The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will visit the Diocese of Chester on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, taking part in a day of pilgrimage, prayer, and celebration across the city and surrounding communities.
During his visit, Archbishop Stephen will join a schools’ pilgrimage walk, attend a Pilgrim Place gathering for local churches, and lead an evening celebration, Everyday Pilgrimage: an evening of celebration with the Archbishop of York, at Chester Cathedral.
Archbishop Stephen will meet church leaders and congregation members at St Andrew’s Church, Tarvin, where churches from across the diocese - many now part of the growing Pilgrim Places network - will gather to reflect on what it means to be a pilgrim in everyday Christian life, and how sacred spaces can nurture faith and spiritual growth.
A highlight of the day will be a schools’ pilgrimage walk beginning at St Peter’s Church at the Cross and concluding at Chester Cathedral. Along the way, children will engage with the story of pilgrimage before gathering to sing The Pilgrim Way, a free resource created for Faith in the North by Nick and Becky Drake of Worship for Everyone.
Canon Chris Penn, Director of Education for the Diocese of Chester, said: “Pilgrimage is not just about travelling to distant places - it is about discovering God in the journey of our daily lives. Hearing schoolchildren sing The Pilgrim Way as they walk and gather in these sacred spaces is a powerful reminder that faith is alive, shared, and growing among the next generation. These moments help young people see themselves as part of a much bigger story of faith.”
The Bishop of Chester, Mark Tanner, will also join the Archbishop at Chester Cathedral for the evening celebration at 7pm, celebrating the saints who have shaped us, and the transformation that pilgrimage can bring. All are welcome, and no booking is required.
Speaking about the Cathedral and its historic cloisters – once a vital part of the monastic patterns of prayer – Bishop Mark said: “Chester Cathedral has been a house of prayer for almost 1000 years. It still is today for me and for the hundreds of thousands of people who come in and pause in this holy space each year. This place of majestic stillness becomes a place of encounter – where we can rediscover who Jesus is and what it means to follow him in our daily lives. Walking, praying, and reflecting here as pilgrims is both a privilege and an invitation.”
