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0:00:24 > 0:00:28- The most exciting part - of the pilgrimage experience...
0:00:28 > 0:00:32- ..is its early origins.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38- People have always felt - this urge to walk with God.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- That's what a pilgrimage is.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44- Muslims go to Mecca, - Hindus to the Ganges.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51- Christians share - Jerusalem with the Jews...
0:00:51 > 0:00:56- ..as well as Rome, Santiago - de Compostela, Iona and Lleyn.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04- Island of currents, - island of resurrection...
0:01:04 > 0:01:07- ..island of 20,000 saints.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- Crossing the wild sea to Bardsey...
0:01:13 > 0:01:18- ..brought medieval pilgrims a - step closer to God and eternal life.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25- Bardsey attracts - hundreds of pilgrims every year...
0:01:25 > 0:01:28- ..all looking - for something different.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- BARDSEY ISLAND
0:01:35 > 0:01:39- For fifteen years, Canon - Andrew Jones from Llanbedrog...
0:01:39 > 0:01:42- ..has led pilgrimages - to Bardsey Island.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46- Personally, - I come from the Catholic tradition.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49- In this tradition...
0:01:50 > 0:01:54- ..old customs, such as pilgrimages, - are deeply meaningful.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59- I'm proud that - as 21st century Christians...
0:02:01 > 0:02:07- ..we remember the saints, - walk in their paths...
0:02:07 > 0:02:11- ..and take pride in the fact - that they are so close to us.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22- INAUDIBLE CHATTER
0:02:24 > 0:02:29- Chapel minister Harri Parri and - his wife Nan are sailing to Bardsey.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34- The journey doesn't mean the same - to them as it does to Andrew Jones.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42- It's nothing to me but an island - with historical associations.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44- But Nan's roots are on the island.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47- Her forefathers are buried there.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- It means more to her than me.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57- I've never been on a pilgrimage - or considered going on one.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00- I'm not opposed to going.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- But my family is here.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11- Since childhood, I've been aware - my family was on Bardsey Island.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17- Nain would sit in front of an - aerial photograph of Bardsey Island.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21- She drummed into me that I came - from a very old Bardsey family.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- The Church pilgrims - have set off for Bardsey.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41- They'll join Harri and Nan - to stay a night on the island.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- But they have more walking to do.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47- Throughout the centuries...
0:03:47 > 0:03:52- ..Bardsey pilgrims have followed - Lleyn's south coastal path.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55- Llanengan church near Abersoch...
0:03:55 > 0:03:59- ..is one of several - important churches along the way.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05- That's where they stayed, but - I don't know where they came from.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08- I have three - interesting pilgrims this time.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14- The three represent different - aspects of modern life.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- Their pilgrimages - reflect the different reasons...
0:04:20 > 0:04:22- ..why people go on a pilgrimage.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26- Is this what - you normally do on a pilgrimage?
0:04:26 > 0:04:31- It varies. It depends - on the spiritual leader.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- This is Anona's first pilgrimage.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- She wanted to know - what happens on a pilgrimage.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46- "We praise thee God of mystery - and revelation for your saints."
0:04:46 > 0:04:48- Let's remember the saints of Lleyn.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- Pedrog...
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- ..Engan, Hywyn...
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- ..Cadfan and Beuno.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01- Shirley has been - on hundreds of pilgrimages.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- She can compare - this Lleyn pilgrimage...
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- ..to the other pilgrimages.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- Carwyn, will you light the candle - of the pilgrimage?
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- Carwyn has reached - a particular crossroads.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22- Carwyn represents the many pilgrims - who reach a crossroads.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28- This young man's ambition - is to be a priest or a minister.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- He wants to be ordained.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35- He can't decide between - being an Anglican priest...
0:05:35 > 0:05:37- ..or an Independent minister.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39- Even though he's on a crossroads...
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- ..it's the fact he's on - a crossroads that's important...
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- ..not what sort of crossroads.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49- "Pillar of fire...
0:05:49 > 0:05:52- "..give us strength...
0:05:52 > 0:05:56- "..to follow you - on the pilgrim's road."
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- I was raised - in the chapel and the church.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- My dilemma is how to overcome...
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- ..being a community minister...
0:06:07 > 0:06:11- ..and be accepted - as the parish priest.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- I need time to think.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21- I might reach a decision on - this pilgrimage and clear my mind.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33- "Blessed are the poor in spirit...
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- "..for the kingdom of heaven - belongs to them
0:06:38 > 0:06:42- "Blessed are those who mourn, - for they will be comforted
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- "Blessed are the meek, - for they will inherit the earth
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- "Blessed are those who hunger - and thirst for righteousness...
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- "..for they will be satisfied."
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- Usually, ministers say - they've had a calling.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01- I'm not sure what calling means.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- If I was called to be a minister, - and perhaps I was...
0:07:06 > 0:07:08- ..I'm sure it happened here.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13- This is Smyrna chapel, Llangian.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- It lacks the charm of Llanengan...
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- ..and the parish church of Llangian.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- It's only a square box...
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- ..with basic furniture.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30- I wouldn't call this chapel sacred. - It's the same wood as anywhere else.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- Nor would I call the stones sacred. - They're just stones.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- But what is dear to me is - the society that worshipped here.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41- I feel something here...
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- ..I can see people in my mind.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- I can remember their faces - and where they sat.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- I've experienced so much here.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54- In that sense...
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- ..it's sacred to me.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00- That's how I feel about Bardsey.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06- A thriving society where people - gave birth, married and died...
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- ..would make it a sacred place...
0:08:09 > 0:08:13- ..and not the bones of the dead.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19- Perhaps as a result of - our inability to find God nearby...
0:08:20 > 0:08:24- ..we search for Him in the places...
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- ..where God might have been.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- There are people - who find the answers on Bardsey...
0:08:34 > 0:08:36- ..peace of mind...
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- ..and a new beginning.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- It's all possible.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- I'm going back to my roots - here in Aberdaron.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10- It's where my desire - for pilgrimages started.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16- I liked meditating from a young age.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21- I'd go somewhere on my own with - my jam sandwich and bottle of water.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- People thought I was odd!
0:09:26 > 0:09:30- My grandmother once said, "What's - wrong with this girl?" to my mother.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34- Mam replied, "I don't know. - She's always been different."
0:09:34 > 0:09:36- I accepted that I was odd...
0:09:37 > 0:09:43- ..and I hated mentioning - my pilgrimages to friends.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- I wasn't open about my faith.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53- It's a magical place. - I'd often come up here.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- I'd often walk up to Uwchmynydd...
0:09:57 > 0:09:59- ..and down to St Mary's Well.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- A brook flows into St Mary's Well - over the steep Uwchmynydd cliffs.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10- It was the last sacred point - on the old pilgrim's journey...
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- ..before they faced - the treacherous sound.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20- Mary is a very important figure - in the medieval Catholic tradition.
0:10:22 > 0:10:28- Pilgrims asked for - Mary's protection and blessing...
0:10:28 > 0:10:30- ..when crossing the sound.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- Her title here was - Mary, Maiden of the Sea.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43- St Mary's Well is one of the most - important places in the world to me.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48- I often come here, - and have done for years.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54- It's where I go to solve a problem - or to celebrate.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59- I was here at Carwyn's age - considering the priesthood.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- I came here when my father died.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07- This is where I come - to chastise God.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- I have personal rituals.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- Mary is the most important saint - in my life.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21- This is where - I come to pray and meditate...
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- ..not only on Mary, - but on my life, too.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27- That's the stuff of a pilgrimage.
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0:11:40 > 0:11:42- 888
0:11:48 > 0:11:50- I've been on Bardsey many times.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55- But today's crossing - was the worst I've ever had!
0:11:57 > 0:12:02- Pilgrims crossed in little boats - without any experience of the sound.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05- They risked their lives.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- Perhaps as a result of harbouring - romantic or superstitious ideas.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16- They hoped for everlasting life - after crossing to this sacred place.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23- It's amazing that - so many Christians have come here.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29- They wanted to be a part - of the pilgrim tradition.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- It's quite special, really.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37- Life is life everywhere.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- Many poets have romanticized - about the island.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- "Oh, to cross to Bardsey - one afternoon..."
0:12:45 > 0:12:49- No-one comes here to live. - It's a place to escape to.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54- That's what it is to me.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04- Saints established Christian - communities here in the 6th century.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- These included - Cadfan, Deiniol and Dyfrig.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14- Harri and Nan are more - interested in recent history...
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- ..legends about her great-great- - grandfather, Robert Williams.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23- He was a merchant and - Bardsey's first Methodist minister.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- Believe it or not...
0:13:27 > 0:13:33- ..but it's claimed that he jumped - into the sea to rescue a ram.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37- He saved the ram - and brought it to shore.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- I don't know whether - it's true or not!
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- He also jumped - from ship to ship in Liverpool.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- They traded - between Bardsey and Liverpool.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53- He carried salt on his shoulders - from Liverpool.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- He fell between two ships.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59- But he swam back to the ship...
0:14:00 > 0:14:06- Miraculously, - the salt didn't get wet!
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- That's typical of - stories about saints...
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- ..how ordinary incidents - became miracles!
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- Only a few ruins remain on Bardsey.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- In 1537...
0:14:23 > 0:14:27- ..Thomas Cromwell's soldiers - attacked Lleyn churches...
0:14:27 > 0:14:31- ..before crossing - to Bardsey to destroy the abbey.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- The ruins are - still important to church pilgrims.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- The four of us looked forward - to taking the sacrament...
0:14:42 > 0:14:46- ..in the ruins of - the old Augustinian abbey tower.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48- Livingstone, I presume!
0:14:48 > 0:14:55- Meeting Harri and Nan - made it even more special.
0:14:55 > 0:15:01- We invited them to join us, - and they were delighted to do so.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06- It was good to invite others - to join our communion service.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- Harri and Nan - are on a different journey...
0:15:12 > 0:15:14- ..but it's still a pilgrimage.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20- I always remember R S Thomas's - poem when I visit the abbey.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- The title of the poem - is Pilgrimages.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27- He describes seeing a candle - that had gone out in the abbey.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- "He is such a fast God...
0:15:30 > 0:15:34- "..always one step ahead, - leaving when we arrive."
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- I hope he'll be with us today.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42- "Holy Father, we have sinned against - you in thought, word and deed...
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- "..and in what we have failed to do.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49- "We repent, - and are sorry for all our sins."
0:15:50 > 0:15:54- Celebrating mass in the old abbey - was incredibly important.
0:15:54 > 0:16:00- We continued what happened - here hundreds of years ago.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06- We celebrated mass in the ruins...
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- ..in almost exactly the same way...
0:16:09 > 0:16:13- ..as the monks would have done - in the 13th century.
0:16:13 > 0:16:19- As churchmen, the connection - with history is crucial.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- It's important to us - when we consider...
0:16:22 > 0:16:27- ..we're continuing - a centuries-old tradition.
0:16:44 > 0:16:50- I don't feel - we have to strive for perfection.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56- My eternal life doesn't involve - arriving at a certain place.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03- But if people feel something special - here, it's wonderful that they come.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- We held a communion in the abbey, - and that was very significant.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- Just as in any other communion...
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- ..I felt something - spiritual and sacred.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21- But being outdoors in a historical - place enriched the experience.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28- Fog and rain has been forecast - for the rest of the week.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32- Anona decided not to stay the night.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- Her first pilgrimage ended early.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- I wouldn't like to be here - a long time.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46- I'd miss my family and little - granddaughters, Catrin and Gwenno.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- I'm not a hermit.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- I miss my creature comforts - the older I get!
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- Perhaps I'd be frightened, too, - of being here in a storm.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07- It's one thing to be here - on a warm, sunny day...
0:18:07 > 0:18:12- ..it's something else being forced - to stay when there's no way back.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- That would worry me.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37- I was an altar boy in - Bodedern Church for several years.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42- Yes, there's something special - about frequenting that church.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47- There's something about - the building, the atmosphere...
0:18:47 > 0:18:49- ..which adds to the worship.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59- Until recently, every Sunday, Carwyn - attended his father's church...
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- ..and his mother's chapel.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- When he was invited to hold a chapel - service in a village hall kitchen...
0:19:06 > 0:19:11- ..he found the difference between - the two traditions more apparent.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16- I had a shock when they led me - into a narrow kitchen.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23- There was a worktop along the right- - hand side, a microwave and cooker.
0:19:23 > 0:19:29- I led the service and thought - it wasn't quite the same.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34- But as I left chapel...
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- ..I realized we had - received the same blessing...
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- ..as we would have in a church.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46- INAUDIBLE CHATTER
0:19:49 > 0:19:51- It's busier there.
0:19:51 > 0:19:57- It's interesting Christine Evans - says Bardsey isn't a quiet island.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58- It's not.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01- The peace is only an inner peace.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- There is the sound - of the waves and wind.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- There are little tractors - on the roads.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11- And the lighthouse and seals.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- And shearwater birds at night.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- She doesn't think Bardsey is quiet.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- You create your own peace.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39- To the Celts, mist was the boundary - between the real world...
0:20:39 > 0:20:41- ..and the imagination.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43- These were ideal conditions...
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- ..for the pilgrims - to feel the saints' presence.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- Nan isn't thinking about - 20,000 misty saints, though...
0:20:54 > 0:20:58- ..but about her forefathers - who also sleep in Bardsey soil.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- It was much dirtier the last time.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- It had never been cleaned - until eleven years ago.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- My second cousin, John Rees, - and I came here to clean it.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- We put in a hard day's work.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18- This is much less work - than the first time.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- It's easier to get in - between the letters.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27- We used bleach back then.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- It's easier this time.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36- This is my family.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- I was named after her, Ann.
0:21:40 > 0:21:46- Robert Williams's daughter is - buried here, so are other relatives.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- Most of my family - are in this cemetery.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07- When I was a child, - I'd go to a little beach over there.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- I felt the same magic again - this time as I did then.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- I'm coming back - to look for that magic.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- I used to meditate, and so on.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- I may just have imagined - that this was a spiritual place.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- I didn't understand the word - spiritual then.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31- I came here once before - 27 years ago.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- I didn't feel spiritual - because I had company.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38- I'm on my own this time.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44- I've had time to think. - This really is a spiritual island.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- It goes back to my childhood. - That's where it started.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56- Carwyn and Harri struggle - through the rain to Bardsey chapel.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01- It's used today for church services.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- This is the chapel.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09- It's unlike other chapels - for many reasons.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12- There's a cross on the pulpit - and candles.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- The communion table - has become an altar.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21- Does this appeal to you - more than a traditional chapel?
0:23:21 > 0:23:26- I'm sure we'll find a way in the - future to bring everything together.
0:23:26 > 0:23:32- And that we'll see the day when - we'll unite to worship together.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34- We all share the same goal.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- There are three parts - to a pilgrimage.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45- The preparation, the pilgrimage and - debriefing. The three are important.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49- The debriefing - will be an important step.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57- This time, I've appreciated Bardsey - more than ever before.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59- I'm not sure why.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03- I know I've always argued - against tradition, and so on...
0:24:03 > 0:24:07- ..and against the worshipping - of the bones of saints.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12- But, in the abbey yesterday, - and during the simple communion...
0:24:13 > 0:24:18- ..the link with the past - proved we can all come together...
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- ..and that's an enduring thing.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26- Bardsey is a step forward - on my life's journey.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36- Island of currents, - island of resurrection...
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- ..island of 20,000 saints.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- Beyond the mist - that's between fact and legend...
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- ..Bardsey has something - that captivates pilgrims.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- S4C Subtitles by GWEAD
0:25:09 > 0:25:10- .