberammergau in action this year after sampling the preparations last year https://www.passionsspiele-oberammergau.de/en/home.
I had always thought that there was a height requirement to be admitted into the Holy Orders… you needed to be under 5ft.
Slam dunk
Until I was told of a basketball-playing nun in Medjugorje https://www.medjugorje.org on my Marian Pilgrimages tour www.marian.ie.
and, no, she doesn’t run between the opposition’s legs.
Basketball, incidentally, plays a part in the Marian apparitions story…
Our Lady only interrupted the big game on TV that day with her message of world peace and rosaries.
Monks, of course are great fun too and I wish I’d appreciated the brown-robed, big-bearded ones who regularly came a-visiting.
Way of the world
So what if they’d never heard of Heavy Metal or Celtic and Rangers, they knew exactly what was going on in Africa and the Middle East.
And so to this little Italian Franciscan dude who would do hours and hours of confessionals in Balkan Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Or Sister Elvira whose hostel for drug dependents in the hills above the town.
It’s always good insurance to say a prayer with a monk or a nun.
And particularly when they are Maria dos Anjos, the niece of the Last Shepherd of Fatima.
And I’d love to share her secrets with you.
Only a bolt of lightning would strike me down.
See. www.visitportugal.com and Secret Portugal.
MEET YOU IN THE PEWS
