Welsh Journals

THE APPARITIONS AT LLANTHONY By I. LL. DAVIES The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared at Capel-y-Ffin in the Llanthony Valley on four occasions in the year 1880. The place she chose was a field beside the monastery belonging to Father Ignatius. Ignatius, whose real name was Joseph Leycester Lyne, was an eccentric clergyman with an ambition to restore monasticism to the Church of England. In a sermon delivered at Westminster Town Hall he said of the Apparitions, I think they are of great value to the Church of England because there has been so much of the supernatural in other parts of the Church and the Church of England has been without the least sign of it for so long a period.' Ignatius composed a hymn in honour of the Virgin to be sung on the anni- versary of her visit Mid Llanthony's silent valleys, O'er the meadows cool and green, Mary comes in robes of silver, Haloed as the Angels' Queen. Raising up Her hands in blessing, Thus God willed Her to be seen. In scarcely less poetical vein the Monastery Calendar describes what occurerd In the evening of this Monday, August 30th, four of the boys were playing in the Abbot's Meadow between Vespers and Compline-it was just eight o'clock and still light, although getting dusk. John Stewart, a boy of twelve and a half years, was waiting for his turn to run in the game, when he suddenly saw a bright dazz- ling figure gliding across the meadow towards him; a halo of glory shone out from the Figure all around in an oval form. The form was of a woman, a veil hung over the head and face, the hands were both raised as if in blessing. It approached very slowly. The appearance was like the pictures of The Immaculate Con- ception. John Stewart called out to the other boys to look-Thomas Foord (11), Daniel Maguire (15), Joseph Chalkley (9), all saw the Vision. Thomas Foord was very frightened and cried out saying, If it comes near me, I'll hit it This we have since heard from Roman Catholic friends, is what the little boy said at La Salette. Little Thomas Foord certainly knew nothing of La Salette, but simply acted upon the impulse of the moment. They saw the beautiful Form enter the hedge, and after remaining there in the light for a few moments, passed through the Bush and vanished The bush into which the apparition disappeared was the scene of a second vision on September 4th. This time one of the boys summoned Brother Dunston who was in charge of the monastic community in the absence of Father Ignatius. The bush was aglow with a mysterious light as the group of watchers sung the words of the Ave Maria the form of a woman appeared, to be joined a