By Dominic Redcliffe

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Hello from Home - again

This has been a summer to remember, with the sunny days and heat. 

My summer has been one with many pastoral experiences and with much to ‘ponder’ upon. 

In July, I enjoyed a day pilgrimage and relaxation time with my home parish, led by Fr Jino Arikkatt. We visited St Joseph’s Prayer Centre, Formby, for a time of reflection and Mass surrounded by the peace and quiet of the pinewoods, with a few red squirrels watching on. Afterwards, we spent the afternoon in Southport enjoying ice cream – and we could actually see the sea! 

Following this was my month-long pastoral placement based at Our Lady Immaculate, Bryn. I received a very warm welcome from Canon John Gorman and the parishioners, and I saw what goes on within three busy parish communities.

During this placement, I was delighted to be included on the 55th parish pilgrimage to Walsingham. With my fellow pilgrims, I visited the shrine, including the tiny Slipper Chapel. A special part of the pilgrimage was our procession from Little Walsingham village to the shrine, carrying the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. Whilst walking along the well-trodden Pilgrim Way, I thought of the numbers of other pilgrims who had made that journey, passing through the Norfolk fields with crops and wildflowers along the way. 

From all my pastoral experiences this summer, I have been struck by the importance of spending time together as part of a parish community. I was humbled by the example of faith that I saw in others, by the way that our faith can bring strangers together, and by seeing the kindness and love that we read of in the Gospel. 

I thought of my own litany to remind me of the places I have been and the people I have met. 

Christ the King have mercy on us 
Our Lady of Walsingham pray for us 
Our Lady of Knock pray for us 
Our Lady Immaculate pray for us 
St Edmund Arrowsmith pray for us 
St Helen pray for us 
St Francis de Sales pray for us 
St Monica pray for us 
St Oswald pray for us 
St Wilfrid pray for us 
Blessed Dominic Barberi pray for us 

You have been in my prayers wherever I have been to in the archdiocese during my pastoral summer. 

Until next time, 
Dominic