Twenty people from the congregation made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham in Norfolk during the last week in August. The journey to the shrine was uneventful. However, due to a nasty attack of congestion during the drive home we were all given the opportunity to study, in detail, vistas of the landscape as seen from the London Orbital Motorway.
The accommodation at the Shrine was to the customary standard and we were fortunate in each pilgrim being allocated their own private room, with our Reverend Vicar and family being provided with their own house for the duration. The meals were also first-rate; but not for the waistline! Roly-Poly was mentioned on more than one occasion –usually before and after Grace. This was sad really, because there was plenty of other nourishment to be obtained from the Shrine refectory, including the legendary rum-filled Nelson slices.
Walsingham is a holy place of mystery and atmosphere where we can meet with God. A place in which one can enter into a place of tranquillity centred on the purity and simple peace that is found in the Holy House and the Shrine Church. It is a space where friendship can be shared in the refectory queue, communal lounges, local hostelries of the village or the Shrine’s own snack bar. We were joined at the Shrine by pilgrims from the Anglican Dioceses of Chichester, Liverpool Manchester together with Christians belonging to Svenska kyrkan – the Church of Sweden Evangelical Lutheran church. During the week we worshipped both as a small group, in services led by our vicar in the simple Barn Chapel or intimate Holy House, and as a whole company of lantern-bearing pilgrims in the magnificent Shrine Church. Our group also made the journey to enchanting Slipper Chapel and many of us – some barefoot – walked the Pilgrims’ Mile back to base.
Our pilgrimage to Walsingham was an opportunity to take time out from the daily routine and be with fellow Christians, sharing prayer and laughter with each other and with God. We have all brought a piece of Walsingham back with us, so we must build on our experiences and grow stronger and nearer to God.
