Our Lady's Mirror 1956

In the Sunday evening of June 17th Father Derrick said goodbye to a large number of parishioners of Little and Great Walsingham, as well as from S. Giles’s, Houghton, when he was presented with a canteen of cutlery and a cheque. The presentation being made to him by other friends, such as pilgrims and visitors to the Shrine is taking place during the Jubilee festivities of the Holy House. On June 27th Father Derrick was licensed by the Bishop of Exeter to the cure of the ten thousand souls at S. Martin’s, Barton, a suburb of Torquay – a stupendous work, which will call from all of us many prayers for his support.

Mr Stanley Smith has been appointed Acting Bursar and Pilgrimage Secretary as successor to Father Derrick, and all letters concerning those matters should be addressed to him in future.

The extension to the Hospice is not finished; we had been encouraged to hope that it would be occupied during the summer, but, alas, it does not seem so. However, we must remember we have not had summer yet, so perhaps that is yet to come and we may therefore be in occupation as promised!

The gardens of the Sanctuary have looked very lovely since April and up to the present (July), owing to the excellent forethought and work of Leonard, who takes infinite care and interest in the task, keeping the lawns and their edges in good order despite the fact that pilgrims and visitors love standing on the extreme margin and so break down the grass!

After twenty-five years the bas-reliefs of the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa are badly in need of re-decorating. Five have already been restored and are looking very resplendent; these are: No. III in memory of Emmeline Back, IV of Agnes Eyden, V of Georgina Keith-Falkner, VI of Sister Veronica S.S.P and VIII in memory of Father Roberts (Parish Priest of Christ Church, S. Leonard’s). All the others should be done. It costs £5. 5s. each.

The restoration of S. Mary’s, so well known to pilgrims, is in hand and smells terribly of Cuprinol which is being used to destroy the beetle in the woodwork. It is going to be a long job and we only have the necessary funds for part, but it is better to have some dry corners rather than live under a sort of shower-bath.

Pilgrims are buying pencils as they leave the Parish Mass on Sundays, and so take away a little lead to remind them and their friends of the other lead needed to restore our roof – and each pencil taken is a real help as of course they pay for them! On August 16th the annual Garden Fete is advertised to be held, the proceeds of which go partly to Church Expenses and part to the Restoration Fund.

The Whit Monday pilgrimage was very well attended and the Pilgrimage Church was full. Some new method of ventilating the building will have to be devised, as it does get so very hot.

Enquiries are coming in for the Jubilee celebrations to be held in October (13, 14, 15), and we all hope to be crowded out and that all pilgrims will receive “showers of blessings”. If you want to be among these, book now.

articles: D H Williams, 'The Cistercians in Wales and Our Lady of Tintern'; P F, 'Medieval devotion to Our Lady in York'; 'Notes on St Peter's, London Docks'; Leonard J Hill, 'Our Lady of Jesmond'
photographs: two photographs of College [one above]; Fr Derrick Lingwood; two photographs of shrines of OLW at Quainton Hall School; St Peter's, London Docks