Re-establishing walking pilgrimages as a vital part of our Christian heritage
Phil McCarthy • August 15, 2025
I was pleased to meet up with James Abbot of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales News Service to discuss the National Jubilee Walking Pilgrimage of Hope.
You can listen to a 14-minute podcast in which we discuss the four main routes of the national pilgrimage and my desire to place the ancient, pre-Reformation tradition of walking pilgrimages at the heart of our Catholic consciousness and practise.
Phil McCarthy
Photo © mazurcbcew
I will be walking 322 miles on the Via di Francesco in support of the St Francis Leprosy Guild.
'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.'
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.
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.
Eddie Gilmore describes the joys of walking in Italy with a group of people from L'Arche Grenoble.
News of the Spring Gathering, plans for 2026 and other updates.
I was delighted to be invited to contribute a paper on walking pilgrimage to the 2025 Lived Catholicism conference.
You are invited to take part in the John Bradburne Pilgrimage Climb 2026, taking place on Saturday 13 June in the beautiful landscape of Cumbria!
Update on the Hearts in Search of God Spring Gathering.
A wonderful new film on walking the Way of St Cuthbert to Lindisfarne!
