Members of the CSJ's Kent Regional Group had a wonderful pilgrimage through central Canterbury on a dry and crisp winter day (Dec 4th). This pilgrimage was arranged by Helen Nattrass, and accompanied by renowned local historian, Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh. Here is the itinerary, for any who wish to follow in their footsteps; I have left the timings as an indication of how long to give yourselves:

Start at St Dunstan’s Church, 80 London Road, CT2 8LS. at 10.00
10.30 St Peter’s Church
11.00 St Mildred’s Church
11.30 Franciscan Gardens £6 entry (you may wish to bring a coffee to enjoy in the garden)
12.20 Cathedral
13.00-13.55 Lunch, either in ‘The Ingoldsby Legends’(Wetherspoons) very close to Cathedral & St Thos church, or individual ‘grazing’.
14.00 St Paul’s Church
14.30 St Thomas’s Church (Veneration of relics of St Thomas and St Oscar Romero for those who wish.)
15.00 St Martin’s.  Last station of walk.  (There is a request for £3.00 per person voluntary donation, please.)
Finish at around 15.30.  Possibility of a beer/cup of tea in the nearby New Inn!

Whilst Helen managed to arrange free entry to the cathedral for the group, there is normally a charge. The pilgrims enjoyed a Blessing by the duty chaplain in the Cathedral, with one saying “It was quite a spiritual experience meeting the Chaplain at the Cathedral. The words he shared certainly resonated with me.”

Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh did not charge for her services over the day, and we are all very grateful to her for her time and expertise, especially as Sheila is brilliant at communicating her subject.  We are also all very grateful to Helen Nattrass for the enormous amount of time and energy she put into arranging this day.

As you can see, the day was much appreciated:

“I really enjoyed our pilgrimage with Sheila yesterday. Please would you pass on my thanks to Helen for organising everything?”

“A great day in Canterbury yesterday!  Helen’s  timings were 
impeccable, the visits well judged and in Sheila we had the best possible guide.”

Hopefully more of you will be inspired to try this fascinating and meaningful walk through one of England’s most iconic cities.