P ILGRIMS N EWSLETTER Aylesford Order of Carmelites SUMMER 2010 www.thefriars.org.uk
Dear Friend, As you might imagine, the ducks, swans, geese, moorhens and herons are settling down to a warmer climate - albeit still with occasional showers from on high - as springtime at Aylesford has now yielded to summer gentleness.the Carmelite Community too is experiencing the benefits of such a beautiful time of the year. The unspoken invitation to enter easily into the rhythm of nurturing awareness is most apparent in the early mornings as the sun rises in the east and as it discreetly fades from sight in the calm of late evening. For many - thinking perhaps of those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - it can feel good to have the longer hours of daylight. Happy are those who recognise God s shining light even in the midst of apparent darkness. Our first All Night Vigils this year in May and June drew hungry and thirsting hearts from Kent, London and wider afield seeking encouragement, comfort, solace and a closer relationship with God through meditation, prayer, silence and song.what a joy at 5.00 am to begin our celebration of Eucharist with a symphony of nature s own music as a contemplative moment was filled with the waking birds. By the end of the Mass even our resident woodpeckers had begun their busy work of tapping at the trees to draw out their first snack of the day. An impressive aspect of those who regularly find nurture and nourishment in our vigils is the heartfelt commitment to respond to the summons to watch and pray, even after so many have completed a full day s work before coming to the priory; and with the singing, what enthusiasm and energy fills the Relic Chapel! Occasionally a few snores are heard, but nothing that a gentle, loving poke in the ribs can t remedy! Ambassadors Eileen Jordan, one of our loyal supporters, organised coaches from London to the All Night Vigils for many years as long as her health permitted.we prayed for her in a special way at our May vigil. She died on Thursday, 8th April at St. Vincent s Nursing Home in Pinner. Fr. Alphonsus Brennan was able to pray with her before she died, as he too lives at St.Vincent s. His Carmelite ministry has truly taken on a new shape.with change comes challenge and opportunity. Eileen had a great devotion to Our Lady and had introduced and brought hundreds of pilgrims to the priory. In many ways we could describe her as an ambassador of The Friars. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the majestic wood statue of the Glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary that dominates the Shrine at the priory. Carved by Michael Clark in 1960, this work of art was awarded the Otto Beit Medal from the Royal Society of British Sculptors. In older and more
traditional churches the altar (such as the one on the main shrine) faces east, towards the rising sun which, for the Christian, can be a daily reminder of the Rising Christ.The Assumption of Mary, whom we see as the perfect disciple of Jesus, becomes in Catholic teaching a reassurance to all those who follow in the footsteps of Jesus that we too can experience new life and new hope as we make his ways our own. Mary and all those who live the life of discipleship are ambassadors pointing to divine realities. Celebrating Mary with Thérèse As well as our regular programme of pilgrimages this year,we wish to continue in a modest way something of the spirit that was generated last October, when we celebrated the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, by giving some focus to the Carmelite roots of her spirituality and her own approach to suffering. The Carmelite Community here at The Friars, just like St. Thérèse, traces its founding inspiration to Mount Carmel in the Holy Land (hence our name Carmel-ites). As well as spending times in silence, solitude and quiet prayer alone, the early Carmelites gathered regularly to pray the psalms and celebrated Eucharist each day in a chapel named in honour of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In time we became known as the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, and the practice of welcome and hospitality became integral aspects of our way of living. Each year on 16th July we celebrate one of our principal patronal feast days. Please join us on Sunday, 18th July when we will rejoice in the humanity of Mary and the ways in which she can help us to form a closer relationship with her son, Jesus. We will gather for reflection and prayer at 11.30 am and will have Mass at 3.30 pm. Our theme for the Day will be Listening to God. We celebrate the Solemnity of Mary s Assumption on Sunday, 15th August with the Pilgrimage of the Sick.We will celebrate Eucharist at the Shrine at 12 Noon, during which there will be an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Sick, a powerful sign of God s healing and reconciliation. St.Thérèse, like Mary, became an ambassador of the Merciful Love of God and she declared that she would be Love in the heart of the Church. New Life The first ducklings of the year hatched around 16th May - the feast of St. Simon Stock to whom the Shrine here is also dedicated. How many more young ones will emerge and how many will survive the sometimes harsh rigours of natural selection is yet to be seen. Our two black swans had been sitting on several eggs in a large nest on the pond island for a long while, but despite our wondering if their efforts this year at encouraging new life would be
successful, they seem to have abandoned their posts. Perhaps next time you visit there will be other signs of new life. During the year thousands come to The Friars - as pilgrims,as tourists,some for conferences or retreats or other events, some as casual visitors.whatever the reason, we believe that the priory has a unique way of touching open hearts. I have a personal conviction that every person who is moved by some aspect of the beauty, peace, gentleness or spirit of this prayer in stone actually leaves something of their most authentic selves behind. Over the years a tremendous quality of connectedness with the life of aspiration has been developed. One does not even need to belong to a specific faith tradition to be touched by an ineffable transcendence, which can give us both a taste and a longing for a more profound experience of life in its fullness and its many dimensions. It has been great to have Brother Ged Walsh with us for parts of the summer this year. He is one of our younger friars who is currently studying theology after completing two years of philosophy. Brother Neil Scott, another of our younger friars, completed his philosophical studies in June and will join us for a year at the end of August. It seems only yesterday that he was here as a novice, but he completed that all-important year in 2008. Another boost of life will be injected when Fr. Damian Cassidy returns from Canada at the end of July to join this community. He has been engaged in pastoral and retreat ministry in Niagara Falls and is looking forward to being reunited with Fr. Kevin Melody with whom he professed vows as a Carmelite in 1997. Pilgrimage of Hope Among the many projects with which Fr. Kevin is engaged this summer is a Pilgrimage of Hope for young adults who are associated with our Carmelite communities all over Europe. 250 young men and women will be gathering in Rome on 19th-25th July. An icon entitled Our Lady of Hope has been travelling to each of the countries prior to the pilgrimage and visited Aylesford Priory on 6th-12th May before going on to Holland.Fr.Kevin,Brother Ged and Brother Paul Jenkins (in our Walworth community) will be participating in the Pilgrimage of Hope together with young adults from Britain, including Tom Griffiths and Behn Reith who are often here. Please do keep them all in your prayer.
Ambassadors of Hope: Tom Griffiths, Fr. Kevin & Behn Reith Thoughts from Ged Aylesford has been in my life for over eight years now and when I visit I always feel, in a sense, that I am returning to my spiritual home. Having spent a year here during my novitiate, I learnt to appreciate the part this place plays in the lives of so many people, whether they attend Mass every week or attend one of the many annual pilgrimages. What I have come to realise is that Aylesford Priory offers people a place of welcome, rest and a place to find God in the chaos of their daily lives. I have realised this because this is what it offers me. I am particularly struck by the long and varied history of the friary, dating back some 750 years and how it has developed into what it is today. Aylesford Priory has become a centre of pilgrimage which allows people to come together and celebrate the many gifts that God has given them. Aylesford is a place for all young and old. Looking towards the future, I believe that Aylesford will continue to offer much to the local community, the wider community of the Church and so many others who find their way here. When people visit the friary, especially on the pilgrimage days, when the numbers exceed the thousand mark, I get a real living image of what Church is: a community gathered together for the praise and worship of God. For me, especially when religion can sometimes seem to be in conflict with society, The Friars is a great sign of hope, as it allows people the space to recharge their spiritual battery and in many cases get that all important spiritual encouragement. Aylesford is an important part of my life as a Carmelite and a place where I feel the call to Carmel being lived out. My hope for the future is that Aylesford will continue to grow and be able to adapt to whatever situation the future has in store. I will continue to keep the work of Aylesford very much in my prayers, remembering especially our benefactors who make that work possible.
United in Partnership The Friars offers many groups an opportunity to forge stronger connections, partnerships and friendships. On 28th April Spring Forward was an event that united a host of agencies that work together with people with learning disabilities. The evening provided a sense of great hope as we all strive to become a more inclusive society. The priory has for years been committed to working in partnership with all who seek truth, harmony and a sense of good citizenship in their lives.we were pleased that Churches Together in Malling were here for a Celebration Evening with Andy Economides, supported by the B.A.R.T. music group on 14th May. Many people found Andy s refreshing preaching style inspiring them to take their Christian calling even more seriously. The same summons to Christian maturity in real and practical ways was heard on Sunday, 23rd May when the Christian communities of Eccles and Aylesford filled the Relic Chapel for our annual ecumenical Pentecost Service. It was a song and prayer-filled celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Maggie Cascioli, a generous collaborator with the Carmelites at the priory commented in her reflection: The Spirit dances in creation and within our lives and constantly challenges us to respond. She shakes our certainties and invites us to lift our eyes and see the glory of God and the glory within each person. We are invited to be bowled over, flabbergasted by Wonder, to say yes to life. Cllr Sue Murray, Mayor of Tonbridge & Malling writes: On 28th April I attended Spring Forward, a special event put on by Tonbridge & Malling District Partnership Group to showcase inclusion, choice and control for people with learning disabilities, held at Aylesford Priory. This event saw some 30 agencies set up information stalls within the North Barn which allowed good interaction between both stall holders and those with learning disabilities. In the adjacent marquee talks were given, DVDs shown and performances made. After I had welcomed everyone, the co-chairmen gave their introductions closely followed by Father Brendan, Prior of Aylesford Priory. At the end of his address, Father Brendan suggested that as the keyboard was next to him, he would now play a tune and I would sing! Well, not for nothing was I the Karaoke Queen for one night only, so I called his bluff and stood up and moved towards the keyboard Father Brendan then said he couldn t play and as I m not too tuneful when it comes to singing, it was probably for the best that we both beat a hasty retreat!
Such a positive attitude to life and the work of God within each person is often given wonderful expression by so many who are associated with The Friars and with whom we are privileged to work in partnership. Josephine Sands has, for as long as I can remember (well, certainly as far back as 1978 when I was a novice!), been tireless in building links and forging connections. She has faithfully represented the Carmelite Community with Churches Together in Malling and the area Justice and Peace group. She has recently retired from these roles and will be a difficult act to follow. We the Carmelite Community thank her for her dedication,fidelity and patience with the current prior! We thank also the Knights of St. Columba for their unwavering reliability and service to our pilgrims who have been coming in their coachloads as the pilgrimage season is now well underway. It has been terrific to welcome old friends and to make new acquaintances. Our gratitude also goes to St. John s who ensure that First Aid is readily available to our larger groups. Stations of the Cross: a Carmelite Connection, Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm. Aylesford is such a beautiful place and every person who comes here has a favourite spot. Adam Kossowski reserved his finest work for this shrine and visitors always find his ceramics most striking in the chapels and around the Rosary Way. The artist s intention was through his work to lead people to think of God. For the Easter ceremonies we used the Relic Chapel and on the evening of Good Friday we followed the Stations of the Cross. There the Stations depicted by Kossowski helped us all meditate on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. I began to think about the origin of the devotion of the Stations of the Cross and, much to my surprise, I found that a Carmelite is largely responsible for the devotion as we know it. The remote history lies in the brave and intrepid pilgrims to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages. Some of these had the bright idea of helping people who would never have the opportunity of visiting the holy city to at least make a spiritual pilgrimage. By the way, if you cannot get to Aylesford, you can always make a spiritual pilgrimage here. Anyway, to get back to the Stations of the Cross, some people wrote books of devotions to help their readers imagine how Jesus suffered and died. The Carmelite, Jan Pascha, from Brussels, wrote a little book that was not published until after his death in 1539. This was the first time that the Stations we know were assembled. Ever since that time the devotion has grown to cover the whole Catholic world. You will find from time to time various alternative Stations. Every Good Friday the Pope, accompanied by a huge crowd, goes round the Coliseum in Rome, to celebrate the Stations of the Cross, and these often are a little different from the normal fourteen that we know. Aylesford of course likes to be a little different and we have fifteen Stations of the Cross. The fifteenth celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which is the basis of our faith that we too will rise again when God will wipe every tear from our eyes and the whole world will be made new.
Retreat Opportunities FOOTSTEPS IN FORGIVENESS Day 24 July This will be an opportunity to explore the journey of forgiveness while respecting where we are in the process. Trish Murphy & Brendan Grady, O.Carm. YOU ARE A MARVEL IN GOD S EYES Weekend 13-15 August A creative weekend tapping into our unique spirituality through the medium of clay, Raku pottery, reflection and fun! Alan Parris, Mark Byles, Paul de Groot, O.Carm., Brendan Grady, O.Carm. PRAYING WITH JESSICA POWERS Day 21 August Jessica Powers offers rich imagery about our relationship with God and speaks helpfully of her own experiences of light and dark places on the spiritual path. Felicity Young, OSU PRAYER IN A BLEAK LANDSCAPE Day 28 August R. S. Thomas speaks of bleak inner and outer landscapes, and yet he speaks beautifully of glimpses of God in a difficult life. Felicity Young, OSU Gentle reminder... Our Summer Fayre on 20th June promises to be a great day. If you receive this newsletter in time, please do return now any counterfoils you have for our Grand Draw so that your names can be included.with this newsletter you will also have a leaflet with our Novenas of Prayer in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady s Assumption. Please return to us the intentions you wish to be included.this is one of the many ways in which we can be united not only in prayer but also in our desire to allow her inspiration to draw us closer to Christ. As always, please be assured that the Carmelite Community remembers you daily here at The Friars. Brendan Grady, O.Carm. (Prior) The Friars,AYLESFORD, Kent ME20 7BX Tel: 01622 717272 Fax: 01622 715575 Web: www.thefriars.org.uk Email: newsletter@thefriars.org.uk A Registered Charity Registered Charity No. 1061342 Printed by A.G.A. Printers & Sons Telephone (01795) 533295