![]() ![]() The devotion these pilgrims show to Mary the Mother is very similar to the devotion of Hindus to their Mother Goddess Amman, or the worship of the Mother of the Earth by those who've revived Goddess spirituality in the West.īut Mary is definitely not a goddess, nor part of the Holy Trinity - even though the attitude of the pilgrims at Walsingham might fool the ill-informed into thinking that she is.įather Michael Ray, one of the priests at Walsingham, explains just how close he thinks this form of devotion comes to worshipping Mary as a goddess.Ĭhristus und Maria, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1515 ©īut if Mary isn't a goddess, there is still great argument about precisely what she does. In the first of many services at the shrine, the image of the Virgin is crowned with flowers, and the pilgrims implore her to return to England. ![]() ![]() ![]() To many lay Catholics Mary is the female gateway through whom they experience the divine.Īfter the pilgrims arrive at Walsingham village, many of them remove their shoes to walk the "holy mile" to the shrine as they pray the rosary and sing to Mary.Īt the head of the procession, four men carry a beautiful image of Mary in colourful robes, seated on a golden throne, with the baby Jesus in her arms. ![]()
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