Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Pilgrimage to St David Lewis on his Memorial Day


























29th August was the Pilgrimage at St Francis Xavier and St David Lewis Church in Usk

A large number of religious and lay people came. It was a very joyful occasion.The Mass was followed by a walk to the site of the Hanging over the road from the church. After reading the last speech of Fr Lewis, we walked along the streets of Usk to the Priory Church where St David was buried.There we said the Lord's Prayer, a decade of the Rosary and sang the Salve Regina, which sounded wonderful unaccompanied in the still air. Afterwards people venerated the tomb and went in to the Priory to light candles and also tea and cake in the vicarage afterwards.

I think the last speech of Fr David from the scaffold was very moving, about being roud to die for being a Christian. Two protestants had clung onto his hands to make sucre he was dead and could not be given the agony of being drawn and quartered. I shall speak more of this later when I come to penal times, but this is a 'special' of the official pilgrimage day.

It was wonderful to be around his grave in the churchyard, singing the 'SALVE REGINA'. So beautiful!

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