Bishop sees God’s presence at Walsingham Pilgrimage

The Chapel of Reconciliation was full to overflowing at the National SVP Pilgrimage for the Sick, which took place at the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham on Sunday July 7. Eldred Willey reports.

Some 800 pilgrims had made the journey to Walsingham, and many stood outside with umbrellas in the rain to participate in the opening Mass, beyond railings which were hung with balloons to mark the 180^th anniversary of the founding of the SVP.

Some had come from far beyond the Diocese of East Anglia, where the shrine is situated. There was representation from Northampton Diocese and even a coachload which had come up from London. The pilgrims were seeking both the consolation of Our Lady’s presence at Walsingham and the power coming from the Sacrament of Healing, which was celebrated later in the afternoon.

Presiding at the Mass was Bishop Emeritus Alan Hopes of East Anglia, assisted by Fr Peter Wygnanski, Private Secretary to Bishop Peter Collins. Fr Anthony Asomugha, Chaplain to the SVP Central Council of East Anglia, was also at the altar.

In his homily Bishop Alan spoke about the ‘Apostolate of Love’ which belonged to members of the SVP.

He reflected firstly on the Gospel of the day, the story of Jesus returning to Nazareth to meet astonishment and then rejection. “Today’s Gospel suggests that familiarity can be a great obstacle to faith,” he said.

He then drew out this idea to explore how we can easily miss God’s presence among the poor and suffering. “There can be a refusal to see God in the homeless, the marginalised, the migrant,” he commented.

Moving to the second reading, he echoed what St Paul wrote about his thorn in the flesh, and how he was happy to make his weakness his special strength. “St Paul discovered that even sickness, infirmities and weakness can become an encounter with God.”

Turning his attention to the sick who had come on pilgrimage, the bishop said that “we must more and more recognise Jesus in the ordinary,” even the ordinariness of life with infirmity.

Before the anointing with oil in the sacrament, the bishop and priests present held up their arms in silence over the congregation, invoking God’s blessing. The special grace of Walsingham, the joy of the Annunciation, rewarded the sick and their helpers who had made the pilgrimage.

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