Saturday 8 October 2011

Day for Religious at Aylesford Priory

On 23rd September 2011, Srs. Attracta, Innocentia and Clare Bernadette attended a day for religious for Southwark Diocese at Aylesford Priory. Sr. Anne, Mother General, came too, as she was visiting Canterbury for a few days. Sr. Anne Bross FMSJ also travelled with us from Canterbury.
Fr. Martin Poulsom SDB led the day. He is a Salesian of Don Bosco, a lecturer at the Religious life Institute, Heythrop and an activist for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation. Martin is also a singer-songwriter and illustrated parts of his presentation by playing guitar and singing songs he had written. Bishop John Hine also attended the day, since Archbishop Peter Smith was otherwise engaged.
Fr. Martin gave a thought-provoking reflection about the state of religious life today with the need to unite its contemplative and active or 'prophetic' aspects. I was heartened to hear St. Francis of Assisi mentioned together with Hildegard of Bingen as two mystics who inspired a contemplative approach to creation. Yet it struck me as he spoke that the spirituality of Francis offered the very unification of contemplative and prophetic ('being' and 'doing') approaches that Fr. Martin was seeking to establish for Religious Life today. The value of this talk for me was to place Francis' significance for ecology in a wider context of Religious Life than the Franciscan family. It showed me the potential fruitfulness of dialogue, collaboration and networking with other Religious persons and groups involved in JPIC today. It was good to meet and discuss with representatives of so many different religious groups from diverse cultures.
Fr. Martin Poulsom SDB delivers his talk, 'Religious Life in the Midst of Creation, the Challenge of Justice and Peace and the Integrity of Creation.'
Srs. Innocentia and Attracta meet Sr. Elizabeth Obbard, a Religious Solitary attached to the Priory. Having been learning about the lives of women hermitesses and recluses at the time of St. Francis, they were delighted to meet in the flesh a modern version of the solitary vocation and to learn that Sr. Elizabeth follows the spirituality of Julian of Norwich, a 14th Century English recluse.

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