500 celebrate relics arrival with procession and Mass

The Parish of The Sacred Heart and St Oswald in Peterborough celebrated the arrival of the relics of St Jacinta and St Francesco, and the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima with a vibrant two-day event featuring a procession and open air Mass. Tom Kilgallen reports.

On the Vigil of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, in honour of the arrival of the relics of St Jacinta and St Francesco, and the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, members of the Parish joined in prayer and witness with a twenty-four-hour rosary, beginning on the Saturday and led by some of the diverse cultural groups in the Parish. This was followed by a procession on the Sunday, from St Oswald’s to the Sacred Heart School, where 500 people took part in an open air Mass in honour of Our Lady of Fatima. The Parish was joined in prayer over these two days by members of neighbouring parishes, as well as from outside Peterborough, including from the London Filipino Kapatiran Prayer Group.

The procession started after Sunday Mass at St Oswald’s. About 140 people took part in the procession led by the cross, the altar servers, and children carrying the flags of many nations, representing the diverse cultures sharing our faith at the Parish of The Sacred Heart and St Oswald. The colourful flags were followed by the relics and the statue of Our Lady of Fatima borne aloft. As the procession crossed a busy roadway, over a bridge to reach the footpaths, it made a wonderful and joyous spectacle, the flags flying, the cross glinting in the sun, the statue of Our Lady carried high, and all the faithful following, singing the Ave Maria and reciting the rosary.

People were able to join in safely with the procession, due to the many steward volunteers who did a wonderful job keeping everyone safe and aware of obstacles, as well as keeping Our Lady safe from overhanging trees along the way! The stewards helped to ensure the safe crossing of another busy road and ushered cyclists safely past the procession.

There was a memorable ecumenical moment along the way when some parishioners from the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit came out with their Vicar to welcome the procession and share their blessings.

Part way through the procession, we all paused to listen to and be moved by a member of the East Timor Community, who offered a beautiful poem in her native language, in front of the statue, welcoming and honouring Our Lady. At the end of the eulogy, the East Timor community scattered petals over and in front of Our Lady.

After a little longer than planned, we all arrived at the Sacred Heart School where in all, there were about 500 members of the Parish joining together in a sung Mass, in the open air. The playing field was beautifully prepared with marquees for the altar and the choir, plus a first aid tent. Benches and seating from the school had been set up. The cheerful choir led the congregation in worship with accompanying guitar and violin. After Mass, people were invited to honour the relics. Some very welcome food was available at the end for those taking part.

The success of the celebration was due to many hours of preparation and dedicated volunteering at St Oswald’s Church and the Sacred Heart School and during the procession. Father Seelan worked with Jerry Rivera of the World Apostolate of Fatima in England and Wales and provided determined guidance throughout, to ensure the two-day celebration was a prayerful act of witness and that the occasion was enjoyed in safety and friendship.

The message from Our Lady of Fatima to the world in 1917 was to pray the rosary often and to pray for peace and for the end of World War I. Now today, the Parish of the Sacred Heart and St Oswald’s has been able to give witness to this message of praying the rosary for peace in our world today.

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