On our final evening in Kevelaer the St John Vianney Fraternity held a torchlight procession through the town to the shrine where we would make an act of reconsecration of ourselves to the Mother of God. The photo above shows us preparing for the procession in the grounds of the basilica.
More than any other aspect of the Society it is public acts, such as this one, which have drawn me to the Society. Each time we meet we hold some simple priestly act, undertaken unself-consciously in public, in which we, as diocesan priests, express our identity.
On this occasion we processed from the basilica gardens, vested and carrying lighted candles while chanting the Litany of Our Lady, through the town to the shrine where Bishop Guy-Marie led us in re-consecrating our priestly selves to her.
This simple act, which concluded our week of fraternity, wonderfully expressed the depth of our Fraternity and our mission as priests - in making this act we know where we stand in the world, and in that office we stand together.
No comments:
Post a Comment