Frantic preparations

Tomorrow morning later this morning, I will be trundling down to Gatwick airport in one of Cedar Coaches' finest vehicles to fly to Toulouse and thence by French coach to Lourdes with a group of parishioners. This year, we have a larger than usual number of children so I hope to persuade the brancardiers to let me do the afternoon blessing of children one day.

Fr Charles Briggs is also coming and so we have planned to offer both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite each day. We'll draw straws for who has to say the English Mass ;-)

As ever, leaving the parish, even for a few days, means completing a pile of work before departure: newsletter, a mailing for a forthcoming conference, paying various overdue bills... I'll sleep well on the journey.

I'll remember all the readers of the blog at Mass in Lourdes. If anyone is there, put a comment in the combox and we can meet up. We will be staying at the Hotel D'Angleterre where you will be welcome for a coffee or a beer at your choice. We arrive Tuesday evening and depart at an unmentionably early hour next Sunday morning.

I'll have my usb modem with me - if that doesn't work, there are plenty of wifi hotspots in Lourdes so I hope to be in touch while we are there.