The Way of St Cuthbert
At the recent Hearts in Search of God Spring Gathering we were able to view the new film of the Way of St Cuthbert which follows a group of American students as they undertake a walking pilgrimage from Melrose in Scotland to Lindisfarne in Northumbria.
The film was followed by a panel discussion with:
- Dr Jason Baxter, Director of the Centre for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College in Kansas, USA. Jason explained the inspiration for the film and the impact the pilgrimage had on the participating students.
- Historian of pilgrimage Dr Anne Bailey of Oxford University gave an insight into the life of St Cuthbert, his cult, and medieval pilgrimage to his shrine. Anne will be sharing her insights into the history of St Cuthbert in a later blog.
- Filmmaker Christian Holden of St Anthony Communications described the making of the film. He writes:
'As a filmmaker, it's always a joy to work on outdoor projects. This is especially true when it involves a journey or pilgrimage. I love the challenges these present - accessing locations, the logistics of moving camera kit, planning around the weather conditions, managing cast and crew - all making the end result more rewarding. Capturing beauty on screen is ever the goal, whether this is from the location, the people involved, or the story or message in the script (ideally all of these).
I am privileged to work full-time on films about faith; from historical, to theological, to lives of the saints, and much more. This recent film about St Cuthbert was a real pleasure to work on. It was my first visit to the south-east of Scotland and Northumberland, and I knew very little about St Cuthbert. Meeting with Jason Baxter, Daniel Catone, and the students from Benedictine College was a real delight and we've formed precious friendships from this time on pilgrimage together.'
The film was welcomed enthusiastically by the audience, and a lively discussion ensued about how to promote it in parishes, dioceses, schools, other Catholic organisations and ecumenically.
The film can be viewed and copies obtained for public viewing from St Anthony Communications via the link:
