Christus Rex Pilgrimage

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

Very tardily, I've signed up for and booked flights to the Christus Rex Pilgrimage - after having cold feet, despite last year shaking hands about going on it, my friend Simon Greener (with whose family and whose friends the Galea's I had a pleasant meal on Sunday night) persuaded me to come along after all: turns out, he's the Tasmanian coördinator.

Because of heavy work commitments, I couldn't in conscience take Friday off, so I'll fly over to Melbourne on Friday evening, and make my way up to Ballarat (by train, having taken the aiport bus in to Southern Cross Station) - from there, goodness knows how I'll catch up with the pilgrims (who will have set out from St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat, that morning), but the organizers may assist me, and I hope to join the pilgrims by late morning on Saturday, so as to attend the pilgrims' Solemn Mass at Campbelltown.

Once with them, I'll be the fifteenth member of the Tasmanian contingent, a late supernumerary (for appropriately there are fourteen Apostles: the Eleven plus Matthias, Paul and Barnabas; let's not count Judas!), and walk at least on the remainder of Saturday and Sunday, plus camp out overnight. (Simon is organizing the tents.)

We arrive for Solemn Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo at 3 pm. Hopefully, I will have cajoled someone returning to Melbourne to give me a lift, so I can make my 8 pm flight (it's a two hour drive or so), else I may have to leave Mass early (and on Sunday too! what a moral dilemma...) so as to catch the 4.35 pm train down to Melbourne; the next train would get in too late to allow me sufficient time to then transfer from Southern Cross Station to Tullamarine Airport. Alas, I really couldn't justify asking for Monday off, so I've had to arrange to fly back to Launceston on the last flight on Sunday (at a premium price).

At least I get to go a-pilgrim. It will be good to see so many Traddies from all round Australia, including my Western Australian friends, such as Fr Rowe. Furthermore, it fulfils a mutual agreement I made with my mate Justin, to attempt this pilgrimage this year.

¡Viva Christo Rey!