THE Rosary Way at Aylesford's I Carmelite Priory, described and pictured in THE CATHOLIC HERALD last week, was dedicated on Sunday by Bishop Cowderoy of Southwark during the celebrations of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
After an address in which he referred to the significance of the dedication which was taking place during the Family Rosary Crusade. Bishop Cowderoy went in procession to each of the 15 Rosary shrines in the gardens behind the open-air alla r.
Each shrine was blessed as nearly 1.200 pilgrims walked through the ground singing the Glorious Mysteries and the Lila,. of Our Lady.
The. Bishop, who had sung Pontifical High Mass in the ruins of the medieval priory Church of the Assumption, gave Benediction. Afterwards, a large number of the pilgrims were enrolled in the brown scapular.
Prominent among the pilgrims was a party from Belaium. whose large banner was held outside the sanctuary during the Mass, at which Bishop Cowderoy preachee in English and French.
Pilgrims ms from London included nearly 200 from St. Joseph's, Highgate. and more than 100 overseas members of the Legion of Mary. Among them e rc Poles, Dutch, Italians, a group of Nigerians in native dress, another group from India (the women in saris), and several Chinese.
Independently came 12 Hungarians now living in exile in London. During . • day a number of pilgrims crossed the River Medway to visit Allington Castle, now owned by the Carmelites as the czntral house of the Institute of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The large galleries and the banqueting hall of the Norman castle are open to the public and are being used to display examples of contemporary religious art.
The first of these informal and, by intention, small exhibitions contains works by Adam Kossowski, who made the shrines at Aylesford.