The village of Walsingham, four miles inland from Wells on the north coast of Norfolk, was revived as a place of pilgrimage in honour of Our Lady during the 20th century. Its story began in 1061 when a noble lady called Richeldis experienced a vision in which she was asked to build a replica, in England, of the Holy House in Nazareth. The shrine was a major pilgrimage centre in medieval times until its closure and near-destruction at the Reformation. The old Slipper Chapel was rescued in the late 19th Century by Charlotte Boyd who presented it to Downside Abbey. It was proclaimed the National Shrine of Our Lady in 1934 and the annual "Student Cross" pilgrimages began in 1948. Walsingham was in the Diocese of Northampton until 1976 when the Diocese of East Anglia was separated off. In 1981 a larger chapel was built nearby for the use of increasing numbers of pilgrims, and in the last few years the little Catholic church in the village itself has been rebuilt. Walsingham remains an almost-unspoilt rural village of great peace and beauty, with an emphasis on religion which is highly unusual in the UK, and is well worth a trip even if you are not part of an organised pilgrimage.
This year's pilgrimage took place on Saturday 12th June 2010. Photos and a report are below.
A report on the 2010 Pilgrimage
Our Lady was certainly shining on the Northampton diocesan pilgrims, on Saturday 12th June in Walsingham.
Approximately 700 pilgrims gathered from all corners of the diocese to celebrate this annual event ; seven priests and two deacons as well as Bishop Peter also attended.
As everyone gathered in the Friday Market Place to walk the Holy Mile, with the sun shining and a cool breeze blowing, Bishop Peter welcomed everyone warmly and Fr Alan Williams said a few words of welcome. The Knights of St Columba did sterling service in marshalling the people and helping to keep the prayers, rosary and hymns going. For reasons of safety the processional route was along the Millennium Way (old railway line) and this proved a great success - this will be the route for future pilgrimages. This has been surfaced for walking and is a safe and very scenic way to walk to the Slipper Chapel.
On arrival at the National Shrine, Bishop Peter congratulated everyone who made the walk, shaking hands with most of them and giving special praise to the pilgrims who carried the Statue of Our Lady and the processional cross. A very short service of welcome was held in the Chapel of Reconciliation. Then it was out to enjoy the sunshine, visit Our Lady's chapel, light a candle, say a prayer, visit the well-stocked shop and enjoy a drink and snack in the shrine cafe.
At 4pm all gathered inside the Chapel of Reconciliation to enjoy a very special, spiritual and holy Mass. The musicians, under the direction of Ro Sefton, from St Gregory the Great, Northampton played and sang a wonderful selections of hymns which greatly enhanced the Mass. Bishop Peter in his homily talked of when he was a child of about 5 or 6 and he went to the fair instead of going straight home from school. When he did arrive home much later than usual, his mother didn't know whether to hug him or shout at him. He compared this with how Mary and Joseph must have felt when they couldn't find Jesus, and their reaction when they found him in the Temple. We were told that “Mary pondered these things in her heart”.
At the end of Mass two charming young boys, Paulo and Christian presented a gift to the Bishop for Fathers Day. 2011 will be the 950th anniversary of pilgrimages to Walsingham, so the Bishop encouraged everyone to bring someone else to celebrate this occasion. Deacon Michael was thanked for organising such a splendid pilgrimage for us this year and we look forward to 11 June 2011.