Bishop Patrick McKinney welcomes pilgrims to Nottingham

As pilgrims walking the four ways of the Pilgrimage of Hope entered the Diocese of Nottingham local people geared up to give the walkers a warm welcome to Nottingham and to help them end their journeys with a weekend of reflection, celebration and thanksgiving.

The Right Reverend Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham, said:

“It’s a privilege for me to be able welcome the ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ to the Diocese, and an honour that the city and the Cathedral of Nottingham has been chosen as their destination. Across the centuries people of many faiths and cultures have found pilgrimage to be a powerful way to encounter the divine and find hope for themselves and others. No-one can undertake the kind of journey these pilgrims are taking and not be changed. I wish them safe travels and a memorable welcome in Nottingham. In a world where hope can seem fragile, I pray that they will return home with deepened faith in God and renewed hope for humanity.”

Bishop Patrick joined the pilgrims walking the Southern St John's Way at Keyworth for the last day's walk, one which included sun, rain, wind and even hail! On arrival Bishop Patrick spoke to Theresa Alessandro for her podcast All Kinds of Catholic. He had suggested the idea of the Pilgrimage culminating on the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross and he had supported the initiative from the start:

"Right from the beginning I thought this was a brilliant idea. Particularly in this Jubilee year of hope, the idea of pilgrims of hope has come alive in a visible way as we see people from the North, South, East and West of the Dioceses of England & Wales coming together, converging on the eve of this beautiful feast. How good is that? Why would we not support that?

Bishop Patrick reflected that it is the motivation that makes someone a pilgrim, not the distance walked.

Reflection from Bishop Patrick

At the end of the Pilgrimage, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Bishop Patrick recorded an interview with Marcin Mazur from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales. His reflection on joining the Pilgrimage can be found below.