THE Archbishop of Canterbury set out on a six-day pilgrimage on foot from London to Canterbury Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon, as part of the spiritual preparation for her installation there next Wednesday.
Archbishop Mullally is walking the 87-mile route along the Becket Camino, accompanied by her husband, Eamonn Mullally. Her pilgrimage began at her former cathedral, St Paul’s, to reflect her journey as Bishop to the see of Canterbury.
After a short service of blessing, the Archbishop, wearing walking clothes and a pectoral cross, emerged from St Paul’s to cheers and applause. A congregation of around 70 thinned down to a group of fellow pilgrims, which included clergy from the diocese of London, friends and supporters, and a handful of luminaries invited by the British Pilgrimage Trust, including Dame Fiona Reynolds, latterly Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, the biologist and writer Rupert Sheldrake, the poet and novelist Sir Ben Okri, and the writer and journalist Sir Simon Jenkins.
Archbishop Mullally crossed the Millennium Bridge in an early taste of spring sunshine, pausing once to speak to an elderly woman in a wheelchair and several times more at the request of photographers and film crews. Halfway across, she was greeted by the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, who formally welcomed her to the diocese of Southwark. Bishop Chessun accompanied the party past the Globe Theatre and through a crowd of green-hatted drinkers celebrating St Patrick’s Day, to Southwark Cathedral, where they were greeted by the Dean, the Very Revd Dr Mark Oakley.
Dr Oakley made reference to the Archbishop’s predecessor Thomas Becket, who preached at the Priory of St Mary Overie, whose church became Southwark Cathedral, on 11 December 1170, before travelling to Canterbury, where he was martyred just 18 days later. Wishing her a longer and happier time in office, Dr Oakley prayed for the Archbishop in her new ministry, and then asked for her blessing before her departure.
The route of the Archbishop’s “journey of pilgrimage, prayer and encounter” will take her party along stretches of the Thames Path, the Via Britannica, and the Augustine Camino. They will continue to pause for prayer at churches and abbeys along the way. Stops include Aylesford Priory, the shrine of St Jude in Faversham, Lesnes Abbey, and Rochester Cathedral.
The Dean of Canterbury, the Very Revd David Monteith, and other members of the cathedral Chapter, will join the pilgrims for the final stretch of the journey. They will all arrive at the cathedral in time for evensong on Sunday 22 March.
A pilgrim’s passport, designed by pupils from Ospringe C of E Primary School, Faversham, has been produced for the occasion. The group will also give out prayer cards featuring a prayer written by pupils from the Archbishop’s School, Canterbury.
Archbishop Mullally said that it was “deeply humbling” to follow in the footsteps of those who had walked the route before. “For centuries, faithful pilgrims have flocked to Canterbury, and I will be reflecting on this tradition as we make our way through the Kent countryside and its towns and cities. I’m looking forward to visiting local churches, cathedrals, and holy sites along the route — and to meeting people, praying with them, and hearing their stories.”
She said that she would be praying for “our Church and our world” as she walked.
“Every Christian life is a pilgrimage — a journey with God. As I begin this new chapter in my own life and ministry, I am grateful to be walking with God and with others.”