The Virtual Pilgrimage begins

Friday 21 August 2020

Today marks day two of my virtual pilgrimage around the Anglican Province of Victoria, Australia. The full pilgrimage plan can be found here: 2020 pilgrimage final

I intend to walk 10k each day around the streets of the Vicarage in Box Hill South and the Vicarage backyard. But virtually I will be walking to each of the Cathedrals in the five Diocese’s of the Province. It is 15k from St Peter’s Anglican Church, Box Hill to St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne – so I arrive virtually at St Paul’s sometime today.

When I visit a Cathedral I hope to be welcomed by the Dean and have a chat about how things are going for the community gathered there; and have some prayer and a blessing for my ‘travels’

I had the great pleasure of ‘meeting’ with the Dean of St Paul’s, the Very Reverend Dr Andreas Loewe. Our meeting can be found here:

I want to finish my first blog entry on this pilgrimage with a modern version of Jesus sermon on the mount as my first prayer:

Blessed are they who wash their hands,
for they shall hold living water;
blessed are those who keep their distance,
for they shall draw closer to God;
blessed are they who self-quarantine,
for they shall help others;
blessed are those who do not hoard,
for they shall feed families;
blessed are those who sing songs to sheltering neighbours,
for they shall be members of the heavenly host;
blessed are parents who learn to teach at home,
for they shall learn from their children;
blessed are they who shop for older folks,
for they shall receive everlasting thanks;
blessed are the frontline health workers,
for they shall be called healers of humanity.

By next Friday I will be only a few days shy of the Ballarat Cathedral.