Vicar’s October letter

Dear friends,

As I write, I am looking forward to our annual Benefice Pilgrimage which takes place this year on 21 September. (As you read this, the event will be a fading memory – but hopefully a good memory for those who were involved.) The purpose of the Pilgrimage is to provide an opportunity to enjoy fellowship, appreciate God’s creation, pray together and to get some exercise! There is also something about the idea of a single event that links the churches, congregations and communities in the benefice. Sections of the walk are between an hour and an hour and a half long. Some are fairly flat, others are quite steep – notably the walk from St Ethelbert’s to St Stephen’s! People are welcome to walk one or more sections as they feel comfortable. Several (hardy or foolish) people will walk the whole way – about 9 miles. Others will meet us at each of the churches for fellowship and prayer.

I am not sure that ‘pilgrimage’ is really an appropriate word to describe this event. The dictionary definition is “a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion” or “any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or in accordance with a vow, as to pay homage”. Although we are visiting churches, we are not really doing so as an ‘act of religious devotion’ and the walk is not ‘a quest’ and I don’t believe anyone has taken ‘a vow’ to undertaken it.

The Bible does not really use the word pilgrimage, but the Old Testament does talk of various festivals and feasts that require Jewish men to be in God’s presence. This was typically understood to require travelling to Jerusalem and we see Jesus in Jerusalem for various of these feasts. Modern day journeys to Jerusalem, Rome or places like Lourdes or Walsingham would appropriately be regarded as pilgrimages. Gerard Storey (vicar of St James, Bream) recently undertook the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James), a 500 mile pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in north western Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried.

I have never undertaken a true pilgrimage of this type, although I have visited various significant ‘sacred places’ in my travels. If you have undertaken such a pilgrimage, or you hope to, I would love to hear about your experiences or plans. If you did not take part in our ‘Benefice Pilgrimage’ this year, please think about joining us next year for at least a part of the day.

God bless,