St. Mary Magdalene & St. Denys, Parish Church, Midhurst

Pilgrimage 2007

Over 30 young members of our congregation aged 11-18, plus adult leaders, took part in the annual pilgrimage this year.  The 4-day physical, spiritual and social adventure, took place locally over the South Downs, with overnight stops in church halls, finishing with a beach barbeque at the Witterings..  Read how they got on below ..

PILGRIMAGE REPORT 2007

WANDERING THE WAY TO WITTERING

By Sam Milton-Dixon

We started on Easter Monday at Midhurst Parish Church with a gathering service led by Revd Jonathan Watson and Jonathan Moores the Youth Missioner.  We walked up Carron Lane and out onto the common before heading to Didling Church, which was where we stopped for lunch.  (According to Pilgrimage Veteran, Doc Pete Marston, Didling Church was also the starting point for the first ever pilgrimage, more than ten years ago.)

 

The afternoon consisted of a glorious walk across the downs, which ended up outside Harting congregational church, which was where Jonathan Moores led our evening worship.  Although the hall was rather small, we managed to fit everyone in, partly because some people slept in the attic.

 

Day two was Harting to Compton (the home of two pilgrims – they know who they are!).  We left Harting at around half past nine.  We took the scenic route, wandering over the South Downs Way, and managed to stretch the short distance (as the crow flies) to eight miles, with a view and a half from the top of every hill.  Again, the hall was rather small, but it was bigger than the previous night.  Our worship was the traditional drama night, and included such characters as King Solomon (hosting a chat show), Sampson & Delilah (at a weightlifting competition), Moses (people on a pilgrimage) and David & Goliath (David’s small shop versus Goliath’s Tescos).

 

Day three was the longest day, and started with an uphill climb.  There were quite a few hills, and we ate lunch at the top of Kingley Vale, with the sight of the Cathedral spire in the distance.  It was closer than it looked, however, and most of the afternoon’s walk was on flatter ground.  We arrived in the city and headed straight to St Paul’s church.  After an afternoon of playing games outside, we went to communion at the Cathedral, at the shrine of St Richard.  In the evening, Steve Moore told us all a story (about a friend of his named Sylvester) and we were also given paper feet, which we wrote our names on and passed round so other people could write what impression we had made on them.

 

The final day was Chichester to West Wittering.  We left St Paul’s at about half past nine, and walked through the town. We walked along the canal, stopped at Itchenor for lunch and walked along the coastal path to Wittering and were joined by many people, including Father Andrew!  When we reached West Wittering, we had an amazing barbecue and were given our feet from the previous evening.

 

All in all, the 2007 pilgrimage from Midhurst to Wittering was a complete success, and everyone involved enjoyed it, and I’m sure everyone has good memories of it.