We settled in the dining room of the cottage at the Slipper Chapel just a mile from Walsingham. Although the weather was cold outside, inside it was warm and welcoming.
Fr Robert Billing is forty-nine years old and has been a priest of the Diocese of Lancaster for twenty three years. He is an imposing man, very warm and his softly spoken way compels attention. Hailing from the north-west of England, he is one of
five boys. Attending school in Blackpool, at eighteen years of age the joined an Irish missionary society, the Saint Patrick's Missionary Society, known as the Kiltegan Fathers. He stayed with them for a couple of years in Ireland before transferring to his home Diocese of Lancaster.
The Bishop of Lancaster at the time, Bishop John Brewer, allowed him to stay at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, in Ireland to complete his formation course of studies. He was ordained a priest in 2001, and then completed further studies for a Licence in theology. Appointed as a curate to Kendal in the Lake District, he stayed one year before being appointed to a socially demanding parish in Preston and stayed for two and a half years.
Meanwhile, Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue appointed him as his Secretary. He was Bishop’s Secretary, Diocesan Secretary, Secretary to the Trustees and Communications Officer, Webmaster, Visa Officer, and Data Protection Officer. As he said, “You name it, I did it!” He also served as Chaplain to the local secondary school in Lancaster for seven years. Fr Robert expanded, “So I was the Bishop’s Secretary and all those other diocesan jobs for nearly fourteen years under three different bishops. The bishops came and went, but somehow, I remained. There is a cost in that, of course. Like an actor you can get ‘typecast’. You also get blamed!! After the third Bishop, enough was enough.
"I went to Canada to do further studies in canon law. I did my Licence in canon law, then a Doctorate immediately afterwards. After four years, I came back to Lancaster and was appointed to three little parishes to the north of Lancaster, around Carnforth. I was very happy there.” “I served those little parishes for ten months before being asked to come here – quite a surprise! The parishioners weren't very happy because they were just getting used
to me, and I to them. Being asked to come here was a bit of a shock to be honest and I am a long way from Lancashire. I hesitated to agree, at first, as did my Bishop, because I was just getting used to my parishes, back in the Diocese, and I had been asked to take over the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal because of my studies in canon law.”
“Cardinal Vincent Nichols takes his holidays in the Lake District and knows some of our parishes there. I later told him the decision was not an easy one to make. He said, “I know. That is why I wanted you in Walsingham. You needed something a bit more challenging.” He told me they [the Bishops] needed someone who would deal with the challenges of Walsingham.”
As far as the positives and negatives of being Rector at the Shrine at Walsingham, he was fulsome about how wonderful it is to be in such a beautiful place, being so close to Our Lady in her Shrine. He quickly moved on to the joys of meeting the pilgrims that come to Walsingham from all across the country and beyond. “Some wonderful people, some suffering and carrying burdens in difficulties, full of worry and anxieties. Others filled with joy. People coming in thanksgiving for a new baby, or not being able to conceive for a long time. Then through the intercession of our Blessed Mother they come back to give her thanks. That's just lovely. So many wonderful people from all over this country and beyond. They really make the place. People come and go and come back again. It's a unique kind of ministry. You need to be able to ‘think on your feet’ to be able to respond quickly to different kinds of pilgrims, varied needs, and different kinds of pilgrimages.
“They are the joys. Another joy is the many non-Christians who come to us, particularly Hindus with an immense devotion to Our Lady, on their own terms - as Hindus. But they love to come and have great devotion to Mamma; wonderful devotion - quite humbling, quite striking – they love to receive a blessing!” “As far as challenges go, sometimes, there has not always been a strong sense of governance here. There has to be some order to the Shrine. There are many wonderful people who come and settle in Walsingham, but sometimes they come with their own motives, their own agendas, and their own vision. That is a challenge.” Of course, it is not always easy to negotiate varied and strong personal visions. Sometimes they merge. Sometimes they collide. It is, of course, the ministry of the Rector to discern these and keep a steady course. The Shrine of Our Lady, at Walsingham has to be protected and promoted in the name of the Catholic Church. This is not always easy. People come to live in Walsingham from London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, and Birmingham; all big cities. But they come to Walsingham; a small village, and are parishioners of the local parish, which is
distinct from the Shrine. It is the function of the Rector to make sure the Shrine is not overwhelmed or sucked into other agendas or visions, even the most worthy ones. There are plenty of opinions about this or that, but somehow the Rector has to steer a steady, middle course in the name of the Bishops. Besides, the Shrine has its own charism and message that goes before the ‘here and now’ and the Rector is charged to preserve and promote he charism of the Shrine and to avoid the possibility of the Shrine being eclipsed by various personal devotions and private revelations.
The Rector mentioned the financial strains on the Shrine at this time. “In the years before the pandemic, from 2015 onwards, there seemed to be a great sense of confidence at the Shrine, perhaps an over-confidence, resulting in a certain ‘expansionism,’ especially in staffing, structures and processes, and in buildings. However, in time, this also can become a burden and so begs the question: Can we sustain that model going forward? This is something that the Trustees and I are grappling with at the moment. What staffing, processes and systems, what buildings do we need in order to survive and flourish as the Shrine?
“Since I've come here, I've tried to ensure that the Rector is the Rector. By this, I mean that when I arrived here on 1st September 2023, the Rector was more like a chaplain or spiritual director. Of course, that has to be an important element, but at
the end of the day, the Rector is appointed to be in charge of the Shrine and to take a lead. Ultimately, I'm responsible to the bishops of England and Wales for the life and mission of the Shrine; So, I have to exercise strong governance. You can
imagine, not everyone will welcome that! Fr Robert turned to the Jubilee Year coming up in 2025. The Jubilee is every 25 years, with some extraordinary ones slotted in between times. The emphasis of the Jubilee is usually to go to Rome, to the Holy Doors. Many don't want, or cannot, travel to Rome because of the expense or perhaps do not have the health. This is very much in Fr Robert’s mind. The Shrine is pushing for people to come to Walsingham and to stay with us for a few nights. He is aware that many Catholics have never been to Walsingham. They may know of it, but they do not go there. He would like to change that.
Fr Billing is trying to change this culture. Whether it is with their diocese, or parish, or as a group of friends, he wants folk to come to Walsingham. Already the Shrine has many bookings for 2025 including thirty new groups who have booked. This is welcome and a sign – perhaps – of ‘green shoots’ for the future. There is an extra Tamil pilgrimage booked for this year. He wants to be looking positively to the mission of the Shrine in the Jubilee Year. This is going to be a key year for the Shrine. There will be many more people coming and he wants to make the experience of their pilgrimage to Walsingham the best there is. This will encourage them to come back! It is clear that Fr Billing knows that shrines are places of prayer and reconciliation. Even when attendance in the parish goes down, at shrines it generally goes up! Weekends are particularly busy. People come from every corner of the country, from every continent, every language and many from the Travelling community. All have a deep devotion to Our Lady. We now have some new Augustinian Friars from Nigeria serving the Shrine and hope to have some new Indian Sisters joining us next year.
The Rector is anxious to emphasise the joy and simplicity of Walsingham and why people come to ‘England’s Nazareth’ today. The simplicity and the joy of the Shrine have to be preserved and be made better known. He is trying to elevate the Walsingham hymnody, to make sure it is about Our Lady, and very English. He wants to ensure the homily always contains a reference to Our Lady, indeed Our Lady of Walsingham. Otherwise, why would people come at all? The Chapel of Reconciliation already shows some changes. The sacred liturgy has been elevated, the new canopy over the Blessed Sacrament emphasises its importance as does the use of the new brass candelabra and new altar frontals with matching tabernacle veils. We now need some new altar cloths. There has been much discussion about a new church building at the Shrine over the years, but, for now, Fr Billing favours developing and enhancing the buildings that we currently
have.
The Rector expressed his closeness to Bishop David Waller and his wish to extend and develop the relationship between the Shrine and the Ordinariate. In this regard, he is grateful for the work at the Shrine of Fr Christopher LIndlar.
We are grateful to Fr Robert Billing for his time, frankness and support for the Ordinariate in general and for The Portal in particular.
