It is strange how things suddenly hit you. Last year we received prayer cards for the canonisation of John Bradburne, who I knew very little about. I did not know he was from Cumbria, Skirwith, near Penrith, that he fought in WWII, or that he was a lay Franciscan; that he wrote a great deal of poetry, and only died in 1979, shot, caught up in the war in Zimbabwe. Most of all I knew nothing of the last years of his life serving people with leprosy. But as I was coming to write my homily this week for some reason he came to mind. His life was a life of searching, always restless, and yet one of service as well. Many of you will know of him, but if you would like to find out more have a look at the John Bradburne Memorial Society. He is known as the ‘vagabond of God.’
Kendal Catholic Priest 