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The annual Diocese of Arundel & Brighton Ecumenical Walking Pilgrimage (EWP) has just passed its 2025 “Surrey Hills and Sussex by the Sea” halfway point, with pilgrims having journeyed from Horley, via Ashtead, Weybridge, Frimley, Farnham, Haslemere and Midhurst so far, and spending last night in the village of Tangmere, near Chichester, sleeping in the village hall and in the Anglican Parish Church, St Andrew’s.

This year’s route takes in every deanery in the Diocese, in recognition of Bishop Richard’s Pastoral Plan, which will in time see all of the Diocese’s 11 deaneries become new parishes. Around 30 pilgrims are participating this year, drawn from all corners of the Diocese, from across the country and even from as far afield as Tipperary, Germany and Ohio! They were welcomed to Tangmere Church today with warm hospitality from the churchwardens, Helen and Emma.

The group includes both Catholic and Anglican chaplains, with Fr Paul Wilkinson from our diocese and Rev. Simon Dommett from the Anglican Diocese of Ely both taking part. Some pilgrims have taken part in many EWP pilgrimages – Maureen from Swindon is on her twentieth – while others are newer to the group: Deirdre from Ohio is undertaking her third and Maria, who formerly lived in Chichester but now resides in Rutland, is walking with the EWP group for the second time, taking part in just a few days of the pilgrimage with the group each time.

During today’s Communion Service, the Rev. Simon Dommett preached on the Gospel reading from Matthew 19, and the young man who asks Jesus what he must do to receive eternal life. Rev. Simon reflected on the young man’s response, going away sadly because he had great wealth, and on what might prevent us taking the last step in following Jesus: comfort, status, image or security. He spoke of the need for space in our hearts and lives for the fruits of the Spirit to grow, and our need to remove other things in order to create that space. He gave the pilgrims a question to ponder, discuss and pray about as they walk to Goring-on-Sea today:

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“What is the thing that would make me hesitate, if Jesus asked for it?”

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Gary O’Brien, who has joined around 15 EWP pilgrimages and will become the group’s leader next year, shared his thoughts on the significance of the EWP:

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“It is important to me because during the pilgrimage we build community, celebrate together, share our prayer lives and share our faith. We pray in all the churches we pass, and we pray in the footsteps of other pilgrims past.”

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For some pilgrims, participating in the pilgrimage has special resonance: Michael from Lymington is walking for himself and for his wife, Susan – pilgrimages have been very important in both their lives and in their marriage. Susan took part in the very first EWP in 1975, “beating the bounds” of the then newly-created Diocese of Arundel & Brighton. Michael and Susan then met on pilgrimage in 1982, on the way to Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the UK, and they married two years later. They celebrated their Ruby Anniversary last year but as Susan now suffers from advanced Alzheimer’s Disease, Michael is now journeying on pilgrimage on her behalf.

Each year, pilgrims receive a new wooden pilgrim cross to wear as they walk. The crosses are carved by a pilgrim, Bruce, and this year’s draws on the Jubilee of Hope logo, as the EWP celebrates not only its own 50th anniversary, and the 60th anniversary of the Diocese, but also the worldwide Jubilee proclaimed by the late Pope Francis. Bruce and his wife Hazel, who join the EWP from Gloucester, are also responsible for all the pilgrimage’s catering this year.

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The pilgrimage is a well organised event each year, with pilgrims’ equipment transported by vehicle and rest stops arranged. Orange arrows are pinned up along the route by those in the lead, for those behind to follow, and collected in by “backmarkers” as they pass. The group stops to pray at churches, pauses at a pub for lunch, and sleeps on the floor of village or church halls and churches. Pilgrims walk about 15 miles per day, with two rest days, and while some pilgrims walk the whole pilgrimage, taking around a fortnight, others join for just a day or a few days.

The EWP will arrive in Eastbourne on Friday 22 August and pilgrims will celebrate together on Saturday, making their way home after a morning service on Sunday.

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