Procession Held In Honour Of Bradford's Patron St Blaise

On Saturday February 1 a crowd of around 70 people gathered from Bradford and the surrounding area to process through the city centre, praying for the city of Bradford and its people. The event was organized by St Patrick's Mission to highlight the Christian culture of Bradford during the 2025 UK City of Culture year. The procession was held in honour of St Blaise, the 4th century Armenian bishop who was tortured by being scoured with a wool comb before he was martyred.

St Blaise has historically been revered as the patron saint of Bradford in connection with the thriving wool industry. Fr František Chloupek, the rector of St Patrick's Mission Church which organized the event, spoke about how "culture lives on worship," citing the work of philosopher Josef Pieper, who taught about the importance of a balanced life that includes work, leisure and, most important of all, divine worship.

The Bradford wool combers' devotion to St Blaise symbolized the connection between their manual work and their divine worship, which Pieper speaks about as the proper end of leisure. Fr František led the procession carrying an authentic relic of St Blaise—a piece of his bone carried in a marvellous gold reliquary. The procession began in front of city hall, where prayers were said for the people of Bradford.

Then, the congregation walked to the old Wool Exchange building (now Waterstones) where a statue of St Blaise adorns the facade. Here, devotional prayers were said, asking for the intercession of St Blaise for the strength to endure suffering and persecution with the courage that he showed in his martyrdom. Finally, the procession moved down Hustlergate and up Ivegate and Westgate to St Patrick's Catholic Church, where the people were blessed with the traditional blessing of throats was given.