Welcome to the 32nd Chartres Pilgrimage! Briefly, we walk from
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, to Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres, involving 70
miles in three days. This involves long hours of walking, early morning starts,
arriving at the campsite late in the evenings and requires a reasonable level
of fitness.
The British Pilgrimage starts on
Friday 6 June 2014 with the Holy Mass in Westminster Cathedral Crypt at 7.00am
and the coach leaves for Calais at 7.30am. Each day on the Pilgrimage the Holy Sacrifice
of the Mass will be celebrated and we will also meditate on the Holy Rosary. Also, confession and spiritual guidance will
be available throughout the day. On Tuesday 10 June 2014, there is Mass in the
Crypt of Chartres Cathedral before the coach takes us back to England via the
Eurotunnel arriving at Westminster Cathedral at 8.00pm.
What is the Chartres Pilgrimage ?
Chartres is at the
centre of the religious history of France. Since Roman times, when the "Virgo
Paritura" was venerated here, to the present day, the shrine has not
ceased to attract pilgrims from the most distinguished (all the kings of
France) to the most humble.
The Chartres pilgrimage is a very old tradition in
France, and has been given new vigour by the association Notre-Dame de
Chrétienté‚ which has organised it for over 30 years. The president of the
Association is Jean de Tauriers and
the Chaplain is Abbé
Coiffet.
The pilgrimage is a walk of prayer and penance, and
has both an individual and a social character. Encouraged by several Popes, and
numerous bishops, over 8,000 pilgrims take part, with about 750 coming from 20
foreign countries. All are united in prayer to Our Lady during a three-day walk
of 70 miles, making this the largest pilgrimage of its kind in Western Europe,
both in the distance covered and in the number of pilgrims. Each day, Mass is
celebrated in the most beautiful way, according to the Roman Missal of Pope
John XXIII. The liturgy is the traditional Latin one: magnificent
instrument of prayer, stressing the universal character of the Mass.
The spirit of the Pentecost
Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage is organised in a dynamic spirit, as a
reaction to the materialism of our times. We place ourselves within the
traditional doctrine taught by the Church. Wishing to work for the Social Reign
of Our Lord, we want our Faith to overflow into our personal lives, our family
lives, our working lives, and into the very life of our country. Following
Huysmans, Psichari, Peguy and other illustrious converts, the Chartres pilgrims
walk for Christendom, "that sunny side of a civilisation where the
Kingship of Christ spreads over the lives and works of men, over the families
and over the nations, searching obstinately amidst the cultures and earthly
battles, for an uncompromising balance between nature and grace, wishing, by
heroism and holiness, to trace already on earth the avenues of the
Kingdom."
A call to conversion, a public act of reparation to
the Sacred Heart, this pilgrimage is a homage to Christ the King and to the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
The pilgrims walk in ‘chapters’. The
Chapter of Our Lady of Walsingham (older adults) is led by Francis Carey and
Jamie Bogle. The Chaplains, Fr Edwards and Fr Byrne, will accompany us all along
the walk, hearing confessions, providing meditations, prayers and teaching the
Catholic Faith. Our
Juventutem (Youth) Chapter is under the patronage of Saint Alban. The
Juventutem Chaplain is Fr Redman. There
may be a Family Chapter of the Immaculate Heart of Mary if there is demand. The
Family Chapter walks a slightly truncated route and can accomodate younger
children (6 and above).
THEME FOR THE YEAR 2014 :"In the Beginning, God Created Heaven and Earth…"
The 32nd Chartres Pilgrimage begins a new chapter
starting at the beginning of the Bible, the beginning of Creation. Each day will have its own Patron Saint and
subtheme for meditation.
It is highly recommended that pilgrims consecrate
(or reconsecrate) themselves totally to Our Lady after the manner of St Louis
de Montfort at the campsite at Gas before the Blessed Sacrament exposed on
Pentecost. The preparation for this takes
33 days and, therefore, you should start this on 4 May 2014, Feast of the Holy Martyrs of England and Wales, (to finish on the day we leave England
for the Pilgrimage). Previous pilgrims
wishing to renew their Consecration should start on 16 May 2014. Details can be found on the Website.
Food during the pilgrimage
Notre-Dame de Chrétienté
supplies bread and water at lunch throughout the walk and at the evening campsite. At the campsite, hot soup is available in the
evenings and breakfast (coffee, hot chocolate and bread and jam) is available
in the mornings. Pilgrims should,
however, bring with them their own food, enough for three cold picnic lunches
and to supplement the evening soup.
These should be organised in England as there are very limited
opportunities to buy anything during the pilgrimage.
Assistance during the walk
Permanent medical assistance is assured by the doctors
and hospitallers of the Order of Malta, who have an outdoor hospital at each
campsite.
At each halt, shuttle buses provide transport for
pilgrims who can no longer walk or, in case of emergency, to take them to
hospital.
During the pilgrimage it is
important to look after one's feet as walking with blisters is very painful. Along with the usual precautions of wearing
good walking boots (well worn-in) and wool or cotton socks (not synthetic), experienced walkers
have found that the application of "Elastoplaste", a very sticky
medical tape available in French chemists (there is one near our Paris hotel),
to the sole and heel of the foot results in no blisters! It costs about £5 for a box, but is well worth
the investment. A foot/hand cream is
also recommended. If you have trouble,
do not hesitate to use the services of the Order of Malta which are always
available en-route and at the campsites.
The Health & Safety brigade has now, however, restricted what can be
treated by the volunteers. Apparently,
bursting a blister now requires the attendance of a qualified doctor!
Clothing for walking, particularly
boots or good walking shoes (synthetic fibre socks are not advised). Here is
the list of essentials:
a small backpack to
carry throughout, containing :
- Food: lunch for the day and
energy-giving snacks (dried fruit, salty nuts, etc.). Tins of
tuna salad, cheese, salami, glucose tablets etc.
- Waterproof raingear (heavy rain possible!)
- pullover
-
water bottle (water supplied) and
knife/fork/spoon
-
cup for tea/coffee/soup (contents supplied,
bring tea bags if tea required)
- hat, to protect against the sun
(and sun cream)
- Pilgrim’s Booklet (supplied,
containing all the Mass texts, hymns, and other prayers)
- Small plastic bag/cover for
Pilgrim’s Booklet
- plasters and general simple
medication (for blisters, headaches, dehydration etc.)
-
rosary
a larger bag,
which will be taken in the special pilgrimage lorries and which is retrieved each
evening, containing :
-
food reserves (for remaining meals)
-
torch
- warm jumper/garment (cold early mornings)
- change of clothing (a pullover, shirts,
trousers, pants, vests, socks)
- light shoes for the evening (good boots
recommended for the walk)
-
toiletries and toilet paper (not essential)
-
night-clothes
- warm sleeping bag
-
personal tent (if you have one) or Groundsheet and mat (for
collective tents)
(When
packing your luggage, make sure that that you line it with a plastic bag. Luggage is left in the open at the campsite
and, if it rains, clothes may get wet.
Especially, make sure that your sleeping bag is in a waterproof bag.)
Itinerary (subject to alteration)
Friday, 6 June 2014
07:00 Mass
in Westminster Cathedral Crypt (Ambrosden Avenue)
07:30 Coaches
pick up outside Cathedral
11:10 Coach
boards ferry at Dover
18:00 Coach
arrives at Hotel near Paris
Saturday, 7 June 2014 (Vigil of Pentecost)
05:00 Breakfast
05:30 Coach to Notre Dame Cathedral
07:00 Mass
in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
08:30(est.) Leave
Notre Dame towards Chartres
13:30 Lunch
at Bièvres (les
Damoiseaux)
20:00 Arrive
at Ferté-Choisel for dinner and bed (“Veillée amicale” at 21:00)
Sunday, 8 June 2014 (Pentecost Sunday)
06:15 Prayers of
Departure
07:00 First Chapters leave Campsite
13:00 Solemn Mass of Pentecost
& Lunch at Sonchamps (les Courlis)
20:00 Arrive at
Gas Campsite
21:00 Benediction, Consecration to Our Lady and All Night Exposition
Monday, 9
June 2014 (Pentecost Monday)
06:30 Load
Luggage onto London Coach or
Lorry at Campsite at Gas
07:00 Leave
Gas for Chartres
10:30 Lunch
at Gasville-Oisème
15:30 Solemn
Mass in Chartres Cathedral
20:00 Dinner
in Chartres
???? Bed!
Tuesday, 10
June 2014 (Pentecost Tuesday)
08:30ish Breakfast
10:00 Mass
in Chartres CathedralCrypt—Notre Dame de Sous Terre
12:00 Depart Chartres by
coach for London
18:20 Board
Eurotunnel (not Eurostar!)
20:00 Arrive London Victoria
Railway Station
Important Requirements of Pilgrims
to Chartres
1.
Live the
spirituality of the pilgrimage in your chapter
2.
Welcome and
support new and lone pilgrims
3.
March to the end
of each stage, unless unable to do so for serious reasons
4.
Adopt appropriate dress and behaviour, in conformity with the pilgrim spirit: immodest
clothing is prohibited, especially dresses which are too short, cropped tops,
paramilitary paraphernalia. The use of
drugs is strictly forbidden. Alcohol and
tobacco use should be discrete and moderate.
Young people will be particularly supervised in this regard.
5.
Respect silence
when it is requested. Mobile phones and
electronic devised are not to be used while walking, except in an emergency.
6.
Avoid wasting any
food or drink, and help to maintain cleanliness; it is a basic responsibility
not to drop litter of any sort
7.
Help the
logistics teams when asked, and respect their instructions (in particular,
pitching tents in the appropriate marked spaces).
The
organisers reserve the right to exclude from the pilgrimage any person who does
not respect these instructions or who refuses to follow them.
Visit the Website : www.chartresuk.blogspot.com
For further
information, please contact:
Mr and Mrs F Carey,
Chartres 2014, 27 First Avenue, Amersham, Bucks. HP7 9BL
