THE NEW NEWSLETTER
Well here it is - the first newsletter to be produced without Bill Haynes as editor! Send me (Peter Dare) any news and gossip that you want everyone else to know and I’ll try to include it.
THE NEW DIRECTORS
With Bill Haynes retiring from sole pilgrimage organiser (happy retirement, Bill!) the hard work Bill used to do has been distributed among volunteers. Mike Simons has been searching for sleeping accommodation for next year’s pilgrimage continuing what Bill had already done. The newsletter employs myself plus Aid’n’Meld Simons who are looking after the duplicating side of things. However, the people with the ultimate power are Alice and Tony Morwood-Leyland who are the General Overall Directors. If you would like to help in any way you should contact Alice and Tony.
LINDISFARNE FOR ‘84.
Preparations for next years pilgrimage taking in the Vale of York, Cleveland Hills, Pennines and then over Hadrian’s Wall to the Cheviot Hills are now under way. The provisional route is York, Wiggington, Ampleforth, Osmotherly, Richmond, Barnard Castle, Stanhope, Minsteracres, Hexham, Cambo, Rothbury, Whittingham, Wooler and finally Holy Island itself. The journey home includes a visit (maybe an overnight stop) to Durham.
RAINY REUNION
About 50 pilgrims went to Epsom in mid-October for our first reunion lasting a weekend. The Mole Discotheque provided entertainment on the Friday evening and on Saturday Debbie Davies led us on an attractive walk in the rain. This was followed by still pictures and, also for the first time, moving pictures of the Evesham pilgrimage.
CHOICE AND CAYA
Apart from the official reunion a few pilgrims also met up at a CHOICE reunion held in Bognor Regis on Guy Fawkes Day. After Mass a barbeque was held on the beach and a large bonfire attracted some young sightseers who were most disappointed by the firework display of just two rockets!
About 2000 people attended the Catholic Association of Young Adults rally held in Liverpool. Many pilgrims travelled by coach leaving Guildford at 5 pm but not arriving in Liverpool until 2am! On the Saturday morning there was an address given by Basil Hume, Bishop Kalilombe of Lilongwe (a White Father) spoke of mission work in Britain and the rest of the time seemed to be spent singing which was just about the only way of keeping warm! Afternoon events included Evensong in the Anglican Cathedral, Mass in the Metropolitan Cathedral and a procession between the two cathedrals spoilt only by the announcer’s refusal to pronounce Arundel correctly!
CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS
Patrick Reeve is organising another Boxing Day walk/party after last years success. At about 11 am a short walk starts from the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea at Portslade ending back at the church hall around 4 pm. After this Bill will be showing selected slides from all the pilgrimages since they started in 1975 so be prepared to relive those embarrassing moments you wish had never happened! After the slides and Mass a disco will be held. The cost is £1 and please bring a bottle if you can, If you want to stay the night there is an extra £1 to pay and you should phone Patrick before December 24 so he can buy enough cans of beans for breakfast!
THE STORY OF LINDISFARNE (part 1)
It was Columba, coming from Ireland, who founded a monastery on the Scottish island of Iona, (off the coast of Mull) in 563 during the years of the Saxon conquest of Britain. From there, little bands of monks led by Aidan moved across to the east coast to the island of, you’ve guessed it, Lindisfarne, where headquarters were set up in 635 (the year Cuthbert was born) to evangelise the Northumbrians. A school for boys was set up and it was here that Wilfrid was trained in Celtic Christianity. Aidan later became Bishop of Lindisfarne.
One night Cuthbert was out on the Lammermuir Hills in Berwick when he had a vision of a great light in the sky with angels taking a soul to heaven. On the next day, when Cuthbert heard of Aidan’s death on that previous night he decided to became a monk. Once a monk, he travelled a lot in the North preaching the Gospel. After some years of preaching he felt a strong urge for solitude and so settled on Lindisfarne but eventually he went to Farne Islands for greater isolation. Even here, though, he could not find peace. King Egfrid of Northumbria and Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury finally caught up with Cuthbert and begge him to become Bishop of Hexham. He refused, but later said that if he had to become a Bishop it would have to be of Lindisfarne. And so Cuthbert became Bishop of Lindisfarne after Eata had agreed to resign his position of Bishop of Lindisfarne and move to Hexham.
… to be continued!
PILGRIM NEWS
Sister Teresa Redding of the 77 and 78 pilgrimages is doing a Pastoral Theology course at Heythrop College...
All the pilgrims who had tea chez Simons on the Farnham rest day will be glad to know he now has a splendid conservatory and landscaped garden...
THE END
This ends the first newsletter to be produced by the new team. Start training now for next year’s pilgrimage and have a happy Christmas!
Peter Dare