THE P
R TAL
The Portal is an independent review in the service of the Ordinariate
May 2011
Ordinariate
Under Way
THE
P RTAL
May 2011
THE P
Page 2
RTAL
is an independent review in the service of the Ordinariate
The Magazine is free and may be downloaded at www.portalmag.co.uk
Editorial Board
Ronald Crane, Aidan Nichols Jackie Ottaway, Dr Gill James,
David Chapman, Cyril Wood and Len Black
Advisors
Peter Edwards and Mark Woodruff
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The Portal is grateful to The Catholic League and Cost of Conscience for their financial assistance
May 2011
Volume 1 Issue 5
Contents
Page 3
LEAD STORY – Ordinariate Under Way
Page 4
News – Hemel Hempstead Ordinariate Group
Page 6
Snapdragon – The Big Picture
Page 7
Recusant Martyr – The English Martyrs
Page 8
Anglican Luminary – Julian of Norwich
Page 9
Ordinary’s Page – Mgr Andrew Writes
Page 10
Reflections on an Ordinariate meeting
Page 11
Walsingham - Pilgrims And Pilgrimage – Review
Page 12
Fr Peter’s Page – Beyond the Leper’s Squint
Contributors
◊◊ Arnold Herron enjoys good music
◊◊ Snapdragon lives in Kent
◊◊ Joanna Bogle is a Catholic journalist and author
◊◊ Will Burton is at home walking along the Old West River
◊◊ Mgr Andrew Burnham assists the Ordinary of the
Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
◊◊ The Very Revd Hugh Allan is a Norbertine Priest from
Chelmsford
◊◊ David Chapman is a Catholic in North London
◊◊ Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane are members of the
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
◊◊ Peter Geldard is Chaplain of the University in Canterbury
THE
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May 2011
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Ordinariate Under Way
as nearly 1000 are received
into the Church
by Arnold Herron
The Personal Ordinariate
of Our Lady of Walsingham is well and truly under way.
During Holy Week nearly 1000 people were received into full communion with the Catholic Church as
members of the Ordinariate.
Torbay
All over the country groups were
warmly welcomed. In Torbay,
Lizzie told The Portal that forty
three people were received into the
Church at Holy Angels, Chelston
prior to the Liturgy on Maundy
Thursday. “It was lovely,” she said:
“Just wonderful, like coming home.”
She went on to explain that it was
an emotional occasion. The ages of
people being received ranged from
eight to eighty-odd, but the majority
were on the young side. A forty-fourth was received at
the Easter Vigil, so the group is already growing!
West Midlands
In the West Midlands, four groups were received on
Holy Thursday in Saint Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham.
Ian from Coventry said it was, “Inspiring and moving.
The Archbishop was graciousness personified. It
was a wonderfully fitting way to end our Eucharistic
Fast. Indeed the whole weekend was wonderful and
inspiring.” The music at the Maundy Thursday liturgy
was magnificent.
Cornwall
Down in Cornwall people were also received before
the liturgy on Holy Thursday. John told me, “People
were in tears afterwards, it was so moving; really
emotional. We said to our priest, ‘Thank you for
leading us here.’”
East Midlands
In the East Midlands, Simon and a group of some
thirty-seven people were received in Saint Barnabas
Cathedral, Nottingham. Like many other groups their
reception was before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper
on Maundy Thursday. Simon told The Portal that a
large number of people were there to support those
being received into full communion
with the Catholic Church. He said,
“The reception itself was a simple
ceremony.” He noted that there was
a fair amount of media interest from
local radio and TV.
Essex
Over in Essex a group was
received in the Church of Our Lady
Immaculate in Chelmsford. This
group was received by Mgr Keith
Newton, a fact that Jo, who was one
of those received, described as “the
icing on the cake!” Here the music was wonderful and
the whole group were very excited.
Isle of Wight
Seventeen people were received at Saint Mary’s
Catholic Church in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. One of
them, Wendy, said things went very well. Fr Anthony
Glaysher did the reception and confirmation on a
hot and sticky Holy Saturday evening. It was a very
humid evening for The Easter Vigil. The Vigil took two
hours and forty minutes, and all was calm, but joyful.
Members of this group were anxious to point out that
Bishop Crispin Hollis “has been magnificent.”
All round the country
So, all round the country people have been received
into full communion with the Catholic Church
and confirmed. The welcome has been uniformly
warm and the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of
Walsingham has got off to a great start. However, it is
only the start. Much will depend on how these groups
progress and grow. Those received as pioneers have a
great responsibility to develop the Ordinariate. The
Portal will be there to report on and support it.
Blessed John Henry Newman and
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
THE
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May 2011
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PORTAL NEW S
Hemel Hempstead
Ordinariate Group
by Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane
The various Ordinariate
Groups around the country were preparing to be received into
the Catholic Church during Holy Week. The Portal is supportive of them all, for each one is different, and
each one valuable and precious.
Hemel Hempstead
It is our intention to report on one
such group, a different one, each
and every month. One has to begin
somewhere and we chose to go to
Hemel Hempstead; not only because
Fr Tim Bugby and Fr Gordon Adam
are old friends, but because there’s
is a most interesting Group. Fr Tim
and Fr Gordon will be well known
to many Ordinariate members. Fr
Tim was for many years the driving
force of CBS, and Fr Gordon was the
Parish Priest at Saint Francis C of E
church in Hammerfield, Hemel Hempstead. They
now spearhead the local Ordinariate Group, a group
of about thirty people; and a really good job they are
doing.
Meeting for their own Mass every Sunday at 9am,
they are not typical. The church building they use is
also unusual. It is a Catholic Parish Church, but it is
in the grounds of the local Catholic School, the John
F Kennedy School. The church is a modern building,
wide rather than long and seats about one hundred
and fifty people.
the Ordinariate.
Sylvia
Sylvia attended Saint Francis for
twenty years and was the Church
Treasurer. She said she felt strange at
Saint Mark’s to start with, “But now,
I like it! The people here are full of
love and warmth. Everyone is so
kind and welcoming,” she continued.
As we chatted, it was obvious that
she was not a disaffected Anglican,
but a catholic on her journey to the
Catholic Church.
Over the moon
“I am over the moon about the Ordinariate,”
announced Brian Cox. He continued, “It is a real
ecumenical moment. It is all we have ever prayed
for. We have received a tremendous welcome at Saint
Mark’s. After our reception into the Church, we shall
continue to meet here at 9am every Sunday with our
local Catholic Priest. After Pentecost Fr Tim and Fr
Gordon will be our priests.” It was clear Brian really
was excited about the prospect, in his own words,
“over the moon!”
Family join together
Palm Sunday
Sitting in front of us at Mass were Katharine and
For our visit on Palm Sunday it was packed with
members of the local Ordinariate as well as Catholic Richard with their three children, Henry who is seven
and his younger brother and sister, Bryony and Oberon.
Parishioners.
The family found the prospect of the Ordinariate
The Ordinariate Group in Hemel is diverse. The exciting. “It is like going home,” said Katharine. She
elderly, young adults, children and middle aged folk told me it was where she always wanted to be. “The
are all members. It is lively and full of life and vitality. Church has been very good to us,” she said, “It has
On Palm Sunday the Procession, Blessing of Palms been easier than we ever thought possible.” Richard
and Mass were all celebrated with real vigour, holiness joined in, “We have stayed together as a Group and
we have our own Mass.” The family has been “goband great devotion.
smacked and humbled” by their welcome. “Everyone
After Mass we were able to speak with members of here has bent over backwards for us,” they said.
THE
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May 2011
Walsingham
Margaret Pearson has a long pedigree in the Catholic
Movement if the C of E. Her mother and father were
Mr and Mrs Whitmore
of Walsingham fame.
Her father and the family
ran the electrical shop in
the village. She is now
married to Terry, already
a Catholic. He is pleased
his wife is joining the
Church. Margaret told
me, “I always followed
Mum and Dad. I come
from
Walsingham
(she
pronounced
it the Norfolk way
-Wals’nham). Mum and
Dad were involved with the Shrine;
Dad was Beadle. I saw no reason to
change. But now the opportunity has
arrived and I took the chance to become
a Catholic. My friends here, I know
most of them. They have all welcomed
us.” Margaret is already involved with a
number of Catholic Charities and hopes
the Ordinariate will be too. Among her
interests are Aid to the Church in Need;
Let the Children Live! and The Apostleship
of the Sea. We had a lovely chat and she
was very enthusiastic about the future.
Another interesting person at Mass
that morning was Jane
Sanders. Her father is Mgr
John Broadhurst. He will
receive her into the Church
on Holy Saturday and
Confirm his Grandchildren
at the same time!
Deeply moving
Jane has found the whole
experience deeply moving.
“I feel I have come home,
and the children are really
excited.” She said. We had
quite a long conservation during which Jane told me,
“We are all looking forward with hope. We look for
comfort for the future. There was no movement in the
Church of England, it was all ‘them’ and ‘us’. Now the
fight is over. We have one purpose now; One meaning.
The welcome has been very warm, genuinely heartfelt. It is difficult for the Deacon at Saint Mark’s, Simon.
Page 5
He is married and cannot be a priest, yet he has been
absolutely lovely; and as for Fr John (Fr John Byrne
the Catholic Parish Priest) he is kind and thoughtful.
He genuinely cares.” Jane
is obviously looking
forward to the future in
the Catholic Church.
A lovely lot of
people
Betty
Simmons
confided to me that
she is eighty-two years
young. She wondered, “I
would love to know what
the Queen thinks about
it all!” Betty too wanted
to record the warm
welcome received by the
group. She told me, “They are a lovely
lot of people. I joined Saint Francis
when I was ten years old, and apart from
a brief period when I was married, I
have attended ever since. It was heartbreaking to leave. I cried. After we are
Received into the Church we shall have
our own Mass, as we do now, but after
Pentecost it will be with Fr Tim and Fr
Gordon.”
Out of the mouths of babes
At Hemel Hempstead about twenty
percent of the Ordinariate group is
made up of children. Ralph,
Haydn, Ben and Henry are
all joining with at least one
parent. Belinda Williams
has children attending a
Catholic School and signed
up for the Ordinariate when
one of her children came
home from school asking to
become a Catholic. Out of
the mouths of babes indeed.
In our conversation together
she said, “We shall come to
Saint Mark’s at 9am every
Sunday, but once every six weeks we shall go to the
Sacred Heart and I help with Children’s Services at
other churches too. The Ordinariate is an ecumenical
thing for us. All questions have been answered. All
obstacles that were in the way have gone away. They
do not matter. We are on the move. God has given us
this gift.”
ragon
THE
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May 2011
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The Big Picture
A lot of
media attention has focussed on the ‘big picture’ of the Ordinariate of Our
Lady of Walsingham. First came the announcement itself which raised more questions than
it answered.
Snapd
Then came a written constitution
helpfully placing flesh on the bones of
this offer. Next we learnt of an inspired
timescale which worked in sympathy
with the liturgical year. An Anglican
death on Ash Wednesday, a period in
the wilderness during Lent, a rising to
new life in Holy Week as communicant
Catholics and finally the emergence
of the first Ordinariate services at
Pentecost- the birth of the
Church.
Support in high
places
The timescale clearly
needed a hierarchy to deliver
it and this was duly delivered
in the naming of one former
Anglican bishop as Apostolic
protonotary and two as
prelates.
buildings. Rather, in the name of unity and truth, we
have been thrown together at the behest of Peter and
are now charged with the responsibility of making
things work!
Each group is different
But is it working? Are Ordinariate groups proving
a blessing or curse to those they join? It is a question
begging an answer but I urge people not to draw
conclusions prematurely. Firstly because the situation
faced by each group is different. The ten joining
an existing community of a
thousand will impact very
differently from the group
of seventy doubling the
congregation they join. It would
be folly to judge the Ordinariate
on your local scenario.
Give it time
Secondly any merger of
communities brings about an
inevitable period of change.
Finally we rejoiced in
Natural human behaviour
seeing our new Ordinary,
may ellicit early responses of
Monsignor Keith Newton,
defensiveness which later turn
afforded
a
private
to joy as weeks turn to years.
consultation with the Holy Father himself: A reminder Equally early excitement can soon turn to frostiness
to the world that the Ordinariate has support in high where prayer and Christian love are forgotten.
places. What a busy time it has been as the newest
Remembering the analogy of the arranged marriage
branch of the church bursts into life. The unfolding
– would it be wise to judge a union on the opening
‘big picture’ could not be better.
days of the honeymoon? Far better to give it time and
Blushing brides
see how the couple mature over time!
But: what of the ‘little picture’, the situation on the Step back and pray
ground? What is happening to groups and individuals
The early signs are good for the Ordinariate but we
as the time of our reception draws near? Those
who are stepping out into the world as blushing should not be too hasty in making judgements. We
brides! Yes, forget ‘Kate and Wills’, the significant need to be realistic in our expectations and hopes. At
marriage this second spring is the forced matrimony this time of change and upheaval what we need are
betwixt Ordinariate congregations and the Catholic friends who will offer space in which to flourish and
who will understand when we make the odd mistake.
communities they join!
The’ big picture’ is encouraging, the vision is strong.
Joking aside (the notion of Monsignor John
Now let us step back and pray for each group. Time
Broadhurst as blushing bride is surely too much!)
and
love and grace are needed as the planted seed
this image of an arranged marriage is salient. For
the Ordinariate groups did not ask to join new begins to grow. Will you be feeding the soil in which
congregations and the existing Catholics did not it is to be nurtured or pulling at its root to serve your
request the presence of former Anglicans in their agenda?
THE
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May 2011
The English
Martyrs 4 May
th
Page 7
A Recusant
Martyr
Last year, 2010,
the Church approved four new specific feast-days for Catholics in England and
Wales. Well, the saints’ days they approved were hardly new – they had been celebrated for years and in some
cases for centuries. But the Church, at the request of the English Bishops, elevated these saints’ days to the
status of national feasts. These feasts commemorate St Gregory the Great on September 3, St Thomas Becket
on December 29, the English Martyrs on May 4, and St Augustine of Canterbury on May 27.
The English Martyrs
The English Martyrs’ feast-day on
May 4th honours the martyrs who
died during the years following
Henry VIII’s break with Rome in
the 16th century.
given their lives centuries before.
This Vigil produced perhaps the
most unforgettable moments of
the whole visit: thousands and
thousands of people kneeling in
prayer in absolute silence before
the Blessed Sacrament.
They were canonised by Pope
Mutual forgiveness and
Paul VI in 1970, and include St
reconciliation
Margaret Clitheroe, “the pearl of
Catholics and Protestants alike
York”, St Nicholas Owen, designer
suffered during the Reformation
of many priests’ hiding-places, who
and appropriate recognition has
died under torture, St Edmund
Campion, the famous Jesuit who was tortured in the now been given to this fact. It is right to emphasise
Tower of London and died at Tyburn, and St Philip mutual forgiveness and reconciliation between all
Christians.
Howard, who died of jail fever in the Tower.
Stamping out Catholic devotion
There are now a number of churches and Catholic
schools in England and Wales named after some of
the English martyrs, and their stories are becoming
better known as historians review the Tudor period
and especially the religious tensions in the reign of
Elizabeth I.
Today, the need is for deep and sincere Christian
faith and witness: two World Wars, a long-running
Cold War and the new challenges of the 21st century
have put a distance between us and the events of the
16th and 17th centuries. Who knows what the future
holds? The message of courage that comes down to us
from the martyrs of the past is a gift to be cherished.
Most serious historians would now recognise that
ignoring the reality of the oppression of Catholics
during her reign is inconsistent with the tragic truth.
Joanna Bogle
A network of spies and informers was used to track
down Catholics, and especially priests, to stamp
out Catholic devotion and practices and to ensure
compliance with a political order which saw the
Catholic Church as an enemy to be routed.
Pope Benedict XVI
The canonisation of the English Martyrs in 1970
came at a time when new ecumenical initiatives
– and much ecumenical goodwill at a local level –
were beginning to emerge in the wake of the Second
Vatican Council. When Pope Benedict XVI made his
state visit to Britain last year, he was able to address a
vast crowd of young people in a prayer vigil at Hyde
Park next to the site at Tyburn where martyrs had
Join Mgr Keith Newton on a
Thanksgiving
Pilgrimage
to Rome
for the Personal Ordinariate
of Our Lady of Walsingham
sponsord by The Portal Magazine
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Places will be on a first come, first served basis - SO HURRY!!!
THE
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May 2011
Page 8
Julian of Norwich
Anglican
Luminary
c.1342 – c.1416 Feast day: 8 November
by Will Burton
We know little
about the person who wrote the first book to be published in English by a
woman. It is thought that she was born in 1342; and we know that she was alive in 1416, when she would have
been 76 years old.
We do not even know
her name! She is known
as Mother Julian because
she was an anchoress
at St Julian’s church in
Norwich.
An
anchoress
or
anchorite is someone who
lives the hermit life in a
cell attached to a church
building, spending their
time in contemplative
prayer.
At the time Norwich
was England’s second
city, a great industrial
centre and a port, with
Julian living at the heart
of it. Not for her the quiet
pastures of the country,
for her cell would have
been surrounded by the
bustle of industrial life.
The noise of the port, the
smell of cloth being dyed;
these things penetrated
her cell.
she was known all over
England, and became
a spiritual authority.
Marjorie Kempe, that
eccentric English mystic,
visited Mother Julian at
her cell in Norwich.
We know she was still
alive in 1416 when she was
73 years old, but after that
there is no information
about her at all.
Julian lived in difficult
times
with
peasant
revolts, the Black Death,
and the popular belief
that misfortune in life was
punishment from God.
This is all in stark contrast
to Julian’s optimistic
theology, for she believed
God wanted to save
everyone.
For this she has been
criticised for being a
“Universalist”. However,
she only expressed the
Amid this medieval city’s life she became one of view that God wished to save everyone, not that
England’s greatest mystics. She came to write her book everyone would be saved.
because of an illness. In 1373 Julian became very ill.
God’s words in revelation to Julian: “…All shall be
She believed she was about to die, and on her deathbed well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things
experienced a series of visions, or revelations.
shall be well”, reflect her theological understanding.
She recovered her health on 13th May that year and
wrote the revelations down in what has come to be
called The Short Text. At the age of 50, she wrote again,
this time a fuller account of her revelations, named
The Long Text. This longer version is a theological
exploration of her revelations.
Her main work dates from 1393 and she entitled it
Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love. Through this work
The phrase itself has become famous in Catholic
spirituality and not least through T.S. Eliot using it,
as well as Julian’s “the ground of our beseeching” from
the 14th Revelation, in his “Little Gidding”, the fourth
of his Four Quartets poems.
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well.
THE
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May 2011
Page 9
Mgr Andrew Writes
‘May is Mary’s
month’ wrote Gerard Manley
Hopkins, a Jesuit and himself a Victorian convert to
Catholicism. The May Magnificat goes on to say ‘But
the Lady Month, May, why fasten that upon her, With a
feasting in her honour?’ Hopkins suggests that we ask
Mary herself the question. She in turn asks us a question
‘What is Spring?’ To which the answer Hopkins gives is
‘Growth in everything’.
It is no accident that Eastertime and Mary’s month of
May come together. Each, in a different way, is about
‘growth in everything’. The one is growth in the Risen
Life of Christ. The other is about the life of Christ
growing within Mary and within us.
Our relationship
with Walsingham has shifted
But there is a special reason to be attentive to
Mary’s month this year. For those now joining the
Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham this May will
be different from previous ones. Our relationship with
Walsingham has suddenly shifted and it will take time
to work through this.
The Anglican ‘National’ in May is how we used to
do things. The pilgrimage the Ordinary is leading this
July is the way we are doing things this year. But we
are on a journey of exploration, exploring a
new relationship with the Holy Mother
and a new relationship with Holy Mother
Church.
Many of us have lived through the modern
history of the Anglican Shrine. Fifty years
ago ‘National’ pilgrims could all gather
round the Halifax altar. More recently
numbers swelled and declined and we have
processed to the Abbey grounds. Under
inspired leadership, the development of the
Anglican complex has turned Walsingham
into an all-year-round place of pilgrimage.
Finding ourselves at a little distance
from all that, and celebrating this year the
950th anniversary of the vision that the Lady Richeldis
saw, we shall need to recover a much stronger sense of
what Walsingham has been: what it was five hundred
and more years ago and what it has been more recently
for our Catholic brothers and sisters.
Outside the village
I think we may need to admit that it will be hard
to look to the Slipper Chapel as our own national
shrine. For one thing, it is outside the village, a point
of departure historically and not a point of arrival. But
much is a question of what we are used to. The most
moving experience I have had at Walsingham was in
the Catholic Shrine. It was an outdoor congregation
of the Union of Catholic Mothers, the cousin of the
Mothers’ Union.
During Latin Benediction the Norfolk air
crackled with the electricity of God. And
when, years later, the Anglican Youth
Pilgrimage – and we shall miss that too –
camped out near the Catholic Shrine, we
began to feel more at home there, simply
because it was there, next door to us.
Mother with her Child
The image of Our Lady of Walsingham, as
Sarah Jane Boss has remarked, is particularly
powerful because it is an image of a Mother
with her Child. In her expression, and in
his, in how she is seated and how he is
seated, in what she carries and in what
he carries, there is much spirituality and
much theology.
It is that spirituality and theology which inspires
our missionary task, the task of the Ordinariate of
Our Lady of Walsingham, in communion with the
Catholic Church throughout the ages and throughout
the world. ‘For he that is mighty hath magnified me:
and holy is his name.’
Mgr Andrew Burnham
THE
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May 2011
Page 10
Reflections on an
Ordinariate meeting
The Very Revd Hugh Allan, a Norbertine Canon from Chelmsford
reflects on the Ordinariate meeting in his church
“Where were you
when Pope Benedict was elected?” It is one of those moments that stick
in the mind, like where you were when Kennedy was shot (I wasn’t born for that one....) or when Princess
Diana died. On the day of the Pope’s election I remember exactly what I was doing - clearing out a blocked
drain! The joys of being a parish priest! After spending a few hours doing this, my duty done, I needed a cup
of tea. Going into the kitchen to put the kettle on, I turned on the T.V. thinking, “I wonder if we have a new
Pope.” Lo and behold there was the white smoke. The drain went unfinished and the tea quickly turned into
something a little stronger. It was a wonderful moment - Pope Benedict coming out on to the balcony, asking
for prayers for this humble worker in the Lord’s vineyard. Amazing.
Anglicanorum
Coetibus
In the time he has
been Pope he has
done so much for the
Church. His profound
love for the Church
fills us all with joy and
hope. Perhaps one of
his most prophetic
gestures has been
Anglicanorum
Coetibus.
seriously.
Their
loving
concern for those
who are not yet ready
to make this move
has also been deeply
impressive. Despite
the
difficulties
involved, I have not
come across one
slightest expression
of bitterness or anger.
This is so important.
My Novice Master
It has been a
always taught me
privilege this Lent to
welcome and help guide a group of people seeking to that you can tell when the Holy Spirit is at work and
join the Church. It all began when their Vicar came when the Devil is pushing his oar in. When the devil
to see me to talk a little about his plans and thoughts. acts, there is always bitterness, anger, hatred, turmoil,
I remember at the time being impressed by his quiet confusion; when the Holy Spirit acts, there is always
love, patience, kindness, compassion. Well, that being
courage in stepping out into the unknown.
the case, I can definitely tell you that the Holy Spirit
Then of course all the national events began to has been working overtime with the people here.
happen; the reception of the three Bishops, their wives
Be patient
and the three good sisters from Walsingham.
I can see how it has been a difficult time. As I said
Along came Ash Wednesday and the Ordinariate
group came to Mass at Our Lady Immaculate for the to someone recently, the emotions surrounding all this
first time. We welcomed them with open arms and are complex. It is a little like mourning the loss of a
again it was so impressive to see the humble way they loved one whilst at the same time getting engaged to
a new girl! So, my small piece of advice would be - go
approached this life-changing decision.
easy on yourselves. Take time and be patient with it all.
The calibre of the people
When God made time, He made plenty of it.
What stands out for me above all is the calibre of
It has been a real joy.
the people involved: the families, the couples, the
Thank God for Pope Benedict
individuals - so many good, prayerful and courageous
and thank God
people. It was a pleasure to speak with people who
for the gift of the Ordinariate.
are really engaged with their Faith, ready to take it
THE
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May 2011
Page 11
Walsingham Pilgrims And Pilgrimage
by Michael Rear
St Paul Publishing, London 2011; pp 350, illus 186 colour/ monochrome;
pb 190x233mm; ISBN 978 0 85439 811 9; £19.95
Review by David Chapman
This year we
are celebrating 950 years since Richeldis’ vision which led to the establishment of the
Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, so it is fitting that a major new work on the subject should be published
now. That vision was of the Holy House in Nazareth, and it was in the Holy House in Loreto that Fr Michael
Rear conceived the idea which became this book.
Walsingham, however, is
more than 950 years old. The
early chapters of this book
trace the development of the
site as a pre-Christian religious
place and then move on to the
development of the importance
of Nazareth and of the house
in which Mary lived. That is
the house which was moved
by angels to Loreto - a whole
story in itself! The triumphant
development and growth of
the Walsingham Pilgrimage,
as it became better and better
known and undertaken by
royalty, nobility - and ordinary
folk - through to the eventual
destruction under Henry VIII,
is meticulously and movingly chronicled.
staff of the Shrine at the Slipper
Chapel. But more than this, he
is a historian who knows how to
do his research - his references
and reasons for everything he
writes make it clear that he
is not just peddling his own
notions as some have done
before him. But this is not a
dry and dusty research project;
his fluent and easy style make
this a compelling read, and his
commitment not just to the
historical Walsingham but to
the spiritual power and meaning
of the Pilgrimage to the “Holy
Land of Walsingham” shines
through the pages.
He has also chosen a whole host of illustrations,
some in colour, others in monochrome, which are
Although the Shrine was destroyed, the devotion was intelligently captioned and well reproduced. They
remembered through the dark days until, through the range from the offerings left at the pre-Christian
efforts of a very few people, beginning with Charlotte Mercury Shrine up to the beautiful etched windows
Boyd and Fr Alfred Hope Patten, the ancient devotion which were very recently installed at the Chapel of
was awoken in the 20th century. The final chapter looks Reconciliation and which grace the front cover of the
forward to 2061, the Millennial Anniversary, with the book.
hope and prayer that by then the present situation of
Whether you know Walsingham well and have been
two shrines - Anglican and Catholic - will be no more a pilgrim for years (and I believe that virtually every
and that they will be one again.
priest and many of the lay people who are joining the
Fr Michael Rear is uniquely qualified to be the author
of this book. He has known and loved Walsingham
since he was seven years old.
Ordinariate are already Walsingham pilgrims!) or
whether you have never made the journey to this very
special corner of Norfolk, you cannot but be interested
and captivated by this book.
Fr Michael Rear is uniquely qualified to be the author
It will certainly be the definitive history of
of this book. He has known and loved Walsingham
since he was seven years old. He was Anglican Vicar Walsingham for many years to come. But that sounds
of Walsingham and later, as a Catholic Priest, on the so dull - and dull this book certainly is not.
THE
P RTAL
May 2011
Page 12
F ather Peter’s P a ge
Beyond the
Leper’s Squint ...
G. K. Chesterton
– one of the famous literary converts from
Anglicanism in the 20 Century – gives a poignant description of an enquirer into Catholicism - someone
outside, looking in - by using the analogy of The Leper’s Squint, an architectural feature often found in
medieval churches.
th
The Leper’s Squint
Through the Squint they can see
the essential things of Catholic life:
the High Altar; the priest offering
Mass; and the administration of the
Sacraments. But, they are observing
and participating in the life of the
Church from the outside.
All types and sizes
Mgr Ronnie Knox – the famous
ex-Anglican convert I mentioned
in The Portal a month or two back
– wrote once: “one was more likely
to have one’s umbrella or handbag
pinched in a Catholic Church than in
a non-conformist chapel!” This was
not because Protestantism was more
moral; but because Catholicism was
more – in the true sense - ‘Catholic’;
it really does contain all types and
sizes.
For some, the day comes when they
are allowed – for the first time – to
enter inside the Church itself. G. K.
Chesterton asks us to imagine the
person’s reaction: they are overcome
The opposite is true
by the size of the building inside;
they are bedazzled by its colours and
For some, experiencing this
variety. Yes: the High Altar and the
for the first time, it can be a little
Mass are still the centre of focus;
disconcerting. One can easily feel
but all around are a whole host of other bewildering distracted (even annoyed) at the casualness of some
things: the stained glass windows; the statues of the worshippers and congregations. But this natural
saints; the side altars etc.
reaction can often be due to a change of perspective
And the people! Whereas before, he/she had of where one has come from. Before, one may have
received the Sacraments alone; now he/she does so felt that it was only the ‘local’ Church which was being
in the midst of so many others. The new perspective faithful and one despaired about central authorities:
is almost impossible to take in. There are moments now the opposite is true. Whatever the local Church’s
apparent failings, these fade into insignificance
when he/she feels slightly lost and overwhelmed.
with the knowledge that the centre of the Church –
Such – may I suggest – might be the feelings of symbolised by the Altar and the Mass – is rock-strong
someone joining the Ordinariate! Until recently, and Christ-led.
one may have worshipped and witnessed amongst a
relatively small group; now one is part of a community Now, you can breathe freely
When I was received some 20 years ago, my sponsor
1.6 billion strong!
was
a kindly Franciscan priest, now the Catholic
A community 1.6 billion strong
Chaplain at Cambridge University, Fr Alban McCoy
Amongst that number are all types: some very good OFM Conv. As my new Confirmation name was used,
and some very unholy! By the law of averages, within he whispered wisely into my ear: “Now Peter, you can
1.6 billion there are bound to be rogues, vagabonds, breathe freely!” The days of anguish were over; no
eccentrics and misfits! It is in the nature of the Church more battles to fight; no more controversies to defend;
– ‘the Parable of the Wheat & the Tares’ – that if it IS simply, relax and enjoy the Catholic life.
the Church, then it is going to contain all of humanity;
Welcome to life beyond the Leper’s Squint!
and some of it, perhaps, rather unsavoury.