Walking Pilgrimage Ways within the Catholic dioceses of

England & Wales

welcoming people of all faiths and none

HEARTS IN SEARCH OF GOD

“Whoever they may be

— young or old, rich or poor, sick and troubled or curious tourists —

let them find due welcome, because in every person there is a

heart in search of God,

at times without being fully aware of it.”


Pope Francis 

Hearts in Search of God

The aim of this three year project is to promote walking pilgrimage in England & Wales by developing Pilgrim Ways between the cathedral of each Catholic diocese and one or more shrines within the same diocese. The Ways are an opportunity for Catholics and other Christians to deepen their faith, and for people of all faiths and none to share in the experience of walking a pilgrimage in a Catholic context. The hope is that walking pilgrimage will contribute to the common good of our nations through encouraging encounter with others, hospitality, and respect for the environment. 


The title of the project comes from the words of Pope Francis, who has said of pilgrims:


“Whoever they may be — young or old, rich or poor, sick and troubled or curious tourists — let them find due welcome, because in every person there is a heart in search of God, at times without being fully aware of it.” 


None of us are fully aware of what we are searching for in life, but whoever you may be, we hope you find inspiration and sustenance for your journey through this website.


The Project Lead is Phil McCarthy, a former GP with a long interest in walking pilgrimage. He is supported by a panel of experts. Everyone involved gives their time freely.

Pilgrim Ways

The Pilgrim Ways start at the cathedral of the diocese and end at a shrine within the diocese. The routes take in the Catholic parish churches along the Way and places of relevant historical interest. They are off-road as much as possible and incorporate existing pilgrim routes and long-distance footpaths.


In most dioceses there is no such route but the Diocese of Leeds has the two day St Wilfrid’s Way and the Diocese of Lancaster has the six day St Mary’s Way. In Southwark there is the Becket Way and the Augustine Camino. In Arundel & Brighton there is an annual ecumenical walking pilgrimage: Pilgrims Live! Nationally there is Pilgrim Cross (formerly Student Cross) to Walsingham in Holy Week. These walks provide models and inspiration for this project. 


The new Pilgrim Ways have been planned and will be walked by Phil McCarthy, the Hearts in Search of God Project Lead, during 2023 and 2024.


Walking directions and background the the Ways are available on this website for the Ways he has walked. There are downloadable GPX files for all the Ways including those still 'under construction'. Feedback about the proposed routes is welcome and as well as corrections and suggestions from pilgrims who have walked the route. All the Ways can be seen on the map in the following section. 


If you walk one of these ways we hope your pilgrimage will be fruitful.



Select a Pilgrim Way on the interactive map below

FEATURED

WAYS, RESOURCES AND STORIES

By Phil McCarthy 11 Mar, 2024
St Theodore's Way is a Pilgrim Way for the Diocese of Salford.
By Phil McCarthy 04 Mar, 2024
The Way of Blessed Cyprian Tansi is from the Cathedral of St Barnabas in Nottingham to Mount St Bernard Abbey near Coalville.
By Phil McCarthy 05 Feb, 2024
The Way of Our Lady of Fernyhalgh and St Alphonsa is a Pilgrim Way from the Cathedral of St Peter in Lancaster to the Shrine of Our Lady at Fernyhalgh and on to the Syro-Malabar Cathedral of St Alphonsa in Preston.
By Phil McCarthy 12 Jan, 2024
The Way of the Annunciation is a Pilgrim Way from the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich to the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and the Church of the Annunciation in Little Walsingham.
By Phil McCarthy 20 Nov, 2023
The Cornish Celtic Catholic Way is a Pilgrim Way for the Diocese of Plymouth from the Cathedral of SS Mary & Boniface in Plymouth to St Michael's Mount, Marazion, Cornwall
By Phil McCarthy 28 Oct, 2023
The Way of Blessed Dominic Barberi and St Edmund Arrowsmith from the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool to the shrines at St Helens and Ashton-in-Makerfield.
By Phil McCarthy 18 Oct, 2023
The Way of Our Lady of Light, from the Cathedral of St Mary & St Helen in Brentwood to the Shrine of Our Lady of Light in Clacton-on-Sea.
By Phil McCarthy 24 Sep, 2023
The Way of Our Lady of the Valleys from St David's Metropolitan Cathedral in Cardiff to the Shrines to Our Lady at Penrhys and Abercynon.
By Phil McCarthy 22 Aug, 2023
The St Chad's Way from St Chad's Cathedral in central Birmingham to the new Shrine of St Chad in Lichfield.
By Phil McCarthy 01 Jun, 2023
The Way of two cathedrals and four shrines, shared with the Archdiocese of Westminster from Westminster Cathedral to the Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden
By Stuart Keene 04 May, 2023
A pilgrimage for school students requires careful planning. Stuart Keene, Assistant Headteacher and Pilgrimage Leader at St. Edward's School, Poole, describes how his school prepared.
By Phil McCarthy 13 Mar, 2023
No activity is ever risk free but organisers should manage and reduce risks where possible. The model below is a proforma which can be adapted to reflect the risks identified by the organisers.
By Phil McCarthy 13 Mar, 2023
Once risks involved in a pilgrimage have been identified and where possible mitigated, participants should be briefed so that they can keep themselves safe.
By Stephen Habron 13 Mar, 2023
Stephen Habron, who created the St Wilfrid's Way in the Diocese of Leeds, describes how he went about planning and implementing the Way.
By Gerard Bonner 15 Dec, 2023
Gerard Bonner of the Friends of Padley Chapel describes how its history can bring us hope.
By Phil McCarthy 12 Dec, 2023
Phil McCarthy outlines the exciting developments of the Project over the last months and some early plans for 2024.
By Andy Bull 06 Dec, 2023
Author Andy Bull describes his project to enable walking pilgrimage to Walsingham by identifying and re-instating the many of the routes that ran across Norfolk to it.
By Phil McCarthy 05 Dec, 2023
Phil McCarthy reflects on Pope Francis' recent address in which he describes shrines as places of consolation.
By John Ashdown 25 Nov, 2023
John Ashdown describes a pilgrimage along the All Saints Way in the footprints of Cornish saints. Photographs by Nicole Forrester
By Therese Cawley 15 Nov, 2023
Therese Cawley's pilgrimage evoked personal memories and reminded her of those who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith.
By Anne E Bailey 14 Nov, 2023
Dr Anne E. Bailey, member of the History Faculty at Oxford University, reflects on the extraordinary life of medieval pilgrim Margery Kempe.
By Martin Rainsford 13 Nov, 2023
The Way of Two Cathedrals and Four Shrines leads retired headteacher Martin Rainsford to reflect on the universality of the Church and how art serves it's mission.
By Phil McCarthy 24 Oct, 2023
Blessed Cyprian Tansi was born in Nigeria and was for 14 years a member of the Trappist Monastery of Mount St Bernard, the destination of the Nottingham Pilgrim Way. Phil McCarthy recalls his extraordinary life.
By Andy Bull 14 Oct, 2023
Andy Bull describes an autumn day pilgrimage from Arundel.
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