ALH Newsletter 2014 12 - Ampleforth Hospitalité of Our Lady of

Ampleforth Hospitalité
Our Lady of Lourdes
December 2014 Newsletter
MASS AT GROTTO AMPLEFORTH LOURDES 2014
This year in Lourdes we are asked to
reflect on the “Joy of Conversion”, the
joy of change, the joy of doing something
different, the joy of being different.
Conversion means to give up what I am, for
what I can become. It is a constant invitation
to truly discover my potential
Inevitably these words, conversion, and
change, brings a certain uneasiness. What is
it I am being asked to change? Blessed John
Henry Newman has a powerful saying
“To live is to change, to be perfect is to have
changed often.”
This introduces yet another difficult word,
more challenging possibly than change or
conversion, it is the word perfect! “I am not
perfect! Who can be perfect? Yet Jesus tells
us…….
“Be perfect as your heavenly Father is
perfect….” Matthew 5:48 “If you would be
perfect sell all your goods give your money to
poor and come and follow me...” Matthew
19:21
These two powerful statements of Jesus
will surely further increase our anxiety!
So what is perfection? Surely Jesus would
not ask us to do something that is not
possible! Perfection is the particular, unique
way, for each human being to become who
he/she is meant to be, the person God
created me to be! So who am I meant to
be? Stand by for another unnerving word!
“I hope that among those of you listening to
me today there are some of the future saints
of the twenty-first century. What God wants
most of all for each one of you is that you
should become holy? He loves you much more
than you could ever begin to imagine, and he
wants the very best for you. And by far the
best thing for you is to grow in holiness.” Pope
Benedict at St Marys Twickenham
So if perfection is the, particular, unique,
way for me to become who I am meant to
be, then sanctity is the fruit. For me to be a
saint means to become my true self.
“The secret of my identity is hidden in the
love and mercy of God. Therefore I cannot
hope to find myself anywhere except in
Him. Ultimately the only way that I can be
myself is to be identified with Him in whom
is hidden the reason and fulfilment of my
existence. Therefore there is only on problem
on which all my existence, my peace and
my happiness depend; to discover myself
in discovering God. If I find Him I will find
myself, and if I find my true self it is because
I have found Him” Thomas Merton: Seeds of
Contemplation
For I am made in the “Image and likeness of
God”. The Image is the gift of Himself that
he shares with me, the Likeness is what I do
with these gifts!
To face these words demands that we
enter into a struggle, for all sanctity is born
of a struggle, look at the lives of the saints.
“I must die to myself continually and accept
trials and difficulties without complaining. I
work, I suffer and I love ………. Anyone who
is not prepared to suffer all for those they love
………. is not worthy of the sweet name of
Friend, for here below, Love without suffering
does not exist.
“I shall spend every moment loving. One who
loves does not notice her trials; or perhaps
more accurately, she is able to love them.” St
Bernadette
Let us reflect for a moment on the struggle
we have just listened to in the story of the
Annunciation. (Luke 1:26-39) Our Lady
was “deeply disturbed” by the words of
the Angel. She could not understand the
message “how can this be since I am a
virgin!”Yet the reassurance of the Angel, that
God was with her, and Mary’s acceptance
of this assurance led to her yes. Believing
and saying yes to God leads to a holy life.
When one day I stand before Almighty
God, I know what he will not ask me! Why
were you not Saint John Paul? Saint Teresa
of Calcutta? St Bernadette?
He will ask why were you not Saint John
Armitage?
For I gave you every gift necessary to be
the man I created you to be? In the midst
of the struggle, we are asked to choose as
Mary chose, as Bernadette chose.
Someone once asked Harold McMillan
what where the most challenging things he
faced as Prime Minister and his answer was
“events dear boy, events.” As we reflect on
our lives we can see that it is the events,
good and bad, that affect us, and our
response to these events that make and
shape our lives. The quality of a life is based
upon the judgements we make when faced
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with the events of life.
This is most beautifully expressed in a
comment from St John of the Cross who
was once asked by one of his brothers.
“Father, how do you enter into ecstasy? His
answer, “by obeying” Not obedience merely to
superiors, he explained, but by the obedience
of all times and all moments – that ceaseless
dispossession of self that makes one docile
and pliable, yes, to the orders of superiors,
but also to events, things and persons as they
come along; to failure and success, to health
and sickness, to difficulty and easy human
relationships…in a word, free for, and open
to, the God who comes ceaselessly into our
lives to redeem and transform them.”
Through the “ceaseless dispossession of
self ” that makes me open to the “events”
of life as they present themselves, I have
shaped, changed, converted, to become the
person God has created me to be. I will
use my God given gifts, as my heart grows,
through prayer and service. A greatness of
heart may develop, which is Christ’s own
heart, becoming the foundation, the means
to build my life. Words and the events of life
will not “deeply disturb… me” for I know
that “The Lord is with me”.
Mgr John Armitage
LOURDES PILGRIMAGE ADIEU MASS HOMILY 2014
The charter plane was delayed and the
departure lounge was hot. After a week
of too much work, too much prayer, too
much wine and not enough sleep, Pilgrim
drifted into a dreamy slumber. She found
herself at Stansted customs, confronted
by the strangest of figures. He had the
charisma of Rob Maxted, the laugh of
Maria Francis, the eyes of Elodie Gibby, the
presence of Robert Stubbings, the smile of
Gregory Maschio and the knowledge of
Rory Mahon. Pilgrim realised this must be
God.
God said to Pilgrim: ‘What are you bringing
back with you?’ Pilgrim looked nervous and
opened her bag. ‘Ah’, said God, ‘I see. Red
and white clothes you’ll never wear again,
one or two hangovers, some snatched
moments of ambiguous intimacy, more
services in one week than in the rest of
your year, a serious sleep deficit and a big
dent in your bank balance. Do you have
anything else to declare?’
Pilgrim was tired and embarrassed, and
blurted out: ‘Only me’. ‘What about
the others?’ said God. ‘What about the
old, whose love of Lourdes is the quiet
heartbeat of your pilgrimage, what about
the young who are the open arms and
tireless legs of the pilgrimage, what about
the hospital pilgrims whose patience allows
others to discover their own generosity,
what about those bearing the burden of
responsibility, the leaders, the planners,
the organisers, what about those whose
skills enable others to flourish, the nurses,
the carers, the chaplains, the doctors, the
musicians?’
‘Ah yes,’ said Pilgrim, even more
embarrassed. ‘I have got some nice photos
of them.’ ‘Photos?’ said God, ‘I’ve never
understood the fuss about photos. What
about your memories? Let me show you
what you really need to bring back from
Lourdes.’ And Pilgrim found herself once
again in Lourdes, looking back across the
river to the grotto. ‘What do you see?’
said God. ‘I see voitures and candles and
stagiaires.’ ‘Well, yes’, said God, ‘but why
are they there, what have they come for,
what’s left when they’re gone?’‘I see a
strong river’, said Pilgrim, ‘a solid rock and
the dark recesses of the grotto’. ‘And so...?’
said God. ‘Look’ said Pilgrim, ‘with all due
respect, I’m really very tired. I was on the
crack cleaning team. You tell me...’
God took a deep breath. ‘I am your rock,
your stability, your fixed point, through sun
and rain, through storms and floods, the
one on whom you can depend, to whom
you can turn. I am your river, not a burbling
brook, not a turgid estuary, but a beautiful
surging strength, a source of life of power.’
‘OK’ said Pilgrim, beginning to wake up
‘that makes sense. But why the strange
caves? They look like ugly, gaping wounds
in the beautiful rock.’ ‘Exactly’ said God,
‘how else can I reach people? I needed
a place where Mary was able to appear
to Bernadette, not a town square, not a
parish church, but a place on the edge, the
town dump, common land, a place where
Bernadette had to come to find wood for
her impoverished family, a place where she
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was left alone by her sisters because of her
own illness.
‘‘I’m sorry,’ said Pilgrim, ‘but what’s that got
to do with me?’ God smiled. ‘Let me try
to explain. I was born as a human being
in a cave, I was killed as a human being in
a town dump. I took human flesh through
the response of Mary, a young girl in an
obscure town. She then appeared to
Bernadette, another young girl in another
obscure town, to bring the same message
in a different way. I am the God of caves, of
dumps, of surprising appearances. I come
to you through your wounds, your needs.
I can only be your rock, your river, if you
allow me to be your recess....Let’s keep in
touch.
Pilgrim woke up just in time to board the
plane. During an uneventful flight, she was
surprised to receive a text.
• Dear Pilgrim. One final thought. LOL.
God
• Dear God. LOL? Lots of love? Pilgrim
• Dear Pilgrim. No. What happens when
the love runs out? LOL. God
• Dear God. LOL? Laugh out loud? Pilgrim
• Dear Pilgrim No. What happens when
the laughter is not enough? LOL God
• Dear God. The stewardess is giving me
funny looks. Please explain. Pilgrim
• Dear Pilgrim. How to find a lasting love
that can endure tough times? How to find
a smile that brings real, deep joy? LOL –
Lady of Lourdes... God
Fr Chad Boulton OSB
NEWS FROM THE CHAIRMAN
The key task of the Ampleforth Lourdes
Hospitalité is to organise the annual Lourdes
Pilgrimage and I hope it is fair to say that
our 2014 Pilgrimage passed off very well. Fr
Abbot was able to join us on his second
Pilgrimage; the sun shone virtually all week;
the Sanctuary gave us our own Mass in the
Grotto and we were blest in so many other
different ways. Even splitting the Pilgrimage
between 2 hotels for the first time in many
years seemed to work well.
The Bishop’s Theme for 2014 was “Lourdes
– the Joy of Conversion” and many struggled
to understand that it encompassed change
in our daily lives and not just conversion
to the Catholic Faith. During the season,
it became increasingly possible to see this
Conversion in action and it was finally
brought home to me at the end of the
Season, when I was asked to read aloud – in
the darkness of the Grotto - the Prayers
at the end of the Torchlight Procession, as
there was no English-speaking Chaplain
present.
One such joyful Conversion, which I can
share with you, is that Fr Abbot plans to be
out with us on Pilgrimage again in 2015.
In this Newsletter you will find reference
to Spiritual and Social events, which helped
make our 2014 Pilgrimage so successful.
One of the high points was the powerful
homily preached at our Grotto Mass by Mgr.
John Armitage; at a different level, another
was the Fireworks above the Chateau Fort
on 14 July, which we may not share again
for several years following the necessary
change of our week for 2015.
A small link between the 2 events was
that the President of the Hospitalité Notre
Dame de Lourdes kindly invited me and
my wife to a small Reception at his Villa to
watch the Fireworks and in return I invited
him and his wife to attend our Grotto Mass.
Sadly he had to attend a meeting, but his
wife joined us and was very taken by the
celebration including the homily.
time in his analysis was that most of what
was now engrained had been formed
originally by the June Stage Group, which he
and Fiona have led so successfully for the
last 11 years. As I have said here before and
bears repeating, there are more members of
HNDL on the Ampleforth Pilgrimage each
year now than there were in the whole of
Britain, when our Pilgrimage started in 1953.
the Committee in the respective roles. Your
Chairman had to be very alert in welcoming
Emma to her first Meeting, knowing that at
that moment his son Gavin would be in
Yorkshire asking Emma’s Father for her hand
in marriage! I can however assure you that
played no part in her selection for her role
on the Committee, on which the women
now outnumber the men.
When I reported John’s resignation to the
Committee in September – in his absence
on holiday – we all remembered fondly
what he had achieved in his role over
many years and also in his previous role as
Treasurer of our Hospitalité between Ken
Rosenvinge and Tory Bekker (née Godsal).
I was delighted – at the Committee’s
instruction – to write to John and thank him
for all his service.
As I write, the diggers are back in the
Sanctuary at Lourdes. On this occasion
however they are there to realise the plans
Bishop Brouwet outlined last February.
Although the works will take two winters,
by the time of our next Pilgrimage some
significant changes will be in place.
I am sure John will forgive me for deviating
from my thanks to him to ask for your
prayers for Tory and her husband Jan-Bart
and her sisters, Marta and Sarah. Tory died
peacefully at the Trinity Hospice in Clapham
on 21 November this year. She had been
much comforted by visits from several
members of our Hospitalité, including Fr
Jock, in her last weeks.
In February – during the Sanctuary’s
Planning Meetings in Lourdes - Mike Thoms
had proposed to Fr Luke and me that we
needed a Committee role for Pilgrimage
Administration to assist him as Director and
likewise - to assist Philip Westmacott in his
role on Safeguarding and Health & Safety we should carve out Health & Safety into a
separate role. Fortunately strong candidates
for both roles emerged in the run-up to this
year’s Pilgrimage. I am very pleased that Ros
Wood and Emma Craig have now joined
Turning to your Committee, I can report on
changes since the Pilgrimage. Every year, one
of the 3 abbatial appointments comes up.
As reported in the last Newsletter, Fr Abbot
re-appointed Mike Thoms as Director.
During the Stage Group week in June,
John Dick told me he thought relationships
between the Ampleforth and Lourdes
Hospitalités were now firmly engrained in
the fabric of both organisations and he felt
there was no longer a Committee role for
HNDL Liaison. Saying this involved great
humility and indeed braveness, as it was
impossible to disagree with his conclusion.
What he had not perhaps realised at that
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The Bishop’s theme is to restore the Grotto
to the heart of Lourdes. To achieve this, the
plans displace the passing Pilgrim traffic to
the Baths, the Candles and the Taps. By next
season, there should be a shady wooded
area between the Arches and the Grotto
with a new Bridge, which can be raised at
times of flooding, giving access from the
right bank to the Grotto and Baths.
The plan to relocate the Baths to the other
side of the Gave has gone, but the Baths will
have a larger awning and longer Opening
Hours including on Sunday Mornings. There
will be a shift pattern of service for those
inside the Baths. Anyone wishing to read
more about the proposed works can visit
the Sanctuary’s special website at www.
projetgrottecoeurdelourdes.com.
Finally, I take this opportunity to send you
all and your loved ones my very best wishes
for Christmas and a happy and successful
2015
Paul Williams – Chairman ALH
Greetings from the Planning department!
As I write this update most, if not all of
you, outside the kind souls who assist
me on the ALHC, will see Lourdes as a
long distant memory, with some hope
and expectation for the week in Lourdes
to come if you are planning to join us
in 2015, whilst my desk is full of plans,
venues, times, prices, and feedback!
All of our requested bookings have been
submitted to the Lourdes authorities, and
we now wait with expectation to see
whether our wishes have been granted,
or whether we have to start again thinking
how to spend our time in Lourdes next
summer.
So for me, Advent is a period of reflection
prior to the celebration of Christmas, and
relief that the planning headache is now
with our friends in Lourdes, at least until
they have opined in January!
I would like to add my heartfelt thanks to
those of the Chairman, for all the time,
effort and dedication that John Dick has
put into his years on the ALHC, and to
Emma and Ros for agreeing to join our
happy band. Fr Luke, Paul and I could not
hope to organise our week in Lourdes
without the generous dedication of all
on the Pilgrimage committee, and we are
truly grateful for their help and support.
This year, as you will all find out in January,
we have taken the plunge and acquired
the rights to use a Tour Operator
computer programme, which should
make our application process simpler for
all concerned. I know and appreciate that
some of you have struggled in the last
few years to apply online, but hopefully
the new simpler process will help all of
you, and will also make Bregje’s life much
simpler!
I would like to thank Jenny Clayton (née
Everett) who has kindly supported us
for many years on the current database,
without ever charging us a penny. Many
of you will remember Jenny, who used to
join us in Lourdes before she was married.
She now has a beautiful daughter, a busy
job, and a second baby on the way. On
top of all this she still manages to help us
when we need support. I am truly grateful
for her help over the years.
I wish you all a joyful and happy Christmas.
May you and your families hug each other
tight, give thanks for the blessings we all
receive, and remembrance for the loved
ones who are no longer with us, but we
were blessed to know. They will always
be with us in our hearts.
I look forward to seeing you all in the
New Year!
With love and prayers for a Joyful
Christmas.
Rev Mike Thoms – Pilgrimage Director
Bernadette Davie, RIP. Died 26th November, 2014, one week short of her 70th Birthday.
When I was at Ampleforth for a couple of
weeks in August of this year, I was told that
Bernadette Davie was dying and that I would
probably be asked to do her funeral while I
was there. I went to see her in her cottage
in Ampleforth village and she told me she
had no intention of dying before her 70th
Birthday on 3rd December this year. I was
able to take her Communion several times
and met several of her family who had
gathered to say good-bye. But, sure enough,
she rallied and recovered enough to drive
herself to York and resume going to Mass
in the village, where she had served for so
many years as Sacristan under successive
Parish Priests. She died on 26th November,
exactly one week short of her 70th birthday.
Her Father had flown in bombers in the
Royal Air Force in the Second World War
and so it was not surprising that after training
and qualifying as a nurse she joined and was
commissioned into Princess Mary’s Royal
Air Force Nursing Service. She served in
various locations and enjoyed the foreign
postings though I got the impression that
her favourite posting was in charge of a large
children’s ward.
She contracted cancer of the throat and
after surgery, in which she was fitted with a
prosthetic roof to her mouth, was invalided
out of the Service. She had from time to
time considered becoming a Carmelite
Sister (she was a Carmelite Tertiary) but,
in the end, applied for a post as a House
Matron at Ampleforth College, where she
was interviewed by the then Procurator, Fr
Benedict Webb, himself a former doctor in
the Royal Navy. She came to St Thomas’s
House under Fr Henry at a time when the
Sixth Form still lived in Romanes House
(near the present St Alban Centre). So she
instituted the custom of giving out cereal
after evening prayers so that she could
get to know the boys who did not sleep
in the House. Four years later, when the
New Wing was built and the whole House
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lived under one roof, she did not allow this
custom to die and many boys remember
it fondly. Many of them have written to Fr
Richard (who took over from Fr Henry at
this time). One of them wrote: “One of the
lovely things about St Thomas’s during my
day was having a ‘live in’ matron. Especially
one who was something of an institution,
someone who had seen it all before.”
Teenage boys are not the most appreciative
bunch, but we know we would have been
lost without Bernadette. And I know that,
despite her occasional complaints about
the dormitory noise, or about the football
cannoning off her window, she loved to be in
the thick of things with her boys.”
Another remembers: we “used to clean her
car and sell her our skinned rabbits that we
had snared in the eastern thorn bush field.
She gave us 50p for each one which was a
lot in those days – always generous” while
another wrote: “What a rock she was for
us callow youths. I can vividly remember
clumping down the stairs to see her in her
room (with the open coal fire smoking nearly
as much as she!) out the back of St Thomas’s.
before the new extension was built, with a
vague pretext of a sniffle but mostly just to
see a friendly face.” As another put it: “She
was an important part of what made the
whole house family”.
Following her surgery, she had been left with
almost chronic nerve pain and some boys
realised this: “She managed to battle cancer
and the associated side-effects of it for so long,
but never let it get in the way of her caring
for the boys and her love for Ampleforth.”
Another wrote: “I’m grinning remembering
her big smiles, gentle hugs and sharp wit”.
On the other hand it could sometimes make
it difficult to understand her speech and I
recall the mortified chagrin of one parent
who realised that the impression she had
formed that her son was being cared for by a
more or less permanently inebriated matron
was actually very wide of the mark. But the
parents valued her care for their sons: “She
devoted herself to caring for the boys who
lived in the house and always made us feel
very welcome when we visited.”
Another of the impressions that the boys
formed of her was that “she was always one
of the most devout people I ever met and
I’m sure she approaches the end with the
same fortitude she did through life - let’s
face it, being matron of St Thomas’s required
nerves of steel!” She taught many boys how
to use the Rosary and those who were
being Confirmed would always receive an
individual gift from her.
She had valued the pilgrimages made with
her family to the Marian shrine at Carfin
in south-west Scotland and had gone to
Lourdes with the International Military
Pilgrimage when she was in the RAF. She
eventually thought that she would like to
join the Ampleforth Pilgrimage. She decided
that she would drive down with her younger
brother, Tom. However, shortly before this
was due to happen he had to back out
for unforeseen work reasons. Bernadette
announced that she would drive down on
her own. My male chauvinist reaction was
that this would never happen. One of the
old boys remarked on her “driving about in
her usual ‘individual’ way”. However, she did
and became one of the regular Pilgrimage
nurses though I suspect that many on the
Pilgrimage never realised that she was on it.
This was for two reasons: one was that she
never stayed in one of the hotels, preferring
to stay in one of the Hospitalité hostels and
the other was that she always volunteered
to do night duty. She had kept up her
Registration as a Nurse for years but found
the demands of remaining up to date were
becoming more burdensome. And then
cancer struck for the second time in her life
and for the last couple of years she came
as a sick pilgrim “in the hospital, and it was
wonderful to see how she loved to be there.
It truly is an amazing place” as a regular
member of the Pilgrimage and a former St
Thomas’s parent wrote.
Either before or after the Pilgrimage she
would usually do a stage and eventually was
awarded the Hospitalité medal, which meant
a great deal to her. It was interesting to
hear her account of her drives back through
France and of her various encounters with
French drivers in various circumstances. She
always visited Nevers, to pay her respects to
‘her’ Bernadette and, often, Chartres, with
sometimes desperate drives without rest in
order to catch the ferry.
After St Thomas’s she served as an assistant
Matron at the prep school at Gilling for a
year or two before retiring to her cottage in
Ampleforth village. She used often to come
up to the Abbey for Mass and also served as
Sacristan in the Village Church. She worked
voluntarily for the SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors
and Air Force Association) charity, visiting
former servicemen and assessing their needs
for grant aid, a work that she took very
seriously. Cath Gaynor wrote: “I thought of
Bernadette so much over the Remembrance
Day weekend, as last year she was there at
the Cenotaph , standing and walking for
HOURS , even though not at all well then
!” though Bernadette would have said:
“Walking? Nonsense! I was marching.”
When I spent a couple of weeks this August
at Ampleforth, she had just discharged
herself from York Hospice. She told me that
she was determined to live out her biblical
three score years and ten – and, talking
of scores, she had one or two things to
settle with her family first. I guess her 70th
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birthday, the day of her funeral in the Church
in Ampleforth she had served so faithfully,
was a greater birthday celebration than she
had anticipated. A boy wrote: “she looked
after us all so very well. She is at peace now
and I’m sure smiling and laughing down at
us all remembering the mischief that we all
caused her.” The number of old boys who
wrote that they would pray for her with
their families that evening is testimony to her
influence that she would value. Perhaps a
former Head of House of St Thomas’s should
have the last word, though it stands for many
who did not know her in the House: “But
also what an example of fortitude and faith
for boys such as me”.
Fr Richard ffield OSB
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www.lourdesampleforth.org.uk
Good News from the North!
We restarted the Northern Reunion for the pilgrimage last Sunday. Father Luke said Mass at All Saints Church in Thirsk at
mid-day and we then moved on to the Three Tuns Hotel for lunch where we were joined by several others who had been
on this year’s pilgrimage as well as Mark and Dominique Moorhouse and their two boys. It was wonderful that Mark and his
family could come as Mark started this reunion almost 20 years ago. Michael and Jackie Hallinan also came; Michael was on
the pilgrimage in the 60’s and 70’s. It is lovely to see the strength of our Lourdes family in action and reaching back through
the decades!
We hope that by moving the reunion to Ampleforth early next term that more of the Sixth Form will be able to join us. Date
still to be confirmed.
Diana Williams – Chief Lady Handmaid
Untold Stories
This year I was privileged to help for
a morning as a probationary within
the Pilgrimage team who contribute
regularly to the Lourdes Hospitalité
ministry at the baths. International teams
work together to facilitate the smooth
running of the flow of the 350,000
pilgrims who visit the Sanctuary baths
each year. The rules for the helpers are
tight and strictly adhered to by every
team so as to be able to facilitate
the volume of pilgrims. Helpers and
pilgrims alike are supervised, overall, by
a local team leader from the Hospitalité.
I was attached to a mixed team chosen
from several pilgrimages so as to
spread the various levels of experience
and language abilities. There is a short
training session prior to contact with
any pilgrims. You may meet pilgrims
coming to bathe from your own
pilgrimage, or you may not, depending
on the pilgrimage timetable. Each
half day session begins and ends with
prayers offered for all the pilgrims who
visit the piscine each day.
The team works in rotation
supporting pilgrims in the
room and helping/guiding
and out of the bath. The
between
changing
them in
work is
accomplished mostly in silence but hand
gestures and the occasional whisper
help to communicate the necessary
instructions and reassurance to keep
the steady stream of people making
their way through the experience. My
social French did not lend itself well
to the situation as, any lady pilgrim
will recall, the instructions for the
storage/handling of ladies underwear
is very strict (I can’t comment on the
men’s – what does happen?). How to
assist another in taking a bra off in a
confined space was not included in my
convent French vocabulary tests so I
had to quickly learn the word for ‘bra’
in several languages! (FYI: Fr. soutien
gorge, It. reggiseno)
Even with the careful training that
preceded the immediate reality of
the baths, I was still taken by surprise
by the pace required of - and physical
demands made on - the team. As a
former Accident and Emergency nurse
I have described it as akin to a ‘Spiritual
A&E’ as it not only mirrors the speed
of anticipation and response required
but also carries another feature of
emergency care - in that listening to
a person’s history is often not the
www.lourdesampleforth.org.uk
first priority and sometimes not even
possible.
To be a witness to such a movement of
pilgrims was somewhat overwhelming
but I was kept on my toes by the level
of authority with which the baths were
run as well as by the fact that there was
absolutely no time in between pilgrims
for reflection.
Any desire on the part of the pilgrims to
chatter and ask questions gave way to
their experience of the bath. People on
stretchers, with stitches, dressings and
calipers, able and disabled - all passed
through. Pilgrims were tearful, fearful
and apprehensive in equal measures
- and yet trusting of what they had
come to experience. Most of all they
were full of hope. It seemed to me that
I was witnessing each person’s fulfilled
and unfulfilled desires, along with the
dreams and triumphs of their entire
life, all come to the surface in this one
moment and then discharged in faith.
I experienced a dim reflection of their
encounter through their unspoken
communication with their eyes, which
were sometimes deeply focussed
on you as their helper and yet,
een supporting pilgrims in the changing room and
simultaneously,
beyond is
you. accomplished
I more fully aware of the depths
and soin
memorable.
Anja introduced
e bath.
Thelooking
work
mostly
silence
but me to
was extremely moved. Each pilgrim privilege of what I witnessed.
her boyfriend, Luka, and explained that
with their own story…some The members of the team that they had travelled independently from
spercame
help
to communicate the necessary instructions and
petitioning…others in gratitude…and have accepted this ministry as their Croatia to Lourdes. The other helper
others merely curious.
vocation are remarkable. The physical I had been working with from another
m ofOncepeople
making
their
way through the experience.
back in the changing room, the strength and emotional discipline that pilgrimage had been called Mary so
response of individuals was generally is necessary to keep this experience Anja was thrilled to be able to tell her
Luka that recall,
she had seenthe
both ‘Mary’
wellonetoof silent
thecontemplation.
situation
ladyandpilgrim
However,as,
aliveany
for individuals
yet remain in will
and
‘Bernadette’
in
the
baths
that day.
one woman, struggling to pull on her the background oneself – not intruding
It
was
such
a
delight
for
me
to
spend
clothes in a rush
to dress, wept, sighing ison very
someone’s spiritual
experience
- are
of ladies
underwear
strict
(I
can’t
comment
on
time with them and to hear more of
out loud, ‘This time it WILL be different!’. invaluable gifts.
Yet, when she turned around, her tears There is a postscript that happened their story, just one among the many
and varied untold life
stories that pass
w toandassist
in taking
a bra off in a confined
space
expressionanother
told a more complex
very unexpectedly in the bar of the through those curtains.
story. I hoped that her prayer would be Riviera Sol (aka the Terrasse) the
Bernadette Campbell – Lady Helper
– but, just as tears
filled my so
nch answered
vocabulary
tests
I had
quickly
evening
of the dayto
I worked
in the baths. learn the word
eyes, I was alerted to the fact that the A strikingly beautiful girl approached
next person was waiting on the other me from across the bar and asked if I
Fr. soutien
gorge, It. reggiseno)
side of the curtain, so merely put my
hand on her shoulder in an inadequate
attempt to be present to her.
remembered her. I had not previously
noticed her in the crowded bar but
when she spoke to me I recalled her
mass of blonde curly hair from the
baths earlier that day. She explained that
I had been one of the helpers who had
helped lower her into the bath and she
thanked me for making the experience
preceded
immediate
reality of the baths, I was still
I found thethe
physical
work testing.
Stretchers were carried down several
stone
steps and
folk lowered downdemands made on - the team. As a
d ofwet
and
physical
(to the equivalent of floor level) into
wide bath and then immediately
se Ithe
have
described
it as akin to a ‘Spiritual A&E’ as it
raised
again, and
then carried up the
same stairs and back onto the stretcher.
Walkingand
pilgrims response
were led down the
pation
stairs, our hands on their wrists, and
subject to the puzzling rubrics of cloth
ature
of emergency
folding, people wrapping, wringing and
rinsing – all exacting and sometimes
history
is often
notonly
counter intuitive.
I have, in fact,
experienced something of what
for the helper on left side of
ven happens
possible.
the bath, since the helper on right side
has different duties. But any frustration
and confusion felt is lost in the time
pressures - besides you are being
closely observed by the team leader
so any attempts to deviate in hand
holding or folding are quickly spotted
and corrected. There is ample help but
it is challenging not least in extreme
heat (July 2014 brought temperatures
in Lourdes to over 30°C).
ent of pilgrims was
kept on my toes by
e baths were run as
bsolutely no time in
After the morning’s work the
combination of the physical effort, the
heat and a desire to spend some time
trying to take in what I had been very
briefly part of meant I was in need of…
something - but I wasn’t quite sure what!
I went and sat in a café for a while and
then drifted off for a shower, replaying
the morning’s events in my head. It was
only the next day that I could become
s to chatter and ask
taken from the Hospitalité Website The St John the Baptist Service is a
rience of the bath. Photo
service which welcomes and accompanies the sick and other pilgrims as they
essings and calipers, make their Act of Faith in the Piscines (Baths).
gh. Pilgrims were tearful, fearful and apprehensive in
www.lourdesampleforth.org.uk
My very long journey to Lourdes
I began my journey at 4pm from York
station on Thursday 10th July. All was
going well and I arrived at Stansted
airport and got on the minibus to go to
my hotel for a one night stay.
I arrived at the airport the following
morning all set to put my luggage
through at the check-in when “WHAM!”
it hit me and I turned to my friend Sam
and said, ‘I can’t go.’ Sam looked at me
in astonishment and asked, ‘Why?’ and I
replied, ‘I have forgotten my passport!’
We went through my case and my hand
luggage and I told her if it wasn’t with
me I knew exactly where it was. From
then on everything was panic. One lady
offered to take me to the station to
get a train home but Bregje, Natasha
(my emergency rescuer) and one or
two other helpers were on the case.
They got in touch with my daughter
in Kirbymoorside; she picked up my
passport from my home and posted it
Express Mail to my son in Portchester.
Thankfully it arrived on Saturday
morning at 10.30 am.
In the mean time Natasha had taken me
back to Victoria Station and put me on
a National Express bus to Portchester
where I stayed the night with my son,
whom we had rung and explained the
dramas of the day.
As soon as my passport arrived my
daughter-in-law was on the computer
organising new travel arrangements
for me. I took a train from Fareham to
Gatwick and flight to Toulouse where a
car was waiting for me, to take me on
to Lourdes. I arrived safe and sound, 24
hours late and very tired.
So you see I did this whole round
trip on my own and the whole thing
was hopefully a once in a life time
experience. I am so pleased I did it and
got to Lourdes. It was all so worthwhile
and I believe that in the end Our Lady
really wanted me there.
With love and prayers to you all
Pat Farrow – Lady Helper
P.S. I arrived home safely thanks to Richard and
Mary Murphy who brought me back to Thirsk
where my daughter picked me up.
Lourdes - Minor Miracles
That major miracles have occurred at Lourdes is a well
documented fact; but it is easy to miss the lesser “human
relationship” marvels which accompany the many pilgrims
regularly attending the shrine. I was privileged to join one such
Group from 11th to 18th of this month (July 2014).
“I have never had such a wonderful experience; always and
everywhere I felt surrounded by love; and no one tried to
convert me”! That for me is Lourdes – a wonderful human
and spiritual experience with many caring young volunteers,
nurses, priests, doctors, organisers and fellow pilgrims.
One of my roommates belonged to a strict Baptist Church
And was harangued by her pastor for going to “that pagan
place with those superstitious Catholics” and issued with all
sorts of anathemas when she stuck to her resolve. On the
very first night of our arrival she shared the story with me
amid floods of tears. What could I do but listen and answer
her questions as they arose throughout the six following days.
I came away spiritually strengthened and bathed in peace From
the very first evening 2 young people brought me cups of tea,
escorted me to events and were always there at the hint of any
need – even pushing/pulling chairs on difficult ascents or where
there was a lot of standing around.
She joined us in most of the Services including daily Mass,
Torchlight Procession and even the Baths. En route she shared
her story and her tears with many other pilgrims.
On the last day she hugged me “Goodbye” and to my
conventional words “I hope you enjoyed the week” she beamed
For all that and all those young volunteers I thank God from
the bottom of my heart and for them as well as for all of you/
us in our Parish I prayed as we three Pilgrims from Our Lady’s
were escorted on our final day to light 2 large Candles for our
Parish at the Grotto and to thank God for the small as well as
the big miracles of Lourdes.
Sheila Dobey – First Time Hospital Pilgrim
www.lourdesampleforth.org.uk
Tory Bekker’s virtual visit to Lourdes....
top of her ‘bucket list’, a trip on the Orient
Express and a visit to Lourdes with BartJan and her two sisters.
Because of her condition the trip to
Lourdes had to be organised at rather
short notice, but it was agreed that they
would come out with Bregje Dawson,
Fiona Collins and Rupert and Teda
Plummer at the end of November, and
that Paul and I would join them.
Sadly Our Lady clearly had different plans
and Tory was again admitted to hospital,
this time for an operation from which she
never fully recovered.
Tory had always been intending to come
back to Lourdes as it was very special to
her and she particularly wanted to show
it to her husband.
Somehow this never quite happened.
Having been diagnosed with a brain
tumour she had hoped to come on the
Pilgrimage last summer, but this didn’t
happen either, as she was back in hospital.
This autumn, she had two things at the
As Paul and I were still in Lourdes, we
decided, that I should do the
Pilgrimage for her, visiting all the places,
and doing the things that she
would have done, in the Domain. It was a
most beautiful mild sunny day with a
clear blue sky, although it was decidedly
chilly sitting on the benches
waiting to go into the baths. Being an
‘Ampleforth’ Pilgrimage, there was also a
www.lourdesampleforth.org.uk
bit of socialising.
Do look at the photos in the Dropbox link
below. They really do give you a pictorial
record of Tory’s ‘virtual’ pilgrimage. I was
fortunate enough to be able to take
them to her and talk her through ‘her day’
before she died last week.
May she rest in peace.
Sue Williams – Lady Helper
https://www.dropbox.com/
sh/mnyyllsot7r3w2k/AAA0LFsKImzSXbIKWiIFjN0a?dl=0
PS Tory was not only Treasurer for ALHC
for several years, she was also on the
ARMF committee where her accounting
skills were again put to good use! There
is to be a memorial service celebrating
Tory’s life on January 10th 2015 at 2pm
at St Marylebone Parish Church, 17
Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LT
(www.stmarylebone.org) All are welcome,
dress with a splash of colour.
NOTICE BOARD
EASTER REUNION will be held on Saturday 14th March 2015 at Christ the King Church, South Chingford,
London E4 8SP.
RETREAT in 2015 will be held from 24th to 26th April at The Grange Ampleforth. Please Apply to Lucy RowanRobinson if you would like to attend. Email: [email protected] Mobile: 07976228554
CAROL SERVICE - takes place on Thursday 10th December 2015 at the church of The Most Holy Redeemer and
St Thomas More, 7 Cheyne Row, London SW3 5HS. Drinks party afterwards at The Chelsea Gardener, Sydney Street
Chelsea.
HOSPITAL PILGRIMS FOR 2015. If you know someone who would like to come to Lourdes with us in
2015 as a resident in the St Frai Hospital please contact: Annie Bowen-Wright, Corner Farm House, Stowupland,
Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 4AN. email: [email protected] tel: 01499 676967.
DATABASE AMENDMENTS Please send any changes to your personal details to: Ros Wood at rosjwood@
gmail.com
NEWS Please send notification of deaths, serious illness or any other news to: Lucy Rowan-Robinson, Grey Walls,
Park Lane, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5HP email: [email protected] tel: 01728452766
FACEBOOK Join the Facebook group Ampleforth Lourdes to keep in touch with fellow pilgrims, share photos and
hear about social events.
Winners of the 2000 Club 2013-2014
Dec 2013 Jan 2014 Feb 2014 Mar 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 Aug 2014 Sept 2014 Oct 2014 Nov 2014 Mrs Susan Tams Mr Paul Williams
Mrs Anne Poulter
Lady Susie Beaverbrooke Mrs Anne Poulter
Mrs Annie Bowen-Wright Mrs Grannie Gilmore
Mr Harry Willis
Mrs Diana Williams
Suzanne Angelo-Sparling Mr Paul Williams
Mr Michael Dawson
£144.60
£147.80
£142.80
£149.40
£151.80
£151.40
£146.60
£142.00
£140.00
£148.40
£150.40
£149.80
Michael and Richard, thank you for all your great fund raising efforts for the Pilgrimage. If you are
not already a member of the 2000 club do please get in touch with Michael Doherty or Richard
Reid for an application form.
Editor’s note – this edition brings back many memories for all of us. Not only of our pilgrimage in July but also of
years gone by and happy times spent with those friends in Lourdes who will not be with us again. Please thank all
who have taken time to contribute to this newsletter. Finally, I wish everyone a very happy and peaceful Christmas.
Lucy Rowan-Robinson
www.lourdesampleforth.org.uk