Assumptiontide 2019 | Issue 164 The magazine of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham

National Pilgrimage Page 4

The Walsingham Bible Page 6

Priests Associate Serving in the Armed Forces Page 12

Book Review: Walsingham – Pilgrims & Pilgrimage Page 17

Walsingham Festival at

Westminster Abbey

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Henry III (six times). Edward I (thirteen times). Edward II (twice). Then Edward III, Richard II, the Henry’s IV, V, VI, VII and finally, as we all know, Henry VIII.

All these monarchs, often with their queens and royal children, came as pilgrims to Walsingham. It is an indication of the importance and fame of Our Lady’s Shrine before its destruction, (tragically at royal hands), as well as of the influence of the Christian faith in the lives of England’s rulers and in the history of our nation.

Many of the monarchs who prayed in England’s Nazareth now lie in their royal tombs in Westminster Abbey, surrounding the Shrine of S. Edward the Confessor. As the Pilgrim Hymn reminds us, it was during Edward’s reign that the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was founded. I dare to imagine that he and all those former royal pilgrims would have rejoiced to see two thousand present-day pilgrims gathered in the Abbey for the Walsingham Festival last May and to hear the tremendous sound of their Ave’s being sung with such joy as the Image of Our Lady of Walsingham was processed through the Nave. Maybe like many of us present on that occasion, they would have been amazed to see Our Lady of Walsingham enthroned on the very spot in the Sacrarium, before the High Altar, where every monarch since William the Conqueror has been crowned.

It was a truly wonderful day and we owe a debt of gratitude to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster for inviting the Shrine to share in such a memorable celebration of Our Lady at the heart of our nation.

Of course, we could not have known when the date for the Festival was fixed that there would be such political turmoil and uncertainty in our country and in the Palace of Westminster, only a few yards away from the Abbey. The debate about Brexit and the divisions that have

The Priest Administrator’s Letter

Mary’s life and vocation perfectly mirror the values of the Gospel taught by Jesus in the Beatitudes. Whenever we look at the beautiful Image of Our Lady of Walsingham, we see what the words of the Gospel mean.

The Shrine of Our Ladyof WalsinghamThe CollegeWalsinghamNorfolk NR22 6EF

T: 01328 824204E: pr.adm@olw-shrine.org.ukwww.walsinghamanglican.org.uk

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Designed by Adept www.adeptdesign.co.uk

Cover image Ian Stratton/Westminster Abbey

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become so stark and seemingly irresolvable over the past two years have affected all of us and the future remains unknown.

It was against this backdrop, together with much else that is a cause of fear and uncertainty in the world, that pilgrims worshipped and prayed in Westminster. We prayed for our present Sovereign Queen Elizabeth, who so often speaks with humility and dignity about her Christian faith. We prayed for peace, for unity in the Church and in the world, for our political leaders, for all who suffer injustice, for the poor, the downtrodden and for refugees. We prayed for victims of violence and especially those affected by the rise of violent crime on the streets of the city in which we were gathered.

There was nothing unusual about these intentions. Every church in every parish constantly pray for these things, and of course in Walsingham they are prayed for every day at Shrine Prayers.

Yet there was something significant and deeply moving about praying for them in that beautiful and historic Abbey Church in Westminster, so close to the seat of worldly power. This was particularly so when as pilgrims we prayed in the presence of Our Lady of Walsingham.

In her Magnificat Mary dared to sing of God, “scattering the proud hearted, casting down the mighty from their thrones and raising the lowly”.

Mary, the humble Virgin of Nazareth, was chosen by God to be the Mother of his Divine Son. She is a true sign of the Gospel. Mary’s life and vocation perfectly mirror the values of the Gospel taught by Jesus in the Beatitudes. Whenever we look at the beautiful Image of Our Lady of Walsingham, we see what the words of the Gospel mean. We see those words “in the flesh”. For the Word itself is made flesh and humbly dwells among us in Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary.

The presence of Our Lady of Walsingham in Westminster was a powerful reminder that we are called to bear witness to Christ in the world and especially at this time in our nation. It pointed to the importance of the work of the Church in being a living sign of God’s presence in our parishes and communities and the part we can play as pilgrims in that work.

Pilgrims come to Walsingham from all parts of our nation and experience in England’s Nazareth many graces and blessings. When it comes to the Last Visit, every pilgrim is invited to face the Holy House to give thanks and to ask for Our Lady’s prayers as they return to their daily lives. The final words of the prayer are, “Pray that God may give me the grace to do at home what you have taught me to do here”.

Such is the gentle but important challenge given to pilgrims. To take the lessons learnt in the ‘School of Mary’ back home. To try to live out more faithfully the teachings of Christ and the values of his Gospel. To be a sign in our churches of God’s presence in our parishes, praying daily for the needs of our communities, society and nation. To do at home what Mary teaches us to do in Walsingham. To do whatever her Son tells us.

Above the High Altar in Westminster Abbey, near to where the Image was honoured in May, are these words, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ”.

May Our Lady of Walsingham, who reigns as Queen in the Kingdom of Heaven, pray for our land, our society and our homes and continue to guide us in the way of blessedness, in the way of the Gospel, in the way of Christ her Son.

Your friend and fellow pilgrim,Fr Kevin Smith

The Walsingham Review

Do whatever he tells youThe National Pilgrimage 2019

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There was much anticipation and speculation in the build-up to this year’s National Pilgrimage held, as usual, on the late Spring Bank Holiday. Good Heavens! Was that really the High Street for the first time for many years resplendent in blue and gold bunting? Would it survive the rain and wind? And who were all those men and women clutching silver items of plumbing? Not a B&Q DIY Convention surely? No, it’s the West Yorkshire Police Band – complete with a Priest Associate Flugelhorn player! How will Canon Beau Brandie’s successor as Chief Steward, Fr Guy Willis, get on? After all, Canon Brandie was first appointed in 1062 by Richeldis herself – as Bishop Philip joked last year when making a presentation. And amidst all this change and excitement, let us not forget that the Archbishop of Canterbury was the day’s preacher – making his third

visit to the Shrine, but his first to a National Pilgrimage.

Rest assured. It was all rather splendid. The bunting swung merrily as the procession went past, the police band gave us a great selection of favourite tunes during the lunch interval and outside The Bull Inn once the afternoon’s events had concluded. Fr Willis won his Chief Steward spurs with great distinction – and the Archbishop preached to a highly-attentive congregation. His presence with us in Walsingham for the day was very much appreciated.

We had a few spots of rain on and off throughout the day. However, as soon as the band struck up outside The Bull, the heavens opened. But nobody seemed to mind too much. The band ran for cover – but promised to come back next year! Fr Kevin is delighted.

An extract from the sermon given by The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, at the National Pilgrimage of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham on Monday 27 May, 2019.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

The heart of our day is with the words of Mary, “do whatever he tells you”, a summary of the gospel that moves us from the watery drudgery of law to the joy and celebration of the Spirit. A pilgrimage is a joyful thing, where the journey itself is as important as the destination. Pilgrimage is full of surprises. Two years ago, I went on what is pompously and grandly called ‘An Official Visit’ to the Holy Land and found I was on a Pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage reality was shown in the surprises: From the Orthodox priest in Gaza who each day would have to prepare himself for that day being his last; to the English Jewish woman who had come at the time of the formation of the State of Israel and from a hill full of stones been one of those who created a Kibbutz. Despite the suffering and the battles and the loss of family in Auschwitz, she still trusted in God; to others who unexpectedly spoke of Jesus Christ. With others, with God, with God through others, who were strangers and became fellow pilgrims, the visit became a moment of calling. And that is my prayer for today for you. That it will be a moment of calling to do whatever he tells you.

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Boys in blue – Come blow up your horns!The National Pilgrimage this year was entertained by the West Yorkshire Police Band, of which I am the Chaplain and Flugelhorn player. There is something special about listening to a brass band on a beautiful hot, sunny afternoon. It was a great day, even though the heavens opened at about 4.00pm. Most of the players were wet through to their skin, but this didn’t dampen their spirits; they all had an utterly fantastic day.

The band is used to playing in many different Churches and settings, which have included playing for the Queen as she distributed Maundy Money on her last visit to Wakefield, to services of remembrance in Ypres and Normandy, again attended by many dignitaries and members of international royalty.

It was because of this that the invite to Walsingham, to England’s Nazareth, to be part of the National Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Queen of Heaven, seemed so right!

When the members of the band were asked if they were able to give up their Bank Holiday leave to travel for a few hours to play at Walsingham, they asked their Chaplain what to expect. As I described the day, the worship and the hundreds of pilgrims who travel from all corners of the UK, those

who had played with the band for many years were transported to days long past, when the band would play for both the service and afternoon tea at the old style Commemoration Day at the Community of the Resurrection, Mirfield.

Brass Bands are nothing new to the Catholic movement, especially in those areas where the Oxford Movement was active. Often the colliery and mill owners would set up bands as a source of entertainment for their communities, and those bands still exist today.

Like the colliery bands, our national police and fire bands are no longer staffed by employees who are allowed to attend practices and engagements in work time. They are made up of a merry band of volunteers who give their time to support their local forces. West Yorkshire Police band has as members retired officers, chaplains, the force solicitor, a PCSO, two special constables, a regular officer who is just retiring after 30 years’ service and a future officer who has passed the selection process and is waiting for a start date. We all come from a variety of backgrounds, but one thing that unites us is the motto of the West Yorkshire Police as we are all “In the Public Service”.

The Revd Paul Cartwright PAHH

It is wonderful to see so many of you here today from such a wide variety of places. You have travelled here, perhaps just this morning as I did, or perhaps over several days. I have trodden the pilgrim path to Walsingham before, but this is my first time here at the National. It may not feel like it when one is trudging in the rain or has sore feet, but for centuries pilgrims have been active in their pilgrimage – making their journeys to Walsingham, to Canterbury, to Rome, the Compostela – more nearly to experience the presence of God. More people are on pilgrimage across Europe today than even in the Middle Ages. The road to Compostela is crowded.

We had a pilgrim who started from Canterbury with our wonderful Dean, Dean Robert, who sent him off and said, ‘May I send you off with a blessing and a prayer for pilgrimage?’. And he said, ‘Well you can do what you like, I don’t believe in God!’. So he sent him off with a prayer, and the guy smiled politely. Dean Robert received a postcard from Rome about four months later saying, ‘You prayed for me. I began as a walker and an atheist, and I ended as a pilgrim and a Christian’. This is what pilgrimage does.

So the beautiful passage from Isaiah, written to a people in slave labour camps outside Babylon, speaks of the restoration of Israel, and of God rejoicing in his people as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride. That rejoicing is physical, and sensual, and full of promise and hope and abundantly overflowing with limitless pleasure. It is the result of God’s restoration of His people, His sovereign act of making them what they should be. It is an act that is public – it was then, it is now – before all the world, it is a vindication.

To read this sermon in full, please visit www.bit.ly/2ZOTa3x

Fr Paul Cartwright – back row of the band, third from left

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The Walsingham Bible: A twelfth-century manuscript treasure from Norfolk. The Walsingham Bible (CBL W 022) is an impressive twelfth-century manuscript held in the remarkable collections of the Chester Beatty in Dublin (figure 1).

The Walsingham Bible ristine Rose-Beers – Senior Conservator at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin – held an audience of Walsingham Partners spellbound last February at the Partnership

Weekend when she spoke about The Walsingham Bible. Few present had heard of this bible before and Kristine’s illustrated talk left everyone amazed. We thought that this treasure deserved to be known more widely so offer this introduction.

When acquiring items for his collection, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (7 February 1875 – 19 January 1968), was concerned with quality and condition above all else. Each part of his collection was carefully considered and collected, Beatty’s attention to quality ensuring that only the finest examples of the arts of the book will be found in each area of his Library. This is unquestionably true of the Walsingham Bible.

Beatty was given the Bible in January 1921 by his second wife, Edith. She had acquired the manuscript from the library of Thomas Philipps, one of the great manuscript collectors of the 19th century. The preceding centuries of the manuscript’s provenance can be traced through sales records and catalogues, and lead us back to one Henry Spelman, educated at the grammar school in Walsingham in the late 1500s. Where precisely the manuscript was before Spelman acquired it, or how it survived the dissolution of Walsingham priory in 1538, is not known.

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The Walsingham Bible Assumptiontide 2019

Comprised of 137 folios (274 pages) the manuscript may have been commissioned to mark the foundation of Walsingham priory in 1153. It contains the first part of the Old Testament, from Genesis to Ruth, and was likely intended as the first volume of a Latin Vulgate Biblia Sacra set. Sadly, there is no trace of the rest of the manuscript, so it is impossible to confirm that the full four volume set was ever realised. The text is written in the typical miniscule script of the time, and the large scale of the manuscript – the folios are around 47 x 33cm – is in keeping with the sumptuous ‘Great’ bibles produced in England at this date, such as those of the Chapter Library of Winchester or Corpus Christi in Dover.

Although the illumination of The Walsingham Bible is perhaps not quite as extensive or luxurious as in those more famous manuscripts, it is still remarkably fine. As a conservator, primarily concerned with the condition and preservation of manuscript material, this is a luxury, as it means that my only task is to ensure the manuscript is safely housed in storage and when on display, and that it is protected from damaging factors such as excessive light, humidity – or handling.

The Walsingham Bible’s folios are made of parchment, that is an animal skin soaked in lye, scrapped, and dried under tension to provide a flexible substrate on which to write. Examination of contemporary manuscripts by the University of York, suggests that calfskin may have been

the preferred material – Both the York Gospels and the Winchester Bible are primarily made of calfskin.

The choice of this material seems likely to stem from two contributing factors. Firstly, calfskin is strong and good to write on. Its creamy-white, even surface ensures it holds ink and illumination well. Secondly, cattle were seen as a symbol of both wealth and power in the Anglo-Saxon world, but one which had been decimated by recurrent bouts of pestilence. As such, it seems that the choice to use a material of such rarity, excellence, and expense in 12th century England, was a fitting reflection of the pious act of making a Great Bible.

The script of The Walsingham Bible is written in iron gall ink – a brownish toned ink produced with iron, acid such as vinegar or lemon juice, and the tannins derived from oak galls. Unsurprisingly, this ink can be caustic, but it also offered a permanence which was prized, flowing from the scribe’s pen and oxidising on the page to form an insoluble link with the parchment and an indelible commitment to God’s word.

When the scribes’ work was finished, precious metals were added to the pages. From the late 12th century onwards, gold was usually applied over a clay-based ground or ‘bole,’ to give it a thick and three-dimensional appearance which could be burnished to add to its lustre. However, in The Walsingham Bible, the use of gold is reserved – probably due to the scarcity of gold available at this time – and it

has been applied as a very thin layer of gold leaf alone with just a layer of size to adhere it to the page.

Other precious materials were used to illuminate ten, large initials in the manuscript. These include vermillion or cinnabar – a mercuric sulphide –imported from sources in Spain and Sinope on the black sea, the city from which it gets its name; copper green; red lead – orange to our eye; an organic yellow perhaps harvested from local hedgerows; and most surprisingly, ultramarine blue, made from the semi-precious stone Lapis lazuli, and imported from the mines of Badakhshan in Afghanistan (figure 2).

With the flourishing of the monasteries, the demand for artists soared in the 12th century, and lay scribes and illuminators are known to have travelled internationally to meet the demand for manuscripts. Without doubt, there was plenty of work in Norfolk at this date for illuminators, sculptors and artisans from across the Norman world: the stone keep of Norwich Castle was already finished in 1110, whilst work on Norwich cathedral was begun in 1096 and completed in 1145.

The Walsingham Bible is a remarkable example of 12th century manuscript production. Today, it is a migrant manuscript, housed in Dublin some 400 miles from its birthplace, but it is treasured and enjoyed just as it was when it was first made around 1153.

Kristine Rose-Beers ACR Senior Conservator, Chester Beatty

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SCHOOLSThe summer term is always a busy time for the Schools Department, with many schools choosing to visit us in the warmer weather.

In particular we had a lovely visit from Southview Community Primary School in Peterborough who had not visited the Shrine before. The 50 children, who were 8-9 year olds, spent the day learning about pilgrimage, making their own pilgrimage badge and they also met Sister Angela and learnt all about being a nun. We also spent a day with 5-7 year olds from Glebe House School who came for our new ‘Easter Experience’ day, where they went on a journey around the Shrine learning about the events of Holy Week.

We always enjoy receiving feedback from the many schools that visit us:

‘Myself, and the other members of staff who accompanied the children on this trip, were very impressed with the itinerary and the level of input and teaching given. You understood how to motivate and encourage children of this age range, and all the children were fully engaged throughout the visit. We would definitely recommend a visit to the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham to other year groups and schools!’ Southview Community Primary School

‘This is a fantastic visit that I would recommend to any KS2 teachers. Pilgrimage is a very difficult topic to teach in the classroom and I really feel that this trip brings it to life for the children and helps them to understand it in a way that is very difficult to achieve otherwise.’ Avenue Junior School

‘We had a fantastic day. I have visited the site most years for about 19 years now. We always have a fantastic day. It is the highlight of my year.’St Clements High School

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The Walsingham Review

CHILDREN’S PILGRIMAGE – LISTEN TO HIM! The very popular Children’s Pilgrimage took place during a very windy weekend in March. Around 200 children and their adult leaders enjoyed a fun and worship-filled weekend, exploring the miracles of Jesus. We looked at the story of the wedding at Cana in particular and thought about how amazing things are possible when we have faith in Jesus and do what He tells us to do.

All of the children received a bookmark with the following prayer on it to take home:

Almighty God, help us to be like Mary,that we may listen to her Son, Jesus Christ,so that he may transform our ordinary lives and make them speak of his miracles.Amen.

You can read a more detailed report and view photographs at www.bit.ly/2xjtjF0

YOUNG PILGRIMS YOUNG PILGRIMS

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WE PRAYED FOR 100 AND 102 CAME!On Saturday 23rd March a wonderful Walsingham Youth Day was held at S. Hugh’s Church, Eyre’s Monsell, attracting young people from across the diocese and further afield – with some travelling from as far as Luton and Leeds.

Over the six hours we were together, the young people – many with no or limited church background – enjoyed contemporary worship led by Jo Boyce and the CJM Band and a Bible Study which encouraged us to be like Mary in our everyday faith and to trust God when we have to make difficult decisions.

As well as wonderful food at lunchtime, there were also workshops and finally a Youth Mass in the style of the worship that takes place during the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage. In the talk given at the Mass the young people were challenged to be everyday disciples for Jesus.

The day was led by Fr Philip Barnes (Guardian of the Shrine and Vicar of S. Stephen’s Church, Gloucester Road, London) and Clare Williams (Church Youth Worker and a regular member of the ministry team at the Youth Pilgrimage). We hope and pray that this Youth Day will have encouraged the young people to take their discipleship more seriously and to come on the Youth Pilgrimage at Walsingham in the summer – so that they may grow further in their faith during the days of prayer, worship and fellowship.

Fr Philip O’Reilly SSC

SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PILGRIMSThe Shrine is able to provide activities for Young Pilgrims visiting with their parish or is able to come out and support churches in the development of their children and young people. For further details on our Pilgrimages or on how we can support your young pilgrims in exploring their faith, please visit our website www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk or contact Caroline Ward, our Schools and Young Pilgrims officer on c.ward@olw-shrine.org.uk or 01328 824205.

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FAMILIES PILGRIMAGE – FROM AGE TO AGE...Our next ‘new look’ Families Pilgrimage will take place from Monday 21 to Friday 25 October, 2019. It promises to be an action-packed and prayerful pilgrimage to the Holy Family of England’s Nazareth. This year we will be exploring the role of different members of the family and what we can learn from each other. The Pilgrimage is a special time for all members of the family young or old!

For further details, please visit our website or contact schools@olw-shrine.org.uk

If you or any families you know would like to attend, but have financial constraints then please do get in touch as we may be able to help cover some of the cost.

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The Walsingham Review

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WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Greater in honour than the cherubim – and glorious incomparably more than the seraphim; thou who inviolate didst bring forth God the Word – and art indeed the Mother of God: thee do we magnify.From John Tavener’s setting of the Magnificat

Festival of Our Lady of Walsingham

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Further reading The Bishop of Burnley’s sermon, Professor Eamon Duffy’s lecture and Archbishop Fisichella’s homily can all be accessed for reading from the Shrine’s website at www.bit.ly/2xlZhQL

Our Lady of Walsingham has in the past 20 years made many journeys to cathedrals in England and Wales as part of the Shrine’s Festival outreach programme – Liverpool and Chichester – Exeter and York – Portsmouth and Llandaff – Rochester and Blackburn – Coventry and Lichfield. Next year she will be travelling even further north to Durham Cathedral. But hitherto her only appearances in London were in 2000 at London Docklands and in 2005 to assist the Society of the Holy Cross (SCC) with its 150th anniversary celebration, “Stand Up for Jesus” held at the Royal Albert Hall.

However, Our Lady of Walsingham’s absence from the capital was splendidly remedied on 4 May, 2019 when – by kind invitation of the Dean of Westminster (The Very Revd John Hall) – nearly 2,000 pilgrims from all over the country attended the Westminster Abbey Walsingham Festival.

It was a day of wonderful worship and devotion – formal and informal – supported by a visiting preacher and lecturer and enhanced by the beautiful music of the Abbey’s choirs and organists.

The Festival began at 11.00am with Solemn Eucharist celebrated by the

in the Abbey short liturgies of prayer invited pilgrims to enter and participate; and then move on to the next venue.

Solemn Evensong at 5.00pm was notable for the glorious singing of the Abbey’s main choir – under the direction of James O’Donnell, the Abbey’s Organist and Director of Music. The outpouring of John Tavener’s Magnificat was hypnotically powerful. Tavener (1944-2013) is of course well-known for such moving pieces of music strongly influenced by Orthodoxy i.e. The Protecting Veil and The Lamb. The preacher at Evensong was Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation. The Council is responsible for Shrines all over the world which are considered pivotal to the work of evangelisation. So it seemed that Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy had come together to greet Our Lady.

Dean of Westminster, the Very Revd John Hall. The Abbey Special Choir offered a fabulous setting of the Mass by the Spanish Renaissance composer Victoria plus a motet by Bruckner whilst the organists gave us a feast of Marian inspired pieces. The sermon at the Eucharist was given by the Rt Revd Philip North, Bishop of Burnley and Master of the College of Guardians. Its hard-hitting content was greeted with applause. Remarkably during the administration of communion – and prior to the choir singing the motet (Tota Pulchra es, Maria) – the organist gave a deeply moving performance of a Bruckner symphonic slow movement.

Following an opportunity for pilgrims to visit the Shrines of Our Lady of Pew and St Edward Confessor, the assembled company gathered in the Nave – and anywhere a seat could be found – to listen to a lecture by the eminent historian Professor Eamon Duffy – Walsingham from Ruin to Restoration. With many entertaining anecdotes, Professor Duffy traced the creation of both the Anglican and Roman Catholic Shrines in Walsingham and their interaction.

A Carousel of Prayer and Blessings then took place – in various chapels

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The Walsingham Review

You can pray with them sometimes – but pray for them always

On 21 October, 1805, during the great sea battle off Cape Trafalgar – at about two o’clock in the afternoon – Admiral Lord Nelson, aboard his flagship, HMS Victory, died from a stray musket shot wound. This perhaps remains one of the best known events in British history – familiar to all through Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square in London and Victory, herself, in Portsmouth.

Nelson was taken below deck in an attempt to save his life. Surrounded by the ship’s doctors with Captain Hardy and his officers and midshipmen watching anxiously this famous painting – The Death of Nelson by Arthur Devis – hangs at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.

But one of the most prominent figures in the painting after Nelson himself is often forgotten and unacknowledged. The man on the left rubbing Nelson’s chest to alleviate his pain is the ship’s chaplain, The Revd Alexander Scott. He had been a naval chaplain

since 1793, shortly after leaving Cambridge and in 1804 joined Nelson on the Victory as his chaplain and secretary.

Today we salute the continuing and vital work of the UK Armed Forces Chaplains of whom a considerable number are Priests Associate of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The service of an ordained chaplain in the military forces goes back a long time. The earliest naval chaplain appointed dates from the latter half of the sixteenth century. Individual army regiments would appoint their own chaplains until in 1796, when the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department was founded, the allocation of ordained ministers was centralised. The Royal Navy Chaplaincy Service was established in 1869 – followed by the RAF Chaplains Branch in 1918.

We asked chaplains from all three services who regularly visit Walsingham on pilgrimage to give an insight into their work and the importance of the Shrine to them.

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An appreciation of the role of Priests Associate who are chaplains in the Armed Forces.

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FR Ashley MitchellROYAL AIR FORCE

I paid my first visit to Walsingham whilst I was an ordinand at Ridley Hall in Cambridge. I then served my title as Minor Canon of St Asaph Cathedral in North Wales, a post I thoroughly enjoyed. Towards the end of this time I was approached with a view to serving as a military chaplain. I thought that this might make an interesting second curacy? As it happens it has turned out to be an extended second curacy lasting 21 years.

During that time I have served on many operational and training bases throughout the UK and also on deployments to such places as Belize, the Balkans, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Italy (Libya), the Falkland Islands and most recently as chaplain to UK Service Personnel and their families across Europe and Turkey, a parish of 3.2 million square miles.

Each of these postings and deployments has been unique, but they have also had a common strand of presenting the gospel of Christ, his death and resurrection, within a pastoral context to young servicemen and women at their point of need.

I am often reminded of one of the most well-known First World War chaplains, Geoffrey Studdert “Woodbine Willie” Kennedy. He was a chaplain who was awarded the Military Cross after running into no man’s land to help wounded soldiers during an attack on the German frontline. He wrote this advice to the chaplains of his day – a message that stands true today:

Live with the men. Go everywhere they go... The more padres die doing Christ-like deeds, the better for the Church... Take a box of fags in your haversack and a great deal of love in your heart... You can pray with them sometimes, but pray for them always.

Especially since returning from Afghanistan in 2009 Walsingham has been an anchor to my faith and vocation. A place that continues to nurture my priesthood with a sense that Mary, my mother, is constantly there for me, praying for me, keeping me true and keeping me faithful.

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The Walsingham Review

Fr Keith RobusROYAL NAVY

It was on 5 November 1982, as I knelt in the Holy House before the Image, that I opened the letter that I had brought with me to this special place. The letter was from the Bishop of Rochester and contained the result of my recent Selection Conference and his decision to send me for training for the priesthood.

Having left parish ministry in 2009 to join as a Chaplain in the Royal Navy, it was in May 2012 that once again I found myself kneeling in the Holy House asking for Our Lady’s guidance and protection before going on an operational tour to Kabul in Afghanistan.

The dangers had been clearly spelt out and the pre-deployment training arduous. Earlier in the evening I had concelebrated the Mass with my brother priests. During that Mass I particularly took note of the setting of the Shrine Church; the altar, the sight of the Holy House with the candles burning inside and out. I deliberately burnt the vision on my memory. When on deployment that vision of the Walsingham Mass came back to me every time I celebrated the Holy Mysteries. Whether it be in an old school, a converted steel ISO container, in a field or in a tent – it was the prayer and peace of the Shrine Church with the vision of the Holy House which transported me to another place.

This experience is rehearsed every time we leave Walsingham and return ‘from the mountain to the plain’ and get on with our daily life. I took the incarnational ministry of the Shrine with me to the sailors, soldiers and airmen and women with whom I shared the dangers of Afghanistan.

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In the footsteps of Jesus, I, like all my fellow Military Chaplains, went out to our people to ‘be a friend and advisor to all’ whom I met. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the men and women of the armed forces, facing the same conditions, dangers and hardships – and yet bringing with us the peace of Christ and the joy of the Gospel. I am pleased to report that no UK personnel were lost on my tour – and I thank God for the intercession of Our Lady of Walsingham and of many other Christians for their prayers.

At the Priests’ and Deacons’ Retreat earlier this year – having returned from Afghanistan – I once again gave thanks for many people from countless nations who knelt, prayed and received the sacraments of the church.

May Our Lady of Walsingham continue to pray for the men and women of HM Armed Forces. Amen.

Leading prayers with Veterans of the Falkland Conflict (Falklands)

Going ashore at Port Umm Qasr in Iraq (007Action Bish)

FR Tom JamesROYAL NAVY

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the LORD and his wonders in the deep. (Psalm 107)

Ordination is always a step into the unknown; none of us know when we kneel before our Bishop where responding to this calling will take us. Nevertheless, I really hadn’t imagined finding myself a few years later conducting a Nativity Service on the flight deck of a destroyer – somewhere off the coast of Oman.

The life of a Naval Chaplain is not much changed from the description Fr Colin Stephenson (former Administrator of the Shrine and Master of the Guardians) gives of his WWII service in his book, Merrily On High! We chaplains have the joy and privilege of seeking to care for the spiritual and pastoral needs of the men and women who serve in the Royal Navy – providing them with the sacraments, regular Christian worship and a listening ear – and above all sharing with them in all their joys and challenges.

It is a demanding calling with frequent moves and long periods away from family and friends, often alongside our people in potentially dangerous and stressful situations. In all of this the idea of home can frequently seem temporary and uncertain.

We become used to packing our life into a couple of bags and setting off once more to join a ship. Space is tight, but within the packing I have always included a small statue of Our Lady of Walsingham – purchased on one of my first trips to the Shrine as an undergraduate. It is possibly one of the most widely travelled of the Shrine Shop’s statues. It is a constant reminder of the hope that we hold through Mary’s “Yes” to God and of England’s Nazareth – of home and the welcome Mary offers to pilgrims as she points us to her Son.

Last February, as I have done almost every year since I was ordained, I made my way once more – along with several other Naval Chaplains – to Walsingham for the annual Priests’ and Deacons’ Retreat. For many of us the Holy House has become a vital place of stability in our otherwise itinerant lives. Here our Mother Mary welcomes us time and time again into her home. Here in this home we are renewed and encouraged in our faith, strengthened by the sacraments, before we once more go out to serve.

At times we may not always be able to visit as often as we would like, but, wherever this calling may take us, there is the hope and promise of a warm welcome when we make our journey to Walsingham to once more kneel in the Holy House.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us and all who go down to the sea in ships.

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Going ashore at Port Umm Qasr in Iraq (007Action Bish)

The Walsingham Review

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Fr Ben ArchibaldCHAPLAIN TO 1ST BATTALION THE ROYAL WELSH

“Padre, can I talk to you about something?” This is a question that’s asked of me – usually by text – and mostly on a daily basis, and a question that invariably involves a chat about decisions, life, family, faith, morals, killing, career, failures or expectations. Sometimes, a chat ends in prayer, but a simple chat is always an opportunity for a soldier – or an officer or spouse/partner – to feel relaxed and open, to be taken seriously, and to be listened to in a non-judgmental way by a pastor who doesn’t sit in the chain of command, nor carry any executive authority. And soldiers are intuitive, so I know that the majority of my 550 soldiers are aware that chaplaincy can provide an oasis, a retreat from the huge demands and sacrifices that army life requires. This is what excites and stimulates me in my vocation as a priest and as an army chaplain.

Now, of course, building trusting relationships is key in any sort of chaplaincy. This can be achieved in a variety of ways. During the past 22 months that I’ve served with the battalion, I’ve had lots of opportunities to do just that. I’ve enjoyed being deployed on an operational tour lasting eight months to Estonia on NATO’s eastern flank. The INTENT of this operation, named Op CABRIT, was clear: to deter a Russian incursion on the Baltic States, and to reassure the Estonian population of NATO’s resolve to protect their sovereign status under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. This involved being part of a multi-capbadged battlegroup, and understanding perhaps more fully the workings and complexities that being part of an armoured battlegroup ever brings. Sundays were, more-or-less, held in the camp’s chapel where a committed number of the battlegroup’s faithful turned up Sunday-by-Sunday to worship the Father in the country’s only military chapel. Morning and Evening Prayer were said in the chaplain’s private bed space which coupled as office space. Some of my church-goers managed to travel to Tallinn on a number of occasions to explore the magnificent buildings of worship of the many churches/cathedrals/chapels that represented the many Christian denominations in that place. In particular, time was had at one of the city’s most handsome of orthodox churches, and the picture printed shows us after having attended divine liturgy one Sunday morning.

Upon return to the UK, and before having a good two months’ R&R, some of us managed to re-charge the batteries by spending a week in Walsingham. Having been dry for eight months, the temptation to over indulge on the fruit of the vine proved true for some! We were most grateful to regimental funds for contributing to some of these costs, and to the Chaplain-General for being so plentiful, also.

Perhaps, most importantly, what I enjoy most is being able to be the Padre to my people without the burdens that can sometimes hinder a pastor when in a parish setting. I don’t have to worry about a leaky roof, nor raising funds to pay for parts of a large Victorian building. Quite simply, I can simply ‘be’; be a priest for those in my care, to pray “sometimes with them, but always for them”, and to walk alongside them on that road that can often be bumpy, full of potholes and with many diversions.

All of this, dovetailed with ministering in a military community whose average age is 26, means that my ministry is exciting and challenging, and never, ever boring. It’s wonderful being able to wake up in the morning, say my prayers, and feel excited about what the day may bring, and being supported by great colleagues who also have a zeal for frontline ministry.

Constantly asking myself the question of where God is in all of this, I had pinned to the wall of my bed space in Estonia the words of Lacordaire to remind oneself of my vocation both as a baptised Christian, and my vocation as a priest – a priest and chaplain to all members of the battlegroup in barracks and in the field; in the cookhouse, officers’ mess, and on PT; in the café and in church.

To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none; To share all suffering; to penetrate all secrets; To heal all wounds; to go from men to God and offer Him their prayers; To return from God to men to being pardon and hope; To have a heart of fire for Charity, and a heart of bronze for Chastity. To teach and to pardon, console and bless always. My God, what a life; and it is yours, O priest of Jesus Christ.

Splendours of Tallinn

Meeting Her Majesty

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This lovely book is a must-read for all who love Walsingham – and what is there not to love?! This is a new and revised edition of Fr Rear’s definitive book, originally published in 2011 to mark the 950th anniversary of the foundation of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. As a former Vicar of Walsingham and now the Roman Catholic chaplain of the University of Suffolk, Fr Rear certainly knows and loves his subject from both an Anglican and RC perspective. He shows meticulous research and has a fluent style of writing. This book will certainly become the standard work on pilgrims and pilgrimage to England’s Nazareth.

This second edition brings the story of Walsingham up to date, for as the author makes clear, Walsingham’s Shrine is not just a site of historical interest but a living vibrant ‘thin’ place where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and visitors make their way each year just as our forbears did in times past. As the hymn puts it, ‘These stones that have echoed their praises are holy and dear is the ground where their feet have once trod; yet here they confessed they were strangers and pilgrims, and still they were seeking the city of God’. In Walsingham, we glimpse most fully a foretaste of that heavenly city – every visit is a meeting and reunion of friends old and new – just as it will be at journey’s end. No wonder we can’t keep away from this place.

Pilgrimage here can be a significant moment in people’s lives – an occasion for renewal of faith, an opportunity for repentance, an encounter with Jesus, Son of Mary and Son of God; a turning point on life’s journey. Perhaps this is why in these days of deep spiritual hunger and yearning, people flock to Walsingham.

As Cardinal Vincent Nichols says, ‘The Shrine of Walsingham is part of the rich tapestry of this island. It is a powerful part of the landscape of faith’. As the Tablet says, ‘This book is a fascinating account of the rise, destruction and revival of England’s greatest Marian shrine...it is handsomely illustrated and infused with the devotional spirit of the place’.

Again, in an exciting new development the book chronicles the recent possible re-discovery of the medieval image of Our Lady crowned by King Henry III and dating to 1220-30. Could this ‘Langham Madonna’ now in the Victoria and Albert Museum really be the original image enshrined in the ancient Holy House? Have a good read of this article and examine the photograph carefully and decide for yourself. How exciting is all this?!

The present venerated image of Our Lady of Walsingham copied by Fr Hope Patten from the medieval seal of the Priory has in recent years

been taken to Cathedrals around the country. The enormous eager and excited crowds who gather to welcome the Image in each place show the close connection of Walsingham to our nation highlighted so powerfully in the recent visit to Westminster Abbey. Our land is truly the Dowry of Mary – a title being renewed in 2020 when England will once again be placed under the protection of Mary and her prayers. ‘Pray O holy Mother of God for the conversion of England’ is our fervent prayer too.

We rejoice with Fr Rear that Walsingham is an important part and sign of the journey Christians are making to deepen the unity desired by Mary’s Son for his Church so we can witness more fully to the truth of the Gospel. The two shrines work and witness together – strengthened by the Ecumenical Covenant they made in 2018.

What better way to prepare prayerfully for the 2020 rededication of our land than a careful reading of Fr Rear’s excellent book by all who love and revere this holy place Our Lady has chosen for her home?

Reviewed by Canon Paul Greenwell, Master of Hull Charterhouse master@thecharterhouse.karoo.co.uk

WALSINGHAM Pilgrims and PilgrimageMichael Rear2011/2019 | Gracewing | 398 pages | Softback | ISBN: 987-0-85244-944-8

Review

The Monstrance AppealYou may recall that in last February’s Review we appealed for help with repairing and restoring the 1961 Holy House monstrance and various hanging lamps and crucifixes. There was a magnificent response and offers to assist financially with the repair work poured in. Quite soon after the publication of the Review the Guardian’s hanging lamp at the altar of the Annunciation fell apart. Several of these precious artefacts have already been taken to specialist metalwork companies and are undergoing professional restoration. Other items are waiting their turn. To all of you who responded so quickly and generously we offer a very big thank-you. Hopefully, you will soon be able to see the fruits of your generosity as these well-loved pieces of metalwork return to their home.

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The Walsingham Review

Events, people & places

Lignum CrucisEarlier this year, the three great wooden crosses in the Shrine Grounds had to be replaced, using Walsingham oak. The bases of the old crosses, which had been buried deep in the earth on the Calvary Hill without any protection, had rotted away and there was a very real danger that they would topple over. The crosses have been a significant landmark and vital focus of the devotions of many pilgrims for almost 90 years.

In October 1931 when the Shrine Church was dedicated, a special correspondent from the Church Times wrote, ‘As I left the chapel I found myself upon the Via Dolorosa. I found that it led up to a hillock, on which stood three great, wooden crosses. Walsingham called its pilgrims to pause and to remember the world’s rejection and crucifixion of the Divine Son of Mary.’

Surprisingly, the heartwood of the old crosses is still very beautiful and we are now in the process of crafting holding crosses and crucifixes from the old wood. At the heart of the cross lies beauty and peace. Our Lady of Walsingham still calls us to ponder the mystery of the Cross. Please keep checking the Shrine website for details.

Local joiner, Richard McColl, with examples of crosses he will be making.

Assumptiontide 2019

Corpus Christi 2019For the first time in years, the celebration of Corpus Christi in Walsingham involved both the Parish Church and the Shrine. Mass began at S. Mary’s at 11.00 am and followed the normal pattern with Fr Harri Williams, the Parish Priest, both Principal Celebrant and preacher. Villagers and pilgrims filled the church but pride of place was given to the 35 children from Holy Trinity & S. Silas C of E Primary School, Kentish Town, London, who were on a three day pilgrimage to the Shrine. When the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament was formed at the end of the service, some of the children carried their school shields whilst others had baskets of rose petals. The full procession – singing Laud O Sion at full throttle – made its way out of S. Mary’s, along Church Street and up the High Street, turning right at the pump and into the Shrine Grounds through the Brandie Arch. Rose petals were tossed high into the air, forming a fragrant floral carpet as they hit the ground. Benediction was given at the Altar of the Mysteries of Light in the Shrine gardens – where Fr Andreas, the Shrine Priest, with the help of the children, had created an appropriate Corpus Christi display from garden clippings, flowers and fallen petals.

More photos of the procession can be viewed on our website at www.bit.ly/2Lyc2QL

A GREAT AND MIGHTY WONDER

WALSINGHAM BIBLE WEEKEND Exploring the mystery of the Saviour’s birth

Led by The Venerable Edward Dowler and Father Peter Anthony

To reserve a place please contact the Hospitality Department on accom@olw-shrine.org.uk or call us on 01328 820239

www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk

FRIDAY 15 – SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2019£105 per adult, £70 per child all inclusive

Events, people & places

Looking ahead – A date for your diaryThe Dean and Chapter of Durham have given the go-ahead for a Walsingham Festival to be held in Durham Cathedral on Saturday 24th October, 2020 commencing at 11.00am. Full details will be made available early next year.

OCTOBER

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Corpus Christi Altor

The Walsingham Review

Walsingham comes to the Isle of ManSoon after arriving on the Island in 2017, I discovered that the Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham here had lapsed. After some conversations, I discovered that there were over thirty people across the Island who have a devotion to Our Lady and were very keen for the Cell to be brought back into life. We accordingly relaunched a Diocesan Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham and St Maughold: by tradition an early Bishop of the Island baptised by St Patrick.

Following a conversation with our bishop, the Rt Revd Peter Eagles, we asked the Priest Administrator to bring Walsingham to the Island especially for those who cannot go there. Fr Kevin visited in May, and we had a very successful weekend. Everything we enjoy about Walsingham we did here and benefited from the experience. The highlight was listening to Fr Kevin’s

homily on this year’s theme, ‘Do whatever he tells you’ with an image of Our Lady of Walsingham sitting majestically nearby.

A simple request made many very happy as we honoured Mary in our Cathedral Church. This is but a reminder of the graciousness of God, that all we have to do is ask and pray.

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Fr Tom Davis SSC, Cell Superior

The Guardians’ RollAs one climbs the stairs from the College Undercroft to the Refectory above, one cannot but help be amazed by the extraordinary collection of Shrine memorabilia. Photographs of every Guardian since 1931 cluster on the walls; old paintings and odds and ends of furniture lurk in every corner. Amongst this collection used to hang the Guardians’ Roll – a piece of parchment signed by every Guardian since the College was created in 1931 by Fr Patten and still used today. Sadly the Roll was about to disintegrate completely, but quick work by Fr Kevin Smith (the Administrator) and Fr Graeme Rowlands (Registrar of the College of Guardians) has saved the day. Painstaking restoration work by Vicky West Conservation, a firm based in London, has brought the precious document back to life. Rips and tears have been repaired and dirt and smudges removed. And rather than hanging lop-sidedly on the wall, the Guardians’ Roll now lives in its restored frame in a beautiful red document box.

Father Geoffrey Miller (1928 - 2019)Geoffrey Miller was born in 1928, in the lovely village of Burley-in-Wharfedale, and after becoming a teacher, he went to Mirfield. Thereafter, from his ordination in 1958 (after trying his vocation in the Community), priesthood was his whole life; and the depth of his spiritual life and prayer made him a blessing to countless people over the years who attended his Masses, heard him preach, or received the benefit of his wisdom and advice, not least in the confessional.

For nearly 30 years he ministered in Walsingham, first as Chantry Priest, then in ‘retirement’ very busily at the Shrine. For eleven happy years he was married to Heather Roe. Fr Miller was a much-loved and loving priest and husband, for whom we give thanks, as we commend his soul in confidence to God.

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OBITSORDER OF OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAMGeoffrey Miller (PAHH)

PRIESTS ASSOCIATEMichael ShieldsJohn WrightCharles BlankenshipAnthony YatesRobin OsborneJohn CorbettJohn OrmeDavid BirtPhilip SwindellsKenneth Rogers+Kenneth NewingStanley HorseyHenry DickinsonTerence D Hargreaves-SteadJohn MackeyA Ivor PagetAlfred J WardKeith WoodGarry Humphryes

PARTNERSHIPDouglas HurleyJohn RhodesJohn Mackey (PAHH)

THE SOCIETY OF OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAMDorothy SmallwoodO Brenda LeesonBetty BreedonLorna TurnerJean ChapmanMaisie KingAudrey WheelerPatricia ThompsonBrenda TrewhittJohn CrewBarbara NorrisJohn CampbellMary WarnHamish BeattieFrank BoothRita AshleyAbbie PlantVera TownendGeorge ElliottJames RothwellJane PinchingAudrey BattyDavid MartlewJoan HardingMargaret Hill

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John Shepherd (1932 - 2019)Another link with the Community of St. Augustine, an important segment of the Shrine’s history, has passed with the death on Ash Wednesday of Frederick John Shepherd (always known as John) at the age of 86. He was the son of Frederick and Pearl Shepherd, local business people, who lived in Friday Market. His was a ‘village vocation’, fostered by Fr Patten, beginning with his entry into the embryonic Community of St Augustine. By founding the CSA Fr Patten had hoped to establish a college of priests and lay brothers who would serve the Shrine long into the future. In 1950, while still at Fakenham Grammar School, John entered as a postulant and was clothed as Brother John Augustine CSA. In the following year he became a leading and dominant figure in the Community.

After Fr Patten’s sudden death in August 1958 it fell to John to deal with the depleted Community. He was already in deacon’s orders, about to be ordained priest in Norwich Cathedral on 21 September, and a fortnight after that event he and another member formally dissolved the CSA. Choosing to leave Walsingham the following year, John joined another ex-CSA priest, Fr John Oldland, as his curate in London, but later became a Roman Catholic layman working in a variety of posts. A few years later he returned to appointments in Anglican parishes in London, finally being made Chaplain to the Bishop of London, Graham Leonard. From 1981 to 1992 he was a Clerk of the Order of Our Lady of Walsingham. After a spell in America, as a Canon of Fort Worth, Texas, he returned to England and to the Roman Catholic Church. His last home in retirement was at St Peter’s Residence in Vauxhall, a care home run by the Little Sisters Community. His room was the one previously occupied by Fr Augustine Hoey.

John’s parents, Fred and Pearl, were remembered in Walsingham for managing the Shrine’s former property in the High Street, a house called ‘Shields’, which was used as a home in the 1950s for the older boys from St Hilary’s who had started going out to work.

John never forgot his beginnings, and had kept a quantity of early Shrine literature and cards, as well as many of the books left to him in Fr Patten’s Will. Over the years he passed items to the Shrine archives, for which we were very grateful. The final boxes were received after his death, and from these also we have been able to fill many gaps in our collection.

John Shepherd leading Fr Hope Patten on a procession in 1952

The Walsingham Review

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After the fire earlier this year at Paris’s great cathedral of Notre Dame the Shrine’s Honorary Archivist posted the following on Facebook on the page of the online Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham:

‘As we pray for the people of Paris and for the Restoration of Our Lady’s Cathedral, let us recall the Shrine’s own link with Notre Dame de Paris. It may not be well known that her image watched over the West Front of the Shrine from 1931 until 1966. It was placed there as building work was finishing on the new Holy House, a few weeks before the Translation of the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham from the parish church on 15 October, 1931.’

It was actually a flat cut-out image, intended to be temporary. A replacement was talked about in 1961 (the 900th anniversary of Richeldis’s vision) but it was not replaced until 1966, when Fr Colin Stephenson, the then Administrator, gave a statue of Our Lady

Immaculate to mark his Silver Jubilee of priesthood. This is the statue which still stands on the apex of the west front of the Shrine Church. The removal and subsequent restoration of the image of Our Lady of Paris was paid for by the church of St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge and is now seen on the outside wall of the Pilgrim Hall, opposite the east end of the Shrine Church. The image was “re-carved and gilded” in 1983 by Siegfried Pietsch (a well-known Faith Craft member, who also carved the altar crucifix in the Guild of All Souls Chapel).

Over the years the identification of this image as Our Lady of Paris has gradually been forgotten by both Shrine staff and pilgrims. However, further restoration and re-gilding took place this year – once again thanks to a generous donation from St Magnus the Martyr. The gable end of the Pilgrim Hall has also been repainted so that, viewed from the gardens, the image sparkles in the sunshine. Our Lady of Paris has come out of the shadows.

Our Lady of Paris

From the archivesIt is September 1931 and the builders’ rubble has not yet been cleared away. The Holy House and its covering building have just been erected, with a bell tower beyond. Soon – on October 15th – the statue of Our Lady will be Translated in solemn procession from its position in St Mary’s, the Parish Church, where it has been the focus of devotion since 6 July, 1922, to its permanent place in this Holy House. The extension – the Shrine Church as we know it today – will follow in 1938, and the north and south Cloisters in 1964 and 1972. The image of Our Lady of Paris is already in place above the entrance, as a temporary measure.

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This will be the last Membership Matters that I shall write. After nearly 20 years, it’s time to retire – and to hand over the Development and Membership departments of the Shrine to the newly-appointed Director of Communications.

I arrived at the Shrine at Easter 2000, taking over as Organist and Membership Secretary. I retired as Organist/Director of Music in 2014, but continued to work as Development Director.

When I arrived, the Membership side of the Shrine’s activities was far from being a department. It all seemed to happen inside a large metal biscuit tin (Huntley & Palmers – Assorted Tea Time, if you really want to know) where could be found changes of addresses, wads of subscription payments, cash and cheques, receipt books, badges, membership cards... The tin was correct – it was “Assorted” indeed.

A step forward in the previous year had been made by the then Bursar who had a modest Microsoft Access database created for both membership (Society and Priests Associate) and the lamps of the Holy House. Unfortunately, just before I arrived in Walsingham, these two databases had been attacked by a computer virus and literally dismembered! Fortunately – and this was in the days when the mailing of the Walsingham Review was prepared in-house – the Housekeepers stopped housekeeping and for three days became envelope stuffers. Address labels – produced by the two databases – were affixed by hand. By a stroke of luck someone had decided to make photocopies of all the sheets of name and address labels. A huge relief!

Having spent three months restoring the membership data to computer, I was then able to get to work properly. The Shrine at that time had no centralised computer network or telephone system. Subscriptions received at the membership desk were

acknowledged using hand-written receipt books; information from the receipt books then had be transferred to one of the two computer databases. Surely the whole point of computers was to make such transactions quicker, easier and more efficient?

Before coming to Walsingham, I had taught for ten years in Chester. One of my former sixth form students had a reputation for being a bit of a computer “whizz”. And so he was. Patrick, over several years and making regular short visits to Walsingham, transformed the Shrine Membership database through his programming skills. All singing and dancing? You bet!

The initially unhelpful Access database could now print receipts and envelopes, do the weekly cashing-up, print reports and labels, send out lamp reminder letters – the list was endless. Life as the Membership Secretary was transformed. It was a sad day when we decided that the Membership database needed to be upgraded and future-proofed. It’s worth noting that the external designers and programmers for this new version were astounded by what the previous database could do. Patrick is now a GP and a lecturer at Manchester University Medical School, living with his family in the Peak District – and no doubt still a bit of a computer whizz! So my thanks to Patrick – and to all those who have worked in the Membership Department past and present; Simon, Karl, Laura, Hannah, Jonathan, Ryan, Nigel and Stuart.

Membership of the Society and of Priests Associate has increased considerably over the past years and that means – particularly with the financial assistance of the Walsingham Partnership since 2004 – that the Shrine’s supporters have played a major role in the development of Walsingham. Keep up the good work – and keep those subscriptions rolling in!

Peter Macken

Membership matters

NEW SOCIETY MEMBERS

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NEW PRIESTS ASSOCIATE

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NEW PARTNERS

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NEW CELLS

S. John the Baptist, South Leamington Spa

S. Luke with S. James, Jersey, Channel Islands

S. Martin, Ruislip (2000 Cell re-established 2019)

S. Hilda, Cross Green, Leeds

(2006 Cell re-established 2019)

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Pilgrimage for Healing and RenewalMonday 26 August12noon – Concelebrated Mass. Principal Celebrant: Bishop Robert Ladds2.30pm – Sermon, Sprinkling & Healing Ministries. Preacher: Canon Gary Ecclestone, Vicar of Hanslope & Castlethorpe

The Families PilgrimageFrom age to age...Monday 21 – Friday 25 OctoberAction-packed week for all the family

Bible WeekendA Great and Mighty WonderExploring the mystery of the Saviour’s birthFriday 15 – Sunday 17 NovemberLed by The Ven. Edward Dowler and Fr Peter Anthony

Adoremus. Young Adults’ PilgrimageFollowing in the Footsteps of the SaintsFriday 22 – Sunday 24 NovemberA weekend of teaching, pilgrimage and fellowship for students and young adults from 18 to 35 years old

Advent Retreat Friday 6 December – Sunday 8 DecemberLed by Bishop John Goddard

Events

www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk

The Priests’ and Deacons’ Retreat Pilgrimage“Above all women blest.” Mary and the dawn of our redemptionMonday 3 – Friday 7 February 2020Keynote speakers: Bishop Martin Warner; Bishop Rowan Williams; Sr Gemma Simmonds CJ

Partnership WeekendFriday 14 – Sunday 16 February 2020

Leaders’ & Organisers’ Pilgrimage WeekendFriday 28 February – Sunday 1 March 2020

The Walsingham Children’s PilgrimageFriday 13 – Sunday 15 March 2020

A Lenten RetreatMary and the EucharistMonday 23 – Thursday 26 March 2020Led by Bishop Roger Jupp

The National PilgrimageMonday 25 May 2020

The Youth PilgrimageMonday 3 – Friday 7 August 2020

For further details and booking please contact the Hospitality Department by calling us on 01328 820239 or emailing us at accom@olw-shrine.org.uk