Walsingham Association National Mass is in Birmingham on 19 April at St Chad's Cathedral. At the Bi-annual meeting Anne Milton summarised places branches visit - if copies are required then please ask. Many on pilgrimage wish to visit the Church of the Annunciation in King's Lynn where the first post-reformation Shrine to Our Lady was established in 1897. The King's Lynn branch will held with arrangements.

Writing to Mr S J Aldus. Just found out Pat Scrutton is in hospital - wondering where that leaves managing the pilgrimages. As this is a Foot & Mouth free area it should not cause any trouble. Abel to steward this year? The pilgrimage numbers can be quite large (1,100 from Northampton Diocese schools) so need to spread the net wider. Hence will be writing to parishes in the Deanaries to ask for volunteers.

A handover letter describing what to expect in the running of the branch. Headings: The Branch, The Advent weekend, Day visit to Walsingham, Oxburgh Hall Visit.

Invitation to join the 1989 Parliamentary Pilgrimage now being organised.

Forwarding a letter from Rev Vassily James, whose anthropologist father (Rev Professor O E James) the Bishop knew. The letter is described as being critical of a Catholic pilgrimage to Walsingham. This, he passes on to Bishop Clark for his action, with the author's permission.

"My dear Fr. Abbot
I did not want to put it in a formal document, but I wish in justice to withdraw or amend, what I wrote to you the other day about the origin of the trouble between Bp. Riddell and the Benedictines of Downside over the gift by Miss Charlotte Boyd of the Slipper Chapel to Downside.
I have been going through the correspondence, and it appears from that that Miss Boyd from the commencement desired to make it over to the Benedictines.
She wrote to Bp. Riddell in this sense wishing to get his consent to this action. Bp. Riddell, however, did not take too kindly to the idea, and said he would like to place a missionar Priest at the Slipper Chapel as a centre from which he could, in time establish little Missions at Fakenham, Dereham and Wells. This was in August, 1895.
In July, 1897, she writes that the Chapel has been transferred and invested in the names of three of the Downside Benedictine Fathers.
In May, 1920, Abbot Ford asked leave to organize a Pilgrimage from Beccles and its neighbourhood to Walsingham in August, “but I am told that your Lordship would not approve of it. Will you please send me a line to say if this is so, for I should not move any farther in the project unless I was sure of your approval.”
To which Bp. Riddell answered, on May 28 1900 :
“There is only one Pilgrimage approved by me, that to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham at Lynn. I cannot approve of any other.”
I only give you these extracts to clear myself of a misrepresentation of the facts which I made, and to show how the unfortunate friction began."

The policy on this was formulated by Bp Riddell. The seat of the old Walsingham shrine was utterly destroyed - nothing remains except for some ruins in Protestant hands. King's Lynn was where Leo XIII placed the shrine. What the Anglicans do is their affair. Some Catholics think differently and advertise their pilgrimages in the Tablet - until he contacted the Tablet. Continue to remind enquirers that the shrine is at King's Lynn, an old port through which the bulk of pilgrims from the Continent made their way to the famous old Shrine.
Apologies for the shortness of the letter as still in bed with pneumonia.

Celebret and faculties included [not present]. Young Farr can remain another year - he is making a good go at it. Send a copy of the document outside the shrine, I may refer to it in my speech, with my memories. Remind you that there are better speakers. "Sudbury in Middlesex must take a back seat or go to pot!"

Glad that the convent question is settled. Got the statistics, but not the Retreat Form. Will join the procession but can you not get a more brilliant speaker than himself? Congregation in Rome very particular about chapel room.

You should not make arrangements without first obtaining permission and being sure of conflicts. You may go - arrangements for celebret and faculties for supply.
The Sisters wish to paper the room for the chapel and have been allowed to do so. Honorarium is normally £26 /annum for mass once a week. The bath will have to come out.
Holmes affair has worked out well - however, the approach you had proposed would not have done so. Do not be too kind to them at first - they had been very naughty!
Note that Fr Filmer is trying to reschedule some of his pilgrimages to Sundays.

Has received the Walsingham document and will decipher and copy it. Pleasant to stay at Presbytery. Looking forward to the pilgrimage as not attended for a long time.

Jenny Standing, Secretary replying that the Bishop cannot attend the 1989 Parliamentary Pilgrimage.

Has just received a reply from Cardinal Knox to his letter dated 9 October 1979.
Discouraging - appreciate the Cardinal Hume's counsel. The inability to give General Absolution at time of pilgrimage is not a disaster - but the letter shows an addiction to strict and literal interpretation of the norms.
He has instructed his clergy that in real necessity they are authorised to administer GA (the kind of necessity the Congregation does not admit!) and inform him after the fact. But this has been rarely used and with no criticisms
Bishop Clark thinks that something has "leaked".

Attached letter - Bishop bemused about an apparent omission in which Bishop Donze appears not to be saying Mass . Also, "ruffled" that, if he was involved in the arrangements, Cardinal Hume has not been in touch with Bishop Clark.

Bishop congratulating Fr Allen on the event yesterday [National Pilgrimage]. Well planned and executed; requires a lot of backroom work. He was happy to accompany the Cardinal on the walk.
Worried about the phrase "The Shrine Management" - watch it - this is the Shrine Council and Executive, not Bernard and John. Bishop abhors "creeping power as much as creeping infallibility!".

Whilst recognising that as Director of the Shrine, Fr Allen is busy, the Bishop asks if he'd consider being Vicar for the Religious in the East of the Diocese. Jim Kennedy covers the West. p.s. Good news about The Student Cross.

Bishop is going on holiday and on return on pilgrimage to Lourdes - hence a couple of matters causing him concern to be raised (copy to Mgr McBride)

1. Wearing of Franciscan habit by Third Order members - John Hawkes, and others
2. Assistants to the President of the liturgy on the occasion of Solemn Masses at the Chapel of Reconciliation

"... several doctrinal and historical reasons, the right sign should be given to the participating laity of the correct ordering of the church ..."

Surprised by the date of the National Pilgrimage - understood it always took place on the Sunday "between the two Madonnas". But if Cardinal Hume is coming then fine - but needs to be kept in the picture. Cannot accept Colin Gill's offer. Happy to commission Sister Elizabeth but if needed doing sooner then ask the Dean.

"All is not well when I receive, so late, this letter from Fr Hibbert."
Where do we stand?

Written to Clive.
"Where do I stand? Where do we stand?" It is strange to write months after the event. Unsure about the purposes of the Student Cross - "I do wish ... to ensure right and rich practice at Walsingham."