And they’re off….
Choristers from Birmingham Cathedral kick start their own ‘Year of Pilgrimage’ with a tour of performances over the border.
Yes, the staff and musicians are heading to Scotland during February half term for a five day tour – just one event in Birmingham Cathedral’s exciting programme as part of the national campaign 2020 Year of Cathedrals, Year of Pilgrimage.
The five-day tour will take a 26-strong group of choristers, lay clerks and choral scholars to Edinburgh, Dunfermline and Dunblane.
Anna Pitt, Chief Executive at Birmingham Cathedral, said:
“I’m delighted that Birmingham Cathedral are kicking off the Year of Pilgrimage with our Cathedral Choirs touring in Scotland.
“The tour is a fantastic opportunity for our choristers and forms part of the whole educational and developmental experience that life as a Cathedral chorister offers.
“Taking our worship and our music to a whole new community is a great way to begin what is set to be a busy and exciting year not just for Birmingham but for all English Cathedrals.”
It is part of a number of offerings from Birmingham Cathedral to mark 2020 Year of Cathedrals, Year of Pilgrimage which include a Lent Reflection Station on the theme We Are Pilgrims. The Cathedral launched its own 2020 project early last month when it announced it had secured first round funding to breathe new life and help better tell the story of their famous Edward Burne Jones Windows, called Divine Beauty. More on Divine Beauty on the cathedral website
Find out details of the choir tour here.
Meanwhile Rochester has just launched not one but four one day pilgrimage routes leading from the cathedral.
The Canon Precentor, Matthew Rushton has test walked some of the routes and feedback his findings to the British Pilgrimage Trust who have now tweaked them and they have been uploaded them to our website and can be found here.
The Rochester routes celebrate William of Hoo, a sacrist of Rochester at the turn of the century who is an important figure in the architectural history of the Cathedral and is celebrated in statue on the Quire Screen.
Another route links to the York Paulinus Way. Paulinus is a Rochester saint with strong links up north, and pilgrims can also stop at Rochester for the shrine of William of Perth.
To mark 2020 Year of Cathedrals Year of Pilgrimage, every cathedral has a one day pilgrimage route thanks to a unique collaboration between the BPT and the Association of English Cathedrals.
You can find all the one day routes on our website alphabetically here.
