Press Release: Another Great Success for the LMS with the National Pilgrimage to Holywell – But We Need a New Organiser, So Please Volunteer
7 JULY 2011
David Lloyd, LMS Vice-President and main organiser of the Holywell Pilgrimage for many years, has sent this report:
The Latin Mass Society’s pilgrimage to the shrine of St Winefride in Holywell, North Wales took place on Sunday 3 July. Father Simon Henry of the Archdiocese of Liverpool was celebrant at a Solemn Votive Mass of a Virgin Martyr and was Assisted by Fr Agnellus FI from the parish of St Joseph, Burslem, Stoke on Trent as Deacon and Fr Ian O’Shea of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool. The sermon was preached by Fr Henry. A number of clergy sat in choir, including Canon Bernard Lordan of the Diocese of Wrexham, and Fr Patrick Hayward of the Archdiocese of Westminster. The MC for the Mass was Mr James Pennington, the LMS’s Representative in Liverpool. Over 170 faithful assisted.
The choir, drawn from the Manchester area, was under the direction of Christian Spence, conductor of the Yorkshire-based Rudgate Singers. They sang Monteverdi’s Messa a quarttro voci da cappella, polyphonic motets at the Offertory and Communion and the Proper of a Virgin Martyr Me Expectaverunt pecccatores from the Liber Usualis.
Following Mass, the congregation gathered outside the church and, led by the cross bearer, acolytes and clergy, processed to St Winefrides’ Shrine and well reciting the Holy Rosary led by Canon Bernard Lordan, former parish priest at Holywell. In the well crypt the Litany to St Winefride was recited and during the veneration of the relic of part of her little finger the hymn “Thee we hail o sainted maid” was sung by the choir. The day’s events concluded back in the church with solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament given by Fr Simon Henry.
The LMS’s Holywell Pilgrimage has taken place now for about twenty-five years - in the beginning on a Saturday afternoon in the form of a Missa Cantata followed by Vespers and Benediction. It was organised then by Mr Edmund Waddelove, the LMS’s Representative in the Diocese of Wrexham. It is worth noting that in the Society’s early years Edmund represented it in the combined dioceses of Menevia, Shrewsbury and Wrexham. He is still alive and living in Ruthin and is in need of your prayers.
I have been responsible for the continuation and expansion of the pilgrimage for twenty years and early in my tenure also provided the music, drawing on a number of church musicians from as far afield as London, Sheffield, Liverpool, Shrewsbury and the University of Bangor to augment the small Traditional choir in Holywell. I always managed to find sufficient priests to support a Solemn Mass and among the many celebrants were The Rt Rev. Michael Gallagher O Praem, the Rt Rev. Mgr Gilles Wach Prior General of the ICKSP, Canon William Hudson ICKSP, Fr Anton Guizel, Fr Andrew Southwell, Fr Nicholas du Chaxel FSSP, Fr Andrew Wadsworth, Fr Antony Dykes and this year, Fr Simon Henry.
Altar servers from the length and breadth of England and Wales have travelled to Holywell to assist. I have always expected the very highest standard of music for worship and I am grateful to all those musicians who have assisted at this pilgrimage, in particular I must mention Anthony Dickinson who has formed small choirs of the very highest calibre to assist in Holywell on many occasions.
Canon Bernard Lordan who I think has never missed a single pilgrimage deserves a special mention, as does Graham Moorehouse who has for some years brought a coach of about fifty pilgrims from London, who are a welcome addition t our congregation.
Unfortunately, due to advancing years I am no longer able to continue to organise this pilgrimage and have now retired. The LMS has previously appealed for someone to accept this responsibility but so far without success. However, to ensure the future continuation of priestly assistance at Holywell, I have offered the pastoral care to Fr Agnellus Murphy FI who has very kindly accepted and will in future provide the sacred ministers for the pilgrimage and will also try to put in place a master of music.
It is vital that a secretary and sacristan can be found and we appeal for a member or members to volunteer for this work. Please contact Michael Lord, LMS General Manager, in the LMS office on Michael@lms.org.uk or telephone the office on 020 7404 7284.
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