‘Deeply moved’. That seemed to be the consensus of opinion at the close of our second Ecumenical Pilgrimage to
The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, ‘England’s Nazareth’. Twelve of us – Anglicans and Methodists together - spent this last weekend in the depths of the Norfolk countryside, where the O2 signal is non-existent and where, to quote the anonymous carol of the 15
th century, heaven and earth are ‘held in little space’.
Some of us had been before, but for others it was their first visit. For some of us it was just a month since we had been there for the National Pilgrimage, but even so Walsingham’s impact as a place of prayer and ministry was not diminished. Familiarity does not always breed contempt. Sometimes it releases a potential and creates space in which God can get to work. For one of our group, that’s what ‘deeply moved’ translated into. ‘God was speaking to me’. Whatever the tradition or churchmanship, that has to be the acid test, surely. Of course, Walsingham and it’s unashamed anglo-catholic heritage, may not be everyone’s cup of tea (or even something a little stronger). But it’s dynamic as a catalyst in opening people’s ears to hear God speaking to them, and drawing individuals into the whirlpool of the Holy Spirit’s work cannot be underestimated or denied. I wonder what might happen if the ultra-protestant mob that harangue the procession at the National every year were to sit quietly in the Shrine Church for just 10 minutes and ask God to speak to them?
Once again we based ourselves in the Methodist Chapel. Built in 1791 in the precincts of the Franciscan Friary, it is tucked away on the edge of the village and is the oldest Methodist Chapel still in use in East Anglia. It is significant that the hospitality and grace of this tiny congregation (and Tommy & Sylvia in particular) is one of the things which we always come away impressed by – and without doubt is part and parcel of the ministry of God in that place as we have experienced it. You can read more of its history
here.
We followed pretty much the same drill as our Pilgrimage last April – you can read a more detailed account of that
here, with a link to photo albums. This time round there seemed to be more of a sense of being pilgrims
together; not just from our two congregations, but in company with the other parishes represented over the weekend. We were listed on the board outside
The Bull as ‘S.Barnet’ which may have caused some confusion and an unfruitful search in Butler’s
Lives of the Saints! In a very real sense, the togetherness in pilgrimage which is symbolised by the processions around the Shrine Gardens is in fact actualised and made more real by the hospitality of
The Bull, which as well as offering a steady flow of beer and the like, the landlord is also very generous with his gift of time! Co-beneficiaries of such hospitality were folk from
St Luke, Grimethorpe, and our appreciation of the different-ness of our context and experience of mission and ministry was another grace received – as was the initial shock I had in being identified at the bar thanks to this blog!
Since last year there have been a few changes to the regular programme of worship and ministry on offer – all of them for the better and giving a greater focus of what Walsingham is about – a place of encounter with God in Christ. As Shrine Administrator, + Lindsay Urwin continues to mould the work of the Shrine, and lead its growing ministry team to make Walsingham a place that is about the here and now of God’s loving presence.
Perhaps surprisingly I came back with no new statues or vestments this time (but then again I am going back in a few weeks so the opportunity is not lost!). But we did come back with the determination to put a few things into action – most notable being the foundation of an Ecumenical Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham, and use our shared Thursday evening Eucharist as the focus for prayer and devotion. Next year we don’t anticipate organising a ‘come and experience Walsingham’ weekend but instead have booked it as the venue for our Parish Retreat in Lent which hopefully will draw others to the spiritual riches and opportunities of this holy place! Watch this space!
