Glastonbury Abbey Pilgrimage

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday I drove to Glastonbury abbey--about 2 1/2 hours from the Carmel here--to participate in a small annual pilgrimage sponsored by the Latin Mass Society of England. The largest annual pilgrimages are those to Our Lady of Walsingham, Chartres, and Lourdes, and there were multiple small pilgrimages to shrines taking place yesterday. I had the blessing of participating in the one at the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. And not only participating but, as I was praying in the sanctuary preparing for Mass, the priest who would be delivering the sermon walked over and whispered, "Father, the celebrant for some reason has not arrived, could you celebrate the Mass for us today?" So I had the blessing of chanting the High Mass, leading the rosary procession around the grounds of the old Abbey, and then giving Benediction!

Here are a few photos:

Three men on pilgrimage preparing to enter the seminary: from left to right they will be entering: Transalpine Redemptorists, Diocesan Seminary in England, Institute of the Good Shepherd in France.

The pilgrimage had reminders of elements that seem to be pervasive in the Church throughout England:

The witness of the Martyrs: we were on the grounds of the ruins of an enormous historic abbey: the Abbey of Glastonbury. In 1539 Henry VIII had the abbot, and the two monks closest to him, hung, drawn, and quartered because they resisted his takeover of the Abbey. He then proceeded to remove all the led from the buildings, which were progressively destroyed, leaving the ruins still standing today:

The historic downtown, surrounding the Abbey and the parish church, is now dominated by occult shops--for example the "House of the Goddess" which sponsors all sorts of activities for "healing." All sorts of magic and dark arts shops. Very sad. And then the tiny group of Catholics there. It seems that a large Catholic parish in England, at least in this area of England, might have 200 - 300 people attend on a weekend. Many parishes have less than 100.

The Presence of Vocations and young people: in the midst of this very small pilgrimage of perhaps 50 people--but that nonetheless managed to sing full Palestrina for the Mass!--there were three young men, pictured above, entering the seminary this month, and also a young man, perhaps 12 or 13, who had discovered and begun attending the Latin Mass. He loved it to such a point that his mother came with him on this pilgrimage to discover what this Mass was all about, and she herself was moved by the reverence and said she wanted to begin attending regularly. So signs of hope.

It was a full day but a blessed one. It began with a candle-lit Mass for the sisters at 5:20AM, and then at 7AM I headed out on the pilgrimage, returning at 7:30PM. After doing some more work last night and a full, but good, day today, I took a siesta and in a moment will have a bite to eat for dinner.

Praying for you all. May Jesus and Mary watch over you--especially those of you in particularly difficult situations with regards to access to the Sacraments for your children. May Jesus and Mary guide you and grant you their peace in the midst of suffering.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Tony Pillari