Cyber-Priest's pilgrimage to Walsingham.

The upcoming issue of 'Grassroots' is so full of news, reports from SCM groups and events and fun stuff that Fr. Simon Tibbs' (XYMonday, Old St Paul's Edinburgh) report on his fascinating on-foot pilgrimage to Walsingham, Norfolk only has a brief mention! He also made an appearance on BBC News!

As some of you may know, Walsingham has been a major centre of Christian pilgrimage since the eleventh century. Generations of people have made the journey and been inspired by the holiness of the site, which is a Marian shrine - to this day it is especially important to Anglicans and Catholics as well as Christians from other traditions.

So, here's the full text sharing Simon's pilgrimage experiences, and a link to some good photos

In May/June of this year, I made a 450-mile journey on foot from Edinburgh, where I live and work, to Walsingham in Norfolk. I’d wanted to do something special to mark my ordination to the priesthood last year, and a pilgrimage seemed a good way to do it. Once the idea was in my head, I chatted to a friend who’d recently spent a month walking to Compostella , and she was encouraging. Around the same time, getting my first dog, Poppy, made me feel more confident about the possible loneliness of such a trip.

Bit by bit the plan came together. I planned the route in advance, following footpaths and quiet country roads wherever possible for the sake of Poppy, with accommodation varying between friends, contacts made through Christian Aid (I was fund-raising partly for them), B & Bs, and camping. I also set things up to shoot a video diary as I went, using a light-weight mobile phone. It was interesting to do. You can judge the results for yourselves (web address below).
The last few weeks before my departure on were hectic – getting my kit together (it’s amazing how little you actually NEED), days out training in the countryside around Edinburgh, press stuff, and getting the dog spayed and checked out by the vet. After a blessing for me and Poppy in our main Sunday service, and a lovely parish picnic, I finally strode forth on May 22nd.

There’s loads of stuff about my journey online, so I won’t repeat it. The main challenge was losing Poppy, after three weeks of walking – she cut her paw on a bit of glass and had to come home, so from York I was all alone. (Before you ask, she’s fine now!) I had been very nervous of the solitariness, but I was blessed in finding I could cope with my own company for long periods much better than I’d thought. The highlight was in Walsingham itself, where I got permission to sleep actually inside the Holy House, which is the heart of the Shrine complex – that was really awesome, something I’ll never forget.

It’s great to have seen through a project so ‘out there’ as this. I’m feeling the benefits already in terms of finding a more peaceful and balanced life for myself. Spiritually, the effect of the walk was to help me feel more ‘connected’ in all sorts of ways – to the natural world; to people – whether they were strangers along the way, internet followers, or the people I was particularly praying for; and ultimately – which is what pilgrimage is all about – I felt more connected to God. Some of that’s remained too. And no doubt, there’ll be good effects felt for years to come – an experience a rich as this one was doesn’t unpack itself over night.

If there’s one lesson that’s already emerged clearly, it’s this: ‘Don’t neglect the journey’. Pilgrimage has undergone a huge revival in recent years – but with the crucial difference that modern pilgrims tend to focus on what happens when they arrive, and neglect the process of getting there. Medieval pilgrims’ journeys were typically long and arduous - so much so, that one of the things you had to do before setting off was to make your will. But we want to travel speedily and comfortably. In choosing the easy way, I feel we neglect an important part of this wonderful spiritual practice, one that has so much to teach us – about staying connected, in the ways I’ve mentioned, and also particularly in relation to the needs of our own bodies; and about letting go of our desire to be too much in control of our lives. It matters where you end up, certainly. But no less important, is how you get there.

Fr Simon Tibbs is Curate of Old Saint Paul’s, Edinburgh, an SCM-affiliated parish in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Simon’s video diary, photos and other internet stuff can be accessed at Father Simon's walking to Walsingham

More information about Walsingham can be found on the Shrine websites and Student Cross.