{"id":931,"date":"2017-10-08T16:36:16","date_gmt":"2017-10-08T15:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starbeckmethodistchurch.org.uk\/?p=931"},"modified":"2017-10-08T16:36:16","modified_gmt":"2017-10-08T15:36:16","slug":"st-roberts-800th-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starbeckmethodistchurch.org.uk\/st-roberts-800th-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"St Robert’s 800th Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the 24th<\/sup>\u00a0September 2018, it will be 800 years since the death of St Robert of Knaresborough, and we\u2019re planning to make the year one to remember!\u00a0 St Robert dedicated his life to serve God and neighbour, although from what we know it wasn\u2019t always an easy path.\u00a0 Perhaps most people in Knaresborough think that Robert was a bit of a recluse, shut up in a cave at a safe distance from the town \u2013 but nothing could be further from the truth.<\/p>\n

St Robert (although never officially canonised) was renowned across Europe throughout the Middle Ages. \u00a0Writing in 1250, the historian Matthew Paris named Robert as one of the leading ‘personalities’ of the 13th century, along with St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Edmund of Pontigny. \u00a0This was a period of great religious and spiritual energy and devotion, and Robert played his part in a major way.\u00a0 As well as this international renown, he had more than one significant encounter with the local dignitaries, and was even visited by King John toward the end of his life.\u00a0 But his real passion was to support the needs of the people of Knaresborough, both spiritual and physical.\u00a0 His small group of followers, labourers on the land and on their knees, were the \u2018go-to\u2019 place for people in need as well as those seeking counsel \u2013 a wise word from a spiritual and saintly character who knew where his ultimate allegiance lay.<\/p>\n

The main events to celebrate St Robert\u2019s life will fall on the weekend of the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0to the 23rd<\/sup>\u00a0September next year.\u00a0 At the moment, this looks like being made up of an ecumenical Church service, a musical extravaganza and a feast \u2013 of course!\u00a0 However, we\u2019re hoping that by then the town will have become far more familiar with this relatively unknown character in our history.\u00a0 The co-ordinating group is planning activities that will, for example, use drama, music and art to celebrate St Robert\u2019s live; provide the schools of Knaresborough with material about St Robert\u2019s life; organise walks and pilgrimage opportunities around the sites that were familiar to him; improve the site of the cave itself; bring together historians and archaeologists to share their understanding of life at the time St Robert\u2019s; and to publicise the celebrations and share St Robert\u2019s story as widely as possible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Our goals for the celebration are to:<\/p>\n