Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham facts for kids
The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is a special church in Walsingham, Norfolk, England. It was built in 1938 by the Church of England. Walsingham is famous because people believe the Virgin Mary appeared there in 1061 to a noblewoman named Richeldis de Faverches. Because of this, Mary is honored at this place with the title "Our Lady of Walsingham."
Contents
A Look Back in Time
The First Shrine
Richeldis de Faverches was an English noblewoman who started the first shrine to Our Lady in Walsingham. Her son, Lord Geoffrey de Faverches, left the Holy House and its land to his chaplain, Edwin. This was so a religious community could care for the chapel. Later, between 1146 and 1174, Augustinian Canons took over the care of the Priory.
As it became harder to travel to faraway holy places like Jerusalem during the Crusades, Walsingham became a very important place for pilgrims. People would travel there for religious journeys, just like they would to Rome or Santiago da Compostela. A famous scholar named Erasmus visited the shrine around 1512. By then, people believed angels had built the shrine in the late 1000s as a copy of Mary's house in Nazareth. Sadly, King Henry VIII destroyed the shrine in 1538, and the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham was burned.
Bringing Pilgrimage Back
In 1921, Father Alfred Hope Patten became the Church of England Vicar of Walsingham. He was very interested in bringing back the old pilgrimage tradition. He had an idea to create a new statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. This new statue looked like the one shown on the old medieval priory's seal.
In 1922, the new statue was placed in the Parish Church of St Mary. Soon, people started coming regularly to pray there. From the very first night the statue was in place, people gathered to pray, asking Mary to join her prayers with theirs.
Throughout the 1920s, more and more pilgrims came. To help them, the Pilgrim Hospice was opened. A hospice is a place that offers hospitality and a place to stay for pilgrims. In 1931, a new Holy House was built inside a small pilgrimage church. The statue was moved there with a special ceremony. In 1938, this church was made even bigger to become the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. The larger church was blessed on Whit Monday. Since then, a big pilgrimage has taken place every year on that day. Since 1959, this event has been known as the National Pilgrimage.
During World War II, Walsingham was a restricted area, so visitors couldn't come. But in May 1945, American soldiers organized the first Mass (a Christian church service) in the Priory grounds since the time of the Reformation.
Father Patten was both the Vicar of Walsingham and the priest in charge of the Anglican shrine until he passed away in 1958. Enid Chadwick also helped by creating artwork for the shrine.
The Shrine Today
The shrine church was made much larger in the 1960s. The church has a holy well that many believe has healing powers. When people receive water from the holy well, it's often done with the laying on of hands and anointing (a special blessing with oil). People often take water from the well home to share with their family and friends.
The shrine grounds are quite large. They include the shrine church, beautiful gardens, several smaller chapels, a place to eat called a refectory, a café, and a shrine shop. There's also a visitors' centre, the Pilgrim Hall, a greenhouse called an orangery, and the College (where priests who help at the shrine stay). Many different buildings are available for pilgrims to stay overnight.
Groups Connected to the Shrine
Many groups are officially connected to the shrine and help with its work. These include:
- The Association of Priests Associate of the Holy House: This group started in 1931. It's for priests who promise to offer Mass for the shrine. They also have special benefits when they visit. Since 2011, deacons (another type of church leader) can also join. There are about 2,000 members. Members wear a special badge.
- The Society of Our Lady of Walsingham: This group started in 1925. Its members meet in local groups around the world and pray for the shrine. They promise to say the Angelus prayer every day to remember the Shrine.
- The Order of Our Lady of Walsingham: This group was founded in 1953. People are invited to join as a reward for their service to the shrine. They have special benefits at Walsingham and meet once a year. There are about 60 members.
- The College of Guardians of the Shrine: This group is in charge of running the shrine. There are 20 Guardians, who can be priests or regular church members. They are the trustees of the Shrine and its charity. They wear special robes and a blue velvet cloak.
Leaders of the Shrine
Here is a list of the priests who have been in charge of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham:
- Fr Alfred Hope Patten (1938 to 1958); he was the founder
- Fr John Colin Stephenson (1958 to 1968)
- Fr Charles David Smith (1968 to 1972)
- Fr Alan Vincent Careful (1973 to 1981)
- Canon Christopher Colven (1981 to 1986)
- Fr Roy Fellows (1987 to 1993)
- Fr Martin Warner (1993 to 2002)
- Fr Philip North (2002 to 2008)
- The Rt Revd Lindsay Urwin (2009 to 2015)
- Fr Kevin Smith (2016 to present)
