0:00:02 > 0:00:04Today on Songs Of Praise, I'm in Wales.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06It is a land close to my heart, of course, and it is
0:00:06 > 0:00:09a place that's rich in myth and legend
0:00:09 > 0:00:11and steeped in Christian heritage.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14This is the ancient Pilgrim's Way in North Wales.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17If the tides are on my side, I will reach Bardsey Island,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21reputed to be the resting place of 20,000 saints.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26I remember I walked up onto the top of the mountain and cried and
0:00:26 > 0:00:29cried and cried - completely overwhelmed with emotion.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I am also following in the footsteps of Hollywood actor
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Andrew Garfield who came to this retreat centre to learn how
0:00:37 > 0:00:40to play a 17th-century Jesuit priest.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43He had long straggly hair and a straggly beard which
0:00:43 > 0:00:45he had grown for the film.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you have a great day!
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Valentine's Day is nearly upon us. I am here in Dublin
0:00:51 > 0:00:54spreading the love and in search of the saint himself.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Our music today comes from across Britain and we begin here in
0:01:05 > 0:01:08the land of song with a hymn written by one of the greatest
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Welsh writers, William Williams.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12It has become a firm favourite everywhere.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Just off the Pilgrim's Way here in Denbighshire is St Beuno's -
0:03:43 > 0:03:47named after a 7th-century Welsh missionary saint.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51It was built in 1848 by the Jesuits as a theology college and
0:03:51 > 0:03:54has recently fallen under the spotlight since the release
0:03:54 > 0:03:57of Martin Scorsese's firm Silence.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I pray, but I am lost. Am I just praying to silence?
0:04:04 > 0:04:06To prepare for the role, actor Andrew Garfield,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09best known as Spider-Man, studied the life of
0:04:09 > 0:04:13a Jesuit priest for a year when he came here for a silent retreat.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It was all hush-hush, of course!
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Thank you. Is it normal for St Beuno's to open its doors to
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Hollywood superstars?
0:04:29 > 0:04:31It is the first one we have had in my time, you are the second!
0:04:31 > 0:04:33You have come down in the world!
0:04:33 > 0:04:35What was his reaction when he saw this place,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37because it is such a magnificent building?
0:04:37 > 0:04:38It is. It is really splendid.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41What I remember about him, though,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43was he was very modest and unassuming.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46He didn't draw attention to himself.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49He was really just like any other retreatant.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Except he had very long straggly hair and
0:04:51 > 0:04:54a straggly beard which he had grown for the film.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58It is too dangerous. We asked for this mission.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- I must admit, I didn't know who he was.- Didn't you?
0:05:03 > 0:05:07I just thought, "I've seen your face." Oh, he has been here before.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Just another person, you just serve him like everybody else.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- You never know, he might come back.- Yes!
0:05:14 > 0:05:15You will be more impressed next time.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Yeah, I would know who he is, wouldn't I?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Originally missionaries, the Jesuits
0:05:24 > 0:05:28are a Catholic order and now number around 16,000 worldwide,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31including Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36But at St Beuno's, anyone of any faith or none
0:05:36 > 0:05:38can come on retreat.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- I will show you one of the rooms. - OK.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47Oh, this is lovely. How would you describe the Jesuit faith?
0:05:47 > 0:05:51It is a spirituality, about finding God in all things.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54So, I think there is an openness to the world and looking to see
0:05:54 > 0:05:58where God is at work in all people and in all situations.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Jesuits follow the spiritual exercises of their Spanish
0:06:05 > 0:06:10founder, St Ignatius of Loyola, written nearly 500 years ago.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14They are designed to focus your mind and broaden your understanding
0:06:14 > 0:06:16of the life of Christ.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Take us through some of the exercises that happen here
0:06:18 > 0:06:21when you come over on retreat.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Well, essentially people are being offered Scripture and it is
0:06:25 > 0:06:29putting the gospel down alongside our own lives and seeing how
0:06:29 > 0:06:32one speaks to the other.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38Most of all, Ignatius wanted people to come to know Christ as a friend.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Some people might say coming here is running away from real life.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I would say it is facing up to real life!
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Because I think we use a lot of stuff to distract ourselves
0:06:50 > 0:06:52from what is going on inside.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55And although so many of these things are good in themselves,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59phone, computer, all our modern technology,
0:06:59 > 0:07:05it can sometimes take us away from what needs attending to in here.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12That escape from everyday life whilst on retreat here is
0:07:12 > 0:07:14something James Potter experienced.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19What is it like not talking at all for 30 days?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21It's...
0:07:21 > 0:07:22Not as bad as you might think.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- Really?- It sounded like torture the first time I heard of it but one of
0:07:26 > 0:07:30the great things about a place like this is it really eases you into it.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34It is quite a fruitful, creative space where you can discover
0:07:34 > 0:07:37more about yourself and to be with your own thoughts.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39This sounds like something you could do at home,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42so why do you need to come to somewhere like this?
0:07:42 > 0:07:48Being away just gives you that extra space to really settle down,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52to really allow some of those extraneous worries and
0:07:52 > 0:07:58thoughts in our daily lives just to filter out and really to hear
0:07:58 > 0:08:02that still, small voice in the depths of your being.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10On Tuesday, many of us will be celebrating St Valentine's Day.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13It has become a mix of romance and commercialism.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16But who was St Valentine?
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Kate Bottley is in Ireland on his trail.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- Happy Valentine's Day!- Thank you. - Happy Valentine's Day.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- Thank you so much.- Have a great day. What do you know about St Valentine?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Just that he is the man of love!
0:11:31 > 0:11:34He is buried in Dublin and that is what we know and that is why
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- we are so romantic.- Do you think that is why the city is so romantic?
0:11:37 > 0:11:41What can I say? What can I say? We are oozing with love!
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Lo-o-o-o-ve!
0:11:44 > 0:11:47St Valentine could be the patron saint of flower sellers,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50the amount of business he does for them, and certainly here in
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Dublin's Moore Street,
0:11:52 > 0:11:53business is booming.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- This is what you need!- Look, he is giving it to you.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57That is so romantic.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02- Happy Valentine's Day. How long have you been together?- 46 years.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- Oh, my word.- What's the secret? - I don't know yet!
0:12:08 > 0:12:12The Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints
0:12:12 > 0:12:16called Valentine or Valentinus - all of whom were martyred.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18One of the stories is that St Valentine was
0:12:18 > 0:12:22a third-century priest in Rome and behind this rather humble
0:12:22 > 0:12:26facade is a church said to contain the relics of his body.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- Good to meet you. - You are very welcome.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34So Father Brown, who was St Valentine?
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Now, there was a possibility there was more than one Valentine
0:12:38 > 0:12:42but the story we like to hold on to here is that he was a Roman
0:12:42 > 0:12:47priest who lived in the third century and during his ministry, he
0:12:47 > 0:12:51brought couples together at a time when essentially that was forbidden.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53So why were the couples not allowed to marry?
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Well, it all had to do with the Emperor of Rome, Claudius II,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01who was sometimes referred to as Claudius the Cruel.
0:13:01 > 0:13:02Lovely name isn't it, really(?)
0:13:02 > 0:13:05And for the military campaigns to be successful,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Claudius II needed his young men to be fighting fit and perish
0:13:09 > 0:13:13the thought there would be lovers or wives or partners of any sort.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16He just could not allow that.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20That resulted in execution for Valentine. So, he lost his head?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- He lost his head. The poor man. - He lost his head for love.- He did.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30In 1836, it was Father Spratt,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33a renowned public speaker and preacher, who gained recognition
0:13:33 > 0:13:37from Pope Gregory XVI for his dedication to Christianity.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42He was apparently given a reward of St Valentine's remains.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46And the gift was this wonderful casket which contains the
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- reliquary of St Valentine. - So, it was like a present?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52It was a present. So we got this beautiful reliquary.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58The current Pope, Pope Francis, has urged churches to think again
0:13:58 > 0:14:01about St Valentine's Day - that it might not just be a commercial
0:14:01 > 0:14:06opportunity but an opportunity to reflect on the true nature of love.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09And every Valentine's Day, couples come and have their rings and
0:14:09 > 0:14:13vows blessed in a time of prayer and reflection.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Although St Valentine's own life ended in martyrdom,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21his legacy of love will endure for ever.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24And who can ask for any more than that?
0:16:34 > 0:16:35Later in the programme,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I will continue on my pilgrim trail as I hope to set out across
0:16:38 > 0:16:43the sea and reach Bardsey Island - if the weather holds out.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46But now, an uplifting soundtrack for any journey.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50Here is Angel Blue with her own composition, Sing.
0:16:54 > 0:17:01# Do you hear the sound of change?
0:17:01 > 0:17:04# Growing louder
0:17:04 > 0:17:09# Through the pain?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11# Praying hard to keep things going
0:17:11 > 0:17:13# Though God, you're ever knowing
0:17:13 > 0:17:17# Keep us planted on firm ground
0:17:17 > 0:17:19# Trying to go the extra mile
0:17:19 > 0:17:24# May take a little while but it will happen in God's time
0:17:24 > 0:17:28# Let us all sing
0:17:29 > 0:17:32# Sing together
0:17:32 > 0:17:36# Let us all sing
0:17:36 > 0:17:40# Sing till it's over
0:17:42 > 0:17:45# Joy will come
0:17:45 > 0:17:48# In the morning
0:17:50 > 0:17:55# Like a fire blazing through the night
0:17:57 > 0:17:59# Looking toward our destination
0:17:59 > 0:18:02# May take a little patience
0:18:02 > 0:18:05# It will happen in God's time
0:18:05 > 0:18:07# We must go the extra mile
0:18:07 > 0:18:09# May take a little while
0:18:09 > 0:18:12# But everything will be just fine
0:18:12 > 0:18:16# Let us all sing
0:18:17 > 0:18:20# Sing together
0:18:20 > 0:18:23# Let us all sing
0:18:25 > 0:18:28# Sing till it's over
0:18:28 > 0:18:31# Now you've reached your destination
0:18:31 > 0:18:33# Don't forget your occupation
0:18:33 > 0:18:37# Thanking God for all that he has done
0:18:37 > 0:18:39# It is his grace by which I stand
0:18:39 > 0:18:41# And now I lend a helping hand
0:18:41 > 0:18:44# Praising him for this journey
0:18:44 > 0:18:49# Let us all sing
0:18:49 > 0:18:52# Sing together
0:18:52 > 0:18:55# Let us all sing
0:18:57 > 0:19:00# Sing till it's over
0:19:00 > 0:19:05# Let us all sing
0:19:05 > 0:19:08# Sing cos it's over
0:19:08 > 0:19:12# Let us all sing
0:19:12 > 0:19:14# O-o-o-o-h!
0:19:14 > 0:19:16# Till it's over
0:19:18 > 0:19:24# Let us all, let us all sing. #
0:19:31 > 0:19:33For centuries,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36many thousands have walked the pilgrim trail here in North Wales.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39And a key stopping point is Aberdaron,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41right on the tip of the Llyn Peninsula.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46This used to be an inn where medieval pilgrims were offered
0:19:46 > 0:19:49a free meal before attempting to cross over to Bardsey Island.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52And for some it would be their last, as the waters of Bardsey Sound
0:19:52 > 0:19:54can be treacherous.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59The local church, named after St Hywyn, an abbot of Bardsey, was also
0:19:59 > 0:20:03a welcome place to shelter whilst waiting for fair weather.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07So, I am following in the footsteps of a few pilgrims before me
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- by coming into this little church? - You certainly are, yes.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12People would have brought their own food,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16- they would have been eating in here, sleeping in here...- I see.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20..whilst they are waiting for favourable conditions to go across.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- So, they could be here for quite a while?- Yes, they would have been.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28People would have been here who were at the end of their lives and
0:20:28 > 0:20:32that was why they were waiting to go across to Bardsey to die on the
0:20:32 > 0:20:36island, because it is regarded as the island of 20,000 saints -
0:20:36 > 0:20:40because in those days, anybody who became baptised was called a saint.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45And what they wanted to do was to die on Bardsey or to have
0:20:45 > 0:20:47their body taken there.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It is a thin place between heaven and earth.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55The area is not just a place of pilgrimage.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Celebrated Welsh poet RS Thomas was parish priest and drew much
0:21:00 > 0:21:03inspiration from his time here.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07He had a very strong connection with Bardsey Island and one of my
0:21:07 > 0:21:12favourite poems is titled Pilgrimages and it gives you
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- some of the sense of... - What people went through...
0:21:15 > 0:21:19..of what people went through to get to the island.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25"There is an island there is no going to
0:21:25 > 0:21:29"But in a small boat the way the saints went
0:21:29 > 0:21:31"Travelling the gallery
0:21:31 > 0:21:34"The frightened faces of the long drowned..."
0:21:35 > 0:21:39And as far as you are concerned, how do you feel towards that place?
0:21:40 > 0:21:44For me, it holds a very special place in my heart.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49I was estranged from the church for 25 years but going to Bardsey,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53for me, that was the very first time I really connected with the
0:21:53 > 0:21:55sacred and the divine.
0:21:55 > 0:22:01I remember I walked up onto the top of the mountain and cried
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and cried and cried.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07And I don't know why, I was completely overwhelmed with emotion.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11There is this otherworldliness about it.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Over the years, I have tried three times to get over to Bardsey Island
0:24:44 > 0:24:48and each time the weather and tides have conspired against me.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51And everyone I meet, especially around here in North Wales,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54talks about the magical and spiritual quality of the place.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56I really hope I make it, this time!
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Porth Meudwy was where many pilgrims would embark on their crossing.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I am entrusting local boatman Colin Evans with my trip.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10THEY SPEAK WELSH
0:25:10 > 0:25:13The million-dollar question, are we going to go today?
0:25:13 > 0:25:14I think we are. Just about.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- There is a bit of a swell there, you might want to hang on!- OK, really?
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- Shall we get going?- Yeah, absolutely. Hop on.- Lovely.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25- Thank God we are not going in a coracle!- Well, it can be arranged.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Bardsey Island lies just two miles off the coast from the mainland.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33It should take us about 20 minutes.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35And you think about all the thousands of pilgrims that
0:25:35 > 0:25:38have done this route over hundreds and hundreds of years,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40- what was it like for them, then? - It must have been very difficult.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43They would have needed to have absolute faith in their boatmen.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46They really wanted to get over there.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48And who could blame them, really?
0:25:48 > 0:25:49It is looking nice, as well.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- We haven't really got into the sound yet.- Oh, OK!
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I wish he would just say yes. HE CHUCKLES
0:25:58 > 0:26:00The island's Welsh name is Ynys Enlli
0:26:00 > 0:26:02meaning "island in the currents" and once you are
0:26:02 > 0:26:06out in open water, the sea can get a lot more choppy.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12- It has been an interesting 20 minutes.- Yes.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17If it was like that all the time, I would be richer than I am!
0:26:17 > 0:26:20In the old days, what was the expression,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23three trips to Bardsey equalled one pilgrimage to Rome, wasn't it?
0:26:23 > 0:26:24That's right.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27And it was believed if you died here, or even on the way here,
0:26:27 > 0:26:32you would go straight to heaven without passing through Purgatory.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39On a day like today, you can see just how magical this place is
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and why so many people tried so hard to get here.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47At this time of year, there are just a handful of residents,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50including island manager Sian Stacey.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54It is quite a journey to get here, quite bumpy, it was, but worth it.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58Why do you think people want to come to Bardsey so much?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01I mean, it is a very special place.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03The scenery, the views are never-ending.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07So, it is just a beautiful and calm place to come.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09And I think people do still
0:27:09 > 0:27:11return here on their own pilgrimages
0:27:11 > 0:27:14both for spirituality reasons and other reasons.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16- There is four of you on the island at the moment.- At the moment, yes.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- Doesn't it get lonely? - No, surprisingly not.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22In fact, I used to live in a big city and I feel
0:27:22 > 0:27:26- a lot less lonely here than I ever did in the city.- Really?
0:27:27 > 0:27:31SHEEP BLEAT
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Bardsey has had Christian connections for more than
0:27:36 > 0:27:411,500 years when St Cadfan is thought to have established a community here.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Today, all that remains are the ruins of a 13th-century abbey.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Gosh, not much left!
0:27:49 > 0:27:53No, well, there are theories that some of the stones that would
0:27:53 > 0:27:56have made up the monastery have been reused in the buildings we
0:27:56 > 0:27:59see around us today and may have even been used in the chapel
0:27:59 > 0:28:03- which is just in front of us now. - Nice idea.- Yeah!
0:28:03 > 0:28:06- You have been coming here for years, haven't you?- Yeah,
0:28:06 > 0:28:07- since I was about eight or ten. - Really?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Do you think you will live here for ever?
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Well, forever is a long time but I would like to see myself here
0:28:13 > 0:28:16for the foreseeable future. The problem with Enlli is...
0:28:16 > 0:28:18There's a Welsh word called hiraeth...
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Longing.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Yeah, I certainly felt hiraeth whenever I am not on the island.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25When I'm going back to the mainland,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27I feel the island is drawing me back.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30I think a lot of people who visit the island feel that.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26I'm so fortunate to have finally made it here onto Bardsey Island,
0:31:26 > 0:31:30following in the footsteps of thousands of pilgrims before me.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33They must have been onto something because I felt a tremendous inner
0:31:33 > 0:31:37calm on this island and wouldn't have missed it for the world.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Our final hymn seems an appropriate way to end.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Until next time, bye-bye.