News Lewisham & Greenwich News

Hallowe’en a disgrace

THE END IS NIGH: Sister Ruth believes time is short
By Adrian Kwintner
A CATHOLIC nun who has spent 16 years travelling the world with a 3ft statue of the Virgin Mary is warning children against the dangers of Hallowe’en devil masks.
Sister Ruth Augustus has visited 200 countries with the fibreglass statue and is currently touring Greenwich and Lewisham as she completes the last leg of her UK tour.
The 62-year-old, who spends her time talking to people on the streets and in pubs, supermarkets, hospitals and prisons to promote the Bible, says Hallowe’en is ruining children.
She said: “Stationery shops sell devil’s masks. They’re not selling angels. Hallowe’en has been made a devil-worshipping weekend and is ruining our children.
“It makes them very cruel, very selfish and very greedy. When they play trick or treat, they throw broken eggs all over your doorstep if you don’t give them something.” Sister Ruth, who was born in Burma and brought up in Birmingham, says response from people in Lewisham and Greenwich is generally good.
She said: “Black Africans around Lewisham are very warm and full of faith. They come up to me and hug the statue.
“The African children are fabulous and love to sing hymns on the bus.
“Greenwich people are very friendly. But Muslim fanatics swear at me and I tell them to go and live in a Muslim country rather than live on benefits.” With 30 countries left to cover, Sister Ruth calculates her mission will take another two years.
She began her journey after reading about the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelations, an event she believes will take place as the result of a nuclear war in 2006.
She said: “Chapter 18 describes the attack on the World Trade Center thousands of years before it happened.
“Time is very short. We’re living in the dawn of the Apocalypse.”
11:07am Tuesday 28th October 2003

BBC NEWS Tuesday, 30 December, 2003,

Nun's pub pilgrimage
Sister Augustus and her statue spread the word in pubs A nun carrying a large statue of the Virgin Mary has been saying prayers in pubs and supermarkets in East Sussex.
Sister Ruth Augustus, who is originally from Ireland, has spent the last 16 years taking the three-foot statue to more than 200 countries.
She has now arrived in Brighton to continue her mission.
After leaving Sussex, Sister Augustus plans to visit 30 new countries in the next two years.
Warm welcome
She said: "The streets of Brighton feel like a friendly place to spread the word.
"We want to share the word of Jesus with everyone and we are not ashamed of it. We are always proud of it.
"It is especially special for me down here in Brighton, Sussex and Kent as it is where all of my relatives are."
The nun said she had generally received a warm welcome during her world travels.
But she said there had been times when she was molested and attacked.