Church blesses Locomotive! (you heard first here!!)

by Latte 2 Replies latest social humour

  • Latte
    Latte

    Post your steam engine blessing here. All prayers appreciated too!!

    <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/4255332.stm

    Church blessing for rail landmark

    A steam engine is to be blessed with holy water to mark the 175th anniversary of commercial rail travel.

    The Duke of Gloucester locomotive will be blessed by Canon Glyn Webster, Chancellor of York Minster, after it pulls into York station on Saturday.

    The ceremony will mark the 175th anniversary of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which launched George Stephenson's Rocket locomotive.

    It was opened in September 1830 by the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington.

    Bucket blessing

    Canon Webster says he will perform the symbolic rite to bestow the Church of England's thanks for steam engines and the benefits they brought to the world.

    It is thought to be the first time a steam locomotive has been blessed by the C of E.

    Canon Webster said: "This is the first time I've been asked to bless a train and I am very happy to do so. All are welcome in the Church of England.

    "I shall bring a bucket of holy water and won't be doing things by halves.

    "When I was a curate in a sleepy parish, where the vicar had to make everything happen, if I was fed up and disillusioned I'd go out and watch the Mallard steaming by on excursions to Scarborough, and say thanks to God that there was one thing that moved in my parish without me having to push it."

    The Duke of Gloucester, built in Crewe in 1954, will travel from Liverpool to Manchester and on to York, where it is scheduled to arrive at 1216 BST.

    "I shall bring a bucket of holy water and won't be doing things by halves.

    The Steam engine would of appreciated some coal as well... Mr Canon dude! LOL

    Personally I don’t think that the engine will fully appreciated being blessed…what do you think ??? …..

    Maybe it will stand a chance of getting in heaven after all……

  • Simon
    Simon

    LOL "this is the age of the train". C of E are handly one of the worlds leading / significant religions ... I guess they wanted to confirm just how irrelevant they are !

  • Latte
    Latte

    LOL Simon...so true! he he he

    http://www.dukeofgloucester.cwc.net/

    The more i read about this baby, the more I feel that it was really worthy of being blessed (cough, cough)

    I'm so glad that they got the boiler problem sorted, it really struggled to get the steam up (sniff, sniff)

    Hell, I'm beginning to sound like my brother who used to be steam train mad....even bought the steam train magazines!

    Seriously, I love to travel on steam trains - there really is something about them.

    I think it would be much safer though, to travel on one which was blessed. Hey they could even put the price up for the extra blessing! ............

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