Previous Pilgrimages...
Fatima 2010
Our first pilgrimage coincided with the visit of
the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, to Our Lady’s
Shrine in Fatima. We were therefore treated to a
Papal Mass (something that is usually a ‘once in
a life-time experience for most people) and it
was certainly the highpoint of our pilgrimage to
join the almost half a million people who
crammed into the Shrine for this unforgettable
occasion.
It was also important to experience some of the
history of the Shrine and so we had excursions
to Oobidoosh, and Aljustrel to see where the little shepherd children had lived and
where some of the apparitions had taken place. We also went to visit some of the
Churches in these places to experience how the Apparitions are still celebrated at a
local level.
Walsingham (Annual Pilgrimage)
A pilgrimage to England's Nazareth is a yearly
occurrence in the lives of most Anglo-Catholic
Parishes. We have always run the ‘weekend’
pilgrimage which entails us travelling on a Friday
to get to the Shrine in time for Vespers followed
by dinner.
Mass is said early on the Saturday morning
before breakfast and Stations of the Cross. We
then walk the mile to the Slipper Chapel (the
Roman Catholic Shrine) where we also generally stay for a coffee. After an afternoon at
leisure, which usually entails a trip to the coast, we come back for dinner and the
Saturday evening Liturgies, being the Shrine Mass and then the Ministries of Healing.
Sunday Mass is always celebrated at the Parish Church and this is followed by lunch
back at the Shrine, after which additional Ministries of Healing and Sprinkling at the
well are celebrated in the Shrine Church.
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