By Angela Youngman
Parish pilgrimages are being revived as a way of helping connect communities with their environment.
Traditionally, many churches have walked round the boundaries of their parishes on Rogation Sunday, which this year falls on 25 May. Rural congregations would walk into the fields around the parish to bless agricultural tools and the land, usually on Plough Sunday on January.
Recently there has been renewed interest in parishes taking part in these small community pilgrimages, so the British Pilgrimage Trust decided to explore and expand the idea. Within a short time, more than 20 churches nationwide had signed up for the event this weekend, many for the first time.
The depth of interest in parish pilgrimages and walks reflects the massive growth in pilgrim numbers all year round. Perhaps this is due to the popularity of Pilgrimage, on BBC One, where millions have tuned in to follow the story of celebrities from various faiths trekking together dealing with the challenge of long and rugged walks, while learning more about themselves in the process.
The number of pilgrimages undertaken throughout the world is unknown, because many people regard it as a very personal activity.
The British Pilgrimage Trust lists more than 250 routes and more than 700 potential destinations, ranging from healing springs to cathedrals. Pilgrimages focusing on healing, bereavement, food and farming, and an Ancients pilgrimage involves Stonehenge.
The UK is crisscrossed with pilgrim routes, and new ones are constantly appearing, linking sacred sites of all kinds.
Many of the popular routes form part of wider long-established networks such as the Walsingham Way and the long-distance Camino Way. New ones are appearing. Last year, British churches dedicated to St Olav joined the St Olav Way which links sites across Scandinavia to Nidaros Cathedral, where Olav Haraldsson (c. 995-1030), who was also King of Norway, is buried.
Hans Morten Lovod, director of the National Pilgrimage Centre and manager of the St Olav Way at Nidaros, said: “It highlights the connections between Olav Haraldsson and Britain and his conversion to Christianity. We are very pleased to discover a variety of churches and heritage sites connected with St Olav making the UK part of the route.”
It is not just adults taking part; schools, animals and objects are equally involved. One dog-owner is making a pilgrimage to every dog-friendly cathedral, while Kenneth Wilson, known as the Highway Cellist, is cycling 2,000 miles around the UK, intent on visiting all 42 Anglican cathedrals to perform a 50-minute meditation on the seven last words of Jesus integrated with the Bach Cello suite as a personal offering.
“It is a personal pilgrimage,” he says, “exploring what pilgrimage means to me as well as being a work of art, an expression of something important.”
In the north of England, there is a cherished tradition known as Whit walks, with groups of churches coming together to form long processions complete with brass bands and drums.
The Rev Caroline Hewitt, organiser of the Manchester and Salford Whit Walk, has been involved since 2017. She says: “The Whit walks are embedded in our culture, linking with colliery band tradition. It is a way of celebrating faith publicly. It shows a faith that is active and alive, encouraging people to get involved and is usually ecumenical. The streets are lined with people everywhere. We walk from the cathedral to the town centre, hold an act of worship then the procession returns to the cathedral.”
On the Isle of Man, the annual Praying the Keeills walks involve ecumenical pilgrimages around sacred sites including the remains of ancient hermitages, springs and remote churches.
Rosemary Clarke from the Isle of Man diocese reports receiving comments from participants such as “I feel close to God. There are a lot of ‘thin places’ and I feel God is walking with us,” “It’s good to take time out, to reflect on God in a freer way, hearing stories and learning more from those who know.”
In St Albans, the cathedral organises an annual Alban pilgrimage involving the entire city in a dramatic procession involving 12ft puppets, community groups and countless children dressed as Roman soldiers, lions, and rose windows. Parishes come from all over the country to take part.
There are even virtual pilgrimages undertaken by people who might not otherwise be able to embark on a trek. These range from organised resources such as a Lindisfarne pilgrimage, involving a 24-page guide with photographs and information to prompt spiritual experiences, to a simple virtual discussion between two or more people as they follow a route via Google Maps.
One such virtual pilgrimage was included in the Manx Praying the Keeills week involving a virtual walk through the Upper Cornaa valley to the summit of Snaefell visiting Keeills along the way.
Ms Clarke explains: “The aim is to provide a very accessible event. It’s more than just a slide show, offering a carefully woven together mix of images, music, songs, poetry and Bible readings, seeking to help participants reflect on their own life’s journey.”
She has noticed the common response of people who take part: “It’s about resetting the balance in your life, and about connecting — putting today into the perspective of the past. It’s about health and wellbeing; our little part of life within the universe.”
Guy Hayward of the British Pilgrimage Trust adds: “People are trying to find authenticity. These pilgrimages are non-dogmatic. What is meaningful to people is the connection with the wider community, with the environment, eco awareness. It is sustainable activity, there is little car use and increases people’s connection to nature.”
