Ecumenism prevails at pilgrimage to Walsingham shrine

by Christopher Howse
THE NATIONAL Anglican pilgrimage to Walsingham last Monday was more than ever an exercise in ecumenism. More than 8,000 pilgrims walked in procession through the narrow streets of the little Norfolk village behind a statue of Our Lady.
The theme of the pilgrimage was Catholic renewal. For the first time since the shrine's renovation in 1922, a Catholic bishop preached to the crowds attending the open-air service in the grounds of the ruined Abbey. Presiding was the Anglican Bishop of Norwich, Dr Maurice Wood.
In his sermon, Bishop Alan Clark of East Anglia looked to Mary as a source of unity for Christians. "It is in our prayerful reflection on the 'family connection', that we will discover the greatest secret of all the secrets of Walsingham — that, by the grace of her Son, she engenders as only a Mother can, brethren of one Faith and disciples of unity," he C oncluded.
He quoted a sentence from J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" to show that every man must attend to his own special task in life.
Pope John Paul had recently said: "Mary is the fullest expression of perfect faithfulness to the Holy Spirit and to his action in the soul: she is the expression of the faithfulness which means persevering co-operation in the grace of our vocation,"
The shrine at Walsingham was founded in 1061, and was visited by many English kings, including Henry VIII, until its destruction in 1538.
The Anglican shrine is built on the site of the old one, and has all the trappings of traditional Catholicism. There is a holy well, a replica of the Holy House of Nazareth, statues of Our Lady, confessionals and notices advertising the times of Mass and benediction.
The Catholic national shrine is at the Slipper Chapel, a mile away, where there is a small 14th century chapel and a covered altar in the field outside where hundreds of pilgrims come in May and the summer.
The simplicity of the Slipper Chapel contrasts strangely with the Disney-like ornateness of the Anglican shrine, where the bells play "Ave, Ave, Ave Maria" on the hour. But the faith of the thousands of pilgrims who came here on the Bank Holiday was genuine.