By the time the Pilgrimage of Hope finished in Nottingham on Saturday, 13 September, 641 miles were walked and 21,257 feet climbed over a combined 45 days along the four main pilgrimage routes.
Impressive statistics for a national Jubilee pilgrimage that also had the blessing of Pope Leo.
The initiative, organised by Dr Phil McCarthy and the ‘Hearts in Search of God’ project, comprised of four ‘Ways’, named after the Evangelists, that traced a huge sign of the Cross across England and Wales.
Each ‘Way’ began with Mass at a Catholic cathedral: Cardiff, Leeds, Norwich and Southwark’s St George’s Cathedral in London, depending on where that particular route started.
The routes were pre-walked – or trailblazed – by volunteers and the initiative was meticulously organised and overseen by a steering group. Four groups of ‘perpetual pilgrims’, 20 in all, walked the full distance of each Way, joined cumulatively by over 250 day pilgrims – walking one or more stages.
It was fitting that the Catholic Bishop of the city where the pilgrimage concluded put on his walking boots and braved the elements with the pilgrims on the final day. The Bishop of Nottingham, Bishop Patrick McKinney linked up with those finishing St John’s Way taking on the final miles to Nottingham Cathedral in torrential rain.
At a special Liturgy of Thanksgiving in the Cathedral, Bishop McKinney surprised and delighted the walkers by sharing the news that Pope Leo XIV had sent a blessing for the pilgrimage and its participants.
“At the end of our prayer service on Saturday, the Vigil of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I was delighted to be able to announce to everyone gathered that we had received a blessing from Pope Leo on the Pilgrimage, and particularly on all the people who had taken part,” he said. “People were delighted, surprised, and found it so fitting that Dr Phil McCarthy, the organiser of the Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope, should receive it on behalf of everyone.”
Speaking on our Catholic News podcast channel, Bishop McKinney shared his experience of being a day pilgrim:
“There was prayer, there was singing, there was silence. And the silence was really important because it brought home to us all that there are two journeys at work.
“There is the physical journey of walking through areas, but also there is that inner journey in each of us of moving, of growing in our relationship with the Lord, in our relationship with others, in our relationship with the beauty of creation, with God behind it.”
A day pilgrim, a nurse who walked a leg of St Luke’s Way, said:
“Doing a pilgrimage and walking helps me relax, strengthens my faith, and gives me time to think about what’s happening in my life.”
At Padley Chapel on St Mark’s Way, a perpetual pilgrim said:
“This pilgrimage has taught us about simplicity of life. It is a real time for reflection. From a spiritual point of view, it’s a very good time to re-engage with your faith and to share it along the way.”
The pilgrims joined the Liturgy of Thanksgiving ahead of an evening of Irish music and ceilidh.
The next morning the pilgrimage formally concluded at the Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
You can hear more from Bishop Patrick McKinney about his pilgrim experience by listening to our podcast below.
