Cathedral prayer 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE CATHEDRAL  

The Way of Our Lady of Consolation starts at the Cathedral More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of the Archdiocese. 

Harvington Hall Lane, Harvington, Kidderminster, DY10 4LR

Harvington Hall, the seat of the Pakington and Yates families, was a centre for Catholic life in the area during the C16 and C17. The house contained two ‘secret’ chapels and is famous for its unequalled collection of priest holes, probably constructed by St Nicholas Owen. St John Wall (martyred 1679) ministered in the area for twelve years. In 1743 a chapel was constructed in a stable block in the grounds and used until 1823, when it was badly damaged by fire. It later became a school, but in 1986-7 was restored as a chapel. 

Today the Hall is owned by the Archdiocese and there is an annual pilgrimage and Mass on the first Sunday of September. The Hall is open to the public. 

Shrine prayer 

Almighty God, we remember with gratitude and reverence the sacrifice of the English Martyrs who, in their fidelity to the Catholic Faith, endured persecution and death for the sake of Christ. Inspired by their courage and unwavering commitment, we humbly ask for their intercession in our lives.

Grant us the strength to remain steadfast in our faith, even in the face of challenges and adversity. May the example of the English Martyrs inspire us to live our Catholic Faith boldly and joyfully, bearing witness to the Gospel in our time. May their prayers bring comfort, healing, and strength to all who seek their help.

O God, who crowned the English Martyrs with the glory of martyrdom, grant that we may imitate their courage and fidelity. Through their intercession, may we grow in love for You and our neighbours, and may Your Kingdom come in our hearts and in the world.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

St Nicholas Owen, Pray for us 

St John Wall, Pray for us

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The closest diocesan Pilgrim Way is the St Chad's Way, more details here. 

A national Shrine in the care of Diocese 

1 Church Road, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO15 6AG 

The English Shrine of Our Lady of Light was founded in Cornwall in 1834, by Miss Ann Letitia Trelawny and her sister Mrs Mary Harding, in accordance with the wish of their father, Sir Henry Trelawny. Sir Henry had been an Anglican clergyman, but he was received into the Catholic Church, and in 1830, at the age of seventy-four, was ordained priest. Sir Henry and his daughters had lived in Brittany and knew of shrines dedicated to Our Lady of Light which were popular with pilgrims suffering from blindness and troubles of the sight, whether physical or spiritual. After their father’s death his daughters built of a chapel on the Trelawne estate dedicated to Our Lady of Light to bring Cornwall to the light of Faith that they had received. The chapel opened in 1843. The estate was renamed Sclerder, the word in Breton and Cornish for light. 

The Catholic Trelawnys died out and the estate was bought by the de Bary family. Mrs Pauline de Bary restored the chapel and brought a carved wooden statue of Our Lady depicting her with her hands palms downwards before her, as though bestowing blessings on her children. A golden dove hovers above her, symbol of the Holy Spirit. She asked permission for an Association to be formed and this was granted in 1893. However there were problems in Cornwall, and Mrs de Bary and Mrs St John decided to move the shrine. Cardinal Vaughan suggested Clacton-on-Sea, where there was a need for a mission. The town had grown as a seaside resort from the mid C19, and Mass was said in a variety of locations. 

A mission was established in 1894 and Mrs de Bary and Mrs St John acquired the site for a church. In 1895 the Oblates of St Charles at Bayswater were invited to take over the running of the shrine, and Cardinal Vaughan undertook to erect the Confraternity of Our Lady of Light there. 

In 1902 work started on a large church in Norman style, dedicated to Our Lady of Light and St Osyth, the Saxon abbess of a nearby convent. Various additions and re-orderings have taken place over the years, and the Church was finally consecrated by Bishop McMahon on 15 October 2004, 101 years to the day after its official opening.

Shrine prayer 

Our Lady of Light, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, I give thee my whole self, soul and body, all that I have or may have, to keep for Jesus, that I may be His for evermore. 

Amen.

Our Lady of Light, Pray for us.

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Way of Our Lady of Light ends at the Shrine. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of the Archdiocese. 

The Church of the Sacred Heart, School Road Morriston SA6 6HZ

In 1899 the Benedictines purchased a former Baptist chapel in Morriston. Morriston became an independent parish in 1922, administered by the Benedictines until 1932, when the parish was handed to the Diocese of Cardiff. The old, corrugated iron church was destroyed by fire on Holy Saturday 1952. A building fund was set up and a new church was opened on 14 April 1955. During the late 1950s and early 60s new residential estates in the parish meant more space was needed. The building was re-orientated, and the enlarged church was opened in 1964. In 2017 the church was inaugurated as a diocesan shrine of Divine Mercy, and new stained-glass windows were installed in the nave. 

In 1931, in Płock, Poland, Faustina Kowalska, a religious sister and mystic, had a vision of Jesus who tasked her with spreading devotion to his Divine Mercy. The two main themes of the devotion are to trust in Christ's endless goodness, and to show mercy to others, acting as a conduit for God's love towards them. The feast of Divine Mercy was instituted by St Pope John Paul II in 2000 and is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. 

Shrine prayer 

O God, whose mercies are without number and whose treasure of goodness is infinite, graciously increase the faith of the people consecrated to you, that all may grasp and rightly understand by whose love they have been created, through whose Blood they have been redeemed, and by whose Spirit they have been reborn. 

Through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

St Anthony of Egypt, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the Way of St Anthony's Well. More details here. 

An Informal Shrine in the care of Archdiocese 

St Thomas' Church, Cardiff Road, Abercynon CF45 4RR 

In 1926 a 3-year-old local boy called Gerald O’Shea fell into the River Taff. On returning home he told his mother that he had been rescued by a lady in blue, the same lady that was shown on his religious medallion. The boy stuck firmly to his story and the tale of the Virgin Mary rescuing a boy from drowning began to spread. 

It was the Great Depression and a time of mass local unemployment. The parish priest Fr Carroll-Baillie organised a group of volunteers, including many unemployed miners, to build a Lourdes grotto and shrine at the rear of the site, overlooking the confluence of the Rivers Cynon and Taff. Three local wells were diverted into one and were dedicated as a Holy Well. Following stories of cures and blessings the site became a popular place of pilgrimage, known as ‘the Welsh Lourdes’. 

At the peak of its popularity around 10,000 pilgrims a year visited but in later decades the grotto fell into disrepair. Following a fundraising campaign launched in 2011 it is once again restored.

Shrine prayer

Oh ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfortess of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Look upon me with mercy. 

When you appeared in the grotto of Lourdes, you made it a privileged sanctuary where you dispense your favors, and where many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. 

My loving Mother, obtain my request. I will try to imitate your virtues so that I may one day share your company and bless you in eternity. 

Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE

The Way of Our Lady of the Valleys ends at the Shrine. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of Diocese 

St Mary's Church, Magdalene Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9EJ 

There is evidence that Our Lady continued to be venerated at Glastonbury during penal times, but in 1925, a small church was built. In 1939 the foundations of a new church were laid, dedicated to Our Lady and across the road from the ruined Abbey. 

In 1955, a statue of Our Lady was blessed by the Apostolic Delegate, and the Shrine of Our Lady St Mary of Glastonbury was restored. In 1965 the statue was crowned, a mark of the special importance of Our Lady of Glastonbury. Today the shrine is well visited and there is the Annual Diocesan Pilgrimage.

Shrine prayer 

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, 

our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve. 

To you do we send up our sighs, 

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears 

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Amen 

Our Lady of Glastonbury, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE

The Whiting Way ends at the Shrine. More details here. 

A National Shrine in the care of Diocese 

The Chapel of Reconciliation, Houghton St Giles, Walsingham, Norfolk NR22 6AL 

The Slipper Chapel was built in the mid C14 to serve pilgrims approaching the end of their journey to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Traditionally pilgrims would take off their footwear and walk the last mile barefoot. In 1511 Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, did so, but at the Reformation Henry had the shrine destroyed. 

The Slipper Chapel became successively a poor house, a forge, a barn and a cowshed. In 1896 Miss Charlotte Boyd, a Catholic convert, bought and restored the Chapel. She had the idea of reviving the chapel as a place of pilgrimage and the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom brought the first public pilgrimage to Walsingham on 20th August 1897. 

As the years passed devotion to Our Lady at Walsingham grew and the number of pilgrimages increased. In 1933, prompted by the growth of the Anglican shrine at Walsingham, Cardinal Bourne created a new Shrine to Our Lady at the Slipper Chapel. In 1934 the Cardinal led 12,000 people on a pilgrimage to the chapel, re-enthroning an image of Our Lady which had been designed from a late medieval priory seal. In the same year the bishops of England & Wales declared the Chapel a National Shrine to Our Lady.  

After WW2 there were increasing numbers of pilgrims to the Shrine, so Mass was often said in the open air beside the Slipper Chapel. In the late 1960s the Diocese of Northampton began to improve the facilities and work began on a large open-sided structure on a concrete dais, with a granite altar and timber roof, providing a more permanent covered outdoor sanctuary. 

In the 1970s it was decided to construct a large chapel over the dais in the shape of a Norfolk barn, seating 350 with a sanctuary which could be opened in summertime for larger outside congregations. Building began in 1980 and the completed building was consecrated in May 1982. From 1968 to 2014 the shrine was run by priests of the Society of Mary (Marists). In 2015 Pope Francis conferred the title of minor basilica on the Shrine, one of only three in England. 

The Shrine attracts some 150,000 pilgrims annually with about 35 major pilgrimages. The largest are those of the Tamil community who bring about 6,000 pilgrims each May and July, some being Christian and some Hindus. 

Shrine prayer 

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 

Amen.

Our Lady of Walsingham, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the Way of the Annunciation. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of Diocese 

Church of St Peter-in-Chains, Chequer Road, Doncaster DN1 2AA 

Our Lady of Doncaster is a Marian shrine located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The original statue in the Carmelite friary was destroyed during the English Reformation. A modern shrine was erected in St Peter-in-Chains Church, Doncaster in 1973. The feast day of Our Lady of Doncaster is 4 June.

Shrine prayer 

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, 

our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve. 

To you do we send up our sighs, 

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears 

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Our Lady of Doncaster, pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE  

There are as yet no nearby pilgrim ways. 

An Informal Shrine in the care of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne 

61 Reid Park Rd, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 2ER 

The remains of the Chapel of Our Lady of Jesmond or St. Mary's Chapel is the oldest church or chapel in Newcastle. It was probably built by the Grenville family, one-time Lords of Jesmond. The chapel is first mentioned in 1272 in an Assize Roll which records how five clerics helped a criminal escape from Newcastle Gaol - first to Jesmond Chapel and then to sanctuary at Tynemouth. 

Although the chapel was at one time in the possession of the Priors of Tynemouth, division of the manor between three sisters in 1333 led to confusion as to rights over the chapel and, at one time, three separate Chantries were maintained by their descendants. This resulted in much scandal and damage, including stolen jewellery and chalices and in 1364, Edward III took claim. 

In 1549 the Mayor and Burgesses of Newcastle paid £144.13.4d to Edward VI to purchase the chapel and adjoining Hospice and in turn sold them to Sir Robert Brandling. 

The Chapel has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries because of the miracles reputed to have taken place among the sick who attended the Chapel and the neighbouring Holy Well. Pilgrim street, in the centre of Newcastle, probably derives its name from being the route the pilgrims took on their journey to the Chapel. 

Following the Reformation and dissolution of the monasteries, the building thought to have been a hospital was rebuilt as a house, and the Chapel became a barn and stable; it passed through several hands until bought by Lord Armstrong who gifted it to the City.

Today there is an organised pilgrimage to the Chapel every year when a service is held in the ruins. 

Shrine prayer 

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, 

our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. 

To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears 

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ, 

Amen. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the Holystone Way. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of the Diocese 

Ladyewell House, Fernyhalgh Lane, Fernyhalgh, Preston, Lancashire PR2 5ST 

The Holy Well shrine is in the grounds of Ladyewell House. Since the Reformation, devotion to Our Lady as Queen of Martyrs has developed, and this is reflected at Ladyewell in the reliquary, the Burgess Altar and the chapel of the English Martyrs. There has never been an apparition of Our Blessed Lady at Fernyhalgh, just continued prayer and petition over 7 centuries. 

Apart from 5 years during penal times, the shrine has attracted pilgrims and been the focus of Catholic prayer. Between May and October the dioceses of Lancaster, Liverpool and Salford hold their annual pilgrimages. Syro-Malabar Catholics and Irish travellers visit throughout the year, and devotion at Ladyewell is ecumenical, attracting Anglican and Orthodox Christians, as well as people of other faiths.

Shrine prayer 

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, 

our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. 

To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears 

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Amen, 

Our Lady of Fernyhalgh, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the Way of Our Lady of Fernyhalgh and St Alphonsa. More details here. 

An Informal Shrine in the care of the Trustees of the Catholic Women's League 

Located at the junction of Studley Lane on the B6265 Limekiln Bank Studley Roger Ripon OS Grid Ref: SE 28935 70599 

The memorial, which stands on the site of the Catholic Women's League Chapel and Canteen at Ripon Camp, commemorates the British and Canadian servicemen of the camp who lost their lives in World War I. It is in an elevated position to the north side of the B6265 road immediately opposite the end of Studley Lane. It stands within its own small garden reached by steps on the Ripon side of the enclosure. 

A wooden cross is set into a rough hewn rock on which the 2 inscriptions have been carved.. The carved figure of Christ sits under a narrow tiled roof and appears to be painted white with black nails. The garden is mainly gravelled and provided with 6 seats marking various anniversaries of the Catholic Women's League and a number of decorative trees. On the wall facing the road there is a more modern cast metal plaque with a futher similar inscription.

Every year members of Leeds Branch of the Catholic Women’s League gather at St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church, Ripon for Mass before making a pilgrimage to the Wayside Shrine. More information about the war work of the CWL and the Ripon Shrine can be found by clicking the button below. 

Shrine prayer 

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. 

May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 

Amen

St Margaret Clitherow, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The nearest Pilgrim Way is the St Wilfrid's Way from Leeds to Ripon. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of the Passionist Order 

St Anne and Blessed Dominic, Monastery Road, St Helens WA9 3ZD 

The parish originated in 1849 and was in the care of Passionist priests based in an adjacent monastery until 2004. The old church and monastery were demolished due to mining subsidence and much of the site sold to build a new parish centre. 

The new polygonal Church dates from 1973 and is the burial place and shrine to three notable figures from the Catholic ‘Second Spring’: Blessed Dominic Barberi (1792-1849), who established the Passionist congregation in England and was instrumental in the conversion of John Henry Newman; the Venerable George (Ignatius) Spencer (1799-1864), Passionist priest and the convert son of the second Earl Spencer and the Venerable Elizabeth Prout (1820-64), founder of the Sisters of the Cross & Passion.

Annual Pilgrimage Days are held on the Anniversaries of these three holy people whose Causes for Canonisation are making gradual progress. The pilgrimages are held on or around these dates each year:

• Elizabeth Prout   28th May
• Blessed Dominic Barberi   28th August
• Ignatius Spencer   1st October

Shrine prayer 

O God, who so lovingly raised Blessed Dominic to the heights of holiness, learning and apostolic zeal and made him a powerful minister of your mercy, listen to our humble request.

We pray that you will in your goodness, grant a miracle through the intercession of Blessed Dominic, so that the Church may further honour him on earth and that many more people will come to know and invoke the help of this faithful servant of the Church.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord. 

Amen.

Mary, Mother of Holy Hope, Pray for Us.

St Anne, Pray for us, 

Saint John Henry Newman, Pray for Us.

Blessed Dominic Barberi, Pray for Us.

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the Way of Blessed Dominic Barberi & St Edmund Arrowsmith. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of the Congregation of Blessed Sacrament 

4 Dawson Street, Liverpool, Merseyside L1 1LE 

The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament is an apostolic group of men who assist the Church to form Christian communities centred on the Eucharist. 

In 1970 the Congregation made a Foundation of St. Augustine’s Oratory, Great Howard Street, Liverpool and started to search for a base in the city centre. A site was found in Clayton Square, and a shrine was inaugurated in November 1972. After 12 successful years the community relocated to Dawson Street. 

Today the Shrine is a centre for evangelisation, Eucharistic adoration, celebration of the sacraments and an oasis of peace in the heart of the city.

Shrine prayer 

Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the Eucharist

as a memorial of your suffering and death.

May our worship of this Sacrament of your body and blood help us to experience the salvation you won for us and the peace of the kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the Way of Blessed Dominic Barberi & St Edmund Arrowsmith. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of Diocese 

The Lady Chapel Ruebury Lane Osmotherley DL6 3AP

The chapel seems to have been built at the same time as Mount Grace Priory and may have been an associated hermitage until the Reformation. It fell to ruin but remained a place of pilgrimage and prayer. 

In 1614, on the eve of Little Lady Day, September 7th, sixteen people were arrested and later confessed to having prayed at the chapel. The Chapel was restored in the mid-20th Century and now it is open 24 hours a day, and Mass is celebrated every week.

Shrine prayer 

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 

Amen.

Our Lady of Mount Grace; pray for us

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Way of Our Lady of Mount Grace ends at the Shrine. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of Diocese

Holy Child & St Joseph Catholic Church, 2 Brereton Rd, Bedford MK40 1HU 

The Shrine is in the Church of the Holy Child & St Joseph in central Bedford. It is an impressive stone-built Church, begun in the 1870s and completed in 1911. The interior is notable for the richness and quality of its stone and other furnishings. 

In 1531, Our Lady is said to have appeared in Guadalupe, Mexico as the pregnant Mother of God to a humble peasant named Juan Diego. She left an image of her appearance on his cloak (tilma), which still exists in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. 

St Pope John Paul II authorised the creation of 220 replicas of this image for worldwide distribution, one of which is venerated in this Church. Each of these images were touched to the original at the International Life & Mercy Crusade in 2004. The Church has decreed that these replicas bear the same grace as the original. 

Many people of Mexican origin visit the Bedford shrine. In Mexico this icon is a symbol of justice and is especially venerated by poor and marginalized people. Our Lady of Guadalupe represents people who stand against oppression and she is known as the Protectoress of the Unborn. 

The feast day of Our Lady of Guadelupe is the 12th December. 

Shrine prayer 

O Virgin of Guadalupe,

Mother of the Americas,

grant to our homes the grace of loving

and respecting life in its beginnings,

with the same love with which

you conceived in your womb

the life of the Son of God.

Blessed Virgin Mary,

Mother of Fair Love,

protect our families so that

they may always be united

and bless the upbringing of our children.

Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe; pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Way of Our Lady of Guadalupe ends at the Shrine. More details here. 

An Informal Shrine in the care of the Cisterian Order 

Mount St Bernard Abbey, Oaks Rd, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 5UL 

Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi (1903–1964) was an Igbo Nigerian priest who became a monk of Mount St Bernard Monastery. He was beatified in 1998. 

Mount St Bernard Abbey is a Cistercian (Trappist) monastery founded in 1835. The Cistercian order dates to the C12. Trappist communities are dedicated to strict observance of the Cistercian rule and date to the mid C17. 

Following the suppression of monasteries in France, a small colony of dispossessed Trappist monks arrived in London in 1794, with the intention of moving on to found a monastery in Canada. Thomas Weld, a Catholic recusant and philanthropist, provided them with land on his estate at East Lulworth. The monks remained at Lulworth until 1817, when following the Bourbon Restoration they returned to France to re-establish the ancient Melleray Abbey in Brittany. Following the 1830 July Revolution the monks were again persecuted and left to found Mount Melleray Abbey in Ireland (1833). From here a small community of monks was sent to found Mount St Bernard in 1835. 

The Abbey was the first permanent monastery founded in England since the Reformation. The monks live a contemplative life of work, prayer, radical discipleship and fidelity to the Gospel. Mount St Bernard is the only Trappist house in England and the monks brew the only Trappist beer in Britain.

Shrine prayer 

Blessed Cyprian, 

during your life on earth

you showed your great faith and love

in giving yourself to your people

and by the hidden life

of prayer and contemplation.

Look upon us now in our needs,

and intercede for us with the Lord.

May he grant us the favour we ask

through our prayers. 

Amen.

St Bernard, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Way of the Blessed Cyprian Tansi ends at the Shrine. More details here. 

A national Shrine in the care of the Diocese 

St Boniface Catholic Church, 3 Park Rd, Crediton, Devon EX17 3ES 

The church houses the National Shrine of St. Boniface and attracts many pilgrims and visitors from its sister churches in Germany and Holland. 

St Boniface is the evangelist of Germany because he led a huge Anglo-Saxon mission sponsored by Pope Gregory II and King Ina of Wessex.

Shrine prayer written by St. Boniface (ca. 672-754) 

Eternal God, the refuge and help of all your children,

we praise you for all you have given us,

for all you have done for us,

for all that you are to us.

In our weakness, you are strength,

in our darkness, you are light,

in our sorrow, you are comfort and peace.

We cannot number your blessings,

we cannot declare your love:

For all your blessings we bless you.

May we live as in your presence,

and love the things that you love,

and serve you in our daily lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. 

St Boniface, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Mary & Michael Way passes through Crediton. More details here. 

A National Shrine in the care of the Benedictine community of Farnborough Abbey

St Michael’s Abbey, 280 Farnborough Rd, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7NQ 

After the fall of the 2nd French Empire in 1870, Napoleon III, his wife Empress Eugénie and their son the Prince Imperial were exiled and lived at Chislehurst, Kent. When Napoleon III died in 1873, he was buried at St Mary's Church in Chislehurst. After the death of the Prince Imperial in 1879, Empress Eugénie founded Farnborough Abbey in 1881 as a mausoleum for her husband and son. She was later buried alongside them. 

The Abbey Church was designed in an eclectic Gothic style. It contains the thigh bone of St Alban. The church and monastery were initially administered by Premonstratensian Canons. In 1895, the Empress replaced them with French Benedictine monks from St Peter's Abbey, Solesmes. The community was depleted by 1947, and most of the remaining monks dispersed to other houses of the Solesmes Congregation. 

Farnborough was resettled by a group of English monks from Prinknash Abbey in Gloucestershire, part of the Subiaco-Cassinese Congregation, the largest of the congregations of the Benedictine Confederation and includes St Benedict’s own monasteries of Monte Cassino and Subiaco. In 2006, the community elected the first English Abbot of Farnborough. The community is small and young, and the monks live the traditional life of prayer, work and study according to the Rule of St Benedict. At the heart of their life is the dignified celebration of the daily round of the Mass and Divine Office. 

The statue of St Joseph in a side chapel to the right of the high altar in the monastery church initially belonged to the Mill Hill Fathers at St Joseph’s College. It was crowned by Cardinal Manning with special permission granted by Blessed Pope Pius IX. The statue has been a focus of devotion for over a century to that great silent saint, Patron of the universal Church. When St Joseph's College closed in 2006 Farnborough Abbey agreed to receive the Shrine's statue and altars, and the present National Shrine was erected in 2008.

Shrine prayer 

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my great protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection, or implored your aid without obtaining relief. 

Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you. 

Do not turn down my petitions, foster father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. 

Amen.

St Joseph, Pray for us. 

St Benedict, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is the end of the Way of St Joseph. More details here. 

An Informal Shrine in the care of the Diocese 

St Mary's Priory, Brownedge Lane, Bamber Bridge PR5 6SP  

Occupying a prominent location overlooking the busy junction between Brownedge Lane and Duddle Lane in Bamber Bridge, the shrine catches the eye and attention of the many people who walk or drive past each day. 

The shrine takes the form of a statue of Our Lady, in reconstituted Carrara marble imported from Italy, holding the child Jesus in her arms, mounted on a block plinth encased in black granite. The statue is the same as that in the garden of the Venerable English College in Rome which has the title of ‘Our Lady of Consolation’. The statue was consecrated as ‘St Mary of Brownedge’. 

The area around the new shrine has been landscaped and floodlights have been installed. Two black marble benches, complementing the plinth, have also been placed within the landscaped area, either side of, and facing, the shrine. The benches will provide the opportunity for people to rest and spend time in prayer and reflection before Our Lady. 

The shrine provides a fitting focal point for the parish on those Marian feast days throughout the year which are associated with Our Lady, the patroness of the parish, including the traditional crowning of the statue of Our Lady, and procession, which normally takes place on the first Sunday in May.

Shrine prayer 

Hail, Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou amongst women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. 

Amen.

Our Lady of Brownedge, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The nearest Pilgrim Way to the Shrine is the Way of Our Lady of Fernyhalgh and St Alphonsa. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of the Institute of Christ the King 

No 7 Atherton St, New Brighton, Wallasey, Merseyside CH45 9LT 

The Shrine of Ss. Peter & Paul and St. Philomena has a green dome, from which it has gained the name "The Dome of Home" from local people. The origins of this nickname date back to the mid C20, when sailors would recognise they were close to Merseyside when they could see the church. the church. 

The church opened in 1935. In 2006 the Shrine church united with 2 others, becoming the North Wallasey Catholic Community. In 2008, the church was closed by a decision of the local diocese. 

In 2011 the church was re-opened for a weekly mass, and there was an expression of interest by a religious order, the Institute of Christ the King, to re-open the church fully and this was achieved in 2011.

The mission of the Institute of Christ the King is to spread the reign of Christ in all spheres of human life by drawing from the millennial treasury of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly her liturgical tradition, the unbroken line of spiritual thought and practice of her saints, and her cultural patrimony in music, art and architecture.

Shrine prayer 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, to grant us the pardon of our sins by the intercession of Saint Philomena, virgin and martyr, who was always pleasing in Thy sight by her eminent chastity and by the profession of every virtue. 

Amen. 

St Peter, Pray for us. 

St Paul, Pray for us, 

St Philomena, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Way of St Philomena ends at the Shrine. More details here. 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of the Archdiocese 

The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, 59 Burgate, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2HJ 

The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury is within a 5-minute walk of Canterbury Cathedral. This charming gothic-style parish church has several fine stained-glass windows, Stations of the Cross which were once in Westminster Cathedral and a striking Canterbury Saints Chapel. 

The church was designated as a Diocesan Shrine by Archbishop John Wilson in 2019. It is home to two relics of Becket; a finger bone and a piece of his vestment. The Martyrs Chapel houses a stole that once belonged to Saint Oscar Romero, and three major Reformation Martyrs, Saint John Fisher, Thomas More and John Stone, are also honoured. 

Shrine prayer 

God, for the sake of whose Church the glorious Bishop Thomas fell by the sword of ungodly men: grant, we beseech Thee, that all who implore his aid, may obtain the good fruit of his petition. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. 

Amen.

St Thomas Becket, Pray for us. 

St Oscar Romero, Pray for us. 

St John Fisher, Pray for us. 

St Thomas More, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The shrine is on the Becket Way (more details here) and the Augustine Camino (more details here). 

A Diocesan Shrine in the care of the Archdiocese 

1-5 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NB 

The Church was designed in the 1870s to become the first church in England to be given the dedication of Corpus Christi since the Reformation. It was built ‘as an act of reparation for the indignities offered to the Blessed Sacrament in this country in the sixteenth century and since’. 

The interior is quiet after the bustling surrounding streets. There are statues and images of saints who have particularly upheld the Church’s teaching of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. In 2018 Cardinal Vincent Nichols raised Corpus Christi to become the Diocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament. The Church is the home of the Catholic Stage Guild.

Shrine prayer 

O Jesus, present in the Sacrament of the Altar,

teach all nations to serve you with a willing heart,

knowing that to serve God is to reign.

May your sacrament, O Jesus,

be light to the mind,

strength to the will,

joy to the heart.

May it be the support for the weak,

the comfort for the suffering,

the wayfaring bread of salvation for the dying, 

and, for all, the pledge of future glory. 

Amen 

(Pope John XXIII) 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the Way of Two Cathedrals and Four Shrines. More details here. 

A National Shrine in the care of the Archdiocese 

1 Nicoll Road, Willesden, London NW10 9AX 

According to tradition, Our Lady has for centuries graced this site with her presence and a holy well which was deemed to possess miraculous properties. A Visitation report of 1249 mentions the presence of two statues of Our Lady, one of which must have been the ‘Black Madonna’, probably adorned with precious metals and jewels. 

The Shrine’s popularity reached its zenith at the turn of the sixteenth century, when it was frequented Queen Elizabeth of York and the future St Thomas More. A contemporary document in 1537 records that Our Lady appeared to Dr Crewkehorne, a priest devotee of the shrine, and said that she wished to be honoured at Willesden as she had in times past. Sadly in 1538 the ‘Black Madonna’ was burnt by order of Thomas Cromwell. 

Mass was said again in the district in 1885. In the following year a temporary tin chapel was erected on a site in Manor Park Road. Dr Crewkehorne’s hope was fulfilled when the Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden was revived in the 1890s, and a new statue was blessed by Cardinal Vaughan. The current much larger church in modern Romanesque style was built in 1930. The shrine chapel was refurbished in 1995.

Shrine prayer (Cardinal Francis Bourne) 

Oh Immaculate Queen, Our Lady of Willesden, we consecrate ourselves and all we have and are to you forever in your holy shrine. 

Make this Shrine glorious as of old. Bring pilgrims to worship at it. 

Convey their prayers to God in your own hands. 

Pray for us all. 

Pray for the conversion of all people to the religion of your Divine Son. 

And obtain pardon and mercy for our beloved Dead who have gone before us with a sign of faith and sleep the sleep of peace. 

Amen. 

Our Lady of Willesden, Pray for us. 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the Way of Two Cathedrals and Four Shrines. More details here. 

A national Shrine in the care of the Vincentian Congregation 

Divine Retreat Centre, Monastery Rd, Pantasaph, Holywell, CH8 8PE

The Divine Retreat Centre was inaugurated in Pantasaph in 2022 by Rt Rev Peter Brignall, Bishop of the Wrexham. The centre is home to Calvary Hill, Marian grotto & Rosary Way and the national shrine of Padre Pio, which have become special places of prayer and pilgrimage. Thousands visit throughout the year. Before becoming a retreat centre, the grounds were home to a Franciscan community. 

Shrine Prayer 

O God, You gave St. Pio of Pietrelcina, the great privilege of participating in a unique way in the passion of Your Son. 

Grant me through  his  intercession the grace  of. . . (here state your petition) which I ardently desire; 

and above all grant me the grace of living in conformity with the death of Jesus to arrive at the glory of the resurrection.

Glory be to the Father. . .(three times)

Amen 

St Padre Pio, Pray for us

St Francis of Assisi, Pray for us 

St Vincent, Pray for us 

WALKING PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE 

The Shrine is on the  North Wales Pilgrim Way and a short distance from the end of the Holywell Way. More details here.