Going Away

TOURDES has been for , I many years the focal point of pilgrimages from all over the world, almost to the exclusion of places like Rome and the Holy Land. However, as travel abroad today is more the rule than the exception, the tendency has been to visit other places of Christian interest.
It is strange that Banneux, much nearer to our isles and far more recent in history (the Apparitions were in 1933), should be relatively neglected by British and Irish pilgrims.
Banneux is a small hamlet, less than 20 miles south of Liege, on the high plateau which forms the summit of the Ardennes In 1914, the villagers, seeing the refugees flee before the German invasion, made a vow to consecrate the hamlet to Our Lady and change its name to BanneuxNotre-Dame. should it be spared: it was and so it has been known since.
There is a similarity too between Banneux N.D. and Lourdes, in that its fame also rests on Apparitions of Our Lady. In this case she became known by the title of "The Virgin of the Poor".
For those who may be interested in further information, the Caritas-Banneux N.D., of 42 Methuen Road, Edgware, Middlesex, have a booklet on the subject.
Finally, a footnote for motorists touring the Continent this summer. The Collins Road Altus of Europe (30s.) has just been published. This is not a guide book—it is purely an atlas, but as such is excellent. especially the very comprehensive index of place names listed under each country with clear references to the pages and the map itself. It is detailed,
easily handled and read.
Enquiries regarding travel
should be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope and sent to "Going Away", Catholic Herald, 67 Fleet Street, London,