Walsingham Review 7
extracts from
Walsingham Review Number 7 December 1962
Walsingham Notes
The Priests’ Pilgrimage was a gathering of about 70 priests this year and much appreciated by those
present. Fr John Hooper led the pilgrimage and his sermon on the first evening is reproduced in this
number as many wished to have it in a permanent form. Later we hope to print his paper on Christian
Asceticism.
It was a happy coincidence that the pilgrimage took place at the same time as the opening of the Vatican
Council and the following telegram was sent to the Pope, “70 Anglican priests on pilgrimage to the Shrine
of Our Lady of Walsingham send filial greeting to the Holy Father have this day celebrated a Solemn mass
of the Holy Ghost for the Council”. The reply from the Rt Rev Mgr Bruno Torpigliani, Charge d’Affairs, was:
“His Eminence Cardinal Cicognani, Secretary of State of His Holiness Pope John XXIII, has informed the
Apostolic Delegation of the telegram which in the name of seventy Anglican priests on pilgrimage to
Walsingham, you recently sent to the Holy Father, assuring His Holiness of your prayers for the success of
the Second Vatican Council. In acknowledging receipt of this message I have pleasure in conveying to you
and your associates the Holy Father’s warm appreciation and gratitude for this assurance of prayers”.
On Saturday, November 3rd, Sister Jean Mary made her Profession at the Priory. This was a very happy
day for Walsingham and an answer to the many prayers made for vocations. I do hope that Priest
Associates will remember our small Community when they discover signs of a religious vocation in any of
their congregation and put before them the possibility of giving themselves to God for the work here.
Perhaps it would be a good thing if we priests asked ourselves when we last preached a sermon to our
people about the Religious Life?
Gwenyth Miller, who for some years has lived at the Hospice, died suddenly on October 25th. She was a
devoted member of the Catholic League and so it would have pleased her that her body lay in St John’s
Chapel, the cleaning of which had been her special care, and that her Requiem was held there. May she
rest in peace.
A new set of coloured slides showing a complete pilgrimage has been made and should be soon available
with a script. It should also be possible to make a tape with a commentary so that a short lecture can be
given to small groups. Also I am glad to say that the Walsingham Book for Mary Month is now due from
the printers at any time. I am sorry this has been such a long time on the way.
Mr Yabsley, who has for many years been a churchwarden of St Barnabas, Beckenham, has come to live in
Walsingham. He recently designed and made a most beautiful lectern for the Shrine as a memorial to his
wife. He is a superb craftsman in wood and so we have plenty to keep him busy and Beckenham’s loss is
very much our gain and we hope he will be happy here.
The Church Unity Octave in January, 1963, will be very important for all Catholics. May I draw your
attention to a meeting in London in preparation for it on January 10th to be held at The Bishop Partridge
Hall, Church House, Westminster, at 7.30 pm when the speakers will be the Revd A H Simmons and Mr
Laurence King.
I found my non-religious cat lying on the sofa in my room looking very sick and lifeless and thought she
was ill till the gardener told me the upper lawn in the Shrine Garden was covered with her hair and I
realised she was just in a furious temper having been defeated in a fight. Her brother looked very smug
and said that if she went to Confession she would learn how to control her temper. He came very proudly
to my room and laid a kipper at my feet – they had been having kippers for breakfast at the Hospice. As
he likes praise I told him that it was not many people who had a clever kipper-catching cat.
Work on St Mary’s is going ahead well and already the roof is almost on. It is wonderful to see it rising
again.