Introduction
Accommodation en route
Daily Mass open to everyone
More details about the route
The Final Day of the Pilgrimage
Coach from London
Can You Lend a Hand? Volunteers Needed!
Prices and How to Apply
FAQs
Disclaimer
"When England returns to Walsingham Our Lady will return to England" ~ Pope Leo XIII
You are invited to the third Latin Mass Society walking pilgrimage for the conversion of England. We will be walking from Ely to Walsingham from 24 to 26 August 2012. This is a bank-holiday weekend.
Pilgrims will meet in the evening of Thursday 23 August at St Ethelreda's Catholic Church, 19 Egremont Street, Ely, CB6 1AE. The pilgrimage will begin with the Traditional Mass in St Ethelreda's Catholic Church on Friday morning.
There will be a sung Traditional Latin Mass each day and Confession will be available throughout the pilgrimage.
Mass on the second day will be in the private chapel at Oxburgh Hall. This is a c15th moated manor house which is still the home of the Bedingfield family who built it nearly six hundred years ago. Oxburgh Hall was a recusant house in penal times and has a priest hole.
During the pilgrimage there will be recitation of the Rosary, the singing of traditional hymns, periods of silence and quiet reflection, and the chance to chat with other pilgrims and to renew friendships, or extablish new ones.
This pilgrimage is open to all ages and to families.
We want to encourage as many families to attend this pilgrimage as possible. For that reason we have secured indoor accommodation for each night. The indoor accommodation is for use by women and children. Women and children are also free to camp if they wish. Camping is compulsory for men, although this will be indoors on the Friday night. Please note that children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
If, for any reason, you are unable to take part in the pilgrimage itself, you are more than welcome to attend any or all of the Masses along the way. The details are as follows:
Friday, 24 August: St Etheldreda’s Catholic Church, 19 Egremont Street, Ely, CB6 1AE 6.15am
Saturday, 25 August: Oxburgh Hall, Oxborough, near Swaffham, Norfolk PE33 9PS 8am
Sunday, 26 August: Chapel of Reconciliation, Catholic National Shrine, Walsingham, 2pm
If you would like more detail on the route then please email Paul Smeaton - paulfsmeaton@gmail.com
The pilgrimage will conclude on Sunday afternoon (26 August), firstly with Sung Mass (possibly High Mass, but this is yet to be confirmed) starting at 2pm at the National Shrine in Walsingham (in the Chapel of Reconciliation next to the Slipper Chapel). Pilgrims will have the chance to visit the Slipper Chapel as well. This will be followed by a procession along the Holy Mile from the Slipper Chapel to the ruins of the Abbey in the centre of Walsingham itself. The Abbey grounds have been booked from 4pm and there will be prayers of thanksgiving offered there. The gate to the grounds closes at 5pm, so pilgrims will have the chance to spend some time there, after the conclusion of the pilgrimage.
The Slipper Chapel is so called because pilgrims would traditionally leave their shoes there before walking the Holy Mile to the Holy House of Walsingham, where in the eleventh century Our Lady appeared in a dream to the Lady Richeldis de Faverches and asked her to build a house like the Holy House of Nazareth. The house contained a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary with the child Jesus seated on her lap. A priory was later built beside the Holy House. During the reign of King Henry VIII the priory was closed as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the statue was taken to London and burnt.
For those wishing just to attend the final Mass in Walsingham, there is a coach leaving London on Sunday, 26 August for the final Mass at Walsingham. If you wish to book a place, please phone the LMS office (020 7404 7284).
As the pilgrimage grows from year to year, we need more volunteers to help things run smoothly. We especially need people to help drive support vehicles. All your expenses (petrol etc) will be covered and you will be offered a reduced rate to attend the pilgrimage. We also need people willing to help with stewarding and others to help with the preparation of food. Phone the LMS office on 020 7404 7284 or email us on info@lms.org.uk if you can help. Thank you.
Prices are as follows:
Adult non-LMS members: £65 (see note below)
Adult LMS members: £55
Under 18s* and students: £35
*Accompanied by an adult - for legal reasons no unaccompanied minors are permitted on the pilgrimage.
To avoid any confusion at a later date, when applying please make sure that you first read the FAQs and Disclaimer below.
Join the LMS today and claim your member's discount off the price of the pilgrimage!
Why not subscribe to a year's LMS membership and receive £10 discount off the price of the Pilgrimage? Ordinary Membership is £25, Joint Membership (two people at the same address) is £35. You can sign up for joint membership and receive £10 each off the Pilgrimage price. Joining the LMS means you'll be supporting our valuable work of campaigning for the Traditional Mass, plus you'll be able to claim further discounts on several other events we organise through the year.
Alternatively phone us on 020 7404 7284 with your card details or send a cheque payable to 'The Latin Mass Society' for the appropriate amount to the address below.
The Latin Mass Society
11 - 13 Macklin Street
London
WC2B 5NH
Q: Do I have to be a member of the LMS to take part in the Pilgrimage?
A: No. Those who are not LMS members are warmly welcomed to join the Pilgrimage. If you are currently not a member but would like to take advantage of the £10 Members' discount on the price of the Pilgrimage, you can join online now to qualify. You might like to know that LMS membership also qualifies you for discounts on other events through the year.
Q: When does the pilgrimage begin?
A: Pilgrims will meet in Ely on the evening of Thursday 23 August. The pilgrimage will begin proper with Mass the following morning.
Q: When does the pilgrimage conclude?
A: Sung Mass on Sunday begins at 2pm and is followed by a procession along the Holy Mile. The Abbey grounds have been booked from 4pm and we will have prayers there in thanksgiving. The Abbey gates close at 5pm.
Q: if I drive to Ely, how do I get back to my car?
A: pilgrims will have the option of driving their car to Walsingham on Friday morning and leaving their car at the Shrine. They will then be brought back to the other pilgrims by a support vehicle.
Q: if I get a return ticket to Ely by train, how will I get back to Ely?
A: there will be support vehicles taking pilgrims back to Ely at the conclusion of the pilgrimage.
Q: How far do you walk each day?
A: Approximately 22 miles on Friday and Saturday and 11 miles on Sunday. A total of 55 miles.
Q: Do I have to carry all my luggage as I walk?
A: No. A support vehicle will carry your heavy bags. Pilgrims are advised to bring a small bag to carry food and water.
Q: What if I can’t walk the whole way?
A: A support vehicle is on hand to pick up pilgrims who can’t walk the entire way. It is better to come and use the support vehicle when necessary, than not to come at all!
Q: What are the sleeping arrangements?
A: On Thursday evening we have booked a parish hall and a local campsite. All pilgrims are welcome to stay at the campsite camp if they wish. Those staying at the campsite will need to bring their own tents. The use of the parish hall is for women and children only. Those staying in the hall will need to bring sleeping bags. On Friday, we have booked two separate halls. On Saturday we have booked a village hall and a campsite in Harpley. Sleeping arrangements are the same as on Thursday.
Q: Do you provide food and water?
A: Yes. Water is provided throughout. Breakfast and an evening meal are also provided each day. Pilgrims are asked to provide their own lunch each day.
As with all such similar pilgrimages and courses that we organise, as a corporate, spiritual, and physical enterprise, the participants of a walking pilgrimage must conform to certain social, religious, and physical standards. Accordingly, the Latin Mass Society reserves the right to decline applications to join the pilgrimage at its discretion, and without appeal.