Day 15 – St Thierry to Reims

A long way from Tipperary

Sunday 15/4/2018

Distance 10.3km Total Distance from Canterbury 380.8km

I’m aiming to have a rest day each week which may or may not be on the Sabbath. So a short walk today. The route very straightforward – you can see Reims quite clearly from the monastery.

Two people from Tipperary (a county in Ireland) are in my thoughts today. Back at the Irish headquarters of my missionary Society there is a funeral today for Fr Jim English. He was born in Tipperary in 1938. After ordination he worked for 46 years as a pastor in Nigeria before, during and after the Civil War following Biafran secession. More recently he had been retired in Ireland. A simple man in the very best sense of that word. Shortly after his return to Kiltegan I visited him in his room. It contained a chair and a table and two books. There was a TV which was not plugged in. I thought I had gone to the wrong room, but I hadn’t. He combined great administrative skills with great human compassion. I’m sure he used a mobile phone. I doubt he had a smartphone. I’m certain he had no concept of what Facebook was. Remarkably 315,000 read of his death on Facebook and over 5,000 left a comment, expressing love, sorrow and appreciation. RIP Jim.

At St Thierry yesterday Sr Marthe told me they once had an Irish Sister. I checked the obituary notices at the entrance to the chapel.

Mary-Kathleen White was born in Fethard, in Co. Tipperary in 1915. She entered a convent in Loftus Hall in 1930. Loftus Hall has a long history and is connected with the Redmond (my own name) family and Cromwell during its history. It is also ‘Ireland’s most haunted house’. But that is all for another day! As the convent ‘couldn’t sustain itself’ it came under the care of the Benedictine Sisters of Vanves near Paris and so Mary-Kathleen headed to France. She was professed there as Sr Mary Philomène at the age of 19 and at the age of 22 went to a foundation of the Sisters in Madagascar. She stayed 17 years until TB forced her return to France. She recovered and spent her remaining years in France. She was an expert dress maker, making habits for the Sisters, and church vestments. She died aged 95 in 2011 and is buried in St Thierry. One of her special duties was the welcoming of visitors. RIP Mary-Kathleen.

I entered Reims cathedral at about 10:40 believing there to be Mass at 11:00.

A kindly looking official man came towards me. I asked him what time Mass was and he confirmed 11. He told me his job was ‘security’. You cannot bring large bags into the cathedral. ‘But you’ he said ‘are a pilgrim and I will help you.’ He led me, with my bag, to the choir stalls alongside the altar and lifted a misericord so that I could fit my bag in out of the way. (A misericord is a kind of folding seat which allows monks to sort of ‘half sit’ when they are standing in choir – check it out next time you are in a cathedral.) At the end of Mass he came to find me to ask me if I needed more help. In the afternoon when I returned (without bag) to take photographs he greeted me once more. This is the kind of simple humanity which it would be too easy to take for granted. It desrves appreciation and thanks. A huge gulf of difference from my treatment in another cathedral in another country on this journey.

As I entered the cathedral through the back door I immediately noticed a bright blue glow behind the high altar 81m away.  I didn’t know what but it was very striking.

After Mass finished I went to see. Three large windows by Marc Chagall. I’ll write something more about them when I get home. I found them astonishing and spent an hour with them after lunch, photographing but mainly just looking. They are impressionistic but also figurative. Highlight of the trip so far.

There were many other windows worthy of note in Reims cathedral and much other art work including tiles.

For lunch I had had Flammkuchen a thin and crispy German pizza – with potatoes on top!

I felt it fitting to have a glass of champagne while I waited an hour for the church of John the Baptist to open.

The church of John the Baptist had quite different modern windows by Joseph Sims (1891-1971) a member of Le Grand Jeu movement. They are completely abstract and yet, like Rorschach ink blots there is a lot to see! Equally astonishing, in a different way.

A fine rest day! Back to business tomorrow.