THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Pilgrim Places by Rachel (LLM/Reader) 15th July 2026
Chaucer said that April was the month to go on pilgrimages, but the Pilgrim Places initiative, part of Faith in the North, invites us all to make our churches places of pilgrimage, where weary travellers, casual passers-by, and fellow villagers can find rest, wonder and peace.
Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard, yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”
There are whispers of the divine in the beauty and wonder of the natural world, but church buildings can speak too.
Few people will come to church and hear a sermon, and many people in our villages may not have even seen the inside of our beautiful churches. Yet our buildings themselves can tell Christ’s story, if we will open them up to the spiritually curious. The story of Jesus, his birth, death and resurrection, the apostles and the beginning of the church, the heroes of the Old Testament and the stories of the New, are told in stained glass. Candles symbolise the Light of Christ and crosses remind us of his victory over death. The altar shows us that there is one sacrifice for sin, and there we remember, in the mystery of bread and wine, that Jesus gave his body and his blood for us. The font shows us where the Christian pilgrimage begins, with baptism and repentance, leading to new life in Christ. Gothic arches and lofty ceilings draw our eyes upwards in wonder, and we can sense the yearning of human beings for meaning and significance, for the numinous, for God. Ancient stones, soaked in prayer, are a monument to hundreds of years of faith. The stone floors remember the tread of many feet, voices now silent, souls now resting in peace, waiting for the return of our Lord.
The Pilgrim Places initiative is for such a time as this, where many people, especially young people, are spiritually hungry and curious. Our world today, with its wars, climate change, injustice and violence, is not unlike the Anglo Saxon world in which our ancient Northern Saints, such as Paulinus, Aelred, Cuthbert, Hilda and Aidan lived.
You can sign up to be a Pilgrim place on the Faith in the North website www.faithinthenorth.org
There are free materials available such as prayer cards, illustrated, reflective trails helping you explore churches, resources for children and young people and a toolkit of ideas to help you use your building to welcome visitors.
Contact Rachel if your PCC needs help with this!
[email protected] or call me on 07981127324