Good Shepherd Sunday where coincidences coincidentally aligned

St. John Houghton and St. Robert Lawrence are remembered yearly at their priory ruin site near Eastwood

Shepherd or Vocations Sunday. This is because in the Gospel of the day (from St. John’s Gospel) Jesus speaks of himself as the Shepherd who is prepared to lay down his life for his sheep. Two shepherds who laid down their lives for their faith, namely St. John Houghton and St. Robert Lawrence are remembered yearly at their priory ruin site near Eastwood, Nottinghamshire .The two monks from the Beauvale Priory became martyrs by being cruelly killed at Tyburn, London in 1535; for not accepting Henry V111 over the Pope as head of the Church and were canonised in 1970.Beauvale Priory (beautiful valley) was founded in 1343 by Sir Nicholas de Cantilupe. The monks at Beauvale were Carthusians, enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The community survived peacefully living a life of worship and work for nearly two centuries until the disruption of the Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries.

Staying with the theme of ‘good shepherd’ our shepherd/bishop Patrick led the annual memorial Mass, and homily preached by Rev. Deacon Anthony Sullivan.

The coincidentally is complete as Good Shepherd Sunday coincided as being the birthday of our own Good Shepherd, Bishop Patrick, who is pictured in this pastural scene with sheep and lambs surrounding the ruins of the priory.