Aylesford Priory 2008
Saturday 28 June
The weather was wonderful for our fifth annual day of prayer and pilgrimage at Aylesford Priory on the River Medway, in the heart of Kent. The priory belongs to the Order of Carmelites who arrived at Aylesford from the Holy Land in 1242. Pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral stayed with the Friars. In 1538, the Dissolution of the Monasteries drove the Carmelites from Aylesford. They returned in 1949 and have been there since.
We joined in the concelebrated Mass at noon in the Relic Chapel with the Carmelite community and St Anne's Parish Chertsey. The Prior, Fr Francis Kemsley O Carm, preached the homily and spoke about the valuable work of the AOS in the region.
Chaplains, ship visitors, volunteers and supporters gathered for the 2008 pilgrimage |
Fr Patsy Foley explains the imagery of the beautiful Stella Maris icon during Mass |
