Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham

Historical Background:

The story of Our Lady of Walsingham begins in the quiet English village of Walsingham, near the North Norfolk coast. It has been part of Britain's religious heritage for over nine hundred years. Walsingham even boasts the proud title, "England's Nazareth"!

In the year 1061, the lady of the manor, a certain Richeldis, had a vision in which the Blessed Virgin Mary asked her to build a replica of the house at Nazareth where Jesus spent his formative years. This was to be a simple wooden structure to which the people of England could come to reflect on the Incarnation and experience the strengthening of their faith.

In the centuries that followed, Walsingham became a pilgrimage center of great fame. The village today shows the signs of the eminence it once had in the ruins of a great Augustinian priory and a Franciscan friary.

Because of the popularity of Walsingham as a place of pilgrimage and prayer in medieval times, the title "OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM" was given to the Mother of Jesus. She has, of course, lots of titles, many of them relating to holy places where she has manifested herself in apparitions or visions.

To Walsingham came nobles and beggars, saints and sinners. Almost every king of England visited the shrine at least once during his reign. So famous was Walsingham in medieval times that it was commonly asserted that the Milky Way pointed to it! It was the most frequented shrine in the whole of England, not to be rivaled even by that of Saint Thomas of Canterbury, which drew pilgrims from all over Europe. Remarkable miracles and hearings were associated with Walsingham was indeed chosen by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself as the place in England where she wished the Mystery of the Incarnation to be especially honored.

However, in the 1530s, as the Reformation in England soared, the shrine was suppressed. For 300 years Walsingham stood as a quiet village, the throngs no longer journeyed to the Holy House of Prayer. Along with all of the other monastic foundations, there was little hope for the once lively place of prayer and contemplation. From the time of the vandalism perpetrated by King Henry VIII until the early part of this century, Walsingham remained a charming backwater.

In 1921 a new Parish Priest was assigned to Walsingham. His name was Father Alfred Hope Patten. He began to research the medieval history of his parish. With the help of his people, he set about to restore the Shrine of Our Lady. He had a statue carved, a replica of the one that had been burned in Henry VIII's time. In 1922 this was placed in the Parish Church, and organized devotion to OLW was restored. In the early years a trickle of people came to join the villagers in their prayers and praises; but Walsingham seems to touch an emotive note in the religious consciousness of people, and soon the trickle became a river and then a flood!

In the 1930s, new shrine buildings were erected, housing sixteen altars in various chapels, as well as a replica of the Holy House based on the pattern and dimensions of the one set up by Richeldis in 1061.

Today, Walsingham has significance to Anglicans throughout the communion. Many have found great strength from visits to this holy place. The sense of holiness and prayer has inspired churches to set up places of devotion in their local situations. The image of OLW can be found in places as varied as the Episcopal Cathedral in Salt Lake City to the Anglican Cathedral at Popondelta, Papua New Guinea, and the Cathedral in Lusaka, Zambia.

The image: The statue is in the direct tradition of the great theological images of Our Lord's Mother. She is enthroned and crowned, drawing attention to the Holy Child sitting on her knee. Her right hand holds a lily scepter, emblem of her purity. Her feet rest upon a "toadstone," symbolizing the uncleanness of evil. The throne is adorned with two pillars, encircled by bands, three on one side and four on the other, representing the Seven Sacraments, and the top of the back-piece is rounded like a rainbow. Her Divine Son, with a cruciform halo, clasps in his left hand the Book of the Gospels, signifying that the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us. His right hand is stretched out in protection and blessing. For more information on OLW you may want to visit the World Wide Web at: http://www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk

At Saint John's:

The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was erected on the Feast of the Assumption, 1998. It was made possible by donations from parishioners and friends of the parish who wanted to honor special women in their lives. A plaque with the names of these women is mounted near the Shrine.  The Shrine is located at the entrance to the Lady Chapel.