Belmont's Walsingham Connection
Belmont Webmaster • April 6, 2020
One of our Oblates, Menna McBain, sheds some light on little-known connection between Belmont and Walsingham. As we have remembered the English National Shrine of Our Lady with the Rededication of England as Mary's Dowry, it is fitting to recall the presence of the body of a bishop amongst the graves of Belmont's abbots.
Many people know that Belmont has a connection to Walsingham because the present Rector of the Shrine, Monsignor Jonathan Armitage, is an oblate of Belmont. Fewer people know that there is an older connection in the person of Bishop Laurence Youens of Northampton, who died on 14th November 1939 and who is buried in Belmont Abbey graveyard.
Bishop Youens was born in High Wycombe, Bucks, on 14th December 1873, and was converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism. He was ordained a priest on 30th June 1901, the first Catholic priest to be ordained in High Wycombe since the Reformation. He served for some time as a missionary in north Africa, and became bishop of Northampton at the age of 60. He was greatly involved in creating the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham.
On 15th August 1934, the Feast of the Assumption, Bishop Youens celebrated the first public Mass in the Slipper Chapel for 400 years, and on the following Sunday, 19th August, he preached at a Mass in what is now St John the Baptist’s Catholic Cathedral in Norwich, celebrated by the Archbishop of Cardiff in the presence of Cardinal Francis Bourne, when he declared that he saw the finger of God in the recovery of the ancient chapel. After the Mass, a huge number of clergy and laity travelled by train to Walsingham, where Cardinal Bourne, in the presence of the Bishops declared it to be the National Shrine of Our Lady in England. In November 1935, Bishop Youens made Walsingham an episcopal parish and appointed another former Anglican, Father Bruno Scott James, as custodian of the Shrine that had no pilgrims, and a parish containing only two Catholics, both converts!
In 1937, he brought the Franciscans back to Walsingham, and provided them with a house in Friday Market Place. They purchased land near the Black Lion Inn, and Bishop Youens gave Pontifical Benediction at an altar on the site of the present-day Catholic Parish Church of the Annunciation. Sadly, during the war their numbers dwindled, and they were forced to withdraw in 1948, but now 70 years on, four Franciscans have returned to live and work in Walsingham. Bishop Youens would have been delighted. One has only to look at Walsingham today to appreciate the strength of his faith and commitment.
Bishop Youens died on 14th November 1939, in office, seated at his desk writing a letter to his flock inspiring courage and hope in the face of the approaching conflict. He made several retreats at Belmont Abbey, and must have loved it so much to be buried here.
May he rest in peace.
Good Shepherd, Good Priest “I will seek the lost and bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.” Those words, spoken by the Lord God through the prophet Ezekiel, describe the heart of God, the Good Shepherd — but they also describe the life and ministry of a good monk and priest. They could well be written of Fr Stephen’s years of service as a pastor in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford, and Weobley. In each of those places, he shared in the Shepherd’s work: seeking out the lost, binding up the wounded, strengthening the weary, and leading God’s people with quiet faithfulness. And like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who came close to his people, Fr Stephen did not serve from a distance. He knew his people; he was among them. He shared their sorrows and their joys, their hopes and their disappointments. He bore their burdens with prayer and patience he brought the joy of the Gospel and the grace of the Sacraments. His mission amongst us is complete. He has served God’s good purpose. So today we ask Christ the Good Shepherd to take Stephen on his sacred shoulders and carry him home to the house of the Father. Bind up his wounds, give him eternal rest and lead him at last to the green pastures and still waters of eternal life.
Br Meinrad and Br Gildas attend a special service with the Benedictine community of St Paul's Outside the Walls with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Honesty and Love Before God: Pharisee and Tax Collector; Pope and King - a homily by Abbot Brendan for the 30th Sunday of the Year.
We are sad to announce that Fr Stephen died on Monday 21st October 2055. He was 94. He died peacefully in hospital, having recently fractured his shoulder. He was a beloved member of the monastic community, who had settled back at Belmont after many years on Belmont parishes, including in Abergavenny, Swansea, Hereford and Weobley. He will be much missed. His Requiem Mass will be at Belmont on Wednesday, 5th November at 11.30am followed by burial in the monastic cemetery. The Reception of his Body into the Abbey Church will take place on Tuesday, 4th November, at 5.45pm.
With honoured guests we were delighted to open our doors again of our new guesthouse and conference centre: The Chapterhouse.
"A hymn to the human body." Abbot Brendan's Homily at the annual Mass celebrated at Rotherwas Chapel in Hereford that dates from the 1580s on the feast of the Assumption.
From Francis to Leo: A special event with Christopher Lamb of CNN in conversation with Austin Ivereigh who commentated for the BBC on the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo.
On 12th June an Ecumenical Service was held at Hereford Cathedral to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea.
