Bishop Peter Sends East Anglian Pilgrims Forth in Hope

The Diocese of East Anglia marked a joyful start to the National Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope this morning as Bishop Peter Collins celebrated 10am Mass at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Norwich, before blessing a group of diocesan pilgrims setting out on St Luke’s Way towards Nottingham Cathedral.

Eighteen faithful — undeterred by rain and buoyed by high spirits — stepped off from the cathedral shortly after a briefing in the narthex, where Bishop Peter led them in prayer and commended their intentions to the Lord. The pilgrims’ Day 1 destination was Cawston, home to a magnificent medieval church that has welcomed travellers for centuries.

The diocesan group is being accompanied by Fr Peter Wygnanski, serving as spiritual leader. Remarkably, Fr Peter made a timely recovery from a recent virus, enabling him to join the pilgrims at the very outset of their journey.

This year’s National Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope invites Catholics across England and Wales to witness to faith, unity and renewal in the Jubilee Year 2025. The late Pope Francis encouraged the Church to rediscover the grace of pilgrimage — “a fundamental element of every Jubilee” — as a way of embracing simplicity, silence and the deeper meaning of faith. For East Anglia, the pilgrimage is both local and national: it begins in Norwich and converges with three other routes for a Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Sunday 14 September 2025 at St Barnabas’ Cathedral in Nottingham. 

Speaking before the send-off, Bishop Peter praised the pilgrims’ generosity and imparted his blessing, offering a prayer over the group. 

St Luke’s Way, one of the four national pilgrimage routes, leads the East Anglian contingent on a journey of 158.7 miles. Along the way, pilgrims will pause at some of our region’s most cherished holy places, including the National Shrine of Our Lady at Houghton St Giles and onward to Walsingham — a heartland of English pilgrimage. The route is dedicated to Julian of Norwich, recalling her timeless assurance: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

Please keep the pilgrims in your prayers, offer encouragement when they pass through your parish, and consider joining for a stage along the way.

For more information and updates visit the Pilgrim’s Way website and stay tuned to the Diocese of East Anglia website.

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