The pilgrimage by members of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Great Britain to the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady, Walsingham takes place annually in July. In the bucolic setting of the Norfolk countryside, it’s a time of community for the UK’s Syro-Malabar Catholic congregations and their priests, a time of devotion and veneration of Mary the Mother of God, and (not least) a great family day out. It’s colourful and extremely friendly and at the same time a serious and respectful expression of deeply held beliefs. It has preaching, singing, processing, laughing and the sharing of food. It reflects one major aspect of what Walsingham is – a place of pilgrimage: it’s an experience of faith, the everyday faith of ordinary people.
