Contents. Watch live broadcasts from the Basilica of Our Lady at Walsingham. For more information, visit

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2 Contents. Letter from the Rector New Shrine Administrator Pilgrimage News Walsingham Association The story of Walsingham Support Sister Wendy Renate RIP Pilgrim s poem National Draw Winners Support the Basilica Prayers Watch live broadcasts from the Basilica of Our Lady at Walsingham For more information, visit

3 Welcome Dear Friends, When is the building work going to start Father? I have been asked this question many times since I arrived at Walsingham but I still don t know the answer. So I thought I would give you a broad idea of how the developments are progressing. The aim of the Walsingham Trust is to ensure that the facilities at the Shrine for day pilgrims and in the village at Elmham House for residential pilgrims are up to date with present day requirements, and expectations. Mgr John Armitage The proposals for the Shrine are to provide adequate shelter in the case Rector of rain, larger facilities for catering, a pilgrim hall where groups can meet, a new shop and toilets. In addition we are looking to make alterations to the Chapel of Our Lady of Reconciliation, to create more seating, and to build a new sacristy. As you know we have been blessed with a wonderful donation of 4 million to help with the building works; in addition the same Trust fund will be paying for a major new work of mosaic art in the Chapel and around the Shrine. At Elmham House, we now have plans drawn up for the rebuilding of the 1980 s block behind Friday Market. We did look to see if we could refurbish this block but our architects advised us that it would be more cost effective to rebuild. Once we have the final plans we will be able to get an accurate idea of the cost of the rebuild. The plans will be presented to North Norfolk Council for approval in due course. The building work will of course depend on us raising further money. During the period of re-building we will still be open to welcome parish pilgrimages as we have identified additional accommodation that can be used during the re-build. One piece of building news I can give you is that our new Retreat Centre in the High Street which will be known as Dowry House will be completed in autumn, and be open by the end of the year. I am delighted to inform you that the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham will be living in the house and will be running the Dowry Retreat on behalf of the Shrine. The retreat house is open for individuals and small groups to come for a time of prayer and peace. There will also be organised retreats which will be publicised in the Newsletter and the Catholic press. So this year we started our Major Fundraising for Walsingham. The Bishops have agreed to a one off collection in all parishes in September of this year, so please encourage your parish priests when this comes up to promote the collection and please also encourage your fellow parishioners to support the collection, tell them of your experiences of Walsingham and invite them to come on pilgrimage. We are applying to various Trust Funds to support us, and have produced a fundraising leaflet which you will find in this mailing to encourage people to support the Shrine by regular giving. So as you can see there is much happening in the background and in the not too distant future we pray that work may begin. So please pray that as Our Lady once asked Richeldis to build a replica of her Holy House, we may continue to build a shrine where all who wish to come to Walsingham in remembrance of Our Lady s Annunciation may be welcomed today and in the years to come. With my blessing and prayers for you and your families. 02

4 Our new Shrine Administrator Our new Shrine Administrator Dear Friends, As some of you Nick Clovis may already Shrine Administrator know, Nick Clovis has been appointed as our new Shrine Administrator. Nick, who studied Artificial Intelligence and has over 10 years experience in transforming businesses, moved from London to Walsingham in 03 early 2015, looking for a quiet life. He and his wife Annelies followed a call from Our Lady, a request they couldn t refuse. At that time, they had no idea about the development plans and the future of the Shrine. It later transpired that they had come up only two days after Mgr John Armitage had moved into the village for the start of his role as the new Rector at the Shrine. Although Nick and Mgr John had never met before, they got on immediately, and there went the plans for a quiet life. Nick spent the first year enthusiastically assisting the work of the Shrine and was eventually appointed administrator in order to assist in the transformation. Nick shares the vision for the Shrine and the plans to develop the pilgrim experience, to upgrade the current service and facilities and to become a centre for the New Evangelisation. His focus this year is on a new booking system for the Shrine s own accommodation, Elmham House, as well as assisting with various accounting processes, upgrading the current communication system and IT infrastructure, facilitating the Shrine s web presence and assisting Mgr John in devising fundraising strategies. On a personal level, Nick and his family have a great devotion to Our Lady, and they feel very blessed that they are given the opportunity to serve Our Lord and His Mother here in Walsingham. He is one of ten children, two of whom are currently studying for the priesthood in Italy. Nick and Annelies have 6 children, of which the youngest, Maximilian, was born at the end of May, and was recently baptised at the Basilica. Their eldest son Joshua serves daily at the Shrine s Pilgrim Mass, and their three daughters help regularly with collections on Sundays and during pilgrimages. Nick s new role as a d m i n i s t r a t o r carries various responsibilities, but he knows that with the help of Our Lord and the intercession of His mother, the Shrine s work will be successful.

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6 Pilgrimage News Pilgrimage News Dear Friend, The pilgrimage season at the National Shrine this year has already seen many truly remarkable days, with ever increasing numbers of pilgrims and some firsts at the Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham. There is no doubt that the granting of Basilica status to the Shrine by Pope Francis on the Feast of the Holy Family, 27 th Dec 2015, in recognition of the importance of the Shrine in the 05 spiritual life of England and of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, with the Holy Door into the Slipper Chapel, have drawn more pilgrims to Walsingham, many of them for the first time. The Shrine s spiritual pathway includes seven steps: walk the Holy Mile or Pilgrim Way; pray the Stations of Mercy; receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation; receive Holy Communion; enter through the Holy Door; offer a petition in the Slipper Chapel and both pray the Rosary as well as light a candle. Several pilgrims have commented to me how very helpful and prayerful the Stations of Mercy are. Small prayer cards are available for each of the steps. The firsts have included when Mass was celebrated in four different languages: English, Latin, Polish and Malayalam (the main language of Kerala, South India) and in three different rites: the Roman Rite, the Extraordinary Form and the Syro Malabar Rite all on the same day! What a wonderful witness to the universal church. Then within a three day period, we had a pilgrim group from Perth, Australia and then Indonesia, though I hasten to add that they did not come for the day! The Perth pilgrims were members of the Perth Cathedral congregation and the Indonesian pilgrims were members of the Ordinariate of the Southern Cross, which in fact is administered from Australia. The two groups had travelled a combined distance of 16, 000 miles to come to the Shrine. As usual the pilgrimage season began on Palm Sunday with the pilgrimage of the Filipino Community. Pilgrims assembled at the Anglican Shrine where they were welcomed by the administrator, Fr Philip Barnes and I am most grateful to the staff of the Anglican Shrine for always making our pilgrims so welcome. We then processed down the Pilgrim Way with the lovely statues and tableaux of scenes from Holy Week. The Filipino Community do not observe the restriction on flowers during Lent and the figures are all garlanded. When I said to a pilgrim how wonderful the flowers were she said that they were nothing compared to those in the processions in the Philippines and that I should travel to see them; hopefully one day! The first day pilgrimage of the Tamil Community in May, saw increased numbers of almost eight thousand pilgrims. One coach had even come all the way from Yorkshire for the day. Diocesan Pilgrimages so far have been those of East Anglia, Salford, Birmingham, Brentwood and Northampton led by either their diocesan bishops or in the case

7 Pilgrimage News of the Archdiocese of Birmingham by Bishop Robert Byrne Cong. Orat. It is always a pleasure to welcome our diocesan bishop, Bishop Alan Hopes and he gives such tremendous support to the Shrine. Both Brentwood and Birmingham have changed the format of their day, owing to increased numbers. After Mass during the afternoon they both used to process along the Pilgrims Way to Elmham House Gardens for Vespers and Benediction. The gardens can no longer accommodate their numbers and so they now process along the Holy Mile to the Priory Grounds. This also means that prayers can be said at the site of the original shrine, the site being marked by an engraved stone. There is a charge to go into the grounds as it is privately owned but it is a very special moment to pray at the site and receive Benediction with the backdrop of the sole surviving massive East end arch of the Priory, the so called lonely arch. I would like to thank the staff of the Walsingham Estate who are always so very helpful in making arrangements to use the grounds. The Dominican Pilgrimage was led by the Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Revd Malcolm McMahon OP. Coaches came from London, Oxford and Cambridge. At the end of Mass the Shrine Rector, Mgr John Armitage, presented Fr Thomas Skeats OP with a lovely statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. Fr Skeats is the parish priest of Our Lady of the Rosary, St Dominic s Priory, Haverstock Hill, London. Cardinal Nichols this year has declared St Dominic s Priory a Shrine and so the statue was a gift from England s National Shrine to England s newest shrine. Other pilgrimages have included the Catholic Deaf Association. Mass was celebrated by Bishop Paul Hendricks, auxiliary Bishop of Southwark. Bishop Paul signs the Mass, though he confided in me that he was able to do some revision on his laptop during the coach journey! The Day with Mary was well supported and there was a very busy programme which included the crowning of the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, Mass, outdoor procession of the Blessed 06 Sacrament and enrolment in the brown scapular. The National Association of Catholic Families spent the last weekend of May at the Shrine, either camping in the fields around the Shrine or staying at Elmham House. This year they invited Cardinal Leo Burke to preside at a low pontifical Mass in the extraordinary form celebrated in the Chapel of Reconciliation on the Saturday afternoon. Cardinal Burke then presided at the Pilgrim Mass on the Sunday and in the afternoon there was a Eucharistic Procession along the Pilgrim Way to Elmham House gardens. This was followed by the opportunity to bid farewell to the Cardinal over refreshments served in Elmham House. Another feature of this year is that there have been an increasing number of pilgrimages from Syro Malabar parishes and groups. The United Kingdom Knanaya Catholic Chaplaincy have their own pilgrimage and there have also been Syro Malabar pilgrimages from Peterborough and two from Broadstairs. A particular feature of their pilgrimages is the colourful processions that take place before Mass with highly coloured and decorated umbrellas and large and elaborate processional crosses. The National Syro Malabar Pilgrimage is yet to come. Of course these are not only day pilgrimages. Over sixty groups have stayed at Elmham

8 Pilgrimage News House this year already, including 07 parish groups, Walsingham Association groups and Catholic societies. Their daily programme focuses on time spent at the Shrine and services in the parish church next to the accommodation. Some groups have a day or an afternoon out. There is the option of having Mass in the chapel at Oxburgh Hall, the home of the Bedingfeld family, complete with a priest s hole or of Mass in the ruins of Castle Acre Priory. Time spent on the coast say at Cromer or Sheringham is popular or a visit to a local stately home such as Holkham Hall or Houghton Hall. Groups also organise social evenings at Elmham House and a visit to the Black Lion next to the accommodation has been known! Families are very welcome and there are family rooms available. Others decide to book independently from a group or parish. You are all welcome! If you have any questions about staying in Walsingham, coming on pilgrimage or any suggestions or comments do please contact me either by pilcoord@walsingham.org.uk or phone With my prayers and best wishes from the National Shrine, Julian Foord Pilgrimage Coordinator Become a Volunteer The Shrine relies heavily on the wonderful team of helpers and stewards who volunteer throughout the year. Their assistance is invaluable to us. Due to the expansion of the Shrine, we would warmly welcome further volunteers to help with the Shrine pilgrimage events. This will include staffing our retail and refreshment stalls during our major pilgrimages of the season. If you would be interested in further information and an informal chat, please contact us at volunteers@walsingham.org.uk or call We look forward to hearing from you How else can you help the Shrine? You could also help the Shrine by joining the Walsingham Association, shopping online or in-store at the Slipper Chapel and Ora et Labora shops, organising a day pilgrimage or a residential pilgrimage at Elmham House, making a donation towards our development project and by praying for the staff and pilgrims. Thank you for your support

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10 Walsingham Association Dear Member, I do hope that 2016 has been a good year for you so far. I am sure that it has had its challenges as well as its joys but the Year of Mercy has been and continues to be a wonderful source of joy and has helped put life into perspective and establish priorities. Of course I have the joy of living near the Shrine but do remember that you can 09 Walsingham Association watch the daily Pilgrim Mass and homily streamed on the Shrine website I am well aware that many members do not have access to a computer but several do. I have had a letter from two members who live in Malta who watch the daily Mass and a phone call from a member who lives in the West Country who also watches daily and her neighbour, a Methodist, sometimes joins her. As a very recent convert to the whole world of the internet and information technology as my nineteen and sixteen year old children constantly remind me! it has taken me time to master the basics but there is often a member of the family who can help and a basic laptop computer can now be bought for about 200 and a second hand one from a reputable shop is less. For those who do not wish to go down this route, I do hope that the newsletter helps you feel close to the Shrine. A lovely piece of news to share with you is that we now have our first Association branch overseas. A branch has been established based at the Church of St John the Evangelist, Calgary, Ontario, Canada. This is very much thanks to the initiative of Fr Lee Kenyon VF and I do thank him for this tremendous support. After the dreadful wildfire that caused so much damage to the town of Fort McMurray and affected almost 20,000 square miles of forest in Ontario, Mgr John Armitage offered Mass for the people of Fort McMurray. It was very special to feel that the National Shrine of England was able to hold the people of Fort McMurray in its prayers. I had the great pleasure of staying for the weekend as a guest of the Peterborough Branch of the Association. I stayed with Canon John Minh, the parish priest of St Luke s, Peterborough. Father is one of the new Canons of St John s Cathedral, Norwich, where the College of Canons was only recently established. Canon John is not only the parish priest of a large parish but known for his work in prisons and I was heartened to hear from him that he enjoys good relations with the Muslim Chaplains. I spoke on four occasions, at a branch lunch and then after three Masses in three different churches and I am most grateful to the parish priests for allowing me to do this. We had the hundredth member sign up after Mass and the committee then kindly invited me to lunch to celebrate. I did have a lovely photograph of the committee but I am afraid that I have just discovered that I have somehow managed to delete it. Perhaps my waistline was too prominent?! My thanks to the committee for their hospitality. If any branch would like me to speak to their members do please let me know. An added bonus of my visit was that I was taken to Peterborough Cathedral to visit the

11 Walsingham Association grave of Catherine of Aragon. I have never had the nerve to go to the cathedral myself as I have always had to contend with the nightmare of all the ring roads, (it is rumoured that the total amount of the ring roads is over sixty miles), making my way to the centre of the city, and then not being able to make my way out of the city! It was very moving to pray at Catherine of Aragon s grave. I was interested to learn that there is a Catholic Mass yearly in the cathedral and that the Spanish ambassador visits the grave every year. I was also amused to be looked after by a very helpful lady in the cathedral shop, who was Catholic. The Spring Meeting Weekend was a great success. It was a particular pleasure to welcome Dr John Ashdown-Hill as our guest for the weekend and as our guest speaker on Saturday afternoon. John is a long standing member of the Association and he was responsible for proving that the bones found under a car park in Leicester were those of Richard III. John traced a descendant of King Richard through the female line and took her DNA and was able to match this with the bones. Needless to say his presentation on this work was absolutely fascinating. A very big thank you to all members who have been so generous in making donations either to the daily maintenance of the Shrine or to the Development Fund. I know that Mgr Armitage really appreciates the work and support of the Association. Several members have already booked for the WA Retreat from Tuesday 8 th to Friday 11 th November. If you would like to come, do please phone, or write to me. Fr Tim Bugby has a very good reputation as a retreat leader. You are most welcome to introduce a friend to the Association Retreat. The cost is 124 for a standard room and 191 for an en suite room which includes all meals. I am also delighted to share the wonderful news that our guests of honour at the AGM Dinner are Sir Henry and Lady Mary Bedingfeld who live at Oxburgh Hall and make our members who have Mass 10 in their chapel so welcome. They will talk after dinner on Life at Oxburgh which should be very interesting from their perspective. The Bedingfelds have lived at Oxburgh Hall since Tudor times. Did you spot the deliberate error in the March newsletter? I am afraid that the booking form for the AGM Weekend from the 11 th to 13 th November, stated it as the Spring Meeting although the dates were correct - the dangers of copy and paste! If you would like to book for the AGM meeting, just return the form or again give me a ring or . You will find enclosed some tickets for the National Draw. I would be very grateful if you could support the Shrine by selling as many tickets as you can. The Draw does a great deal to support the work of the Shrine. Please see last year s winners and the amount raised printed separately in this newsletter. Do please contact me if ever I can be of help. You may have a query or suggestion. I look forward to hearing from you. With my prayers and best wishes from Walsingham, Julian Foord National Secretary

12 Walsingham Support The Story of Walsingham Support Walsingham Support, a national disability charity that was founded in its locational namesake, is celebrating 30 years of supporting people with disabilities in Originally called Walsingham Community Homes, the charity was set up in 1986 to provide accommodation and support for people with learning disabilities in small, locally based Christian-run homes. 11 The idea of forming a charity was first discussed by founder and current Honorary President Mark Snell in 1984, while on an away day in Walsingham, Norfolk, with colleagues from the organisation he worked for at the time, the Pastoral Office for Handicapped People (POHP). An agency of Westminster diocese, POHP was supported by many parents who had children with learning disabilities and were concerned as to who would support their children when they could no longer support them. Mark explains: We recognised that the church was not going to be able to undertake this work and we talked around many solutions. Around 18 months later my contract with the diocese came to an end and the time had come for me to seek another job. With the support of family, church leaders and a small group of parents, Mark decided to see if it was possible to set up a charity. His first thought was what it should be called. I set off to drive to the POHP offices in Hendon, but on a whim I ended up travelling to Walsingham instead. I spent the day there and on visiting the Catholic and Anglican Shrines, I noticed that both were devoted to Christian unity. It then occurred to me that people with learning disabilities had an intuitive belief in God. As such I felt that they had an important role in bringing churches together and that an appropriate name for the charity would be Walsingham. Community Homes was later added to the name, with the hope that the homes the charity opened would become communities. I returned home that evening happy that we had found a great name and with the support of the shrine, Our Lady of Walsingham, had every chance of making the charity a success. Choosing the name was the easy part, however, as the charity didn t become a success overnight. It would be 18 months before Walsingham Community Homes would open its first service in Watford, and a lack of funding meant that the charity came very close to folding even before getting started. Call it divine intervention, luck or chance, Walsingham Community Homes was thrown an unexpected, lifeline by the nuns at the Poor Clares monastery in Arkley, Barnet. I had never heard of the nuns until a letter from them arrived in the post with an enclosed cheque for 5,000 - says Mark. The money had been bequeathed to them and while their monastery needed maintenance, they felt that our need was greater than theirs. The money

13 Walsingham Support was a gift but they said that if we were ever in a position to repay it, they would be grateful. To this day I do not know how they heard of us or of our plight at the time. The money saw us through to the opening of our first service and we were able to repay them within a few years. In the late eighties the government started closing long stay hospitals for people with learning disabilities and transition them into homes within local communities. Walsingham Community Homes quickly established a reputation for providing good quality care and were awarded several contracts by the health authorities. We opened five new services in 1989 in Hertfordshire, Basildon and Barnet. Over the following seven years, we opened 28 new residential care services in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Middlesbrough, Sutton, Kent and Cumbria. The organisation started out with the principle that everyone is created by God and equally valued, no matter what their ability, and we wanted all of our staff to recognise this and treat people in that way. That principle still exists today we still work to increase the quality of life and happiness of every person we support. There have seen some huge changes in how people with learning disabilities are supported over the last 30 years, particularly following the publishing of the government s 2001 white paper 'Valuing People', which ushered in a sea change. People with learning disabilities now have more choice about where they live, who they live with and who supports them. Walsingham Support has continued to develop and grow. While still offering residential care, it also provides supported living, floating support, outreach, moving on services, as well as services for people receiving individualised budgets. As a result of the change of service types, the organisation dropped Community Homes from its title in 2003 and simply became Walsingham. The birth and development of the personalisation agenda over the past 10 years has seen welcomed changes to care with person centred support - adapting 12 the support to each person s individual needs - becoming the norm. For this reason and the decision to also start supporting people with other needs like autism and brain injuries, the organisation underwent a rebrand in The rebrand saw the addition of the word Support at the end of Walsingham, to better describe what the organisation does, with a new strapline Everyone is different. Under the watch of Paul, one of Mark s sons who took over as Chief Executive in 2005, the organisation has grown to now support around 400 people in over 180 locations in the UK, including Cumbria, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Staffordshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Kent, London, Somerset, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. The charity also employs around 900 members of staff and was recognised for its investment in its workforce in 2015 by being awarded the coveted Investors in People Gold award. So what s next? As ever, Walsingham Support has no intention of slowing down, especially in its 30 th year, and continues to look at new ways of supporting people. Having taken over a community centre in

14 Walsingham Support Swansea in 2015, it is in the process of launching a number of social enterprises from it to support people with disabilities to develop skills and build links with the wider community. Meanwhile, the charity has also bought and converted a building in Cumbria into a number of accessible apartments that will offer people with disabilities further independent living opportunities. 13 To mark its 30 th anniversary, Walsingham Support is planning a series of fundraising events, including a skydive and entering a team of runners in the 2016 Vitality British 10K London Run, to raise 30,000. The organisation is also inviting the public to help it reach its target by holding their own fundraising event. A fundraising pack has been developed and is available to request from its website, The funds raised will be used to launch new projects and purchase equipment that will support people with disabilities to achieve their goals and live a more independent life. Paul Snell added: This is a very exciting time for Walsingham Support as it s our first step into fundraising as an organisation. Over the years we have developed some strong relationships with the local communities where we support people and are keen for everyone to be a part of our celebrations.

15 RIP Sister Wendy Renate Sister Wendy Renate RIP It is with great sadness that I announce that Sister Wendy Renate SOLR at the age of 64, who lived, worked and prayed in Walsingham died on Wednesday 23rd March 2016 at around 6.45 am at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn, Norfolk after a very short illness. She is survived by her sister, Denise. Sister Wendy Renate was born on 13th January 1952 into an army family, so there was a lot of moving from place to place. She had some very interesting stories to tell about that time in her life, including the one where she was being chased by the Redcaps, after putting her boot through a glass door on camp, but as throughout her life she managed to escape! After leaving school and settling into Staine Cross in South Yorkshire, Sister Wendy worked in a rubber factory. She spent about twelve years making hot water bottles and other rubberised items, including babies dummies for Suba Seal. Whenever she saw a hot water bottle she 14 always had to check if they had made them properly. She took great delight in explaining the process to anyone who wished, or not, to hear. Working on the factory floor was not for the faint-hearted, but throughout all this experience her faith was growing in the love of the Lord and she would talk openly of her faith with those who had little or none. She then began looking at the Church Army to see if this was where the Lord was leading her. But this was not the way. One day her Parish Priest suggested that she might have a vocation to the religious life and pointed her in the direction of The Society of St Margaret, an Anglican Order. She agreed to test her vocation, but ran away back to South Yorkshire only to be told by the Lord, what are you doing here? I want you back there! So she went back, spending time at both the London house and Walsingham. And so she became a Sister of St. Margaret. She served at the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham in the Sacristy and in the village community. Six years ago she became a Catholic in Westminster Cathedral, much to her delight and those around her. Her joy was almost complete. She spent two years in London after this, serving in the Parish of Our Lady, Limehouse, but she didn t really settle there and was thrilled to return to Walsingham to serve in the National Catholic Shrine in Walsingham as a member of the Sacristy team and praying with pilgrims and making people laugh or cry with her jokes and funny take on life. She was unique and much loved by all she came into contact with her. She was in love with our Lord and Our Lady, the rosary or battle beads as she preferred to call them were her daily prayers. God bless you Sr Wendy Renate, we are praying for you, please pray for us. May your joy now be complete. Rest in Peace. Sr Jane Louise

16 Pilgrim s poem Pilgrim s poem Poem written by a Pilgrim from Our Lady Star of the Sea, Greenwich When April's gentle rains have pierced the drought of March right to the root On pilgrimage then folks desire to start. Some jet off to distant lands But from the Starry Sea in London They gather by the church at sundown To Walsingham they wend, 15 to seek the Blessed Virgin is their will The one who gave such help when they were ill. To Joseph's church with hearts devout At night some twenty nine of sundry folk Whom chance had brought to fall In fellowship, for pilgrims were they all. Robin's son - a goodly priest Well known in Greenwich, south and east A good man of religion too The Christian gospel he would truly preach Devoutly his parishioners to teach. He led this group with cheerful voice And sang the hymns - all did rejoice. There were there too, some holy nuns, a sisterhood Of women loyal and true who laboured hard In thought and deed to everyone who was in need of succour or of help - and they did everything they could. The others in that company, from every land they'd travelled far To seek their fortune at the Star, from Portugal or sunny Spain Or far off Africa's distant plain. And then in Walsingham they found their beds where they could rest their weary heads. But in the morn, despite the rain, they raised their voice to sing again, The praises of the Virgin fair, in chapel, church and on the street And smiled and bowed to all they meet. The afternoon was spent at sea (Stella Maris, don't you see) They felt it only right and just To give God thanks for sand and dust and all creation These people fine of every nation. And when the Lord's Day bright did dawn In great procession they did form And told their beads and sang their hymns And thought upon their many sins. They entered in the Holy door And water sprinkled cold and pure Sent their prayers right up to heaven From seven to seventy times the seven. The Sunday Mass gave joy to all - So many were they by the wall Who received the bread and wine They never noticed that the time Had passed the second hour. To dinner then the pilgrims went And celebrated with a cake The birthday of their sister dear She was the one who kept them merry How right that she was naméd Mari-Anne to honour our dear mother - and her mum And when the pilgrimage was done And when they saw the setting sun' Go down and set the Thames aglow They gave God thanks for all the show. Jane Chaucer-Lawson

17 National Draw Winners 2015 National Draw Winners Mrs Dod, Pickering Ticket M V Snell Ticket Mr and Mrs Mulkeen, Leeds Ticket Fourth: 100 Rob Beckwith Ticket Fifth: 50 Marjorie Muir, Dunbarton Ticket Sixth: 25 Fr Chris Stephenson Ticket Seventh: 25 Mr J Rubbins, Downham Market Ticket After the cost of printing and prizes, the National Draw raised 3,744. This is a tremendous achievement as this is almost 700 more than the previous year. Thank you all for your support in selling and buying tickets. Thank you also to those who made a donation on top of the cost of the tickets. The money raised has been used to pay for the restoration of the shepherds huts. They were featured in the Spring newsletter. They were originally purchased by Fr Bruno Scott James to provide basic accommodation for people wanting to spend time at the Shrine in prayer and contemplation. They have recently been used for storage and it is wonderful to know that they will be in use again as Fr Bruno intended.

18 Support the Basilica Support the Basilica In 1061 Our Lady asked Richeldis de Faverches to build a replica of the Holy House of Nazareth. With the destruction in the 16th century, the infrastructure to welcome pilgrims was destroyed. In 1896 Charlotte Boyd bought the Slipper Chapel, and the development of the facilities to receive pilgrims was re-established. The generosity of thousands of pilgrims over the years has given us land and property where we can celebrate our faith, and at this time in the Shrine s history we need to create an infrastructure that will serve today s pilgrims and the generations who, over the centuries, will continue to find peace at Our Lady s Shrine. 17 We are therefore looking to upgrade, renew, and, where necessary, rebuild facilities for day-pilgrims and residential pilgrims. In particular, we wish to create a new resource centre for young people and make our residential facilities available to disabled pilgrims. support through prayer Pledge a number of Rosaries this year for the successful completion of the Shrine s development One-off donation Give a one-off donation to support the development of the Shrine mission team donation Support the Shrine s Mission Team in their work with the New Evangelisation Regular donation Give a regular donation to support the development of the Shrine sponsored activity Support the Shrine s development by organising a sponsored walk or activity Legacy / bequest Leave the Shrine a gift in the form of legacy in your will light a candle Light a candle in support of the Shrine s development and its facilities memorial fund Leave a donation in memory of a member of your family or another loved one For further information, please visit the website:

19 P r a y e r s Prayers 18 Please pray for the souls of the following who have died this last year. May they rest in peace. Amen Yvonne Blakemore Milly Borland Mrs J Brown Dominic Corrigan Mr E Curwen Fred Davis Mrs A Durrant Mrs Glynn Mr Hearn Mrs W M Hudson Mr A Ingle Mr R Jones Mrs K A Plumb Christine Purcel Christoph Rimmer Mr P Rogers Patrick Shepherd Mary Shyne Mr G Stretton Faye Sullivan Mrs D Tobin Patrick Toone Mrs J C Toone Mgr E Walker

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