A golden day, the New Evangelisation...

...and a biggish team of people walking through London, praying the Rosary, singing, handing out little messages of goodwill and copies of the Gospel.  We gathered at Precious Blood Church, London Bridge, and acquired a number of new followers as a short talk was given on the historical significance of various points along the way...London Bridge itself (Saxon/Viking battle there over a thousand years ago), The Clink Prison, the Globe Theatre, Blackfriars...Among members of the public who joined us was a young Russian, working for a tourist agency and interested in all such history-walks. He was very comfortable indeed with a religious procession of this kind, explaining that they happen all the time in big Russian cities. There is, of course, a massive Christian revival happening in Russia - and to him it all just seems normal, because it began in the 1980s and is an accepted part of life.

Back here in Britain:  the John Paul Walk for the New Evangelisation  is a project of the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph, and the main annual Walk is to Walsingham. But, starting last year, there is now a Reunion Walk, in London, for the Walsingham walkers plus anyone and everyone.  This year, as last year, the numbers were good. We walked along the banks of the Thames to Westminster, crossed at Westminster Bridge, and then all down along the river to the Tower of London, finishing with prayers at the site of the martyrdom of St's Fisher and More. Then across Tower Bridge and back for Benediction and Tea.

London was glorious with golden leaves scattering down along the Embankment, great crowds packing out the bars and restaurants, some pleasure boats chugging by, the sky a piercing blue. That evening the great rainstorm, predicted by the Met Office, hurtled in and railway lines were closed as trees crashed on to the tracks. By the morning, in a London messy with leaves and sparkling in sunshine after rain, I squeezed on to crowded buses and arrived late but triumphant at St Patrick's, Soho, to give a planned lecture on the Acts of the Apostles. Then on to Newman House (London University chaplaincy)  to talk on "Catholic Culture"...a particularly happy evening because my nephew studied there and met his future bride there...cheery memories flooding back...and today's young students were a joy and we sat talking until terribly late...then one walked me safely to the Tube station where I caught the very last train back to the suburbs...

Golden Autumn days and the New Evangelisation...