Relics of St. Bernadette coming to the Cathedral

On Thursday 8th September, the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the relics of St. Bernadette are coming to visit the Diocese. The relics are to tour Britain from 3rd to 30th September and I’m delighted the relics of St Bernadette will be with us here in Portsmouth, in the Cathedral, on 8th September and on the morning of the 9th September 2022. The Cathedral will be open for prayer throughout the day and night for the 24 hours St. Bernadette is with us. Click here for the poster giving the schedule of events. These include a Mass with Anointing of the Sick, Vespers and a Torchlight Procession, the recitation of the Rosary, an all-night Vigil and a Mass with local schools. Besides cathedrals and major churches the tour will go on to visit Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London, St Mary’s University in Twickenham, London, and several hospices. There will also be an ecumenical event involving the relics in Liverpool. Details of the tour venues can be found here. Many will remember the very successful tour of the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux to Britain in 2009, which attracted a quarter of a million people to queue up to pray at the side of the casket of the “Little Flower”.