Pilgrimage for Blessed Dominic Barberi - Sutton

Church of St Anne and Blessed Dominic Sutton

On Saturday 28th August along with the Catholic Church in England, the Passionist celebrated the memorial of the Blessed Dominic of the Mother of God, the Passionist better known as Dominic Barberi. I would be so bold to say that his major claim to fame is the receiving of the Blessed John Henry Newman into the Church. 

As yet, he is not a saint in the ‘classification’ of the church, therefore the celebration is held in the country where he spent a significant part of his pastoral ministries. Im left with the sense that even here in England that Dominic Barberi remains too little unknown. 

Plus we celebrated at his Shrine, which holds significant importance.

Shrine in Sutton

I arrived after a long car journey up from Minsteracres where I had been blessed to accompany Sr Therese to the opening of the new monastery of the Passionist Sisters. (another blog post to come) The journey started with the sun peeking through the clouds then travelled through fog to a rather delightful full sky of sun in Sutton. 

On arrival I saw Sisters that I had meet on the journey and felt like a little sparrow been reunited with her flock. A sense of ease and peace that I had joint the ever growing community of Sisters who had travelled also to join in the celebrations. 

Sitting in the church, among the Sisters, was the first celebration out of the comfort of the congregational meeting that I had been able to attend Mass with so many Sisters. This in itself was a heart moving experience to be present with those who have journey before me, holding me in prayer and will always be with me in spirit on the journey.  It was a delightful celebration and very privileged to be able to attend with all the pilgrims who were present. 

Bishop Marcus Stock who is the Bishop of Leeds lead the celebrations and offer an insightful and touching homily. 

Every saint has something to teach us, Blessed Dominic been no different! Newman said this - 

“Father Dominic was a marvellous missioner 

and a preacher filled with zeal. 

He had a great part in my own conversion 

and in that of others. 

His very look had about it something holy. 

When his form came within sight,

 I was moved to the depths in the strangest way. 

The joyfulness and affability of his manner in the midst of all his sanctity was in itself a holy sermon. 

No wonder that I became his convert and his penitent. 

He had a great love for England.”

Dominic is yet another reflection for all who have the passionist charism within them - not just the professed, laity and associates, members of parishes and those who journey beside them. The passionist spirituality that Dominic had the ability to give, was seeing the face of the suffering Christ wherever humanity suffers, and responding to this in love and mercy. It is by this living example, this clear desire to live the gospel, sharing in the Passion of His Creator that Dominic drew souls to God. He believed with all his heart what he wanted other people to come to believe as well, and his converts knew it. That was why there were so many of them. 

We acknowledge that Blessed Dominic life in England was short, less than a decade, while he was not a young man when he started to minister here, his efforts bore fruit.
It did come with challenges, Blessed Dominic was frequently assaulted in the street, verbally and physically; having stones and mud thrown at him as he walked in his Passionist habit. One story I heard of him walking in the street been thrown mud at, when the man who was throwing fall, Blessed Dominic outstretched his hand in gesture to help him up, before continuing to journey into the pub - which was been used as the Church. Mercy and Love!!

Listening to Bishop Marcus Stock homily, it offered me a chance to reflect on the reality before us. The model used for mission work in the nineteenth century has faded from view, and we still do not know what to replace it with. Catholics today know that we should concentrate on mission not maintenance.  Bishop Marcus Stock express how we are not to live in the pages of the gospels yet rather live out our baptism call in the pages of life. Through which Im sure your all agree this is used on the foundation of the gospels. 

I feel that Blessed Dominic and even Elizabeth Prout gift us something that we so easily under value and under claim. There was no philosophy, theology or human “wisdom” lectured, or fancy techniques or labour intense structures put in place. Both of these ‘saints’ used the most powerful and simple gift that we have been given unconditionally and have abundance of it to hand out - love 

Blessed Dominic and Elizabeth Prout loved the people to whom they were sent. Their love radiated the love of Christ, of our Creator. This love is at the heart of mission / ministry. It has the power to move mountains and clam storms. Handing us an opportunity for unity through connection and giving something that so many parts of society seem to not experience.  Maybe its time we started to hear them, see what they saw on the margins and express it with open arms.

Blessed Dominic evangelisation was from the pure love of Christ making each day “new,” “made manifest by his disciples in every age, particularly in the love and the care which they show the poor, the vulnerable and those who find themselves alone in the margins of our communities. It is a love which, as St Paul said, speaks in the language of the cross” as Bishop Marcus Stock expressed.

Its time that we, as a church body, fully engage in the challenge put to us in the evangelisation of our society today, cultivating a newest of faith in our communities, countries and world. We need to pay attention to the examples that have gone before us, embracing new methods and finding new expressions that mission and ministry gift to all. Just like Blessed Dominic alway seek to grow in holiness, live in unity and love for the whole world to let all become witnesses and come together believing in one true God, in Jesus Christ whom He sent. 

It sounds like we can not do much as only one single part of the whole, however without courage and zeal, of the type Blessed Dominic had, nothing at all can be done. We first need to pray for these virtues. One might say that there is little chance of change until we are given the grace by God to do such; and we won’t be gifted that grace until we want it. So lets start wanting it! 

When a Protestant minister followed Dominic along a street shouting out various arguments against transubstantiation, Dominic was silent, but as the man was about to turn off, Dominic retorted; ‘Jesus Christ said over the consecrated elements, ‘This is my body,’ You say ‘No, It is not his body!’ Who then am I to believe? I prefer to believe Jesus Christ” 

Like Blessed Dominic, we have to tell it like it is, without sugar coating, political correctness and without apology. We must face challenges of faith head on, with love and in response to the grace the Lord has given. 

We have an example, a living example of what it means to be a disciple, what it is to reveal the face of Christ by trying to live a life in imitation of his Lord, by sharing the Passion of Christ.

Blessed Dominic Barberi… Pray for us. 

The Shrine in Sutton - St Annes and Blessed Dominic Church contains all three important Passionist. 

Father Ignatius Spencer (1799-1864) Elizabeth Prout (1864-1920) and Blessed Dominic Barberi (1792 - 1849)