THE
P RTAL
June 2016
Fr Keith said that many Catholics go abroad for
pilgrimage and ignore Holywell and Walsingham.
The story of Holywell, as with our baptism, is one
of life through death. The Christian life is a life of
the acceptance of mercy. It can be difficult to realise
that God is merciful to us, when we know what sort of
people we really are!
The gospel passage for the mass was
that of the prodigal son, as indeed
it will be at each of the Year of
Mercy pilgrimages. Like the prodigal
son, we cannot receive God’s mercy
unless we know we need it. Mgr
Newton quoted the great, late
Archbishop Fulton Sheen as saying
that when we are tempted, the devil
says, “Do it”, and Our Lord says, “Do
not do it”. Afterwards it is the devil
who accuses us and shames us and
makes us feel guilty and beyond
God’s forgiveness, but it is Our Lord
who says, “Come to me; it is no big deal, come to me
and my forgiveness”.
It is a sad fact that although we are baptised,
we continue to sin, but we cannot be slaves to sin
and borne down by sin. We cannot be defeated,
because nothing can separate us from the love of
God. However, we must never take God’s love for
granted, but trust and grow in Him.
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the week leading up to the Pilgrimage. St Winefride’s
Annual National Pilgrimage 2016 will take place on
Sunday the 26th June. Go to the web site for more
details http://www.saintwinefrideswell.com/.
The contact details are: The Custodian, St
Winefride’s Well, Greenfield Street,
Holywell, Flintshire, CH8 7PN. Tel.
01352 713054 or contact the parish
priest: The Vocationist Fathers, St
Winefride’s Church, 15 Well Street,
Holywell, Flintshire, CH8 7PL. Tel.
01352 713181.
Saint Winefride
and the Well
According to the legend, St
Winefride’s Well first erupted at the
spot where her would-be rapist,
Caradog, cut off her head with his
sword. Restored to life at the prayers
of her uncle St Beuno, Winefride lived
as a nun until her second death some 22 years later.
Whatever the exact truth of her legend, Winefride
herself was real rather than legendary, and the
extraordinary and enduring personality of this 7th
century Welsh woman has meant that she has been
venerated as a saint ever since the moment of her
death. Since that time, too, her well at Holywell has
been a place of pilgrimage and healing – the only such
place in Britain with a continuous history of public
pilgrimage for over thirteen centuries.
Mgr Keith spoke of the painting of the
story by Rembrandt and the man who spent
Surviving records of cures claimed after bathing at
a lifetime contemplating it. We see something of
ourselves in both sons. Only when both come together the well begin in the 12th century and continue to the
present; and the shrine still possesses a fine collection
is the Father’s joy complete.
of wooden crutches discarded by those cured in
With mass over, we walked the short distance to former times.
the Bridgettine Convent Guest House where we
The present shrine building is a glorious twoenjoyed a three course lunch. Very good it was too.
Fortified by the food we walked down the hill to storey Late Perpendicular Gothic building, erected
St Winefride’s well where we venerated her relic and in the first years of the 16th century, and is unique
some brave souls bathed in the waters. Others dipped in the world. It is a Grade I Listed Building and
their toe in the extremely cold water, but we all asked a scheduled Ancient Monument. The well precinct
for the saint’s prayers and for our own intentions. Then also houses an interpretive exhibition setting forth
it was time for us to take our leave of St Winefride and the story of the saint and her shrine in detail; and
our fellow pilgrims and make our way home. It had the Victorian former Custodians’ House has been
been a lovely day, and thanks are due to all those who converted to house a museum of the pilgrimage.
organised it.
The holy well is still a major place of Catholic
2016 marks the 600th anniversary of Henry V’s pilgrimage, but all visitors, of all faiths or of none
pilgrimage from Shrewsbury to Holywell. He travelled at all, are made welcome there, to share its unique
on foot to give thanks for his victory at Agincourt. mixture of history, beauty and peace; an ancient
There are other events commemorating this at the holy place, for so long described as one of the Seven
Well and in Holywell town centre being arranged for Wonders of Wales.
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