At England’s Marian shrine, Bishop Davies urges full embrace of faith

Last updated on: August 28, 2012 at 9:32 pm by CNA Daily News

At England’s Marian shrine, Bishop Davies urges full embrace of faith 2012-08-28T21:32:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Walsingham, England, Aug 28, 2012 / 03:32 pm (CNA).- Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury has encouraged English Catholics to prepare for the Year of Faith by embracing and proclaiming Catholicism in its entirety.

“We are invited together with Simon Peter and with his successor Benedict our Pope to profess our Catholic faith in fullness and with renewed conviction,” Bishop Davies said Aug. 26 during a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Walsingham in Norfolk.

Bishop Davies gave two homilies during his pilgrimage to England’s national Marian shrine. In a sermon to around 1,500 members of the Youth 2000 movement, he reminded the congregation of the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

“The Mass brings us to make a choice, the choice Joshua put before his people, ‘choose today whom you wish to serve,’” he told the young pilgrims gathered for the movement’s Searchlight@Walsingham Festival.

“For faith, Pope Benedict reminds us, ‘is choosing to stand with the Lord so as to live with him’ and this choosing begins for us on Sunday at the start of every new week,” the bishop said.

The Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham was established in 11th century by a Saxon noblewoman, Richeldis de Faverches, who desired to undertake some special work in honor of Our Lady.

In answer to her prayers for a special work, the Virgin Mary led her in spirit to Nazareth, showed her the house where the Annunciation occurred, and asked her to build a replica in Walsingham to serve as a perpetual memorial of the Annunciation.

In his later homily to the Latin Mass Society, Bishop Davies recalled how Walsingham “was once the focus of world attention” and a center of pilgrimage “renowned alongside Jerusalem and Rome,” until it was destroyed during the 16th-century English Reformation.

“These very ruins of Walsingham towards which you will walk the last ‘Holy Mile’ of this pilgrimage serve to remind us that each successive generation must make that choice for the faith again,” he said.

The homily was delivered during a Traditional High Mass which concluded a three-day, 55-mile walking pilgrimage by the Latin Mass Society. Bishop Davies recalled the words of the 19th-century Pope Leo XIII who predicted that “when England returns to Walsingham, Our Lady will return to England.”

“In this way we will pass on the flame of faith and so leave to new generations not the ruins of a Christian past but the faith which Walsingham has represented for almost a thousand years.”

Europe

Previous Post

August 28, 2012

Gulf Coast Catholics prepare for Hurricane Isaac impact

Next Post

August 28, 2012 Church in Venezuela mourns oil refinery deaths

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the Christian principle about judging by appearances?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Do not judge by outward appearance See clothes first Judge quickly Copy others' opinions