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The Autumn Hearts in Search of God newsletter

Phil McCarthy • November 1, 2024

Welcome to the Autumn 2024 Hearts in Search of God Project newsletter. The project has reached an important milestone as I have now walked, written up and published Pilgrim Ways in all the Catholic dioceses of England & Wales.

 

There are also Pilgrim Ways for the Ukrainian and Syro-Malabar eparchies, the Bishopric of the Armed Forces and the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Details of the inner and outer journeys, walking guidance, maps and GPX files can be downloaded for them all for free here. I am always grateful for feedback about the routes so please let me know if you walk one.

 

My last walk was the St Philomena’s Way in the Diocese of Shrewsbury. I was delighted to be joined by Theresa Alessandro, presenter of the All Kinds of Catholic podcast. Our conversation can be found here. I am also grateful to Catherine Mangham for walking much of the route and greatly improving it and for her company for two days of the walk.


Shrines

As part of the project I have become interested in shrines. Anyone can set up a shrine in their own home: simply a place for prayer, perhaps with an image or a candle. In Catholic countries wayside shrines are common. The Church recognises a shrine officially if people make pilgrimages to it and it is approved by the local bishop. There are four types:

  • Diocesan shrines, approved by the bishop of the diocese.
  • National shrines, approved by the Bishops' Conference of the Province, in this case England & Wales.
  • International shrines, such as Lourdes, approved by the Holy See. There are no international shrines in England & Wales.
  • Pontifical shrines, established personally by the pope of the time. We have one in Kings Lynn in the Diocese of East Anglia.

I have identified 49 shrines in England & Wales, some ancient, some modern, some cared for by the Church and some by other organisations. I would like a full half century, so if anyone knows of the 50th I would be very grateful! More details of the shrines here.

 

Resources

There are new resources for group pilgrimage including:

 

Going deeper

Articles on the ‘Going Deeper’ webpages provide context and expert background to pilgrimage. The latest is by:

  • Canon Chris Thomas, General secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales on the hope that does not disappoint, and what it means to be a ‘pilgrim of hope’ during the Jubilee.

I am grateful to Fr Chris and the others who have contributed their time and expertise which really adds to the resources on the website.

 

News, Stories & Events

Thanks to all those who have contributed stories over the last few months. Topics include:

 

Feedback on the Ways

I would be grateful for any feedback you have about the proposed Ways, and especially any route updates and changes. After your pilgrimage remember to download your certificate of completion.

 

If you have a story or a pilgrim resource or event to share, please contact me through the website. Please feel free to share his newsletter with people who may be interested. I hope you enjoy the website, designed by the wonderful people at Everyday Christian Marketing.


Wishing you every blessing and joy of this ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, and buen camino!


Phil McCarthy, Project Lead

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By Karen Lawrence November 26, 2024
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By Phil McCarthy November 10, 2024
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.
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