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The UNITED KINGDOM

Patron Saint of England - St George
Patron Saint of Wales - St David
Patron Saint of Scotland - St Andrew

In 1061 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in England to Richeldis de Faverches (5 years before William the Conqueror came & conquered). As a result, Walsingham became one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in Europe, up until the Reformation.

St John Paul II was a pilgrim to the UK in 1982 (weeks after visiting Fatima to thank Our Lady for saving his life a year before), becoming the first pope to set foot on the British Isles. Benedict XVI followed in his footsteps in 2010, for the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Included on Totus2us are the English martyrs St Margaret Clitherow, St Nicholas Owen & St John Fisher & St Thomas More, St Bede the Venerable (Father of the Church), St Boniface (who became the Patron Saint of Germany), St David (Patron Saint of Wales), St John Henry Newman, St Patrick (who became the Patron Saint of Ireland), Bl John Duns Scotus, John of Salisbury, Julian of Norwich, Richard of Saint-Victor, William Ockham & the British Empiricists.

We have so many wonderful responses for Totus2us podcasts from Brits (helped by fact that most of Totus2us team have been based here) we've split the UK up into numerous pages ... they're ordered alphabetically by people's Christian names:

                                       K         ADDY - ARION, ARK - AUREEN, EENA - URIEL    & Q                U, , , X, Y & Z 

- many thanks to you all   ♥

If you'd be up for giving your something about Mary,
please do get in touch with the Totus2us team

- as well as hopefully bringing you joy,
you'd be really helping Totus2us   ♥

Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt.
Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria. - St Louis Marie de Montfort

Saint John Paul II took his motto Totus Tuus from this quote.

"I am totally yours and all that I have is yours.
I accept you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart.”

Papa Benedict XVI's words about his apostolic journey to the UK
Audience, 22 September 2010 - Croatian, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish

"Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today I would like to say more about my Apostolic Journey to the United Kingdom which God granted me to make a few days ago. It was an official visit and at the same time a pilgrimage to the heart of the past and of the present of a people rich in culture and faith, as is the British people. It was an historic event that marked a new and important phase in the long and complex relations between those peoples and the Holy See. The main purpose of the visit was to proclaim blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman, one of the greatest Englishmen in recent times, an outstanding theologian and man of the Church. In fact, the beatification ceremony was the culmination of the apostolic journey, whose theme was inspired by the motto Blessed Newman chose on being created a Cardinal: "Heart speaks unto heart". And in the four busy and very beautiful days I spent in this noble land I had the great joy of speaking to the hearts of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom and they spoke to mine, especially with their presence and with the testimony of their faith. Indeed I could see how strong the Christian heritage still is and how active it still is in social life at every level. British hearts and British lives are open to the reality of God and there are numerous expressions of religious feeling that my visit has made even more visible.

From the very first day of my stay in the United Kingdom and throughout my visit I met with a warm welcome from the Authorities, from the representatives of the various social realities and of the different religious confessions and, especially, from the common people. I am thinking in particular of the faithful of the Catholic Community and their Pastors who, in spite of being a minority in the country, are widely appreciated, esteemed and committed to the joyous proclamation of Jesus Christ, making the Lord shine out and making themselves his voice, especially among the lowliest. To all I renew the expression of my deep gratitude for the enthusiasm shown and for the praiseworthy diligence with which they strove for the success of my visit, whose memory I shall always cherish in my heart.

The first Meeting was in Edinburgh with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who, together with her Consort, the Duke of Edinburgh, welcomed me with great courtesy on behalf of the entire British people. It was a very cordial meeting, characterized by the sharing of several profound concerns for the well-being of the world's peoples and for the role of the Christian values in society. In Scotland's historic capital I was able to admire the beauties of art, the testimony of a rich tradition with profound Christian roots. I referred to this in my discourse to Her Majesty and to the Authorities present, recalling that the Christian message has become an integral part of the language, thought and culture of the peoples of those Islands. I also spoke of the role that Great Britain has had and has on the international scene, mentioning the importance of the steps taken for a just and lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

The joyful, festive atmosphere created by the young people and children gladdened the visit to Edinburgh. Then, having gone on to Glasgow, a city embellished with enchanting parks, I presided at the first Holy Mass of the journey in Bellahouston Park. It was an immensely spiritual moment, very important for the Catholics of the country, given also that the Feast of St Ninian, the first evangelizer of Scotland, was celebrated on that day. At this liturgical assembly, gathered in attentive and participatory prayer, whose solemnity was deepened by the traditional melodies and involving hymns, I mentioned the importance of the evangelization of culture, especially in our epoch in which a pervasive relativism threatens to cloud the unchangeable truth about the nature of the human being.

On the second day, I began my Visit in London. Here I met first the world of Catholic education which plays an important role in the country's educational system. In an authentic family atmosphere I spoke to the teachers, recalling the importance of faith in the formation of mature and responsible citizens. To the numerous adolescents and young people, who greeted me with pleasure and enthusiasm, I proposed that they should not follow limited objectives contenting themselves with accomodating decisions but to aim for something higher, in other words the quest for true happiness which is found only in God. At the next Meeting this time with the leaders of other religions most widely represented in the United Kingdom, I recalled the inevitable need for sincere dialogue which, if it is to be totally fruitful, requires respect for the principle of reciprocity. At the same time, I highlighted the search for the sacred as the ground common to all religions on which to consolidate friendship, trust and collaboration.

The fraternal visit to the Archbishop of Canterbury afforded the opportunity to reaffirm the common commitment to bear witness to the Christian message that unites Catholics and Anglicans. One of the most significant moments of the apostolic journey followed the meeting in the Great Hall of the British Parliament with institutional, political, diplomatic, academic and religious figures, and exponents of the worlds of culture and business. In that most prestigious place, I emphasized that legislators, must never consider religion a problem to be solved, but on the contrary a factor that makes a vital contribution to the progress of history and to the public debate of the nation, in particular by recalling the essential importance of an ethical foundation for taking decisions in the various social milieus.

In that same solemn atmosphere, I then went to Westminister Abbey. It was the first time that a Successor of Peter has entered that place of worship which symbolizes the very ancient Christian roots of the country. The recitation of Evening Prayer, together with the different Christian communities of the United Kingdom, was an important moment in relations between the Catholic Community and the Anglican Communion. When we venerated St Edward the Confessor together at his tomb, while the choir sang "Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor", we all praised God who is leading us on the path to full unity.

On Saturday morning, my appointment with the Prime Minister introduced the series of my meetings with the most important spokespeople of the British political world. It was followed by the Eucharistic celebration in Westminster Cathedral, dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord. This was an extraordinary moment of faith and prayer that also highlighted the rich and precious tradition of "Roman" and "English" liturgical music in which the various ecclesial dignitaries took part, spiritually united to the multitude of believers in the course of the long Christian history of this land. I felt great joy in meeting a large number of young people who were taking part in Holy Mass outside the Cathedral. Their presence charged with enthusiasm and attentive expectation, showed at once their desire to be the protagonists of a new season of courageous witness, effective solidarity and generous commitment to the service of the Gospel.

At the Apostolic Nunciature I met with several of the victims of abuse by members of the clergy and by religious. It was an intensely emotional and also prayerful moment. Shortly afterwards, I also met with a group of professionals and volunteers who are responsible for the protection of children and young people in ecclesial contexts, a particularly important aspect that is part of the Church's pastoral commitment. I thanked them and encouraged them to continue their work that fits into the Church's long tradition of attention to respect, education and the formation of the new generations. Still in London, I then visited the home for the elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Poor with the invaluable contribution of many nurses and volunteers. This structure that takes in elderly people is a sign of the great esteem the Church has always had for the elderly, as well as an expression of British Catholics' commitment to respect any life without any reservation on account of age or condition.

As I was saying, the crowning point of my visit to the United Kingdom was the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, an outstanding son of England. It was preceded and prepared for by a special Prayer Vigil that took place on Saturday evening in Hyde Park, London, in an atmosphere of profound recollection. To the multitudes of the faithful, especially young people, I chose to present anew the luminous figure of Cardinal Newman, an intellectual and a believer, whose basic spiritual message testifies that the path to knowledge is not withdrawal into "self", but openness, conversion and obedience to the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The rite of Beatification took place in Birmingham at the solemn Eucharistic celebration on Sunday, in the presence of a great throng from the whole of Great Britain and Ireland and from many other countries. This moving event brought even more into the limelight a scholar of great stature, an outstanding writer and poet, a wise man of God, whose thought illumined many consciences and still today exerts an extraordinary fascination. May believers and ecclesial communities in the United Kingdom in particular draw inspiration from him so that, in our day too, this noble land may continue to produce abundant fruits of gospel life.

The Meetings with the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and with that of Scotland ended a day of great festivity and intense communion of hearts for the Catholic community in Great Britain.

Dear brothers and sisters, on this visit to the United Kingdom, as always, I wanted first and foremost to support the Catholic Community, encouraging it to work strenuously to defend the immutable moral truths which, taken up, illuminated and strengthened by the Gospel are at the root of a truly human, just and free society. I also wished to speak to the hearts of all the inhabitants of the United Kingdom, excluding no one, of the true reality of man, of his deepest needs, of his ultimate destiny. In addressing the citizens of that country, a crossroads of culture and of the world economy, I kept in mind the entire West, conversing with the intellect of this civilization and communicating the unfading newness of the Gospel in which it is steeped. This apostolic journey strengthened a deep conviction within me: the ancient nations of Europe have a Christian soul, which is one with the "genius" and history of the respective peoples, and the Church never stops working to keep this spiritual and cultural tradition ceaselessly alive.

Blessed John Henry Newman, whose figure and writings still preserve a remarkable timeliness, deserves to be known by all. He supports the resolutions and efforts of Christians to spread everywhere they go the fragrance of Christ, so that their whole life and being may be only his radiance, as he wrote wisely in his booklet Radiating Christ."

Papa St John Paul II's words about his apostolic journey to the UK
General Audience, Wednesday, 9 June 1982 in St Peter's Square - in Italian, Portuguese & Spanish

"When together with the Bishops of England, Scotland and Wales, I was able to celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice in Westminster Cathedral in London, I thanked Christ for this Sign of unity that embraces all men: the Sign in which the people, although separated by temporary conflicts, do not cease to be united in the mystery of the Body of Christ. Christ "is our peace" (Eph 2, 14) to which we need always strive in thought, heart and deed, so that "the spirit of the world" (1 Cor 2, 12), that drives to the divisions and wars, does not dominate over humanity.

2. The papal journey in Great Britain had been prepared for some time: from the two years agreed, and for eight months with elaborate care in the individual dioceses and parishes of England, Scotland and Wales. Today, speaking from the perspective of the visit already completed, I cannot not emphasize above all the size of this preparation and its high level. It is not just about material resources, but above all the spiritual dimension of this great communal work. Something more than the maturity of the people of God today was manifested here. The pluri-secular inheritance was manifested here, which in England has its historical beginning in the person of Saint Augustine, the first Bishop of Canterbury. In Scotland this beginning is connected with the names of saints Ninian, Columba and Kentigern; in Wales it was with Saint David.

This heritage has behind its shoulders not only distant beginnings (which moreover take us back much further than the names mentioned, ending at the time of the Roman Empire) - but also a series of difficult centuries, sealed with the blood of modern martyrs, who are spoken about with reverence, but also without any human bitterness, like the martyrs of the first centuries. We talk about them with a love worthy of that, which they themselves - to quote St John Fisher or St Thomas More - have testified. And it is, finally, in the last century, the inheritance linked with the name of the great Cardinal Newman: the inheritance of the laborious pursuit for the truth as a way of unity in the faith. Christianity in Great Britain is an important ecumenical terrain. The Catholic Church is on this terrain, accepting as her own the way of the unity of Christians, which the Second Vatican Council indicated.

3. Of the visit itself, it can be said that it was like a pilgrimage through the seven Sacraments, in which the life of the People of God grows and develops. This theological and also pastoral shape tied together with uniform texture the whole geography of the visit, starting from Westminster Cathedral, where the theme was 'Baptism'. The next day (on the eve of Pentecost) in Wembley Stadium, before the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, there was the renewal of baptismal promises. We were united in this prayer with the Mother of the Church, as well as the apostles in the upper room when waiting for the coming of the Spirit, the Comforter. The same day, in the morning, in the Cathedral of Canterbury the baptismal vows of all participants at the meeting were renewed: Anglicans and Catholics.

Still on the first day of the pilgrimage the solemn and deeply penetrating liturgy of the '"Anointing of the Sick" was held in Southwark Cathedral - a great meeting with the Church of the suffering in union with Christ.

4. The Eucharist celebrated on the day of Pentecost, on a large field near Coventry, made present the coming of the Paraclete on the area, which underwent particular destruction during the Second World War. The symbol of this destruction is the ancient cathedral, next to which a new one has been built. The "sacrament of Confirmation", administered during the holy Mass, manifested the construction of the Church through faith and works arising from it in the community of the People of God.

On the same day of Pentecost, in the afternoon, I was in Liverpool, the largest centre of Catholics in Great Britain. There was a greeting at the airport, before the huge crowd along the streets of the city which assisted at the first visit to the Anglican Cathedral and then to the Catholic Cathedral, recently built. The theme during the Mass was the "Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation", in accordance with the words of the liturgy: "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven" (Jn 20, 23), and also in accordance with the great effort that in this city Catholic and Anglican Christians make, in the direction of reciprocal reconciliation under the spirit of the Gospel.

5. On Monday, the first theme was the "sacrament of Holy Orders", put in evidence by the conferral of the priestly ordinations during the solemn Eucharist in Manchester.

And then there was the "sacrament of Marriage", during the meeting with the representatives of families on a large field near York. In connection with the Liturgy of the Word and the homily, spouses and members of families renewed the promises that constitute the foundation of their community in Christ and in the Church.

In this context, it is necessary to add everything that referred to the Christian vocation in general during the pilgrimage, in particular the priestly and religious vocation, through meetings with priests, brothers and sisters of Orders and religious Congregations, with students of the seminaries and novitiates: meetings, words, prayer.

6. The Eucharist was, in a sense, a continuing theme, at the center of each meeting. However, in a particular and detailed way, it was put in relief in Cardiff, the last leg of the journey, where the First Communion of young Christians also took place.

In this pilgrimage the young people had a special place. A particular witness to their presence in the Church was given twice: the first time, at the meeting in Edinburgh (with younger people); the second, at the end of the whole program of the visit, in Cardiff. These meetings were full of a youthful spontaneity and at the same time of a profound Christian content. The last words addressed to the Church in Great Britain was on the theme of prayer - and that was to the young people in Cardiff.

7. The visit to Scotland had its two poles in Edinburgh and Glasgow. They allowed the Church to gather and to see the Church, which in the Scottish land has a special history and its own profile. This is manifested in both cities, but the main liturgical meeting took place in Glasgow, on Tuesday afternoon, with an enormous participation of the faithful. The theme of the homily was synthetical: the Kingdom of God in its historical and actual realization in the Scottish land and in the history of its people.

Among other things, I also had the opportunity to visit the teaching community in Glasgow; and, again, the visit to the sick community in Edinburgh was unforgettable.

8. The Church, which is the sacrament of the union of man with God, and the sign of the unity of the whole human family, finds itself in the British Isles, as has already been said, in a particular ecumenical terrain. This was manifested in all the stages of the visit. First of all, in England, with the historic meeting in Canterbury Cathedral, which is the seat of the President of the entire Anglican Communion.

It can be said that the preparation for this meeting was particularly long and laborious: twelve years of work by the International Anglican and Catholic Commission, which finally presented the Pope and the President of the Anglican Communion with the results of its studies. These findings have become a basis for the Joint Declaration, signed on the Eve of Pentecost. It constitutes a foundation for further ecumenical collaboration, the purpose of which is to build the road to full unity.

It would be difficult to say much more in this concise description. It rests only to thank the Spirit of unity and truth, who guided our steps to this meeting and, we hope, will continue to guide them.

From the ecumenical point of view, the meeting with the representatives of the British Council of Churches in Canterbury, and then in Edinburgh another meeting with the representatives of the Christian communities of Scotland, were also of importance.

However, particular importance should also be attributed to the meeting with the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) in the city of Edinburgh, which indicates the specificity of the ecumenical way proper to Scotland.

9. On the occasion of this visit, which was above all pastoral, I felt honoured to meet with Queen Elizabeth II on the first day of my trip.

Representatives of the political authorities - given the international situation created in relations with Argentina - from their part expressed the initiative of withdrawing from the program of the visit.

Realizing how much was due, in such an excellent preparation for the pilgrimage through England, Scotland and Wales, by different factors and instances of the Authority, I would like to express to all, once again, my heartfelt thanks.

10. The first visit in history, made by the Bishop of Rome in Britain, certainly has its own historical eloquence. Allow me to deposit it in the Heart of the One who is the Lord of history, King of peace and the Prince of the next century."

Pope John Paul II's Homily at Mass at the Venerable English College
6 December 1979 - in English, French, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish

"Brothers and sons in Christ Jesus,
I have come to celebrate with you the four hundredth anniversary of the Venerable English College, to commemorate with you and your fellow-countrymen at home the four centuries in which the Catholic faith has been lived here by young men preparing for the priesthood. From this historic edifice in the city of Rome, those young men have gone forth as priests in order to pass on the faith to generations of the faithful in England and Wales.

Within the sacred setting of this Eucharistic Liturgy, I wish to pay homage to this saving faith in Jesus Christ, and to honour all those whose lives have been anchored in this faith, those who, keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus, the Son of God, held fast to the confession of their faith (cf Heb 12, 2; 4, 14).

A living faith in Jesus Christ has been the bedrock foundation of this College and of all its activities from the time of its establishment by my predecessor Gregory XIII in 1579. The men of faith who were your predecessors here continue to inspire you by the example of their lives. Yours is a great heritage; a whole martyrum candidatus exercitus honours the beginning of your College, and spans an entire century from the time of Saint Ralph Sherwin in 1591 to Saint David Lewis in 1679. As supreme witnesses to the faith, these Martyrs speak to you today from this chapel and from every corner of this house. And the Church herself corroborates their witness and exhorts you to "consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith" (Heb 13, 7).

And so, dear brothers and sons, this moment of joyful celebration and solemn commemoration becomes a time of prayerful reflection and a day of challenge for the rest of your lives.

Like your predecessors, you yourselves are called to be priests of Jesus Christ, servants of his Gospel, and witnesses before your people to the pure Catholic faith as transmitted by the Apostles, proclaimed by the Magisterium of the Church and upheld by the martyrs and confessors of all ages. By word and example you are called to bear your Catholic witness at this juncture of history. God is calling you here and now, in the present circumstances of the Church and the world. Christ and his Church bid you, however, to face the challenge of this hour, not just with your own skill or with mere human wisdom, but with the power of the Gospel. In the words of Saint Paul, you are to take the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (cf Eph 5, 16-17). Your individual and collective witness to the faith can be fundamentally like that made by your Martyrs: a witness made to the faith of the universal Church, a witness that will lead others to Christ, a witness that will not cede when – as Jesus tells us in the Gospel – the rains come, the floods rise, the gales blow and the house is struck.

It is precisely because we have the whole armour of God and are rooted in faith that we feel strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might, equipped to proclaim the whole mystery of the Gospel and to bear witness, in the continuity of this generation, to the fullness of Catholic truth.

This is the first part of your challenge today: to be witnesses to the faith. You are called by Christ and will be sent by his Church on an ecclesial mission, to bear witness to the faith in a place where, perhaps, you never dreamed of being, in a way that you never thought of. And yet, openness, readiness and calmness are what you have learned from the history of your College and, in particular, from the lives of your Martyrs. And today in this liturgy, Isaiah addresses to each one of you young men his prophetic exhortation: "Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord is the everlasting Rock". And I repeat these words to you: Trust in the Lord; trust in the Lord, in order to fulfil your role as witnesses to the faith – faith in Jesus Christ.

It is good to reflect that you are likewise called to be witnesses in this generation to the vitality of the Church’s youth – to be witnesses to the power and effectiveness of Christ’s grace to capture the hearts of the young today. The world needs concrete proof that Christ can draw this generation to himself. And you must show that you have understood the meaning of life in the context of Christ’s love and his call. You are called to bear witness to the fact that, amid the thousand and one attractions and options offered by the modern world, you have been "captured" by Christ, to the point of giving up all the rest, in order to become his companions and disciples; in order to embrace his mission and, finally, his Cross; and in order to know the power of his Resurrection.

The consideration of being witnesses to the strength of Christ’s grace leads us naturally to something that is at the summit of our very being: our own freedom. It is only through the exercise of this freedom – God’s great gift to us – that we can adequately respond to his invitation, to the call of his grace, to the love that he offers us. For each one of you the present challenge is this: to surrender your hearts and your wills to Christ under the action of the Holy Spirit, to give yourselves freely and totally and perseveringly to Christ. The Lord Jesus asks for the response of your freedom, for the oblation of your liberty. And the words of the Psalm enable you to reply: "My heart is ready, God; my heart is ready."

Dear brothers and sons: you are therefore called to bear witness to your Catholic faith in all its purity; you are called to be witnesses to the victory of Christ’s love, not as an abstract power, but as it touches your own lives and consecrates your own freedom. For all of you this is indeed an hour for great trust. He who began in you a good work – who began a good work in this College 400 years ago – is well able through the power of his Spirit to bring it to perfection, for the glory of his name, for the honour of his Gospel and for the good of his entire Church.

And Mary, the Queen of Martyrs, the Faithful Virgin, who stood by your Martyrs and all your predecessors, will be with each of you, so that your witness may be genuine in faith and holiness.

She will assist you in the role that is yours as true disciples of her Son, faithful members of the Church, diligent students of the Second Vatican Council and of all the Councils that went before. In a special way I commend to her intercession the witness that you are called to bear in truth and love before your Anglican brethren in the providential dialogue – to be sustained by prayer and penance – that is directed to the restoration of full unity in Jesus Christ and in his Church.

And so, anchored in faith and committed to holiness of life, look forward with joyful confidence to a new era of your College. Sacrifice and generosity, prayer and study, humility and discipline will be as much a part of your future as they were of your past. Countless men, women and children will look to you to find Christ. From the depths of their being they will plead with you in the words of the Gospel: "We wish to see Jesus". Like the Apostle Philip you must show Jesus to the world – Jesus and no substitute, for there is salvation in no other name. Thus you can clearly see that the destiny of your homeland is linked with the success of the mission of this institution. The contribution that you will make to the world depends on how well you bear witness to the faith and to the power of Christ’s grace in your own lives.

My beloved brothers, sons and friends: after 400 years this College is still, by the grace of God, just as active as it ever was, and what it stands for is more relevant than ever before. And so it will remain, provided that you continue to put into practice what Jesus himself tells you when he says: Preach my Gospel. Proclaim my word. Re-enact my Sacrifice. Yes, be my witnesses. Remain in my love, today and for ever. Amen."