Bartrès...

Wednesday morning was the nicest one we had weather-wise, though it was a little breezy. This was very good news, as it was the morning we were due to go to Bartrès. We were so fortunate to have Mass in the parish church there. It was all the more poignant for me to realise that St. Bernadette would have recognised the church as it was - the one in Lourdes burned down and was rebuilt in a slightly different location, and the Crypt of the Immaculate Conception basilica (just above the Grotto) had only just been built when St. Bernadette left Lourdes to join the convent at Nevers, so she never saw the other chapels there.

I took a few photos, but not during Mass, as I was leading the singing, and manipulating a camera and various bits of music at the same time is not a skill I possess...

At the end of Mass, Fr. Tim brought out a sample of St. Bernadette's handwriting exercises...

...and we were able to venerate a relic of St. Bernadette...

Something I hadn't spotted on previous visits to Bartrès (despite it being bang smack in the middle of the graveyard) - the grave of Marie Lagües, the foster-mother of St. Bernadette.

St. Bernadette's own mother couldn't breastfeed her due to burns to her breasts in an accident with a candle. Marie Lagües had just lost her own baby, and so agreed to act as wetnurse for a small fee - the family were reasonably well-off at this point.

Later, when the family became destitute and St. Bernadette's health took a turn for the worse, it was decided that she should go to live in the relatively healthier air of Bartrès, where, in return for looking after the sheep and helping with her foster-mother's children, St. Bernadette would be taught her catechism, learn to read and write and be fed a better diet. In fact, due to her tiredness after her day's work and her ill health, St. Bernadette found learning very difficult, and Marie Lagües was not a patient tutor, so the bargain wasn't kept. When the parish priest at Bartrès left to join a monastery, St. Bernadette decided that she would be better off back with her family. Shortly after her return, she saw Our Lady for the first time.

The Lagües' family house has been preserved as a museum, and St. Bernadette's little cot-bed can be seen...

The photos of the interior aren't as clear as I'd like because the room is behind glass - presumably to deter relic-hunters from denuding the place!

I had planned to allow time in Bartrès after Mass for lunch and exploration of the museum and surrounding area. There was, I'd noted last year, a nice little café / restaurant which looked like it would be good. Alas, the best-laid plans of mice and men, and all that... The museum was only one room (and a gift-shop) and it closed at 12noon for a two-hour lunch-break. Fortunately we'd had plenty of time to see the room before Mass. Then, rather embarrassingly for me (as organiser), it transpired that Wednesday was the chef's day off, and no food was available...

My fellow pilgrims were very understanding, and didn't utter a single word of reproach. The grandmother of the group had packed supplies, and several families wandered off to explore the surrounding area - I believe they did find somewhere that did food. I went for the easy option, and chose to stay for a glass of lager, safe in the knowledge that I'd be able to enjoy a late lunch back in Lourdes. Nevertheless, I was completely flummoxed by this!

The café owner had probably noted that Wednesday was his quietest day - most pilgrimage groups attend the Wednesday morning International Mass and then return to their hotels for lunch. To be fair, he explained that, should we wish to arrange a visit in future, he'd give the chef a different day off that week...

No-One Goes On Processions Any More...

It is, after all, not done any more, not by "thinking" Catholics (like the ones who read The Suppository, aka The Bitter Pill.)

On the way to the start of the (not very popular) procession...

And then, by this point, we hadn't actually started the rosary...

It's when you meet the people at the start of the procession coming back after walking right around the Domaine that you realise that quite a few people do, actually, still go on processions... and remember that we were in the front end of the middle section...

My knee was playing up because of the damp weather, so I went and sat down at the outskirts of the procession, which wasn't the best position from which to take photos...

Each of those little dots of light is a separate candle, and lots of people didn't have candles...

And, at the end...

Fr. Tim has one of the most impressive photos of the (non-existent) procession on his Flickr page...

My Favourite Hotel...

I always think that this hotel foyer looks as if it is straight out of an Agatha Christie novel. I half expect to see a body draped artistically at the bottom of the stairs, or a police-type chalk outline on the floor.

Patrick and Sylvie Bonsom make a wonderful brother-and-sister team running the Grand Hotel d'Angleterre at Lourdes. Sylvie's husband is the chef, I think. One of their employees, Odette, has been Night Duty Porter for all the years we have been staying there. And when they were younger, we'd see a couple of children (I never figured out whose) doing homework at one of the tables in the afternoons. It's a superb hotel, with a friendly atmosphere. It's also about as close to the Grotto as you can get without pitching a tent in the field next to the Hemicycle!

The black arrow on the left shows the entrance to the hotel... the one on the right shows the St. Joseph's Gate, one of the main entrances to the Domaine and the quickest way to the Grotto.

I've already booked the hotel for our pilgrimage next year...

Modern Technology...

"Father Gadget" (as he used to be known by some of the teenagers in the parish) spotted a rather cool gadget in the airport Duty-Free section. Yes, I know it's no longer "Duty-Free" since the EU abolished it, but I don't know what else to call the consumer-fest section located between Security and the Boarding Gate.

Anyway, this particular gadget - an accessory for his mobile phone - caused quite a stir amongst some of the other passengers on the flight to Toulouse, especially when he stopped to take a call...

Meeting Old Friends (& New Ones)

I didn't have access to a computer whilst in Lourdes, and anyway, it was probably good for me not to be blogging continuously... at least, that is what I kept telling myself. I resisted the temptation to hunt out a cyber café, and only used the hotel's free wifi (only available in the bar area) to check my emails. Anyway, blogging by phone is just irritating, as the formatting is stupid...

I did take a few photos. I didn't take as many as I'd intended, because, quite frankly, the weather was dreadful - cold and wet. We had two nice mornings - the Wednesday, when we went to Bartrès (though it was cold) and the Friday (as we were preparing to leave.) But photos really lose something in bad weather.

Lourdes this year was an opportunity to meet (and make) friends. On the Monday evening, I was greeted by an old friend from my London Faith Forum days. Ira had moved to the diocese of Birmingham, and was on night duties in the hospital for the Birmingham pilgrimage. She's on the left of the photo. Delia (a regular at Blackfen) had joined us for part of the pilgrimage, as she was going off to meet cousins in the South of France later in the week. And, before you ask, Fr. Charles Briggs hadn't gotten around to changing into his cassock after the journey, though he did wear it for the rest of the week...

I had the uncanny experience on the Tuesday lunchtime of a young man approaching me as I tucked into my magret de canard in one of the local cafés: "Excuse me, are you Mac McLernon? I read your blog...!" ...and then, just as I was trying to figure out how he could possibly have known who I was, when I wasn't even wearing a mantilla, he admitted that he had seen me at the Faith Summer Conferences in the past. It turned out that Andrew Gardner, as he introduced himself (I knew he'd looked familiar, but I'm useless at remembering names) was on the Middlesbrough Diocese pilgrimage as a helper.

Crouchback (aka Jim) and his Lady Letitia (Christina) had indicated, in an earlier post of mine, that they were making the pilgrimage to Lourdes and hoped to meet up with us for Mass each day. I was delighted to meet them properly - we'd chatted briefly at one of the London blognics at the Buckingham Arms in Petty France. Coincidentally, they'd been returning from Lourdes back then! I discovered that Jim's nom de blog was a reference to something written by Evelyn Waugh - and after Christina's recommendation, I think that I really must read some of Waugh's work; my education is sorely lacking in this respect!

I shall post a selection of pictures over the next few days.

The Wanderer Returns...

I arrived home a short while ago. Now, having greeted (and, more importantly, fed) Furretti and Miaowrini, and having unpacked the suitcase, I am just checking a few blogs before crawling, exhausted, into bed.

But I just want to have a little smirk...

...Just a little one...

I made disparaging remarks in a previous post that cast aspersions on the apparently "non-bio" biometric passport I had to pay an exorbitant amount for last Saturday.

I have completely changed my views.

I arrived at Passport Control at Heathrow Terminal Five this evening, feeling rather tired and irritable, and observed the hordes queuing. I then spotted a small sign which suggested that anyone with a certain chip-type symbol on the front of their passport could go through the automatic scanner.

There wasn't a queue for this scanner.

I checked my passport. It had the chip-type symbol on the front. I gleefully marched to the completely queue-less empty booth, stood on the yellow feet marked on the floor, pushed my passport through a slot and stared at the camera. That camera was a lot more friendly than the official who had originally checked my ear-less photo. The message came up that I passed muster, and I was through.

I'm afraid that I couldn't resist waving at some of my fellow pilgrims who were still queuing...

Our Last Morning In Lourdes...

All good things must come to an end...

We finish with Mass in the St. Gabriel Chapel once again, this time at 10:30am, so we all have time to pack our bags. Our coach is due to leave the hotel at around 1:30pm so there will be a little time for last-minute rosary purchases...

All being well, we should be back in Blackfen by about 9pm.

I wonder if the kitties have brought me any presents...

Pilgrims' Progress...

Today will be another fairly gentle day, although there's a fair bit of walking involved.

We'll start off with Mass in the Crypt of the Lourdes parish church. It's another Missa Cantata - well, today is the Feast of the Ascension in the EF calendar (and shortly to be reinstated in the OF calendar if rumours I hear are true!) and the acoustics in the Crypt are spine-tinglingly good, so it seems a shame not to sing a bit...

In the afternoon we'll join the Blessed Sacrament procession, which starts at 5pm, and then finish up with the torchlight procession at 9pm.

Bernadette In Bartrès...

St. Bernadette spent quite a bit of time in Bartrès, first as a baby (when her mother was unable to nurse her, due to an accident) and then just before the Apparitions, when Bernadette worked as a shepherdess. It was the departure of the priest at Bartrès to a monastery which prompted Bernadette's return to Lourdes, because she realised that she would never be able to make her First Holy Communion there.

We will be having Mass in the parish church at 11am - a Missa Cantata, though we're a little short on singers this year. Still, I'm sure we'll manage!

At 4pm we plan to join the recitation of the Rosary at the Grotto, followed by the blessing of children - Fr. Tim has done this in previous years. Then, at 5:15pm, we'll split into two groups for the Stations of the Cross. The more energetic and agile pilgrims will head off to the high stations on the Espelugues Hill, while those of us who are somewhat more fragile will content ourselves with following the lower stations on the far side of the Gave.

Once again, everything finishes off with the torchlight procession.

The Pilgrimage Starts Gently...

It might be a little on the cold side. The baths at Lourdes are not for the faint-hearted, after all!

The first morning will be deliciously relaxed - the baths are first on the agenda, but anyone with access to a child can go straight in, so no queuing. The men don't seem to have to queue for long either - I think it's because we women have lots of fiddly clothing. The towel is trickier to apply as well... and it fair takes one's breath away when they put it on. There's rather more of oneself in contact with the wet towel... the men have it much easier.

Brrrrrrr.

All part of the penance.

I have to admit that, when the helpers instruct me to say a prayer as I walk through the water, I rarely get further than "Oh God... it's so cold! Get me out!" Only mentally. It's impossible to speak coherently through chattering teeth.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't miss the experience. It wouldn't be Lourdes without it.

At 3pm our group is booked on a guided tour of the places in the town Lourdes associated with St. Bernadette - the Cachot, the parish church, and so on. Mass (in the Extraordinary Form) will be at 6pm in the St. Gabriel Chapel (to the left of the entrance to the Crypt of the Immaculate Conception Basilica.)

Finally, the torchlight procession starts at 9pm. If you're around, keep an eye out for the parish flag, and pop over to say hello!

And We're Off To Lourdes...

Unless the Icelandic volcanoes get frisky again, by the time this post goes up, I shall be somewhere over France. Of course, things could go horribly wrong, in which case I'm still at Heathrow...

I shall be positive. I'm in the air over France...

There are 27 of us in the group, 18 adults, and the youngest pilgrim is only 4 months old. That should keep me on my toes this year. Our flight doesn't get in to Toulouse until about 5pm local time, and then it's another 2 hours or so on the coach. By the time we arrive, it'll be time for dinner, and then a quick dash down to the torchlight procession, or what's left of it...

Finally Sorted!

I might just have managed to get myself sorted out in time for a good night's sleep. Oh wait... I might oversleep...I guess I'm in for more nightmares then!

I'm really looking forward to the pilgrimage, but haven't actually done many posts in advance, so posting may be a bit sparse while I'm away...

Oh well, never mind. In any case, I will pray for all my blog readers at the Grotto.

A Little Treat For Dylan & Anna...

I discovered today that, although Dylan doesn't really like cats, he thinks that my kitten posts are great. He is, however, more of a dog person. And I know that the Catholic Herald's chief feature writer, Anna Arco, has a thing about pugs, so...

A Busy Morning...

I am usually pretty well organised. This year, due to a few different things going on, I haven't been... well, not with regard to organising the parish pilgrimage to Lourdes. Don't misunderstand me, I had all the important stuff done... flights, hotel, coaches, chapels... all planned and arranged.

Just one little thing I didn't quite get around to...

Renewing my passport.

Well, there were other things to organise, and anyway, I had plenty of time... until the end of April arrived, and I realised that I had less than a month in which to get it sorted. Too late to use the Post Office's Check & Send service. I knew that by paying a bit more I could get an emergency renewal... I could either take two days off in order to trek along to Victoria and sort it out, or I could pay an extra £17 and get it sorted in 4 hours.

It wasn't a difficult decision, and I phoned up and made an appointment for today - it's all done by appointment now, unlike the last time I got my passport, where you just queued and hoped you got seen before closing time.

I was very, very tired yesterday. I even skipped the wonderful Mass in Ramsgate mentioned by Leutgeb, missing  a fantastic blogging and photographic opportunity in the process. But I knew that, should I oversleep and miss my appointment, I would be in deep trouble - His Hermeneuticalness might even see fit to excommunicate me...

So, I opted for an early night. And slept badly. With nightmares.

I crawled out of bed this morning, feeling even worse than the night before. Mindful of having to live with the photo on my passport for the next ten years, I took particular care with my hair and make-up. Vanity, vanity... I then shot to the nearest hole-in-the-wall to withdraw a ridiculous amount of money for such a small booklet, and popped into a local shop to get change for the photo booth. A gust of wind and a short spattering of rain taught me the futile nature of trying to look good for photographs.

Then it was off to the local station to use the photo booth...

For some reason the machine kept telling me that the photo wasn't passport-compliant. It took me a bit of time to realise that this was on account of not showing I had ears. I looked at my old passport photo. I didn't have ears then either. I ignored the machine and printed the best one. It was a horrible picture, which emphasised my squint. My hair was messed up and wet. And my lipstick had come off. God was doing a pretty good job on the reminder-about-vanity front.

It doesn't sound like much, but I am not a morning person. All of this happened before 7:45am on a Saturday morning.

The drive to Eccleston Square was uneventful - the rest of humanity appeared to be enjoying a Saturday-morning lie-in. I even managed to find a parking space which didn't cost anything on Saturdays. And I was fourth in the queue for the Passport Office.

When the security chap finally opened the door, he said that only people with a 9:15am appointment were allowed in to start with. Foolishly, I said my appointment was at 9am (well, it was) and he told me to wait. Several people got in before me. I then asked again when the 9am appointments were supposed to be seen... and he told me that there weren't any 9am appointments on a Saturday, but I could go in anyway. I was now twenty-fifth in the queue...

It didn't take too long. Having had to put everything in my bag so that I could pass it through the X-ray machine, I then had to scrabble through the bag for my reference number - and the chap at the desk then told me I didn't need it, as my surname was enough. Clutching my ticket, I made my way upstairs to a waiting room, and then was called through to a desk. A surly-looking official peremptorily rejected my tentatively proffered ticket (well, most people ask for it) and demanded to know whether I had filled in a passport form. She glared at the form, couldn't find any mistakes, took in my old passport, took my new photos and compared them with my old passport one, and then glared at me as if to check that I was the same person.

I had been told that, if my appearance hadn't changed appreciably, I didn't need to get my form countersigned by someone who knew me, and didn't need to get the photos signed either. My heart sank. Either the missing ears were about to get me into hot water, or I'd have to find someone who had their own passport handy to vouch for me...

The official sniffed. "Which service are you using? Two week or same day?"

"Same day," I told her, banishing the thought that, had she taken my previously proffered ticket, she wouldn't have needed to ask, as it was printed clearly. However, I was sure that I could still jinx the whole thing, so I kept schtum.

Finally, after another sniff, I was sent to the cashier to part with my hard-earned cash, and the promise that the passport would be ready for collection in four hours.

Knowing in advance that I would have four hours to kill, I'd made arrangements to meet Dylan for coffee. But first of all I popped in to the Cathedral for Confession and Mass. I was rather annoyed to note that The Suppository was still prominently on sale, especially after their latest bad-tempered, anti-priest, anti-Church editorial.

It was really good to meet up with Dylan, and we chatted happily over tea and nibbles. Then he had to return home to deal with a leaking ceiling, while I had to go and collect my passport.

Everything was fine, and I left clutching my new "biometric" passport. There isn't actually any "bio" involved, as far as I can see, but they did put a chip in it so it can be read electronically. It's probably got a self-destruct mechanism in it somewhere, but at least I can go to Lourdes on Monday...

Happy Anniversary To Fr. Z...

Wow, Fr. Z was ordained by Pope John Paul II 20 years ago today!

Pop over to his blog, if you haven't done so already, leave your good wishes and have a look at the video clip - it's a Quicktime one, and I couldn't see any embed code, so couldn't steal it for myself...

Just a thought... if Fr. Z was ordained by Blessed JPII through the laying on of hands, does that make Fr. Z a second-class relic??

Just a thought...

Another Milestone For His Hermeneuticalness...

As Leutgeb pointed out yesterday, Fr. Tim Finigan crossed the 3-millionth-visitor mark on his blog some time this afternoon. It's currently at 3,001,264. He marked the occasion after Mass with some chocolate cake and champagne. Alas, I was driving, so I missed out on the champers...

Zephyrinus attempted to console me: when I pass the 1 million mark, he'll buy me a nice bottle of wine.

Given that I've been blogging for five years and have yet to reach my first half million (I'm currently at 413,370), this did not have the desired effect... He promptly amended his statement, and now I shall be able to celebrate when I get to my 500,000th visitor!

So, in the interests of allowing me a little glass of something bubbly, how about telling all your friends to come and visit...

Parish Pilgrimage To Lourdes...

It's that time of year again. Next Monday, we have the annual joint Pilgrimage to Lourdes for the parishes of Blackfen and Chislehurst. Fr. Tim Finigan and Fr. Charles Briggs are the spiritual guides for the pilgrimage. I'm really looking forward to it - this year we will have Mass in the crypt of the parish church of Lourdes (for the Feast of the Ascension) and also Mass the day before in the parish church of Bartrès. I am still waiting to hear what chapels in the Domaine we're being given for the other Masses - they tried to suggest the St. Patrick's chapel, but that's nothing more than a glorified broom cupboard, so I am working hard to get us moved elsewhere... watch this space!

If anyone in Lourdes wishes to join us for Mass, they'd be most welcome. I'll put details of times and locations up on the blog as soon as I have confirmed them.

In Case You Were Wondering...

I rather fancied an early night tonight, and then I glanced at my last post, and realised that you might think I'd been taken.

I even toyed with the idea of photographing my mantilla on the floor... rather in the way that Philip Johnson snapped this amusing ensemble...

Any Plans For Tomorrow...?

In case you hadn't noticed, tomorrow is when we start the End of the World... otherwise known as the Rapture. The Rapture is, apparently, when the chosen few who have been saved are whisked off into the sky to meet Jesus, while those less fortunate are left behind to face earthquake, fire, brimstone, plague pestilence, war and other such unpleasant stuff. Probably giant cockroaches too. I really hate cockroaches.

Since the basic Catholic response to the question "Have you been saved?" is something along the lines of "Ummm, I sincerely hope to get to heaven after a hefty stint in Purgatory!" I guess that we RCs don't actually qualify for the Rapture: I was once told that those people who have been saved know that they've been saved... if they're in any sort of doubt, it means that they're not. When I asked how people know they've been saved, I was given pitying looks. Apparently you just know...

The Crescat has suggested that Sunday be declared International Day of Looting - well there will be all this stuff which the Raptured leave behind. They won't need it, right?

If you want a little more guidance on who gets taken and who gets left, check out this handy flow chart.

My friend Cazienza actually posted it in Facebook, but as she has a blog, I'll link to that instead by way of a mantilla-twitch...

Theology Of The Body Symposium...

The Catholic With Attitude has been co-organising the third Symposium on the Theology of the Body at Twickenham, and asked me to give it a plug - something I'm happy to do. It's happening from 3rd June - 5th June, at St. Mary's University College, and more details can be found on the Catholic With Attitude's blog, so do go on over and check it out!

Wildlife Update...

On Sunday it was a bird. Today saw the next chapter in my kittens' careers as wildlife enthusiasts. Furretti was stretching out on the carpet this evening in a very kittenish and playful manner. I then saw what she was stretching over towards - a big stag beetle. She patted it a few times, and I assume she got her paw nipped, because she started dancing around it.

I'm afraid that I didn't stop to take a photo. Beetles are rather too good at escaping into little corners. I disposed of it. And yes, I know that stag beetles are a protected species... but only their habitats (if larvae are found on a development site, for example) and it's illegal to trade in them.

Anyway, the adults don't live long, and often die shortly after mating. Cats are, it seems, a common predator of stag beetles. The beetles also get squashed by cars. Oh well...

The Guild Gets Going...

The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma has gotten itself a blog!

The aims of the Guild are clear - to raise the profile of the Catholic Faith, and to inform and inspire an educated laity and to evangelise the United Kingdom. Contributors to the Guild Blog will write on a range of subjects including theology, liturgy, canon law and apologetics, and members of the Guild are men and women loyal to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and to Pope Benedict XVI and his liturgical reforms.

Oh, and we'll have the occasional Mass (in whatever Form happens to be convenient, just like the Holy Father wants) and the more-than-occasional blognic.

Murdering Monsignori...

I arrived home this afternoon to find two kittens waiting to greet me at the door, with expressions of angelic sweetness and innocence on their furry faces. I instinctively distrust such sweet expressions, but couldn't identify anything obviously wrong.

I then started work on the computer, and phoned my mother. Mid-call, I heard a squeaky cry. It wasn't a cat, and I was pretty sure it wasn't one of their squeaky toys. I turned round and found Monsignor Furretti looking rather intently at the sofa, while Monsignor Miaowrini was nowhere to be seen. Another cry came from behind the sofa...

I pulled the sofa out a bit and glanced behind it. There was Miaowrini, patting what looked like a half-dead baby bird. The bird cried, fluttered its wings and tried to escape. Miaowrini held it down with one paw, and the bird went still. Miaowrini then appeared to lose interest, until the bird made the mistake of moving again. It escaped from behind the sofa, with Miaowrini and Furretti in eager pursuit.

Meanwhile, I had grabbed a towel. I dropped it over the fluttering bird, which then went still. I gathered the bird up in the towel, much to the kittens' disgust, and carefully checked to see if it was injured. It didn't appear to have any teeth-marks puncturing anything, though it looked somewhat ruffled and more than a little disgruntled. I couldn't resist taking a photo (the camera was out because I'd been downloading the photos I'd taken earlier) but it's incredibly difficult to take a photo with one hand and so the picture's a bit blurred...

I then walked outside and held the towel open. The bird promptly flew off, albeit a little unsteadily. I think it reached some nearby trees.

The kittens then did their best to look nonchalant... I'm still not entirely sure which one of them caught the bird and brought it home to play... I had thought it was Miaowrini (since she's the more adventurous one) but Furretti is the one who sits on the windowsill chattering longingly when she sees the birds flying past... Of course, it could have been a joint venture...

I expect more wildlife will arrive in due course. Now, if I could just train them to bring me a steak...

Crowning Our Lady For The Month Of May...

Fr. Tim decided that we would have an outdoor procession and crowning of the statue of Our Lady between the two Sunday morning Masses today. I made sure that I had my camera with me... just as well, because I forgot my newly-restored iPhone... though at least I didn't lock myself out of the car this time.

We sang "O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today" and recited the Litany of Loreto (the children joining in with gusto), and, in a manner reminiscent of Leutgeb's experiences, one of the little girls was placed on the ladder so she could crown Our Lady's statue. No long blue train held by attendants. Maybe we can get that sorted for next year...

Then several children brought flowers to place in front of the statue...