The Closing Mass
It hardly seems possible that our pilgrimage is drawing to a close but we've again arrived at the final day. The Gospel was the one which deals with the sending out of the 72 disciples and in his homily Bishop Bernard Longley recalled the three 'Ps' that Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor spoke of at the first Mass. Prayer, Penance and Perseverance and told us all that we mustn't let this moment of Grace pass us by. He reminded us all that we could all still harvest the fruits of our pilgrimage and still receive the graces we have received once we are back in our parishes and living, once again, our normal lives.
At the end of this Mass Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor thanked Father Chris Vipers for all his hard work as Pilgrimage Director over the past five years and presented him with a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The Pilgrimage Candle
The was just one more solemn procession to take part in. At the end of Mass the huge Westminster Pilgrimage candle was taken to the Grotto where Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor blessed it and placed it just nearbye in a special candle holder. He then did the same for St: Joseph's Pastoral Centre who had prepared their own candle on which they had all written their names. These candles were then lit and left there as a reminder of all our prayers.
The 2008 Pilgrimage - a message from Fr. Dennis Touw
Fr. Dennis Touw is the new Director of the Pilgrimage, taking over from Fr. Chris Vipers
I am looking forward to the 2008 Pilgrimage enormously. I first came to Lourdes in 1981 and I've been coming back ever since. You can't come too often, and every time you come you learn something new from Our Lady's message to us and her compassion in bringing us to Jesus.
It is an extraordinary privilege to be taking on this long established Pilgrimage and I have to give credit to Fr. Chris Vipers and the team for such hard work over the last five years. 2008, the 150th anniversary year, promises to a really important and what we must do as a Diocese is start to prepare for next year as soon as we get home.
Most Catholics know about Lourdes but not all think about going, so we have a chance to double or even treble our numbers over the next few years. The more we can get to come, the more we can get people to hear the message of Our Lady, repent and believe the Gospel.
Thank-you and goodbye!
Thanks to all the people involved in the Pilgrimage who made this blog possible, especially Elizabeth Flynn and Fr. Chris Vipers. If you want to comment on this blog or make any suggestions on how we can improve it in 2008, please send an e-mail to news@rcdow.org.uk
The Redcaps Service of Thanksgiving
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, his fellow bishops and some of the diocesan priests took a back seat, literally and figuratively, at this service which was presented by the Redcaps themselves.
The opening song was the famous Beatles number, Let It Be. Fiona Mansford gave a few words of welcome and introduced a Power Point presentation of images of the Redcaps at their various duties on the pilgrimage. Three of the Redcaps spoke of their impressions of Lourdes and what has struck them.
The last word was with the Cardinal who Referred to the occasion in the Gospel when Jesus asked his apostles if they would go away from him and Peter asked to whom they should go since Jesus has the words of eternal life. In recalling this Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor told us that in Lourdes one lives a different kind of rythmn and it's necessary to be aware that the Christian life requires a different rythmn (from the rest of the world)
The Service finished with everyone clapping in time and singing along to the well-known lyrics of Lean On Me.
- Reflection of Emily McGrath
I came here with mixed emotions, not knowing how I would feel. Firstly I was struck by the kindness and friendliness of everyone. As the week went on I realised that reconciliation has to take place within oneself before you can be reconciled with others. I got the chance to sit in the peacefulness of the grotto and reflect on my relationships with my family and friends and realised how important they were to me and how important it is to be reconciled with them and ask for forgiveness. At last night's Reconciliation Service we were reminded that ultimately we need to be reconciled with God whose mercy goes far beyond any human forgiveness.
- Reflection of Brendan O'Shea
This is my third year in Lourdes and everytime I have come I have come away with something different. This year I have already received a sense of great respect for those people who work day in, day out, with those who are handicapped or suffer from an illness. I am here just for a week but there are people out there who do this everyday of the year: Though we are just midway through the week I now have a huge respect for those amazing people. I ask you to think of them when you pray:
The Blessed Sacrament Procession
It was a beautifully hot this afternoon when this moving and solemn procession, led today by the Westminster diocese, wound from the Tent of the Blessed Sacrament through the Sanctuary to the underground Basilica where there was a time of Adoration followed by Benediction.
The Pilgrimage Party
To be absolutely honest there were really two pilgrimage parties. The first, in the Hotel Mèditerranèe, took the form of a sing-song. Michael Slater had provided song sheets for everyone and Father Pat Brown opened the proceedings by leading us in some well-known numbers. Most of the pilgrims came and joined in the fun and there was a great deal of mingling and chatting, with new friends as well as old. As the evening wore on more and more brave souls came to the microphone to do their bit to entertain the rest of the company.
The Second Pilgrimage party followed on from the first and was organised by the Redcaps over the river at La Terasse. The earlier event must have been good exercise for the the throat because here Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, glass of beer in one hand, took the microphone and delighted everyone with a very creditable rendition of Brown-Eyed Girl.
