The Holy Year will soon be underway with its motto ‘pilgrims of hope’. As Christians we should be hopeful, but when we look at our country and our world it would be easy to despair. Jubilees are years of grace, forgiveness and reconciliation. The 2025 Jubilee has especial significance in England & Wales as it commemorates 175 years since the restoration of our Catholic hierarchy.

The Pilgrimage of Hope will be a way for Catholics to witness to their hope in the crucified and risen Christ across England & Wales. It is a national walking pilgrimage with four main Ways (see below) 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 start at the Catholic cathedrals in Cardiff, Leeds, Norwich and London and will bless our nations with a Sign of the Cross. A small group of ‘perpetual pilgrims’ will walk the full distance of each Way, with day pilgrims joining. There are feeder routes from the other Catholic cathedrals.

Pope Francis has written:

“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.”

You are invited to become pilgrims of hope and so experience the Jubilee to the full!

For more information, visit Pilgrimage Walk | The Pilgrimage of Hope (pilgrimways.org.uk)