Our Lady's Mirror 1950

All good wishes to our readers for 1950 from the Editor and his staff. This is the Jubilee Year of the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham, which was founded in August 1925. A quarter of a century is a very short time really, but it seems a life time to some of us.

It is proposed to have a pilgrimage for all members of the Society in August this year, which we think is a good way of celebrating such an important event in the history of our Society. As we have now well over a thousand members, it would be a great help if all those who hope to come would send a post card as soon as possible to the Pilgrimage Secretary so that we can gauge the numbers likely to attend and make arrangements accordingly, on a large or small scale. We hope everyone will try and come and every Cell, at the very least, send representatives.

We are all conversant with the flags carried by Scouts and other organisations: they are usually in bunting, we believe; abroad they are very gorgeous in silk or rayon, and quite large. Wouldn’t it be a great idea if every Cell had its own flag? It could hang or stand in the chapel where they meet, and could always be brought when the representative visits Walsingham and put up during the visit in the Shrine Church and carried in procession. It should consist of the combined arms of the Saint to whom the Cell is dedicated and those of Walsingham with the name of the Cell. What do Secretaries and Superiors think about this?

We are trying to clean up the Pilgrimage Church. This has not been painted or colour-washed since it was built. First, owing to the war, and since, the expense; but it cannot be let go any longer. A visitor to the Shrine is reported to have remarked that the Church and gardens are “dirty, untidy and neglected”; we are grateful for the criticism as it has made us realise how we look to others!

Once again we ask our readers if they have any old copies of the Mirror to spare. Better still, full sets, as we are trying to get some for binding? One set has been put together and makes a find volume covering a period of twenty-three years! Some volumes are necessary for our records, but unfortunately a large number of back Mirrors were destroyed by accident some years ago together with a batch of Credo. Does anyone remember that little publication, the parent of the Fiery Cross?

Four of the stalls designed by Messrs. Milner and Craze and executed by Mr Robinson have been put up on the Epistle side, and they really are very nice and a great improvement to the Choir, only, of course, it makes one realise how badly the remaining sixteen are needed, and how lopsided it looks without them. They are provided with tip-up, or Miserere, seats, which are not as easy to use when wearing Cappas as one would imagine. It would be interesting to know how long it took our ancient Cathedral and other Chapters to get used to using Misereres, especially when all were vested in copes, as was very usual.

Some years ago we had an organisation of Chaplains, consisting of priests who came and stopped for a week, or the inside of a week. This proved a great boon and help as we were so understaffed, some of them however complained that they did not have enough to do; the reason for this was that as most combined their Chaplain week with a much needed holiday the Administrator was loath to burden them over much, and was gratified for their daily Mass. However, he made suggestions as to how they could do more, setting out in these pages a programme for the week, which was greeted with cries of horror and the information that they came for a rest!

So now once again the need for Chaplains having arisen, he ventures to invite the priests to come for a week, if possible, including a Sunday, to help at the Shrine and elsewhere in the Parish if needed; Chaplains would be asked to say Mass daily; to be in attendance in the Shrine either in the mornings or in the afternoon (by arrangement) to explain things to visitors and to help with the sick and infirm coming to be sprinkled at the Holy Well. If those who care to do this would write to the Administrator at once, giving alternative dates, he would endeavour to make out a rota: it would be wonderful if we could have a Chaplain for each of the fifty-two weeks of the year.

The heading of the Mirror has been used since we first produced this quarterly, and the design drawn by Miss Lily Dagless is a record of the days when the Shrine was in S. Mary’s and portrays the union of the three Parishes, Our Lady Spouse of the Holy Ghost for S. Mary’s, Little Walsingham; S. Peter’s, Great Walsingham and S. Giles, Houghton in the Dale. Now, of course, the Shrine is in its own Church and separate from the Parishes, but we think all our readers like the old design, a kind of sentiment. If, however, a new one is wanted, what about sending designs the same size and shape?

The Editor still asks for MSS.

Some of the Orthodox follow the Julian or old calendar, others the Gregorian in common with the west. The Serbians keep the old style, so that we have had two Christmases in Walsingham. On Saturday, January 7th, the Orthodox feast of the Nativity, Bishop Irenei, of Dalmatia, sang the Liturgy in their chapel at the Shrine, assisted by Dr. Najdanovic, Bro. George and others. After the Liturgy there was a Christmas dinner and party.

articles: 'Little Gidding'; 'Holy Year 1950'; 'The Heart Shrine of Leybourne Church, Kent'; 'Our Lady of Knock'; Peter Fitzjohn, 'St Godric of Finchale'; 'Mama jetu wa Africa - a few facts about devotion to Mary on the East African Coast', by a missionary
photographs: St Anne's Church, Whitstone, Cornwall [above], the patronage of which was bequeathed to the Shrine by Fr Kingdon (see the last Mirror); part of a painting of St Charles, KM, in Canterbury Cathedral; two photographs of St Peter's, Rome