Holy Rood Church, Swinton
A local church serving its community
Walsingham Trip
August 2007
Fun and Fellowship in Fenland
For three nights from Monday 13 August 2007 pilgrims from Holy Rood, St Mary Ellenbrook, Eccles Parish Church, and the Parish of Clifton enjoyed fun and fellowship at the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Norfolk. We were twenty-six pilgrims in all.
Walsingham has been a place of pilgrimage since the 11th Century when the Virgin Mary appeared to the Lady Richeldis, Lady of the Manor, and told her to build in Walsingham a replica of the Holy House of Nazareth. A Shrine was established and for centuries many thousands of pilgrims travelled to Walsingham from far and wide. Henry V111 destroyed the Shrine in the Middle Ages but in the 20th Century the Shrine and the village were restored as a place of pilgrimage. In the present day people seek peace and pray for healing and wholeness in Walsingham.
Whilst at the Shrine our group was able to share our own Eucharist in the Holy House and follow the devotions of the ‘Stations of the Cross’ within the grounds of the Shrine. We shared our own 1662 Prayer Book service at the ancient church at South Creake. Additionally, we offered our own private devotions, attended the Shrine Masses and shared fellowship with the many Roman Catholic pilgrims who visit the Anglican Shrine as well as their own.
Other visitors to Walsingham included people of other faiths and those who express no particular faith at all. Perhaps the most poignant and profound service was the Service of Reconciliation in the Anglican Shrine, with the laying on of hands, sprinkling of holy water, and prayer for healing and wholeness with anointing.
Importantly, we enjoyed great fun along the way. On the first night Les ate two dinners and never lived it down. Four older men were ‘joined at the hip’ and resembled characters from the Last of the Summer Wine TV set. Our younger pilgrims were often better behaved than us ‘oldies’ and made a great contribution to our fun and fellowship. They often showed us the ‘yellow card’ for being naughty though never the ‘red’. We knotted our hankies on the beach at Wells on Sea.
We returned from Walsingham refreshed and restored, with new views on faith and with a new vigour for sharing our experience. We all offer our sincere thanks to Wendy Rees for all her hard work in arranging the trip, and for being our ‘tour guide’ whilst we were there. When we go again we will post a message on our website and you will be most welcome to join us!
Les.
Office Address:
Holy Rood Church
Moorside Road
Swinton
Salford
M27 0HJ