NEWS 080117 Walsingham - PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE WEEKEND
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The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Media Information
For Immediate Use
Sunday, 08 January 2017
PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE WEEKEND
Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM. Cap
Preacher to the Papal Household
to be National preacher.
Exciting plans to mark the 2017 National Pilgrimage to Walsingham (Monday 29 May) have been announced today including confirmation that Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM.Cap, Preacher to the Papal Household, will be the guest preacher.
There will be forty hours of prayer (starting on Saturday 27) including an ecumenical vigil in Walsingham Parish Church on the Sunday evening (28 May).
The event is the Shrine’s response to Thy Kingdom Come, a global prayer movement which the Archbishop of Canterbury is inviting people around the world to join. The wave of prayer will start in May and run for 10 days between the Christian festivals of Ascension and Pentecost.
See http://www.thykingdom.co.uk/
The Bishop of Norwich, Graham James, and the Bishop of East Anglia, Alan Hopes will join prayers for the unity of the church.
The Eucharist at this year’s National will be celebrated by the Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner.
Pilgrims will travel to Walsingham from all over the UK and further afield.
Fr Kevin Smith, Priest Administrator, said today: “We look forward to welcoming Fr Cantalamessa on his first visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and hope that pilgrims from all over the country will be present on this significant day in the life of the Shrine and its witness to the nation.”
The Bishop of Burnley, Philip North, who is Master of the Guardians added: “Each day at Walsingham we ask Mary’s prayers for ‘the conversion of England. This year, we will be more aware than ever of making that prayer in the company of the whole Church. It is really exciting that the National Pilgrimage will be a Beacon event in ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ a massive and international wave of prayer for the evangelisation of our land. It will be an amazing privilege to welcome Fr Cantalamessa as a guest of the Anglican Shrine. I hope that all who love Walsingham will want to make the pilgrimage that day and that those unable to be there will join us in prayer.”
Ends
Notes For Editors:
THE PROGRAMME
Saturday 27th - Monday 29th May 2017
FORTY HOURS OF PRAYER BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
Beginning with the Pilgrimage Sung Mass on Saturday 27th May at 6pm
The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the Shrine Church for 40 Hours as we pray for the Church and for the Nation, and for the coming of God’s Kingdom.
Pilgrim Parishes and Walsingham Cells are invited to join in this wave of prayer as it is offered in the Shrine, and if possible for all who love Walsingham to observe the 40 Hours in their churches at home.
The 40 Hours ends on Monday 29th May at 10.00 am, as preparations are made for the National Pilgrimage Mass at 12 noon in the Abbey Grounds.
AN ECUMENICAL VIGIL OF PRAYER Sunday 28th May at 8.15 pm
As the Forty Hours continues in the Shrine Church, an Ecumenical Vigil will be held in the Parish Church. We will gather as Christians of all denominations to pray for the Nation and for the Unity of the Church.
THE NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE DAY Monday 29th May at 12 noon
The weekend culminates in the celebration of a Solemn Mass in the Abbey Grounds at 12 noon. The Principal Celebrant will be the Right Reverend Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester and Guardian of the Holy House.
Following the Mass, pilgrims can enjoy a picnic lunch in the Abbey Grounds and, if they wish, receive the ministries of Sprinkling, the Laying on of Hands and Anointing, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation which will be available in the Shrine Church
At 2.30 pm all will gather for the Sermon and Procession of Our Lady.
2017 PREACHER
The Preacher at this year’s National Pilgrimage will be Fr Raniero Cantalamessa OFM Cap. Preacher to the Papal Household.
Fr Cantalamessa is an internationally renowned preacher and author. In 2015 he was invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to preach at the Opening Eucharist of General Synod in Westminster Abbey, and since 1980 he has served Pope S. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis as Preacher to the Papal Household. In this capacity, he preaches a weekly sermon in Advent and Lent in the presence of the Pope and his Cardinals ,the Bishops and Prelates of the Roman Curia and the General Superiors of the Religious Orders.
GENERAL BACKGROUND
The College of Guardians was formed in 1931. It comprises twenty priests and laity (including the Priest Administrator) who are the legal trustees of the Shrine. The Guardians elect one of their number (who must be a priest) to serve as Master. The Guardians meet twice a year in Chapter (chaired by the Master) to oversee the affairs of the Shrine. Each Guardian is assigned a stall and an altar in the Shrine Church. When attending the Shrine Church or the National Pilgrimage each Guardian wears the insignia of a star suspended from black and white ribbon and a blue velvet mantle.
Further information:
For further information please contact
Father Andreas on 01924 283373
or 07587 192095
Issued by:
Revd Dr Rob Marshall on 07766 952113
