THE
P RTAL
April 2016
Page 6
England’s Nazareth
After a recent visit to Walsingham,
David Chapman was moved to put pen to paper
I
suspect that a majority of Ordinarians and other readers of The Portal were, in their Anglican
days, occasional or frequent pilgrims to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Walsingham was a spiritual
home and a centre and focus of devotion, a place where Anglo-Catholics could feel at home, in the majority,
unpersecuted or disapproved-of.
many memories
watch the film
I know that some who were received into the Catholic
Church have never been back to Walsingham since
their reception, feeling that it would be too painful,
would bring back too many memories. It may also be
that they feel that, having no Holy House and no Holy
Well, the Catholic Shrine, which is not even in the
village, is somehow “second best”.
At his 100th birthday celebrations last December,
Mgr Augustine Hoey spoke powerfully of the necessity
for prayers for Christian unity. You can see the whole
Mass on www.youtube.com/watch?v=20NYkelyv2o
and Fr Hoey’s speech is from 1hr 24min. He said that
Walsingham, sadly, is a place of division, and that we
must constantly pray together for Christian unity. He
emphasised MUST. If you haven’t watched the film,
or were not fortunate to have been there, do go there,
listen, watch – and then resolve to DO!
Let’s face it, after the magnificent development
of the Anglican Shrine grounds, catering facilities
and accommodation, the National Catholic Shrine
at the Slipper Chapel site does look a bit run down
and the rooms at Elmham House a bit sub-standard.
the Holy Land of Walsingham
I hope those who are in this situation will think
again about going on pilgrimage to the “Holy Land
of Walsingham” – things have changed, and are
changing, and changing for the better! You may
have seen some reports of this, or you may have
visited the website, www.walsingham.org.uk/
home
Indeed, something big is happening at
Walsingham. The recent creation of the Shrine
as a Minor Basilica is a sign of the great support
given to Walsingham by the Bishops of England
and Wales, by Mgr Keith Newton and, of course,
by the Holy Father, Pope Francis.
The focus of the ancient pilgrimage devotion
was, as we know, the Holy House which Lady
Richeldis had built – a replica of the original
Holy House in Nazareth. The statue with which
we are so familiar came a hundred or more years
later. People who were unable to visit Nazareth
could visit Walsingham; hence the ancient title of
“England’s Nazareth” and the description of the
“Holy Land of Walsingham”. We know about the
sixteenth century destruction of Walsingham,
and we credit Fr Alfred Hope Patten for
recreating the Holy House in the Anglican
Shrine.
contents page
pilgrims urged to visit to the
Holy House in the Anglican Shrine
On the new signage around the Catholic Shrine,
pilgrims are urged to make a visit to the Holy House
in the Anglican Shrine a part of their pilgrimage and
to pray there for unity. Indeed, Mgr John Armitage,
Rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham,
frequently speaks of “The Shrine of our Lady
AT Walsingham” and emphasises that Catholics,
Anglicans, Orthodox and Methodists have a presence
there.
Many of you will attend the Ordinariate Pilgrimage
on Saturday 25th June. Will you resolve to pray daily
(as Mgr Hoey does) that Christians may speak with
one voice? Can you urge your Group, or your Parish,
or just friends, to organise a pilgrimage where you
stay for one or two nights? There is so much more
that you can do with the extra time.
join the Walsingham Association
Can you urge people to join the Walsingham
Association and learn about the “something big”
which is happening - www.walsingham.org.uk/
walsingham-association. Can you ask a speaker to
visit and talk about Walsingham? After all, most
of you are supporters of the Ordinariate of Our
Lady of Walsingham. As well as your support
for the Ordinariate, what can you do to increase
devotion to Our Blessed Lady, to seek her powerful
intercession and to be part of the wonderful
fellowship that unites all who seek her prayers?