This year, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has declared it a Year of Pilgrimage. With this in mind, we embarked on our own journey of faith, walking together as Christian witnesses.
Last week, I, along with Mr. Neal, Mr. Bonner, Mr. Murray, and Mr. Cain, had the privilege of accompanying a group of our young people on a pilgrimage. We set off from school and walked the eight miles to Padley Chapel, where we attended Mass celebrated by Fr. Henry.
The weather could not have been more perfect. The glorious sunshine shine on us as we made our journey through woods, fields and paths. A welcome rest at Longshaw Estate gave us time to stop and enjoy our lunch; I don’t think I’ve ever been so grateful to sit down and eat my sandwiches!
The final stretch of the walk, just 30 minutes to Padley Chapel, was particularly special.
Padley Chapel was originally part of Padley Hall, a 14th-century manor house owned by the Catholic Fitzherbert family.
In 1588, during a time of religious persecution, two Catholic priests, Robert Ludlum and Nicholas Garlick, were captured there and later executed, becoming known as the Padley Martyrs. The hall eventually fell into ruin, but the chapel which was once a gatehouse, was restored in the 20th century and now serves as a memorial to those martyrs and a place of Catholic pilgrimage.
Knowing the history of this holy site and having the opportunity to celebrate Mass there was such an incredible privilege.
After a day filled with prayer, and friendship, we made our way home by train to Sheffield. It was truly a blessed day and I am grateful to have been part of such an inspiring and meaningful pilgrimage.
God Bless
Suzanne
Thoughts from Theo in Y7
Today was my birthday and I got to join the Padley trip! I was delighted to be allowed as I am a volunteer at Padley Chapel and the littlest of the Friends of Padley. The sun shone as we walked up the hill, and we planted a forget-me-not, where the stone that we think might have been the altar stone was found. Then everyone else from School arrived and we celebrated Mass upstairs at the Chapel. Father Henry gave me a special blessing. I felt very proud and blessed to be there with my school and at the end of Mass everyone sang happy birthday. They gave me a beautiful card that they had all signed which was a wonderful surprise. After a pause for a photo, and some extra prayers, I helped with the dust sheets and tidying away of the chairs at the Chapel, and we walked down the hill in time to wave everyone off from the bridge as they got on the train. It was wonderful that I was able to do this, especially with it being my birthday. Thank you to Suzanne, Mr Neal and Mrs Brookes for giving permission and for all the staff who made it happen.
