Pilgrimage of Hope Podcast

Phil McCarthy • September 17, 2025

All Kinds of Catholics podcast on the Pilgrimage of Hope!


For Episode 68 of the All Kinds of Catholics podcast Theresa Alessandro joined the pilgrims before the start, on all four ways, and at the concluding celebrations in Nottingham. Pilgrims felt able to speak to her from the heart; of their experience of walking, of their Catholic heritage, of the hospitality they received enroute, of the presence of God in nature, of community, hope and love.


In the words of St John Henry Newman; 'Heart speaks to heart'.


Click the button below to listen.

ALL KINDS OF CATHOLIC PODCAST: EPISODE 68
By Phil McCarthy June 15, 2026
I am very grateful to those who encouraged me during my 322 mile walk along the Via di Francesco. A total of £3,332 was raised to support the work of the St Francis Leprosy Guild, equivalent to more than £10 per mile walked! Many thanks to the trustees of the Guild for their help with social media and with managing the process.
By John Chenery June 5, 2026
All are welcome to join the Roses Walking Pilgrimage from Middlesbrough to Blackburn, 15th to 30th August 2026! The route links the cathedrals of Middlesbrough, Ripon and Blackburn, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. We follow the lower Tees valley and Vale of York before crossing the Pennines and cutting through the Forest of Bowland, so expect some great scenery. There are rest days in Ripon and Skipton. The organisers are Diocese of Arundel and Brighton Ecumenical Walking Pilgrimages who have run an annual pilgrimage since 1975 in different parts of England and Wales. Come with us and experience walking as part of our travelling Christian community, whether for a fortnight or just an afternoon! The walk is guided and luggage is forwarded. The cost is £350 to walk with us all the way, or £33 per night to book a shorter spell. To find out more and book your place, visit http://www.thepilgrims.org.uk/book 
By Phil McCarthy June 4, 2026
On 27th April I set out to walk from Florence to Assisi to Rome with two friends.
By Phil McCarthy April 24, 2026
I will be walking 322 miles on the Via di Francesco in support of the St Francis Leprosy Guild.
By Stephen Gallagher April 24, 2026
'If you feel God's call to step out.... begin where you are: offer an intention, gather a few companions, and take the first steps.'
By Anne E Bailey April 23, 2026
St Cuthbert is one of England's greatest saints, but who was he? Dr Anne E Bailey describes the story of his life and his posthumous travels.
April 23, 2026
All are welcome to join the annual Pilgrimage for Life on Saturday, the 1st of August 2026, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
By Eddie Gilmore April 14, 2026
Eddie Gilmore describes the joys of walking in Italy with a group of people from L'Arche Grenoble.
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By Phil McCarthy April 9, 2026
News of the Spring Gathering, plans for 2026 and other updates.
By Phil McCarthy April 2, 2026
I was delighted to be invited to contribute a paper on walking pilgrimage to the 2025 Lived Catholicism conference.