Weekly Message

May 9th 2026

On Friday, May 8th the Church of England remembered Dame Julian of Norwich. Although she is called Julian, we don’t know her real name: she is so called because she spent much of her life as an anchoress at the Church of St Julian in Norwich. Anchorites and anchoresses were people who shunned society and lived a life of prayer, often in rooms attached to churches.

Julian was born in either 1342 or 1343. We know this because in May 1373, aged 30 she had a series of visions. She had been prepared for death: the priest had prayed with her and anointed her, and as he held up a cross, she had a mystical experience. There are sixteen visions, or ‘shewings’ as she called them, which were concerned with God, the passion and death of Christ, and about how humanity is nurtured and protected by God. When Julian recovered, she wrote these visions in what is the earliest known book in English written by a woman. She gave them the title Revelations of Divine Love.

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” is a famous quote from Julian of Norwich. It is a profound message written despite her living through times of plague and war, asserting that despite all appearances, good will prevail. How relevant is that still for today!

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Rev’d Fr. Paul Messam SCP (Society of Catholic Priests)
Team Rector,
Elstow Abbey & Elstow Team Ministry.
Assistant Area Dean of BedfordAbbey Vicarage
Church End
Elstow
Bedford
MK42 9XT01234 261477