Our Lady of Walsingham

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The Right Reverend Lindsay Urwin OGS, a former administrator of the Anglican shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in north eastern England, dedicated a new shrine in her honour in Christ Church Beechworth on Mother’s Day, 2019.

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Bishop Urwin blessed and dedicated the shrine, which the congregation sought and funded, during the early evening service at which retiring Bishop of Wangaratta, John Parkes, officiated.

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Our Lady of Walsingham is a title for the Virgin Mary used in England after a pious noblewoman, Richeldis de Faverches, experienced apparitions of Mary in North Norfolk in 1061.

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In a series of three visions Lady Richeldis was shown by Mary the house of the annunciation in Nazareth, where scripture records that the archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus. The tradition is that Lady Richeldis was asked by Mary to build a replica of the ‘holy house’ in Walsingham village. It has since been a place of Catholic and later Anglican pilgrimage.

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The Beechworth project began with a generous contribution from parishioner Bill Coish and funds from other members of the congregation. The image of Mary and Jesus was made from limewood and sourced from Walsingham by Beechworth parish priest Thomas Leslie. Robin Holt made the shrine housing.

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The May 12 service also included the confirmation of parishioner Maree Lee by Bishop Parkes. It was his last formal service in Beechworth before his retirement as tenth bishop of Wangaratta.