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Monday 4 June 2012

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us and for your priests, seminarians, and for my readers today


This post is a bit later as usual as I was travelling and stupidly forgot that the Queen's Jubilee has created four days of limited train and virtually no bus services.

However, I am in the north, in the Holy Shrine of Walsingham, which is the National Shrine of England. The town is a mixture today of Anglo-Catholics, Catholics and even some Presbyterian group which is against the procession and protestant services (I can't use the term Mass), which are happening. The protesters are pointing out that the Bible does not support the Eucharist, devotion to Mary, or all the lovely statues here. Well, if Presbyterians look at Tradition seriously, they would not be Presbyterians.

The police are out in force, which is a really odd thing to see in Walshingham. I am not worried about the Presbyterians getting violent, although they are very zealous.

Christianity comes and goes, flowing in and out of Walsingham, the shrine which even Henry could not completely destroy despite the martyrs, whose blood was shed here.

Every Catholic, at least once in his or her lifetime, should visit Walsingham. I was here last year as well. The Anglican shrine sadly causes some confusion, as Catholics go there thinking it is the Catholic shrine, which is out on the outskirts.

The Anglican shrine even has so-called holy water.

What is most wonderful to me is that the Ordinariate in England is dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham. I am making this little pilgrimage for all my Ordinariate friends, my son, the priests who are on my prayer list. and for your, dear readers. May God bless you all.

I just finished the Consecration to Mary of St. Louis de Montfort again. Pray I can get to Confession. It is not as easy as one would like in Walsingham.