Bradford man receives honour from the Pope (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Bradford man receives honour from the Pope
8:00am Thursday 3rd January 2013 in News
David Kennedy with the award given to him by the Pope for his service to the church
A former head postmaster in Bradford is one of only 44 Catholics worldwide to receive a special honour from the Pope to mark his lifelong devotion to the church.
David Kennedy was a ten-year-old boy chorister at Our Lady of Lourdes and St William’s Church in Duncombe Street, Girlington, then aged 27 he became its organist and choirmaster and has led the musical worship ever since.
Now aged 69, Mr Kennedy told of his shock at getting the honour, entitled For the Church and the Pope – the highest praise which Pope Benedict XVI awards independently.
“It was a complete surprise. I only found out about it three weeks ago when a letter arrived,” said Mr Kennedy, of Allerton.
“My wife Jean was giggling as I opened it because she’d known I was getting it for three months.”
Mr Kennedy was recognised for his unswerving contribution to church music at St William’s.
“I’m not an honours sort of person, but it is obviously very important to me,” he said.
“I’ve done some research on the internet and apparently only 44 people out of many millions get this award every year.
“It’s one down from a Papal Knighthood, which is awarded by the Pope and his Cardinals.
“My family are saying it’s an award for turning up at the same church for 60 years!”
A former pupil of St Bede’s Catholic Grammar School, Mr Kennedy rose through the Royal Mail to become head postmaster of Huddersfield and then of Bradford, before becoming Regional Operations Director.
But throughout his professional life he remained at St William’s, giving his time to oversee the church’s spiritual music.
His five children and nine grandchildren are all musical and eldest son Jonathan is also an organist at St William’s.
“When I started we sang the mass in Latin and it was standing room only at every Christmas midnight mass,” Mr Kennedy recalled.
“The numbers may not be what they used to be, but the role of the music remains the same – to be uplifting and free the spirit for those wanting to communicate with God.”
When he was presented with the honour at St Williams, the church was full once again with well-wishers.
Comments(22)
Prisoner Cell Block A
says...
11:40am Thu 3 Jan 13
collos25
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12:27pm Thu 3 Jan 13
legallyblonde
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12:59pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Joedavid
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1:29pm Thu 3 Jan 13
collos25 wrote:Do you not get out much?
A gift from a man who wears dresses and has a dubious past is not my idea of pleasure.
Lots of people in Bradford wear strange religious clothes in Bradford.
ANY WHERE BUT HERE
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1:42pm Thu 3 Jan 13
EvryDysLkSndy
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4:22pm Thu 3 Jan 13
RollandSmoke
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4:24pm Thu 3 Jan 13
EvryDysLkSndy
says...
4:53pm Thu 3 Jan 13
RollandSmoke wrote:I think it's sad that you feel the need to try and take away from the achievements of someone being recognized for doing something positive just to try and make smart remarks about a foreign religious leader. What weight would the Pope's opinion carry with 'our government' given that, under current legislation RC's are the only religious group banned from holding the post of PM? I don't think the fact the Queen hasn't stopped the government 'victimising the poorest in society' takes anything away from the achievements of those Bradfordians she presented awards to earlier in the week - and its her government!
Maybe you could ask the Pope to release some Vatican funds to stop our government victimising the poorest in society in order to further line the pockets of his good friends the Rothschilds through their fraudulent banking and usury scams?
RollandSmoke
says...
5:28pm Thu 3 Jan 13
EvryDysLkSndy wrote:I'm taking nothing away from this man's or anyone else's achievements. I am however well aware of how the three City States (Vatican city, the City of London and the District of Columbia) have been running the world for centuries making vast profits from the people throughout that time.It's time they gave something back. The Queen with her personal wealth equivalent to £16,000 for every man woman and child in the country is not supposed to interfere in our Government, although with David "proud to be a Zionist" Cameron running a Tory party consisting of 80% Conservative Friends of Israel and the Israeli lobby being the biggest lobby in Westminster, I'm not sure how exactly this qualifies as "our" Government. If you look carefully you can see the strings
RollandSmoke wrote:I think it's sad that you feel the need to try and take away from the achievements of someone being recognized for doing something positive just to try and make smart remarks about a foreign religious leader. What weight would the Pope's opinion carry with 'our government' given that, under current legislation RC's are the only religious group banned from holding the post of PM? I don't think the fact the Queen hasn't stopped the government 'victimising the poorest in society' takes anything away from the achievements of those Bradfordians she presented awards to earlier in the week - and its her government!
Maybe you could ask the Pope to release some Vatican funds to stop our government victimising the poorest in society in order to further line the pockets of his good friends the Rothschilds through their fraudulent banking and usury scams?
EvryDysLkSndy
says...
5:36pm Thu 3 Jan 13
RollandSmoke wrote:. . . and I'm sure that's all very interesting, however, the Bishop of Rome is not a regular visitor to St William's. That means that people in the local community have passed on their gratitude for this man's service and hard work so he gets some recognition. Therefore choosing a local interest story in a provincial newspaper to vent your spleen would seem a mean spirited thing to do. There are countless websites where you can discuss these sorts of issues with like minded individuals or, failing that, pop down the students union.
EvryDysLkSndy wrote:I'm taking nothing away from this man's or anyone else's achievements. I am however well aware of how the three City States (Vatican city, the City of London and the District of Columbia) have been running the world for centuries making vast profits from the people throughout that time.It's time they gave something back. The Queen with her personal wealth equivalent to £16,000 for every man woman and child in the country is not supposed to interfere in our Government, although with David "proud to be a Zionist" Cameron running a Tory party consisting of 80% Conservative Friends of Israel and the Israeli lobby being the biggest lobby in Westminster, I'm not sure how exactly this qualifies as "our" Government. If you look carefully you can see the strings
RollandSmoke wrote:I think it's sad that you feel the need to try and take away from the achievements of someone being recognized for doing something positive just to try and make smart remarks about a foreign religious leader. What weight would the Pope's opinion carry with 'our government' given that, under current legislation RC's are the only religious group banned from holding the post of PM? I don't think the fact the Queen hasn't stopped the government 'victimising the poorest in society' takes anything away from the achievements of those Bradfordians she presented awards to earlier in the week - and its her government!
Maybe you could ask the Pope to release some Vatican funds to stop our government victimising the poorest in society in order to further line the pockets of his good friends the Rothschilds through their fraudulent banking and usury scams?
Brannigan
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5:36pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Albion.
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5:50pm Thu 3 Jan 13
EvryDysLkSndy wrote:You have to excuse him (he's depressed you know).
RollandSmoke wrote:. . . and I'm sure that's all very interesting, however, the Bishop of Rome is not a regular visitor to St William's. That means that people in the local community have passed on their gratitude for this man's service and hard work so he gets some recognition. Therefore choosing a local interest story in a provincial newspaper to vent your spleen would seem a mean spirited thing to do. There are countless websites where you can discuss these sorts of issues with like minded individuals or, failing that, pop down the students union.
EvryDysLkSndy wrote:I'm taking nothing away from this man's or anyone else's achievements. I am however well aware of how the three City States (Vatican city, the City of London and the District of Columbia) have been running the world for centuries making vast profits from the people throughout that time.It's time they gave something back. The Queen with her personal wealth equivalent to £16,000 for every man woman and child in the country is not supposed to interfere in our Government, although with David "proud to be a Zionist" Cameron running a Tory party consisting of 80% Conservative Friends of Israel and the Israeli lobby being the biggest lobby in Westminster, I'm not sure how exactly this qualifies as "our" Government. If you look carefully you can see the strings
RollandSmoke wrote:I think it's sad that you feel the need to try and take away from the achievements of someone being recognized for doing something positive just to try and make smart remarks about a foreign religious leader. What weight would the Pope's opinion carry with 'our government' given that, under current legislation RC's are the only religious group banned from holding the post of PM? I don't think the fact the Queen hasn't stopped the government 'victimising the poorest in society' takes anything away from the achievements of those Bradfordians she presented awards to earlier in the week - and its her government!
Maybe you could ask the Pope to release some Vatican funds to stop our government victimising the poorest in society in order to further line the pockets of his good friends the Rothschilds through their fraudulent banking and usury scams?
RollandSmoke
says...
5:59pm Thu 3 Jan 13
EvryDysLkSndy wrote:I'm sorry you feel I'm being mean spirited. Would you like to explain your username? It looks like your saying Every day is like Sandy. Could you tell me what the Sandy is that you would like to be every day? Although I suppose it could be Sunday.
RollandSmoke wrote:. . . and I'm sure that's all very interesting, however, the Bishop of Rome is not a regular visitor to St William's. That means that people in the local community have passed on their gratitude for this man's service and hard work so he gets some recognition. Therefore choosing a local interest story in a provincial newspaper to vent your spleen would seem a mean spirited thing to do. There are countless websites where you can discuss these sorts of issues with like minded individuals or, failing that, pop down the students union.
EvryDysLkSndy wrote:I'm taking nothing away from this man's or anyone else's achievements. I am however well aware of how the three City States (Vatican city, the City of London and the District of Columbia) have been running the world for centuries making vast profits from the people throughout that time.It's time they gave something back. The Queen with her personal wealth equivalent to £16,000 for every man woman and child in the country is not supposed to interfere in our Government, although with David "proud to be a Zionist" Cameron running a Tory party consisting of 80% Conservative Friends of Israel and the Israeli lobby being the biggest lobby in Westminster, I'm not sure how exactly this qualifies as "our" Government. If you look carefully you can see the strings
RollandSmoke wrote:I think it's sad that you feel the need to try and take away from the achievements of someone being recognized for doing something positive just to try and make smart remarks about a foreign religious leader. What weight would the Pope's opinion carry with 'our government' given that, under current legislation RC's are the only religious group banned from holding the post of PM? I don't think the fact the Queen hasn't stopped the government 'victimising the poorest in society' takes anything away from the achievements of those Bradfordians she presented awards to earlier in the week - and its her government!
Maybe you could ask the Pope to release some Vatican funds to stop our government victimising the poorest in society in order to further line the pockets of his good friends the Rothschilds through their fraudulent banking and usury scams?
EvryDysLkSndy
says...
6:12pm Thu 3 Jan 13
RollandSmoke wrote:There's no need to be sorry, it's just something to think on. The username's a song title with the vowels removed, I suppose that has made it a bit ambiguous but it's not really crucial how it's read.
EvryDysLkSndy wrote:I'm sorry you feel I'm being mean spirited. Would you like to explain your username? It looks like your saying Every day is like Sandy. Could you tell me what the Sandy is that you would like to be every day? Although I suppose it could be Sunday.
RollandSmoke wrote:. . . and I'm sure that's all very interesting, however, the Bishop of Rome is not a regular visitor to St William's. That means that people in the local community have passed on their gratitude for this man's service and hard work so he gets some recognition. Therefore choosing a local interest story in a provincial newspaper to vent your spleen would seem a mean spirited thing to do. There are countless websites where you can discuss these sorts of issues with like minded individuals or, failing that, pop down the students union.
EvryDysLkSndy wrote:I'm taking nothing away from this man's or anyone else's achievements. I am however well aware of how the three City States (Vatican city, the City of London and the District of Columbia) have been running the world for centuries making vast profits from the people throughout that time.It's time they gave something back. The Queen with her personal wealth equivalent to £16,000 for every man woman and child in the country is not supposed to interfere in our Government, although with David "proud to be a Zionist" Cameron running a Tory party consisting of 80% Conservative Friends of Israel and the Israeli lobby being the biggest lobby in Westminster, I'm not sure how exactly this qualifies as "our" Government. If you look carefully you can see the strings
RollandSmoke wrote:I think it's sad that you feel the need to try and take away from the achievements of someone being recognized for doing something positive just to try and make smart remarks about a foreign religious leader. What weight would the Pope's opinion carry with 'our government' given that, under current legislation RC's are the only religious group banned from holding the post of PM? I don't think the fact the Queen hasn't stopped the government 'victimising the poorest in society' takes anything away from the achievements of those Bradfordians she presented awards to earlier in the week - and its her government!
Maybe you could ask the Pope to release some Vatican funds to stop our government victimising the poorest in society in order to further line the pockets of his good friends the Rothschilds through their fraudulent banking and usury scams?
collos25
says...
8:40pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Joedavid wrote:But not all people have a dubious like this P-------
collos25 wrote: A gift from a man who wears dresses and has a dubious past is not my idea of pleasure.Do you not get out much? Lots of people in Bradford wear strange religious clothes in Bradford.
collos25
says...
8:42pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Outraged English Subject
says...
8:58pm Thu 3 Jan 13
The obvious
says...
11:24pm Thu 3 Jan 13
Google Dagon, pagan devil worshipping deity who dressed just like the pope wtf!
Albion.
says...
10:27am Fri 4 Jan 13
The obvious wrote:When he was 14yrs old, membership of the Hitler Youth was compulsory, those who refused were executed.
No disrespect to the gentleman who got the award but hey come on...what you taking awards from an ex nazi for? Surely there were many better candidates then this creepy pope.
Google Dagon, pagan devil worshipping deity who dressed just like the pope wtf!
There were a lot of Muslims in the Nazi party as well, especially in Eastern Europe where they were active participants in genocide.
The Hoffster
says...
11:45am Fri 4 Jan 13
Albion. wrote:And now the 3rd Reich is alive and well in Tel Aviv.
The obvious wrote:When he was 14yrs old, membership of the Hitler Youth was compulsory, those who refused were executed.
No disrespect to the gentleman who got the award but hey come on...what you taking awards from an ex nazi for? Surely there were many better candidates then this creepy pope.
Google Dagon, pagan devil worshipping deity who dressed just like the pope wtf!
There were a lot of Muslims in the Nazi party as well, especially in Eastern Europe where they were active participants in genocide.
They're doing the same thing to the Palestinians now (with their massive concentration camp known as Gaza) and the illegal Occupation of the West Bank.
Albion.
says...
11:55am Fri 4 Jan 13
The Hoffster wrote:What exactly does that have to do with the Pope or this award?
Albion. wrote:And now the 3rd Reich is alive and well in Tel Aviv.
The obvious wrote:When he was 14yrs old, membership of the Hitler Youth was compulsory, those who refused were executed.
No disrespect to the gentleman who got the award but hey come on...what you taking awards from an ex nazi for? Surely there were many better candidates then this creepy pope.
Google Dagon, pagan devil worshipping deity who dressed just like the pope wtf!
There were a lot of Muslims in the Nazi party as well, especially in Eastern Europe where they were active participants in genocide.
They're doing the same thing to the Palestinians now (with their massive concentration camp known as Gaza) and the illegal Occupation of the West Bank.
idleone says...
11:00am Thu 3 Jan 13