The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
at All Saints, Janesville
While there are many shines honoring Our Lady of Walsingham, the original shrine is in England. Since this is where Anglican Catholics find their roots, we have always had a special place in our hearts for the tradition of making a pilgrimage honoring our Lord’s Blessed Mother at Walsingham shrines.
The statue enshrined at All Saints Church, Janesville, Wisconsin was purchased in a shop in Little Walsingham, England in 1999. It originally had been cast in Italy and was shipped to the parish unpainted. The statue was painted locally. The setting was designed to incorporate it into the late Victorian style of the building which was built in 1882. It was dedicated in blessed memory of The Right Reverend Joseph P. Deyman and Mrs. Lois Eberhart on Candlemas, 2001.
The major shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in the United States is located at St. James Anglican Catholic Church in Cleveland, Ohio. Since most of us in Wisconsin cannot make the journey there in June when the primary pilgrimage takes place, for the past several years two Anglican Catholic parishes in Wisconsin, St. John the Apostle, Menomonee Falls and All Saints, Janesville, choose their our own special day to honor our Lord’s Blessed Mother. The Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham falls on October 15, and the annual pilgrimage is either held on that day, or during the octave of the feast..
We invite you to come visit the shrine, and if you are close by in October we hope that you can join us in the pilgrimage. Call or email us for specific dates and times.
Of all the Saints, the queen is St. Mary, the Mother of God. The Gospel according to St. Luke is quite clear. Our Lady, as we delight to call her, is of all women the most blessed. She, above all people, is most favored by God who chose her to be the mother of His only-begotten Son, Jesus.
Just as Our Lady is the Saint most highly honored by God, so it is right and fitting that she should be the most highly honored by Christ’s Church. We are told, if not commanded, in Luke 1:48, that “all generations shall call me blessed.”
Of all the means of honoring Our Lady, and indeed all the Saints, open to Christians, by far the most fitting is to ask her to pray for us. Asking her to pray for us is not to take anything away from Christ’s glory, but to magnify it by doing His will and honoring His Mother.
O Mary, recall the solemn moment when Jesus, your divine Son, dying on the cross, confided us to your maternal care. You are our Mother, we desire ever to remain your devout children. Let us therefore feel the effects of your powerful intercession with Jesus Christ. Make your name glorious in this place by your visits, favors, and many miracles.
Pray, holy Mother of God, for the conversion of our country, restoration of the sick, peace to the departed. O blessed Mary, Mother of God, our Lady of Walsingham, intercede for us. Amen.