If you walk in a westerly direction

Assuming that you are in England somewhere, you will, most probably, come to Wales, a green and pleasant land populated by sheep and a roguish, likeable race of Irish and Italian descent.

And if you keep walking taking a point that is close to the middle, in north/south terms, you will come to the unassuming town of Cardigan, home to a certain type of knitwear and twinned with a similar Welsh town in the east called, Raglan (ahem).

Visitors to this pleasant place will encounter the extraordinary generosity of Cardigan folk who like to shower guests with gifts of cash with elastic string quaintly attached.

And Cardigan is also home to the Welsh National Shrine of Our Lady; once one of the major sites of pilgrimage for thousands who flocked there on foot facing outlaws and vagabonds, poor roads and inclement weather conditions.

Even in 2008 there were a goodly few who would travel to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Cardigan to pay homage to the Mother of God.

But then, something happened....who knows what?

And the pilgrimages became, how can I put it? Less well attended.

And now - there is no pilgrimage. Dim pilgrimageo as they would say in Wales.

We have had Chartres, Holywell is, I believe, this weekend and Walsingham is to come in August.....but nothing for Our Lady of Cardigan.

Why? Because people will not travel, they say.

But travel is an integral part of any pilgrimage...so why?

I know why...but Catholic charity forbids me to say more other than, pilgrimages are not about numbers.

They are about paying tribute to Mary our mother and to the worship of Almighty God.

What would it take to organise a successful 2014 pilgrimage to the National Shrine?

Not much, here are a few starting points:-

1. Juventutem to form a Cardiff branch

2. Appoint a well known priest (or Bishop) to lead the pilgrimage

3. Create a programme of devotions (Rosary procession through the town)

4. Invite like minded organisations to play an equable role

5. Apply to Rome for a specific indulgence


And also throw a bit of money at the project.....with no elastic string attached!


 

Will you walk to Walsingham?

 

"When England returns to Walsingham Our Lady will return to England" ~ Pope Leo XIII

You are invited to the fourth Latin Mass Society (LMS) walking pilgrimage to Walsingham. We will be walking from Ely to Walsingham from 23 to 25 August 2013. This is a bank-holiday weekend. You can book online today on the LMS website (www.lms.org.uk), or call the office and book over the phone: (+44) (0)20 7404 7284

 

In total the walk is about 55 miles. On the way there will be:

* Solemn High Mass each day

* Mass in the private chapel of historic Oxburgh Hall

* Confession available throughout the pilgrimage

* Traditional Pilgrims Blessing at departure

* Pilgrim's booklet with all prayers, hymns, devotions and Masses

* Camping or indoor accommodation (contact the LMS for details)

* Support vehicles throughout the route (water, first aid, pick up)

 

There will also be a coach going from London to Walsingham on the Sunday for the final Mass of the pilgrimage and the Holy Mile. Contact the LMS for details.

Full details for the pilgrimage and frequently asked questions at the following link: http://www.lms.org.uk/news-and-events/2013-walsingham-walking-pilgrimage 

 

Priests or religious interested in attending do not need to book online and should contact the LMS directly.

Ancient Walsingham Prayer

 

O alone of all women, Mother and Virgin, Mother most happy, Virgin most pure, now we sinful as we are, come to see thee who are all pure, we salute thee, we honour thee as how we may with our humble offerings; may thy Son grant us, that imitating thy most holy manners, we also, by the grace of the Holy Ghost may deserve spiritually to conceive the Lord Jesus in our inmost soul, and once conceived never to lose him. Amen

Ocean to Ocean - Wales would like an explanation

That's a rather pompous headline, especially as I am not Welsh, merely an Englishman living in Wales, in the Diocese of what used to be called Menapia.

But I feel that Wales has been ignored (yet again) in the planning of an important event in the life of the Church.

The Madonna of Wales, Our Lady of Cardigan

It does not feature at all on the route of the Black Madonna icon on the Ocean to Ocean Pilgrimage.

The few Welsh folk that I have spoken to feel genuinely aggrieved that their country has not been included on the itinerary.

Wales lost out on the occasion of the last Papal visit and on the nationwide (almost) tour of the relics of St Jean Vianney.

Not unreasonable, I think, to ask why?
Especially as the jump from the British mainland to Ireland could so easily have been via Wales.

What has Wales done to be ignored in such a manner?

Wrexham Diocese has a new Bishop and the Archdiocese of Cardiff, Capital of Wales has a relatively new Archbishop in place. So why miss them out?

So, OK, Wales is not big in terms of numbers of Catholics but it probably runs pretty close to Scotland's Catholic population.

Wales is also home to the little known but very important shrine of Our Lady of Cardigan, Our Lady of the Taper, a mere 1,000 years or so old.

It is the national shrine of Wales and the equal of Walsingham. I would not wish to take anything away from England's national shrine but it would be good to see some support for Cardigan coming from the national Catholic associations who organise annual pilgrimages and who have affinity, allegedly, to both Wales and England.

And it would be good for Wales to be highlighted on the maps in the Vatican and Westminster so that, in future, due respect is paid fully to Our Lady and to Welsh Catholics.

Most feared by Satan - The Black Madonna

On 15th June 2012, Poland's Czarna Madonna Icon (Black Madonna)  began its 'Ocean to Ocean' Pro Life Pilgrimage from the Pacific Ocean port of Vladivostok with the final destination being Fatima and the Atlantic Ocean.

En route it will have visited vast swathes of Eastern Europe and many countries.

Here is how the organisers describe the pilgrimage:

On 15 June 2012 an icon of the Mother of God began its pilgrimage from the Pacific Ocean at Vladivostok in Russia to the Atlantic Ocean at Fatima in Portugal. The icon itself is a very beautiful replica of the Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The pilgrimage which has come to be known as Ocean to Ocean is an act of entrustment to Our Blessed Lady of the Civilisation of Life and Love which is now under massive global attack by the Culture of Death.

Ocean to Ocean combines a deeply spiritual pilgrimage with Our Lady with the promotion of the pro-life and pro-family teachings of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. It has received the blessing of high-ranking priests of the Orthodox Church in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Poland. In the West it has the support of many Catholic Bishops and priests and pro-life and pro-family groups.

At present it is in Britain, Scotland and England only, sadly, it will not visit Wales.

It would have been very fitting if the icon had been taken to the National Shrine of Wales, Our Lady of the Taper in Cardigan, equal to England's Walsingham Shrine to Our Lady.

The great thing is that Satan and his demons have a particular fear of the Black Madonna so we may ask, especially during the course of this visit,  for Our Blessed Mother's protection in the future.

The Pilgrimage website is HERE

A hymn for those on the road to Walsingham

Fr Bede Rowe is keeping all of us up to date (by the minute almost) as the pilgrims wend their way, via few good pubs, by all accounts, to give honour to Our Blessed Mother at the Walsingham Shrine.

It seems only fitting to pray for those on the pilgrimage and to give them this hymn to send them on their way.