Monday 31 March 2008

Walsingham


This weekend saw about forty of us going on pilgrimage to Walsingham.

We assembled on Friday at 11.20am for Mass at the Walsingham Altar. There we reflected about seeking Christ in the school of Mary during this Divine Mercy week-end. Fortified by the Eucharist and the blessing of pilgrims we left Sevenoaks at noon.

After a quick stop Fr Mark gave us a short reflection to help us focus our thoughts as we left behind most of what constitutes our daily life and approached the Shrine.

Upon arrival we were greeted by very heavy rain. All got socked as we moved from the coach to our rooms. However that did not dampen our spirits; in fact in an hour the rain stopped and we had good weather through the week-end, with a lovely spring day on Sunday.

After Supper on Friday many repaired to the local Taverns to celebrate the fact that we are in England's Nazareth.

After breakfast on Saturday we had Mass at 9.30am at the Guild of All Souls' Chapel. There we had the opportunity to reflect a little bit more on Divine Mercy. After Mass Jim spoke to all of us about the link between the Guild and our parish.

After Mass some went for a walk, some visited Burnham Market and others stayed in Walsingham and walked the Holy Mile. We all met again in the evning for Supper and the candle lit procession of Our Lady. Time at the the pub on this night was kept to a minimum as all were aware that we were going to be cheated an hours' sleep.

Sunday we attended Mass at a packed Parish Church at 11am, followed by lunch then sprinkling and finally the procession with the Most Blessed Sacrament. Serevers from Saint John's assisted in many of the services.

On the way back Fr Mark gave us a final reflection in which he summed up for us the words we heard during the week-end at Walsingham, the week-end we spent seeking Christ in the school of Mary.

Photo updates later on.

1 comment:

Deacon Pat said...

I really enjoyed your blog......

God's peace