By the time you are reading this, our annual September Pilgrimage group will be in Norfolk, where the centre of this year’s visit is to the English National shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham. However, like every other of the 25 years the group has travelled, we are visiting other places of spiritual or cultural (or fun) interest too!
We arrived on Friday at King’s Lynn, where we are staying for the week. On Saturday we visit Norwich, for Mass in the Catholic cathedral and a visit to the Norman Anglican cathedral and city, and especially to the shrine of Dame Julian of Norwich, the famous medieval mystic. On Sunday we visit the pretty seaside resort of Wells-next-the Sea. After Mass and a stroll around, we move on to the local stately home, Holkham Hall.
Monday finds us at the heart of our pilgrimage – at Walsingham itself. We will join the other pilgrims for midday Mass at the modern Reconciliation Church next to the Slipper Chapel, and visit the other beautiful places of interest and spiritual tradition. On Tuesday we visit the world famous university city of Cambridge. There we will see some of the sights, including King’s College Chapel, home of the famous Christmas Carol Service. We will join the community at the Catholic University Chaplaincy, Fisher House, for Mass with the Chaplain, who will also speak to us about St John Fisher, former Chancellor of the University and martyr with St Thomas More.
On Wednesday we spend time, including Mass, at the traditional resort of Hunstanton, before checking out the Queen’s country retreat at Sandringham. On our last day we go to the small cathedral city of Ely, where we will combine Mass at the local Catholic church with a visit to the second great Norman cathedral on our pilgrimage. This is dominated by its marvel of medieval architecture and engineering, the Octagon, built when the central tower collapsed.
As always, our outward pilgrimage will hopefully lead us to the real, inner journey, where, with the intercession of Our Lady of Walsingham and saints like John Fisher and Julian of Norwich, we will draw just a little closer to the Father of Mercy and his Redeemer Son. We will be praying for all your intentions.
Fr Matthew