On March 17th, over a dozen Orthodox Christians gathered in the churchyard at Saint Nicholas Church in Dereham for a pilgrimage to Saint Withburga’s holy well.
According to holy tradition, Saint Withburga was a 7th-century princess of East Anglia, the youngest daughter of Anna, who became a nun and founded a monastery in Dereham. When her community struggled with food, the Theotokos 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 to be reunited with the relics of her better-known sister, Etheldreda (Audrey). After the removal of the relics, a spring of water emerged from where her body had once rested. This spring, which has seldom run dry even in the hottest and longest summers, became known as Saint Withburga’s Well, and many miracles have been attributed to the waters. Although the well was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the spring has continued to flow without interruption. After a brief, ignominious period as a bathhouse in the mid-18th century, the well as it currently stands was cleared in the 1950s, and the most recent restoration was in 1974. It is clearly much-loved by the Anglican parish community who have the responsibility of its care.
At the well, a service of supplication was sung, prayers were offered, and the faithful venerated the icon of St Withburga and were sprinkled with holy water from the well. The service was led by Archimandrite Paulinus Heggs, assisted by Mother Melangell and Subdeacon William Harrison.
March 17th is, of course, the feast day of St Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland, and Saint Withburga has been somewhat overshadowed, even forgotten by some. However, with the restoration of an annual pilgrimage to her well, the memory of her holy life and the miracles attributed to her in life and in repose 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. It is hoped that this pilgrimage will become a regular event for the Archdiocese, and that the number of pilgrims will grow.
This year, the pilgrimage was also honoured by the presence of a sister from the Roman Catholic Community of Our Lady of Walsingham, who attended as a guest, and who kindly invited the pilgrims back to the community's nearby convent for a restorative cup of tea and home-made fasting cookies.
Holy Mother Withburga, pray to God for us!
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