Christian Jenkins describes the first Our Lady of Christendom pilgrimage in the UK, from Tewkesbury Abbey to Evesham!

In the mists of the old kingdom of Mercia, a humble swineherd named Eof was tending his pigs near the River Avon. Suddenly, a radiant lady, clothed in white and surrounded by an intense heavenly light, appeared to him. Accompanied by two attendants, she asked that the place be made holy to her name. Eof brought Bishop Egwin of Worcester to the site and he too was granted a vision of the Virgin Mary who again asked for the site to be made holy to Her name. It was the year 702 A.D., and in that quiet corner of the Vale of Evesham, Our Lady had chosen to appear. This site—Eof’s ham or Evesham—would become one of the earliest known Marian apparition sites in England. Bishop Egwin, a holy reformer, opposed by some in his diocese, resolved to found a monastery in honour of the Virgin. To seek the Pope’s blessing, he journeyed to Rome and as an act of humility, he bound his feet in shackles and cast the key into the River Avon before setting off.

Upon arriving in Rome, Egwin appealed to Pope Constantine I, asking for recognition of the apparition and permission to build an abbey. The Pope remained hesitant—until a miraculous sign was given. During a meal, a fish caught from the Tiber was served. When it was cut open, the key to Egwin’s shackles was found inside. Convinced by this divine proof, the Pope approved Egwin’s request. Evesham Abbey was founded with papal blessing, and Egwin was eventually laid to rest in its church.

The abbey grew into one of the great Benedictine houses of the land. However, like so many sacred places, its story was violently interrupted on 27 January 1540, when during Vespers, the monks were expelled - The abbey dissolved under Henry VIII, and its once magnificent Church became a local quarry. Today, only fragments remain—the Lichfield Bell Tower, two parish churches, and stretches of wall that once surrounded the monastic precinct.

Although the shrine of Our Lady of Evesham is largely forgotten, at Walsingham, England’s national Marian shrine, a list of historic English Marian sites is engravedand first among them stands Evesham. In a land that bears the title “Our Lady’s Dowry”, the place of her first recorded apparition clearly deserves to be remembered. It was with this in mind that a group of pilgrims, inspired by a previous pilgrimage to Covadonga in Spain, came together to honour Our Lady of Evesham. What began as a conversation among friends became the seed of the Our Lady of Christendom Pilgrimage, and the date was set: 28 June 2025.

A Day of Grace and Reparation

Our pilgrimage began at Tewkesbury Abbey, in the ruins of its once-beautiful Lady Chapel—destroyed in the Reformation. A statue of Our Lady, said to be the cause of many miracles, was also lost. With this memory fresh in our minds, we gathered to walk in reparation and in hope. Eighty pilgrims set off together, families, young and old amongst us, walking through the medieval town under timber-framed buildings and fluttering banners. The sun began to peek through the clouds as we left the streets behind and entered the countryside.

As we walked, we prayed the Rosary, sang hymns to Our Lady, and shared in the silence and beauty. Our first stop came at Beckford, where we paused for rest and shelter in the village hall - by then the sun was strong, and shade was welcome. At Ashton-under-Hill, we took a longer break for lunch, sharing food and fellowship in the cool of the hall. Throughout the day, we were blessed by the presence of several Marian Franciscan Friars, who offered spiritual encouragement and a tangible witness to Our Lady’s love. The next stop brought us to the shade of a great yew tree at St Peter’s Church, Hinton-on-the-Green, where we paused for reflection. The meditation reminded us that Our Lady appeared to a humble swineherd—what wonders might happen if we too listened to her call with open hearts?

The final stretch took us alongside the River Avon—the same river where St Egwin threw his key all those centuries ago. We entered Evesham, weary but joyful, singing Christus Vincit and taking the final steps to the ruins of the abbey. We knelt near the high altar and apparition site, and sang the Salve Regina. Then, as if in heavenly confirmation, the bells of the Lichfield Bell Tower began to ring—spontaneously, not on the hour. It was a sign to us all that Our Lady was with us, just as she was with Eof and Egwin over 1300 years ago.

From there we continued to the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception and St Egwin, where Fr Lawrence Lew OP offered Mass in the Dominican Rite. The liturgy was enriched by a polyphonic choir, who sang the Te Deum as pilgrims processed into the church. The first-class relics of St Margaret Mary Alacoque and St Claude de la Colombière were also venerated —a beautiful link to the Sacred Heart, so loved by Our Lady.

To close the day, a group of pilgrims returned to the abbey site for sung Vespers in the historic Church of St Lawrence—one of only a few monastic buildings to survive the dissolution. It is very likely this was the first public Vespers sung there since the monks were expelled nearly five centuries ago.

A Dowry Remembered

Fifteen miles. Eighty pilgrims. Blazing sun. Centuries of history. But most of all, a shared desire: to honour Our Lady of Evesham, and to reignite devotion to her in a land that once bore her name. In this quiet corner of Worcestershire, pilgrims gathered not just to remember a forgotten apparition, but to proclaim their faith—to walk for Our Lady, and for Christendom. In doing so, we joined the long procession of saints and English faithful who have walked before us.

May Our Lady of Evesham once again lead England back to Her Son.

St Egwin – Pray for us

Our Lady of Evesham – Pray for us

Christian Jenkins

This article was first published in Mass of Ages, the journal of the Latin Mass Society of England & Wales. Photos copyright oloc

Our Lady of Christendom UK is an annual walking pilgrimage centred towards the celebration of the Tridentine Mass as the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church and for the intention to help the restoration of Kingdom of Christ in the UK. For more information visit: www.olchristendom.co.uk