Sharing the sabbatical: a pilgrimage from Winchmore Hill

Last week I had the privilege of sharing my sabbatical – in miniature – with people from my parish. Twenty-five of us made our way to North Norfolk after our Sunday Eucharist, staying for four nights in the Shrine in Walsingham. On Monday we walked between the churches around the Glaven Estuary (Walk 1 from last year). On Tuesday we began and ended at Binham Priory (Walk 12). And on Wednesday we visited the plenitude of churches in and around Walsingham (Walk 9).

Pilgrims at St Mary, Little Walsingham

Each walk began with a simple act of worship, and we prayed in every church – much as I have done on my thirty-eight (mostly) solo walks to date. At Binham Priory we sang Tallis’s Canon – in canon. There was something profound about singing a simple melody written just years after the dissolution of this great Priory, and at a time when this church had already witnessed five centuries of Christian worship. Binham has the sort of acoustics which make it difficult not to sing, and these ancient stones rendered our voices more beautiful than we could have imagined. In Blakeney we prayed for seafarers. In Cockthorpe, Wiveton and Glandford we prayed prayers written on the very walls. The Walsingham walk criss-crossed the River Stiffkey, so one of our themes for this pilgrimage was God’s gift of water. This flowed beautifully into the other theme, inspired by the different denominations of the churches we visited: the unity of the baptised. Each walk ended with a Eucharist in the newly-refurbished Barn Chapel in Walsingham before we headed into the refectory for supper. Food for body and soul.

I had contacted in advance the churches we planned to visit. One of blessings of these walks was, in many cases, being met and welcomed by the living stones of these churches. At Blakeney and Stiffkey we were unexpectedly greeted with refreshments. At Little Walsingham the vicar, Fr Harri Williams, treated us to an excellent illustrated talk. At Binham the great west doors were opened in our honour.

Preparing pilgrims for the Georgian interior of St Mary Magdalene, Warham Photo credit: Mthr Lyanne Beckerson

I find enormous delight and solace in walking alone, but I hugely enjoyed the opportunity to lead a large company of people and to share with them something of the charisms of my time in Norfolk last year. Rather than scrambling all my thoughts onto this blog at the end of the day, it was a joy to share my thoughts and reflections as we walked. And, inevitably, I discovered things I had never noticed before, even in churches I thought I knew well. It turns out, for example, that the rare cresset stone at Blakeney, mentioned by Mortlock, is to be found in the loo under the tower.

As well as our daily Eucharist, staying in the Shrine allowed us to dip into the pilgrimage programme and enjoy the company of other pilgrim groups. On the Monday evening, I had arranged for Bishop Robert Ladds, former Bishop of Whitby, and now, in retirement chaplain to the Guild of All Souls’ Chapel, to address us on the theme of Marian pilgrimage. On Tuesday evening we experienced the Shrine’s healing ministries, and on Wednesday joined the procession of Our Lady concluding with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Benediction at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham Photo credit: Mthr Lyanne Beckerson

One of the greatest joys of a pilgrimage is the way in which people grow in their relationship both with the Lord and with each other. I discovered in this week that the latter is especially true when pilgrims are walking as a large group. Inevitably and inescapably, one falls into step with different people at different times. The level of conversation is much deeper than can be achieved, for example, at the church door on a Sunday morning, or over post-service coffee.

We returned to North London having walked 25 miles (or 33, depending on who you ask) over three days, full of faith and joy, and ready to begin the Church’s celebration of Holy Week. And we’re already planning the next pilgrimage…