His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sent a personal message to all participants.
Source: Diocese of Nottingham
On Saturday 13 September 2025 pilgrims from four corners of England and Wales arrived at Nottingham Cathedral. Their long walks across the country were rounded off with a Thanksgiving Liturgy, a meal and celebration Ceilidh, and Solemn Mass the following morning, all hosted by the Nottingham Cathedral community.
The National Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope marked the Catholic Church’s Holy Year of 2025. Pilgrims set out on foot from the Catholic cathedrals in Cardiff, Leeds, Norwich and Southwark, with the four routes tracing a ‘Sign of the Cross’ to bless the country as they go.
Our congratulations to parishioners of the diocese who joined them on the way, and especially to the groups of ‘perpetual pilgrims’ whose between them clocked up 641 miles on foot! We pray that your pilgrimages bear rich fruit.
The Cathedral community hosted a Thanksgiving Liturgy, a shared meal and a lively Ceilidh on Saturday, and a Solemn Mass on Sunday, welcoming the pilgrims and the many diocesan parishioners who accompanied them along the routes.
Bishop Patrick addressed the gathering with heartfelt words that captured the pilgrim spirit:
“A very, very warm welcome to the Diocese of Nottingham that you’ve been walking through the last few days, and a particular welcome to the Cathedral of St Barnabas.
We feel very privileged to be at the centre of the cross that has been formed from north and south, west and east of the Diocese of England and Wales.
I walked today, only today, and I began to soak up the atmosphere of hope and joy and fellowship and prayer. I'm really, really impressed, not just by the group that I walked with, but going into the cathedral hall as a pilgrim myself and just picking up the wonderful vibes in the cathedral hall from the other groups as well.
That over the days, as many as 15 days for some, it has been, as we heard in those beautiful reflections, a time of hope, a time of joy, a time of inspiration, a time to be quiet, a time to listen, a time to talk, a time when strangers have, by God's grace, become friends."
In celebrating this Jubilee Year, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sent a papal message to all participants praying that "Almighty God will guide and sustain all pilgrims of hope in their journey of faith, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to every corner of the nation". The Holy Father cordially imparts his apostolic blessing to all participating in the Pilgrimage of Hope, and through the intercession of the Mother of God, invokes an abundance of divine graces. And that has come through our Apostolic Nuncio in London and dated 1st of September 2025.
The pilgrimage’s emphasis on walking, prayer and fellowship resonates with the Holy Year’s call for pilgrims of hope, urging the faithful to become witnesses of Christ’s love wherever they go. As the Holy Father reminded the faithful at a recent shrine conference, “Pilgrims need hope… they set out in search of a safe destination to reach.”
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