Glastonbury Pilgrimage
A new year has begun and already preparations are under way for this year’s Pilgrimage to Glastonbury. Elsewhere on the website you will find details of how you can book your place either as an individual pilgrim or as part of a parish or group. It is a good idea to get this sorted out now as time moves on quickly and other events and commitments may soon crowd your diary!
As an incentive to you making a firm resolve to attend and, I hope, to encourage others to attend, I am pleased to be able to give you the news that this year we are looking forward to welcoming as our Preacher at the Pilgrimage Mass Father Harri Williams, who was installed as Parish Priest of Walsingham towards the end of last year. He will be preaching on the theme of Mary, Disciple of the Lord. Two years ago at Glastonbury we welcomed as our preacher the Administrator of the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, Father Kevin Smith, and so it is very good to know that we can continue this happy connection by welcoming his colleague at St Mary’s Church in England’s Nazareth. At the same time, I hope that pilgrims from South Wales – who are very important and long-standing fellow pilgrims at Glastonbury – will be pleased to know that they will see and hear one of their own in Father Harri.
We look forward to this day so much. Once again, as pilgrims together, we shall celebrate our Catholic Faith and heritage, as well as our common discipleship in the Gospel. May the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Son of God and Son of Mary, help us to hear once more his call to follow him, and may Mary, the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Glastonbury and of Walsingham, teach us how best to follow her Son and to be faithful in that calling not only to hear the Lord’s word but be ready to do it, too.
May God bless you all during this unfolding year.
Roger Jupp