Deanery "Station Masses" During Lent

Beginning on Thursday 23 February, the Archbishop will travel around the Deaneries during the forty days of Lent to conduct a series of “Station Masses” as a communal Lenten exercise for priest and people in the Diocese.

The “Station Mass” originated in Rome under the auspices of Pope Gregory the Great (590 – 604). They were conceived as a daily pilgrimage in the footsteps of the martyrs and saints. Pilgrims and penitents visited forty churches in Rome on foot and performed penitential exercises and celebrated Mass in each “stopping place” or “station”. In doing so, they were also following the example of Jesus who went out into the desert and fasted for forty days and forty nights in preparation for his mission. It is this “journey” which forms the spiritual background to the forty days of Lent and the journey each of us has to make into the desert of our own hearts and lives.

Jesus was tempted by Satan to rely on worldly things and assume worldly power. The temptations faced by his followers are similar. During Lent we follow him in a special way as he makes his final journey to his passion and death at Jerusalem. In following his footsteps, in making our own journey of faith, we reject what is false and sinful. The ashes we put on our forehead remind us that we are dust and shall return to dust. They also invite us to “Repent and believe in the gospel”. Our Lenten penances, prayers, fasting, abstinence and works of charity are all expressions of our desire to follow in the footsteps of the Lord in dying to sin and rising to new life in Him.

The tradition of Lenten “Station Masses” was re-invigorated by Pope John XX111 in 1960 and has grown from strength to strength in the last fifty years. The dates and venues of these Masses in the Archdiocese of Cardiff are given below. Whilst it may be too much to walk from church to church in order to make this Lenten pilgrimage, we can all make the journey within to that dry place in our lives which needs nourishment, healing and forgiveness.

An invitation to join Cardiff pilgrims in Dublin 

In June of this year, the Catholic Church in Ireland is hosting a worldwide gathering of our fellow Catholics who are coming together to celebrate “The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another.” The event is called a Eucharistic Congress and it’s happening in Dublin from the 10th to the 17th of June. Each day there are services of prayer and reflection, events to help us understand our faith more deeply, and music, drama and cultural activities too. A special track of workshops are offered for those who are deaf or hearing impaired, with sign language interpretation available.

In keeping with the dual theme of communion with Christ and one another, the selection of daily events includes talks on spirituality and on social issues. Speakers include Dominican Timothy Radcliffe and several Cardinals – Sean Brady of Ireland, Peter Turkson (Vatican Justice & Peace department) and Robert Sarah (Vatican’s charity arm). Other key speakers come from Iraq, Uganda, and the Philippines. There’s even space to escape for half a day and be a tourist!

A group of 25 pilgrims are going from Cardiff, and there is still room for you to join them! Pilgrims from Wales can join the Cardiff trip at Cwmbran or Holyhead, or make their own way to Dublin. Archbishop George Stack will be attending part of the Congress with us. The Cardiff group is travelling out on Wednesday for enjoy the last three days of the Congress, and attending the closing Sunday Mass, filling our share of the 80,000 seats in Croke Park. We get to rest on Sunday night before returning to Wales on Monday.

To travel the full distance by coach and stay at a four-star hotel near Dublin, pilgrims would be asked to pay £515, with reductions for those making their own travel arrangements. The cost covers the congress ticket, travel, bed & breakfast for five nights, and two evening meals at the start and end of the journey. There’s also a young people’s package available – in hostel dormitory accommodation and without the evening meals – for £285 (again, with reductions for those making other travel arrangements).

If you would like to know more, or if you definitely want to put your name down, please contact Revd Gareth Leyshon at St Dyfrig’s Parish – 01443 402439. “Four working days and five hundred pounds” is a significant commitment. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us across the Irish Sea to show our communion with the Irish church, to which we in Wales owe a great deal. Will you join us?  For more information please look at the following link Booking Info or to book pleae download the Booking Form