This took place between Monday, October 12th and Friday, October 16th and began with the beautiful, scenic train journey from Cardiff Central up into the Western Valleys of Monmouthshire. Bishop Anthony warmly thanks Mr. Ray Dobbs for his generous hospitality during the Visitation.  It was good to be with old friends.
On Tuesday afternoon there was Mass at Tothill Street, Ebbw Vale, after which the Bishop took the Blessed Sacrament to sick and infirm members of the congregation.  As last year, the principle Solemn Mass for the two parishes was offered at Abertillery by kind permission of Mrs Catrina Morgan; this was at Noon on Wednesday, October 14th when 32 of our Faithful were able to be present, including, of course, our dear Father Flynn. Glenys and Dai brought a car-full from the Rhondda, and Renee Peterson and Mrs Warton came from Monmouth.  It was a  delight to see old friends and indeed new faces. There were the inevitable “apologies” from those who had to be at work.  We thank Catrina again for all she does. The magnificent Bring-and-Share lunch was a happy time when we were able to discuss plans, and the Bishop was able to tell you  of developments within the ArchConfraternity, not least the acceptance of our Orders by the Vatican; this announcement, although actually already known, was greeted by a rousing cheer.
Wednesday afternoon turned out to be a glorious summer’s day, a Saint Luke’s summer, as we used to say.
Councillor Christine Phillips drove Bishop Anthony up to the Cwmtillery Lakes to her mother’s grave  in Cwmtillery Churchyard; Mrs Nancy Phillips, a supporter and also old family friend, died aged 87 in March. Bishop Anthony blessed the grave and laid a pot of heather. Then, following visits to the graves, at the main Brynithel Cemetery, of the Cavaciuti family, staunch, local Abertillery Catholic traditionalists, there was made a small Pilgrimage to the medieval monastic Shrine of Saint Illtyd above Llanhilleth when Vespers was offered. Thank you, dear Christine, for all you did that afternoon, not least because Bishop Anthony will be unable to accompany the Parish on its annual Pilgrimage to Saint Illtyd  on Friday, November 6th. That hot, most glorious afternoon on a high Monmouthshire mountain top, with its views right across to the Severn Estuary, will never be forgotten. Then it was back to Catrina’s  for special talks with Father Flynn (as well as more refreshments!) before the journey back to Ebbw Vale.
The following day, Thursday, Bishop Anthony, accompanied by Mr. Ray Dobbs, managed to make the great climb to the summit of the Domen mountain above Ebbw Vale. Prayers were said at this second ‘pilgrimage’ high spot, over 1,648 feet above sea level, and the Bishop gave his Pontifical Blessing to the valleys of Ebbw Vale and Cwm far below. The ArchConfraternity has decided to institute at the topmost point of the Domen, the Shrine of Our Lady of Glyn Ebwy; the ceremony will occur once a suitable Marian statue is found. We hope these particular notes are of interest to all our Faithful and other readers, while we earnestly beg your prayers for all the ArchConfraternity flock in Ebbw Vale, Abertillery, Six Bells, Tredegar and Cwm.
The annual Pilgrimage to Saint Illtyd occurs on Friday, November 6th, and will follow Solemn Mass at Mrs Churchill’s (Arael Street, Six Bells) at 11am. Sufficient cars will be on hand to transport people. There will be Rosary and Sprinklings at the Shrine.  An afternoon buffet back at Six Bells will conclude the event. +

Following the St. Illtyd celebrations on November 6th, Father Flynn will be on his travels once again – to Rochdale for the monthly Solemn Mass by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Quinn. This will be sung on Tuesday, 10th November at 6pm and, as ever, the Manchester folk will attend. Thanks so much to Percy, Bill and Kevin for all their invaluable help with transportation. Father always looks forward to his “little break” with Moira and family, and they also look forward to having him! Mass is obviously offered daily whilst Father is there. There have been some minor planning difficulties with the small building we purchased at Rochdale, but these have now been resolved and we pray the project will be completed by the Spring.

Bishop Anthony’s next Monmouthshire Visitation must be to Monmouth itself and he thanks Renee for the invitation. There was, in August, the annual Pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint David Lewis in Usk Churchyard, when about fifty of our Wales and Monmouthshire Faithful were present. The advertised November Mass at Usk will be sung on Tuesday, 17th at 6pm and followed by supper. Father Flynn normally offers at least one other Usk/Monmouth Mass each month and in October the second Mass was at Monmouth by kind permission of Colonel Rhys to whom many thanks. We are grateful indeed for the hospitality, loyalty and encouragement of so many of our “unsung” supporters.
Colonel and Mrs Rhys reported 22 people on Wednesday, 7th October, Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. +

They are a source of real income to the ArchConfraternity, helping tremendously with the postal bill for the despatch of the monthly Notes. As we’ve already stressed: many of our older Faithful don’t have access to a computer – and thus to our Web Site – and really do rely on the “old fashioned word” as a vital means of communication. Particular thanks to all who sent stamps during October.  Please do send a November Donation for All Holy Souls. Cheques should be made payable to “The ArchConfraternity of Our Lady of Victories” and sent to Bishop Anthony at the address at the top of the Kalendar  or  to Mr. Simon Gibbs, our ArchConfraternity Treasurer, at:
Gibbs & Co., Blackwell House, Guildhall Yard, London,EC2V.5AE.
God will bless you.    Holy Mass is offered monthly for all our benefactors.

As you will see above, the name has finally been normalised and all cheques should be made payable to The ArchConfraternity of Our Lady of Victories.
We thank so many of you for your continuing generosity. Please help us to go from strength to strength!

Usual service times -  and the principle Mass everywhere must be followed by the Absolutions of the Union Flag draped Catafalque. Our Czech Faithful honour their War Dead at a different time. On Sunday 8th there will be Solemn Mass of Requiem at Battersea at 11am at Queenstown Road (Bishop Anthony will stay with Magda overnight). At Hampstead there will be Low Mass of Requiem and Benediction at 7pm. Some of our Hampstead people have said they will come to Battersea.

Rt. Honourable Margaret, Baroness Thatcher,O.M., Rt. Honourable Michael Foot; Lady Jane Cambell

Mr.& Mrs Mistry;Jenny Rees; Rosette Irwin ;Peggy & Charles White; George Hepworth;Angela King;Tam McBride;Shelley Breach; Linzee Hickox; Mr.Aslan (Hampstead); Marie Jones; Peter Dean; Mavis Williams (Breconshire);
Meryl Lay(Bracknell); Richard & Heike Podger;Will Malyon(Canterbury); Valerie Crombie; Jan Harper; Olive Almond; Elsie Davies; Janina Harper;Doris Ford; Margaret Wyatt; Gertrude Perkin; Edith Barraskell;Mike Ryan;
Peggy Derwent(Southampton); Renata Bozonova;Father Bohuslav Smesny;Jaroslav Marel;Jirina Starkova;Jaroslav Havlicek;Sonja Trpikova;Marie Starkova(Czech Missions);Eileen Thomas;Tony Keane;Christine Pugh(Ebbw Vale) Lyndon Brain;Breda Williams(Cardiff); Brian Tidey; Brynfil Taylor;Marian James;Kate Haines; Jeffery Carter;
Eileen Jones;(Abertillery);Mr.Aylesbury;Frances Duggan;Wendy Hillier;William Bard;Mrs Mason;Brian Williams;
Mrs Hopkins(Six Bells);Patrick & Irene Cornesh(Finchley);John & Mary Hart(Alton);Della Edling(Covent Garden);
John Crouch (Oxford);Mike Gould (Paddington);Norah Hughes (Dublin) Nigel Dawson; Lisa & Kath  Mitchell;Joan Rawlins;(St.Pancras);Constance Vincent(Winchester);Selina Harper;Phil O’Hare;Robin Bencard;Gordon Passmore
(Battersea);Peggy Witcombe (Blackwood, Monmouthshire);  Mrs Teresa Mitchell; James Milton; Pauline Hamilton;
Betty Baker; Ann Mocatta(Worthing);Gerald Wilson;Tom Smith (Edinburgh);  Dolly O’Hagan; Netta Piotrowska;
Hanna Mlodnicka;Terence Warburton (Shepherds Bush);  Beryl Hickman; Patricia Earl-Williams (Southampton);
Christopher Biston; Pat Lane (Norwich);Ross Fraser(Dundee); Annie Evans(Usk);Sandra Cavacuiti(Golders Green);
Gee Cayley; Sylvia Wynn(Hove); Noel Clarke(Huddersfield);Linda Tillgallon;Rosemary McGagh (Bo’ness); Juliet Spicer(Edinburgh); Peter Casselton(Morden);Nigel Bunce (Swindon);Tracy Kerr(Jersey);Dot Unwin(Kilburn);Will Owen;Tony Gross (Chelsea);Francis Hudson(Barry);Tony Banks;Jacky Tuppen;Tanya Wolfman(Brighton);Bishop Trevor Twentyman(Oxfordshire);Frank Raymond; Tim Williams (Midhurst);  Katie Dorran; Ben Catty(Finchley); Sister Tessa Fisk(Lindisfarne);Phillip & Mavis Boylan(Whitehaven,Cumbria);Gladys Target;Ffion Edwards;Hefyn Walters(Rhondda); Mavis Harrison; Patricia Wroe;(Barnsley);Bill Barnes(Cambridge); Kim Morgan; John Allen (Cardiff);George Robins(Barnsley); Christopher and Cathy Bosworth(Northampton);Stephen Chester(Shepherds Bush);Janet Girsman(Esher);Jim & Margaret Ford(Dulwich);David Foulkes;Terry Dwyer;Mary O’Dowd; Mary
Molloy(Manchester);Josie Poultney;David Noble;Glenys Price; Mrs Pugh; Maud Baskerville (Ebbw Vale);Anthony Dunlavey (Walsall);June Dunlavey (Peterborough);Herbert & Elsie Buckingham (St.Albans);Harry Young(Glasgow);
Zdena Vychodilova; Eva Vojnova (Chrudim); Mary Wishart; Gail Thomson (Burnt Island, Fife); Colin Fisher(Bath);
John Hickey (Egham, Surrey);Countess Maryse-Antoinette de Goutiere;Helen Mango;Rosemary Burton;June Stubbs         (Westminster); Bernard Phillips; Mrs Inack; Paul O’Hagan(Cardiff); Daveen Saywell (Bo’ness); Clive Christie(Kos);
Michael Farrar (Charterhouse, City of London); Elizabeth Smith (Rochdale); Sister Patricia Wade(Teddington)