PRESS
RELEASE FROM THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY
For
Immediate Release
Bishop
Mark Davies attends Solemn Mass to mark end of LMS Pilgrimage to
Walsingham
Bishop
Mark Davies of Shrewsbury preached at the Solemn Mass offered to mark
the end of the Latin Mass Society’s 3rd
Annual Walking Pilgrimage to Walsingham on Sunday, 26 August. The
Mass was celebrated by Canon Olivier Meney, ICKSP, with Fr Bede Rowe
(the pilgrimage chaplain) as Deacon and Fr John Cahill as Sub-Deacon.
Gregorian Chant was provided throughout the pilgrimage by a schola
assembled from amongst the walking pilgrims and directed by Matthew
Schellhorn, who is also our Local Representative for Southwark North.
The
pilgrimage began with Sung Mass, celebrated by Fr Cahill, offered on
the Friday morning at St Etheldreda’s Catholic Church, Ely. The MC
was Rev James Mawdsley, one of the English seminarians studying with
the FSSP. Mass was followed by the traditional Pilgrims’ Blessing
given by Fr Rowe. A visit was then paid to Ely Anglican Cathedral to
prayer for the conversion of our separated brethren. By the end of
the afternoon, the pilgrims had been blessed with beautiful sunshine
and had reached their first billet at Stoke Ferry near King’s Lynn.
Sung
Mass on Saturday morning was in the family chapel at Oxburgh Hall, a
fifteenth-century moated manor house, which, although now owned by
the National Trust, is still lived in by the Bedingfield family whose
ancestors built it. Oxburgh has a long history as a centre of
recusancy and boasts its own priest’s hole, which pilgrims were
given the chance to visit after Mass.
The
pilgrims continued through Saturday, praying the Rosary, singing
hymns and songs, and getting absolutely soaked through as the heavens
opened and thunder and lightning let loose on the Norfolk landscape.
By the time the procession of pilgrims reached Harpley village, their
Saturday evening stop, spirits had recovered somewhat, which was
further aided by a visit to the Rose and Crown pub in the village.
Sunday
saw the last leg of the pilgrimage and the tired pilgrims reached
their destination of the Slipper Chapel. They were joined by a coach
full of people who had travelled from London for the day to attend
the final Mass in the Chapel of Reconciliation at the National
Catholic Shrine. Following Mass, Bishop Davies gave his blessing (in
Latin) to the pilgrims.
The
statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, which had been carried throughout
the final day of the pilgrimage led the procession of well over a
hundred people along the Holy Mile to the grounds and ruins of
Walsingham Abbey, the site of the Holy House of Nazareth, built by
the Lady Richeldis in 1061 and which, like the abbey, was destroyed
under Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. Prayers of
thanksgiving were offered by Fr Bede Rowe followed by veneration of
the statue of Our Lady.
LMS
General Manager, Mike Lord, said: ‘This year’s pilgrimage was the
most successful yet, with the number of participants rising to 70
from last year’s total of 30. This is very encouraging. Several
family groups joined us, which we were delighted about and, although
most pilgrims were young people, there was a good spread of ages.
Everyone was most impressed by two ladies aged 84 and 86 who
completed the walk.
‘We
are very grateful to Bishop Davies for agreeing to attend in
choro for the Solemn
Mass and for preaching. There are many other people who put in many
hours of work to make this event the great success it turned out to
be and we would like to thank them all.
‘We
hope that our pilgrimage, with the many prayers and personal
sacrifices of the pilgrims, and the Masses offered up during the
three days, will bring many graces upon England and assist in its
conversion.’
.
. . . ENDS . . . .
