https://www.facebook.com/share/v/UX99tHiJDY4Be2Ba/

I hope the link works - this is a short video of the procession from St Mary's Church to the River Wye canoe landing stage to launch the statue of Our Lady of the Waters on the first stage of her trip down the Wye.

(I'm afraid it's a copy and paste job after all - sorry)

 

The morning started with Mass in the church, followed by the procession.  There was a brief moment of confusion when one of the bearers for the statue forgot to turn up (!) but a substitute was quickly found.  

Catherine Kramer sang a hymn under the bridge, and then the statue was securely lashed to two canoes, and launched into the river, with a small support boat that had the words Save the Wye on the sail. 

I have to say that some of the comments under the Facebook post are quite ignorant.  The statue is not "more junk ending up in the ocean".  It will be taken back to St Mary's to be used again at the end of the pilgrimage.  I don't see how another commenter could say that St Mary's was not a family church any more when they later said they never go near it - how do they know what it is like if they never go?

Also, not all the people in the procession are committed Christians, but some people were there because they are concerned about the pollution of the River Wye, which this pilgrimage is designed to highlight.  I was with a friend, and I was explaining the service to her as we went, because she is not a church goer.

Just a final word on the hymn that we were singing - the chorus was fine.  We all got "Ave Maria".  But some of the verses neither rhymed nor scanned, so they were quite difficult to sing!