Cardinal leads pilgrimage to 'Lourdes of Wales'

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor last Sunday (19 June) led a 1,000-strong pilgrimage to one of Britain's most ancient healing wells, known locally as the "Lourdes of Wales". Pilgrimages to the shrine St Winefride's, in the village of Holywell in the Diocese of Wrexham, have been uninterrupted since the seventh century. There have been many reports of healings at the well, which was founded by a niece of the Welsh saint, St Beuno's. The shrine is in the care of the local Catholic parish in the Diocese of Wrexham. The pilgrimage was led by the Archbishop of Westminster as well as the three Catholic bishops of Wales: Archbishop Peter Smith of Cardiff, Bishop Edwin Regan of Wrexham, and Bishop Mark Jabale of Menevia. Mass at the shrine was concelebrated by the four bishops as well as about 20 local priests, and attended by around 1,000 pilgrims. The Mass concluded with a veneration of a relic of St Winifrede. The Cardinal's homily drew on the rich history associated with the site. During the morning, a diocesan-owned museum was opened, which tells the history of the shrine. Source: Archbishops House