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POST-SYNOD STATEMENT BY THE
MASTER AND THE ADMINISTRATOR
From the Master of the College of Guardians, Bishop Martin
Warner, and the Shrine Administrator, Bishop Lindsay Urwin
OGS:
Many pilgrims to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham will
have noted with disappointment the outcome of the General
Synod debate about the ordination of women as bishops and
will wonder what this means for the future.
At this stage we believe that the outcome of the Synodical
process remains far from certain. We shall be called to a
process of further discussion in which honesty, charity, and
steadfastness remain essential in our listening to each
other as we seek to be obedient to our vocation as members
of the Church of England.
May Mary, Mother of the Church, Our Lady of Walsingham,
pray for us all.
(You can hear more from both the bishops about this issue in
interviews with Father Simon Tibbs who walked on pilgrimage
from Edinburgh recently, on Youtube http://tinyurl.com/37rlgb7)
THE PARTNERSHIP WEEKEND 2010
 This
year's Partnership Weekend (12th - 14th February) was, as
usual, well-attended (though several Partners from the
south-east of England were forced to cancel because of heavy
snow). On the Friday evening after supper, the Shrine's
Director of Music, Peter Macken, gave a 'sound and vision'
talk on Music for Our Lady. Many of the musical
illustrations were taken from past Walsingham events - in
particular the Magnificat 2004 service in York Minster and
the Walsingham Appeal Concert by the Chiesa Consort in 2005.
 On
the Saturday morning Fr Stephen Gallagher, Shrine Priest &
Youth Missioner, addressed the Partners on youth work and
the Year for God scheme which the Shrine is to
introduce. He was followed by Bishop Lindsay Urwin, the
Shrine Administrator, who draw attention to the need for
urgent restoration work in the College buildings -
particularly the accommodation, offices and library in S.
Augustine's. Bishop Lindsay invited Partners to visit the
College to see for themselves both the dilapidations and the
splendours! (College refectory above left)
 Saturday
afternoon was free-time - a chance for a guided tour of the
churches of Blakeney, Cley and Glandford or the Abbey
Snowdrop Walk - or perhaps a snooze!
After Mass and a drinks reception in the Pilgrim Hall, the
Partners sat down to a wonderful dinner followed by a highly
entertaining after-dinner speech from the Vicar of
Walsingham, the Revd Norman Banks. Fr Norman spoke in
celebration of his ten years as the local incumbent. Sunday
 followed
the usual Pilgrimage worship pattern and all too soon it was
time to bid farewell to the Walsingham Partners - pilgrims
who commit themselves to support financially the Shrine of
Our Lady of Walsingham.
A comprehensive set of photographs of the weekend can be
found in the Shrine's Photo Gallery.
(Fr Norman Banks - right)
THE ORGANISERS' WEEKEND 2010
The
annual Organisers' Weekend took place on 5th - 7th February.
In addition to help and guidance with the demands of being a
pilgrimage organiser, the guests were given presentations on
youth work, the Shrine gardens and the vision for the
redevelopment of the College area.
This year's entertainment after dinner on the Friday evening
was Walsingham's very own version of the X-Factor! A
succession of acts graced the stage - and were subjected to
Simon Cowell's (alias Bishop Lindsay) withering comments. A
very jolly evening!
Shrine Education Officer to move
to St Paul's
 Janet
Marshall, the Shrine's Education Officer since 1997, is
moving to St Paul's Cathedral, London, to take up the post
of Head of Education. Mrs Marshall will leave the Shrine at
the end of February 2010. Bishop Lindsay Urwin said "I know
everyone will join me in wishing Janet well in this new and
important appointment. She has been a crucial part of the
development of the Shrine over the past 12 years and she
will be very much missed."
Canon Martin Warner, Master of
the Guardians, to be Suffragan Bishop of Whitby
Canon Martin Warner, Master of the
College of Guardians at the Shrine (and currently Canon
Treasurer of St Paul's Cathedral, London) has been
appointed by the Queen as the Suffragan Bishop of Whitby, in
succession to Bishop Robert Ladds.
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu,
in whose diocese Fr Warner will be working, described him as
"a man of great faith and integrity who has a real heart for
serving the community. I am sure that his passion for
helping others will shine through during his time on
Teesside. He will be joining a team committed to making
Christ visible."
Fr Warner began his ministry in the
Church as Assistant Curate at St Peter's, Plymouth (1984 -
1988). He was Team Vicar of the Parish of the Resurrection,
Leicester (1988 - 1993) and then was appointed Administrator
of the Shrine (1993 - 2002). Since 2003, Fr Warner has been
a Canon at St Paul's Cathedral.
HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of
Edinburgh KG KT, opens the Milner Wing
At precisely 10.30 am on Thursday, 8th
October, the royal car drew up
 outside
the Brandie Gate and His Royal Highness, The Duke of
Edinburgh walked into the courtyard to be greeted by the
Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Mr Richard Jewson JP. The Lord
Lieutenant presented the High Sheriff of Norfolk (Mr Robert
Carter), the chairman of the North Norfolk District Council
(Councillor Simon Partridge), the Bishop of Norwich (The Rt
Revd Graham James), the Assistant Chief Constable of Norfolk
(Mr Kevin Wilkins) and the Administrator of the Shrine (The
Rt Revd Lindsay Urwin OGS). Bishop Lindsay then invited the
Duke to meet the group of children from
 Walsingham
Community Primary School who were waiting in the courtyard.
The Bishop and His Royal Highness then
proceeded through the Shrine grounds to the Norton Cafe Bar.
En route, Prince Philip stopped to speak to the Sisters of
the Society of St Margaret whose convent is in the Shrine
grounds. At the Norton Cafe Bar, Canon Martin Warner, Master
of the College of Guardians was presented. He in turn
introduced Prince Philip to members of the Walsingham Appeal
Board, to the Guardians and the Shrine Heads of Departments.
Leaving the Refectory area Prince
Philip walked through the gardens towards the Shrine Church
- meeting the gardener, Steve Eley and the garden
landscaper, Tessa Hobbs. At the Shrine Church, Mr Barry
Shipp and the Franciscans, Brother Pascal and Brother
Maximilian were presented along with Rachel Frary, the
longest serving member of the Shrine staff - 55 years as a
member of the Housekeeping department.
Bishop Lindsay and Canon Warner gave
His Royal Highness a guided tour of the Shrine Church
including a visit to the Holy House. His Eminence the
Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira
 and
Great Britain was presented at the Orthodox Chapel within
the Shrine Church. Prince Philip then walked past Stella
Maris House and visited the Milner Wing Welcome Centre,
meeting The Revd Philip North (former Administrator of the
Shrine) who in turn presented the creators of the centre
(Claire Rheinhold and Gill Austen - with Matthew Jones of
Imagemakers), the funders (Sylvia Collier and Roy Swanston
of the Heritage Lottery Fund) and representatives of the
Shrine's volunteer stewards.
Leaving the Welcome Centre, Fr
North escorted Prince Philip into the Reception area where
Hospitality and Membership staff were gathered. The royal
party then visited one of the Milner Wing bedrooms
especially designed for the disabled. Members of the
Housekeeping staff had the opportunity to briefly meet with
the Duke as he left the first floor of the Milner Wing and
walked down to the Brandie Gate courtyard.
 Bishop Lindsay welcomed both our royal
guest and all those who had come to support the opening of
this important building in the development of the Shrine.
Paying tribute to the generosity of both Sir William Milner
and 5,000+ donors to the Walsingham Appeal, the Bishop began
the brief Service of Blessing which began with the hymn "He
Who would Valiant Be." His Royal Highness was then invited
to open officially the building by unveiling a stone plaque
which records -
THE MILNER WING
Named in honour of Sir William Milner Bt.
Benefactor and Guardian of this Shrine
1931 - 1960
was opened by
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT
on 8 October 2009
AMDG
The National Anthem was sung and at
11.45 am, His Royal Highness departed through the Brandie
Gate.
Visit the on-line
Shrine Photo Gallery for more photographs.
New Guardian of the Shrine
Fr. Graeme Rowlands, parish priest of St
Silas, Kentish Town and Chaplain General of the Society of
Mary, has been elected as a Guardian of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. He succeeds Canon
Peter Cobb, former Master of Guardians, who is standing down
on health grounds. Fr Rowlands will be installed at the next
Guardians' Chapter Meeting on Monday 12th
October.
 Fr
Rowlands played a huge part in last year’s successful
ecumenical pilgrimage to Lourdes organized jointly by the
Society of Mary and the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
The pilgrimage was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr
Rowan Williams and greatly supported by Cardinal Kasper, who
has responsibility within the Roman Catholic Church for
ecumenical dialogue between the churches.
Fr Rowlands, who was born in 1953, has been a
regular pilgrim to Walsingham for many years. He was
ordained priest in 1977 and served as Curate of Holy Trinity
Reading from 1981-1989 before beginning his significant
ministry in the Diocese of London.
Fr Michael Whitehead - 50th Jubilee
 The
Revd Canon Michael Whitehead, Guardian Emeritus and former
Registrar of the College of Guardians celebrated the 50th
anniversary of his priesthood by being the principal
celebrant at the Mass for the Solemnity of Our Lady of
Walsingham on Thursday, 24th September. A large number of
friends gathered in the Shrine Church to participate in the
service and to listen to the sermon of Bishop Lindsay Urwin
OGS, Administrator of the Shrine.
Father Michael became a
Clerk of the Order of OLW in 1981 and a Guardian in 1984. From 1959 until his
retirement in 1998 he ministered in Sunderland and
Hartlepool in the north east of England. In recent years Fr
Michael has regularly assisted the Shrine staff with the
worship in the Shrine Church.
Relics of St Thérèse
at Walsingham
On Tuesday 6th and
Wednesday 7th October, the relics of St Thérèse
of
Lisieux rested in Walsingham as part of their
extraordinary and remarkable journey through Europe, a
journey that has brought new purpose to many Christians who
are encouraged by her holiness, her ‘little way’ and her
desire to live for Jesus.
 We
were privileged at
the Anglican Shrine that when the relics arrived in
Walsingham they first of all made their way into the grounds
of the Anglican Shrine, through the Brandie Gate and into
the courtyard. A short service of welcome
and thanksgiving was held - with a scattering of rose-petals
- before the relics then travelled to the Roman
Catholic Chapel of Reconciliation for a service of
Ecumenical Vespers.
Pilgrims
to the Anglican Shrine who have shared in the processions
around the Shrine grounds will well remember the statue of
St Thérèse
in the courtyard outside the Shrine Church. Father Hope
Patten, the restorer of the Shrine had a love for St Thérèse
and placed the statue there as an encouragement to pilgrims.
He would surely rejoice that her relics have been in our
midst!
NEW SHRINE PRIEST & YOUTH
MISSIONER
Father Stephen
Gallagher, currently parish priest of Lower Beeding in the
Diocese of Chichester and Youth Chaplain for West Sussex, is
to join the Shrine's Ministry Team as Shrine Priest and
Youth Missioner on October 1st 2009.
 Originally
from County Durham, Father Stephen trained for the ministry
at Chichester Theological College and was ordained in 1989
serving his title in South Shields. After a further curacy
in Hartlepool combined with a hospital chaplaincy, his first
incumbency was in the diocese of York. He moved to Sussex in
1997 where he has juggled the life of a parish priest with a
wider ministry among young people. The annual youth camps in
the diocese of Chichester are among the largest in the
Church of England.
Stephen and his wife
Judith, with their two children, Elise and Gregory have been
making pilgrimages to Walsingham for many years and he leads
a large group from the diocese to the youth pilgrimage every
year. It will be very good to welcome a priest of such wide
and varied pastoral experience to the Shrine. Stephen will
combine some of the duties formerly undertaken by the Shrine
priest with an enhanced leadership role and a particular
responsibility for further developing our pilgrimage
ministry and mission among young people.
 NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE
Monday, 25th May, 2009
Full report on the
National Pilgrimage page
Click here for the full text of Bishop Urwin's sermon
.
Visit the
Shrine Photo Gallery for a photographic record of a
wonderful day!
 The Walsingham Children's
Pilgrimage:
27th - 29th March 2009
For a report on the recent Children's Pilgrimage please
go to - Education:
Special Events. For full photographic coverage go
the Shrine
Photo Gallery
Full details of the 2010 Children's Pilgrimage (March
19th - 21st) will be announced in November 2009. See
Education/Special Events.
NINTH SHRINE
ADMINISTRATOR INSTALLED
 During
the course of a Solemn Mass for St Joseph on Monday, 19th
March, 2009 at 12 noon the Rt Revd Lindsay Urwin OGS was
installed and licensed as the ninth Administrator of the
Shrine by the Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich. Also
present at the service were the Bishops of Chichester,
Pontefract, Richborough, Lynn and the Rt Rev Robert Ladds.
A packed Shrine Church listened to the Bishop of Norwich's
welcoming sermon and then witnessed the legal formalities of
installation and licensing. (Bishop Lindsay was also
licensed as an assistant bishop within the Norwich diocese.)
After the signing of various documents, the Master of the
College of Guardians, Canon Martin Warner, welcomed Bishop
Lindsay as the new
Administrator and installed him in his stall in the choir of
the Shrine Church accompanied by loud applause from the
congregation.
Guests from all over the country - in addition to many local
friends of the shrine - converged on Walsingham for the
service. In particular, Bishop Lindsay was pleased to
welcome fellow members of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd
who attended in support of one of their fellow Orators.
After the service, lunch was served in the Pilgrim Refectory
and the Norton Cafe Bar for the congregation of over
250. Bishop Lindsay obviously enjoyed greeting everyone as
he moved about the refectory at lunch.
For more photographs visit the Shrine's Photo Gallery.
Click here
|
The
Shrine's Honorary Photographer, Graham Howard, has come up
with a splendid idea. From the vast number of
photographs he has taken during this year, he has selected
his favourite images and made them available to everyone on
a special Photo Gallery website. This gallery will be
updated regularly - i.e. the National Pilgrimage 2009
photos will replace those of 2008 - providing a complete
view of a pilgrimage year.
In
his native Argyll he did much to support the priests
and churches in the Diocese of Argyll & The Isles.
Many of them still today use vestments given by him.
However, it was All Saints, Inveraray - close by the
ducal residence of Inveraray Castle - which
benefitted most from his
generosity.
He built the magnificent bell-tower - with a peal of
ten bells - as a memorial to his clansmen and
countrymen who died in the First World War. He also
furnished the church as a place suitable for
catholic worship.
Reverend
Mother