Northampton Diocese

Two members of Northampton Diocese have recently written for the Diocesan newspaper about their experiences of Lourdes with the diocese and the CA.

In the article, Paul Deveraux and Tracey Hemelge talk about their experiences of bringing family to Lourdes this year.

To read the full article, please view here.

HCP News

Peter and Mike Tingle join Simon Gallop and Nicole Gallop Mildon as HCP coordinators following the resignation of Chris and Hillie Buller.  Our thanks to Chris and Hillie as founding members for all their hard work over the years!

Families wishing to book their children in with HCP can download the form here. HCP accepts the children of helpers (handmaids, brancardier, nurses and doctors); it can also accept the children of Assisted Pilgrims on a case by case basis.

People wishing to volunteer with HCP are most welcome - please download the form here. We have a preference for people who have come with the CA as a helper at least once before and who have experience of childcare/teaching/youth groups.

Deadline for returning forms is 31 May 2011.

Please do not hesitate to contact HCP by email if you have any queries. 

Sponsored Walk 2011

As previously promised, here's a few more details about the walk:

We're meeting at 9:30 at North Greenwich pier, near the O2 (what used to be the Millennium Dome) and North Greenwich tube station.

We'll then walk west along the Thames, keeping as close to the river as possible until we get to Putney Bridge, where we will congregate in an appropriate pub for a meal and a few well-deserved drinks (venue tbd - suggestions welcome).

This route will be a little over 15 miles. While the terrain is pretty flat and even, some of you may not wish to walk the whole course. If that's you there is the option to use public transport to skip ahead and rejoin the main group.

For those who walk the entire thing, it should mean walking at a relaxed pace for about 6 or 7 hours, including rest stops, which means finishing by 5:00pm.

Sponsorship is going well, mainly thanks to the off-line fundraising many of you are doing. Please continue to gather pledges on our website, it's such a worthwhile cause: http://www.bmycharity.com/SW2011

So, any questions? Now's the time to ask them! Reply here or email us here.

John and Matt

Phil Devlin

The CA Hospitalité is extremely sad to announce that Mr Phil Devlin has passed away. He died early on Monday morning in Hitchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon after he had a fall at home last week where he broke a shoulder and leg. He developed a chest infection at hospital.

Phil has been coming to Lourdes since 1997, first with the GOBS Group, and then as an Assisted Pilgrim. He recently joined the CA Hospitalite as a Prayer Member.

May he Rest in Peace.

Happy Easter

The Catholic Association webteam would like to wish everyone a very Happy and Holy Easter weekend.

(Photo is from the Upper Basilica and was taken by Matt Betts.)

St Benoît-Joseph Labre

At various times during the CA Pilgrimage or during the Act of Consecration, we often pray to St Benoît-Joseph Labre, the pilgrim saint. Who was St Benoît-Joseph Labre? The Catholic Herald has written an excellent mini-biography of this great and humble saint, here.

Teresa Stockton

The CA Hospitalité is extremely sad to announce the death of Teresa Stockton, a long standing assisted pilgrim of the CA Pilgrimage, who passed away last week. Teresa was also a Prayer Member of the Hospitalité.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.

May she Rest in Peace.

CA Walsingham Retreat

On the weekend of 8th-10th April 2011 members of the Catholic Association Pilgrimage went on a retreat to Walsingham, England's National Marian Shrine, which is celebrating its 950th anniversary this year.

The retreat was led by Fr Antony Lester and organised by Mrs Pat Richardson. There were over forty attendees, including several past and present Heads of Service.

The following report comes from the British Province of the Carmelites:

"With Holy Week approaching, Fr. Antony invited his fellow Lourdes volunteers to consider what their impression of "The Passion" is, and how it has been influenced by art. He spoke of "The Passion" both as the suffering and death of Christ, and of his passion as an icon of God's passionate love for every human being.

The group stayed in Elmham House Catholic retreat centre, celebrated liturgies together in the Church of the Annunciation, and visited the various different places of worship run by different denominations in Walsingham. Many enjoyed social time in the beautiful Norfolk village, and made a trip to Wells-Next-The-Sea.

On the Sunday morning the group made the traditional Holy Mile procession along the Pilgrim's Way from the village of Little Walsingham to the Slipper Chapel in Houghton St. Giles."

Our group attended during the 950th Anniversary since the shrine was founded, and the whole CA Hospitalite received a certificate to commemorate our retreat in 2011. View here.

More information on our retreat is here.

Thank you to Fr Antony Lester and Mrs Pat Richardson on providing everyone with such a wonderful weekend. Our slideshow of photos is below (thanks to Johan Bergstrom-Allen and Terri Betts for letting us use these).

Bishop Crispian receives a road honour

The road outside Bishop's House, Portsmouth and St John's Cathedral was re-named Bishop Crispian Way on Sunday, to mark his forthcoming retirement after 22 years service.

The road naming was a surprise for the Bishop and was revealed to him after Mass on Sunday morning by the Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson. Bishop Hollis was installed as the seventh Bishop of Portsmouth on 27 January 1989.

Bishop Crispian said: 'I am overwhelmed by the honour that is being done to me by the renaming of what I might call our section of Edinburgh Rd. As far as I know, no such honour has been done to any of my predecessors and I am still at a little bit of a loss to know what I have done to deserve this honour.

'I have now lived in the city of Portsmouth for nearly 23 years and I have come to love it as my home. I have always tried to engage myself in the life of the wider community of the city and when the time comes for me to leave, I will do so with great sadness.

'But I don't want to dwell on that today. Suffice it to say that I thank the Leader of the Council and his colleagues for the honour that they do me and the honour that they do to the whole diocese at the heart of which is our great city of Portsmouth.'

Bishop Crispian is leading the CA Pilgrimage this year, and is the CA Hospitalité Patron.