When I think of the Caravan, this poem springs to my mind:
Come, come whoever you are:
Wanderer, Worshipper, lover of leaving;
Come though you have broken your vow a thousand times before;
Ours is no caravan of despair
Come, yet again, come.
(Rumi)
Rumi’s poem expresses the spirit of the Caravan, which to me is a place where truly everybody is welcome, no matter where they are from, who they are or what they do or don’t believe in.
While working on a photo-project called “What is Love?’ I took a picture of Reverend Gary Bradley, the vicar of Little Venice, who lives around the corner from CCPE. While chatting to him, I mentioned low-cost counselling services at CCPE and the Caravan.
He told me that he knows about the Caravan, and that he regularly reads Masses to bless and express gratitude for the people who work for the Caravan, which is a lifeline for so many people.
Eva-Maria Riegler