Elisabeth Salisbury
As long as I can remember I have had a yearning to walk the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostella, a longing I accept will now never be fulfilled. I have visited many of the stations on the route in France and heard of others’ experiences. The idea of a pilgrimage is close to my heart. So when I heard there was to be a pilgrimage in Oxfordshire with walkers converging on the Cathedral from places around the county I decided to sign up. I’m so glad I did.
I live near the assembly point for those walking the shortest route, from St Margaret’s Church. On a bright sunny afternoon we were met in the church by the vicar, Daniel, and his wife and son. The inspiration underpinning the whole exercise was the 23rd psalm, the Lord is My Shepherd, which we encountered in different guises. At each stop on the way Daniel read the psalm and we sang a hymn, sometimes a setting of the psalm but once, I’m proud to say, a hymn by a Quaker (John Greenleaf Whittier’s “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”). There were prayers and reflections on the readings, and throughout the journey the chance to talk to new people to hear about their religious experiences, their ideas, and their hopes and longings.
On arrival at Christ Church we were treated to tea in the magnificent Dining Hall (cue more conversation and sharing – food always features largely in pilgrims’ tales). The final hour of the day followed in the Cathedral, where we were invited to visit seven different prayer stations. Each focussed on a different aspect of our lives and included a practical action that reflected this. For instance at Station 2 – The Valley of the Shadow of Death – we were invited to take a piece of string and, for each of our worries and concerns to tie a knot in our string and leave it behind at the foot of the cross. Even if the symbolism of the cross isn’t in your theology, sitting thinking about losses and sorrows in one’s own or others’ lives was a rewarding experience.
I wish I had more space to tell you about each of the prayer stations. They were so creative and inspiring. At Station 5 – I Can Lack Nothing – we could take a little cut-out of a sheep and write on it a recent blessing or an occasion when we had had a glimpse of love, and leave it on the altar as a prayer of thanksgiving.
The pilgrimage was certainly a blessing for me.
Teniers, David the younger (1610 – 1690)
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Forty-Three Newsletter • Number 511 • November 2021
Oxford Friends Meeting
43 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LW