Last Saturday was the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury (in the old calendar), and, as the National Shrine is in Ramsgate, we had the opportunity to venerate the only relic extant in England (I think that was what Fr. Holden said in his introduction... I shall have to try to pin him down on that one!) It was wonderful to see so many people making a pilgrimage to honour the saint.
After a procession with the relic along Ramsgate's Westcliff promenade, there was a High Mass, with Fr. Armand de Malleray FSSP as celebrant.
Fr. de Malleray's sermon gave plenty of food for thought, particularly when he contrasted the secular disbelief in the power of priests to change the bread and wine through the words of Consecration at Mass with the total acceptance that words spoken in Parliament can actually change physical realities. As Fr. de Malleray pointed out, through the words spoken by Black Rod, thousands of women found that they were no longer carrying a child in their womb, but merely a collection of tissues and cells!
Fr. Marcus Holden, the Rector of the Shrine (and Parish Priest of Ramsgate) has organised a whole series of events for Half Term celebrating the work of St. Augustine - you can find out more here.
There are also more photos to see on my Flickr album page.
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