Parish and other Pilgrimages

SCOTTISH PILGRIMAGE 1936 [after the Holy House was built but before the Shrine Church] from Our Lady's Mirror, Summer 1936 number This season will ever be marked in the annals as the year when the first organised Scottish pilgrimage came to Walsingham since the destruction of the original Holy House. These adventurers, led by Father Joblin of St Michael's, Edinburgh, heard Mass and were blessed at 6 o'clock on Saturday, August 22nd, and after a hurried breakfast boarded the train for their long journey to East Anglia. Other members of the pilgrimage came by road. Arrived before the Sanctuary the weary travellers led by a blue-eyed laddie carrying a votive banner, made their first visit. The whole pilgrimage was a most happy event, and already plans are being set on foot for a second Scottish Visit in 1937. from The Scottish Guardian 9 October 1936 As the date of the Pilgrimage drew nearer my enthusiasm waned. Memories of my first and only Retreat came back to me, when as an undergraduate I had spent a dreary weekend in Cambridge, being tormented by a hearty "loyal" Anglican clergyman. I prayed that I might develop a chill before it was too late. Then again, I am rather fussy about food, and I had visions of all sorts of depressing meals eaten in the company of elderly ladies whose spectacular piety would only increase my indignation. But it was now too late, and I had promised to go to Walsingham. As I was on holiday at the time, I was able to persuade two other Scottish friends to come down from London with me. One of them conveyed us in his car, so leaving town, we bowled along the flat but pleasant roads of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire very happily, and so arrived at Walsingham about 5 p.m. on Saturday, 22nd August. Christian Atmosphere And here just a word about Walsingham itself; the village has for its main feature a long, rather sloping street between old-fashioned thatched cottages, and the ruins of two great monasteries on either side of the highway. Just an East Anglian village in picturesque surroundings; we could see the flannel trousers of trippers alternating with the breeches and leggings of the local farm- workers. But everywhere one also sees evidence of a specially Christian atmosphere; notices "To the Holy House" are to be seen in the windows of shops and inns, while several repositories displaying pictures and objects of piety testify to the presence of a Holy Shrine close at hand. As we drove through the village we met a well-known Edinburgh W.S., who had just arrived before us, and our first welcome was from him. He told us that he was speeding off to Fakenham station, six miles away, to meet our leader, Fr. Joblin, and the pilgrims who were coming by train from Edinburgh; he told us also that the whole party were to meet at the Holy House at 6.45 p.m. for our first visit to the Shrine in Walsingham. Our rooms had been booked at the Black Lion Inn, which has housed every Sovereign of England from William the Conqueror to Henry VIII, and has not altered much since the 16th century. At this hostelry a little grey-haired lady welcomed us, and told us something of the great pilgrimages that have come to Walsingham in recent years from many famous London parishes and from all over England; she added that we Scots were always "behindhand", whatever that may have meant. The Blue Blanket At 6.30 we found our way to the Shrine, our small party of three reinforced by a friend who had motored all the way from Nairn to join us. There on the spot we met Father Hope Patten, Vicar of the Parish, and Father Derrick Lingwood, the Pilgrimage Secretary. While we were exchanging greetings, the bus arrived and out clambered a little laddie carrying the Scottish Pilgrimage Banner of blue and silver with the Cross of St. Andrew, our Patron; he was followed by Father Joblin, who is Rector of St. Michael’s, Edinburgh, and the rest of the pilgrims, all looking very fresh and fit in spite of their ten-hour train journey. And so we made our first visit to the Holy House, England’s Nazareth. Among the Intercessions, the priest prayed that the glorious Mother of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ might make good all that was imperfect in our poor requests, and thus obtain for us the blessing of a heart completely surrendered to His Will. This was the introductory act of our visit. After a delightful supper served by the Sisters in the Pilgrims’ Refectory, we returned to the Shrine, where Fr. Joblin gave us a little address. He spoke of Pilgrimage Places throughout the ages, and dealt in particular with the history of Walsingham. The evening closed with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, after which Confessions were heard, and so to bed, feeling rather unaccountably happy. Whole Village Astir Sunday morning was heralded by a blaze of sunshine and scent of honeysuckle, and after customary ablutions (all in cold water), I set forth from the Black Lion. The whole village was astir at a quarter to eight for the early Mass at the Parish Church; there were boys and girls on pushbikes, and older men and women sedately walking. But my companions and I were bound for the Holy House again, where our Priest-Conductor was to say Mass for the Scottish pilgrims. Everyone seemed to be in the Chapel before our arrival, and with difficulty we found corners to kneel in. The beautiful statue of Our Lady was lit with many tapers, and the little chapel seemed to be silently thrilling with the quiet business of prayer, when the server pushed his way through the crowds who knelt on the floor to make a passage for the priest to the altar. I kept reminding myself that to a true Catholic it would all be just the same at Paisley or Prestonpans, and yet everything seemed different in a strange way in this sacred centre. Making the Stations Breakfast followed in the Refectory, and at 10 o’clock we set out to make the Way of the Cross at the open-air Stations in the lovely Shrine garden, under the guidance of our Leader. Over and over again we prayed, “O God, I love Thee with my whole heart, and above all things, and am heartily sorry that I have ever offended Thee. May I never offend Thee any more. O May I love Thee without ceasing, and make it my delight in all things to do Thy Holy Will”. This was our Litany. When we had finished the Stations, we made for the Parish Church to join with the people of the village in their Parish Mass. The church was full to suffocation, though I imagine it must hold at least 400 people. I noticed our landlady, the postman, and the Master of a Cambridge College among the congregation, and the Mass music was well sung by a large choir of men and boys – a fine service. After church we had a stroll round, and then met again at the Hospice for an excellent lunch, after which came the Intercessions, and our visit to the Holy Well. I shall not soon forget the reading of the Intercessions by the Leader; they were of all sorts, personal and general. For Spain; for the Conversion of Scotland; for the return of a friend to the Sacraments; for a greater sense of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament – all just as they were written and sent in by the pilgrims themselves. After each group of petitions came the oft-repeated prayer, “Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us; Jesus full of goodness and love, have mercy on us; Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us”. Then the pilgrims in turn drank of the water of the Holy Well, and were blessed one by one. All this may seem to be the record of rather an intensive Sunday’s worship, but the curious things if that when these devotions were over at about 3 p.m., we felt almost lost when we heard that we were free to go and explore the village or anywhere else we liked until the 6.30 p.m. Evensong in the Parish Church. My friends and I pushed off to Hunstanton to get a breath of the sea, and others went with the youngsters to row or bathe at Wells-on-Sea, where the pilgrims from Scotland and abroad used to land long ago in the far-off ages of Faith. The First Scottish Pilgrims I have attended evening service and Benediction in many lands, but it was a wonderful experience to hear the well-known hymns, “O Saving Victim” and “Therefore we before Him bending”, sung in English instead of Latin by English folk in honour of Christ the King; it was inspiring, too, to reflect that we were the first party of Scottish pilgrims to visit the restored Shrine since its destruction four hundred years ago by the forces of Satan. The experiences of that unforgettable weekend can only be a personal memory; it is impossible to describe them. I will merely say that once again one felt rather lost and lonely when Sunday’s worship was over, and we came out of church. Supper and a most pointed and vigorous discussion about modern architecture closed the day, for we were to be at Mass at 7 a.m. the next morning. It was St. Bartholomew’s Day, and the crimson chasuble was the colour of the giant peonies in the Sisters’ garden. Suitcases and bags were stacked outside the little chapel of the Holy House, and then after a hurried breakfast we made our last visit to the Shrine. “Alas, O Mary, I must leave this Sanctuary of your choice, this holy place, trodden by so many of your clients throughout the ages. I have now to return to my ordinary daily life, which will be no easier, no less difficult, than in the days that have passed, but I go with a new purpose, increased fidelity, and a renewed assurance of your constant prayers”. So prayed our Leader, and so pray I, hoping that in the Month of Mary next year an even larger band of Scots people will come to visit the Shrine of the Holy Mother of God, and by her gracious aid may help to win back our country for her Son. top of page

SOUTHEND & DISTRICT PILGRIMAGE ASSOCIATION : from 1946 from Our Lady's Mirror, Spring Number 1955 The Southend and District Pilgrimage Association came into being as a direct result of a pilgrimage to Walsingham in 1946, when some sixty people from churches in or near Southend- on-Sea united in this act of thanksgiving for the end of the war. The following year, 1947, saw a further pilgrimage and it was suggested afterwards that those taking part should form a small association to promote an annual visit to the Shrine of Our Lady and to spread knowledge of Walsingham wherever opportunity offered. It was felt too that such an association might be able to make its small contribution to the life of the Church in other ways, in particular by encouraging pilgrimages to holy places within reach and by creating an organisation for its members and friends that would make such journeys possible. A Chaplain was appointed and a Committee formed in 1947 and since that time the Association has been able to carry out a full programme every year. The chief event is of course the Walsingham pilgrimage and in addition one other long-distance pilgrimage to a Cathedral or other shrine is also undertaken. There are normally from four to six other visits, frequently to small country parishes where priests are teaching the Catholic faith to small and sometimes rather unresponsive congregations. By such visits the Association tries to help in the work of Catholic evangelism; its members see something of the work and worship of small parishes that they would not otherwise know, and we are told that such visits are often very useful stimuli to those on the spot. Some years ago the Association was able to set up its own shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in a local Church and here on the fourth Friday in each month members meet for a short office and Intercessions. These follow closely on the pattern of those offered in the Holy House, and a number of thanksgivings have already been recorded for answers to prayer. A weekly Mass is also said by the Chaplain for the work of the Association. As far as possible, pilgrimages or visits are arranged to take place on or near to one of the Feasts of Our Lady and the Walsingham pilgrimage is always made in Mary’s month of May. Until last year, the Walsingham pilgrimages had been day pilgrimages only, but last year’s and this year’s are week-end visits and it is hoped that this will now become the rule. In addition it is hoped to arrange a day pilgrimage later in the year for those who cannot be away for the full week-end. Care in organisation has resulted in minimum cost to pilgrims and any surplus in the funds at the end of the year enables a donation to be sent to the work of the Shrine. For the past two years the Association has published a small annual magazine on the eve of its Annual general meeting, giving a resume of the year’s work and the latest news from Walsingham in addition to other interesting articles. Membership of the Association is open to Anglicans who are in sympathy with its objects, and who live within a reasonable distance of Southend-on-Sea. The practical usefulness of an organisation such as this extends in many directions. It has been responsible for bringing home hundreds of people to Walsingham over the past seven years – many of who have experienced a deepened devotion to Our Lady and the mystery of the Incarnation as a result and not a few of whom have benefited from prayer at the shrine or sprinkling at the well. It has been the means of many prayers and much intercession being offered in Holy Places . . . in some perhaps for the first time since the Reformation. Many of its members have been able to visit places which ordinarily would have presented considerable difficulties – such as Religious Houses at a considerable distance away – or to join in observances such as the Whit Monday pilgrimage at Walsingham, the Commemoration of King Charles the Martyr in London, or the Corpus Christi procession at Otford, to mention but one or two examples. From time to time, walking pilgrimages have been undertaken by some of the junior members. All these experiences bring to those who participate in them a new vista of the life and work of the Church outside their own parishes. The feeling of happy devotion that pervades these pilgrimages must be experienced to be appreciated. Many friendships have been formed and new links forged. It is in the hope that possible this experiment which God has prospered, may interest others who might like to try something of the same kind elsewhere, that these notes have been written. top of page

OAKWORTH 1948 from Our Lady's Mirror, Autumn Number 1948 The twelfth annual pilgrimage by Brontë Bus took place on Whit Monday. For the second time the 360 miles were covered in one day. So the Sacraments were received in Oakworth or the other home Churches of the pilgrims. The Itinerary was said in Oakworth Church on Whit Sunday evening, and the pilgrims were blessed and sprinkled with holy water immediately after the Mass at 4 a.m. on the Monday morning. Some two dozen pilgrims – men, women and children – of ages ranging from four to sixty years were in the motor-bus ready to begin the 180 mile journey at 4.30 a.m. Fr. Ross, now Vicar of Holy Trinity, Bradford, and further pilgrims from Bradford, Burnley and Dewsbury were collected before many miles had been covered. Fr. Dolman, Parish Priest of Cromwell, near Newark-on-Trent, had made arrangements for the pilgrims to have breakfast in a café garden in his parish at 7.15 a.m. Fr. Dolman once again gave the pilgrims a happy welcome, and said the Litany of Our Lady with them in his beautiful Church just before they continued their journey and he began his Mass. King’s Lynn was reached soon after 10 a.m., and the pilgrims were in the Holy House soon after 11 a.m. Then they joined happily in the functions of the day, the children gaining good positions for the High mass, some of the others, assisting at the Low Mass in the garden, while the rest gallantly crushed themselves into the Church. Meals were taken at the Guildshop café. Amid much congestion and many halts, they made the Stations in the blazing sunshine of the afternoon – their banner of the Holy Family was carried before them in the procession through the streets. Many who had not been able to reach the Holy Well earlier in the day, returned there when things were quieter after tea; and intercessions were offered in the Shrine at the same time. Canon Goodworth had made arrangements for supper at 8.15 p.m., under the patronage of S. Peter at the Inn of the Cross Keys in his parish of Suttertoy, on the Great North Road. Oakworth was reached soon after 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning – all the pilgrims agreeing that the time had been all too short, and looking forward to coming again and bringing other people with them. top of page