Today about 90 people attended a the LMS Pilgrimage to Holywell, organised jointly with the Fraternity of St Peter. Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP celebrated the Mass. A coachload of people came from the FSSP church at St Mary's, Warrington.
We are very grateful to the priest in charge, Fr Matthew Bond, who not only allowed us the use of the church but presented the relic of St Winefride for our veneration. And also to the Schola Malvernensis, who travelled the considerable distance to accompany the Mass. I joined them for the occasion.
This pilgrimage is in honour of the 7th century Welsh noblewoman St Winefride, Virgin and Martyr: also, the founder of a religious community. Unusually, she founded this community after her martyrdom, since she was brought back to life by her uncle St Beuno. That is the legend, and as so often this is reflected in the liturgical texts, and even the classification of her feast.
Her martyrdom was the occasion of the appearance of a spring of healing water: this has continued to be the instrument of miracles up to the present day, and the stone housing of this and the chapel above it is the only Medieval shrine in England and Wales not to have been destroyed during the Reformation period.
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| Photo by Alastair Tocher |
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