Our Lady of Walsingham raised to the rank of Feast

The Vatican has granted permission for Our Lady of Walsingham to be celebrated as a new Feast in the dioceses of England, starting this year on September 24.

Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, wrote to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference, in response to his request last year that the Obligatory Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Walsingham be raised to the rank of Feast.

He explained that normally it wouldn’t be moved but an exception would be made. He said: “Given the historic importance of this shrine for the Church in England and Wales, dating back just over one thousand years, and given the growing devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham to which you attest, the Dicastery has decided that, by way of exception, your request may be granted.”

The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was established in 1061, according to the text of the Pynson Ballad, when devout noblewoman Richeldis de Faverches asked in prayer for inspiration so that she could carry out a special work in honour of Our Lady.

The Pynson Ballad says that Our Lady appeared to Richeldis and showed her in spirit the House of the Annunciation where the Angel greeted Mary in Nazareth, and asked her to build a replica in Walsingham as a perpetual memorial of the Annunciation.

Cardinal Arthur said he hoped that the new Feast day would strengthen the faithful: “May this yearly celebration be a source of renewed grace and evangelical endeavour for the Church in England and Wales, as, imitating Mary, the faithful may ever more become disciples of her Son, receive the message of the Gospel, treasure it in their hearts and reflect on it in their minds”.

Fr Robert Billing, Rector of the Catholic National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady in Walsingham, said: “I am most grateful to Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, for their work and collaboration in raising the obligatory Memorial of Our Lady of Walsingham to the rank of a Feast in England.

“The placing of the National Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham across England affirms not only the historic importance to Catholics of our National Shrine of Our Lady in this the 90^th anniversary year of the restoration of the Catholic Shrine at Walsingham, but also helps cement our plans for the future of the Shrine in terms of projected growth, the upgrading of our chapels and in raising our overall profile. We anticipate that this elevation will further help encourage many more pilgrims to come and stay with us on pilgrimage, particularly for the Jubilee Year in 2025.”

The Feast will be in the National Calendar for England as the National Marian Shrine in Wales is Our Lady of Taper.

Texts for Mass, the Lectionary and the Liturgy of the Hours may be found on the Liturgy Office website.

Story taken from www.cbcew.org.uk and www.walsingham.org.uk

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