THE WESTWARD ROAD TO BUCKFAST

With this newsletter comes copies of the literature for this summer's pilgrimage. The dates are Saturday 9th August to Bank Holiday Monday 25th August 1980. The route promises to be the most scenic yet, but there will be some fairly long days, and a few very hilly ones. For the first time a pilgrimage route will go over 1000 feet high - technically a mountain. Rest days are at Romsey, home of the late Lord Mountbatten (Broadlands open to the public), where we have permission to celebrate Mass in the beautiful Norman Abbey Church. Romsey also has a swimming pool and leisure centre. The second rest day is at the lovely coastal resort of Lyme Regis, the jewel of Dorset! The pilgrimage ends with a full day at Buckfast Abbey, enabling pilgrims to share a whole day of the Benedictine monks' prayer.

I hope all that whets your appetite for another pilgrimage. Apply early because we cannot possibly take more than a hundred. And do spread the good news to your friends, as we would like at least 50% of next summer’s pilgrims to be new faces!

THE SOUTH DOWNS WAY LEADS TO LOURDES

Moira Stephens is organising a sponsored walk along the South Downs Way to raise money to send the sick and their helpers to Lourdes with our Diocesan pilgrimage. Full details are enclosed. Please let Moggy know as soon as possible if you are going to join her and Dominic, especially if you want accommodation booked for you.

GROWING FAITH

There is another youth weekend being organised at Maryvale entitled "Growing in Faith”, on the weekend 29th February to 2nd March. Participants should be over 17 and the cost is £8.50 for wage earners and £6.50 for full time students. Bring a sleeping bag. Please apply with a deposit of £3 to Fr Pat Olivier, Maryvale Pastoral Centre

LAKELAND AT EASTER

Fifteen happy pilgrims are off to spend a holiday in the Lake District on Easter Monday for a week. We have managed to book into some beautiful hostels : Helvellyn, Wastwater and Duddon.    Sorry, you are too late to apply for that — you had your chance with the last mailing.

THE SOUTH DOWNS WAY ALSO LEADS TO PEACE

Another group will he setting out to walk the South Downs Way from Monday 26th Nay to Sunday 1st June, organised by the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. They are planning to walk at a more leisurely pace than Moggy and Flo’s gang, and see the walk as an act of rededication to disarm­ament and peace, and as an opportunity for dialogue and discussion on how best these aims may he forwarded. They particularly invite members of Christian peace groups to join them. If you would like more details please write to Rosemary O’Dea

NEWS FROM PANDIPIERI

Father Hans Burgman is a Mill Hill Missionary who was a considerable inspiration to us in planning our first pilgrimage, and joined us on the first two pilgrimages, and who is now working in Kisumu, Kenya. He wrote in October to tell us something more about his situation and surroundings:

"The area of Pandipieri we work in has some 75,000 inhabitants. According to our ideas these people live in slums and hovels. But according to their own standards they feel they are well off, certainly a lot better than those in the countryside. They feel envied rather than pitied. When they work they do so in a quiet tempo; even doing nothing at all is something they enjoy. What they would like best, I think, is to have just enough money and a lot of free time. They have grown used to the rubbish all around them, they have reduced their desires to a minimum, and disasters are things they patiently suffer. So we are not living in a seething mass of embittered slaves, but a crowd of good •humoured optimists.

“Now, how do you get such people interested in improving their lot? Do we first have to make them unhappy about their living conditions? Simply pouring in the money kills their initiative. We have decided to start from their own subjective situation and, together with them, try to discover the problems that face them. We have also made it a point never to ask something from them without doing it ourselves as well.

“First we formed a core group of some 15 leading Christians from the area. We meet every week: first we work together in the garden-for-the-poor, then we have a meeting about our work, followed by a Eucharistic celebration, and finally a meal, Through these we choose others who will help us to mobilise the religious energy of the people in such a way that they will tackle their problems. People here are very religious, and they find prayer pleasant. We are now building up small groups of committed Christians with whom we can undertake such actions as caring for the aged and the sick, improving hygiene, educating poor children, pushing domestic industries and women’s clubs, etc. Some of these activities are dependant rather on our help at the moment, but it is important that as soon as possible they should be carried by the people themselves.”

Financial contributions to Father Han’s work can be sent to: “Pilgrims in Africa”, The Financial Secretary, St Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, London, NW7 4JX.

MARRIAGES AND BIRTHS COLUMN

Rumours of two such impending events can be listed here. Leslie and Helen Smith are talking about a “Busy Bump” that is going to make them even more busy “in May Time".

And (at last) a wedding date is fixed for Aidan Simons and Imelda Marsh-Collis, who met on Pilgrimage One. Saturday 6th September at St Joan's, Farnham.

NEWMAN MASERMINDS

Under the title "Meet the Cardinal Newman Masterminds", three of our pilgrims featured recently in the “Evening Argus”. Angela Hill and Lucie Carrington have both won places at Hartford College, Oxford, to read History and English, respectively. And Therese Shaw will study medicine at Leeds University. The article contained lot more superlatives about them, and a beautiful photograph too. Our congratulations pale in comparison!

PILGRIM HEALTH SERVICE

If government cuts reduce the health service to nothing at all, we pilgrims may be OK with the number of doctors and nurses we will soon have among us. Therese Shaw is mentioned above. Claire Brockman is now doing Junior Surgery at a hospital in Sheffield. Jane Rex has just begun her nursing training at St Mary’s, Praed Street. Carolyn Jee is in her second year at St Bartholomew’s. Moira Stephens is training at the Central Middlesex Hospital, and Janet Angel is at Reading. Working together under Mary Clifford’s guidance surely blisters could be a thing of the past?

SKID ROW IN EPSOM

It is one thing to be on the road and sleeping rough for a fortnight in the summer. It is very different to have to do so always not through choice but through circumstances. It is good to know that Pat Harris and some friends are working to establish a night hostel for the many homeless people who sleep rough in the Epsom area. Meanwhile they have established a weekly “Night Watch Soup Run”, Any contributions of soup, sleeping bags or blankets would be most welcome.