The Virgin Mary

Pictures, Imformation and Links regarding The Virgin Mary

Ever since the early days of the Christian Church, Mary the mother of Jesus has been held in high esteem and reverence. Her image has inspired artists throughout the generations and pictures of her are found in most churches and the homes of Catholics.

She has inspired countless prayers, religious orders and acts of piety and charity.

Many Scholars find in her representations and the reverence with which she is regarded echhos of the ancient worship of the female principle in creation - the Goddess. Many Christians call her the 'Queen of Heaven' and 'the Mother of God', concepts that would have been foreign to Jesus and his disciples. However these universal qualities make her acessible to millions of the faithful and to many of no faith as her universal qualities of Love, Compassion and Forgiveness inspire hope in honest people around the world.

Thursday 11 December 2008

A Brief History of The Friars

found at: www.thefriars.org.uk

A Brief History of The Friars

Arrival of the Carmelites by Adam Kossowski

Aylesford Priory, or 'The Friars' to give it its traditional name, was founded in 1242 when the first Carmelites arrived from the Holy Land. They came under the patronage of Richard de Grey, a crusader, who gave them a small piece of land at his manor of Aylesford.

In 1247 the Bishop of Rochester, Richard of Wendover, officially recognised the Carmelite foundation at Aylesford and the first General Chapter of the Order outside the Holy Land was held there. The Chapter effectively changed the lifestyle of the Carmelites from hermits to mendicant friars and over the next fifty years more than thirty priories were founded in England and Wales including London, Oxford and Cambridge. In 1348 at the Vigil of the Feast of the Holy Cross, the Bishop of Llandaff, John Pashcal, blessed the site of the cemetery and the new chuch but the church was not consecrated until 1417, the delay possibly being caused by the Black Death which affected so much of the population. The dedication of the church was carried out by Richard Young, the Bishop of Rochester.

During the sixteenth century a tradition developed that St Simon Stock (died 1265), Prior General of the Order, had a vision of Our Lady promising her protection to those who wore the Carmelite habit, and the wearing of the scapular subsequently became an important Marian devotion. Some believe the vision happened at Aylesford but it is more commonly thought to have occurred in Cambridge.

In 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, The Friars passed into the hands of Sir Thomas Wyatt of Allington Castle.

In 1949 The Friars was put up for sale, so the Carmelites were able to buy back their motherhouse. Fr Malachy Lynch, the first Prior, began the task of restoring the buildings and within a short time The Friars became a flourishing pilgrimage centre.

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