Shrine to the Virgin Mary - Ladye Park
The Site of an Ancient Chapel Unites Pilgrims from Different Faiths
A shrine to the Virgin Mary in the southwest of England has been drawing pilgrims together from various Christian faith communities since the late 1990s. It is seen as a harbinger of ecumenism, uniting Christians in a way that church leaders, perhaps, had not anticipated.
Virgin Mary Devotion
This shrine is Ladye Park, in Liskeard, Cornwall, where a chapel had stood for centuries prior to the reformation. Its revival started in 1955, when the site of an ancient shrine was discovered by Margaret "Peggy" Pollard, a historian, linguist, writer and Cornish "bard."
Dr. Pollard (she had a Ph.D. in languages) had a devotion to the Virgin Mary whom she believed had told her: "I want to come back to Liskeard."
The unusual circumstances of how she received this message, and surrounding a picture she painted at the time she received it, confirmed to her that this was indeed the Virgin's wish (see Virgin Mary Shrine: The Ladye Park Mission). It set her in search of what the message could mean.
Shrine to Our Lady
In her research into Cornish history she found 13th to 15th century references, as well as others, to a site of pilgrimages at Liskeard called Ladye Park.
At Liskeard, she discovered "a steep, rough, woodland path" that the local people "The Mass Path." It led to a farm called Lady Park. Built into the farmhouse was the lower story of the old chapel.
The original shrine had been suppressed and partly demolished under the reformation of Henry VIII. Its memory had remained alive in the obscure Cornish office record and in the local name of the woodland path.
It wasn't until 1979 that Dr. Pollard could organize the first modern pilgrimage to Ladye Park. This was led by an Anglican priest who re-hallowed the shrine, and during this pilgrimage the shrine was dedicated to "Unity."
Pilgrimages
The first annual pilgrimage began in 1998. In 2003, a Roman Catholic priest attended a pilgrimage for the first time and so, after an interval of 500 years, a Catholic Mass was said at the shrine.
However, this is not just a Roman Catholic shrine. The owners of the farm, John and Judith Wilks, are an Evangelical Church of England couple who opened their house once a year to pilgrims. In the 2004 pilgrimage, they asked for the celebration to be enhanced with charismatic 'praise and worship,' Claire Riche, a principal promoter of the shrine, wrote in the Independent Catholic News.
Catholic and Anglican Pilgrims
In 2007, one of the pilgrims, Philip Knight, also writing in the Independent Catholic News, described how "a procession started wending its way along the valley, a 'seamless' group of Catholic and Anglican pilgrims." Among them, in their vestments, were "an Orthodox priest and an Anglican canon."
Miss Riche, author of the book, The Lost Shrine of Liskeard, sees the dedication to "Unity" as more than Christian unity. She believes it can embrace also Muslims, who regard the Virgin Mary with great reverence, and Hindus who also have a place for Mary in their religion.
Although devotion to Mary is prominent in Roman Catholic life, it has never been exclusively so. Dr. Pollard's devotion to the Mother of God and her search for the shrine began before her conversion to the Catholic Church.
Since the shrine is in private property, it is not possible to visit apart from the pilgrimages. Pilgrimages had been interrupted at the time of writing (February 2009) because the grounds and restored house are up for sale. Although they are in a sought-after area for property, and put on the market at a boom time, no-one has made an offer. Claire Riche and the owners believe God is waiting for the right person to buy it and expand it as a shrine to Our Lady.
Further information on the shrine and pilgrimages is available from the Lost Shrine email.
Paintings: The illustrations with this article are La Vierge à la Porcelaine, the picture painted by Margaret Pollard, and Return to Ladye Park, by pilgrim David Whittley; both used with permission by Claire Riche.
Sources:
Independent Catholic News
Our Lady of Liskeard, by Margaret Laird, published in New Directions on the True Share Christian web service
The Immaculate Conception of Our Lady Catholic Church
The Lost Shrine of Liskeard, by Claire Riche, published by The Saint Austin Press.
Obituary of Margaret Pollard, Independent, The (London), Dec 7, 1996, by Ann Trevenen Jenkin
Return to Ladye Park
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La Vierge à la Porcelaine
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