Stow Pilgrimage
Posted Wednesday 18 August 2010 ~ 9:54am
Pilgrims approaching the well
On Saturday 14th August, the Fraternity of St Boisil of the Scottish Guild of Servers hosted its annual pilgrimage to Our Lady’s Well in Stow. High Mass was held in the parish church. Maurice presided, looking very at home with the ritual and incense of the high service, and Sandy Ryrie preached, offering a wonderful reflection on Mary as a spring, the source of Christ, the water of eternal life.
In the past, the Mass has been held at the well itself, and it was a shame that the decision was made to hold it indoors this year. The weather was dry if somewhat overcast. However, after the service, a group of us walked down to the well, which sits about half a mile south of the village.
Despite having lived in Stow for nearly five years now, this was the first time I attended the pilgrimage. I have often walked down to the well on my own, however, and find myself drawn to it at times in my life when I feel busy and overwhelmed. (I’ve also written more than one sermon sitting next to it.) Peace and prayer are built into the stones, and grace and forgiveness seem to rise from unseen depths below the water. It is a place where I feel held by a God as solid and real as the ground I stand on when I pray there.
To be there in company was quite different. On the walk down, it was amusing to see a group of people dressed in liturgical vestments traipsing across a field, the cows across the river watching warily. But once we were gathered round the well, as we heard some of the history of it, I again felt the deep peace and holiness of the place. I also became more aware of the significance of community and tradition, the way the Mass before had placed the pilgrimage within a wider context. It was no longer a personal journey but a communal one, one shared with the same people who had shared in the eucharist earlier.
Now when I walk down to the well, I can almost hear the soft footsteps of countless pilgrims walking towards an ancient shrine, like me, seeking refuge, searching for a tangible encounter with an ancient-but-still-present God.
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The early history of Our Lady of Wedale is quite patchy. The earliest surviving record of it is from Nennius, a Welsh monk in the 9th century. According to him, King Arthur had a vision before fighting a battle in the valley that Mary would bring him victory. He won, and in remembrance and gratitude, he brought a fragment of the cross and a statue of Mary from Cappadocia to the site and built a church. An imprint of Mary’s foot was also reportedly found on a stone near the well (but no longer exists because the stone was resourcefully ground up and used in the paving of the A7!).
In the millennium year, the well was restored, and the Scottish Guild of Servers and Stow Pilgrimage Society have tried to rekindle the tradition of pilgrimage to this ancient place.
More information about the pilgrimage and the history of the well can be found on the Stow Pilgrimage Association website.
Categories: General