22 - 28 April 2013

St Florian is the patron saint of chimney sweeps and firefighters. As Florian stood on the pyre, on which he was to be burned to death for refusing to persecute the Christians back in AD250, he challenged the Roman soldiers to light the fire saying, "If you do, I will climb to heaven on the flames". So they took him off the pyre, put a millstone around his neck, and threw him in the river Enns. His feast day was celebrated this week. Mary stood in her uniform amongst the ranks of volunteer firemen as the vicar blessed their new fire engine, bought to replace the old one which was bought, blessed and caught fire last year.