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Water Inspires Carmelite Pilgrims to Doncaster
05 June 2010

The original Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster was part of the friary established by the Carmelites in 1350, and until its destruction at the Reformation it was regarded as one of the five most important sites of Marian devotion in England. Despite the destruction of the statue of Our Lady, devotion to her continued, and a Shrine was built in the parish of St. Peter-in-Chains in the nineteenth century. In 2002 efforts began to renovate the Shrine, which is now housed in a beautiful side-chapel of the church, full of Carmelite imagery and Marian symbolism.

The Carmelite Pilgrims at the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster

The Lay Carmelites made the pilgrimage from three communities spread across the county of Yorkshire: York, Leeds and Sheffield. After attending the parish celebration of the Eucharist, they reflected on God’s gift of water, using resources prepared by the Carmelite NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) at the United Nations. The United Nations has declared the years 2005-15 as the International Decade for Action on ‘Water for Life’, and 5th June each year is marked by the Carmelite Family as a time of prayer and action for World Environment Day. Accompanied by the sound of a small fountain, the Carmelites pondered Scripture passages that refer to God’s gift of water, concluding with a Lectio Divina meditation on Jesus’ description of ‘living water’ (John 4:7-15).

The theme of water was particularly apt for the pilgrimage venue; the most famous miracle associated with Our Lady of Doncaster took place in 1524 when travellers trying to cross the River Don were swept away in a storm; all of them survived and attributed their rescue to Our Lady.

Before celebrating Evening Prayer, the Carmelite pilgrims walked around the garden dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The Stations of the Cross in the garden are each marked by stones from pre-Reformation abbeys and religious houses dedicated to Mary, including a stone from Aylesford Carmelite Priory.

The stone from Aylesford Priory marks the 12th Station of the Cross

To conclude their pilgrimage, the Lay Carmelites gathered around the garden’s fountain, the centre stone of which comes from the aptly named Fountains Abbey, one of Yorkshire’s most famous monastic sites. There they prayed for the 1 in 6 people around the world who lack access to safe drinking water.