NATIONS MEET IN DEVONSHIRE

Cardinals to honour Apostle of Germany, St. Boniface
THE West Country will have its greatest Catholic rally since the Reformation-an international gathering of Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, priests and laity-on Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20, to commemorate the martyrdom of St. Boniface, the Benedictine monk from the little Devonshire village of Crediton who became the Apostle of Germany.
It is being planned on Wembley rally lines and will, it is hoped, draw Catholics from all parts of England and Wales.
All the members of the Hierarchy of England and Wales will be present.
Cardinal Frings is coming from Cologne and Cardinal Wendel from Munich, accompanied by the Archbishop of Paderborn, the Bishop of Munster-successor of the celebrated Cardinal Faulhabcr-and the Auxiliary Bishop of Fulda, whose
abbey was founded by St. Boniface and whose tomb there is the rallying point for the German Hierarchy's general meetings.
Bishops from Europe
The Netherldnds. where St. Boniface. with 52 companions, was mar tyred by Frisian pagans. will be represented by Cardinal de Jong's Coadjutor, Archbishop Alfrink.
Belgium is sending the Bishop of Ghent, France the Bishop of Quimper-whose diocese is cornposed of the "Devon" and "Cornwall" of Normandy-and Denmark the Bishop of Copenhagen, the Benedictine Bishop Suhr.
Other Archbishops and Bishops are expected from the Continent and with considerable groups of priests and laity from France, Germany, Belgium and Holland.
Archbishop Gray of St. Andrew's and Edinburgh is coming.
The Hierarchy of Ireland have been invited and though the celebrations coincide with their general meeting in Maynooth it is still hoped that one or a number may be able to pay a flying visit.
At a Press conference given by Cardinal Griffin and the Bishop of Plymouth in Archbishop's House, Westminster, Bishop Grimshaw announced that celebrations will be held at Buckfast and in Plymouthboth timed to enable clergy and laity from I,ondon and many other cities to travel to the West Country and home again the same day.
At Buckfast Abbey
Pontifical High Mass will be celebrated on June 19 in Buckfast Abbey Church by one of the German Cardinals.
In the evening Pontifical Benediction will he given by the visiting Archbishops and Bishops in a large number of parish churches over a wide area around Buckfast.
The following morning-Sunday -Pontifical Masses will again be celebrated in the churches and there will be a general Holy Communion throughout the Plymouth diocese.
Then all the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops, with, it is hoped, tens of thousands of pilgrims from all parts of the country, will go on to Plymouth for a "Wembley rally" in the Plymouth Argyle Stadium.
There at 2.30 p.m. they will see a pageant depicting St. Boniface's astonishing travels and activities through Europe as the Papal Legate and "Pro-Consul of the Pope."
As at Wembley, the pageant master will be Mr. Alan Rye, who this time will be helped by Fr. James Peppard.
Plymouth pageant
The pageant will culminate at 4 p.m. in Pontifical High Mass at an altar in the grandstand.
On the following day, privately, the Cardinals and prelates will make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Cuthbert Mayne. first martyr from the seminaries, in Launceston.
T o organise t h e celebrations, Bishop Grimshaw has a 1ready appointed a general committee, with himself as chairman, and sub-committees for the liturgical arrangements, hospitality and publicity.
Every parish will have a layman to act as a local organiser.
Bishop Grimshaw gave an assurance accommodation will be arranged for every visitor who wants it-provided the request is made in good time, taking into account the large number of holiday makers who go to Devon and Cornwall.
The Bishop is also hoping that the celebrations will draw attention to the restoration of Plymouth Cathedral, which was all but destroyed during the bombing raids.
Apart from the great structural damage, practically only one of the many stained-glass windows remained unbroken-but it happened to be the very old window of St Boniface.
The Cathedral
Cardinal Griffin. during his visit to Plymouth for the Chapter's centenary towards the end of last year, gave the Bishop £3,000 for the restoration. and the Catcnians have collected another £1.000. This leaves about £16,000 still to be found.
Plymouth, wit h about 15.000 Catholics. has not far short of half the Catholics in the diocese; the rest are concentrated in Exeter and a few other towns, and widely scattered over the villages.
To bring the Mass to as many of the scattered Catholics as possible, about a third of the diocese's priests celebrate Mass three times on Sundays.
Crediton, still a village, has a small group of Catholics. It is served from the Sacred Heart Church in Exeter. Mass is at present being celebrated there by Mgr. Dewey, former Vicar General for the Royal Navy in what was at one time a Wesleyan chapel.
At a profession ceremony at the Sacred Heart Convent. Rearsby, Leics., Bishop Ellis of Nottingham. on Candlemas Day. presided when four Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace took their final vows.