Torchlight Procession in honour of The Blessed Virgin Mary

The Torchlight Procession was started in the 1951 by Father Gallon so that parishioners could take part in what is both an act of public worship and a display of witness to our faith. After the Rosary was said at the Church the procession; preceded by a statue of Our Lady and a loudspeaker van playing appropiate Hymns got underway, the original route went on Cemetery Road and then along Wellington Street turning left at the Yorkshire Bank onto Commercial Street and finishing at the Market Place where there would be a short service followed by Benediction. I'm told that in the early days the Market Place would be full before the tail end of the procession had even reached Commercial Street, in later years the route was shortened by not going on Wellinton Street but entering onto Commercial Street at its other end. From the start it was hugely popular attracting people from all over the diocese and beyond, sadly in recent years attendance has declined and in 2001 the decision was taken to end the walk.

I think these are from the Torchlight Procession of 1974.

Monday October 3rd was the day chosen to hold the Torchlight procession in Batley this year. As people from across the Diocese and beyond gathered outside the Town Hall it started to look as if all the good weather that everyone had enjoyed had come to an end and the rain was about to come down. Fortunately this did not happen though a few light showers blew through. As usual as well as the local people of Batley there were also buses from across the Diocese and even from Rochdale. They were joined by civic dignitaries, the local MP and Bishop Roche, who led the service.
         Fr John Berry, a local Batley boy himself, preached the homily, which he opened by telling everyone he had first been at the procession with his mother who was then pregnant with him. He went on to talk about the role of women as mothers and what a special place Mary played in the scheme of things as the Mother of Jesus. He reminded everyone that Fr Gallon had established the procession - some 60 years ago to pray for peace and it was through Mary that those prayers for peace were directed. As the Bishop started the Rosary the congregation of at least 1,000moved out to make their way to St Mary's church. Not all of course could get into the church but those that didn't stood outside as the Bishop concluded the evening with Benediction.