Events to commemorate 100th birthday of John Bradburne

Source: JBMS

Many events are taking place this year to commemorate the 100th birthday of John Bradburne.

John Randal Bradburne, was an English lay member of the Order of St Francis, a poet and pilgrim who eventually made his home in Mutoko, Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, where he served as a warden and carer for the residents of the Mutemwa leper colony. He was killed by nationalist guerrillas in 1979. On 1 July 2019 the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome issued a formal nihil obstat for the cause of his beatification to proceed. He is on the way to becoming Zimbabwe's first saint.

A Mass commemorating the 100th birthday of John Bradburne will be live streamed on Radio Chiedza's Facebook Page, on Monday 14th June 2021. All are welcome to tune in. To watch the Mass visit: https://m.facebook.com/Radio-Chiedza-172881876402632/

Later this year. John Bradburne Memorial Society members, Alex Walker and Gavin Young are helping to run a pilgrimage climb up Cross Fell in Cumbria, a mountain that John Bradburne frequently climbed whilst growing up at Skirwith, Cumbria. The climb will take place on Saturday 11th September 2021 from 11am. The climb will take approximately 5-6 hours, you must have moderate ftness, but no mountaineering skills needed. Prayers are being said by the Bishop of Lancaster, The Right Reverend Paul Swarbrick at the top of the Fell. To book your place and make your donation, please visit: www.johnbradburne.com/

On 25th September, The Holy Name Church in Manchester will be hosting a music concert on 25th September to celebrate the event. The evening will include pieces composed of John's poems by world renowned composers, with prayers and poetry reading. There will be appearances by the Bury Choral Society, Didsbury String Quartet, the Zimbabwean Community Choir England and Wales, the Gurkha band and the Bishop of Lancaster, The Right Reverend Paul Swarbrick, will be giving a talk and there will be prayers by the Bishop of Salford John Arnold.

The John Bradburne Memorial Society, was founded in 1995 by John's niece Celia Brigstocke to help support Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre in Zimbabwe, in memory of her uncle. The society raises funds for the leprosy care centre and educates people regarding Bradburne's saintly life and his prolific poetry writings. Celia died in 2018, but her daughter Kate Macpherson has taken over running the Society.

Kate writes: "What aspects of John Bradburne's life should we copy? His achievement in caring for the poor is the obvious one, and relates to many current issues that are making headlines, such as cutting foreign aid, looking after immigrants. His achievement as an early eco-warrior is less known, but resonates strongly now - see his poems about preserving the environment, condemning plastics, etc. Also, notable for this day and age is his advocacy of the importance of reflection, solitude, and the like in the face of modern distracting devices - he talked about the telephone, radio, and TV, but if he were alive now, I've no doubt he would be writing a lot about the dangers of the Internet and social media.

"And then, of course, his achievement as a poet. The quantity of his writing still amazes people, when it is pointed out. And the quality of his writing is increasingly being appreciated, with strong and positive comparisons being drawn with Hopkins, Herbert, Chesterton, and others. His poetry can be seen on the website: www.johnbradburnepoems.com and on our John Bradburne Memorial Society YouTube Channel you will see videos of supporters reading John's poetry for 100 days leading up to his 100th birthday, including some well-known faces such as Gyles Brandreth, Dr Rowan Williams, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Richard E Grant and others.