THE P RTAL
October 2013
heart of the Capital City. They live a contemplative life
under the Benedictine Rule.
Page 12
at the altar of the Martyrs. A sister is available
for guided tours of the shrine daily at 10.30am,
3.30pm and 5.30pm. Groups should make a
prior appointment.
Mother Marie Adele Garnier died at Tyburn in
1924. Her tomb is beside the Crypt where those heroic
martyrs are remembered with so much devotion. The Convent address is:
Her prayers are sought for favours regarding babies,
Tyburn Convent,
families, property, financial matters, priests and
8 Hyde Park Place, London W2 2LJ
spiritual needs. The Sisters ask that if you do receive,
Correspondence should be addressed to
as a response to your prayer, any material or spiritual
“The Mother General”
favour through the intercession of Mother Marie
Web Site: www.tyburnconvent.org.uk
Adele Garnier, (Mother Mary of St Peter), that you
before the Blessed Sacrament
inform them.
Before I left, I took a “peep” inside the upstairs
many relics
Chapel. A Sister kneels before the Blessed Sacrament
The subterranean Chapel is a holy place. It contains in silent prayer. Sister Josephine told me they do this in
many relics of those terrible times - bloodstained half-hour slots throughout the day. Of course, mass is
shirts, pieces of bone, locks of hair, devotional material celebrated, and people come and go all day long. Some
and pictures of the Blessed. It seems that once dead, stay for an hour or so, others for just a few minutes.
the bodies were just
However, they all join the Sisters in their
thrown into a pit
prayer of adoration.
beside the gallows.
Catholic Emancipation
Such contempt for
Leaving the Convent I walked across Hyde
life was not reserved
Park to Apsley House, the home of the 1st Duke
for the Christian
of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley the hero of
Martyrs. In those
Waterloo. This turned out to be serendipity.
awful days, people
Looking round the house, I learned that
were executed for
Wellesley was Prime Minister for just two
- to our minds years. However, 1829, the year of Catholic
trivial crimes such
Emancipation, was one of them. Wellesley
as stealing a loaf of
had to force this through against tremendous
bread.
opposition. Even the King opposed the idea so strongly
When the Christian Martyrs were executed, their that Wellesley resigned in protest. Realising that this
friends would often scavenge the pit for relics. So meant trouble, the King persuaded him to reconsider.
pieces of bone or a piece of cloth would be rescued, Wellesley returned to the Premiership.
valued and kept safe.
outstandingly brave
It occurred to me that those who saved these relics
were outstandingly brave; after all they were venerating
people who had been executed as “traitors”. Thank
God they were brave, for it means that we have those
precious relics. They remind us of what intolerance
can mean for the population at large. This is, surely, a
lesson we need to remember in our own day.
English Treachery
It was not that Wellesley was especially pro-Catholic;
rather he thought such a move would avert war in
Ireland which had joined the Union only in 1801. In
the end, Wellesley got his Measure but had to grant
so many concessions to his opponents that the Irish
accused him of “English Treachery”.
If you find yourself near Marble Arch, you might
care to do three things. Firstly, call in and see the
DVD of their life
Sisters, their Chapel and the crypt. Secondly, walk to
The Sisters have also made a DVD of their life, and the junction of Edgware Road and Bayswater Road.
this may be purchased from the Convent for £15. They Cross the road to the traffic island, and there you will
have books and pamphlets about their life and that find a circular concrete disc set into the pavement. It
of the martyrs they venerate. The Convent Web Site marks the spot of the Tyburn Tree. Amid the bustle of
states:
traffic and tourists, stand awhile and join the English
Pilgrims and tourists from all over the world
Martyrs in a prayer for the Conversion of England.
visit the Shrine of the Martyrs at Tyburn.
Thirdly, visit Apsley House and see the seat of the
Catholic priests may arrange to celebrate Mass
Dukedom.