Places of consolation

Phil McCarthy • December 5, 2023

“From all Shrines, may a hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord be raised for the wonders that he achieves even in our times.

And may the intercession of the Mother of God be implored, so that, in these troubled times,

many of our suffering brothers and sisters may find peace and hope.”

Pope Francis, address 11th November 2023

As the Pope says in this address to shrine rectors and those involved in pilgrimage, we live in troubled times: many of our brothers and sisters are suffering. How can we find peace and hope for the world? Perhaps one way is by walking to a shrine. St Jerome reminded the people of his age (AD 342-420) that:

“The true worshippers worship the Father neither at Jerusalem nor on mount Gerizim; for God is spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

Despite the truth of this, shrines have an important place in Catholic Christianity. On a visit to Santiago de Compostela in 2010 Pope Benedict XVI described them as places to:

“… encounter God where he has revealed himself, where his grace has shone with particular splendour and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe.”

Pope Francis has also emphasised the importance of shrines and popular devotions. In an address to shrine rectors and others involved in pilgrimage in 2016 he reminded them that everyone who visits a shrine from the committed to the curious has a “heart in search of God” and his words inspired this project!

In 2017 Francis issued an Apostolic Letter called “Sanctuarium in Ecclesia” transferring responsibilities for shrines to the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. This is because:

“These places, despite the crisis of faith that engulfs the contemporary world, are still perceived as sacred spaces to which pilgrims go to find a moment of rest, silence and contemplation in today’s often hectic life. A hidden desire gives rise to a nostalgia for God in many of them; and shrines can be a true refuge for rediscovering oneself and regaining the necessary strength for conversion.”

He argued that walking towards the shrine and participating in its spirituality is an act of evangelization which deserves to be valued.

In November 2023 Pope Francis spoke again to shrine rectors and others about the importance of pilgrims receiving forgiveness and having opportunities for adoration, and the importance of hope. But it was another aspect of his talk particularly struck me - consolation:

“One goes to Shrines also to be consoled. The mystery of consolation. How many people go there because they bear in the spirit and the body a weight, a suffering, a worry! The sickness of a loved one, the loss of a family member; so many situations in life are often the cause of loneliness and sadness, which are laid on the altar and await a response. Consolation is not an abstract idea, and is not made up first and foremost of words, but of a compassionate and tender closeness that understands pain and suffering. Compassionate and tender closeness. This is God's style: close, compassionate and tender. This is the way of the Lord.”

He goes on to point out that we can only effectively comfort others if we have first looked at the truth of our own lives and accepted consolation ourselves:

“In our history, each one of us has difficult, ugly moments in which the Lord has comforted us. Do not forget this. And remembering our own experience of consolation will help us to console others. And this experience passes through the motherhood of Mary, the ‘Consolata’ par excellence.”

What do we mean by consolation? In football a 'consolation goal' is one scored by a losing team towards the end of a game. It gives no hope of victory, but briefly lifts the spirits of the defeated side. Some philosophers provide purely naturalistic consolations when faced with the apparent ultimate futility of life. In contrast the Christian understanding of consolation is the gift of hope and strength in times of grief, distress, or suffering. Unlike the consolation goal it points toward an eventual victory.

Our Lady of Consolation is one of the earliest names for Mary and dates from the 2nd century. In the 18th century the custom of asking for the final blessing before death in the name of Our Lady of Consolation was popular. There is a Shrine to Our Lady of Consolation at West Grinstead in Sussex at the end of the Arundel & Brighton Pilgrim Way. If you undertake this pilgrimage perhaps you could use it as a time to reflect on where your own life needs healing and consolation, or perhaps in memory of a loved one who has died, or for peace and hope for the world.

In December 2022 I walked the Northampton Pilgrim Way from Northampton Cathedral to the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Great Billing and on to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Bedford, a place of devotion especially for Mexican Catholics. At the time I was suffering from bad sciatica which made walking painful, but the weather was cold, crisp and clear, I met some wonderful people, and my spirits lifted. I wasn’t healed at the shrine, but the simple fact that I had made it was a great consolation.

You can find out more about shrines and a list of the Catholic shrines of England & Wales here. The list is not exhaustive, so if you are aware of any I have missed, please let me know at pilgrimwaysew@gmail.com

Phil McCarthy

Photo credits: Phil McCarthy and Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer - CSsR

< Older Post

Newer Post >

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.