Dear friends in Christ,

The month of May is traditionally a time of pilgrimage to the Shrines of our Blessed Mother, Mary. Indeed, during this last week forty members of the Parish Family have been in Lourdes. It was a grace-filled few days and the presence of fifteen of our Primary School children enhanced the experience for us. Through all of the daily devotions at the Shrine: Holy Mass, Confession, the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, the Marian-Torchlight Procession….we engage in acts of piety which draw us into the life of God, assisted by Our Lady. Devotion to Mary is the litmus test of true Christian Faith.

The sentiments of Saint Bernard in the Memorare are ever-so encouraging because, It is a thing unheard of that, anyone who ever had recourse to her protection and sought her intercession, was left unaided. Devotion to Mary is the key to the Incarnation and Redemption. God has desired that His mother be an intimate part of His plan for our salvation.

It is a great comfort to us all, and to me personally, that our new Bisho Alan Williams - has been not only the Director of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, but his own devotion to her is central to his spirituality. With this knowledge we can be confident that, from the beginning, the Diocese will be under her special protection and patronage. Our Lady of Lourdes is not only our own Patroness but that of our Diocese too. Continue to pray for our Bishop-elect that, under Mary’s powerful intercession, all of us, Clergy and Faithful, may be drawn into a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit whose outpouring we anticipate at Pentecost.

God bless you all!
Fr Kevin Hale