Our job, in the Parish of Mary, Mother of God, is to be missionary disciples of Jesus in south Bradford. This is the unfolding story of how Mgr Paul Grogan (Parish Priest), Fr Michael Doody (Assistant Priest) and about 500 Mass-goers seek to bring more people into the barque of Peter (while entirely respecting everybody else outside of it). It is a continuation of an earlier blog which narrated Mgr Grogan's work as a University Chaplain.
Mgr Paul Grogan
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Soldiers of Christ on manoeuvres
I went for a walk on Denton Moor above Ilkley the other day. It was the first time that I had walked there since a fateful November afternoon more than a decade ago. On that occasion, I was leading a group of thirty teenagers from three parishes at the beginning of a Confirmation retreat at Myddelton Grange. My risk assessment had consisted of a general reflection that I had enjoyed doing the walk once before and I imagined that they would too. Plus I took some plasters. Note: I am ashamed of this and I am far more responsible now. Suffice it to say that I missed a stile. As the light drained out of the sky we went further and further on to the moor and further and further away from our destination. I couldn't find a way of crossing over the barbed wire fence or the streams. "Are we lost, Father?" "Lost!" We trudged on. "Mum, Father's got us lost," said one girl into a large mobile phone. We approached a farm. I explained where we were heading to the farmer. He guffawed, in front of all the children. I felt terribly alone. We made it to a small road some way from the Grange just as night fell. "This is great Father, it's just like being on manoeuvres in the army," said one of the boys. And I led my column into the light and the warmth of the Lodge where we had an excellent 24-hour retreat as they prepared to become soldiers of Christ, ready to face every eventuality.
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