Walsingham 2010
(The account (which follows the slideshow) may be a bit different for different members of the group.)
Arriving at Little Walsingham on 6th March, our first stop was the 14th century Slipper Chapel. This was historically the last wayside chapel before pilgrims arrived at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. They would walk the last mile barefoot. Today it is the Roman Catholic National Shrine to Our Lady. After visiting the Holy Ghost Chapel next door, a short drive into the village was followed by lunch in the restaurant at the Anglican Shrine.
Moving on to the Anglican Shrine Church, we passed a representation of the Holy Sepulchre, stations of the cross, and near life-size crucifixes. In the church itself, we visited the Holy House. There is a little Orthodox chapel on the first floor, where the congregational space includes the landing at the top of the stairs. Also in the church is a relic of the True Cross.
We then went for a walk through the village to St Seraphim Orthodox Church, passing the surviving gatehouse of the priory. The church was converted from a railway station, platform still intact. It’s other features include an onion dome, and a beautiful icon of the Most Holy Mother of God of Walsingham. After calling at one of the shops in the village we had to get back to the Orthodox chapel for Great Vespers.
After the service we collected some water from the well in the Shrine Church. It is thought that the spring could be that which miraculously appeared near the original Holy House, and was associated with miraculous cures. We then proceeded to the café beneath the restaurant and called off at St Mary’s Parish Church before leaving for home.
For more about Walsingham:
The Orthodox Presence in Little Walsingham, Norfolk by Fr Philip Steer
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