125 MILES COMPLETED IN CELEBRATION OF 125 YEARS SINCE THE CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION FIRST CAME TO LOURDES ON PILGRIMAGE.

First – thank you to all the supporters of this walk. Our intention was to raise £1,250 but according to the sponsorship page, we are now 151% above the target and very close to £2,000. This is amazing – thank you everyone! All these donations will go towards the #CALourdes125 campaign to bring many others to Lourdes with the CA.

Can you help us to reach £2000? https://www.justgiving.com/page/calourdes125sw

The final part of the walk took part in the Diocese of East Anglia. Matt started in Sawston, met Colette Sharrock for a coffee and a catch up. After that they met up with Julie Ball and walked to Our Lady of Lourdes parish church in Sawston (a church which has supported the CA for many years including AGMs, parishioners and storage (at one point) of handmaid uniforms) for Mass. After a spot of lunch, Matt walked through the fields surrounding Sawston until the main road into Cambridge. In 30-degree heat and no shelter (just like most days on the walk!!), Matt walked all the way along that road to another big CA supporter for many years - the church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs. There he was greeted with a bottle of prosecco and smiles by Aodain and Julian Clover – a great surprise and it was lovely to sit and sup the success of 125 miles (and of course 125 years of the CA Pilgrimage to Lourdes).

Matt has walked all 125 miles now. From Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, on to Clifton Diocese, then on to Southwark Archdiocese, then on to Portsmouth Diocese to celebrate our CA Annual friends, and then on to Northampton Diocese, before finishing in East Anglia Diocese – with lots of walking throughout. Matt was interviewed yesterday on BBC Three Counties Radio about his experience of walking these 125 miles and his conclusion to them was:” …it has been amazing!”.

After so much walking, you can have mixed feeling about its conclusion: first because it is so enjoyable and you see so much on your walks - as well as meet so many wonderful people along the way. Secondly, it is tiring and your muscles ache a lot and you are ready to get out of the baking sun. It is mainly the first one that wins out, because it has been a fantastic experience and I have seen so much of this beautiful country whilst I walk around. I and all the people that joined me are also very grateful to each and everyone of you for your support in donations and prayers – THANK YOU.

The gesture from Aodain and Julian yesterday - plus the many gestures throughout the walk from friends has been appreciated throughout – thank you everyone.

Final thanks to my family: Terri and our children for supporting me the whole 125 miles and beyond. Thank you.

Another day and another few miles. The walk continued in the RC Diocese of Northampton today and Matt was joined by more friends.

Matt started off in Aylesbury where he was joined by Steve Gill for Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes church, followed by breakfast and positive thoughts about the day ahead.

Matt moved off to Great Billing and the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. This was once managed by Fr. Damien Walne (RIP) who was for a long time the Diocesan Director for Northampton.

Walking from here Matt was joined at St Gregory’s Church by Paul, Cliona and Colm Devereux plus Marianne Cook (who was holidaying locally!). They continued their walk together via Saint Aidan’s until they reached the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate & St Thomas of Canterbury where they were met by Dean of the Cathedral, Fr Simon Penhaligon.

After departing the Cathedral and being kindly returned to Great Billing by the Devereux family, Matt moved on to Sharpenhoe and Sundon Hills in Bedfordshire. This is an ancient beech woodland, part of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

These are the final days of this long walk: please keep sponsoring the CA Lourdes 125 sponsored walk of 2026 if you can: https://www.justgiving.com/page/calourdes125sw/

Today Matt has been walking The Ridgeway. Popularly known as ‘Britain’s oldest road’, The Ridgeway still follows the same route over the high ground used since prehistoric times by travellers, herdsmen and soldiers - this part is in the RC Diocese of Northampton.

More walking in this RC Diocese of Northampton will be happening in the town itself tomorrow to the Cathedral (but first in the morning Matt will attend Mass at the church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Aylesbury).

The walk today brought back happy memories of walking this same route for another CA sponsored walk in the dim and distant past (!) of 2008. Did you join that? Please say if you were there in the comments below.

These are the final days of this long walk: please keep sponsoring the CA Lourdes 125 sponsored walk of 2026 if you can.

All are welcome to join us as we prepare for the CA Lourdes 125 Pilgrimage and pray the CA Novena.

Join on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 891 8252 0389

Passcode: 680405

Leaders:-

12 August - Fr. Nicholas King, SJ

13 August - Mr Christopher Page

14 August - Mr Matt Betts and family

15 August - Mrs Rosalind Hartley

16 August - Deacon John Letley

17 August - Mrs Judith Letley

18 August - Bishop Paul Hendricks

19 August - Mrs Joanna Roche

20 August - Ms Claire Hall*

All are welcome to join us in prayer and each day will be led by a volunteer- thank you to each of them.

*Claire will be travelling on the Jumbulance to Lourdes so please be warned that there may be possible signal loss. If that occurs, please pray the novena until completion knowing Claire will too.

Thank you to Wilma, Folkert, Hannah, Thomas and William for joining Matt on the walk from Fordingbridge to just outside Ringwood on Sunday 2 August. Matt's son, Joseph also joined but for his own individual walk for the Glanfield Children's Group. It was a beautiful and very sunny day, but alleviated by an ice cream and a can of pop later on. Thank you everyone for your sponsorship - please keep donating if you are able - it all helps the CA to do much more. Thank you.

SPONSOR.

or to sponsor Joseph, please visit his and his sister's page for Glanfield, here.

More walking for CA Lourdes 125 sponsored walk then occurred on Tuesday.

Did you know? Ferns are one of the oldest groups of plants on Earth, with a fossil record dating back to the middle Devonian (383-393 million years ago). Makes 125 years seem a very small number, but - of course - we can easily reach a million in a different way.

It is 125 years of pilgrimage for the CA but in a place that has (since 1858) seen millions of pilgrims coming to Lourdes!

Earlier this week, there was a lot of walking for the CA Lourdes 125 sponsored walk (https://www.justgiving.com/page/calourdes125sw) – but all in Southwark Archdiocese this time.

Bishop Paul Hendricks, President of the Catholic Association and Bishop in the Archdiocese of Southwark was able to join Matt from the Carmelite Shrine at Aylesford Priory. The Carmelites returned to Aylesford Priory in 1949. Bishop Paul started the day with the Angelus at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption and Saint Simon Stock - they then walked to the outskirts of Rochester – a town on the Medway, which is associated with Charles Dickens – as well as its castle and cathedral.

After saying farewell at the M2, Matt carried on to Rochester Cathedral and added petitions for all CA pilgrims at the medieval shrine. Matt then carried on to Strood. After a small break, Matt went to Gravesend and visited the church of Saint George’s (along the Thames) where Pochantas (the real one and not the Disney version) is buried.

Matt then continued his walk from Blackheath which is on the outskirts of London. Here the famous ‘Church on the Heath’ resides on the edge and slightly away from the town. Matt walked along the heath until Greenwich. Greenwich is famous for the Royal Observatory and the Gardens – it is a stunning area as you can see from the photos.

More walking then occurred along the Thames and a detour to Saint George's Cathedral (mother church for the Archdiocese of Southwark). In total 22.4 miles was walked.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored Matt and the team so far – we are very grateful. We are nearly at the target – Portsmouth, Northampton and East Anglia (in that order) are next…

https://www.justgiving.com/page/calourdes125sw