London, England, Jun 18, 2023 / 06:00 am
“Record-breaking attendance” is expected for the upcoming annual pilgrimage to England’s famous Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, according to the Latin Mass Society (LMS) of England and Wales, which is organizing the summer event.
Known as “England’s Nazareth,” the popular shrine is located on the north coast of East Anglia and was established around 1061.
Inspired by the famous walking pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, pilgrims will meet in Ely, East Cambridgeshire, on Thursday, Aug. 24, and walk roughly 59 miles to Walsingham, where their journey will conclude with Mass in Walsingham’s Chapel of Reconciliation followed by devotions on Sunday, Aug. 27.
In an email exchange with CNA on June 13, Joseph Shaw, chairman of the Latin Mass Society, said: “Last year we had 160 pilgrims, including the volunteers; this was a big jump from the previous year, which itself was a big increase on the pre-COVID level … Early indications are that we will have another record-breaking year this year, as they had on the Chartres pilgrimage.”