Scottish Catholic Observer

The event, organised by Catholic Youth Service Scotland (CYSS), follows on from last year’s pilgrimage to Dunfermline Abbey, and like last year the weather stayed clear throughout the day.

The pilgrims gathered at the start of their journey in St Mary’s Church in Haddington, where they prayed the Angelus, before moving to the pre-reformation St Mary’s Parish, where they were joined by the Church of Scotland minister as they prayed for Christian unity and for the journey ahead.

After a visit to the Chapel of the Three Kings within St Mary’s, the young pilgrims, from six of the eight dioceses in Scotland, walked seven miles to the Cistercian Abbey of Sancta Maria at Nunraw. Along the way they took questions from the odd passer-by, receiving a positive response to their efforts.

Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh led the pilgrimage from the front and was joined by parish priests and religious brothers and sisters in conversing with the youngsters as they processed through villages and country roads.

The pilgrimage had been organised around the theme of the Year of Consecrated Life, which Pope Francis in 2014 established to draw attention to vocations and other forms of consecrated living.

Amongst those represented on the day were the Jesuit community from Edinburgh and Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia from Elgin. Pilgrim groups from a number of parishes took part including from St Augustine’s in Coatbridge, St Edward’s in Airdrie, St Teresa’s in Craigmillar, and St Maria Goretti in Cranhill, Glasgow.

“It was a lovely occasion,” the Archbishop said. “The weather was absolutely perfect. The rain stayed away. The sun came out often. It was a beautiful day for walking through East Lothian.”

The archbishop was keen that the young people learn from the advice given them by Abbot Emeritus Raymond Jaconelli of Nunraw who told of the need for periods of silent prayer in life in order to let God speak.

“Continue to listen for the voice of the Lord both today and throughout your life,” the archbishop said in his homily. “Especially to find time to be quiet, to be silent and to listen again for the voice of Jesus.”

Elizabeth Millar from CYSS said the whole day was great and thanked Abbot Mark Caira for his hospitality.

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—Pic: Paul McSherry

—This story ran in full in the September 18 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.