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Pilgrimage resources

 One-Day Ecumenical Church-based Pilgrimage

Here you can find a resource for a one-day church-based pilgrimage which can be done locally.  It is designed to be done jointly between two congregations of different denominations.  The resource is offered by Rev. Julian Penfold and can be tweaked to suit local situations. 

Pilgrimage Conference

In April 2018 a weekend conference on pilgrimage was held at Cliff College as part of the emphasis on this theme of the then Vice-President of Conference, Jill Baker. The programme with more detail of activities and contributors can be found here.

The conference was wide-ranging, including input on pilgrimage in relation to Heritage, Pain, Protest and Mission. Several options for walking pilgrimages were available within the weekend, which also included a rhythm of daily worship, a keynote speech from then President-Designate, Rev. Michaela Youngson and a moving evening hearing stories of pilgrimage/migration from people who have come to the British Isles from Hong Kong, Cameroon, Benin and the Caribbean.

Ruth Sprague, the weekend’s “Weaver in Residence” greatly enhanced the weekend with her creative exhibition, workshops and hands-on weaving opportunities. Her reflection on weaving and pilgrimage can be found here.

At certain points in the weekend, Rev. Graham Sparkes, a Baptist minister, was asked to reflect back to those gathered, what was emerging about pilgrimage. His reflections can be found here.

 

Useful websites

Pilgrimage is growing!  There are many helpful websites available; just a few are described below.

  • The Church of Scotland engages in pilgrimage in various ways.  Search for "pilgrimage" on their website for the latest activities, including "Together we walk" a European-themed pilgrimage to hold in a church building. 
  • Illuminated Journeys describes its mission as "To provide busy people the opportunity to step deeper inside themselves by stepping out in Pilgrimage". 
  • The Jesuit website "Thinking Faith" has stimulating articles and resources linked to pilgrimage, including "An Advent Pilgrimage" with daily material for the Advent season drawn from the author's experience of pilgrimage.  
  • The Orthodox Peace Fellowship website currently includes a very interesting article on "The Pilgrimage of Illness"
  • Peak Pilgrimage gives lots of information about a relatively new 40 mile pilgrimage through the Peak Park.
  • Pilgrim Path brings together news from around the Pilgrim Paths of Ireland.
  • Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum is a network of organisations and individuals committed to developing routes for off-road pilgrimage travel across Scotland. 
  • Shoreline conversations produces resources on a range of themes, including the 2016 CTBI Lent course on pilgrimage, with an accompanying magazine available here.  
  • An exhibition, Stations of the Cross, described as a pilgrimage for art lovers, took place across London in 14 destinations in Lent 2016. The website is still live for virtual exploration.  
  • World Council of Churches pilgrimage of justice and peace invites all churches and Christians "to work together in a common quest, renewing the true vocation of the church through collaborative engagement with the most important issues of justice and peace, healing a world filled with conflict, injustice and pain."
  • www.iona.org.uk Iona the home of the Iona Community, is a small island of the west coast of Scotland, and a popular place of pilgrimage for many. 
  • www.lindisfarne.org.uk The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, associated with the early Celtic Saints, is a centre of pilgrimage in Northumberland. 

 

Methodist partners with links to pilgrimage:

  • Artserve - a network supporting creative arts in worship. A members' magazine is produced three times per year. 
  • Methodist Children & Youth/brings together resources and good practice for all who work with children and young people.  3-Generate is the annual gathering for those aged 8-23.  
  • JPIT (The Joint Public Issues Team) is a venture of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Church of Scotland.  It helps these four churches work together on issues of justice and inequality.  
  • Methodist Summer Fellowship an annual gathering for fun, fellowship, worship and much more... 
  • Methodist Women in Britain offers a wide range of activities (including pilgrimage) and resources aimed particularly at women with an interest in creative spirituality and a passion for global, social justice. An email newsletter is available four times per year.
  • Reflect Resources of all sorts for "Methodists supporting spirituality and retreats". 
  • Retreat Association another hub of resources and events, "helping you explore and deepen your journey with God through retreats". 

  

Other relevant websites/organisations

  • The Northumbria Community is a dispersed network of people, hugely diverse, from different backgrounds, streams and edges of the Christian faith.
  • The Community of Aidan and Hilda is a dispersed, ecumenical body drawing inspiration from the lives of the Celtic saints. The  Open Gate, on Lindisfarne is their main house and offers accommodation for members and visitors.
  • Ffald y Brenin is a beautiful award winning Christian Retreat Centre in the hills by the sea in North Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales, UK.
  • Iona Community is a dispersed Christian ecumenical community working for peace and social justice, rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship.
  • Corrymeela Community based in Ireland, is a sister community to Iona and offers extensive resources, especially around peace-building.

 

Book list

  • Paul Barnett Following Jesus to Jerusalem  (Paternoster, 2012)
  • John Brierley - 3 handbooks for different routes of the Camino: A practical and mystical manual for the modern pilgrim. 
  • Phil Cousineau – The Art of Pilgrimage (Conari Press 2012)  
  • Andrew Jones  Pilgrimage (BRF, 2012)
  • Sarah Meyrick Knowing Anna (Marylebone House 2016) – Written as a novel, this is a moving and helpful introduction to how pilgrimage can happen.
  • David Osborne  Pilgrimage(Grove, 1996)
  • Ian Reader Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2015)
  • Donald Smith The Pilgrim Guide to Scotland (St. Andrew’s Press 2015)– a very useful introduction to pilgrimage in Scotland with helpful prayers and a brief outline of the major routes.
  • Peter Stanford The Extra Mile(Continuum, 2010)
  • Sally Welch Walking the Labyrinth(Canterbury, 2010)

 

Resources specifically useful for young people

  • Miranda and Noah Threlfall-Holmes The Teenage Prayer Experiment Notebook Contains a short chapter about pilgrimage; excellent at making different kinds of prayer accessible.  
  • Mark Yaconelli Article about a 'rite of passage' trip organised for school-leavers where they wore pilgrim crosses and spent time in solitude in the wilderness.   https://markyaconelli.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/rite-of-passage/

  

Articles

  • The Contemplative Dimension of Pilgrimage: "Solutio in eundo" -The solution is in the walking by Thomas Hall (from "Contemplative Outreach" Vol. 32  Number 1 December 2015) Read it here.

  

Films