Orthodox pilgrimage to Dereham's holy well

The life of a Norfolk saint has been celebrated with a now annual pilgrimage to a holy well in Dereham, the most recent of which was last week.

At least a dozen Orthodox Christians gathered in the churchyard at Saint Nicholas Church in Dereham on Monday March 17 for a pilgrimage to Saint Withburga’s holy well in the town. At the well, a service of supplication was sung, prayers were offered, and the faithful were sprinkled with the holy water from the well, receiving its blessing.
 
Father Paulinus led the service, assisted by an Orthodox nun and a Subdeacon. This year, the pilgrimage was also honoured by the presence of a sister from the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, who attended as a guest.
 
Saint Withburga was a 7th-century princess of East Anglia who became a nun and founded a monastery in Dereham. According to holy tradition, when her community struggled with food, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in a vision, and two deer miraculously provided milk for the nuns. After Withburga’s death, her relics were venerated in Dereham until they were later moved to Ely. After their removal, a spring of water emerged where her body had once rested, which became known as Saint Withburga’s Well.
 
William Harrison, Subdeacon at Saint Fursey’s Orthodox Christian Community, said, “March 17 is, of course, Saint Patrick’s Day, and Saint Withburga has been somewhat overshadowed, even forgotten by some. She was the youngest sister of the far more widely known Etheldreda, also known as Audrey. However, with the now annual pilgrimage to her well, the memory of her holy life and the miracles surrounding her monastery are once again being celebrated and remembered by the Orthodox faithful—a visible sign of our commitment to the English saints, or rather, their commitment to us.”
 
The photo is courtesy of Saint Fursey’s Orthodox Christian Community
 

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