London: Celebration at Rosary Shrine

Our Lady of Cana in the Rosary Garden. Image: St Dominic's

The Dominican friars at the Rosary Shrine, Haverstock Hill, north London held a fundraising garden party on the last Saturday of May under the auspices of the National Garden Scheme.

This was an opportunity for the Rosary Shrine to showcase its Rosary Garden, the creation of garden designer Raffaella Morini, designed to provide a contemplative experience for those wishing to pray the Mysteries of Light, which were added to the Rosary by Pope St John Paul II in 2002 in his encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae. Because these Mysteries are a recent addition to the Rosary, they were not represented in the Rosary Shrine Church which has chapels dedicated to each of the other fifteen mysteries. But to give the garden a sense of completion, fifteen ceramic tiles were recently placed on the garden wall to illustrate the traditional fifteen mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary. The garden's centrepiece, however, is a statue of Our Lady of Cana.

The Rosary Shrine was made a diocesan shrine for the Diocese of Westminster by Cardinal Vincent Nichols in 2016 and, under the care of the resident Dominican friars, serves to promote the Rosary.

Fr Lawrence Lew OP, Rector of the Rosary Shrine, said that the garden has been a "wonderful opportunity for 'pre-evangelisation' and dialogue as many passers-by who might not enter the church have been happy to visit the garden, remark on the beauty of the garden and the way it has lifted this aspect of the neighbourhood" with many stopping to "talk to the friars, gardeners, and parishioners."

He added, "There is a very public witness that one gives to prayer, faith, and the joy of community life just by being in the Rosary Garden, and this makes any visit to the garden very worthwhile, quite apart from the peace and beauty to be enjoyed by praying in the company of Our Lady of Cana."

Immediately after the garden party there was a Mass at 6pm, concelebrated by Fr Lawrence and Fr Sam Randall, Priest Director of Radio Maria England.

The Mass, accompanied by the singing of a Filipino choir, was broadcast on digital and internet radio by Radio Maria England and Fr Randall mentioned the work and apostolate of Radio Maria England in his homily, pointing out a stall at the back of the church where one could sign up to volunteer at the end of Mass.

The Mass was immediately followed by a Rosary procession around the church, the Dominican friars carrying a statue of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag in the Philippines. This procession was also broadcast by Radio Maria England.

The National Garden Scheme was founded in 1927 by The Queen's Nursing Institute to raise money for district nurses and has given annual donations to nursing and health charities totalling over £60 million."

NGS Chief Executive, George Plumptre, said the scheme "gives visitors unique, affordable access to over 3,600 exceptional private gardens in England and Wales and raises impressive amounts through admission charges and the sale of tea and cake." Proceeds from the St Dominic's event went towards Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, and Parkinson's UK.

LINKS

Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary and St Dominic's Parish - https://rosaryshrine.co.uk/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RosaryShrineUK/
Twitter: twitter.com/rosaryshrine
Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/RosaryShrineUK

Radio Maria England - https://radiomariaengland.uk