Franciscans 800: Sunny Southwark day

Souvenir bags were distributed at Southwark’s two cathedrals.

Pilgrims travelling from Canterbury to London are sometimes told that they are going the wrong way. Once of course most Canterbury pilgrims had to walk or ride both ways.

But the Franciscan 800 pilgrims have been travelling from abroad to London and Oxford via Canterbury Cathedral.

They are marking the 800th anniversary of the first Franciscans arriving in England and at once visiting Canterbury and London.

Whilst those pioneer Franciscans were in Canterbury and its advance party in the capital, St Francis received the Stigmata -the wounds of Christ. That anniversary fell on Tuesday, the day of the Southwark welcome, and was kept with a special Mass at St George’s Roman Catholic Cathedral.

The day began at Southwark Cathedral with Anglican morning prayer and the Succentor Dr Thomas Sharp, a Third Order brother, giving the homily. The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, gave the blessing and presided at the Eucharist.

This was followed by a visit to All Hallows Eco Church in Copperfield Street.

Lunch started with the main food being served in the Amigo Hall at St George’s Cathedral but for the second course pilgrims had to go to nearby Archbishop’s Park where puddings included the pilgrim cake Tata de Santiago.

The day concluded with a visit to Lambeth Palace garden where the 468 year old fig tree, which has a cutting growing in the Vatican Gardens, was watered.

The day was hosted and organised by South Bank Churches.

Some of the pilgrims (top right) and friends with the Bishop of Southwark in Southwark Cathedral.
Souvenir badge and book.
Eco Church Vicar Dr Sharon Moughtin (centre) welcomes pilgrims to All Hallows Eco Church.
The Bishop of Southwark with Franciscans at the open air All Hallows Eco Church.
The cathedral to cathedral walking route included a visit to a Franciscan house in Southwark.
Franciscans concelebrate Mass at St George’s Cathedral.
The Bishop of Southwark with pilgrim supporters and friends.
Enjoying Lambeth Palace garden.
A final prayer at the fig trees with two members of the Lambeth Palace’s ecumenical St Anselm Community.
Figs ripening in Lambeth Palace garden.

Franciscans 800: Southwark celebrates

The Shard and tower of Southwark Cathedral

If you are setting out for Canterbury from Southwark on Tuesday 17 September you will find the Franciscan 800 celebrations at both cathedrals.

At 9am Morning Prayer is at Southwark Cathedral (Anglican) followed by the Eucharist. Included will be prayers for peace in the Holy Land as part of the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel.

Afterwards there is a pilgrimage walk to All Hallows Eco- Church in Copperfield Street for refreshments and a sing-along of St Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures.

At 12 noon St George’s Cathedral (Roman Catholic) is the venue for the
Mass celebrating the 800th Anniversary of the Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi.

** 2024 is the 800th anniversary of both Franciscans arriving in England and St Francis receiving the Stigmata (painful marks on the hands corresponding to the wounds of Christ crucified) in La Verna on Mount Penna in Italy.

St George’s Cathedral

Eve of St Edith at Kemsing’s well

St Edith depicted in a window at Kemsing church

St Edith of Kemsing Day is on Monday with the local celebration taking place on Sunday 15 September.

Kemsing, where St Edith was born, is an important stage on the Pilgrims’ Way just after the Southwark and Winchester routes converge at Otford.

On Sunday devotions at the flower decorated well are at 10.15am and 3.30pm.

At 4.30pm there will be the First Vespers of St Edith at the church. Tea is available at The Bell from 5pm.

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Some pilgrims are starting from Otford at 1.30pm : meeting at Roman Catholic Holy Trinity Church.

There is an ancient direct path and road from Otford to Kemsing, starting on the south side of Otford’s parish church (St Bartholomew’s), running parallel to the Pilgrims Way which here is rather busy with traffic.

800th anniversary of Franciscans arrival in Canterbury & Southwark via Pilgrims’ Way

Franciscan Gardens chapel behind Canterbury High Street

A party of Franciscans will be welcomed to Canterbury Cathedral this afternoon at 3pm in the eastern crypt where St Thomas Becket’s body was first laid in 1170.

The occasion will recall nine penniless friars arriving at Dover in September 1224. After it had been established that they were not ‘robbers or vagabonds’ they were given a night’s accommodation and allowed to continue to Canterbury.

The original group arrived just four years after St Thomas Becket’s body had been placed upstairs in the new shrine.

They were invited to stay at the Poor Priests’ Hospital in Stour Street. Later their settlement for 300 years was an island on one of the River Stour braids. Today this is known as the Franciscan Gardens . A building straddling the water is the chapel.

The first Franciscans included William of Florence, Laurance of Beauvais and the the leader Agnellus of Pisa.

Leading today’s group is Friar Carlos Trovarelli, Minister General and the 120th successor to St. Francis of Assisi.

Expect to see the 21st-century Franciscans again at 11am on Wednesday 11 September in Canterbury Cathedral‘s crypt for Franciscan morning prayer.

Afterwards at 12.30pm the Anglican Mass will be celebrated on the lawn in front of the chapel in the Franciscan Gardens – entrance via Franciscan Gift Shop at 60 St. Peter’s Street, next to Eastbridge Hospital.

Back in 1224 four of the original party stayed only a few days before continuing to London on the Pilgrims’ Way. So today’s party will also follow the route to be in Southwark Cathedral for 9am morning prayer on Tuesday 17 September.

The programme for the Southwark visit is here.

Southwark Cathedral’s great screen

St Swithun gives way to St Bartholomew

St Bartholomew’s Church at Hyde Abbey

If it rains on St Swithun’s Day it will rain for forty days says the popular rhyme. The fortieth day is St Bartholomew’s Day Saturday 24 August.

Pilgrims’ Way

The Pilgrims’ Way has a church dedicated to Bartholomew found at Hyde Abbey on the edge of Winchester. St Swithun’s shrine is in Winchester Cathedral.

Another St Bartholomew church is at Otford in Kent where the routes from Southwark in London and Winchester converge.

Winchester

St Bartholomew’s Church at Winchester will be open on St Bartholomew’s Day Saturday 24 August 11am-4pm with refreshments and hourly tours. The Patronal Festival service is the following morning, Sunday at 10am.

Sandwich

The day is kept with much colour at Sandwich in Kent where St Thomas Becket landed from exile just weeks before his martyrdom at Canterbury twelve miles away.

The port belonged to Canterbury Cathedral whose sacred relics included St Bartholomew’s arm.

St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in Sandwich dates from about 1190 and was built as a hostel for pilgrims. It now provides almshouse accommodation.

The St Bartholomew’s Day service in the church at 11am is attended by the Mayor. Afterwards children run around the outside of the church to receive a current bun as a symbol of the food once provided to pilgrims. Adults at the service are given a specially baked biscuit embossed with the Hospital seal.

Sandwich also has a St Thomas’s Hospital built in the 14th century and dedicated to St Thomas Becket.

Who is St Bartholomew?

Bartholomew is one of the Twelve Apostles and patron of farmers who are much concerned about the weather at this time of the year.

The Mayor with the St Bartholomew Day buns (photo: traditionalcustomsandceremonies.wordpress.com)

St Swithun’s Day at Winchester

if you are setting out on the Pilgrims’ Way from Winchester this weekend you will find it’s St Swithun’s Day.

On Sunday, being the eve of St Swithun’s Day, the First Festal Evensong of St Swithun at Winchester Cathedral is at 3.30pm.

The St Swithun’s Day choral evensong, attended by all Winchester canons, on Monday 15 July is at 5.30pm.

Both services are live streamed on the cathedral website.

*** St Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, died on 2 July 863 which is the date on which Norway observes St Swithun’s Day. The 15 July is the Translation of St Swithun recalling his body being moved on this day in 971 from the outside burial ground into the Old Minster (outlined in grass on cathedral’s north side). The body was moved again twice: in 1093, into the new cathedral, and in 1096 within the cathedral -always on 15 July.

*** The popular rhyme claiming that if it rains on 15 July it will rain for forty days dates from the 13th-century. The origin is a mystery but the shrine canopy features rain and sun. The weather forecast for Monday is rain.

*** If you are setting out from Southwark Cathedral you will find St Swithun and St Thomas Becket depicted together among the saints on the great screen behind the high altar.

St Swithun’s shrine at Winchester Cathedral.
St Swithun (second left) at Southwark Cathedral holding the bridge he built over the River Itchen. Next to Swithun is St Thomas Becket (right).

Henry II’s penitential Canterbury pilgrimage: 850th anniversary

Canterbury Cathedral

Friday 12 July is the 850th anniversary of Henry II visiting Canterbury for the first time after the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket four years earlier. In 1174 the 12 July also fell on a Friday.

The king, who had decided on his penitential pilgrimage only six days earlier, landed at Southampton from Normandy. Some maintain that he followed the Old Way which hugged the coast to Kent rather than heading for the ancient route out of Winchester.

However, on the morning of Friday 12 July 1174 he arrived in the village of Harbledown near Canterbury which was on the main road from London and is part of today’s pilgrim route.

Here the King dismounted to pray in the Hospital of St Nicholas which was 90 years old. As part of his penance for Becket’s murder he gave an annual grant of 20 marks to the lepers of Harbledown hospital.

St Michael & All Angels Church at the top of the hill was barely 15 years old.

it was a damp morning and from here the king, rather than remounting, walked along the road dotted with puddles to St Dunstan’s Church on the edge of Canterbury.

At the church he removed his rain protection clothing and shoes.

Henry then walked barefoot for quarter of a mile to enter Canterbury at the West Gate. Still barefoot he continued along the main street crossing a second braid of the River Stour where he granted the mill to Becket’s sister Rohesia. ASK on the site has plaque recording this.

After a further 300 yards on the cobbles he arrived at the cathedral as the bells rang. At once he knelt in the porch.

Inside Henry went directly to the martyrdom site where he kissed the flagstones on which Becket had fallen. It was another three years before the bloodstained stones were lifted

Finally he made his way to the crypt to kneel at the tomb of Becket the new saint. This where monks were required to whip the King.

The visit was not brief for the King kept overnight vigil at the tomb.

Pageant on Saturday 6 July

Canterbury is marking the Henry II anniversary a few days early with a Medieval Pageant and Family Trail on Saturday 6 July.

The Pageant, with giant models of the King and St Thomas Becket, starts at 11am from the West Gate and finishes in the Cathedral’s Precinct where at 11.45am there will be a scene depicting the King making his apology for Becket’s murder.

Canterbury Cathedral grounds will be open with free entry.

Translation of St Thomas 1220 on Sunday 7 July

The Translation of St Thomas, marking the moving of Becket’s body in 1220 from the Canterbury Cathedral crypt to the new shrine upstairs, was always a bigger day for pilgrimage than the murder anniversary at Christmastime. Solemn Evensong with Procession to the shrine site is at 5.30pm and will be live-streamed on the cathedral website.

850th anniversary of Henry II’s Pilgrimage on Friday 12 July

Canterbury Cathedral Sung Evensong is at 5.30pm.

Lavender now out in Darent valley

The Pilgrims’ Way from Southwark runs north-south.

Briefly Kent’s Darent valley has a touch of Provence with swathes of purple.

Lavender is now found in fields alongside the Pilgrims’ Way between Lullingstone and Shoreham.

This is the heart of Samuel Palmer’s ‘veil of heaven’ countryside although he never saw the lavender which was planted just 25 years ago.

On the way from Eynsford pilgrims can go through the Lullingstone Castle gateway to visit St Botolph’s known as the Church on the Lawn.

At Castle Farm there are refreshments.

Watts Galley Tea Shop changes

The Pilgrims’ Way runs from left to right passing the pond, 4 Shop and Tea Shop

The popular Watts Galley Tea Shop on the Pilgrims’ Way is closed this week Monday 1 July to Wednesday 3 July.

This due to improvement works starting on the kitchen.

From Election Day Thursday 4 July a pop-up café will open on the Gallery lawn whilst the Tea Shop will be open for coffee and cakes only.

This a good stop between Farnham and St Catherine’s Village (Guildford).

A slice of Compton cake at the Tea Shop

Charing Diversion

Starting shortly this month there will be an occasional diversion on the Pilgrims’ Way above Charing in Kent.

The route does not pass through the village which is downhill to the south.

Just before the turn off it will be necessary to divert right down to the main road where there is a pavement. The road curves to cross the Pilgrims’ Way a little further on.

There is a turning off the road to Charing.

The closure, which is expected to be on and off during the summer, is to enable work to take place on improving the path.

Charing Church and Palace

To Canterbury from Winchester and London / Leigh Hatts