PRELIMINARY INFORMATION 2015
Introduction
Welcome to the 33rd Chartres Pilgrimage! Briefly, we walk from
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, to Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres, involving circa
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 22 May 2015 and this year travel is by Eurostar. We leave St. Pancras International
at 1:30 pm, but we are asked to be there an hour in advance. 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 26 May 2015, there is
Mass in the Crypt of Chartres Cathedral before a coach takes us back to Paris
for our Eurostar train which arrives at St. Pancras International at 4:30pm.
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
Denis Coiffet, a founding member of the FSSP.
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.
Chapters
The pilgrims walk in ‘chapters’. The British
chapters consist of the Chapter of Our Lady of Walsingham for older adults and
younger children and the Chapter of St. Alban for juventutem (youth). The
Chaplains, Fr Martin Edwards, Fr Gerard Byrne, Fr Mark Withoos and Fr Alex
Redman accompany us all along the walk, hearing confessions, providing meditations,
prayers and teaching the Catholic Faith.
THEME FOR THE YEAR 2015 :"Jesus Christ, Saviour of the World”
The 33rd Chartres Pilgrimage meditates on the
Second Person of the Blessed Trinity following the mediations last year on God
the Father – architect of Creation. On
the Saturday, we meditate on the Incarnation under the patronage of Hilary of
Poitiers; on Sunday, we meditate upon the Redemption, under the patronage of
St. Louis, King of France; and on Pentecost Monday, we meditate upon the
Resurrection under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene. Much food for thought!
CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY
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 20 April 2015 (to finish on
the day we leave England for the Pilgrimage).
Previous pilgrims wishing to renew their Consecration should start on 2
May 2015. 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. They also supply water at the rest stops
along the way. 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.
Les Pieds (Feet!)
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 £6 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!
Pilgrim's equipment
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, 22 May 2015
12:30 Rendez-vous
at St. Pancras International, London
13:31 Eurostar
leaves for Paris
16:53 Arrival
in Paris – short walk to hotel
Saturday, 23 May 2015 (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, 24 May 2015 (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, 25
May 2015 (Pentecost Monday)
06:30 Load
Luggage onto 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, 26
May 2015 (Pentecost Tuesday)
08:30ish
Breakfast
10:00 Mass
in Chartres CathedralCrypt—Notre Dame de Sous Terre
13:00
Depart Chartres by
coach to Paris
15:10 Eurostar
to London
16:39
Arrive London (St.
Pancras International)
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.
Registration Information
The Registration Form should be completed and returned with a deposit of £50 per
person to reserve your place (please
book early as the Eurostar tickets have to be confirmed by early March). Payment in full by 25 March 2015, please.
