In August, all are warmly invited to take part in a special peace pilgrimage marking 800 years since the death of St Francis of Assisi. Whether you would like to walk a few miles, join in prayer, attend a service, or simply offer encouragement along the way, there will be many opportunities to be involved as the pilgrimage passes through the diocese.
Members of the Anglican Franciscans, part of the Society of St Francis, are undertaking the pilgrimage from Alnmouth in Northumberland to London, passing through the Diocese of Gloucester at the end of August.
“The pilgrimage is the transitus of Francis 800 years ago (the commemoration of his death), so it’s a very important year,” said Sister Judi, of the Society of St Francis. “Francis was very much about bringing peace – the theme of peace is especially urgent today. With everything that’s going on in the news, to be a pilgrimage of outward peace, saying that we want peace, is important at the moment.”
The pilgrims will arrive in the diocese on 28 August from Upton upon Severn, walking from Tewkesbury to Gloucester on 29 August, before spending a rest day on 30 August and continuing on to King’s Stanley on 31 August. A peace-focused service is being planned in Gloucester on 30 August, which is a Sunday afternoon, with local churches and communities invited to take part.
“It’s open to absolutely everybody,” Sister Judi said. “People can join for long stretches of the walk, or they can walk a few miles and be picked up. It’s up to people what they do.”
The pilgrimage is intentionally inclusive, with space for people of all faiths and none, as well as live-streamed elements and daily prayer along the route.
“People often talk together when they’re walking, as opposed to if they were sat across a meeting room,” she said. “Pilgrimages are important and they matter… it’s sort of like God’s medicine, really, being out in the open air.”
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