On Monday 2nd February a group of more than thirty parishioners made a Pigrimage to Tyburn Convent in London as part of the Feast Day celebrations for our parish patron saint St. Henry Morse who was one of the Tyburn Martrys.
The convent was established in 1903 to honour the place of the English Martyrs who died on the scaffold of the Tyburn Tree. The convent sits adjacent to Marble Arch, opposite Hyde Park. It is a haven of peace of quiet amidst all the hustle and bustle of the London streets.
We were met by Rita, our guide, who was very informative about both the origin of the religious order and the convent, but also about the extensive range of relics on display in the Crypt of the Martyrs along with the stories of several of the martyrs who perished at Tyburn.
We were able to celebrate Mass in the Crypt, led by Fr. Alex and Deacon David, ably assisted by our altar server Freia. It felt very poignant to be able to celebrate the Eucharist alongside so many relics and memorials to the martyrs.
We were also able to pray at the Chapel of Exposition where there is perpetual adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament. Night and day there is a sister or Vigilant praying for the needs of all mankind. During the day the chapel is open to the public for prayer and private reflection.
The greatest impact for me was the chance to pray for, and reflect on, the strength of the martyrs who met their death so courageously, unflinching in their faith. We walked along the busy street to find the plaque which marks the spot of the scaffold. Standing at this spot, albeit on a traffic island in central London, it was both chilling but inspiring to think of the numbers of people who had stayed true to their faith to the point of death.
Everyone agreed that it had been a rewarding and inspirational visit I think that we all enjoyed the experience of being a pilgrim for the day and were very appreciative that all the practicalities had worked well for us to be able to experience the uniqueness of the shrine.