The Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, a religious congregation founded at England’s national shrine in Norfolk, has left Walsingham after its agreement with the trust that runs the shrine came to an end.
In a letter dated 2 April, Palm Sunday, Sr Camilla Oberding COLW announced that the community would leave Walsingham on 10 April, Easter Monday.
She said that “having a presence in the village itself is important to us” but that “as a new community in its founding years, we do not have the resources to remain there by our own means”. The community has moved to its formation house in Dereham, 15 miles south of Walsingham.
The community, founded in 2004, had run the Dowry House retreat on behalf of the Walsingham Trust since 2016. It said that it would continue to visit the shrine and offer its services to pilgrims.
Sr Camilla told The Tablet that it was “sad but joyous at the same time”.
“God does write straight on crooked lines so we have immense hope for the future,” she said.
She explained that the Walsingham Trust had ended the agreement for financial reasons, as it looks to draw a larger profit from the retreat house than the community has been able to accrue. The community declined an alternative agreement which would have seen them commute to the shrine from Dereham.
Sr Camilla added that the arrangement in Dowry House was “not an environment to form people”, as the community takes in new candidates.
The Bishop of East Anglia, Peter Collins, on behalf of the Walsingham Trust, said: “The COLW sisters will continue to work with the Shrine at future events, while being based in their mother house in Dereham, rather than at Dowry House. Their ministry at the Shrine continues to be highly valued.”
Last week’s letter from the congregation said that the move “will give us time to focus on the formation of our new members, the accompaniment of more candidates and to expand other areas of mission”.
“We hope one day to return permanently to Walsingham and to support the shrine which is so important for the spiritual life of our country.”
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