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.
