The Autumn Hearts in Search of God newsletter

Phil McCarthy • November 1, 2024

Welcome to the Autumn 2024 Hearts in Search of God Project newsletter. The project has reached an important milestone as I have now walked, written up and published Pilgrim Ways in all the Catholic dioceses of England & Wales.

 

There are also Pilgrim Ways for the Ukrainian and Syro-Malabar eparchies, the Bishopric of the Armed Forces and the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Details of the inner and outer journeys, walking guidance, maps and GPX files can be downloaded for them all for free here. I am always grateful for feedback about the routes so please let me know if you walk one.

 

My last walk was the St Philomena’s Way in the Diocese of Shrewsbury. I was delighted to be joined by Theresa Alessandro, presenter of the All Kinds of Catholic podcast. Our conversation can be found here. I am also grateful to Catherine Mangham for walking much of the route and greatly improving it and for her company for two days of the walk.


Shrines

As part of the project I have become interested in shrines. Anyone can set up a shrine in their own home: simply a place for prayer, perhaps with an image or a candle. In Catholic countries wayside shrines are common. The Church recognises a shrine officially if people make pilgrimages to it and it is approved by the local bishop. There are four types:

  • Diocesan shrines, approved by the bishop of the diocese.
  • National shrines, approved by the Bishops' Conference of the Province, in this case England & Wales.
  • International shrines, such as Lourdes, approved by the Holy See. There are no international shrines in England & Wales.
  • Pontifical shrines, established personally by the pope of the time. We have one in Kings Lynn in the Diocese of East Anglia.

I have identified 49 shrines in England & Wales, some ancient, some modern, some cared for by the Church and some by other organisations. I would like a full half century, so if anyone knows of the 50th I would be very grateful! More details of the shrines here.

 

Resources

There are new resources for group pilgrimage including:

 

Going deeper

Articles on the ‘Going Deeper’ webpages provide context and expert background to pilgrimage. The latest is by:

  • Canon Chris Thomas, General secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales on the hope that does not disappoint, and what it means to be a ‘pilgrim of hope’ during the Jubilee.

I am grateful to Fr Chris and the others who have contributed their time and expertise which really adds to the resources on the website.

 

News, Stories & Events

Thanks to all those who have contributed stories over the last few months. Topics include:

 

Feedback on the Ways

I would be grateful for any feedback you have about the proposed Ways, and especially any route updates and changes. After your pilgrimage remember to download your certificate of completion.

 

If you have a story or a pilgrim resource or event to share, please contact me through the website. Please feel free to share his newsletter with people who may be interested. I hope you enjoy the website, designed by the wonderful people at Everyday Christian Marketing.


Wishing you every blessing and joy of this ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, and buen camino!


Phil McCarthy, Project Lead

The 16th Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage

By Phil McCarthy • July 27, 2026
The 16th Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage will be held on Saturday 1st August 2026!

The Hearts in Search of God Summer Newsletter

By Phil McCarthy • July 10, 2026
The Hearts in Search of God project Summer 2026 newsletter is ready to read!

The Way of Mindfulness

By Eddie Gilmore • July 10, 2026
Eddie Gilmore found much to be grateful for on the 'Way of Mindfulness'!

BBC Radio 4 Sunday Programme

By Phil McCarthy • July 9, 2026
I was delighted to be interviewed for the BBC Radio 4 Sunday programme about my recent pilgrimage along the Via di Francesco.

Leeds Walsingham Camino

By Rowan Gledhill-Morton • July 7, 2026
This September, a small band of pilgrims from Leeds and Hallam Dioceses will walk England’s longest way to Walsingham: the ‘Leeds Walsingham Way’!

A Franciscan Pilgrimage in the Diocese of Clifton

By Phil McCarthy • June 30, 2026
Join the walking pilgrimages to the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Nailsea to celebrate the Year of St Francis! 2026 marks 800 years since the death of St Francis of Assisi and Pope Leo XIV has declared a special Year to commemorate this. More about the Year can be found here . Francis was a pilgrim who undertook significant journeys to Rome, Santiago de Compostela and the Holy Land. He urged that all forms of hostility or conflict be avoided and that a humble and fraternal attitude be shown to those who did not share his faith. He had a great love of creation. Saturday 3rd Ocober 2026 is exactly 800 years since St Francis died, and the day before his feast day. To mark this a walking pilgrimage is planned in the Diocese of Clifton on Saturday 3rd October with two legs: The Bristol leg will start at Clifton Cathedral at 10.30am and end at the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Nailsea (9 miles) The Clevedon leg will start at the Franciscan church of the Immaculate Conception in Clevedon at 1pm and end at the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Nailsea (6.4 miles) The two legs will convene at 4.30pm at the church for refreshments and prayer. Those who wish can stay for the 6pm Saturday evening Vigil Mass for the Feast of St Francis. Pilgrims are welcome to register to join for one or other of the legs. Walkers do so at their own risk. Children under 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Pilgrims will be responsible for carrying their own food and drink and for arranging their own transport to the start and finish. Nailsea is well served by trains to Bristol and buses to Bristol and Clevedon. More details about the walks and how to register can be found below. You can also be part of the pilgrimage by praying for the success of the event and for the safety of pilgims. You can find other ideas to mark the day here .

The Bristol to Nailsea Leg

By Phil McCarthy • June 30, 2026
A Pilgrimage to commemorate the Year of St Francis of Assisi Saturday 3rd October 2026

The Clevedon to Nailsea Leg

By Phil McCarthy • June 30, 2026
A Pilgrimage to commemorate the Year of St Francis of Assisi Saturday 3rd October 2026

Walk the Augustine Camino for Mary's Meals!

By Phil McCarthy • June 29, 2026
Charity Pilgrimage for Mary’s Meals – Saturday 5th – Friday 11th September! This popular pilgrimage is returning for a second year. It is great fun and all in the cause of providing school meals for children in poor countries Mary’s Meals UK Charity – Helping to Feed Hungry Children Living in Poverty Worldwide | Mary’s Meals UK . It is a full guided pilgrimage and we are usually accompanied by a Catholic priest so that there is Mass and prayers each day. The costs are inclusive of accommodation, baggage transfers (for one medium sized bag each) and the guide. There are three options, £427 for shared rooms and sleeping on church floors where available, £538 for shared accommodation and £718 for single occupancy. A day by day blog of the last Mary’s Meals charity pilgrimage is available here Walking the Augustine Camino – by Roy Peachey (keep pressing next at the bottom of the page for subsequent days). Contact Andrew at camino@augustinecamino.co.uk for further details.

Pilgrimage to Assisi

By Eddie Gilmore • June 29, 2026
Hearts in Search of God collaborator Eddie Gilmore is leading a walking pilgrimage to Assisi from September 18 th - 26 th 2026! The group will spend a night in Florence, then travel to Città di Castello and walk for six days along the beautiful ‘Way of Francis.’ Contact Eddie for more information: gileag@gmail.com www.eddiegilmore.org