A Celebration of Pilgrimage at Christ Church Cathedral
Join us on October 19th as we celebrate Oxford's centuries of history of Christian pilgrimage on St Frideswide's Day.
Oxford has been a destination for Christian pilgrimage for over 1200 years. We celebrate this enduring tradition each year by walking in those ancient footsteps to make a journey to the shrine from local churches around the county, followed by a picnic in the Cathedral garden.
Later in the afternoon, there will be activities for children, guided tours sharing our favourite Cathedral highlights to allow you to discover the history of this remarkable place, and a relaxed pilgrim's service led by the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft.
This year, the theme of our reflections is Creation and stewardship of our environment. We are absolutely delighted to welcome as our guest speaker Oxford University's Emeritus Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion, Revd Professor Alister McGrath.
After the service, you could stay to enjoy Afternoon Tea in the Great Hall. Tickets for this portion of the day need to be purchased in advance, and cost £8 (free for under 16s who take part in a walking pilgrimage in the morning).
With a copy of our leaflet for the day, you can enter the Cathedral for free on the day via Tom Gate on St Aldates. The leaflets will be available in your parish church, as well as on the Cathedral welcome desk to be collected after a service or a visit.
Here are the full details of the day's events:
Programme
8.45 am | First pilgrimage walk departs (further details of all the walks below)
1.00 pm | Bring your lunch to the Cathedral garden (wet weather alternative in place)
1.00 pm - 3.00 pm (every half hour) | Discover the building's architecture and history with our Cathedral highlights tours (approx. 25 mins)
1.00 pm - 3.00 pm | Children's activities in the Cathedral
2.00 pm | Talk from Revd Professor Alister McGrath, Emeritus Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion
3.00 pm | Family-friendly pilgrims' service in the Cathedral (approx. 40 mins)
4.00 pm | Afternoon tea in the Great Hall (if pre-booked). Cathedral closes for choir rehearsal.
Pilgrimage Walks
Places on the walks are limited, so booking is essential. Please email cathedral@ox.ac.uk to let us know that you'd like to take part.
Route A
Headington (3 miles)
12.15 pm | Meet at Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry, OC3 8NU
Route B
Wolvercote (5 miles)
10.45 am | Meet at St Peter's Church, First Turn, Wolvercote, OX2 8AQ
Route C
Abingdon (9 miles)
9.00 am | Meet at St Nicolas' Church, Market Place, Abingdon, OX14 3HG
Additional routes have been organised by some local parishes. If you would like to take part in one of these walks, please contact their organisers directly using the email address supplied below.
Kennington (3 miles)
1.30 pm | Meet at the Tandem pub car park, OX1 5PG.
Organiser: Anna Whittaker (anna.whittaker1@icloud.com)
Wilcote (9 miles)
8.45 am | Meet at St Peter's Church, Wilcote OX7 3EA
Organiser: Matthew Dickins (matthew.dickins@chch.ox.ac.uk)
Woodstock, Bladon and Begbroke (10 miles)
9.00 am | Meet at St Mary Magdalene's Church, Park Street, OX20 1SJ
9.30 am | Second meeting point at St Martin's Church, Church Street, Bladon, OX20 1RS
10.30 am | Third meeting point at St Michael's Church, St Michael's Lane, Begbroke, OX5 1RT
Organiser: Melanie McGregor (melaniejemcgregor@gmail.com)
Booking
If you would like to take part in a pilgrimage walk or to stay for afternoon tea, pre-booking is essential. Tickets for the tea cost £8 (free for under 16s also taking part in a pilgrimage walk) and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To book, email cathedral@chch.ox.ac.uk letting us know your requirements.
All other parts of the programme are offered free of charge with no booking required.
