But the Church is God’s institution and Divine, and although the Faith had been almost extinguished by neglect and ignorance, and the personal heresies of those in authority, the fire was there, although as of old in the Temple, it was buried. Then came the awakening, and like "Fire among the stubble" the flame rekindled by the Tractarians spread throughout the Empire and to all English-speaking Christians, until today there is scarcely an Anglican who has not been affected, inspired, or helped by the Catholic Revival. The now normal decencies of, shall we say, a clean church, fair linen, weekly offering of the Holy Sacrifice, are all due to the religious revival, for which we shall be especially thanking God next year. Catholics throughout the world will naturally be desirous of expressing their gratitude in a practical and definite form; they will not want to thank God with empty hands.

The Guardians of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Walsingham have therefore decided to appeal for gifts in order to add to the existing shrine a choir 54 ft. long by about 30 ft. wide, as a memorial for all time, of the gratitude of English Catholics for the great achievements of the last hundred years 1833-1933.

ENGLAND’S NAZARETH

It is proposed to erect this choir in honour of the Mystery of the Incarnation, for to that we Christians owe everything that is most precious on earth, and that fills us with hope for the future. The Catholic religion is the religion of the Incarnation, the Catholic life is the life of the Incarnate One in the world today, and the Catholic Revival among English-speaking Christians is nothing, if it is not the restoration of all that flows from the knowledge of the fact that the Word was indeed made flesh, and dwelt, and still dwells, among us. Hence the desire of the Guardians to build this choir at Walsingham as an extension to the shrine of Our Lady which was known to our Catholic forefathers as the National Sanctuary of Mary, the shrine of the Incarnation, England’s Nazareth. A choir which will help to accommodate the once more increasing number of pilgrims who come here; for already the present buildings have proved inadequate at times of pilgrimage; a choir which will stand as a witness to the generations yet unborn that Catholics in communion with Archiepiscopal see of Canterbury wished to give to our Lord and His Blessed Mother in 1933 a material token of their love and gratitude. We therefore appeal to you to consider what you owe to the restored Faith; what you owe to God for all he has allowed to be done during the last century, and we ask you to express your thankfulness by sending now a thank-offering which will be used to clear the remaining debt on the present buildings, and to raise the choir in honour of the Incarnation.

We are asking for three thousand pounds. If "the heart" of English-speaking Catholics is truly as large as we think, and as grateful as we hope, and so, more than is required for these purposes is sent in, the balance will be applied to securing the surrounding property, at present rented by us, for the permanent work and development of the sanctuary. A man who was spoken to about the plan said:- "I owe everything to the Catholic Revival, the day you send out the appeal, I will send you a cheque for £250". Who knows if you send at once, but that in the coming July, or at least some time next year, we may be able to assemble here to offer this choir a finished, completed gift?"