The Annual Pilgrimage to Harvington Hall, Shrine of The English Martyrs
The parish church of St Mary’s Harvington lays across the car park from Harvington Hall, Diocesan Shrine of the English Martyrs. Each year we have been privileged to host a pilgrimage to the site and invite the faithful from across the whole of the Archdiocese.
It was a great relief to us that the pilgrimage was able to take place this year on Sunday 12th September 2021 after its cancellation due to Covid-19 restrictions in 2020. The event was planned with caution and invitations were extended to the three closest Deaneries in the Diocese, those of Kidderminster, Dudley, and Worcester. The Mass commemorating the English Martyrs was celebrated by Bishop David Evans with clergy and Oscott seminarians concelebrating. Many faithful pilgrims attended, and Mass was live streamed for those who could not make it in person.
Volunteers from the parishes of St Mary, St Ambrose and St Wulstan and members of the local branch of The Catholic Men’s Society of GB once again gave their time generously to organise and ensure the smooth running of the Pilgrimage.
We hope to be able to extend our invitation to the whole Archdiocese on the provisional date of Sunday 4th September 2022.
The witness of the martyrs associated with us here at Harvington is an inspiration. The four martyrs especially venerated at Harvington, who worked at various times in the area, are:
- St John Wall – hung, drawn and quartered at Red Hill, Worcester on 2 August 1679, and canonized in 1970
- St Nicholas Owen – died under torture in the Tower on 2 March 1606, and was canonized in 1970
- Bl. Edward Oldcorne – executed at Red Hill, Worcester on 7 April 1606 and beatified in 1929
- Bl. Arthur Bell – executed at Tyburn on 11 December 1643 and beatified in 1987.
Fr John Moran, Bishop David Evans, Fr Douglas Lamb and Fr Richard Sharples
Members of The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
The clergy assembled then processed through the main gateway and into the Hall gardens where Mass took place.
The readings for Mass were those for the Feast of The English Martyrs
The congregation came prepared for the weather!
Students from Oscott College
Photographs acredited to the Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham