Shrine
of Our Lady of Hartley
Shrine
of Our Lady of Hartley
The Shrine of Our Lady of Hartley has an extrordinary history dating back to the time of the carnage of World War 1 when Hartley was home to both large numbers of Belgian refugee children and German Prisoners of War. These swelled the numbers of Catholics in these parts by a factor of ten - and provided a huge boost for a newly established (1913) Catholic Mission. Miss Beatrice Davies-Cooke - the benefactress of the mission - purchased a venerable (c1680) statue of Our Lady which was supposed to be a contemporary copy of a much venerated one in Tougres in Belgium . It became a centre for prayer for an end to the war to end all wars and attracted many pilgrims.... so much so that in 1920 Pope Benedict attached to the shrine a plenary indulgence for those who visitied and came to pray for "Peace between Christian Princes"..... which intention remains the principal focus of devotion at the shrine. You can find out more about the history of the shrine, say some prayers, or leave some intentions...or return to our parish web pages.
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