London: New shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary

Archbishop Longley, Cardinal Nichols

A new shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary has been inaugurated in Westminster Diocese at one of the largest Catholic churches in the capital. The inauguration took place during a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols at the Dominican church of Our Lady of the Rosary and St Dominic in Haverstock Hill.

In his homily Cardinal Nichols recalled a visit many years ago that he made to the concentration camp at Dachau and how he knelt in the chapel there and was literally struck dumb at the cruelty that had taken place: "I was lost for words but what I found I could do was recite the Rosary; it's a prayer in our darkest hour."

The inauguration of the shrine coincides with the 800th anniversary of the Dominican Order and Fr Thomas Skeats, Prior and Parish Priest said : "I pray that this shrine will be a place of contemplation for all of us, that in darkness we will bring the light of Christ to others, so that it may radiate from us : may this be the fruit of this shrine."

The church was designed and built with a side chapel representing each decade of the original 15 mysteries. In the Lady Chapel is a representation of Our Lady giving the Rosary to St Dominic.

Cardinal Nichols described the establishment of the diocesan shrine as a "great joy." Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham and the Apostolic Nuncio concelebrated along with auxiliary Bishops and priests of the Westminster Diocese.

Read more about church of Our Lady of the Rosary and St Dominic here: http://rosaryshrine.co.uk/