Now, as I am back home at our friary in Manhattan, I am reflecting upon what I witnessed on my recent visit to my fellow Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in Bradford. They had asked me to join them not only to celebrate the feast of St Francis on October 4, but also the reopening and rededication of a church the following day.
From other visits, I was well familiar with the empty church of St Patrick adjacent to the St Pio Friary in the Westgate section of the city. The parish built by Irish immigrants was canonically suppressed in 2009, but both local clergy and the friars provided worshippers with one hour of Adoration and Confession, followed by Holy Mass. During my past visits to Bradford, I too had an opportunity of serving the few but faithful – let’s call them “the retired remnant”. Not only were they present every day, they were also praying every day – especially when it was rumoured that the friars wanted to “do something” with their now cold and empty church.
