Submitted by Val Hiscock on
Our Acting Grand Prior, Dr David Woolf, writes:
What an amazing four days on pilgrimage to Walsingham with the Order of St Lazarus Grand Priory of England and Wales! Our pilgrimage director was Bishop Rowan Williams who preached at each of our liturgies. The Ecclesiastical Grand Prior of the Order, Bishop Lindsay Urwin was in attendance.
The Vigil on Friday to prepare postulants for admission to the Order and those for accolade promotion was held at Houghton St Giles, the ancient leper ‘Slipper Chapel’. A wreath was then laid at the site of the medieval leprosarium and lepers’ burial site in Little Walsingham. Friday concluded with Compline in the Anglican Shrine Church.
The investiture service on Saturday afternoon was at the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. The investing officer was the Bailiff and Acting Grand Prior assisted by Surgeon-Admiral Ken Moritsugu GCLJ, Grand Commander of the Order. A torchlight procession of Our Lady of Walsingham in the shrine grounds followed the investiture banquet.
During the investiture weekend the Bailiff announced that the Grand Priory had raised £35,000 for the World Leprosy Day 2026 appeal to fund a trace, track and treat project with the Leprosy Mission amongst children in Mozambique and Nigeria - the initial target for the appeal of £17,500 was surpassed by the generosity of the members of the Grand Priory.
Click here to view a Flickr album of photographs of the pilgrimage.