Walsingham and Basingstoke

In 1948 a group of people left the Holy Ghost Church in Basingstoke carrying a wooden cross.    Their destination was Walsingham and they were walking    Another 13 crosses were being carried from other parts of England and Wales, and all but the Welsh took roundabout routes, so that they would all arrive in Walsingham together.   It was a march for Peace and the crosses were planted in the grounds of the Catholic Church to form the Stations of the Cross.    The Basingstoke Cross is still there, and is the Fourth Station, Jesus meets his Mother.

But why was Basingstoke chosen for this great honour?   The answer is that Basingstoke before the Reformation had its own shrine to Our Lady and was a place of pilgrimage.   We know very little of the details but its existence is testified to by Basingstoke historical writers and the shrine of Walsingham itself.    The statue was taken from the town and burned by Thomas Cromwell, acting for Henry VIII, and thrown into the Thames at Chelsea.   But a connection remained with Basingstoke and a group of women organised a day visit to the Walsingham Shrine up to the 1980’s, leaving very early morning and returning late evening.

So of all the places in the South of England that should be involved in the rededication of England as the Dowry of Mary, surely Basingstoke should be the first.   It was a place of great devotion to her in Medieval times.

Let us come together then and love Mary as Jesus meant his mother to be loved.   Let us honour the thousands of people who did so before us, and ensure that in the future thousands of people will again be giving her the honour and praise she deserves.


We fly to thy patronage O holy Mother of God.   Despise not our prayers in our necessities but deliver us from all dangers, O most Glorious and Blessed Virgin.    Fourth Century Prayer.    

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