Our Lady of Walsingham is to be given a place in Westminster Cathedral.
In a ceremony on December 8, presided over by Bishop John Sherrington, a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham will be enthroned in the Chapel of St George and the English Martyrs.
Cardinal Bernard Griffin, the sixth Archbishop of Westminster, commissioned the Cathedral Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham in the Marian Year of 1954.
Described as “England’s Nazareth”, the Marian shrine of Walsingham dates back to medieval times. Erasmus visited Walsingham in 1513 and said: “You would say it is the abode of saints, so brilliantly does it shine with gems, gold and silver.”
However, the site was destroyed during the Reformation and not restored until the 20th century. In 1934, Cardinal Francis Bourne led a pilgrimage of 10,000 people to the Chapel and declared it to be the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady.
The ceremony takes place in Westminster Cathedral on December 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Mass at 5.30pm is followed by the Procession and Blessing of the new Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham.
Having been unable to sell in churches for well over a year due to the pandemic, we are now inviting readers to support the Herald by investing in our future. We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values.
Please join us on our 130 year mission by supporting us. We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching. For more information from our chairman on contributing to the Herald Patron's Fund, click here
Make a Donation
Processing ...
Donors giving £500 or more will automatically become sponsor patrons of the Herald. This includes two complimentary print/digital gift subscriptions, invitations to Patron events, pilgrimages and dinners, and 6 gift subscriptions sent to priests, seminaries, Catholic schools, religious care homes and prison and university chaplaincies. Click here for more information on becoming a Patron Sponsor. Click here for more information about contributing to the Herald Patron's Fund