REUNION AT REDHILL

With this newsletter please find details of the 1988 Pilgrimage Reunion at Redhill being organised by Anne De’Ath and various pilgrim friends from Redhill. Do come! Hopefully it will be a great gathering of recent and past pilgrims. Older pilgrims can meet the new people who joined us this year. Newer pilgrims can meet those who walked on the previous pilgrimages. And all will be able to renew pilgrimage friendships. And a chance to come and see the newest church in our Diocese, St Joseph’s, Redhill.

CANTERBURY TALES

This year’s pilgrimage was a great success. The pilgrimage team are really working well together these days. The plans made by Chris Dobbe (accommodation), Aid Simons (route) and Alan Fox (secretary) fell smoothly into place. Where there were slight hiccups Cedric Birkenshaw (van driver) and the catering team (Frances Dean, Andy Ollard and Jane Marshall) smoothed them all out before the walking pilgrims arrived - as well as achieving new records in culinary excellence. Patrick Reeve (treasurer) reports a fat profit — a full balance sheet will be circulated with the next mailing. Gillian McLauchlan raised the royal role of Sarnie Queen to new heights not only by making the sandwiches efficiently every evening but also by getting everyone, yes everyone, to help at some point during the pilgrimage! 95 people signed on for this summer’s Canterbury Pilgrimage as well as 80 day pilgrims. 65 came all the way from Arundel to Canterbury. Many old friends were among the day pilgrims, welcomed and recorded by Gillian McLauchlan, It was really good to see you all again, even if only for a pub stop or a couple of miles or an evening visit. Next year Alan Fox will take over from Aid Simons (an expectant father) as chief route planner, and Andy Ollard will take over from Alan as Pilgrimage Secretary. Other committee members who will be continuing their splendid work for the pilgrimages are Jane Meikle (ecumenism), Louise Ingelbrecht (liturgy), Monica McLauchlan (publicity and mailings) and Katrina Doran (minutes secretary). All the pilgrims owe a great debt of gratitude to all the team members. Thank you for all you do.

NEXT YEAR’S PLAN

Next year’s pilgrimage is planned to be in honour of St Richard of Chichester, also know as Richard of Wych. St Richard was burn in Droitwich Spa and became Bishop of Chichester. So — a pilgrimage from Droitwich to Chichester. Plans are already well in hand. Chris Dobbe is busy booking halls. Daily route planners have volunteered, and will be hearing from Alan Fox around the New Year. The heading to this newsletter gives the proposed dates. Reserve those days in your diary now!

PILGRIMAGE ENGAGEMENTS

News of pilgrims getting engaged is coming in thick and fast! Mandy Edwards and Colin Hooper are engaged. Mandy walked and Colin drove on this year’s pilgrimage! Max Bath, who first joined us on the Buckfast 2 Pilgrimage, is engaged to a girl called Ruth. Susan Turner is eng aged to one Bryan Lawrence, and hopes to get married in May or June 1989, with her brother Paul officiating. Susan was a musical inspiration to us on the Sussex, Papal, Buckfast 2 and Evesham Pilgrimages. Isabelle Munroe is engaged to Luke Parsons who met up on our pilgrimages 8 years ago. They both walked on Canterbury 2, Buckfast 1 and Sussex Pilgrimages. We wish them all every blessing in their preparations for marriage.

SARAH BIRCH WED

Sarah Birch was married at St Edmund’s, Godalming on Saturday 24th September. Several pilgrims were invited. They were planning a honeymoon taking in Hawaii, Los Angeles, and San Francisco (Sarah now works for an air line!). After their exciting honeymoon the happy couple will be working in Paris. Sarah first walked with us on the Buckfast 1 Pilgrimage.

ODDS AND ENDS

Father James Bisgrove (Evesham, Lindisfarne and Wessex Pilgrimages) has moved from Cardiff Cathedral to Bridgend parish. Father Peter Madden (Canterbury 1, 2 and 3, Walsingham 1, Glastonbury, Buckfast 1 and Sussex Pilgrimages) has moved from West Croydon to Smarden, Kent (yes, the Bell!) and runs the Southwark Travelling Mission. Dominic O’Hara (Walsingham 1, Glastonbury, Canterbury 2, Buckfast 1, Sussex and Evesham Pilgrimages) is now a training officer for Surrey County Council and is based at Leatherhead. Tony and Alice Morwood-Leyland (Papal, Buckfast 2, Evesham, Lindisfarne and Birthdays Pilgrimages) are safe in the Cayman Islands which they say were not as badly affected as we may have imagined by Hurricane Gilbert. They are coming home for a holiday in November.

SISTER RACHEL GOES TO THE PHILIPPINES

Sr Rachel Duffy, who walked - and stood on her head - on the Wessex Pilgrimage, has been working at Craighead Jesuit Retreat Centre near Glasgow. She has also gained a diploma in Pastoral Theology from Heythrop College, London. Last month she was due to go out to the Philippines with 5 other sisters to start up a new foundation there for her order of the Faithful Companions of Jesus working for the poor. I am sure she will have our prayer support.

DAWN WILLSON IN ZAMBIA

Dawn Willson (Canterbury 2, Buckfast 1 & 2, Lindisfarne and Wessex Pilgrimages) is now living in Lusaka where her husband is the High Commissioner. She has recently made a fascinating journey through the Eastern Province of Zambia and sent back a marvellous travelogue, which is a fascinating insight into a developing country and the problems thereof. I have flunked the concept of précising its 7 pages for this paragraph, but will gladly send a photocopy to any of you who would like one.

NEWS, NEWS, NEWS

Quite a short newsletter this time, The next edition will be in January. Please send in your news. Accurate first-hand information is better than second—hand gossip, but like any good journalist, we publish it all regardless! So lets have the real details on all these engagements, marriages, appointments, and all the things you would like to share with your pilgrim friends. Actually - you can write to me in confidence as well!

W.J.H.

P.S.             YOUR PRAYERS PLEASE

Please pray for Mike Sharp who is very seriously ill with a brain tumour.