The Walsingham Pilgrimage 2025 has now concluded. We hope you enjoyed following the pilgrimage's progress! You can find this year's blog further down the page. Additionally, Fr. Butters has written a very informative historical piece about Walsingham, which we highly recommend reading. 

Keep an eye out for next year's pilgrimage.

After Jerusalem,Compostella,Rome, the Shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham was the most popular shrine in medieval England. There were pilgrim routes ” ways” from all over our nation dotted by roadside shrines and crosses. From the north of England pilgrims would journey through Lincolnshire, over the Wash by Long Sutton, passing the priories of Fletcham, Rudham, Cokesford; from the continent would disembark at Kings Lynn [known then as Bishops Lynn].

In the year 1061, when St Edward the Confessor was king, the local lady of the manor of Walsingham, Richeldis, had a dream three times of Our Lady ,who took her to the holy house at Nazareth and requested that a replica be built in the village. The shrine was to celebrate the Annunciation, the root of man’s redemption, and Our Lady promised “ whoever seeks my help here will not go away empty handed”. (There is the legend that Richeldis struggled to get right the proper size of the holy house and that angels came during the night and built it).

Geoffrey, Richeldis son, built a great priory for the holy house and in mid12thC the Augustinian canons began to look after it.

From then on thousands came on pilgrimage, one commentary compared them to the “football fans of their day”. It is said that there were over 16 hostelries in the village. All the kings and queens of England, David of Scotland, came to pay homage.

Richard II gave England to Our Lady as her dowry. In 1511 King Henry Vlll walked barefoot, leaving money for a candle to be burned perpetually and for Masses to be said- the amount £1-3-4d would be over £800 now.

Cardinal Wolsey visited in 1517 when he was suffering from “the sweat”- a disease of tremendous perspiration causing great weakness.

What we know as the Slipper Chapel was originally dedicated  to St Catherine of Alexandria,patron  saint of pilgrims, and shoes were left there so pilgrims could walk barefoot to the Shrine.

After his breakaway from communion with the Pope, Henry turned to the closing of the monasteries and abbeys and the stealing of their sacred vessels for Mass and the treasures given by pilgrims.

 Prior Richard Vowell, subprior Edmund Warham and the whole  Community made their act of obedience and surrender, “we hold as confirmed and ratified and will always and for ever hold that Henry our king is the Head of the Anglican Church”; the priory was suppressed in 1534.   Gone was the singing and the chanting of the monks Walsingham was no more!

The original statue of Our Lady, made of wood, had stood in the holy house, was taken to Lambeth Palace in London and with others burned in Chelsea in July 1538 and the Holy House destroyed. All that is left is the 70’ high east gable end of the priory church and a small stone marking where the shrine had stood. What was the Slipper Chapel became used as a byre by a local farmer. But a lady called Charlotte Pearson Boyd used to see Catholics creeping in to pray.

She purchased the building  in the 1890s, same years she became a Catholic and began restoring. In 1897 Pope Leo Xlll donated a statue of Our Lady and Child to the catholic parish in Kings Lynn and on 20th August a first pilgrimage was made there.

Leo also became patron of the Guild of Our Lady of Ramsom and he urged catholics to “ransom” their country by their prayers and bring it back to the security of the catholic faith. In 1933 a new statue was created modelled on the seal of the medieval priory and Bishop Youens  of Northampton celebrated in open ground at the Chapel the 1st Mass in centuries. In 1934, 400 years since the destruction of the shrine, Walsingham was named our National Shrine and Cardinal Bourne led the 1st national pilgrimage.

Catholic Walsingham was back!

The statue from the Slipper Chapel was taken in 1982 to Wembley stadium where it was placed on the altar as St John Paul II celebrated Mass.

[Collect for the feast of Our Lady of Ransom- Lord, we have long been the dowry of Mary and subjects of Peter, prince of the apostles. Let us hold to the Catholic faith and remain devoted to the Blessed Virgin and obedient to Peter.] 

Fr Butters

Walsingham pilgrimage blog August 2025

What a beautiful morning for the start of our pilgrimage.

Quizzes for fun

We will be introducing fun quizzes over the next few weeks. 

Each week, we will feature the top scores on this page. 

Feel free to use your real name or an alias. 

Play as many times as you'd like, research the answers to learn something new, and most importantly, have fun! 

Updates prior to the pilgrimage

Keep an eye on this page for further information over the coming months. 

Any questions

If you're attending the pilgrimage and have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Callum using either his mobile or email address as below:

• 0782 8973 860

• Callum.Walker100@gmail.com