Monday 24 March 2008

Happy Easter from Ars!



Hope everyone has had a good Easter Triduum and is celebrating the Resurrection in style. A group of us (priests, seminarians and prospective seminarians) are in Ars to see the stomping ground of St. John Marie Baptiste Vianney. So far we've seen the church - with the attached basilica enshrining his body - where he catechised the villagers and eventually heard confessions for up to 16 hours a day; the presbytery where he lived in evangelical poverty, giving away the luxurious furniture which one of the benefactors of the parish gave to him; and the statue of his meeting with a boy of the village (pictured), where he said, 'Show me the way to Ars, and I'll show you the way to heaven.'

The seminary where we are staying was started after JPII visited Ars in 1986, and trains priests from all over the world. It is a great privilege to visit the home of the patron saint of priests, not least because like him it is a very humble and unostentatious place, not much bigger than it was when he was alive. I'll update you on our pilgrimage as the days go by.

5 comments:

Mulier Fortis said...

Wow ! Great place for priests, priestlets and prospective priestlets to have a retreat! Say one for me while you're there!

John Paul said...

Guys I used to be a seminarian in Scotus in Glasgow until this time last year! Great blog! I'm moving to Stowmarket, maybe you could give me a little direction about decent parishes, people?

John Paul said...

Thanks Michael. my E-mail is john.ritchie2@gmail.com. Please feel free to get in touch!

Convenor said...

Would you mind letting people know about this excellent new blog that promotes vocations to Traditional Societies in Union with Pope Benedict XVI: http://tradvocations.blogspot.com

God bless you!

Lucy said...

Hello. I attend St John's in Norwich and was so happy to find your blog. I will be praying for you all. My husband and I were talking the other day (after enjoying our 4yo son playing to be a priest all day) what can we do to encourage vocations - not just in our children but in young men and women generally - what do you think? And to support priests and seminarians effectively?