Rosary Crusade 2012

The Rosary Crusade 2012 once again brought Marian devotion to the heart of London!  On the anniversary of the Miracle of the sun at Fatima, the little statue, blessed by Pope Pius XII, headed a wonderful procession from all walks of life.  There is no more Catholic an event in all meanings of that word.  On one of the few relatively clement days in October this year, around 2000 pilgrims made the journey between the two greatest London Catholic Churches to honour Our Lady in the month of the Most Holy Rosary.  On arrival at the Oratory, a ceremony of hymns, prayers and readings was crowned by solemn Benediction.  Father Julian Large, new Provost of the London Oratory, preached a fine sermon and Fr Ronald Creighton-Jobe, chaplain to the Crusade, reminded everyone to pray for the Repose of the soul of Fr Hugh Thwaites, former chaplain to the Crusade, though one is tempted to believe that such a holy priest is already busy in Heaven praying for all the pilgrims.  Certainly, Father's spirit seemed to guide the procession this year as everything proceeded very smoothly indeed.  Join us next year!

More photos can be found here.

       

Fr. Hugh Simon-Thwaites, RIP

Please pray the rosary for Fr Hugh Simon-Thwaites who went to his Eternal reward on 21 August 2012.  Without Fr Thwaites, there would be no Rosary Crusade.  May he be very active in Heaven!  

More Photos!

Many thanks to Albert Linton for the excellent photography.

The Rosary Crusade was very pleased to welcome the first Ordinary of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham to our annual procession and ceremony of reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Our Blessed Mother.  Under leaden skies, the Crusade provided a welcome splash of colour to a typical autumnal day in London.  The procession, led by the Crucifix accompanied by two torchbearers, miscellaneous servers, the Brothers of the Little Oratory, Knights of Malta, Knights of Our Lady, various priests, Mgr Newton, flower girls, young boys and the bier of Our Lady in a sea of flowers, held aloft by members of the Catholic Police Guild.  A police estimate of 1,500 people followed the statue of Our Lady through the streets of London between Westminster Cathedral and Brompton Oratory.  15 decades of the Rosary were recited between the two churches and a number of well known Marian hymns were sung.  Immaculate Mary was sung while passing the smart shops of Knightsbridge, including Harrods, and this caused quite a stir among the shoppers and other walkers along the route. At the Oratory, Mgr Newton pointed out that the following day (9 October) would be Blessed John Henry Newman's feast day (if it were not Sunday) and mentioned the devotion of both Blessed Newman and Fr Faber to Our Lady, not because of what she had done, but because of what God had done in and through her.  Fr Faber was, of course, the founder of the very Oratory in which Mgr Newton spoke and in which Fr Faber is buried.  The Crusade concluded with Solemn Benediction and the singing of the famous Faber hymn, "Faith of Our Father."  It was particularly poignant to recite the Prayer for England with the members of the Ordinariate present.  We had prayed successfully for them, and now they were praying for those who have yet to make the leap of Faith.  Photos of the Crusade can be found here and here.

First Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham to lead Rosary Crusade!

Mgr. Keith Newton, first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham will lead this year's Rosary Crusade of Reparation.  The establishment of this Ordinariate was the first fruit of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, issued by Pope Benedict XVI on 4 November 2009. The Constitution and the Complementary Norms published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith provide the essential norms which will enable members of the Ordinariate to preserve within the Catholic Church those elements of Anglican ecclesial prayer, liturgy and pastoral practice (patrimony) that are concordant with Catholic teaching and which have nurtured and nourished their Christian faith and life.  This is no doubt a watershed event in the conversion of England and Wales, an event for which the Rosary Crusade has prayed for for many years.  More information about the Personal Ordinariate can be found here.