St Matthew's Way (West)

Phil McCarthy • March 20, 2025

St Matthew's Way

The western Pilgrimage of Hope Way from St David's Cathedral in Cardiff to St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham via St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham and the Shrine of St Chad in Lichfield.

Patron: St Melangell (c 7th or 8th Century) Welsh hermit, consecrated virgin and abbess.

According to her hagiography, Melangell was a princess who fled an arranged marriage and became a consecrated virgin in the wilderness of Powys. She saved a hare from a prince's hunting dogs and is associated with protection of wildlife. Her feast is celebrated on 27th May.

Overview:

The Way starts at St David's Cathedral in Cardiff. The route soon joins the Welsh Coast Path to Newport and then Chepstow. Here the Way turns inland following the Offa's Dyke Path through the Wye Valley to Monmouth. The route follows the Wye Valley Walk to Ross-on-Wye where the Way joins the Herefordshire Trail to Ledbury. The Geopark Way and the Three Choirs Way (3CW) are followed over the Malvern Hills. After Malvern the Way continues on the 3CW until the River Severn is crossed and followed to Worcester. The Monarch's Way is followed to Droitwich Spa and then the Wychavon Way and John Corbett Way to Bromsgrove Spa. Here the Monarch's Way is regained until just before Illey the Way diverts into central Birmingham along the Illey Way. From the Cathedral of St Chad in Birmingham the Way follows the St Chad's Way, at first along canal towpaths. The Way passes through Sutton Coldfield before joining the Heart of England Way to Lichfield. The route joins the Trent & Mersey Canal towpath to Burton upon Trent and then on to Sawley. Here the Way diverts to Long Eaton and then follows the Way of Blessed Cyprian Tansi along the Broxtowe Country Trail and finally the Beeston Canal towpath to central Nottingham and the Cathedral of St Barnabas.

Essential facts:

Route length: 210.2 miles
Ascent: 10,955 ft
Peak elevation: 1,378 ft
Average walk day length: 14 miles
Average walk day duration: 6-7 hours
First walking day: Thursday 28th August 2025
Number of walking days: 15
Number of rest days: 2
End date: Saturday 13th September 2025 at St Barnabas' Cathedral, Nottingham
Pilgrims are invited to join the Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at 11.15 on Sunday 14th September at St Barnabas' Cathedral.

St Matthew's Way route

For details of the day pilgrimages and to register see below.

NB for some day stages shorter walks are possible.

Stage 1: Cardiff to Newport, Thursday 28th August 2025
Walk overview
The Way leaves central Cardiff through Splott, passing the Cardiff Oratory. The Welsh Coast Path is reached and followed to the outskirts of Newport. This section is flat and remote. There are no facilities after leaving Splott.

Details
Distance: 15.3 miles
Approximate time taken: 8 hours walking
Ascent: 233 ft
Where to join: St David's Cathedral, 38 Charles St, St David's Centre, Cardiff, CF10 2SF
Time walk starts: 9.00 am
Where walk ends: St Mary's Catholic Church, 9 Stow Hill, Newport NP20 1TP
Approximate time walk ends: 5pm
Accessible sections: None identified

Shorter walk options
From Cardiff Cathedral to the Oratory at Splott. Start 9am, distance 1.6 miles ETA 10am. Return transport to central Cardiff by foot or bus.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 2: Newport to Caldicott, Friday 29th August 2025
Walk overview
A long but flat walk, mostly along the Welsh Coast Path. There are no facilities after Goldcliff.

Details of the walk
Distance: 16.6 miles
Approximate time taken: 8 hours walking
Ascent: 69 ft
Where to join: St Mary's Catholic Church, Stow Hill, Newport, NP20 1TP
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: The Church of St Paul, Longcroft Rd, Caldicot, NP26 4EX
Approximate time walk ends: 5pm
Accessible sections: From 15.1 miles at a junction just south of Severn Tunnel Junction there is a wide tarmac path to Caldicot.

Shorter walk options
St Mary’s Church, Newport to Goldcliff: 6.8 miles, start 9am, ETA 12md. Walkers will need to arrange to be collected by car.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 3: Caldicott to Chepstow, Saturday 30th August 2025
Walk overview
A short but varied walk along the Welsh Coast Path and then through quiet countryside.

Details
Distance: 8.6 miles
Approximate time taken: 5 hours walking
Ascent: 431 ft
Where to join: St Paul's Catholic Church, Longcroft Rd, Caldicot, NP26 4EX
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: St Mary's Catholic Church, Bulwark Rd, Chepstow, NP16 5JE
Approximate time walk ends: 4pm
Accessible sections: None identified

Shorter walk options
A short day so none planned
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 4: Chepstow to Monmouth, Sunday 31 August 2025
Walk overview
A hilly and strenuous walk above the River Wye along the Offa’s Dyke Path.

Details
Distance: 17.2 miles
Approximate time taken: 9 hours walking
Ascent: 2,913 ft
Where to join: St Mary's Catholic Church, Bulwark Rd, Chepstow, NP16 5JE
Time walk starts: 8.30am
Where walk ends: St Mary's Catholic Church, St Mary's St, Monmouth, NP25 3DB
Approximate time walk ends: 6pm
Accessible sections: None identified

Shorter walk options
St Mary’s, Chepstow, leaving the route at 7.5 miles near Brockweir. Start 08.30 am ETA 11.30 am. Return transport: the 69 bus runs from infrequently from Brockweir Bridge to Chepstow.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 5: Monmouth to Ross-on-Wye, Monday 1st September 2025
Walk overview
A long but largely gentle riverside walk. It does include a cable suspension bridge which may preclude walkers with a fear of heights. There are steep hills near Symonds Yat and before reaching Monmouth.

Details of the walk
Distance: 16.4 miles
Approximate time taken: 8 hours walking
Ascent: 1,499 ft
Where to join: St Mary's Catholic Church, St Mary's St, Monmouth, NP25 3DB
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: St Frances Catholic Church, Sussex Ave, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 5AL
Approximate time walk ends: 5pm
Accessible sections: None identified

Shorter walk options
AM: St Mary’s, Monmouth to Lower Lybrook: Distance 9 miles, start 9am, ETA 12.30.
PM: Lower Lybrook to St Frances, Ross on Wye: distance 7.4 miles, start 1pm ETA 5pm
Return transport: the 35 bus runs infrequently from Monmouth and Ross on Wye to Lower Lydbrook.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 6: Ross-on-Wye to Ledbury, Tuesday 2nd September 2025
Walk overview
A long and strenuous walk across quiet countryside with some hills and no facilities enroute.

Details
Distance: 16.2 miles
Approximate time taken: 8 hours walking
Ascent: 997 ft
Where to join: St Frances Catholic Church, Sussex Ave, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 5AL
Time walk starts: 9.00
Where walk ends: Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 70 New St, Ledbury, HR8 2EE
Approximate time walk ends: 5pm
Accessible sections: None identified

Shorter walk options
There are no obvious shorter options.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 7: Ledbury to Malvern, Thursday 4th September 2025
Walk overview
A beautiful but strenuous walk through the Malvern Hills.

Details
Distance: 11.3 miles
Approximate time taken: 6 hours walking
Ascent: 2,070 ft
Where to join: Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 70 New St, Ledbury, HR8 2EE
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: St Joseph's Catholic Church, 125 Newtown Rd, Malvern, WR14 1PF
Approximate time walk ends: 4pm
Accessible sections: None identified

Shorter walk options
AM: Holy Trinity, Ledbury to British Camp, distance 6 miles, start 9am ETA 12md
PM: British Camp to St Joseph’s Malvern, distance 5.3 miles, start 1pm ETA 4pm
Pilgrims would need to arrange their own transport by car to or from British Camp.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 8: Malvern to Worcester, Friday 5th September 2025
Walk overview
Mostly easy, flat walking. No facilities on route apart from at frormer Stanbrook Abbey Hotel restaurant.

Details
Distance: 9.8 miles
Approximate time taken: 4 hours walking
Ascent: 207 ft
Where to join: St Joseph's Catholic Church, 125 Newtown Rd, Malvern, WR14 1PF
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: St George's Catholic Church, 1 Sansome Place, Worcester, WR1 1UG
Approximate time walk ends: 3pm
Accessible sections: The only parts of route suitable are in built up areas: In Malvern from start to SO 79181 47582; and from footbridge at SO 84758 53160 to entrance to Cathedral Garden, then there are steps to road level; through streets to St Georges is OK

Shorter walk options
No shorter options planned.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 9: Worcester to Bromsgrove, Saturday 6th September 2025
Walk overview
Long but fairly flat walk, some canal towpaths and difficult stiles.

Details
Distance: 16.3 miles
Approximate time taken: 7 hours walking
Ascent: 394 ft
Where to join: St George's Catholic Church, 1 Sansome Place, Worcester, WR1 1UG
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: St Peter's Catholic Church, Rock Hill, Bromsgrove, B61 7LH
Approximate time walk ends: 5pm
Accessible sections: From:
1. St Georges to canal bridge 17 and
2. Valley Walk to church.

Shorter walk options
AM: St George’s, Worcester to Sacred Heart & St Catherine, Droitwich Spa, distance 8.3 miles, start 9am ETA 12.30
PM: Sacred Heart & St Catherine, Droitwich Spa to St Peter’s Bromsgrove, distance 8 miles, start 1pm, ETA 5pm
Return transport: there are trains and buses from and to Droitwich Spa from Worcester and Bromsgrove.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 10: Bromsgrove to Harbourne, Sunday 7th September 2025
Walk overview
Mostly easy walking, gently uphill then down.

Details
Distance: 13.4miles
Approximate time taken: 6 hours walking
Ascent: 961 ft
Where to join: St Peter's Catholic Church, Rock Hill, Bromsgrove, B61 7LH
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: St Mary's Catholic Church, Vivian Rd, Harbourne, Birmingham, B17 0DN
Approximate time walk ends: 4pm
Accessible sections: None identified

Shorter walk options
No shorter options identified.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 11: Harbourne to Sutton Coldfield, Monday 8th September 2025
Walk overview
Urban and mainly flat. Some canal towpath walking.

Details
Distance: 13.7 miles
Approximate time taken: 6 hours walking
Ascent: 443 ft
Where to join: St Mary's Catholic Church, Vivian Rd, Harbourne, Birmingham, B17 0DN
Time walk starts: 8am
Where walk ends: Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 69 Lichfield Rd, Sutton Coldfield, B74 2NU
Approximate time walk ends: 5pm
Accessible sections: Birmingham Canals possibly passable with an off-road buggy. Please check in advance. Wheelchair access inadvisable.

Shorter walk options
St Mary’s, Harbourne to St Chad’s Cathedral, distance 3.8 miles, start 8am, ETA 10.30am
St Chad’s Cathedral to St Margaret Mary, Perry Common, distance 5.2 miles, start 11am, ETA 3pm.
Return transport: there are buses from and to the City Centre from Harbourne and Perry Common.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 12: Sutton Coldfield to Lichfield, Tuesday 9th September 2025
Walk overview
Fairly flat, rural, may cross HS2 works. There are no facilities after Roughley.

Details
Distance: 10.6 miles
Approximate time taken: 5 hours walking
Ascent: 354 ft
Where to join: Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 69 Lichfield Rd, Sutton Coldfield, B74 2NU
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: Holy Cross Catholic Church, Upper St John St, Lichfield, WS14 9DX
Approximate time walk ends: 4pm
Accessible sections:
1. Holy Trinity to Weeford Road
2. Horse and Jockey (52°40'17.5"N 1°47'59.0"W) to Holy Cross, Lichfield

Shorter walk options
No suitable shorter walks identified.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 13: Lichfield to Burton upon Trent, Thursday 11th September 2025
Walk overview
Generally flat, easy walking, a lot of it beside the canals

Details
Distance: 15.2 miles
Approximate time taken: 7 hours walking
Ascent: 66 ft
Where to join: outside Lichfield Cathedral, The Close, Lichfield, WS13 7LD
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: SS Mary & Modwen Catholic Church, 78a Guild St, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 1NB
Approximate time walk ends: 5pm
Accessible sections:
1. Holy Cross, Lichfield to Chadswell Heights (52°41'46.9"N 1°48'56.5"W)

Shorter walk options
Lichfield Cathedral to Alrewas (Church Rd canal bridge), distance 7.1 miles, start 9am, ETA 12.30
Alrewas (Church Rd canal bridge) to SS Mary & Modwen, Burton on Trent, distance 8.1 miles, start 1pm ETA 5pm. There are buses from and to Alrewas from Lichfield and Burton on Trent
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 14: Burton upon Trent to Long Eaton, Friday 12th September 2025
Walk overview
A long day, mostly beside canals and rivers.

Details
Distance: 20.5 miles
Approximate time taken: 9 hours walking
Ascent: 62 ft
Where to join: SS Mary & Modwen Catholic Church, 78a Guild St, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 1NB
Time walk starts: 8am
Where walk ends: St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 199 Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, NG10 1DH
Approximate time walk ends: 6pm
Accessible sections:
1. Burton St M & M until River Dove Aquaduct. (Opportunity to leave canal path at Mill Stream Lane, Stretton)
2. Tamworth Road to Long Eaton station

Shorter walk options
SS Mary & Modwen, Burton on Trent to Willington, distance 5.3 miles, start 8am, ETA 10.30 am
There is a railway station near the route in Willington.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL
Stage 15: Long Eaton to Nottingham, Saturday 13th September 2025
Walk overview
Short walk beside canal and river into central Nottingham.

Details
Distance: 8.8 miles
Approximate time taken: 4.5 hours walking
Ascent: 112 ft
Where to join: St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 199 Tamworth Rd, Long Eaton, NG10 1DH
Time walk starts: 9am
Where walk ends: St Barnabas Cathedral, N Circus St, Nottingham, NG1 5AE
Approximate time walk ends: 4pm
Accessible sections: All route but NB
there is a small section of the path around the Attenborough reserve which is mud track. If there has been wet weather it might be best avoided.

Shorter walk options
None planned as a short day.
THE ROUTE IN DETAIL

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Another Day in Paradise, but "Why are we walking?"

By Eddie Gilmore • July 21, 2025

I was in the north of Italy recently on the Via Francigena, the ancient pilgrimage path to Rome that begins in Canterbury. My wife, Yim Soon and I were with a group from L’Arche in France who are walking to Assisi in one-week sections. It was the second day, we were going up an interminably steep hill, it was hot, and we had ‘slept’ the night before on a floor, and with that motley group of twenty-five sharing two toilets (one of which had a door with no lock!). Yim Soon turned to me and asked, “Why are we walking?” The pair of us had done a lot of walking up until that point, and we had a lot of hiking still to come, so that was a very reasonable question to ask. One immediate answer was that we had the unexpected gift of time. I had moved to Ireland at the end of 2023 to take up a new job but things hadn’t worked out and I left in August 2024. We’d let out our house in the UK until June 2025 so Yim Soon had said to me, “Let’s walk!” I’d immediately agreed and our plans quickly took shape. We would do the Camino in Spain in October, the Lycian Way along the Turkish coast in February and March; then in April and May, we would follow the Way of Francis to Assisi and Rome. We also had an invitation to spend the winter with an old friend of Yim Soon from Korea who was now living with her family near Atlanta. This would include spending Christmas at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, the Trappist monastery of Thomas Merton that I’d always dreamed of visiting. There is a pleasing simplicity to life on the road. You scrunch your sleeping bag and the rest of your stuff into a rucksack in the morning and you walk. That's it! A lot of the usual worries of life seem to drop away and the biggest anxiety becomes making sure you don't get lost! Or where the next café con leche is going to come from! There's just something calming and centring about the age-old act of putting one foot in front of the other. There is also something about it that brings people together and draws out their story. And what incredible people we met on our various walks, and what wonderful stories we heard. And how we laughed with one another. The beautiful scenery is therapeutic too. In Turkey we were treated to one amazing view after another as we paced up and down the mountains that fringe the Mediterranean. In Italy we passed each day through yet another stunning medieval fortified hilltop town. And since we were doing all 500 miles of the Camino Francés, we would see the stark changes in landscape as we crossed the north of Spain: from the Pyrenees and the mountains near Pamplona, through the flat, arid meseta, then into the verdant hills of Galicia as we neared Santiago. There is a heightened awareness of the natural world: the sunrises, the sunsets, little wild flowers that appear as if out of nowhere. Food is deeply appreciated and I don't think that a meal at a Michelin restaurant could have satisfied me as much as the bread, cheese, tomato and cucumber I ate one day on a beach in Turkey, which we'd reached by a rocky and slightly hair-raising trek down a mountain. On the Camino I developed the art of the second, or even third breakfast. We had earned it! I also loved the shared international meals, and there’s one that particularly stands out. I’d been looking forward to returning to the municipal albergue (pilgrim hostel) at a town called Nájera because of what had happened there nine years before when I’d been doing that same walk. I’d got in with a group of Koreans, partly on account of having a Korean wife, and they’d prepared a banquet and invited myself and my Australian friend James to join them. We’d also got in with the Italians and they wanted to feed us as well. Then a Spanish guy Gerado offered us food. We could have eaten three meals that evening, and I was determined that on this next visit it would be me doing the cooking for some of the lovely people we’d met on the way. I got to work in the kitchen, with a little help from my international friends, and a large group of us sat and shared a feast. There were people from different countries and continents and speaking different languages; there were twenty-year-olds who seemed happy to hang out with those of us who were three times their age; and there was a range of backgrounds and beliefs and reasons for walking. It was utterly joyous. And after we’d eaten I picked up a guitar and started the singing, and various members of the group took a turn, and we were joined by others in that very diverse dining-room. The first song I did was one I’d written after that first Camino in 2015 and I told the story of how it had been inspired. James and I had been sitting on a bench outside the albergue in the early morning, waiting for the water to boil for our tea. The sun was just starting to rise above the trees and there was the sound of rushing water from the river, as well as the first birdsong. We were sitting there in companionable silence and then James said, “Another day in paradise.” Those words became the title of a book about pilgrimage which I wrote years later. They are also the first line of the chorus of my song ‘El Camino’ which I sang in that same albergue in Nájera in October, 2024. And I was so touched when one of the young people in our group, Lucy from Croatia, remarked at the end, “Wouldn’t it be cool if one of us came back here in nine years’ time and cooked for the other pilgrims and kept this story going!” Why do we walk? Well, yes, it’s the food, the fellowship, the fun, the breathtaking scenery, the little daily miracles and random acts of kindness, and the opportunity to live a bit more simply and to discover that we can be very content with very little. But it’s also, as my friend James observed one morning when sitting with me on a bench outside a pilgrim hostel in Spain, an opportunity to give thanks for another day in paradise. Eddie Gilmore is a Hearts in Search of God project collaborator. For more about Eddie and his books click here .

Become a Pilgrim of Hope for a Day!

By Phil McCarthy • July 20, 2025

Registration for Day Pilgrims is now open. On some days there are new shorter sections. Registration will close on 21st August 2025, so REGISTER NOW to avoid disappointment! The theme of the 2025 Jubilee is ‘pilgrims of hope’ and this has inspired a national walking pilgrimage with four main Ways converging at the Cathedral of St Barnabas, Nottingham, on Saturday 13th September 2025, for shared prayer and celebration. The four main Ways, named after the Evangelists, SS Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, start at the Catholic cathedrals in Cardiff, Leeds, Norwich and London, and will bless our nations with a Sign of the Cross and with the Gospels. The routes use established hiking routes and are off road as much as possible. A small group of 4-6 'perpetual pilgrims' will walk the full distance of each Way, and up to 20 day pilgrims will be able to register to join for stages. On some days there are opportunities for shorter walks.

The Pilgrimage of Hope is open for day pilgrims to register!

By Phil McCarthy • June 5, 2025

Registration for day pilgrims to join the 2025 National Walking Pilgrimage of Hope is now open! The Pilgrimage of Hope is a national walking pilgrimage with four main Ways converging at the Cathedral of St Barnabas, Nottingham, on Saturday 13th September 2025, for shared prayer and celebration. The four main Ways start at the Catholic cathedrals in Cardiff, Leeds, Norwich and Southwark, London, and will bless our nations with a Sign of the Cross and with the Gospels. The routes are named after the Evangelists and use established hiking routes and are off road as much as possible. A small group of 4-6 'perpetual pilgrims' will walk the full distance of each Way, and up to 20 day pilgrims will be able to join for day stages. Stretches which are suitable for wheelchairs and buggies have been be identified. There will be opportunities for non-walkers to provide enroute support, hospitality and prayer. There are possible feeder routes to the four main Ways from all the other Catholic cathedrals of England & Wales for keen long-distance walkers, so people from every diocese can organise their own pilgrimages. More information and registration Information about how to support the Pilgrimage with prayer and hospitality and how to register to walk stages as day pilgrims can be found here . Wishing you every blessing and joy during this Jubilee year, as we strive to become ‘pilgrims of hope’. I hope to meet many of you in Nottingham on 13th September. Buen camino! Phil McCarthy, Project Lead

Walking in the steps of London's saints

By Colette Joyce /ICN • June 4, 2025

A group of 25 pilgrims gathered at the English Martyrs Church by Tower Hill last Thursday morning, Feast of the Ascension, to take part in the Westminster Way Jubilee Year Pilgrimage, led by Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace Co-Ordinator Colette Joyce. At each station we prayed and reflected on saints connected to London and the inspiration they continue to be for us today: St John Houghton and the Carthusian Martyrs of the Reformation, the missionary St Augustine of Canterbury, St Anne Line who sheltered priests and held secret Masses in her home during the Elizabethan persecution, St Erconwald, St Ethelburga and St Etheldreda. We remembered the scholars of the 7th century who brought learning and education to both men and women, and St John Henry Newman whose own spiritual journey of conversion and prophetic sense of the nature of the Church had a profound influence on the 20th century leading up to the Second Vatican Council. From the church we walked past the Tower of London, where so many Catholic martyrs met their fate during the Reformation, stopping to pray at the site of the scaffold where St John Fisher and St Thomas More were executed. Our next stop was Mary Moorfields, the only Catholic Church in the City of London. From here we walked to the Charterhouse, once a Carthusian priory and home to the first martyrs of the Reformation. The Prior, St John Houghton and Companions were hung and quartered for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy. Watching from his cell window, St Thomas More witnessed the monks being dragged on hurdles from the Tower of London on 4 May 1535. He is said to have admired their courage and faith as they went to their deaths, viewing them as "Cheerfully going to their deaths as bridegrooms going to their marriage." From here we walked to St Etheldreda's, Ely Place, one of the oldest Catholic churches in London. Built around 1250 as the town chapel for the bishops of Ely. After the Reformation It had several owners . For a a time it was used by the Spanish ambassador as a private chapel. During Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth, it was used as a prison and a hospital. The Rosminians bought St Etheldreda's in 1874 and have restored it beautifully. As we were walking during Laudato Si' Week, pilgrim leader Colette Joyce invited pilgrims to reflect on the flora and fauna of London on our way. London is a surprisingly green city, blessed with around twenty percent tree coverage - which makes it technically a forest! We are especially grateful to the Victorians who planted the ubiquitous London Plane trees which can be found in streets and parks all over the city, while there are more than 400 other species of tree to discover. "The entire material universe speaks of God's love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God… contemplation of creation allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us." (Laudato Si', 84-85) After a stop at Corpus Christi Church in Covent Garden - where former parish priest Fr Francis Stanfield wrote Sweet Sacrament Divine and Mgr Ronald Knox preached his famous homilies on the Blessed Sacrament - we made our way down the Strand, past Traflagar Square, through Whitehall, down to Westminster Cathedral. On our arrival, we weary walkers were greeted by the Cathedral Dean, Fr Slawomir Witoń. We ended our pilgrimage with prayers in the Martyrs Chapel and a reflection from Fr Slawomir on the life and witness of St John Southworth, patron saint of clergy in the Diocese of Westminster. The pilgrims received the final stamp in their Pilgrim Passports and a blessing before returning home. Colette Joyce, Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace Co-Ordinator Read more about the Westminster Way: https://westminsterjusticeandpeace.org/2025/06/02/walking-the-westminster-way/ This article was first published on Independent Catholic News: Independent Catholic News Image: Pilgrims at Westminster Cathedral (Archdiocese of Westminster)

The Psychology of Pilgrimage

By Phil McCarthy • June 3, 2025

In this podcast I discuss the psychology of pilgrimage, especially as it relates to visiting First World War battlefields and cemeteries.

Walking the St Wulstan Way

By Peter Chisholm • May 31, 2025

Pilgrims joined Fr Gerry Walsh tracing St Wulstan’s life and legacy, from Worcester Cathedral to Clifton Cathedral as part of the Catholic Church’s Year of Jubilee, “Pilgrims of Hope” celebrations. Participants explored their faith while journeying through stunning landscapes and historic locations.