A little while ago I wrote about the idea of pilgrimage and its relevance to our Christianity today in my article entitled “The Sacred Places“. During my recent half term holiday I visited one such site of pilgrimage, although I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t myself describe my purpose for being there as such. This was the famous Anglican Shrine to Mary at Walsingham in North Norfolk.

What I am about to say is a touch controversial but please let me state that not only is it not my intention to offend but also that these are not my finished views. In this post I am merely thinking out loud and asking some questions.

Like many such shrines around the world this was set up due to a vision of Mary which was received in Walsingham. All the details of what happened where and when can be found on the Walsingham Shrines Web-site. My question really stems from the way I responded to my visit to the shrine. I have never been to such a place before and I understand very little of the Anglo-Catholic tradition so please do not be surprised when I say that I was shocked at the amount of focus Mary received.

As you enter there are many pictures and statues depicting her in different Biblical events, and plaques dotted around with prayers written too her. When I entered the shrine a service was going on. The congregation were walking around the building chanting a liturgy with the lead declaring a name for Mary; for example ââ?¬Å?Mary, mother of our Lordââ?¬Â, ââ?¬Å?Mary, Queen of Heavenââ?¬Â, and after each one the congregation chanted ââ?¬Å?please pray for usââ?¬Â.

I understand that the belief is that Mary did not die but was taken into glory and so I assume this is how they get around the idea that God tells us not to talk to the dead (Deut 18: 9-11, 1 Sam 28: 1-25, 1 Chron 10: 13-14, Isa 8: 19) but surely from Hebrews (Heb 9: 15) we should understand that Jesus is our great mediator and he is the one who is interceding for us. Maybe I�ve missed something?

My horror was complete, and horror is not too strong a word for how I felt, when I entered the inner chapel where the chanting procession had finished up. Above the alter was what I can only describe as a pale doll which had a silver crown on it�s head and was wearing a white flowing robe hung watching over proceedings. This was clearly an image of Mary but looked like something from a horror movie.

I have a number of questions relating to this; horror movie esk image aside. I have no problem with God providing a vision to people for whatever reason. Also we know that Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration so I guess that something similar could happen with Mary but visions of Mary always seem to lead to shrines about her. (It might be worth noting that at the transfiguration Jesus rebuked Peter for wanting to build a shrine to the event basically suggesting that he had missed the point.) (Mark 9: 2-13) They do not seem to point towards Christ. This fact should surely be ringing alarm bells as we know that a test of any such event should point people towards Christ. (By event I mean visions, prophecy, expansions of scripture, Christian literature, Christian arts etc.) All this seems to be doing is focusing people on Mary, not Christ. I think I was also a little uncomfortable about the focus of the alter being on this doll of Mary as the Bible clearly says that we shouldn�t worship / bow down to carven images. Is this basically idolatry?

Overall I felt very disturbed by my visit and really wanted to get out of, what to me felt like a very oppressive atmosphere. As I said at the beginning it is not my intention to offend and I do not know enough about all that is involved to come up with a definitive trail of thought for what I believe about this but it does at moment smell, at least to me, of a deception. These things should surely point us towards our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the fact that this doesn�t seems to be at very least, worrying.

Have I missed something?