The Guardians

WHAT DO THE GUARDIANS DO? (reprinted from Walsingham Review Number 72, December 1980) The Shrine is vested in twenty Guardians who also form the Walsingham College Trust Association, a charitable trust company. They act in accordance with the Constitution of the College of Guardians and the Articles of Association of the Trust Company. They are concerned with all aspects of the Shrine's work. they meet in May when the Bursar presents accounts previously approved by the Directors (elected from among the Guardians) and in October. At both meetings the Adminstrator (appointed by the Guardians for the day-to-day running of the whole work of the Shrine in Walsingham) gives a report on the past six months. A priest Guardian (at present Father Gill) is elected as Master, to be their executive head, and he maintains close relations with the Shrine and is frequently there for consultation with the Adminstrator and others. Another Guardian (at present Father Charles Smith) is elected as Registrar to act as his deputy at need. Broadly, Guardians are elected by a carefully designed voting system mainly on their particular ability to be of service to the Shrine, partly to represent a particular area, and always on having shown a devotion to the Shrine and its work. In addition, a small number of Honorary Guardians are chosen, without voting powers, (including several bishops) as being sympathetic to the Shrine and able to be useful counsellors.

WHO ARE THE GUARDIANS? (reprinted from Walsingham Review Number 139, Advent 2006) We pray for them every day at Shrine Prayers. We see them apparelled in splendid blue velvet guarding the image of Our Lady at the National Pilgrimage and other major events. We read news of their meetings in this journal. But who are the Guardians? What do they actually do? ln 1931, when he rebuilt the Holy House, Fr Patten realised that he needed a new, legal structure to oversee the work of the Shrine that he had restored now that it owned lands and property. So he set up a Charitable Company called the Walsingham College Trust Association Ltd (or WCTA Ltd as it may be better known to you). At the same time he formed a College of Guardians to own the new company. That structure is largely unchanged today. Legally the Guardians are the Shareholders of WCTA Ltd who appoint from amongst teir number eight to serve as Directors of the Company. ln effect they are the governing body of the Shrine setting policy which is implemented by the Priest Administrator and his staff. Years before anyone had ever heard of `Collaborative Ministry' the College of Guardians brought together the skills and talents of clergy and laypeople. Today, from a College of twenty, eleven are ordained and the rest Lay Guardians. Until 2005 there was a rule that Priest Guardians must be unmarried but that was abolished last year, which enabled the Principal of Pusey House, Fr Jonathan Baker, to be elected as the first married Priest Guardian**. The business of the College is overseen by the Master of the Guardians, Canon Martin Warner. Today the College of Guardians represents a broad cross-section of the pilgrimage constituency and brings together a remarkable breadth of knowledge and experience. There are parish priests, a cathedral canon, a religious and a bishop. We have the benefits of a city banker, the chief executive of an opera company, a teacher, a psycho-analyst and a cluster of lawyers. We can also draw on the experience of our non-voting honorary and emeritus Guardians. Above all, though, the College of Guardians is a praying community, one which takes its spiritual responsibilities to the Shrine very seriously indeed. The twice-yearly Chapter Meetings are pilgrimages which centre on the Chapter Mass. Prayer is at the heart of their common life, just as it is at the heart of the Shrine itself.

The College of Guardians was formed in 1931 although it did not adopt a formal Constitution until 19 October 1932.

from Our Lady's Mirror Autumn Number 1931 The Sanctuary has been placed in charge of Trustees and a body of guardians, which is to number, when the ranks are complete, twenty- four men - twelve of each order, lay and cleric. After the trustees had accepted the invitation to act, the present guardians were nominated by them all, and others will be added to the number upon election of the whole body. At present they consist of [names of those who are also Trustees in bold]:

** archivist's note: although this was the theory, one of the original Priesty Guardians and two later entrants were in fact married, but as Fr Patten wanted to enlist them, this was glossed over at the time (Fr Elton Lury, Fr Carrick Deakin and Fr Claude Powell) top of page __________________________________

Bishop O'Rorke The Duke of Argyll The Abbot of Nashdom Lord Halifax Fr A H Baverstock Sir William Milner Fr Fynes-Clinton Sir John Shaw Fr Kingdon Mr Derrick Lingwood Fr Elton Lury Mr George Long Fr Hope Patten Mr Jack Banson Fr Humphrey Whitby Mr Eric McDyles [Maclagan] Fr Roger Wodehouse ______________________________________________________________

The first page of the first Minute Book was started on 11 February 1932: it indicates that they were preparing a Constitution. By this time Major Arthur Bowker had been added to their number, making eighteen 'original' Guardians, half priest members and half lay. This ratio was soon changed to 11 priest, 7 lay. The total number was later raised to twenty (12 priest, 8 lay). It never went to the 24 originally envisaged in Fr Patten's 1931 article above. The 18 ‘original’ Guardians are known as the ‘Founding Guardians’, the word ‘Priest’ or ‘Lay’ being inserted between these two words, as appropriate. In Fr Patten's time the Guardians were also sometimes referred to as Fellows. The first ‘installation’ of Guardians took place on Monday 7 November 1938, when the mantles were used for the first time. The last survivor of the 'original' Guardians was Sir John Best- Shaw, who died in 1984.The last new Guardian instituted by Fr Patten was Fr Philip Husbands in 1957. Fr Fynes-Clinton paid for the College to have an official grant of arms in 1945. In 1946 it was decided to create Honorary and Emeritus Guardians when appropriate. The idea of Guardians Emeriti was prompted by Major Bowker's repeated requests to resign owing to age, and Fr Reggie Kingdon's unwillingness to resign even though he was too infirm to attend. The first Honorary Guardians in 1946 were Canon Vivan Petersen and Dr Thomas Whittemore (both from USA); at the same time Prince Vladimir Galitzine was appointed as an Honorary Guardian, although a member of the Orthodox Church: this was before the later provision for Honorary Ecumenical Guardians. The Orthodox Archbishop Nestor had also been elected but declined to take office. The insignia evolved slowly over the years. The first two group photographs were taken in full regalia, fifty-one years apart. Each new Guardian has been required to sign the Guardians' Roll. His or her photograph is added to the Guardians' Gallery in the College, where hang the photographs of most of the full Guardians, and some of their Honorary colleagues: the collection was started in 1950. Each Guardian's name is added to the appropriate Stall in the Shrine Church, on either side of the chancel. The twenty stalls were added at different times according to funds available. By 1955 sixteen had been added, and eventually the full complement of twenty was achieved. Behind each seat the holders' names are listed, with dates. The armorial bearings were painted by Enid Chadwick: either the College arms or family. top of page

1931 Holy House built; formation of College of Guardians 1932 Guardians' first Minute Book; first Chapter meeting; first Constitution 1933 Master's Chain given 1936 Walsingham College Trust Association Ltd founded June 1938 Shrine Church opened November 1938 first Installation ceremony and first wearing of mantles 1945 official grant of coat of arms 1946 Honorary and Emeritus Guardians created 1947 Guardians' stars created 1950 Guardians' Gallery of photographs in College started 1953 maximum number of Guardians raised from eighteem to twenty 1955 first formal group photograph taken 1997 first Lady Guardian elected (Mrs Barbara Marlow); on her retirement in 2012 she became the first who could be described as a Guardian Emerita 2005 first married priest of recent times elected: in theory all had been unmarried until then but in the early years Fr Patten had turned a blind eye to three married priests whom he wanted to include in the College, but if any priest married subsequently to his becoming a Guardian he ipso facto ceased from membership (this situation never arose); in 1940 Chapter resolved that married priests could be proposed as Guardians but they were not expected to get further than that stage; in 1955 Chapter regarded this 1940 resolution as "not a happy or indeed an honest" one and it was rescinded; in 1956 Chapter had another long anguished discussion on the issue and voted 11-4 in favour of allowing married priests to be elected. 2006 another formal group photograph taken

GUARDIANS SECTION LINKS OVERVIEW 1ST MINUTE BOOK ROLL INSIGNIA PHOTOGRAPHS GRANT OF ARMS GALLERY OFFICE HOLDERS