Bradwell in Essex is the home of the annual Bradwell Pilgrimage. It first began to commemorate the arrival of St Cedd from Lindisfarne to establish a monastery there in 653.
Today it is organised by CTEEL “ Churches Together in Essex and East London”. The pilgrimage is from the St Thomas church in the village to the ancient chapel of St Peter on the Wall .The pilgrimage walk is in the morning with a range of workshops, activities and guided walks in the afternoon followed by closing outdoor worship. The chapel was an Anglo- Celtic church for the East Saxons and its chapel sign states “In this place the word is revealed to you” It still has regular services and supports the nearby Othona Community retreat centre .It is a Grade 1 listed building and one of the oldest intact churches in the country.
I was pleased to be there to run a prayer station workshop on behalf of MWiB after the walk and picnic lunch. The weather, though, had other ideas as high winds and very heavy rains disrupted proceedings as we all huddled in the chapel and gazebos to try to find shelter .I was able to do an adapted workshop in the corner of the large gazebo but some events were cancelled for health and safety reasons. It was lovely to meet around a table with a group who had travelled from London to take part .We shared about prayer, prayer requests and prayer prompts and also experimented with how we could make or find prayer prompts from things around the home.
Just in time for the closing worship the rain stopped, the sun came out and the Salvation Army lifted our spirits with some rousing choruses. There is a special atmosphere in this remote part of Essex. A “thin place” where earth and heaven seem close similar to that which can be found on Lindisfarne or Iona.
It is a remote and peaceful place popular with walkers and nature lovers and worth a visit if you are in the area.
The Pilgrimage Prayer
God of our Pilgrimage you have led us to the living water. Refresh and sustain us as we go forward on our journey in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.Amen.
