Virtual Pilgrimage Sets Off Today

No need to leave your own home. 10am start!

Virtual pilgrimage spans the length and breadth of Britain’s cathedrals:

Parishioners from a London church are setting off on a pilgrimage round the cathedrals of Britain today (Wed May 19) – from the comfort of their own homes.

While our cathedrals are just beginning to open up to visitors and tourists in line with Step 3 of the Government’s roadmap out of restrictions, these pilgrims are taking no chances – after seeing their annual parish pilgrimage cancelled – not once , but twice – due to the ongoing pandemic.

The pilgrims – from All Saints Church, West Dulwich, will start and end their journey in their own Diocese of Southwark first visiting their mother church, Southwark Cathedral and ending their day with a blessing from their Bishop, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun.

They will then tour the length and breadth of the country visiting Wakefield Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral and Armagh Cathedral in Northern Ireland in the morning.

The afternoon will find them at Bristol Cathedral and St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh before they head back down south for St Albans Cathedral, and then a trip back up the Great North Road to Durham Cathedral in the evening.

At each cathedral they will be joined by the either the dean or a member of the team who will give them a short introduction to the history of their cathedral and a taste of cathedral life at each venue.

The all-day pilgrimage will be punctuated with prayer, blessings, and time to pause, and the pilgrims will be accompanied by the Pilgrim Candle which will be lit as they are sent off by their own parish priest at All Saints, Revd Dr Alan Everett, and extinguished following a blessing from their Bishop at the end of the day.

The ‘virtual pilgrimage’ is the brainchild of All Saints’ Treasurer Ethan Glackin-McColgan. He said:

“The ongoing pandemic has forced the church to cancel its pilgrimage plans for both last year and this, and many of our elderly parishioners have found themselves isolated.

“We wanted to offer them something they could be part of, and teamed up with cathedrals across Britain to bring together our first “virtual pilgrimage’.

“It is our hope that as a parish we can come together spiritually to deepen our understanding of the Kingdom of God,’ he added.

PILGRIMAGE SETS OFF: 10am Wednesday May 19 on All Saints’ You Tube channel here.

More info can be found on the All Saints website here.