Sponsored Walk 2010

On Saturday, 29 May 2010, a few members of the CA successfully walked along the Ridgeway, which is Britain's oldest road, for 15 – 20 miles to raise money for the CA Hospitalite and Glanfield Children's Group. The team was (from left to right in photo): Thomas Gallop, Mary Maybury, Steve Daly, David Thonger, Nicole Gallop, Therese Gallop, Terri Betts, Naomi Ball, Judy Ball, David Ball, Matt Betts, Andrew Loynd, Jane Cadogan, Bernard Kelly and John Kelly. And, Mary Kelly, who took the photo.

New Archbishop of Southwark

Congratualtions to Archbishop Peter Smith, who was installed at St George's Cathedral, Southwark on Thursday, 10th June 2010 to become the new Archbishop of Southwark.

Archbishop Peter Smith was born in Battersea on 21st October 1943. He completed his secondary education at Clapham College and gained his degree (LLB) from Exeter University in 1966. He studied for the priesthood at St John's Seminary, Wonersh, and was ordained Priest on 5th July 1972.

His first appointment was as an assistant priest at St Francis, Stockwell (1972 - 1974). In 1977 he gained his Doctorate in Canon Law (JCD) from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome and became Professor of Canon Law at St John's Seminary (1977 - 1984). He was parish priest of St Andrew's, Thornton Heath, (1984 - 1985) and Rector at St John's Seminary from 1985 - 1995.

He was appointed as Bishop of East Anglia in 1995 and Archbishop of Cardiff in 2001. On 30th April 2010, the Holy Father announced that he would succeed Archbishop Kevin McDonald as the tenth Archbishop of Southwark.

Archbishop Peter is Vice-President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Since 1998, he has been Chairman of the Department of Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Bishops' Conference.

His previous responsibilities have been as Chairman of the Catholic Truth Society (1993 - 2007) and Chairman of the Central Religious Advisory Committee (CRAC) of the BBC and ITC (2001 - 2004).

Congratulations to...

...Kate McCaffrey who has just completed her first half marathon on Sunday 23 May 2010 to raise money for the CA Hospitalite. Kate has raised over £600. Well done!

Benemerenti Congratulations

Special congratulations to John and Ros Hartley who have both received the Benemerenti in acknowledgement of their years of service to Catholic Church.

Congratulations to...

...Cliona and Paul Devereux on the birth of their new baby boy, Colm Patrick Devereux. Colm was born on 15 March 2010 at 9.36am.

Muriel Shryane

Muriel Shryane mother of Father Tony and Father Phillip Shryane passed away on Monday 8th March in her 92nd year.

There will be a Mass on Thursday 18th March at 7.30pm at Bury St Edmunds and the Requiem Mass will be on Friday 19th March at 12pm, at All Souls Church Peterborough.

Michael Gilbert

Please remember in your prayers Michael Gilbert organiser of wheelchairs, co-ordinator at Stansted and ex-Secretary of the Catholic Association who has been coming to Lourdes for over 20 years.

He was recently diagosed as having bowel cancer and underwent a short course of radiotherapy followed by surgery. He is now recovering and thanks everyone for their prayers.

Photo (c) Matt Betts

AGM 2010

At the recent AGM for the Catholic Association, a number of announcements were made:

Colette Sharrock, Hospitalite President, will be standing down after Lourdes 2010. Nimal Hemelge, Hospitalite Secretary thanked Colette for her stirling work over the last few years - a great example to us all. It was announced that Chris Buller would be taking on the role as President from September 2010.

The two new Elected Members were also announced. They will be David Ball (for three years) and Vicki Gale (for two years). Nimal Hemelge, Hospitalite Secretary, thanked Martine O'Meara who was standing down at the AGM for her six years of service. He also thanked James, Jane and Andrew for putting their names forward for the election.

Finally, the President, Colette Sharrock, announced that Matt Betts will succeed Rupert Bell as Chief Brancardier from October 2010.

Paschal Hemelge

From Nimal Hemelge:

It is my sad duty to inform you that my father passed away on Saturday morning. Lourdes was his life long passion, and travelled with the CA for many years during the 80's and 90's. He instilled in me a love for Lourdes. He had returned from Hospital the night before, and the nuns in the nursing home, where he has spent the last 7 years looked after him, and got him ready for bed. During the night, he woke up, prayed with the Sister Superior and passed away. Thankfully he wasn't in any pain, and was completely unaware he was leaving us.

Now he is reunited with Hazel and joins the chorus of saints in heaven. I would be grateful if you could remember him in your prayers, and pass this news onto those that knew him.

May he Rest in Peace.

Christmas Carol Singing 2009

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Carol Singing in London to raise money for the Glanfield Children's Group on 19 December 2009. The event was organised by Matthew Sharrock and raised lots of money for the group. Well done to everyone involved.

Archbishop of Southwark

The Archbishop of Southwark has resigned with "great sadness" due to ill health.

Archbishop Kevin McDonald, 62, has had a triple heart bypass.

He also suffers from severe osteoarthritis which has already necessitated surgery and he may need more next year.

Archbishop McDonald, who was installed in Southwark six years ago, said: "I feel great sadness at having to relinquish my post as Archbishop of Southwark."

He added: "Although I have had to contend with illness over the last three years, this appointment has been a great grace.

"It has been a privilege to lead this great diocese and I have received a wonderful response to everything I have tried to do.

"I have also been very appreciative of the prayers of so many people while I have been ill.

"The diocese will continue to be very much in my thoughts and prayers in the time ahead."

Archbishop McDonald, who became a priest in 1974, was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

A spokesman for the Catholic Church in England and Wales said Pope Benedict XVI had accepted Archbishop McDonald's resignation on Friday.

Congratulations to...

Hannah and Keiron (Zippy) O’Brien on the recent birth of their daughter, Lily.

Congratulations to...

...Nimal Hemelge and Tracey McEvoy on their recent wedding at Corpus Christi Church, Wokingham. The couple were surrounded by many family and friends. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Tony Lester, O.Carm.

Congratulations to...

..Emily and James Baker on the birth of their daughter, Isabelle. Isabelle was born on 18 October 2009.

Please keep this new family in your prayers.

Congratulations to...

....Matt Betts and Terri Parry who married on 24 July 2009 at Corpus Christi Church, Bournemouth amongst lots of family and friends. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Nicholas King, SJ and Fr Tony Lester, O.Carm. It was concelebrated by Fr John Warrington, Mgr Bill Saunders, Fr Hilary Thomas, SJ, Fr Simon Blakesley, Fr Michael Flannery, SJ and others.

CA Ball 2009

Thank you to everyone who attended the CA Ball 2009 to help us raise funds for Glanfield and the CA Hospitalite. It was a wonderful night and everyone had a great time.

Photo (c) Dail Maudsley

Walsingham Retreat - 2009

Processing to the Slipper Chapel with the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham

Every two years the CA Hospitalité holds a retreat at Walsingham - organised with Jim Walton.

The latest retreat took place on 24 - 26 April 2009, led by Fr Simon Blakesley.

It was a beautiful sunny weekend and full of great friends – all of which made it all the more special. On Friday and Saturday, Simon discussed many of the teachings of the Church, and taught us a number of new things. Our main theme of discussion was the life of Our Lady, and how she is written about in the New Testament; we followed her life from when she first discovered she was pregnant, right up to Jesus’s death. Simon then helped us to understand
the place Our Lady has in the Catholic Church. On Sunday, we processed down to the Slipper Chapel on a glorious sunny day, led by Simon.

Thank you to Fr Simon and to Jim Walton for organising another wonderful retreat.

A message from Colette Sharrock, President:

In 1988 the first CA Hospitalité weekend retreat was held in Walsingham, instigated by David Lewis and others. Jim Walton was working at Elham House at that time and became involved in the organisation. In 1991 Jim himself then took on the co-ordination of a further CA retreat and subsequently has been organising these bi-annually ever since, with, I may, say great expertise.

At the end of this years retreat, Jim approached me to say he felt it was time to move on and hand over the reins to someone else. He will be a difficult act to follow, but if there is anyone out there who feels they might like to take on this job, please let a member of the Council know. Jim has promised to give his full help and support. Hopefully the next retreat will be in 2011, so plenty of time to prepare!

Meantime, Jim, on behalf of the Hospitalité, may I offer our heartfelt thanks for all the hard work over the past 20 years; those of us who have been lucky enough to attend these retreats, have enjoyed them immensely.

Francis Brassington

The CA Hospitalite has just heard the very sad news that Francis Brassington passed away on 1 March.

Francis Brasington travelled with the CA for 25+ as an assisted pilgrim and was a well known figure in the Accueil. He was also a dedicated prayer member.

Lourdes was the main focus of his life and as soon as he returned he spoke of booking for next year.

He will be sadly missed by all the Hospitalite and Pilgrimage.

May he Rest in Peace.

Congratulations to...

to Nimal Hemelge and Tracey McEvoy on the birth of their son, Raphael Ephram Hemelge born 4 February 2009.

Congratulations to...

to Danielle and Martin Toyer on the birth of their son, Laurence Stewart Toyer born 25 January 2009.

Changes in the Pilgrimage

The CA Trustees and Hospitalité Council would like to thank the outgoing Heads of Service - Sadie Vile, Frances Presgraves and Trevor Fernandes who have all done sterling work over the years. Thank you for your service.

We would also like to welcome Anna Jackson, Sue Woodford and Adam Farmer who will be taking on these roles and wish them well in the next few years.

Our Hospitalité Secretary, Matt Betts is also standing down after five years in the role, and we would like to thank him for his work. Nimal Hemelge will succeed him as Secretary from the AGM 2009.

Cycle ride to Lourdes 2008

From Patrick Noble and Dail Maudsley: Well, we made it!! We just wanted to let you all know that the trip was a great success, Patrick made it to Lourdes as planned and at the moment we are on our way to raising even more than our original target! We are raising for the Glanfield Children's Group. To see the current total, click here.

That’s obviously brilliant news! So we wanted to let you know just how it went and Patrick and I have prepared a little document to outline the trials and tribulations along the way and a few photos.

Click here to view.

Congratulations to...

Lisa and Fabio Galantini who had a baby boy, Daniel, last month.

Benemerenti Congratulations

Special congratulations to Ann and Michael Whitehead who have both received the Benemerenti in acknowledgement of their years of service to the Association of British Members of the Hospitalité and Lourdes. For many years, Ann was the CA's Chief Handmaid.

Stonyhurst College Rose Gardens

The Stonyhurst College Pilgrimage have celebrated the 2008 anniversary in a unique way by building a commemorative rose garden at the front of the school. The four hundred year old school has a long history of dedication to Our Lady and the garden is a great addition to the grounds.

Ann Garner

by Chris Buller

It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that Ann Garner passed away on 1 May in Bedford South Wing hospital after developing oesophageal cancer having been in hospital for a few weeks. Ann was adopted as a young child and, when her adoptive parents passed away, was left with no family. But through Lourdes she became a part of the Buller family and came to both my sister and my weddings.

I first met Ann on the train in Boulogne when I was on night duty and saw a frightened and nervous lady and quickly got the old regulars to talk to her and allay her fears about what lay ahead. As so often is the case for the first day or two in Lourdes she claimed to dislike the place and wanted to go home, out of fear of the unknown I suspect, but by the end of week she had been converted into Lourdes addict and was already planning her return for the next year. She came for many years until her numerous afflictions started to get the better of her, culminating in contracting MRSA and C-Diff on her regular visits to her hospital.

Ann lived on the 8th floor of a residential tower block in Bedford and whilst it may sound an unsuitable location it was next to the main bus station and so it was easy for her wide circle of friends to reach her. Ann was a regular on the Community Service Unit (otherwise affectionately known by the schoolchildren as ‘granny bashing’ for those children who did not join the CCF or do the Duke of Edinburgh awards). She made a great many friends through the local school initiative and was very influential with many of the children and I know she helped counsel a number of children away from a drugs problem, and made friends for life with those children, but also with their parents, a number of whom attended her funeral.

Those of you who remember Ann will recall that she was a very poor sleeper in Lourdes and that she, along with her fellow Bedford pilgrims Gina and Stephanie, would be found on the roof of the Accueil smoking and chatting away, all night if they could get away with it! All three of them proved to be popular company for the night staff teams who enjoyed having a puff during the night.

In the last few years in Lourdes, Ann became a prayer member of the Hospitalité and I know she was overjoyed to be asked and always attended the Hospitalité service when in Lourdes. I will miss calling her ‘ratbag’ (a nickname only the male ward members were allowed to use), her generous and caring nature, her great sense of humour and her ability to cope with all the pranks and jokes that the ward team used to play on her.

May she Rest in Peace. (2008)

British Province of Carmelites to join the CA Pilgrimage

The trustees of the Catholic Association have accepted the request of the British Province of Carmelites to join the CA Pilgrimage to Lourdes.

The Carmelite Order is one of the Church ’ s ancient religious communities, founded in the Holy Land some 800 years ago. Today the Carmelite Family is made up of friars, nuns, sisters, hermits and lay people, who form praying communities at the service of all God’s people.

Carmelites have a particular devotion to Mary the Mother of God, and the final apparition of Our Lady to Saint Bernadette took place on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Although individual Carmelites have taken part in the Catholic Association Pilgrimage over a number of years, the British Province of Carmelites will formally come under the umbrella of the Catholic Association for its Pilgrimage during the Jubilee Year 2008, marking the 150th anniversary of the apparitions at the Grotto.

The Pilgrimage Director for the Carmelites will be Johan Bergström-Allen, a lay member of the Order and former councillor of the Lourdes Hospitalité and the CA Hospitalité.

The Carmelites will come to Lourdes under the leadership of the Prior Provincial. The current Prior Provincial, Fr Tony Lester, said “Having been a brancardier with the Catholic Association Pilgrimage for the last few years, I’m delighted that my fellow Carmelites will be able to come to Our Lady’s sanctuary in Lourdes with such a fine group of pilgrims. Collaborating with the CA will mean that we can accompany more assisted pilgrims, and we shall work hard to recruit more volunteer helpers, particularly nurses and young people.”

Congratulations to...

the following CA members who have recently married:
Emily McEwen and James Baker
Paul Dowson and Anne O’Reilly

Walsingham Retreat - 2007

Maggie Clark leads the procession to the Slipper Chapel

Fr Tony Lester, O.Carm led the weekend on 27 - 29 April, 2007 - which at times was moving and at other times controversial, but always sincere and very thought provoking. It was good to feel safe in what we thought and ask the questions we often keep hidden.

Fr Tony’s visit to Germany was obviously still fresh in his mind as he told us some interesting stories and left us with good quotations, which he developed in a lovely way. He has a wonderful ability to make people feel good about themselves and totally loved by God.

Fr Tony’s quotation from St Hildergard will stay with us for a long time: “Listen to your desire for life it is the word of the Holy Spirit”: this lead to some interesting discussions all weekend.

Thank you to Jim Walton for organising another excellent retreat, and to Fr Tony Lester for leading it.

Helen Caroll at the Retreat

Congratulations to...

John Holden on getting his Masters at the very young age of 83! John (centre) is pictured with Bert and Kathleen King. See some more photos of this special day.