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Soft Blows the Wind
From the book cover:
When he was eleven, Jimmy Collins left home to become a priest. A lifetime later he reflects in this book:
'I was conscious of two factors. One... that the priesthood was the most wonderful gift that God had given me. The second, that under God, the next most wonderful gift had been the presence of the Blessed Virgin in so many of the events of my life. I wanted to thank her in some special way for her goodness to me.
So I determined that I would walk to Walsingham to thank her. I would go on my own; I would say Mass each morning. I would say the Joyful mysteries of the rosary on the road in the morning, the Sorrowful in the afternoon, the Glorious mysteries in the evening. I would meditate on the wonders of the life of a priest. I would not be sponsored. I did not want publicity. It was to be a pilgrimage of thanksgiving. I told some of my friends. They were not happy about it. But I was determined. I was five foot two inches in height, I weighed nearly seven stone; and I was seventy-eight years old, and I knew I was right...
My prayer is that many will follow where this has begun. May the people who walk to Walsingham have the same vision of Heaven that was granted to me.'
---
This is the story of a remarkable journey, a journey that reflects a remarkable life: ordinary, but at the same time extraordinary because lived for God. For those who wish to follow in Fr. Jimmy's footsteps the book provides practical and detailed instructions for the walking paths to Walsingham.
When he was eleven, Jimmy Collins left home to become a priest. A lifetime later he reflects in this book:
'I was conscious of two factors. One... that the priesthood was the most wonderful gift that God had given me. The second, that under God, the next most wonderful gift had been the presence of the Blessed Virgin in so many of the events of my life. I wanted to thank her in some special way for her goodness to me.
So I determined that I would walk to Walsingham to thank her. I would go on my own; I would say Mass each morning. I would say the Joyful mysteries of the rosary on the road in the morning, the Sorrowful in the afternoon, the Glorious mysteries in the evening. I would meditate on the wonders of the life of a priest. I would not be sponsored. I did not want publicity. It was to be a pilgrimage of thanksgiving. I told some of my friends. They were not happy about it. But I was determined. I was five foot two inches in height, I weighed nearly seven stone; and I was seventy-eight years old, and I knew I was right...
My prayer is that many will follow where this has begun. May the people who walk to Walsingham have the same vision of Heaven that was granted to me.'
---
This is the story of a remarkable journey, a journey that reflects a remarkable life: ordinary, but at the same time extraordinary because lived for God. For those who wish to follow in Fr. Jimmy's footsteps the book provides practical and detailed instructions for the walking paths to Walsingham.
211 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
3 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Collins
22 books1 followerCanon James Daniel 'Jimmy' Collins, a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool, was ordained to the priesthood on 26 July 1942. He is the author of 'Reflections' (1999, 2007), 'Soft Blows the Wind,' (2003), 'Shadows' (2005), 'She Smiled at Me' (2007), and 'How Lovely Upon the Mountains' (2009).
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June 23, 2012
Fr. Collins treks across England using public footpaths on a pilgrimage to Walsingham. This book is valuable for its insights into the life of the Roman priest in England and the related reflections that simply occur to the priest as he walks in silence across the great English countryside. He talks about his former ministry (he is retired at the time of the writing of this book), his love of Aquinas, the people that have changed his life, his personal mystical experiences...
Displaying 1 of 1 review