Reclaiming the Religious Heart of Britain

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Reclaiming the Religious Heart of Britain

Frans A Vossenberg • October 3, 2023

Reclaiming the religious heart of Britain begins on the periphery of the UK’s circulatory system of pilgrim paths, ancient churches and sacred sites.

Our Catholic book club group and my family of four from the States, have completed three pilgrimages in Britain over the last year. The UK is so fortunate to have an unrivalled network of walking trails and right-of-ways for day hikers and thru hikers. Many, many routes have been mapped by the British Pilgrimage Trust. Selected, authentically medieval, paths need only to be adapted (and maybe even co-opted) toward Roman Catholic spirituality. For example, during our 150 mile walk with packs along the Pilgrims’ Way from Winchester to Canterbury in September 2022, we saw many ‘Pilgrim’s Lanes’, ‘Pilgrim’s Farms’, ‘Pilgrim’s Hills’, ‘Pilgrim’s Inns’, but we met no pilgrims! Unfortunately every beautiful old granite, flint and limestone Anglican church that we visited was always empty. There is nothing like some good old Catholic guilt (and introspection) to bring people back into churches, and not just on Sundays!

While everyone talks about the Camino Santiago, Britain is the real undiscovered country. Why not promote the Winchester to Canterbury pilgrimage to the martyrdom site of Thomas Becket with a visit to Canterbury Cathedral before concluding at the Catholic church of St. Thomas of Canterbury at 59 Burgate Street just 2 minutes away? Notably this church, as a final destination, is where the only true relic of Becket remains in Great Britain. Applying a Catholic highlighter to the North Downs route on the pilgrimage map emboldens the journey and elevates the destination. Such efforts have already been started via the Augustine Camino. Its method connects the RC Archdiocese of Southwark, the Carmelite Aylesford Priory, Canterbury Cathedral, St Thomas Catholic Church in Canterbury and St. Augustine Shrine in Ramsgate. Brilliant! Furthermore, the pilgrimage to Walsingham has been reclaimed with the London to Walsingham Camino. We should collaborate in a similar fashion with the pre-reformation churches associated with Celtic saint-oriented pilgrimages such as the Scottish Northern Pilgrims’ Way over 130 miles from St. Duthac in Tain to St. Magnus in Orkney. The Cornish Celtic Way from St. Germans to St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and the North Wales Pilgrims Way from Holywell to Bardsey Island are also ripe for ecumenical collaboration. These holy places retain their place in our Catholic history and they would benefit from a re-infusion of Catholicism.

We recently walked along Rev. Nigel Marns’ (of St. Paul’s CofE in Ludgvan) Cornish Celtic Way for 3 weeks in August 2023. It was very spiritually rewarding to look at this route through a Roman Catholic lens. The numerous Celtic saint’s holy wells, for example, are our heritage. We visited St. Cuby’s, St. Keyne’s, St. Gundred’s, St. Peter’s, St. Constantine's, St. Piran’s wells and many more. We made a point of praying at every Celtic Cross along the way. We detoured off the typical route for Sunday Mass in St. Austell. We freelanced an alternate route on one day to visit the ruins of St. Michael’s Chapel in Roche. Most importantly, we adapted the pilgrimage in a Catholic fashion by the rubric of:

1. A Celtic prayer from the Carmina Gadelica (I Am Bending My Knee or St. Brigit's Charm of Protection) at each holy well. This typically incorporated a baptismal renewal theme with a splash of spring water on our faces. Our bodily refreshment was usually completed with a cool, sweet drink through a LifeStraw filter!

2. The 12th Station of the Cross was read at each Celtic cross that we encountered. This was followed by a kiss of the stone cross. These actions reminded us of the Veneration of the Cross service on Good Friday;

3. We prayed the Litany of Divine Mercy at the altar of every Anglican Church along our pilgrimage route. We then finished with the prayer to St. Michael and a supplication to the patron saint of that specific parish church.

4. The midpoint of our walk was celebrated with the full Litany of the Saints on the precipice of St. Michael’s Chapel in Roche, Cornwall. This was a particularly unifying spiritual pinnacle for our family. During our walk, we were very much focused on pilgrimage as physical therapy for our souls.

5. During our walks in the UK, we gave pilgrimage specific single decade rosary chaplets to those people with whom we deeply connected on a personal and spiritual level. On the Pilgrims' Way from Winchester to Canterbury, we had a fairly penitential theme and our chaplets incorporated the Irish Penal Cross. They were very well received as we described them as 'Prayer Beads'. Even the Abbot of the Hospital of St. Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty in Winchester enjoyed the gift and promised to use it for the 'Jesus Prayer'. On the Cornish Celtic Way we designed 'St Michael Chaplets'. They also went over well. I even used mine as

extensions of the shoulder tensioners on my backpack. Clearly, we could easily be identified as Catholic pilgrims by our chaplets and badges. With so many attached trinkets, I feared that some Lollard would complain about our 'jingling bells' but our aim is ecumenism without antagonism. Our chaplets (30 for each pilgrimage!) were made by Rugged Rosaries from Houston, Texas.

While hiking, we were very much focused on pilgrimage as physical therapy for our souls. We also tried to adhere to St. Paul’s recommendation in Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’ Our pilgrimage concluded in Marazion with a crossing at low tide to St. Michael’s Mount. St. Michael the Archangel was truly our patron and our intercessor throughout our time in Southwest England. We prayed that he would guide us and help us to fuse the physical reality of these sites with the spiritual impact of every 'thin place'.

While pilgrims love the holy places, they cling to their pilgrim passports and covet church stamps as evidence of their journey. So then, the Roman Catholic churches which reside along these pilgrimage routes need to up their game. We should encourage Catholic Church Champing. The C of E is way ahead of us in this offering, but still in its infancy. Overnights in Catholic Churches would bring pilgrims closer to the people of the towns they visit. It would also build on our already ancient Benedictine tradition of hospitality. Notably, this engagement could also serve as a reminder of how much Britain lost with the dissolution of the monasteries. The typical contribution recommended by the Cornish Celtic Way was £10 per person per night. All of the Anglican Churches or their activity centres had a washroom/toilet, some had kitchenettes and the glorious few had showers on site. The British Pilgrimage Trust's Sanctuary Network provides another model.

To aid in this endeavour, a volunteer effort to produce church stamps for Roman Catholic churches along pilgrimage routes would be lovely. I could imagine a church specific stamp which emphasises the magisterium of Rome and the location in Great Britain. For example, a ‘Sacred Heart’ Church might have a stamp such as:

So then, it can be done and it is immensely rewarding to go on Catholic Pilgrimage in England. Many of the congregations are ‘High Anglo Catholic’. We truly share most things outside of King Henry VIII (and the 40 English Martyrs!). They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and their churches are our patrimony as well. With a little imagination and ecumenical collaboration, we really can reinvigorate the spirit of the ‘Isle of Angels’.

Frans A Vossenberg hails from Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA. For more information about his pilgrimages in Britain visit: https://www.fredericksburgpilgrims.com/about

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In the Footsteps of St Paul

By Eddie Gilmore • April 1, 2025

While walking the Lycian Way Eddie Gilmore and his wife Yim Soon found they were walking in the footsteps of St Paul.

New St Matthew's Way (West)

By Phil McCarthy • March 20, 2025

St Matthew's Way The western Pilgrimage of Hope Way from St David's Cathedral in Cardiff to St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham via St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham and the Shrine of St Chad in Lichfield. Patron: St Melangell (c 7th or 8th Century) Welsh hermit, consecrated virgin and abbess. According to her hagiography, Melangell was a princess who fled an arranged marriage and became a consecrated virgin in the wilderness of Powys. She saved a hare from a prince's hunting dogs and is associated with protection of wildlife. Her feast is celebrated on 27th May. Overview: The Way starts at St David's Cathedral in Cardiff. The route soon joins the Welsh Coast Path to Newport and then Chepstow. Here the Way turns inland following the Offa's Dyke Path through the Wye Valley to Monmouth. The route follows the Wye Valley Walk to Ross-on-Wye where the Way joins the Herefordshire Trail to Ledbury. The Geopark Way and the Three Choirs Way (3CW) are followed over the Malvern Hills. After Malvern the Way continues on the 3CW until the River Severn is crossed and followed to Worcester. The Monarch's Way is followed to Droitwich Spa and then the John Corbett Way to Bromsgrove. Here the Monarch's Way is regained until just before Illey the Way diverts into central Birmingham along the Illey Way. From the Cathedral of St Chad in Birmingham the Way follows the St Chad's Way , at first along canal towpaths. The Way passes through Sutton Coldfield before joining the Heart of England Way to Lichfield. The route joins the Trent & Mersey Canal towpath to Burton upon Trent and then on to Sawley. Here the Way diverts to Long Eaton and then follows the Way of Blessed Cyprian Tansi along the Broxtowe Country Trail and finally the Beeston Canal towpath to central Nottingham and the Cathedral of St Barnabas. Essential facts: Route length: 215.6 miles Ascent: 11,178 ft Peak elevation: 1,378 ft Average walk day length: 14.5 miles Average walk day duration: 6 hours First walking day: Thursday 28th August 2025 Number of walking days: 14.5 Number of rest days: 1.5 End date: Saturday 13th September 2025 at St Barnabas' Cathedral, Nottingham Pilgrims are invited to join the Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at 11.15 on Sunday 14th September at St Barnabas' Cathedral. Details of the day pilgrimage stages will be available when day pilgrimage booking opens in April 2025. See the route below.

New St Mark's Way (North)

By Phil McCarthy • March 20, 2025

St Mark's Way The northern Pilgrimage of Hope Way from the Cathedral Church of St Anne in Leeds to St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham via the St Marie's Cathedral in Sheffield and the Chapel of the Padley Martyrs. Patron: St Hilda of Whitby (c. 614 – 680) abbess and key figure in the Anglo-Saxon Church. Hilda founded and was the first abbess of the monastery at Whitby which was the venue for the Synod of Whitby in 664. She was widely recognised for her wisdom and learning and trained five bishops. Her feast is celebrated on 17th November. Overview: The Way starts at Leeds Cathedral and follows the Transpennine Trail (TPT) SE beside the Aire & Calder Navigation to Mickletown. Here the path veers SW to continue on the TPT along a disused railway line and then the River Calder to Wakefield. The Way follows the TPT again beside the former Barnsley Canal and then along a disused railway to Wombwell. The route turns SW along the Barnsley Boundary Walk to Elscar, and then across farmland to briefly join the Old Salt Rd, beside the A629. The Way soon joins the Sheffield Country Walk and follows this beside the Sheffield Canal to reach St Marie's Cathedral in central Sheffield. From here the Way joins the Padley Martyrs Way , leaving the city through Endcliffe Park and then climbing Houndkirk Moor to arrive at the Chapel of the Padley Martyrs. The path then follows the River Derwent to Matlock. The Way leaves the Derwent at Ambergate and turns E, through Ripley and then along the former Cromford Canal to Eastwood. Here the route joins the Robin Hood Way to Strelley where the Way veers E to Kingsbury and finally reaches St Barnabas' Cathedral, central Nottingham. Essential facts: Route length: 107.6 miles Ascent 3,615 ft: The route is mostly flat with the only significant climb on Day 4 over Houndkirk Moor Peak elevation: 1,388 ft Average walk day length: 13.5 miles Average walk duration: 5-6 hours First walking day Sat 6 September 2025 Number of walking days: 8 Number of rest days: 0 Last walking day: Saturday 13 September: arrival at St Barnabas' Cathedral Nottingham for evening prayer and social celebration Sunday 14 September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: pilgrims are invited to join the 11.15 Solemn Mass at St Barnabas' Cathedral Details of the day pilgrimage stages will be available when day pilgrimage booking opens in April 2025. For a detailed map of the route click the button below.

New St Luke's Way (East)

By Phil McCarthy • March 20, 2025

St Luke's Way The eastern Pilgrimage of Hope Way from the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist in Norwich to the Cathedral Church of St Barnabas in Nottingham via the National Shrine of Our Lady at Houghton St Giles and the Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham at King's Lynn. Patron : Julian of Norwich (c. 1343 – after 1416) English anchoress, mystic and theologian. Julian's writings, now known as Revelations of Divine Love, are the earliest surviving English-language works attributed to a woman. They are also the only surviving works by an anchoress in English. Her feast is celebrated on 13 th May. Overview The Way starts at the Cathedral and leaves the city along a disused railway line. The route follows the Walsingham Way along lanes to Great Ryborough. The path then follows the Way of the Annunciation to Fakenham and onto the National Shrine to Our Lady at Houghton St Giles and then Walsingham. The Way follows lanes to Dersingham and soon joins the Norfolk Coast Path to King's Lynn. The Way continues to Wisbech, Spalding, Bourne and then crosses farmland to join the Danelaw Way. The route continues along paths and tracks to Grantham. From there the route crosses farmland to Bingham and soon after joins the Trent Valley Way to central Nottingham and finally St Barnabas' Cathedral. Essential facts: Route length: 158.7 miles Ascent: 1,886 ft Peak elevation: 443 ft (the route is generally flat) Average walk day length: 15.8 miles Average walk day duration: 6 hours First walking day: Tuesday 2 September 2025 Number of walking days: 10 Number of rest days: 1 End date: Saturday 13th September 2025 at St Barnabas' Cathedral, Nottingham Pilgrims are invited to join the Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at 11.15 on Sunday 14th September at St Barnabas' Cathedral. Details of the day pilgrimage stages will be available when day pilgrimage booking opens in April 2025. For a detailed map of the route click the button below.

New St John's Way (South)

By Phil McCarthy • March 20, 2025

St John's Way The southern Pilgrimage of Hope Way from Southwark and Westminster Cathedrals in London to St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham via the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate & St Thomas of Canterbury in Northampton. Patron : St Anne Line (c. 1563 – 1601): English married lay woman, convert and martyr. After the death of her husband, who had been banished for attending Mass, Anne was active in sheltering clandestine Catholic priests. Finally arrested, she was condemned to death and executed at Tyburn. She was canonised in 1970. Her feasts are: 27th February (individual), 25th October (with the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales), 30th August (with SS Margaret Ward and Margaret Clitherow). Overview The Way starts at the Cathedral of St George in Southwark and crosses the River Thames to reach Westminster Cathedral. It then passes through Royal parks to the Shrine of the Tyburn Martyrs. At Paddington the Grand Union Canal is reached. Apart from optional diversions to churches the Canal arm is followed to Northolt where the Way joins the Dog Rose Ramble and then the Hillingdon Trail. At Bayhurst Woods the Way diverts W to Harefield and soon rejoins the Grand Union Canal. Apart from diversions to Rickmansworth, Abbots Langley (birthplace of Adrian IV, the only English pope), and Leighton Buzzard the Canal is followed to Newport Pagnall. After the town the route follows the Three Shires Way, then the Midshires Way, the Northamptonshire Round and finally the Nene Way to Northampton Cathedral. The path leaves the city and rejoins the Midshires Way to Arthingworth and soon after follows the Brampton Valley Way to Market Harborough. The Way continues N on the Rutland Way and then the Leicestershire Round. Where this bends W the path follows the Jubilee Way to Melton Mowbray. The Way crosses farmland to reach Willoughby-in-the-Wolds where it breifly re-joins the Midshires Way before diverting to Keyworth. The Way heads towards Nottingham, briefly following a disused railway line, to finally reach Nottingham Cathedral. Essential facts: Route length: 173.3 miles Ascent: 4,931 ft - the route is mostly very flat Peak elevation: 656 ft Average walk day length: 14.9 miles Average walk day duration: 6 hours Number of walking days: 11.5 Number of rest days: 1.5 Start date: Monday 1st September at St George's Cathedral, Southwark, London End date: Saturday 13th September 2025 at St Barnabas' Cathedral, Nottingham Pilgrims are invited to join the Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at 11.15 on Sunday 14th September at St Barnabas' Cathedral. Details of the day pilgrimage stages will be available when day pilgrimage booking opens in April 2025. For a detailed map of the route click the button below.