No this is not a remake of that old film, good as it was, starring Angela Lansbury. This concerns OUR Lady...or, to be more precise, Our Lady of the Taper - the statue that is the focal point for the National Shrine of Wales.
The statue normally resides in the shrine which is at a side altar in the distinctly 70s retroshed church in North Road, Cardigan. Without the statue there is nothing....except an empty plinth which, according to reliable sources now hosts a Ronnie Corbett sized version of the statue.
Where has Our Lady gone to? Does anyone know? No parishioner has been informed. What happens if you happen to be a pilgrim en route through the lovely Welsh countryside in a quest to give honour to the Mother of God at the National Shrine no less? You will arrive to see a pygmy sized replica sitting on a massive plinth. The authentic shrine statue has vanished.
Has the statue been stolen? Are we witnessing a modern miracle? Is Our Lady trying to tell us something about the way she is treated at the National Shrine?
Nope. I think she has gone walkabout to visit other parishes in Wales.
You can just see this happening at Walsingham or Lourdes or Fatima can't you?
Pilgrims arrive to find the source of their visual inspiration gone! Out of sight....gone away.....not there.
I believe that Bishop Stack* has taken up his new role as Archbishop of Cardiff today. Perhaps he can find Our Lady for us!
* As reported by Whispers in the Loggia, Ecumenical Diablog and
A Reluctant Sinner
Bring her back to her throne in Cardigan - pdq!
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| Our Lady of the Taper - Ora pro nobis Our Lady of the Taper - Where are you? |
The statue normally resides in the shrine which is at a side altar in the distinctly 70s retro
Where has Our Lady gone to? Does anyone know? No parishioner has been informed. What happens if you happen to be a pilgrim en route through the lovely Welsh countryside in a quest to give honour to the Mother of God at the National Shrine no less? You will arrive to see a pygmy sized replica sitting on a massive plinth. The authentic shrine statue has vanished.
Has the statue been stolen? Are we witnessing a modern miracle? Is Our Lady trying to tell us something about the way she is treated at the National Shrine?
Nope. I think she has gone walkabout to visit other parishes in Wales.
You can just see this happening at Walsingham or Lourdes or Fatima can't you?
Pilgrims arrive to find the source of their visual inspiration gone! Out of sight....gone away.....not there.
I believe that Bishop Stack* has taken up his new role as Archbishop of Cardiff today. Perhaps he can find Our Lady for us!
* As reported by Whispers in the Loggia, Ecumenical Diablog and
A Reluctant Sinner
Bring her back to her throne in Cardigan - pdq!
Surely the Extraordinary Form of "The Lady Vanishes" would be the wonderful Alfred Hitchcock version from 1938 starring Margaret Lockwood...
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Mark - depends on your age Matey :)
ReplyDeleteLOL - I now have a photo on my blog of Archbishop Stack lighting Our Lady's Taper during his Installation... (I used it to decorate his homily).
ReplyDeleteShe should be back in Cardigan later on today!
I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her if I my travels through Europe this summer happen to take me through Wales.
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