Walsingham...

...was a wonderful place at which to celebrate the Beatification of John Paul II. A pilgrimage led by Aid to the Church in Need, and then I stayed on for the next day's beautiful Divine Mercy devotions.

Wasn't that great Beatification in Rome just magnificent? Over one and a half million people flocking there, filling the streets and squares, praying and singing and honouring the man whose legacy to us has been so rich: the man who took the Church across the threshold of the new Millenium, who opened up new frontiers in evangelisation, who founded World Youth Day and gave us the Mysteries of Light in the Rosary, and more, and more...I was touched to read the enthusiastic comments by the excellent Cardinal Raymond Burke, in Rome which I echo:"He gave the world hope".

Before heading for Walsingham, I was in Oxford to watch the play The Quality of Mercy presented by a young drama group at the University Chaplaincy. Magnificent. It brought out the glory of the message of mercy, weaving this into a gripping story following the adventures of a group of young pilgrims en route to "seek the face of Christ" at Manopello. beginning at Rome where they have just encountered John Paul...I plan to write a full review of this play - which I hope will be presented in a number of other places in due course.Meanwhile, you can find out more about it here and here.