I write after the Assumptiontide Pilgrimage of Our Lady through the centre of Hay then down
the river Wye, in stages, to Hoarwithy. The three days were intense both spiritually and
physically, and I say that as the ‘roadie’ rather than one of the rowers. The response has,
bar the odd exception, been ones of wonder, support and interest. We were particularly
blessed with a phone call on the Monday leading up to the pilgrimage. A resident of Byford,
toward Hereford, who attends the RC Church in Weobley, had seen the publicity and wanted
to offer tea, coffee and refreshments to the rowers, on the riverbank. Other villagers joined,
with some providing additional refreshments. This unsolicited act of kindness and interest
was greatly appreciated by those rowing and others supporting.

The repeat of such a response following the first pilgrimage two years ago has led us to,
even at this early stage, talk of next year. It is my hope that this act of devotion and witness,
in some form or other, will become a tradition in this area. We live in an age which is
increasingly more visual, with social media apps dedicated to the sharing of images taken
during a day. The sharing of videos and photos is commonplace. Following the Second
Vatican Council, around which phrases such as ‘signs of the times’ were used, there has
been much debate as to how the Church dialogues with the modern world. The document
issued from the Council, Gaudiem et Spes, has the following: ‘We must be aware of and
understand the aspirations, the yearnings, and the often dramatic features of the world in
which we live.’ Much of that debate concerns things important to us such as liturgical rites
and moral anthropology, but perhaps, if we are really honest, not the peripheries and beyond
of the Church family. I would not want to be quoted as saying these things are not important
and not within the fundamentals, because they are. No, rather that when we discuss how
the Church interacts with the world in which we live, we need to be very mindful of how the
world operates and receives things. So, to return to the Pilgrimage of Our Lady through the
town and down the Wye: the impact of such a witness in an increasingly visual age is
beyond our understanding.

As mentioned above, it is my hope, along with others, that this becomes a tradition which
people recall starting, or say, ‘that has always been something here in our area.’ It is the
hope of many of us that the condition of the river Wye improves even, please God, returns to
a health not known for decades. It is a hope that our act of devotion on the feast of the
Assumption will continue beyond such a pleasing turn.

Please God, let it be that the Blessed Saints, most particularly Our Lady, continue to pray for us!

Fr. David