THE
P RTAL
April 2019
Page 18
Our Lady leads us
into Ecumenism
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane report on the
EMPT Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Walsingham
T
he Ecumenical Marian Pilgrimage Trust is a group dedicated to Christian Unity. As their web
site states, “Visiting and staying to pray in the places where the Blessed Virgin Mary is loved and honoured
as the Mother of God has been the path to spiritual wisdom and faith in God throughout the life and history
of the Church…In the same spirit, the Ecumenical Marian Pilgrimage Trust arranges each year a pilgrimage
on which members of many different Churches can come together, in hope of the Unity of Christians in the one
Church. Every other year we go to Walsingham for a few days. In alternate years we spend a day at some other
place where Mary’s prayerful presence has been significant for Christians and ‘prayer has been valid’ in the past
and to the present day.”
This year we spent four days in
Walsingham with sixty people from
various churches including Roman
Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Coptic,
Eastern Rite Catholics, Methodist,
Presbyterian and the Quakers.
of the various speakers.
Worship included Free Church
Holy Communion in the Methodist
Church, Catholic Mass in the Chapel
of Our Lady of Reconciliation, Basilica
of Our Lady of Walsingham, where
The varied programme has high-
the Principal Celebrant and Preacher
brow and low-brow talks, as well as the
was HE Archbishop Edward Adams,
worship of the churches represented.
Apostolic Nuncio to the UK; Anglican
Diane Rowland
As Metropolitan Kallistos (Chairman of
Solemn Eucharist in the CofE Parish
EMPT) said, to us during the week, “It is the Week of Church with Bishop Goodall and the parish priest,
Prayer for Christian Unity, not the Week of Discussion Fr Harri Williams; and Benediction in the Church
of Christian Unity”!
of the Annunciation. Orthodox worship included
the singing of the Akathist Hymn before the Icon
At the start of our Pilgrimage, we all gathered in the of the Theotokos Hodogetria, Coptic Ninth Hour
Anglican Shrine church to be welcomed by Fr Kevin Prayer and the Burning Bush Hymn; and the Liturgy
Smith, Administrator of the Anglican Shrine. He also of the Presanctified Gifts in the Church of the Holy
led our “First Visit to the Holy House”. Each day began Transfiguration, Great Walsingham. All ended with
with a Scripture meditation, and we
the Ecumenical Office of the Blessed
took part in worship from the traditions
Virgin Mary and Sprinkling at the Holy
represented.
Well.
During the week we were treated to
As if all this were not enough, The Revd
talks by Mike Russell; Fr Philip Corbett;
Jarel Robinson-Brown and The Revd
Abouna Simon Smyth; HE Kallistos,
Mark Rowland gave us a stunning organ
Metropolitan of Diokleia; Fr Gerard Mary
recital in the Anglican parish church.
Toman OFM Conv; Bishop Jonathan
Goodall; Professor Frances Young; Paul
Whatever standard you use, it was a
Hurst, Official Photographer, Norwich
splendid week spent with Our Lady to
Mike Russell
Cathedral; and the Peter Marr Memorial
further the cause of Christian Unity.
Lecture was delivered by Prebendary Norman Thanks are due to the Trustees of EMPT, and especially
Wallwork, President of the Methodist Sacramental Fr Mark Woodruff who holds the whole event together.
fellowship on “W. E. Orchard and the Centenary of
The Order of Divine Service”.
We spoke with some of the participants. Hilary Finlay
is a retired Social Worker who now lives in Wisbech.
During our last evening, we were able to ask questions She is married to Sean and they have two grown up