Pilgrims first made their way to Walsingham in the 11th century, after word spread that a noblewoman had seen a vision in which the Virgin Mary asked her to erect a house in the village replicating the place where the Annunciation occurred. The resulting Shrine was visited by every king from Richard I to Henry VIII, and Walsingham has been called “England’s Nazareth.” It was Mary’s promise in the vision that “whoever seeks my help there will never go away empty-handed.”
The contemporary Pilgrimage day begins with a procession from the Shrine Church to the meadow where the glassless east window of the old Abbey (destroyed in the Reformation) stands. Mass is celebrated at noon and followed by a picnic on the lawn. Following lunch this year, a sermon was preached by Bishop Lindsay Urwin, who has recently become the episcopal Administrator of the Shrine.
At 2:30 p.m., the procession returned through the streets, which are still lined with medieval buildings. Then, according to an online account, “Pilgrims crammed into the gardens as Bishop Jack Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth, brought the Sacrament from the Shrine Church to the altar of Lights.” Bishop Iker also stopped to say thanks to the youth of the Sea Cadets, who are part of the official procession party. The Pilgrimage ended with a rededication of the main arch into the Shrine grounds.
For a story on this year's National Pilgrimage and the text of Bishop Urwin’s sermon, see http://www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk/welcome/the_national_pilgrimage.htm.
For more on Walsingham and the Pilgrimage, see http://www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk
Archival photos of Walsingham sites can be found at http://www.francisfrith.com/walsingham/photos/
