The Blessed Sacrament in procession...

...across the Thames, with about 1,000 people surging along in a great crowd...

We gathered at Westminster Cathedral and then, singing "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" processed out into the piazza and down Ambrosden Avenue and Horseferry Road to the river. Knights of St Columba - all wearing their formal ribbons of office and other insignia - guided us as we crossed Lambeth Bridge and walked on down through Southwark to St George's Cathedral. We sang "Sweet Sacrament Divine" and "How great thou art!" and other hymns, and said the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. The Blessed Sacrament was carried aloft under a canopy by Bishop John Sherrington, with accompanying clergy and altar servers, and Knights of Our Lady in splendid cloaks were in attendance.

At St George's Cathedral we all knelt in prayer - it took quite a while for everyone to pour in - and then there was a most glorious Benediction, a great roar of voices responding to the Divine Praises: "Blessed be God" "Blessed be his holy Name"... and things ended with a great singing of the Salve Regina, the sound surging up to the great arches and filling the whole cathedral...

It's now an established tradition: the Procession took place for the first time last year, marking the first anniversary of  visit of Pope Benedict, and the new feast of Blessed John Henry Newman, and now it's definitely here to stay.  Numbers seemed to me to be a bit lower than last year, but others said they were higher.We had nuns, priests, seminarians,  the SPES team from Soho Square, and lots and lots of ordinary faithful people...there is a report, with lots of pix, on it all .here...and another here...

Pointers for the future: we need more unity in the singing - a good choir at the front and back of the procession?  Some one suggested that we could all carry lighted candles (the sort that come in special procesional holders, as at Lourdes and elsewhere), which I would love, but it's difficult if there is a high wind.

As is traditional, the singing was a bit muddled - one half of the procession singing one hymn, others, further back, already embarked on another, while another set of voices had begun another Rosary...with large numbers, some incoherence is I suppose inevitable... Otherwise, no real hassles, oh,  except that we also had, as we all departed:, some protesters (this time, from the Lefebvrists!) handing out leaflets denouncing the Church...