St Edward Pilgrimage – Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey will open its doors next month for the annual pilgrimage to the shrine of St Edward the Confessor.

Westminster Abbey to welcome pilgrims to the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor, the St Edward Pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage day on Saturday 19th October is part of Westminster Abbey’s annual celebration of St Edward, the king and saint whose shrine lies at the heart of the church.

The day starts at 9am when worshippers are welcome to pray at the shrine and other Abbey spaces. Priests will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a chapel will be set aside for the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

This year, pilgrims will be invited to explore how St Edward has been venerated in songs, stories, plays and prayers since his death in 1066, and to ask how our words now can shape and sustain our prayer and praise.

The Right Reverend Andrew Rumsey, Bishop of Ramsbury, will preach at a Festival Eucharist at 11.15am and the first Evensong of the Dedication of Westminster Abbey is at 3.00pm.

The Abbey has been a place of pilgrimage since its origin as a Benedictine monastery founded under the patronage of King Edgar and St Dunstan around 960AD. About a hundred years later, Edward the Confessor rebuilt the Abbey church alongside his new Palace of Westminster and dedicated it to St Peter. Edward was canonised in 1161.

In the 13th century Henry III began building a much grander Abbey church which was consecrated on 13th October 1269, when St Edward’s body was moved from its original resting place in front of the high altar to its own shrine. Edward’s burial here, and the coronations and burials of many of his successors, led to Westminster Abbey becoming a unique place of prayer and thanksgiving as well as pilgrimage.

Everyone is welcome to attend the pilgrimage, and tickets are not required. Pilgrims are welcome to attend for all or part of the day.

For further information can be found here.