RESPONSE TO THE SYNOD DEBATE

The Master of the Guardians and the Priest Administrator respond to the Synod debate on Women Bishops

The Master of the Guardians (Canon Martin Warner) and the Priest Administrator (The Revd Philip North) have written a joint letter to all Priests Associate, members of the Order of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Walsingham Partnership and the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The full text of the letter can be found on this website on the Administrator's page. Click here.

Both the Master and the Priest Administrator wish to express their gratitude for the letters and emails of support they have received since sending out the letter.

NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE 2008

Full text of the sermon preached by
The Rt Revd John Ford, Bishop of Plymouth

Go to the National Pilgrimage page. An abbreviated version of the sermon will appear in the forthcoming Assumptiontide Walsingham Review.

THE OTHER PHILIP HEADS SOUTH . . .

Fr Philip Barnes, the Shrine Priest, takes his leave

Congratulations to Fr Philip Barnes, Shrine Priest since 2003, who has been appointed Vicar of the parish of S. Edmund the King, Northwood Hills in north-west London. Fr Philip will be leaving the Shrine in the late summer, having a break (by going on the ecumenical pilgrimage to Lourdes) and then taking up his new post on October 13th.

In his time at Walsingham Fr Philip has made a massive contribution to the Shrine - both in terms of the regular liturgy, the National Pilgrimage (for which he has had responsibility for the smooth running of the day itself) and the special youth events. His Activity Carousels have inspired a whole generation of junior pilgrims and no one who saw him on the stage at the Youth Pilgrimage as Little Britain's Vikki Pollard will ever forget that magical moment . . .

Fr Barnes also made a massive contribution to the Walsingham Appeal in conjunction with the other Fr Philip (North) as part of the cycling duo (St Paul's Cathedral, London - Walsingham) which raised over £60,000. Not being able to walk in a straight line or with a straight back for a fortnight after the two-day cycle trip was worth it - according to Fr Barnes - just for the inspiring quality of Fr North's cycling conversation!

We shall all miss him - his efficiency, his good humour, his unfailing and unflagging enthusiasm for every aspect of pilgrimage at Walsingham - and the parishioners of Northwood Hills have much to look forward to.

THE NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE 2008

It didn't rain! ( . . . well, hardly!)

The run-up to the National Pilgrimage was a time of doom and gloom. Ever more depressing Met Office reports were checked hourly, wet weather contingency plans were discussed and got ready - and Fr Philip was up the wall and in total despair. Not another complete washout for the National! 2007 was bad enough; now it was being predicted that Monday, 26th May 2008 was going to be even worse - gales, torrential rain and freezing cold. And that is precisely the weather that most areas from the south-west up to East Anglia had. Those in the south of England who had decided that 2007 had been quite wet enough and stayed at home knew they had made the right decision - as the aforesaid gales and torrential rain lashed into their houses.

But, as so often happens the deluge failed to reach the fringes of north Norfolk. It was pouring in Swaffham but although it was windy and overcast there were only a few spots of rain. The whole National Pilgrimage programme was able to be held according to plan. There was a difference this year; because the main Shrine archway was closed (owing to the building works) the procession returned to the Abbey grounds, rather than entering the Shrine gardens, and the day concluded with Benediction.

A full report appears on the National Pilgrimage page.

PASTURES NEW . . .

Fr Philip North taking up a new post

The present Priest Administrator of the Shrine, Fr Philip North, has been appointed Team Rector of the Old St Pancras Team in London. Fr Philip will be leaving Norfolk to take up his new position in the autumn at the end of the current pilgrimage season.

Canon Martin Warner, Master of Shrine's College of Guardians paid tribute to the energy, commitment and leadership of Fr Philip: "It is great news for the church in Camden that Fr Philip is to be the next Team Rector of the Old St Pancras Team. Over the past six years he has brought outstanding gifts and achievements to the Shrine, particularly in the work with young people and families, and in the renewal of mission and catholic evangelism. The successful £2m appeal that Fr Philip spearheaded for a Welcome Centre and improved accommodation will be among the most obvious examples of his legacy in Walsingham. The Guardians and countless pilgrims nationally have greatly valued his ministry at the Shrine and assure him of their gratitude, prayers and best wishes for this new chapter in his priestly life."

Fr Philip said today (Sunday, 4th May) "I have had an amazing six years and it has been a huge pleasure to work with pilgrims and in the local community developing Walsingham as a place of healing and prayer. With Milner Wing development all but complete, this is as good time as any to move on and I look forward to the challenges of a larger inner-city parish."

During his time at the Anglican Shrine, Fr Philip has built strongly on the work of his predecessors - overseeing the complete redesign of the Shrine's gardens and then being driving-force behind the new building development. It is perhaps fitting that one of his final tasks at the Shrine will be to lead the 2008 Youth Pilgrimage.

TREE OF LIFE -

The Walsingham Children's Weekend 2008

The sun shone - and then it snowed! But nothing got in the way of the enthusiasm of the 200 participants at the Shrine's annual Children's Weekend. It was an action-packed couple of days! At the 'First Visit' on Friday evening the children were greeted by a pair of trees - which moved and talked! This pair of trees helped Fr Philip North, the Priest Administrator explain that the weekend theme "Tree of Life" took everyone on a journey from the tree of shame - the cross at the crucifixion - to the tree of life - at the resurrection.

On the Saturday morning everyone made their own way to the Chapel of Reconciliation (at the RC Shrine) where they took part in a presentation on Thomas's encounter with the risen Jesus - how he came to see that the cross was a tree of life, when, at first, he could only see it as a tree of death. This was followed by a joyous procession back to Walsingham along the Holy Mile with a huge variety of home-made banners.

Back at the Shrine it was then time to bury a time-capsule under the Milner Wing. This contained all sorts of 2008 artefacts - selected especially to get pilgrims in distant future wondering! Some of the children wrote letters to the pilgrims of the future which were placed in the capsule. Led by Fr Philip North, a small group of junior pioneer pilgrims buried the time-capsule in a specially excavated hole under the floor of the Milner Wing.

On Saturday afternoon there was an amazing carousel of craft and fun activities for the children to enjoy, followed in the evening by a disco in the special marquee that had been erected in the Shrine gardens.

The Sunday morning Mass was a very special event, with everyone participating through processions, readings, prayers and singing. Rather different from the usual end of a service the final recessional hymn was a conga which snaked its way out of the Shrine Church and round the Shrine Gardens as the children thought about how we go out from church to take the good news of Jesus's love into the world

For a special report on the Children's Weekend by Janet Marshall, the Shrine's Education Officer - and more photographs - click here.

This year instead of sending all Priests Associate two separate A4 posters giving details of the National Pilgrimage and the Pilgrimage of Healing and Renewal, we decided to go for a larger composite A3 poster for both events (part of which is shown above) - which also gives gives details of the daily services in the Shrine Church. For those priests, cell secretaries and pilgrimage groups who wish to create any sort of Walsingham display for 2008 there are also available A2 size posters (i.e. twice as big as the A3 version.) If you would like one or more A2 or A3 posters, please contact the Development Office (dev@olw-shrine.org.uk Tel: 01328 824214)

ORGANISERS' & PARTNERSHIP WEEKENDS

Many people think that February must be a quiet time at the Shrine. However, for the past few years two important weekends have been held - usually one after the other. This year the Organisers' Weekend came first (8th/9th) and is specifically intended for pilgrimage organisers - a chance for them to ask questions and share experiences, a dialogue process useful for both them and the Shrine staff. The organisers were entertained on the Friday evening after supper by a light-hearted drama presentation by the Shrine staff on the pitfalls of pilgrimage! One of the special quizzes (sample round: "pancakes"!) prepared by the Frs Philip rounded the evening off. Saturday morning brought presentations from the Priest Administrator, the Hospitality Department, the Visitor Services Officer and the Development Director; the afternoon was occupied with Snowdrop walking and the chance to visit Binham Priory. The organisers then followed the Lenten programme of services on Saturday evening and Sunday.

The following weekend 138 people attended the Partnership Weekend - members of the Walsingham Partnership and their guests. This was the third annual Weekend - intended as a thank-you to the Partners - hosted by the Shrine. After supper on the Friday evening, yet another Shrine quiz (this time with photo and music questions) was followed by the first screening of the restored cine-film footage taken in 1938 at the dedication of the newly-extended Shrine Church. (Further details of this 20 minute film (it will be available to purchase later in the year) can be found on the Walsingham Archives page. Click here.) On the Saturday morning the partners attended presentations about the Milner Wing, the Welcome Centre and an introduction to the work of Enid Chadwick in the Shrine Church (pictured left). Once again it was snowdrops and guided tours in the afternoon. The 6.00 pm Mass (celebrated by the Master of the Guardians, Canon Martin Warner) was followed by drinks in the Pilgrim Hall and the splendid Partnership Dinner in the refectory. Richard Mantle, one of the Lay Guardians of the Shrine, spoke after the meal, thanking the Partners for their on-going financial support and exhorting all the guests to join up as soon as possible.

Appeal News

(For information on the Milner Wing building project go to
The Future/The Appeal)

How's it going?

Fabulously is the simple answer! We're now really close to our target and all who have contributed in any way deserve to feel really proud of what, together, we have achieved. Since May 2007, just when we thought things might start to slow down, there has been loads of activity and some wonderful events.

The Sisters' Bed-Push

It could only happen in Walsingham! When Mother Mary-Clare was offered a wheeled hospital bed, she could see no use for it as a place to sleep. But as a fund-raising tool? well, that's a different story! At the end of August five sisters pushed the bed (containing the Shrine Priest) at terrifying speeds along the Holy Mile. The Sisters of St Margaret have already made a big donation to the appeal and held a coffee-morning. But even that wasn't enough and the Bed-Push enabled them to make another donation of £3,000. A fabulous effort!

The Catholic Societies

The last bit of an appeal is always the hardest with the ever present risk of donor fatigue. Fortunately just when we were starting to worry the Catholic Societies weighed in and have been quite overwhelming in their generosity. There was a long list of those who had given in the Assumptiontide Walsingham Review. Recent donations have been received from The Guild of All Souls, The Council of Catholic Societies, The Company of Mission Priests and Credo Cymru. We are very grateful.

The US Appeal

Those parishes in the US who have a connection with the Shrine set themselves the target of $200,000 - and the great news is that they have now reached it. The target was finally reached thanks to a splendid donation from Grace Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin - home of the first Shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham in the US (established in 1932). We are delighted that our American friends have responded so bountifully to the Appeal. All we need now is a favourable (in the dollar's favour, that is) exchange rate!

Other Donations

The Oratory of The Good Shepherd have made a wonderfully generous donation which has brought us much closer to our target.
A number of companies who work with the Shrine have also offered us generous support. This includes Michael, our butcher, and Hymns Ancient and Modern. The C of E's Church and Community Fund has agreed a donation of £4,000. And the people of S. Mary's, Horden in Co. Durham organised a Walsingham Festival in September which, as well as pulling in huge crowds, led to a donation of £900.

The Barn Chapel has been, quite frankly, a bit of a mess for the past 18 months as we have tried to solve problems with the structure. While it would seem that the damp is going to be an insoluble problem (as it is for most Norfolk churches) the chapel has now been repaired and painted and is back in use. It is a beautiful, peaceful space away from the hustle and bustle of the Shrine - and also a place where pilgrims can enjoy two significant pieces of art, the Rublev Ikon written by Sergei Fedorov and David Begbie's astonishing Crucifix fashioned from industrial steel mesh. The Barn is always open for private prayer. Other arrangements for worship there - there is an organ available for use - should be made in the usual way with the Shrine Priest.

The Altar of the Mysteries of Light, funded by the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, certainly caused comments when pilgrims saw it for the first time last season. With its graceful lines and its reference to pilgrimage in images such as the boat and the tent, it captures the imagination of all and in particular of younger pilgrims. It is good therefore to hear that the structure is being recognised as a significant piece of work by a far wider audience. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has nominated the altar for its Religious Building of the Year award. Fingers crossed!

The celebrations of the Assumption are always a frantic time for the whole village. In recent years the arrival of a large number of travellers has added to the busy-ness and while their devotion is profound, their different lifestyle has occasionally led to tension with residents. This year an ecumenical Travellers' Pastoral Team was formed to provide care and outreach to the travellers. As well as being an excellent example of ecumenical cooperation, the team defused many of the tensions and enabled the travellers to enjoy Walsingham as much as any other pilgrim.

Priory News

Mother Mary Clare SSM writes . . .

Fr Nicolas Spicer seems to have settled into his role as Convent Chaplain happily and enthusiastically. The entire community was invited to attend Father's licensing and induction at Worksop Priory at the beginning of October. It was an enjoyable day and the weather perfect. That will be another place to add to our list of days out.

In August I made my first visit to Aberdeen to see Sr Columba who is on our Convent Chapter, but continues her ministry in Scotland. Sister seems very happily settled into her new flat. Although she lives alone, she still maintains a disciplined life of prayer together with chaplaincy duties at two hospitals.

It was lovely to welcome Sr Chandrani from Sri Lanka who was spending a few days in Walsingham. The highlight of her visit was the Procession of Our Lady. Another highlight of the past few weeks has been Sr Wendy's celebration of the 25th anniversary of her Life Profession. Fr Michael McLean preached at the Mass on All Saints' Day, when the community were joined by many of Sr Wendy's friends and family.

Sr Jane Louise SSM has been working with teenagers from the village. She writes . . .

Walsingham, a place of pilgrimage, is also a village facing modern day issues. Six months ago I had an encounter with some young people of the village which woke me up. They had nothing to do and were heading in the direction of ASBO's being issued.

Good news! With the help of dedicated youth workers and others, we now have a drop-in bus on a Wednesday evening and we are well on the way for a permanent site for a youth club.