Pilgrimages to the shrine have been going on for almost seventy years. We've had some high and lows when it comes to attendance. However, in the past three years, we've seen a significant jump in attendance. We think it's because the interest in pilgrimage around the world has never been higher.  Plus, we've got clergy jumping on board so fast that we're scrambling to find positions for them in the procession. They're coming from all over the country.  Plus, we will have not one, but two bishops joining us. It's going to be extra bishop-erfic. 

In seriousness, this is going to be a beautiful day of prayer and worship through the prayers of Our Lady. 
Everything starts at  10:30, when  we will process with the Our Lady of Walsingham statue around the block. When we get back to the church, we will have the Pontifical mass led by the Bishop of Wisconsin, The Rt. Reverend Gunter. Father John Alexander, of the Society of Mary, will be the guest preacher. 

At noon, there will be a free lunch in the St. Nicholas Hall. If you can, slip us a few bucks to help with  the costs. During the lunch, the Guardians of the Shrine will be giving a presentation on pilgrimage and their work to being recognized by Episcopal Church as a religious community.  Our main mission is to encourage pilgrimage to the shrine and in the state of Wisconsin. 

After lunch, for those who are able, we will have prayers of healing and anointing with holy water from the spring located at Our Lady of Walsingham shrine in England with a final benediction. 

Friday will be a time of quiet of contemplation. It will involve a small pilgrimage hike,  a day of prayer and reflections at the Shrine itself and a solemn Evensong which will include a historic first for the shrine and the pilgrimage. 

What does all that mean? Well, read on, dear reader and find out....

At 7:30 A.M, interested pilgrims can meet at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Sheboygan Falls for the second annual "Peter to Mary" seven mile hike. This year, we'll be hiking in silence and prayer in honor of our dear friend Father Paul Coey who passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. He was the rector at St. Peter's and a Guardian of the Shrine. He blessed and participated in the first pilgrimage walk that took place at last year's pilgrimage.   

The hike itself will last around three hours and the plan will be to arrive in plenty of time for prayer at noon and to hear the rest of the reflections. 

Starting at 9:00 AM at the shrine, pilgrims can pray at Terce (9:00 AM), Sext (Noon) and None (3:00 PM). We love that Phoebe Pettingell editor of Ave Magazine and member of the Society of Mary will be leading us in reflection at each time. Of course, between the hours, you are welcome to pray at the shrine or the church at any time. It's also nice and lovely to take a walk down to the Lake Shore to take in God's creation between reflection times. 

At Evensong,  we will be lead in prayer by Dr. Geoffrey Williams and the choral scholars of Nashotah House.  During prayer, Bishop Brian Burgess of the Diocese of Springfield and the Bishop Visitor of the Guardians of the Shrine, will receive the first Oblate Prior of the Shrine and the first two oblate candidates will take their vows.

The Oblates and the Guardians are in the process of becoming a recognized religious community by the Episcopal Church. It's an important step in our history and one we've been working on for the past two years. 

​We'll explain the differences between Oblates and Guardians in a later post, but think of it this way: all Oblates are Guardians, but not all Guardians are oblates. Both work together to encourage more pilgrimage to shrine and educate people in general about pilgrimage. 

If you have any questions, please contact Grace Episcopal Church or Guardian Jonathan Weyer 

When I first came to Wisconsin for my first pilgrimage along The Wisconsin Way, I was struck by how many pilgrimagey (no, that's not a word) sites are in this state. 

In the past fifteen years, awareness of this uniqueness has started to grow among the general public. 
With that in mind, we've all recognized the need to get together in one space so that we can chat about the future. The Guardians of the Walsingham Shrine are hosting our annual pilgrimage from October 16-18th. We've added another day to the pilgrimage on Thursday so that we can host the first-ever Pilgrimage Wisconsin Gathering that's designed as way for us to pray and discuss the future together. 

We're excited to have Abbott Moses from Holy Resurrection Monastery in St. Nazianz as our guest speaker. He will be talking about his pilgrimage along the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrim route from Canterbury, England to Rome. 

In the afternoon, I'll be facilitating a panel discussion where we will talk about the past, present, and future of pilgrimage in Wisconsin. Even more importantly, we're going to start talking about how we can help each other in our pilgrim work in the state. 

Here is the full schedule for Thursday.  Stay tuned for news about day two of the pilgrimage.

October 16th - Wisconsin Way Gathering 

8:00-8:30     Morning Prayer 
8:30-9:30     Breakfast, registration, meet and greet. 
9:30-9:45     Welcome by Father William Bulson, Rector, Grace Episcopal Church 
9:45-10:30   Abbott Moses, Holy Resurrection Monastery, St. Nazianz, Wisconsin 
                            "Along the Via Francigena" 
10:30-11:00 Break, Guided Tour of the Shrine and the Church 
11:00-Noon Our Lady of Walsingham: From England to Wisconsin 

Noon: Angelus in the Shrine 
12:15-2:00 Lunch Break 

2:00-4:00 Pilgrimage Wisconsin Panel facilitated by Jonathan Weyer 
4:00-5:00 Quiet time, Guided Tours of the Shrine and the Church 
5:00-5:30 Evening Prayer, Christ the King Chapel 
5:30-6:45 Dinner Break 
7:00-8:00 Annual Meeting of the Guardians of the Shrine 

For more information, contact the Grace Parish office or Guardian Jonathan Weyer 

Welcome, Pilgrims and Wayfarers to The Confessor, the official blog/newsletter of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. 

What's with the name? We're so glad you asked. At Grace Episcopal Church, we have a relic of St. Edward the Confessor whose shrine is at Westminster Abbey in London, England. His feast day is on October 13th.

​What kind? Well, it's a chip from his bone. Sound weird? Well, that's how we do it around here. We're gonna explain all about relics and what we have at the Shrine. 

Along with that, we're gonna have in-depth articles and interviews about the Shrine and all things pilgrimage in the state of Wisconsin. 

May St. Edward pray for us. We're gonna need it.