September 24th - Our Lady of Walsingham
(Also known as Virgin by the Sea)

Today, September 24, we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of
Walsingham, one of the many titles and devotions to Our Blessed
Mother. Located in England, pilgrims visit the shrine of Our Lady of
Walsingham to contemplate the great mystery of the Incarnation....
that moment when God emptied Himself and became man, took flesh in the
womb of Mary. At Walsingham, the New Nazareth, Mary asks that
Christians remember the great act of love when the Creator embraced
his creatures. At Walsingham, too, devotion to Mary is a call to unity
and to world peace. Every Thursday, a candle is lit before the statue
of Our Lady as a reminder to all, residents and pilgrims alike, to
pray for Christian unity. This is in keeping with the message of the reconciliation of all things in Christ, which this shrine has
proclaimed for over 900 years.

Devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham began in the 11th century when
Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to a Saxon noblewoman, Richeldis de Faverches. Her husband, the Lord of the Manor of Walsingham Parva, had previously died, leaving her a young widow with a son named Geoffrey.
At this time in history, there was a great deal of interest in the
Holy Land and people undertook long and often dangerous pilgrimages
there. Christian armies were soon to be engaged in a number of
Crusades to liberate the holy sites from Muslim control and it is
believed that Geoffrey eventually joined one of those Crusades as an
expression of his Christian faith.

For Lady Richeldis, however, despite the tragedy of the loss of her
husband, she devoted herself to cheerful prayer and good works… and
her devotion to the Christian faith was rewarded by a vision in the
year 1061. In her vision, she was taken “in spirit” by Mary to be
shown the house in Nazareth where Gabriel had announced the news of
the birth of Jesus. Our Blessed mother asked that Richeldis build an
exact replica of that house in Walsingham. This is how Walsingham
became known as England's Nazareth. Our Lady gave Richeldis three
reasons that the structure should be built: 1) for the honor of Mary,
2) as a place where all who sought Mary could find succor, and 3) as a
memorial of the great joy of the Angelic Salutation.

Lady Richeldis was graced with the same vision three times, and
eventually hired construction workers and began construction. However,
the project ran into difficulties with land selection, and
unaccustomed to construction, Lady Richeldis had difficulty
communicating to the workers the specifications of the project.
Discouraged, she spent the night keeping a vigil of prayer and in the
morning, upon the arrival of the workers, discovered that Our Blessed
Mother had sent angels to complete the project.

Upon the death of Lady Richeldis, Geoffrey inherited the land, and
eventually bequeathed it to an Augustinian order who built a priory to
house the simple wooden structure that Mary had asked to be built.
This priory became the focus of pilgrimages, and grew in wealth and
size due to the patronage of the faithful royals Henry III, Edward II,
Edward III, Henry IV, Edward IV, and Henry VII. Unfortunately, Henry
VIII, eventually brought about its destruction in 1538. The
pilgrimages to Walsingham were suspended during the time of Catholic persecution in England, but were kept alive in secret by the faithful,
to return upon the granting of religious freedom to Catholics. Today, pilgrimage to Walsingham is a regular part of Christian life in the
British Isles.

The statue present at Walsingham today, commemorating the visions of
Lady Richeldis, was modeled after the seal of Walsingham priory, a
medieval seal preserved in the British museum. (The previous statue
was destroyed by Henry VIII). It depicts Mary as a mother, crowned in
the Saxon style, and seated on the throne of wisdom. She is herself a
throne for Christ, her Son, who is represented holding the Gospels as
if to present them to the world. Mary is holding the three-fold
lily-scepter of virginity. Her right hand points to Christ. The child
extends his arm in a double gesture of blessing and protection of his
mother. Each part of the statue is rich in symbolism, such as the
seven rings on the throne which stand for the sacraments. The crown
for today's statue is used only on special occasions. It was made from
gifts from all over the world. It is made from 18 carat gold and
contains 116 precious stones including 71 diamonds.
by Jacob

Saint Quote:
That which God commands seems difficult and a burden. The way is
rough; you draw back; you have no desire to follow it. Yet do so and
you will attain glory.
--Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria

Bible Quote:
And you my flocks, the flocks of my pasture are men: and I am the Lord
your God, saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 34:31) (DRB)


<><><><>
"Walsingham, 'in thee is built New Nazareth'

Where shall be held in a memorial
The great joy of my salutation,
First of my joys, their foundation and origin
Root of mankind's gracious redemption,
When Gabriel gave me this news:
To be a Mother through humility
And God's Son conceive in virginity.

O England, you have great cause to be glad
For you are compared to the Promised Land, Zion
You are called in every realm and region
The Holy Land, Our Lady's Dowry.
In you is built new Nazareth,
A house to the honor of the Queen of Heaven
And her most glorious Salutation
When Gabriel said at Old Nazareth,
Ave, This same joy shall here be daily and for ever remembered."
(From the Pynson Ballad, c.1470)

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