St Simon's Parish Blog: July 2009

Parish Newsletter Sunday 26th July 2009

Parish Newsletter 26th July 2009

Parish Pilgrimage to Walsingham

Inside the Slipper Chapel

Outside the Slipper Chapel

Last Thursday a merry band of parishioners set off at 7am for the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, known also as England's Nazareth. You can find full details about the shrine here. We got stuck in a traffic jam caused by an accident on the A2 so although we did not make it for confessions at 11am, we still managed to arrive in good time for the 12noon Mass.

After Mass, people had their packed lunches or availed of the very good canteen in the grounds of the Catholic shrine.

Walking the Holy Mile

There followed a walk along the 'holy mile' up to the village of Little Walsingham praying the Rosary as we walked along. For those who were less able, the coach took them up the road.

Inside the Holy House at the Anglican Shrine

Statue of St Jean Marie Vianney, the Cure of Ars, at the Anglican Shrine

The journey back was without incident and we were back before 9pm.

Outside the new Catholic Church in Walsingham

Inside the new Catholic Church in Walsingham

It was a great day of fun in one another's company and prayer. Pilgrimages really do bring people together. It is so true that it's less about the destination and more about the journey. But the destination was wonderful. It was worth travelling so far to have a few hours of peace in such a beautiful place.