Our Lady of Walsingham: A New Statue, An Ancient Devotion

Something special has returned to St. John the Evangelist parish in Calgary: a newly painted statue of Our Lady of Walsingham graces our parish, bringing beauty, history, and a deep spiritual connection to one of the most beloved Marian devotions of the English-speaking world. But this statue’s journey to us has its own story—one that speaks of patience, providence, and the rich heritage of our Catholic faith.

The statue, hand-carved in Oberammergau in Germany, was purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic. To save money, Fr. Robert-Charles Bengry, our parish priest and Dean of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter in Canada, chose to buy it unpainted, thinking he’d get to it soon enough. “We’re a small and poor parish,” he explains. A few years passed, and with parish life always demanding his attention, the task unfortunately remained unfinished. But  as the Jubilee Year arrived, Father knew it was time to finally bring it to life.

“Truth, goodness, and beauty are so very important to us as Ordinariate Catholics of the Anglican tradition,” Fr. Bengry says, “and so I’m happy to have been able to beautify the parish in this way.”

For many Catholics, Our Lady of Walsingham may not be a familiar title, but her story is deeply rooted in our shared Christian history. In 1061, the Virgin Mary appeared to a noblewoman in England, requesting that a replica of the Holy House of Nazareth be built. That simple home became one of the greatest pilgrimage sites in medieval Christendom. Sadly, during the English Reformation under King Henry VIII, the shrine was destroyed, and devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham was nearly lost.

But love for Our Lady can never truly be extinguished. Over time, her shrine was restored near to the ruins, and today, it remains a place of deep prayer and encounter with Christ. “Our Lady wanted us to know Christ through the Holy House, ultimately through the family home, the domestic Church,” Fr. Bengry reflects, adding, “and isn’t that something we need today, in this time, in this culture?”

For Catholics of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter—originally for those who come from an Anglican heritage but now with a greatly broadened mission—Our Lady of Walsingham is especially dear. She is our patroness, a mother who has walked with us on our journey home to full communion.

“God has been so very good in bringing us home to the Catholic Church,” Fr. Bengry says. “As a thank-you of sorts, we’d love to welcome diocesan Catholics this Jubilee Year and introduce them to Our Lady of Walsingham.”

This Jubilee Year brings a special invitation. St. John the Evangelist has been designated by Bishop Steven Lopes (our Ordinariate Bishop) as a pilgrimage site, meaning the faithful can receive a Jubilee Indulgence by making a pilgrimage here, praying before the Blessed Sacrament, and fulfilling the usual conditions of sacramental confession, Holy Communion, and prayers for the Holy Father’s intentions.

The newly installed statue is more than a beautiful image—it holds a relic, a fragment of the ruins from the original Walsingham shrine site. To stand before Our Lady here is to stand in spiritual and physical connexion with centuries of faith and devotion.

And there’s another unique touch: the holy water at St. John’s always contains water from the sacred well at Walsingham. “It’s very special,” Fr. Bengry notes, a tangible link to the graces of that ancient place of pilgrimage.

In this Jubilee Year, we warmly invite all Catholics in the Diocese of Calgary to come and make a pilgrimage to St. John the Evangelist. Come to receive the indulgence, to pray, to encounter Christ through the love of His Mother Our Lady of Walsingham, and to discover the rich patrimony of the Ordinariate.

Whether you are drawn by history, devotion, or simply a desire for renewal in faith, Our Lady of Walsingham welcomes you. St. John the Evangelist is open Tuesday to Sunday, and Mass is celebrated according to the Ordinariate’s beautiful liturgical tradition.

Come and see. Our Lady of Walsingham is waiting for you.

---

Submitted by St. John the Evangelist Parish Office