Pilgrimage of Hope Diary: Our Lady & St Neot, Liskeard

On Wednesday 19th March 2025 our Parish visited St Cuthbert Mayne RC Church Launceston. As you can see from the photos below, there was a very good turnout and there were representatives from all our four churches, and we were very warmly welcomed to the church. We opened with prayers and sang: ‘Make me a channel of thy peace’ with organ accompaniment. We were then invited to come forward and venerate the relic of St Cuthbert Mayne, after which we said the very emotive Litany of St Cuthbert Mayne.

Afterwards, we were allowed to walk around the church at leisure and have our passports stamped. This is the first Holy Door in our Diocese we have visited, celebrating the late Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Hope. Finally, we gathered in the parish hall for light refreshments, reflection, and to renew old acquaintances.

On 23rd April 2025, our St Neots Group hosted a talk by Caritas {Plymouth Diocese} on ‘Modern Day Slavery’ - an eye-opening and emotive topic. Myth: Slavery is a Thing of the Past. Fact: No, it is not. Slavery has ancient roots in history and still exists today in many different forms. There are more people in slavery today than at any other time in history.
“What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord God of hosts. Isaiah 3:15

The late Pope Francis’ stated aim was to “… free the victims of the new forms of slavery… to unmask the traffickers and those who create this market, and to offer effective assistance… for the promotion of human dignity, that it may be able to draw out the best of every person and of every citizen.”

Who are today’s victims? Women and men, boys and girls are bought and sold worldwide. They may be living in poverty, unaccompanied children, migrants or people displaced by conflict. They are abused in many ways: Forced Labour and Begging; Domestic Servitude; Child Soldiers; Organ Removal; Sexual Exploitation and Forced Marriage. No-one knows the true scale of modern slavery – but 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children.

Modern Slavery is happening here in the UK, hidden in plain sight. There are actions we can take:
1} Write to your MP ask them to encourage our government to continue their commitment to tackling modern day slavery.
2} Support Stella Maris and their work to tackle modern slavery affecting seafarers.
3} Organize for a speaker from Caritas Diocese of Plymouth to talk to your parish.
4} Explore what you can do to raise awareness and take action for those enslaved at home and abroad.
5} Find out about the Catholic Church’s campaign against Trafficking and Slavery.
Thanks to our talk we learnt: What Modern Day Slavery is, how to recognize it and what to do!

On 14th May we will be visiting St Mary and St Boniface, Cathedral, Plymouth, the second of our Holy Doors. We will have space to reflect and pray and have our passports stamped.

After Mass on Mothering Sunday 30th March, we distributed our daffodil posies to all the four churches in our parish, honouring all mothers remembering their unwavering love and the role they play in our lives, and we also remembered Mary, the mother of God, as a model of maternal love and intercession. Fr Cyriacus handed out personally a posy to every lady in the congregations after each Mass and then encouraged all gentlemen present to take one home for their mothers or neighbours. All the posies were kindly made by volunteers in the St Neot room the day before.

During the Triduum {Holy Week} at our Holy Saturday service {19th April} all four churches from our parish gathered at Our Lady and St Neot, Liskeard. The choir was led by Sclerder Abbey Choir and the singing was heavenly. Two were baptized, and two were received into the Catholic church – all from our parish.

Every Thursday evening, we have Exposition, Silent Prayer and Divine Mercy Litany before the Blessed Sacrament. May we heed the Lord’s invitation: “Come to me” – by kneeling before the Tabernacle; “Could you not watch one hour with Me?”

​Every first Saturday of the month, we have Open Church at Liskeard. Please come and light a candle, have a quiet prayer or have a chat. Complementary Tea/coffee and biscuits. All very welcome. “Be still and know that I am God.”