2012 Pilgrimage Timetable

For those who can't be with us, our timetable for next week is as follows:

SATURDAY, 25th AUGUST

9 am: Walking Tour of the town

10 am and 10.45 am: Helpers’ welcome meetings, Accueil Notre Dame

2.00 pm: Gathering Mass - St Bernadette Church (Grotto side), including the presentation of CA Hospitalité Insignia
3.30 pm: Clergy Briefing - Salle 3, Mgr Billere

SUNDAY, 26th AUGUST

9.30 am: International Mass - Basilica of St Pius X

8.15 pm: Young Helpers’ Service - Lac de Lourdes (all young helpers welcome)

MONDAY, 27th AUGUST

9.15 am: Assemble at the statue of the Crowned Virgin to process to the Grotto for Mass at 9.45 am

11.30 am: Pilgrimage photo (including the Hospitalité and Youth photos)

2.00 pm: Penitential Service - Rosary Basilica
4.00 pm: Stations of the Cross (Prairie)

8.30 pm: Hospitalité Service - St Joseph’s Chapel

TUESDAY, 28th AUGUST - Excursion Day

8.00 am: Mass for Northampton Diocese (St Joseph’s Chapel)

9.00 am: Mass for East Anglia Diocese (St Joseph’s Chapel)

9.00 am: Mass for Stonyhurst Pilgrimage (Accueil Saint Frai Upper Chapel)

9.00 am: Mass for British Carmelite Pilgrimage (St Patrick’s Chapel)
9.00 am: Mass for Southwark (Notre Dame Chapel)

9.00 am: Mass for Portsmouth Diocese & CA (Mgr Théas Chapel)

11.00 am: Mass for Clifton Diocese (Bartrès)

WEDNESDAY, 29th AUGUST

9.00 am: Prayers with the Assisted Pilgrims at the Baths
1.15 pm: Prayers at the CA vault, Lourdes Cemetery

3.00 pm: Mass organised by the children - St Pius X Basilica (far end)

5.00 pm: Stations of the Cross (High Stations). Unsuitable for wheelchairs.

THURSDAY, 30th AUGUST

9.00 am: Doctor’s talk on Lourdes medical aspects. Medical Bureau, Salle de
Conference “John Paul I”

10.30 am: Mass with the Anointing of the Sick - St Bernadette Church (Grotto side)

2.00 pm: Service of Thanksgiving - St Bernadette Church (Grotto side)

3.00 pm: Passage through the Grotto for Assisted Pilgrims. Leave from St
Bernadette Church after Thanksgiving Service.

FRIDAY, 31st AUGUST

8.00 am: Sending Forth Mass - St Bernadette Church (Carmel side)

Look out for us on the webcam! :)

New Portsmouth Bishop Announced

Shrewsbury vicar general appointed as new Bishop of Portsmouth. 

From Bishop Crispian Hollis:

Our New Bishop

Dear Brothers,

I am delighted to be able to give you the news that my successor has been appointed by the Holy See.

Mgr Philip Egan’s appointment to become the 8th Bishop of Portsmouth will be formally announced in Rome and here on Wednesday July 11th.

Needless to say, I warmly welcome this appointment for which we have been waiting a long time and I know that Bishop Philip will be very quickly made welcome in your midst as your diocesan bishop.

It looks at the moment as if his ordination will take place in the last week of September but as soon as there is a precise date and time, I will let you know. It is certainly very important that he is in post in time for the two overnight meetings with Fr Gerry O’Collins SJ. Those meetings (Oct 3rd/4th and Oct 9th/10th) were specifically planned for our inauguration of the Year of Faith and for that early and vital meeting between our new Bishop and the clergy.

Please note that as from Thursday, the prayer for the Bishop in the Eucharistic Prayer should be “…for Crispian, our Apostolic Administrator and Philip, our Bishop-elect…”

I can’t end this short note of joy without once again thanking you for all the love and patience you have shown me over the years and, in particular, in the last year when I have been ill.

With my blessings and prayers,

+Crispian

Canon Brian Murphy-O’Connor

Canon Brian Murphy-O’Connor, priest of the Diocese of Portsmouth and one time CA Chaplain to the Sick & Hospitalité, died in the early hours of Monday 11th June. May he rest in peace.

Brian was a great supporter of the CA Annual Pilgrimage and well known to many of us. He was also one of the founding members of the August stage group, which will be at it's strongest for some years, in 2012.

Canon Brian Murphy-O’Connor’s Funeral Mass will be concelebrated at St. Peter’s, Winchester on  

Wednesday 20^th June at 11.00 am.  There is no parking on site but it is only 10 minutes walk from the Railway Station

Photo (c) Anthony Martin

Congratulations to...

....Tracey & Nimal Hemelge on the birth of their daughter, Analena Hemelge born this morning weighing 8lb 1oz. Congratulations to them all. 

CA Hospitalité Newsletter - Spring 2012

From the CA Hospitalité:

The Hospitalite Newsletter is now available online for you to download and print out, here.

The hard copies through the post will start to arrive in the next week or so.  If you do have moved / changed your name in the last 12 months please email me with your details as soon as possible, as our records on file for you may be incorrect / out of date.

Equally if you no longer wish to receive your hard copy through the post, or prefer to read online / print it out yourself please email me to confirm your decision.  Printing the Newsletter out yourself, not only means you can print it out in colour, but of course it saves the CA Hospitalite a lot of money which means money can be better spent on other things.

This year’s newsletter has articles on our 2012 Lourdes theme, “Praying the Rosary with Bernadette”; a wonderful reflection by David Lewis alongside a look forward by Fr Nick King SJ; plus the usual favourites including Ask Les (now on page 3).

Our thanks go to all our contributors.

We look forward to seeing as many of you at the preparation days and in Lourdes as possible.

We hope you enjoy it.

Nimal Hemelge

Secretary

Ave Maria Accommodation

Ave Maria Hostel – Bookings for 2012

Many people will be aware that we usually have a group of helpers staying in the Ave Maria hostel – this is budget accommodation with a cafeteria-style restaurant in the same building.  Following renovations in the winter of 2010-11, all bedrooms have full en-suite facilities, but they are small and you have to make up your own bed. 

We have 14 places for the week of the 2012 pilgrimage, and some were still remaining at the time of the Newsletter going to press. If you want to apply, please let your Head of Service know as soon as possible.  Any helper can apply, particularly those on a limited budget.  If you have a friend(s) with whom you want to share, that’s great; otherwise Sadie will organise shares depending on the rooms (doubles and triples) which we are allocated.

Including all meals, the daily cost will be 25Euros, although you actually only pay for the meals that you eat.  Including travel with Tangney Tours, the whole week of the Pilgrimage would cost about £550 travelling by plane or £460 by train.

Pope Benedict XVI's 85th Birthday - Lourdes connection

On his 85th birthday (yesterday, 16 April 2012), Pope Benedict XVI, preached about two saints with strong connections with Lourdes. The first, Saint Bernadette is well known to us all, the second, is much less well known - Saint Benedict Joseph Labre. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre is the patron saint of pilgrims as he spent much of his life in pilgrimage. He is often invoked in Lourdes, although few will know why.

Here's a link to a brief report on Pope Benedict XVI's homily:

http://www.zenit.org/article-34609?l=english

Angela Imobeke

Those who have been to Lourdes recently, will remember Angela Imobeke, a girl who came to Lourdes with the Glanfield Group for many years with her mother Georgina.  

Sadly Angela died on Sunday night after a long illness and a brave fight.  

Please remember Angela and her family in your prayers at this very difficult time. Please also remember her Glanfield family in your prayers. 

Lance Thwaytes

Lancelot Henry Thwaytes died aged 86 on 26th February while visiting his son John Paul for a holiday in France.

Lance has been visiting all his five children regularly at their homes in Switzerland, France and Scotland respectively since they all lead busy lives and do not have much time to visit him in Appleby.  Lance's funeral will be Friday 16th March at 11.00am at Our Lady of Appleby Church .

Lance first went to Lourdes in 1948 - then in 1955/56 he joined the Catholic Association Pilgrimage and was a brancardier under Peter Crane and then Pat Tombe.  He brought his fiance Fiona to Lourdes in 1958 and she came a few times with him in the early days of their marriage but she was not so keen on Lourdes as Lance so he came and worked as a Branc when he could.

After Fiona died in 2004 he again came to Lourdes and was last on pilgrimage with the CA last August when we three all stayed together in the Padoue Hotel and had a very good week together. 

Both Michael and I will miss him and his particular form of humour greatly. We had planned to be in Lourdes again together this coming August but the Lord has had other plans for him!

May he Rest in Peace and rise in glory..

Ann Whitehead

Spring Serenade

An evening of favourites from the world of opera and song, followed by supper!

Annie Gill - mezzo soprano
Nicholas Mulroy - soprano
Joseph Middleton - piano

on Saturday 14 April 2012 at 7.30pm

Tickets are just £40 including interval refreshments or £30 for under 25s. Supper is £20.

Book your tickets early to avoid disappointment!

Contact Beverley Sillitoe at association@stonyhurst.ac.ukor by telephone:             01254 827043 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            01254 827043      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      

All proceeds to go to the Stonyhurst Pilgrimage Trust to help provide funds for assisted pilgrims, current pupils and recent OS.

Lent 2012

As members of the Catholic Association, it is important to consider our own personal pilgrimages, as well as the one in August. As such, on this first Friday in Lent, we wondered what have you given up for Lent? Or what have you taken on?

Let us know how your Lent devotions are going and what reading you recommend. We can then share ideas and thoughts

One popular practice is to read something "spiritual"? What spiritual reading do you recommend?

CA Hospitalité AGM 2012

Thanks to everyone who came along to our Annual General Meeting on 11 February 2012 in Sawston (East Anglia Diocese). The Council would like to thank Colette Sharrock for organising our AGM.

For photos and more information, please see the Carmelite report on the event by visiting: http://www.carmelite.org/index.php?nuc=news&func=view&item=676

The AGM report will be available soon. Past reports can be found here: http://www.catholicassociation.co.uk/hospitalite/agm.shtml

Praying the Rosary

This year the Pastoral Theme for Lourdes is With Bernadette, Praying the Rosary.

The Catholic Association Pilgrimage offers some thoughts on the theme in the Pilgrimage booklet and our website, but as this will not be till later in the year, the CA web team would like to share some early ideas.

The rosary is a popular devotion, and in addition to meditating on the mysteries, it is normal to say the rosary for a particular intention. How often do you pray the rosary? Why not try it this month?

If you are already confused, have a look at these pages of our website, which will provide some guidance:
http://www.catholicassociation.co.uk/spirituality/sayrosary.shtml and http://www.catholicassociation.co.uk/spirituality/rosaryabout.shtml

Given this year's theme, we are inviting our fellow pilgrims to pray the rosary for their bishops and priests. Our clergy need all the support that they can get as the tide of secularism increases, and many of them found the prayers during the Year for Priests (2009/2010) very helpful.

There is even a handy site where one can sign up and get reminders to pray for one's bishop:

http://rosaryforthebishop.org/

Let us know how your devotion has gone, or if you have any further thoughts, please let us know below…

CA web team

Piscines

"The Lourdes authorities plan to move its baths for pilgrims from the crowded concrete building near the famous grotto to a field just across the Gave River that allows more room for a modern and more welcoming structure. The new facility should open in 2014. Announcing the decision, Jacques Perrier, the retiring bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, said the waiting area at the current site was not well suited for meditation before the bath and the building lacked individual changing rooms. The area was also said to be overcrowded during peak pilgrimage periods."

(Thanks to Richard King)

New Bishop for Lourdes

Yesterday, a new Bishop of Tarbes & Lourdes was announced at the Grotto. The official Lourdes website states: "On February 11, at midday, at the Grotto, the archbishop of Toulouse, Mgr Robert Gall, announced that the Pope Benedict XVI had just named Mgr Nicolas Brouwet as the new Bishop of the diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes. He succeeds Mgr Jacques Perrier, who has been Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes for the last fifteen years."

A video is available here of the Service is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOADftKiiSA

Congratulations to...

..Dom and Clare Hartley on the birth of their son, Benjy Graham Hartley who was born at home on Saturday 11 February at 12.49pm, weighing 9lbs 11oz.

East Anglia

Message from Fr David Bagstaff

The process of appointment [of a new Bishop] will involve discernment of the present needs of the Church in East Anglia, so that we may be an ever more effective channel of God's love and grace for all the people who live in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Central to this discernment is prayer: prayer for the Diocese, prayer for those charged with its care during the period without a bishop, prayer for those involved in the choice of a new bishop. Please use the prayer below in your own daily prayer, that the Holy Spirit guide us all to know the Father's will.

Eternal God, shepherd and guide,

in your mercy give your Church in East Anglia

a shepherd after your own heart

who will watch over your people with loving care;

a leader of vision and a teacher of your truth

who will inspire young and old alike.

So may your Church be built up,

your Gospel heard,

and your name be glorified.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Our Lady of Walsingham - pray for us!

St. Felix - pray for us!

St. Edmund, King & Martyr - pray for us!

St. Etheldreda - pray for us!

More information: http://www.catholiceastanglia.org/files/uplink/frb.pdf

2012 CA changes

News from the Catholic Association Trustees

New appointments to the Pilgrimage Management Team

Chief Nurse

As advised in the recent Hospitalité Newsletter, Rachel Easton has been confirmed as Chief Nurse and will be in this role for the 2012 pilgrimage. If you know any nurses who are interested in joining the Pilgrimage, please pass them Rachel's contact details - chief_nurse@catholicassociation.co.uk

Chaplain to the Sick & CA Hospitalité

The newsletter also contained the news of the appointment of Fr Antony Lester, O.Carm as Chaplain to the Sick and to the Hospitalité.

Young Helpers’ Group Leaders

Shortly before Christmas, Becky Banfield regretfully informed the Trustees that she was unable to take on the role of Leader of the Young Helpers Group. Luckily David and Judy Ball, who live in Norwich, are prepared to take on this major pilgrimage responsibility.

David and Judy are well known to the Pilgrimage, and have been coming to Lourdes as a family for many years. Judy has been the Director of Music in Lourdes for the past few years, and David has been an elected member of the Hospitalité Council since 2010 and was deputy of the ceremonies team in 2011. They can be contacted by email using young_helpers@catholicassociation.co.uk or by phone on 01603 456627.

Tangney Tours were very flexible, and held back from printing the Pilgrimage Brochure while these arrangements were finalised. Those of you who travel with Tangney Tours should receive the CA Pilgrimage brochure and booking form in the next few days.

Music Group

Before they knew about this new role, Judy had already advised the CA Trustees that she wanted to step down as Director of Music after the 2012 pilgrimage. This role will be taken by Catherine Christmas of Portsmouth Diocese, who has been part of the music group for several years. She will work closely with Judy during 2012 to enable a smooth transition, and take overall responsibility from the end of the year.

East Anglia Diocesan Director

And finally - Ian Hatfield stepped down as East Anglia Diocesan Director at the end of the 2011 Pilgrimage. This role will now be taken by two Suffolk based deacons as a job-share. During the year, supporting publicity, recruitment etc, the main responsibility will be with Rev Alan McMahon who lives in Bury St Edmunds, phone 01284 756324. In Lourdes, the group will be led by Rev Clive Brooks who lives in East Bergholt. They can both be contacted at: eastanglia@catholicassociation.co.uk

Contact details for all members of the management team can be found here.

The Trustees would like to thank all these people who are volunteering their time to organise various aspects of the Pilgrimage, and we welcome them all to the management team.

Congratulations to...

...Victor and Anna Fauvelle on the birth of their son, Leopold Henry Fauvelle.

Hospitalité Winter Newsletter

From Nimal Hemelge:

The Hospitalité Newsletter is now available online for you to download and print out.

• View here

The hard copies through the post have started to arrive already. If you do not receive your copy through the post within three weeks and you have previously requested one, or you have moved / changed your name in the last 12 months please email me with your details as soon as possible, as our records on file for you may be incorrect / out of date.

Equally if you no longer wish to receive your hard copy through the post, or prefer to read online / print it out yourself please email me to confirm your decision. Printing the Newsletter out yourself, not only means you can print it out in colour, but of course it saves the CA Hospitalité a lot of money which means money can be better spent on other things.

This year’s newsletter has articles on our 2011 Lourdes theme, the Our Father; a wonderful reflection by Bishop Crispian; plus an article by Lourdes stalwart Nell Atkin on her experiences of travelling to Lourdes as an Assisted Pilgrim for the first time.

Our thanks go to all our contributors, including the Heads of Service and the Young Helper's Group Leader.

We look forward to seeing as many of you at the AGM (11 Feb 20112 – Sawston, see newsletter for details) as possible.

We hope you enjoy it.

God Bless,

Nimal Hemelge