Thursday 12 September 2013

Please Help the Rosary Crusade!

While this year's Rosary Crusade will take place on the 12th October 2013 (assemble by 2:15 PM), future Crusades are threatened by a change in the policing arrangements for the procession.  Essentially, we have been informed by the Metropolitan Police that their policy has changed with regard to processions such as the Rosary Crusade.  The Police traditionally provided the traffic management plan for the event, closing roads and and using traffic officers to facilitate the progress of the procession from  start to finish.  The police have now asked us to seek the Traffic Management Orders required directly from Westminster Council and then to engage a company who specialise in traffic management to help deliver this.  While this is logistically more cumbersome, the main impact is cost.  While the Metropolitan Police provided their services gratis, private traffic management companies obviously are not in a position to do so.  The extra cost is over £2000.00!

The Rosary Crusade relies almost entirely on the collection which we take in Brompton Oratory at the end of the procession to cover our costs.  In most year's this is sufficient to cover our usual costs, but the collection would now need to more than double in order to break even in future given this additional cost.  Please remember this when making your contribution in future!

The Rosary Crusade is the only major Catholic procession in London.  It stops traffic on some of the busiest streets in London and puts nearly two thousand Faithful on the streets to proclaim, very publicly, their love of Our Lady.  It would be a great tragedy if it could not continue due to this additional cost.  If you love Our Lady, please send us a donation to our address, directly to our bank account, or via the Donate button at the top of the website.  Please consider initiating an annual standing order -- if only 200 people donated £10.00 each year, this would cover the additional cost.  The future of the Crusade is in your hands -- please give generously!  God Bless you!                  

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