« Pilgrimage to Walsingham »

From 18th to 21st May, a group of parishioners from Oxford and nearby parishes made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. Walsingham – “England’s Nazareth” – is m the best loved holy place associated with the Mother of God in England. For centuries, pilgrims have flocked there to ask for her prayerful help, ever since she appeared in the 11th century and asked a local noble woman, Richeldis,, to build a copy of her “holy house” in Nazareth.

Our pilgrims began their journey at Brixworth, near Northampton, with Vespers in the ancient Saxon basilica, one of the oldest complete churches in England, dating from 680AD.

After a night in Peterborough, we begun our day with prayers in Peterborough Cathedral, before going on to visit Crowland Abbey, where we served a molieben and sang the Akathist in honour of St Guthlac of Crowland, who in the seventh century lived a life of severe asceticism and wonder working, mirroring the life of St Anthony of Egypt. There was also an opportunity to venerate the holy skull of St Theodore, Abbot of Crowland, martyred with his monks by the Vikings in the ninth century.

In the afternoon, the pilgrims arrived in Walsingham, where we were were lodged in the comfortable pilgrim accommodation at the Anglican shrine. After a welcome from Mother Melangell, sacristan of the Orthodox chapel within the shrine church, and supper, the local orthodox theologian professor Marcus Plested, delivered a lecture in which we heard all about the history of Walsingham and in particular the work of Archimandrite David and the Brotherhood of St Seraphim, who laboured for many years to witness to Orthodoxy and the veneration of the British saints, especially through their iconography and the composition of liturgical texts.

On Tuesday 20th May, there was a blessing of the waters at the Holy Well within the shrine church, after which the pilgrims made their way to the Slipper Chapel (the Roman Catholic shrine). This is the place where, in ancient times, pilgrims would stop to remove their shoes (slippers), before walking the final mile into Walsingham barefoot. Our pilgrims walked the ‘Holy Mile’ - but lost kept their shoes on.

On returning to Walsingham we visited the ruins of Walsingham Abbey and the site of the original Holy House, destroyed by King Henry VIII in 1538.

In the afternoon, we visited local Orthodox churches - St Seraphim’s (where we served a molieben to St Seraphim and visited the icon museum) and Holy Transfiguration, where we were warmly welcomed by the parish priest, Fr Christopher. After a visit to the seaside at nearby Wells-next-the-Sea, we returned to Walsingham for supper and vespers.

The final day, Wednesday 21st May, was the the culmination of our pilgrimage, with the celebration of a special Divine Liturgy on the feast of St John the Theologian. The day marked the eightieth anniversary of the consecration of the Orthodox chapel within the shrine church, but we were invited to serve at the high altar of the shrine church - a kindness, as the Orthodox chapel is rather small.

At the end of the Liturgy, Fr Stephen thanked very warmly Fr Ben Eadon, Administrator of the shrine, for all the kindness shown to the our group, and to the wider community of Orthodox pilgrims to Walsingham, and for the opportunity to serve at the shrine.

After lunch, we served a final molieben and sung the Akathist to the Walsingham Icon of the Mother of God (the composition of Archpriest Philip Steer), before departing for home.

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