UNITED KINGDOM: Pilgrimages for the persecuted in the month of Mary

By John Newton

Pilgrims carrying a statue of Our Lady at Walsingham

Aid to the Church in Need is putting the finishing touches to preparations for pilgrimages to the national Marian shrines of both Scotland and England.

The pilgrimages both take place on the same day –Saturday, 22^nd May – as the focal points of an annual day of prayer for suffering Catholics.

The day occurs amid reports of continuing acts of violence and intimidation especially in parts of the Middle East, Sudan and Pakistan.

This year Aid to the Church in Need will be organising a pilgrimage to Carfin Grotto, Motherwell – Scotland’s national shrine to Our Lady – as well as the annual pilgrimage to Walsingham. The events will run simultaneously on Saturday, 22^nd May – the feast of St Rita of Cascia.

The pilgrimage to Carfin has been introduced following the opening last autumn of Aid to the Church in Need’s Scottish office in Motherwell.

Dermot Lamb, Aid to the Church in Need's Scottish administrator, said: “The pilgrimage is a way for people to show their prayerful solidarity with the millions of persecuted Christians around the world who they are helping through Aid to the Church in Need.

“The day will be an opportunity to bring the suffering Church to the intercession of our Blessed Lady.”

The Carfin pilgrimage begins at 12 noon in the grotto next to St Francis Xavier Church and includes Mass, a Rosary procession and the Way of the Cross. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will take place in Carfin’s Glass Chapel.

There will be a talk on the charity by its UK director, Neville Kyrke-Smith.

Mr Lamb underlined the importance of both pilgrimages taking place on the same day.

He said: “As we are meeting in Carfin, a similar pilgrimage will be taking place in Walsingham making it a special day of prayer for Aid to the Church in Need.”

Having first started praying for the persecuted Church at Walsingham in the 1970s, this year’s pilgrimage will be the fourth consecutive event since the initiative was revived in 2007.

At Walsingham the day begins with the Angelus prayer at 12 noon in the Catholic Shrine to Our Lady.

Mass is at 1.30pm and afterwards Aid to the Church in Need UK chaplain Fr Martin Edwards will lead a Rosary procession to the Church of the Annunciation in Walsingham village where Benediction will be held.

Walsingham pilgrimage organiser Margaret Regan said: “Aid to the Church in Need is once again going on pilgrimage to Walsingham, England’s Nazareth, to entrust our suffering brothers and sisters around the world to the prayers of our blessed mother.

“At this ancient place of devotion to Our Lady, we will be beseeching her intercession for the persecuted Church.”

Miss Regan added: “This year we will be delighted to welcome to Walsingham many of our returning pilgrims and indeed many new pilgrims.”

Find out more about our pilgrimages

Tagged with

• Diocese of East Anglia
• Diocese of Motherwell
• East Anglia
• Our Lady
• Pilgrimage
• Prayer
• Scotland
• United Kingdom

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