Our Lady of Walsingham

The Ordinariate in the UK is The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, established under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman. The choice of its dedication and patronage was made by Pope Benedict himself when he established the Ordinariate.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is in Norfolk and is a place which draws Pilgrims today from all over the world. There is a strong Anglican tradition of Pilgrimage and a thriving Shine, as well as the nearby Roman Catholic shrine . . . and these days both Shrines work closely together in as many ways as possible.

In the eleventh century the village of Little Walsingham was a thriving place, located mid-way between Norwich (then England's second city) and the wealthy town of King's Lynn, and it was here that Richeldis de Faverches lived. She was a Saxon noblewoman, married to the Lord of the Manor of Walsingham Parva.

We also know that Richeldis had a deep faith in God and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and had a reputation for good works in care and generosity towards those around her.

Around this time there was a great deal of interest in the Holy Land with people going on long and dangerous pilgrimages. For Richeldis, her life of prayer and good works was rewarded by a vision in the year 1061 in which she was taken by Mary and shown the house in Nazareth where Gabriel had announced the news of the birth of Jesus. Mary asked Richeldis to build an exact replica of that house in Walsingham. This is how Walsingham became known as England's Nazareth.

The vision was repeated three times, according to legend, retold through a fifteenth century ballad. Even more amazing ... the materials given by Richeldis were finally constructed miraculously one night into the Holy House, while she kept a vigil of prayer. In passing on his guardianship of the Holy House, Geoffrey de Faverches left instructions for the building of a Priory in Walsingham and the Priory passed into the care of Augustinian Canons somewhere between 1146 and 1174.

It was this Priory, housing the simple wooden structure Richeldis had been asked to build, which became the focus of pilgrimage to Walsingham. Royal patronage helped the Shrine to grow in wealth and popularity, receiving visits from Henry III, Edward II, Edward III, Henry IV, Edward IV, Henry VII and Henry VIII, who finally brought about its destruction in 1538.

After nearly four hundred years, the 20th century saw the restoration of pilgrimage to Walsingham as a regular feature of Christian life in these islands and beyond. In 1897, there was a Roman Catholic pilgrimage to the restored 14th century Slipper Chapel, now at the centre of the Roman Catholic National Shrine.

Fr Alfred Hope Patten, who was appointed as Vicar of Walsingham in 1921, decided to have a new statue of Our Lady of Walsingham created, based on the image depicted on the seal of the medieval Priory. In 1922, this statue was set up in the Parish Church of St Mary and regular pilgrimages began again.

Throughout the 1920s the trickle of pilgrims became a flood of large numbers, and continues to this day. Walsingham is a very special place and today witnesses the coming together of Christians from many traditions to honour Our Lady of Walsingham.