Now let me tell you this,

A guided tour through the

Life of John Bradburne

based on the booklet "John Bradburne of Mutemwa"

by Fr. John Dove

All "guided tour" images and text are protected by copyright

John Randal Bradburne was born in 1921 at Skirwith in Cumbria, England. His father was an Anglican Parson and John had two brothers and two sisters. They were a verv cultured family; music, literature, art. He had a famous cousin, Terence Rattigan an English playright; and he was a distant relative to Lord Soames of Zimbabwe fame.

John became a Roman Catholic after World War II when staying at Buckfast Abbey in England. Soon after, he joined the Third Order of St Francis, but he remained a layman until his death. He was "martyred" in Zimbabwe on Wednesday 5th September 1979.

But there is more to it than that. John himself was a poet who left behind in his poor, final tin-hut dwelling no less than 6 000 pages of verse. Thus John the poet, the pilgrim-seeker is an inspiration to us all. Are we not all pilgrims in this life?

John spent twenty-seven years seeking God with heroic faith from the Nialayan jungles in World War II, until the spirit led him to Mutemwa Leprosy Settlement near Mutoko, Zimbabwe, in 1969.

There he spent the last ten years of his pilgrimage upon this earth until he was killed in 1979. A long journey, a long search - Malaya, Burma, England, Europe, Israel, finally Africa; and much of it on foot without a cent in his pocket. He was the pilgrim 'par excellence' always joyful, led by the spirit through the highways and by ways of life until he achieved the greatest that a man can achieve to lay down his life for his friends, and in his case the destitute poor.

We all live in insecure times - John taught us that the only true and lasting security lies in the love of God.

John was a prophet too, a sign for the 20th Century Consumer Society, this technological age, an era of materialism and disbelief he was quite naturally supernatural with a gaiety and wit which enchanted all. He was a mystic, poet, and music maker all in one. He had easy converse with God both in his quiet, solitary prayer and through his poetry and music. He was almost a one book man Holy Scripture, the womb of the Holy Spirit which he pondered deeply and daily. He did, however, lean on another book too "The Cloud of Unknowing". He loved "The Cloud" and longed to pierce the veil that stood between him and the sight of God. Often he used to say "roll on the Kingdom" We must here remember that John was a layman, member of the Third Order of St Francis. He just loved St Francis of Assisi and he obeyed the rule of the Third Order singing, for the most part in Latin, The Little Office of Our Lady, daily. He also kept to the hours as much as possible rising at dawn for Matins and ending the day with Vespers and Cornpline with his beloved leprosy patients.

He had an extraordinary love for Our Lady. His poet's eye saw her as the most beautiful girl and Mother. He wrote poem-prayers to her. For the rest he kept up a constant rhythm of prayer the rosary and the Jesus prayer of "The Way of the Pilgrim" which he adapted for the needs of Zimbabwe and the World at large. At night he would steal into the chapel and sing and play the harmonium in front of the Blessed Sacrament for two hours or more. He was a man of God.