What does it mean to be a ‘pilgrim of hope’? In the Papal Bull which proclaimed the 2025 Jubilee Pope Francis wrote:
“Pilgrimage is of course a fundamental element of every Jubilee event. Setting out on a journey is traditionally associated with our human quest for meaning in life. A pilgrimage on foot is a great aid for rediscovering the value of silence, effort and simplicity of life. In the coming year, pilgrims of hope will surely travel the ancient and more modern routes in order to experience the Jubilee to the full.” [1]
To be pilgrim is to humbly accept that we do not have all the answers, but we do have hearts in search of God. Walking pilgrimage using public transport to the start and finish, and local businesses enroute, is a way of caring for creation and contributing to the common good of our nations.
The Pilgrimage of Hope will be an opportunity for Catholics in England & Wales to witness to their hope in the crucified and risen Christ. It will be a national walking pilgrimage with four main Ways converging at the Cathedral of St Barnabas, Nottingham, on Saturday 13th September 2025, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Ways will bless our nations with a Sign of the Cross and with the gospels.
One of the four Ways, St Mark’s Way, starts at Leeds Cathedral and takes disused railway lines and towpaths to Wakefield and Wombwell. After visiting St Marie’s Cathedral in Sheffield the Way climbs to the Chapel of the Padley Martyrs in the Hope Valley. The path follows the River Derwent to Matlock and then on to Ripley and then along the former Cromford Canal to Eastwood and Nottingham.
As well as the four main Ways there are potential feeder routes from all the other Catholic cathedrals on the website.
For more information see: https://www.pilgrimways.org.uk/national-pilgrims-of-hope-walking-pilgrimage.
Read the full announcement for the Pilgrimage of Hope here.
[1] Spes Non Confundit, Bull of Indiction of the 2025 Jubilee, p5