From the 5th to the 9th of this month the relic of St John Vianney will be in England. It is extraordinary just how much this humble parish priest had to offer in life; there has always been a superabundance of priestly life and grace in the person of the Cure d'Ars. The first visit of the relic of his heart to the shores of England is surely a great grace.
Bishop Ullathorne, the first Bishop of Birmingham after the restablishment of the English Hierarchy, relates in his autobiography how he visited the cure in Ars and spoke to him about the difficulties the Church was facing in trying to evangelise England, St John Vianney looked up and said "Ah yes, but it wont always be like that!"
I always visit the shrine of the heart when I'm in Ars and am sorry that I wont be in England for this visit. I wanted to include a photo of the heart's shrine in Ars here but I cant seem to get the software to cooperate on this occasion.
Special thanks go to Bishop Mark Davies for initiating and hosting the visit of this relic.
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