St Edmundsbury Cathedral hosts Pilgrimage Day to mark Abbey 1000 celebrations

A special Pilgrimage Day where pilgrims can visit several churches across Bury St Edmunds is being held today to mark the Abbey 1000 celebrations.

The day is hosted by St Edmundsbury Cathedral as well as St Edmund's Church and St Mary's.

Pilgrims can go to a number of talks about pilgrimages, routes and the benefits of going on such spiritual journeys.

The Abbey 1000 celebrations mark 1000 years since the founding of the Abbey of St Edmund in 1020.

The celebrations had been delayed for the past two years due to the pandemic, but Libby Ranzetta, chair of the Abbey 1000 group that organised the day, said she is glad that the celebrations can now go ahead.

"It's brilliant," she said. "After two years it's wonderful to be under way. There's been so much planning and thinking and anxiety about whether it would ever actually happen, so now we're finally here is a great feeling.

"The day is designed to look at pilgrimages in Bury St Edmunds and how it used to be in medieval times. It was a huge tradition here, thousands of people came to visit the shrine of St Edmund.

"We will also be looking at pilgrimage today. Modern day pilgrimages have really enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. We know that people are turning to a more contemplative, slow form of travel that doesn't involve flying to another country.

"We want to look at whether Bury could again be a major centre of pilgrimage," she added.

Guy Hayward, director for the British Pilgrimage Trust, is to deliver a talk about modern day pilgrimages.

He said: "You start your journey off by setting an intention so that might be letting go of something or answering a question - walking is so good for that. And there's many benefits to pilgrimages such as the emotional side and mental health. It boosts your mood.

"There's a physical benefit as with walking, but you can also connect with nature in a more concious way - you're being mindful of the birds, the plants, the rivers in a more relationship-based way," he added.

Following on from a pilgrimage that was held across April 4 and 5, the cathedral will be holding a Pilgrimage of Song for the Abbey 1000 celebrations that will be held from 9.30am until 9pm on Saturday, May 14 this year.

The route will be a seven-mile journey from Chevington to Edmundsbury Cathedral, singing a short service at churches along the way. Booking information can be found at here.

Information on more Abbey 1000 events can be found on the website here.