Join the celebration
Source: Diocese of Nottingham
On Saturday 13 September 2025 pilgrims from four corners of England and Wales will arrive at Nottingham Cathedral, ending their journey with a weekend of reflection, celebration and thanksgiving. Local people are gearing up to give the walkers a warm Nottingham welcome.
The National Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope marks the Catholic Church’s Holy Year of 2025. Pilgrims have set out on foot from the Catholic cathedrals in Cardiff, Leeds, Norwich and Southwark. They are currently making their way to Nottingham, with the four routes tracing a ‘Sign of the Cross’ to bless the country as they go.
The Right Reverend Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham, said:
"It’s a privilege for me to be able welcome the Pilgrims of Hope to the Diocese, and an honour that the city and the Cathedral of Nottingham have been chosen as their destination. Across the centuries people of many faiths and cultures have found pilgrimage to be a powerful way to encounter the divine and find hope for themselves and others. No-one can undertake the kind of journey these pilgrims are taking and not be changed. I wish them safe travels and a memorable welcome in Nottingham. In a world where hope can seem fragile I pray that they will return home with deepened faith in God and renewed hope for humanity".
The pilgrimage is an initiative of the Hearts in Search of God project. A total of 22 'perpetual pilgrims' are walking the full distance of each Way, with up to twenty day pilgrims joining each route for a day or more. The Diocese of Nottingham have invited parishioners and local people to welcome them as they walk through the East Midlands and arrive at the Cathedral. The community at the Cathedral of St Barnabas aim to offer a memorable and fitting conclusion to their journey.
Walkers will begin arriving about 3.00 p.m. on Saturday 13 September. The Cathedral is a Gothic Revival masterpiece built 1842-44 by the celebrated architect A. W. N. Pugin. Guided tours, and even a ‘mini-pilgrimage’ of the building, will be on offer as part of the national programme for Heritage Open Days.
A special Jubilee Icon, by Ethiopian artist Mulugeta Araya will be on display as part of its tour of England and Wales during the Jubilee Year. The icon was commissioned by CAFOD, the Catholic Church’s international development agency, and depicts Jesus preaching a message of liberation – a key theme of the ancientJewish teaching of jubilee, which is just as relevant in today’s world of poverty and international debt.
A Liturgy of Thanksgiving takes place in the Cathedral at 5.00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to hear the pilgrims’ reflections as they look back on the 641 miles they will have walked between them. That evening a celebration Ceilidh takes place in the Cathedral Hall with Irish folk trio ‘Ride On’, for which tickets are on sale from the Cathedral Office.
The pilgrimage will culminate the following morning with a special Mass at 11.15 a.m. in the Cathedral, to which all are again welcome. In the Church’s calendar, 14 September is known as the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, reminding believers how the sacrifice of Jesus opens a way from death to life, from cruelty to compassion, and from hatred to love.
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