Middlesbrough Diocese Walk for Vocations

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Middlesbrough Diocese Walk for Vocations

Blogged by James Preece on 20th July 2010

Last weekend people from across the Diocese of Middlesbrough gathered with Bishop Drainey at the North Yorkshire village of Robin Hood's bay to walk seven miles along the beautiful coastline to Whitby.

I have to agree wholeheartedly with Bishop Drainey who had "a gut instinct that it was the right thing to do". As human beings we are both spiritual and physical creatures and it is definitely "the right thing to do" to feel so strongly about something spiritually we feel compelled to exert ourselves physically. Walking has strong spiritual implications, in the scriptures the disciples often meet Jesus on the road and come to recognise him in the breaking of bread.

Many thanks to Josh (above) who helped out with carrying Leona.

In many ways it was a fantastic day. It was great to see so many people come out in support of vocations and the work of the Knights of St Columba in the various stewarding and support roles was superb - even the man who gave me a stern talking to about my pram though I think he could have been a bit nicer about it (he spoke to me the way you might speak to a girl who came on a climbing expedition to Mount Everest with only a pair of flip flops and a bikini).

I don't blame him - he was trying to organise a walk and it would have been ludicrous trying to hump that pram up and down steep perilous stairs. No, I blame whoever it was that said to themselves "let's organise a Diocesan walk for vocations along a route that young families will find impossible" but then I doubt the existence of young families entered in to anybody's mind.

I almost entitled this blog post "Middlesbrough Diocese and the Abolition of the Family" because with one or two notable exceptions I hardly saw any families on the walk - I definitely didn't meet any young Catholic dads. The dangerous route with it's unfenced sheer drop wasn't exactly child friendly (beautiful, but not child friendly) but there were other ways in which it was clear the organisers didn't have families in mind. Things like the registration form which had no space for listing the child I had brought with me or for putting husband and wife on the same form (even government tax forms allow for that) meaning that one poor lady had to sit and write out her full name and address on four separate registration forms - imagine if a family with seven or eight children had turned up.

I think there's something fundamentally wrong with this mentality that treats families as a haphazard group of individuals who happen to arrive in the same car. Bishop Drainey had a gut feeling that doing this walk was right. I have a gut feeling that excluding families was wrong. Where do they think vocations come from exactly?

But it was a beautiful day and while I spent much of the walk with a heavy little girl on my shoulders I really enjoyed it. We were soon arriving in Whitby which is one of my most favourite places in the world. It's also the place where St Wilfrid argued with the local celtic Christians and convinced the king to calculate the date of Easter in accordance with Rome.

I mentioned this to Bishop Drainey in a letter I sent pleading with him to restore the Holy Days of Obligation in the Diocese of Middlesbrough. I wrote to him "When St Thomas More, St John Fisher, St Margaret Clitherow, Blessed Nicholas Postgate and all the other great saints associated with our Diocese celebrated the Ascension they did so on Thursday, not on Sunday. Yet I find my children deprived of this heritage".

He didn't reply. I don't think he gives a stuff about my children.

It's no wonder we have a vocations crisis when a Bishop can be so self-contradictory as to ignore a letter like that and then lead a walk in to Whitby of all places where an argument was fought and won in favour of matching the local celebration of a major feast to that of Rome. I saw Bishop Drainey drinking a cup of tea out of a polystyrene cup and half wondered if he might be planning to celebrate Mass with it, after all, he doesn't seem to have any issue with earthenware cereal bowls. When the Eucharist gets that kind of treatment, it's hard to complain about filling in extra forms.

The Mass ended just after all the fish and chip shops closed so we plodded around Whitby looking for somewhere to get something to eat until finally we found the Fish and Chip shop at the end of the universe and Leona ate more chips than I did.

All in all a wonderful day and wonderful to see so many people supportive of vocations to the priesthood. It's just a shame there were more twenty-something year old seminarians on the walk than twenty-something year old dads (or mums for that matter).

But then, Marriage isn't a real vocation.

Is it?

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Reader Comments

Yorkmum said...

James it was lovely to meet you and Leona on the walk. I think you were heroic since you not only walked the 7 miles yourself but carried Leona almost the entire time.

I'm choosing to focus on the positive - I have now met several of the seminarians we regularly pray for and so now our prayers have faces to go with the names.

My son completed the longest walk he has ever done in his life (which was just as well since he was too big for me to carry him even 100yds!!)

We had originally intended to do the walk as a whole family but then events conspired to take my husband and daughter elsewehere - I think God was looking after us though because hubby has vertigo and I honestly think he would have been in big trouble on sections of that cliff path!

Anyway thanks for the lovely photos which are the reminder of a glorious day for me.

Finally... there is a Diocesan Family day in September: http://middlesbrough-diocese.org.uk/celebratingfamily/?p=316

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Ben Trovato said...

Not on-topic, but I've tagged you in a meme: http://ccfather.blogspot.com/2010/07/tagged.html

Ned said...

I have to agree with you about the lack of 'family-friendly' thinking that goes in dioceses when it comes to organising events - in spite of the slowly increasing levels of awareness among diocesan marriage and family life coordinators that there ought to be family friendly appraoches to issues. On the matter of regarding marriage as a vocation - well yes - again where was reflection on matrimony at the recent 'Invocation' event at Oscott college? Answer: it wasn't. Maybe it wasn't on the organisers' agenda - but WHY not? I know of one young Catholic man who decided to go to the event at Oscott at the last minute because he hoped to meet a nice Catholic girl because he doesn't feel called to priesthood and religious life but one day marriage and fatherhood [God willing]The point being that he shouldn't have had to attend with his intention by default. Not to knock the Invocation organisers [they did a great job] but maybe next year -if they do it again- perhaps they could focus on the calling to marriage as well? 2011 will be the 30th anniversary of the great Familiaris Consortio and the only thing I've seen which remotely draws attention to this (apart from the mission and values of the National Association of Catholic Families) is the event in Westminster diocese on Sept 14 where the annual theology of the body lecture will focus on Fatherhood. More info here
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jul/100712.html#9

Thank God the new Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops Cardinal Marc Ouellet has the vocation of marriage firmly in his theologiocal tool kit: his book 'Divine Likeness - Towards a Trinitarian Anthropology of the Family' just about echoes everything James is calling the Church to get a grip with in this blog. well done James.

victor said...

Wow. That is truly some amazing scenery, there. I am deeply envious of your coastline. But I agree that they maybe should have put a note on the flyer to the effect that "This Vocations Walk is a 7-mile forced march over rocky terrain, through boggy marshes and past sheer cliff faces where imminent peril and, yes, even death lurk behind every crag. As such, pregnant women and small children are advised NOT to attend this walk."

At least then the exclusion of young families would have been out in the open. Then again, if the intent was to get some swarthy young lads who might be considering the priesthood to experience a few moments of Twitter-free quiet during which they could prayerfully consider a vocation to the priesthood, I can appreciate that, too; but they should have made that explicit.

Ella said...

With a note like that I think you would have seen a multitude of youths!!

And the pregnant women could have waited with a cream tea at the other end.

Hestor said...

I don't think he gives a stuff about my children.

What planet have you been living on? Most of the bishops of the last 40 years don't give a stuff about souls, otherwise they wouldn't allow half of the things, they turn a blind eye to, to happen in their dioceses.

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Philip said...

I agree with much of what Ned says but the phrase: "in spite of the slowly increasing levels of awareness among diocesan marriage and family life coordinators" sends shivers down my spine. I wonder if the Holy Family had marriage and family life coordinators with slowly increasing levels of awareness - or just good moral and religious teaching. I am not sure that I want my marriage and family life coordinating - just a bit more nouse amoungst those organising events and so on.

Ella said...

I agree, and often the co-ordination ends up splitting the family into groups working with each individually and not the family as a whole.

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Teenagekicks. said...

Well I think its a real shame you got this attitude from such a lovely walk. I turned up with my mother and sisters and friends also. It was a great family day for myself. But you know, you should probably realise that the walk wasn't appropriate for very young children and it was going to be a lot of hard work.

And as for holy day of obligation I think its YOUR responsibility to educate your children that way, not the bishop's. I have always been brought up to believe parents are the first educators of religious practice and beliefs and we are guided by our priests.

James said...

I have on my shelf the book All Terrain Pushchair Walks and I know from firsthand experience that there are plenty of beautiful walks in North Yorkshire that can be tackled by a family with a pram because I have done it.

There was no need to exclude young families from this walk - no need at all and another route could easily have been chosen but if any young parents complain it must be because they have 'attitude' and couldn't possibly be that that a mistake was made.

I take it from your comment that you think it's okay for a Bishop to celebrate Mass with a pottery cereal bowl and then ignore letters from concerned parishioners?

Also, just out of curiosity, what are your views on contraception?

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Teenagekicks said...

I know but that was the walk was chosen! And it kind of does sound like you have an attitude really, but maybe you should organise your own walk, it may just be as successful, and it can be for young families. This walk wasn't just for young families don't forget that. I mean you went on it didn't you? With your young daughter, so you can't say it wasn't excluding people or you would of been asked to leave.

Personally, I am not really THAT fussed there is a lot worse things that go on really other than pottery bowls its a bit pedantic really. And its not as if there going to replace chalices with wooden ones in church I mean really.

Contraception, wow big one to ask. I have a lot of different views on it actually and what is right for different situations.

Matthew said...

Yet if you claim to be Catholic, you should have only one view on contraception, which is right for all situations.

And people wonder why the Church is in such a bad way in England... sigh...

James said...

So you disagree with the Church on contraception, you don't think respect for the Eucharist is something to be fussed about and your response to a young family feeling excluded is to tell them to go away and organise their own walk.

But that's all fine, the real problem here is clearly my attitude..

Ted said...

Teenagekicks, Humanae Vitae is very simple and concise and does not leave room for "a lot of different views" on the issue of contraception.

Please dump the relativism claptrap as it does you no favours. If you don't like things just say it rather than trying to justify your position by reference to moral and situational relativism.

Mark Dobson said...

When it comes to "attitude", I think we may have a good example of a pot calling a kettle black here...

Why "should" James have "realised" that the walk wasn't suitable for his daughters exactly? It sounds rather as though they didn't tell him. Why should he assume that a Walk for Vocations is not suitable for small children?

James certainly is the first educator of religious practise, but that doesn't mean that the Bishop can just sit back and let James do all the work.

The Bishop has a special responsibility for all the souls in his diocese, and that includes, in a certain measure the spiritual education of James and Ella's children themselves and of James and Ella as parents capable of passing on the teaching of Christ/The Apostles/The Church to their children as well as to the whole world.

Indeed, you "YOUR[self]" as a member of the body of Christ (I assume) have a certain responsibility for the education of your brothers in Christ because they are your brothers in Christ, so I think it's fair to expect the Bishop to take at least a passing interest.

Ted said...

Parents are the primary educators. Of late, very few members of the hierarchy and clergy have done anything to support parents in that role and many have often acted in ways directly contrary to it.

Ella said...

Hi Teenagekicks,

I am not sure what you are saying here with regards to Holy Days of Obligation?

Are you saying that as parent's it is our responsibility to demand the priest say that specific Mass for us on that day and still be deprived of the ordinary time reading which is replaced by said Holy Day on the Sunday. I am just not sure how that can be achieved?

epsilon said...

Hi Teenagekicks

It appears you've been brought up to believe many things that are contrary to Catholic teaching. I'm not trying to get at you here, or your parents. I was one of those parents who thought it was OK to pick and choose the rules too - bring ourselves into the 21st century and all that!

But you know it wasn't bishops or priests who taught me that we've all taken it too far - it was fellow anti-war protestors who didn't give a dam about babies being aborted, and anti-abortion protestors who saw no problem with spontaneous abortions brought on by shock and awe in Iraq, but most of all it was a teenager like yourself who thought she should be understanding if her mother wanted to have a sex-change operation because we must all be free to do whatever *we feel* whenever we feel like it!

It's because bishops of the Catholic Church are not leading (that's their role) the faithful on matters of either Faith or morals, that teenagers like you see no harm in taking Communion from something which might easily break, go up to Communion with half nothing on, with your hands hanging / swinging / or whatever the notion of the moment takes you, go to Communion whether you have been at Mass last Sunday / HolydayofObligation or not, and gives you the notion that contraception is OK. I hope you see your mistakes quicker than I did!

pattif said...

Precisely. I don't recall anyone consulting the 'primary educators' before the CES decided to support the last government's compulsory Sex and Relationships Education.

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Earthenware Bowls are cool said...

I agree with Teenagekicks to be honest. Hasn't anyone heard of "Situation Ethics?"
Does it really matter about the "Bowls" Because Jesus did not have golden bowls back in his time.
As for the walk from Robin Hood's bay to Whitby, of course it was going to be difficult because it is near cliffs.

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Earthenware Vessels rule said...

I agree with Earthen bowls are cool and the walk of course was going to be very difficult for small children because it is the cliffs from robin hood's bay to whitby it was going to be a dangerous and bumpy walk and not family friendly that is why it was posted on mass notices "Walk for VOCATIONS" not " family friendly walk nearby cliffs"

Ella said...

And yet we loop back "Walk for Vocations" not walk for vocations to priesthood and religious orders. Marriage and family life are a vocation and quite frankly in some respects a vocation in more need than that of priesthood because it is less understood.

Simon Platt said...

Somebody's teasing you, Ella.

Ella said...

Well with a name like Earthen wear vessels are cool!

I do not understand the earthen wear vessels. Aside from the clear point on the matter in Redemptionis Sacramentum I do not understand how at Mass, at the point where we join the whole of heaven at the most Holy Sacrifice on the altar, where God the Creator of heaven and earth becomes actually present we do not seem to think it is fit to place his actual Body and Blood, Sacrificed horrifically for our salvation and redemption, in the most precious vessels we have.

People always say what would Jesus do? His whole ministry is clear, Glorify the Father.

"Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you has given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.�

If the queen popped by we would not give her a up of tea in a polystyrene cup because they are cool, we would bring out the best china. I find it strange that the attitude is not the same considering God in His great love became human, and sacrificed Himself even though we unworthily do not deserve it, for the glory of God.

Nothing we have on earth is worthy for the glory of God and yet we cannot scrape together what precious little we have as a throne for His broken body to touch?

Sorry that was a bit wordy..

Ted said...

And where on earth do you think vocations come from? The place that has been forgotten - the family.

Earthenware bowls are fine for breakfast.

Matthew Doyle said...

I am having the same problems with my application forms for the Beatification Mass. So i have to do 4 forms and i assume pay an extra �15 each (which for other parishes is said to be �25 each) for a child and a baby, both of whom require their own lapbelt purchasable from Mothercare. Can't we just walk there???

Ted said...

Matthew, of course you can't just walk there. A large administrative body has been put in place to administer the 'event' and if you just walk there you rather undermine the purpose of their existence.

Please no one tell me that an indulgence is being given with every ticket sold.