The Royal Pageant – Catholic style

This, also, would have been a Catholic Pageant

                                                                                          

Imagine that the Reformation never took place; that England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had breasted the waves of the Protestant revolution that had gripped the rest of Europe and remained loyal to Rome, Catholic through and through.

What then, would the Royal Pageant have looked like?

Sunday’s pageant was an impressive with the Royal Barge and the fleet of boats that accompanied it all displaying what Britain is very good at, Royal occasions.

But, with no Reformation, an account of Sunday’s grand affair might have read like this:-

“The second longest reigning Catholic Queen of Great Britain, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, boarded the Royal Barge, called ‘The Spirit of Rome’ to set forth on her triumphal Diamond Jubilee Thames pageant accompanied by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI and leading figures from the British Hierarchy.

As the Barge left the pier at Chelsea it paused mid stream to allow an accompanying vessel carrying a group of Choirs from churches throughout the country, to sing a Te Deum opposite the site of the home of one of England’s most well loved saints, Thomas More, who died peacefully in his old age in 1563.

Proceeding downstream the Royal Barge was led by a vessel carrying a floating belfry, a set of eight bells specially cast for the Royal Diamond Jubilee celebrations and due to be installed in the Church of St James, Spanish Place.

Throughout the course of the seven mile journey, the bells were ‘answered’ by the bells of all the Catholic Churches en routes.

At Westminster Pier, the Queen alighted and attended a Tridentine Latin Pontifical High Mass at Westminster Abbey celebrated by the Holy Father.

Resuming her journey after Mass, the Queen’s flotilla paused again opposite the Tower of London to pray for the souls of Marie Stopes and other abortionists who had been imprisoned there after having been found guilty of incitement to murder.

Over 1,000 boats accompanied the Royal Pageant including those carrying groups from The Legion of Mary, Knights of St Columba, Society of St Vincent de Paul, the Crusade of Rescue Adoption Society, Juventutem, The Chartres Pilgrimage Association and The Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma.

The journey ended at Tower Pier and the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, then led the assembly to a packed St Paul’s Cathedral for Rosary and Benediction”.