Spring Walking Pilgrimage Gathering

Saturday 21^st March 2026 & Sunday 22^nd March 2026

Amigo Hall (upstairs)

St. George's Cathedral, Lambeth Rd, London SE1 7HY

The Gathering will bring together people and organisations already involved walking pilgrimage in England & Wales to celebrate what was achieved during the 2025 Jubilee and to plan how we can work together in this special Year of St Francis of Assisi. Registration is free and all are welcome.

We will also be rolling out the red carpet for the UK premier of the wonderful new film The Way of St Cuthbert!

An evening social will be held after the Gathering in a local pub. On Sunday morning there will be a short walking pilgrimage in honour of St Francis of Assisi and the opportunity for Mass at the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Notting Hill.

Programme

Gathering as Pilgrims of Hope

11.00 Tea, coffee

11.30 Welcome, opening prayer, introductions

UK Premier of The Way of St Cuthbert

This is a new film following Dr Jason Baxter and a group of Benedictine College students as they walk the 65-mile ‘Way of St Cuthbert.’ They are accompanied by Canon Marcus Holden and Daniel Catone, as they walk the pilgrim route from Melrose to Lindisfarne Island. Throughout the journey they consider the life of St Cuthbert, the history of the area, and his influence in the life of the Church during the 7th century and beyond. They explore the beauty of the landscape, imagining what it would have been like for St Cuthbert and the people of that time. The pilgrimage ends with a visit to Durham Cathedral, the final resting place of St Cuthbert, considered by some to be the 'British St Francis'.

12.00 Film screening

12.35 Panel discussion

13.00 Lunch will be provided at the venue

Celebration

13.45 An opportunity for participants to celebrate their walking pilgrimages during the Jubilee. The presentations will be brief (5 minutes) and organisations unable to send a representative can send a report to be read.

14.30 Brainstorming: how can we work better together to develop and promote walking pilgrimage in England & Wales?

15.15 Tea

Proposal

Adoremus: This year, after major Eucharistic events in Liverpool and Birmingham, the Adoremus Eucharistic Festival comes to London over two days. On Saturday, 10 October there will be Mass in Southwark Cathedral, followed by a keynote address, time for lunch and meeting with fellow pilgrims. The afternoon begins with a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament from Southwark Cathedral through central London, ending at Westminster Cathedral with Benediction. There will be an All Night Vigil at Westminster Cathedral and on Sunday, 11 October a programme of other devotions and events. Admission to the Cathedral events will be by ticket, but all are welcome to join the Procession on Saturday afternoon.

15.30 Discussion of a proposal that four walking pilgrimages are organised in the week starting Monday 5th October from north, south, east and west. They would start at Marian shrines, bless our nation with the Sign of the Cross and the Gospels and converge at Southwark Cathedral on Friday 9th October, the day before the Eucharistic event.

Inspiration: for walking pilgrimages for peace to celebrate the Year of St Francis of Assisi

2026 marks 800 years since the death of St Francis of Assisi and Pope Leo XIV has declared a special Year. Francis was a pilgrim who undertook journeys to Rome and Santiago de Compostela and attempted to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He embodied the pilgrim spirit of humility, love for nature, peace building and the search for God. A map and details of churches dedicated to St Francis and Franciscan communities can be found here.

16.00 How could we celebrate this Year of St Francis and be pilgrims for peace in troubled times?

16.30 Conclusion, final prayer

16.45 Gathering ends

Saturday evening social opportunity

17.15 Drinks in a local pub for those who wish

18.30 Shared meal in a local restaurant or pub for those who wish