‍

On Saturday 11 May, 50 pilgrims from parishes in the Brighton & Hove Deanery took part in an ecumenical urban pilgrimage across the city. Pilgrims included the Rt Rev'd Dr Martin Warner, the Bishop of Chichester and Fr Aidan, Fr Gabriel and Br Anthony, the Monks in the City who came from Worth Abbey to Brighton in 2020, to found a new small Benedictine monastery based at St John the Baptist Church.

The 50 pilgrims visited and were warmly welcomed by six churches during their walk from Hove to Kemptown, learning about each of these unique places of worship and their role in Brighton and Hove's past and present. The pilgrimage began at the ancient parish church of Hove, St Andrew and progressed along the seafront to  Holland Road Baptist Church, St Paul's on West Street, the Friends' Meeting House, and Dorset Gardens Methodist Church. At each church, Bishop Martin gave a reflection on our Christian heritage and what that is saying to us today about our baptism, our witness and our mission. The churches visited represented a number of Christian traditions  and were churches which today are proclaiming the Gospel and meeting the challenges and needs of the city. The walk concluded at St John the Baptist Catholic church in Kemptown, with a celebration of ecumenical Vespers and refreshments.

This event included and celebrated the different traditions of Christianity present in the city of Brighton and Hove and was open to everyone: Christians and non-Christians; people exploring the meaning of faith or the spirituality of pilgrimage, or those who are fascinated by the history and culture, art and architecture of Brighton and Hove. All were welcome and enjoyed a walk in good company, seeing Brighton and Hove from the perspective of a pilgrim.