St Mary's: Blessing the journey

On my first morning in Ross On Wye I was up at dawn with no sign of jet lag! I wandered around this beautiful historic town Ross-on Wye which I am exploring for a few days.While I was admiring the exterior of the 13th century church overlooking town, an elderly well-dressed gentleman who i think was a priest came out to greet me through the rather incongruous self- opening electronic double doors. He pointed excitedly up at the ancient bell tower saying "Look ,what can you see?"  I was able to (thanks to the efforts of my eye surgeon) spot a fluff of feathers high up on the edge of the belfry which he proudly told me belong to a juvenile harrier which he hopes has come back to stay.  He then invited me to explore the interior of the magnificent church. It was pretty special because he left me to have it all to myself for my own personal communion, and to receive a blessing for my journey. As the first of the congregation began arriving for 8am mass, I slipped out and away down the hill into town buzzing with gratitude to St Mary's for the opportunity to begin my journey spiritually connected to this ancient land, home to so many of my ancestors. 


Inside St Mary's church, Ross-on-Wye











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