Archbishop Vincent Nichols marks the 950th anniversary of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, with a glorious Mass at Westminster Cathedral

A special Mass was held at Westminster Cathedral this afternoon, to celebrate the 950th anniversary year of the apparition of Our Lady of Walsingham to Lady Richeldis de Faverches. Archbishop Vincent Nichols presided, and was joined by HE Archbishop Antonio Mennini (the new Papal Nuncio), Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark, Bishop Hlib Lonchyna (Ukrainian Exarch and Apostolic Visitor to the UK), a mitred Mgr Keith Newton (Ordinary of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham), as well as numerous other bishops, abbots, and priests.

There were also several Anglican clergymen from Walsingham in choir, including the Master of the Guardians of the Holy House, Bishop Martin Warner, and the Administrator of the Anglican Shrine, Bishop Lindsay Urwin OGS. The Cathedral itself was packed, and the congregation included the Sisters of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Papal knights and dames, members of the Council of the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and officers from the Walsingham Association Executive Committee. The statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, from the Slipper Chapel, was carried by consecrated members of the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, who were escorted to and from the sanctuary by the Guardians of the Holy House (Anglican Shrine).

Music for the event was directed by Nigel Kerry and was provided by the Choir of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs, Cambridge, and the Choir of the National Shrine at Walsingham. The Meridian Brass Ensemble also led various fanfares and complimented the organ, which was played by Peter Stevens, Assistant Master of Music at Westminster. Cathedral. The Kyrie and Gloria were taken from Byrd's Mass for Five Voices.

It was a truly joyful Mass, and a fitting way to begin six months of celebrations - which will end on the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, 24 September. Sadly, although many priests from the Diocese of East Anglia were at the event, Bishop Michael Evans was unable to attend, due to his severely ill health. He did send a message to all present, though, through the RC Shrine Director, Fr Alan Williams sm. In his brief message, Bishop Evans urged the congregation to "rejoice" with Our Lady. Fr Williams also invited all present to make a pilgrimage to Walsingham this year, to meditate on the theme, "Mary, Witness to the Good News".

The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was established in 1061 when a noblewoman, Richeldis de Faverches, prayed to God, asking for a means to honour Our Lady. In answer to her prayer, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Lady Richeldis, allowing her a vision of the holy house in Nazareth, where the Annunciation occurred. Mary then asked Richeldis to build a replica of this house in Walsingham, which would become Our Lady's national shrine. During the Middle Ages, Walsingham was given the title, "England's Nazareth" - becoming an important place of pilgrimage for kings and noblemen as well as artisans and the poor. The Shrine was destroyed during the English Reformation, but pilgrimages began again in 1897, after Pope Leo XIII blessed a new statue "for the restored ancient sanctuary of Our Lady of Walsingham".

Prayer of Erasmus to Our Lady of Walsingham

Alone of all women, Mother and Virgin, Mother most blessed, Virgin most pure, we salute you,we honour you as best we can with our humble offerings.

May your Son grant us, that imitating your most holy manners, we also, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, may deserve to conceive the Lord Jesus spiritually in our inmost soul, and once conceived never to lose him. Amen

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

St Catherine of Alexandria, pray for us.

St Lawrence of Rome, pray for us.

St Edward the Confessor, pray for us.

Links:

For more images from the day please see: Flickr Catholic Church (England and Wales).

The National Shrine: The RC National Shrine of Our Lady, Walsingham

[Images: Top: Archbishop Vincent Nichols with Our Lady of Walsingham; attributed and credited to Marcin Mazur © Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk at Flickr Catholic Church (England and Wales); source: Flickr. Middle Right: Canon Christopher Tuckwell, Administrator of Westminster Cathedral, with Our Lady of Walsingham; attributed and credited to Marcin Mazur © Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk at Flickr Catholic Church England and Wales; source: Flickr. Middle Left: Archbishop Vincent Nichols during the homily, with Our Lady of Walsingham in the foreground; attributed and credited to Marcin Mazur © Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk at Flickr Catholic Church (England and Wales); source: Flickr. Bottom: Our Lady of Walsingham at Westminster Cathedral; attributed and credited to Marcin Mazur © Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk at Flickr Catholic Church (England and Wales); source: Flickr. All images published according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Licence]