Vade Mecum: Go With Me

In the Middle Ages, religious travelers would often carry a vade mecum (Latin for “Go with me”) on their sacred pilgrimages. These small guidebooks were filled with maps, travel tips, prayers, liturgies, and letters of encouragement from loved ones back home. The vade mecum was a means of bringing along those who could not make the journey themselves. In this way, pilgrims never went alone, for they always brought with them the love and prayers of their communities, on whose behalf they traveled.

In less than two weeks, a group associated with St. Alban’s will gather in England to begin a weeklong pilgrimage to explore our spiritual ancestry in the birthplace of English Christianity and Anglicanism. While there are twenty-four of us making the physical journey, you are ALL coming with us, in the spirit of the vade mecum. We will be praying for you throughout our pilgrimage, and we ask that you pray for us too.

As Episcopalians, we trace our spiritual roots across the Atlantic Ocean to England, where Christianity has a rich yet complicated history that includes sacrifice and courage, failure and triumph, schism and reconciliation, and a beautiful tradition of sacramental and prayerful worship.

First, our group of pilgrims will meet in London, where we will pray in three venerable houses of worship associated with the Church of England: St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Southwark Cathedral. I visited each of these sacred sites while on my sabbatical in 2024 and I am eager to return.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields is a place of extraordinary peace. While no longer surrounded by fields, it still offers a calm respite in the heart of central London. Dating as far back as 1222, the church today is well-known for its frequent concerts and its commitment to London’s homeless population. During World War I, the church provided refuge to soldiers on their way to France. The Vicar of that era saw St Martin’s as ‘the church of the ever open door’. The doors have remained open ever since. The current structure was completed in 1726, so they are celebrating 300 years of worship and faithful activism there this year.

St. Paul’s Cathedral is best known for its iconic domed ceiling/roof offering panoramic views of London and hosting many significant liturgies, such as the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The original cathedral on this site was founded in 604 C.E. and the current structure dates from 1710. My family and I loved climbing the to the top of the dome and trying out the famous whispering gallery.

One of the oldest Gothic church buildings in London, Southwark Cathedral is the traditional starting place for pilgrimages to Canterbury, which is where our group of pilgrims will head next.

We will be staying two nights on the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral, home of the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop of Canterbury is regarded as the symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Christianity was re-established in Anglo-Saxon England when Augustine of Canterbury arrived in 597 CE as a missionary sent by Pope Gregory I. Canterbury became the primary ecclesiastical center of England and has remained so for more than 1,400 years. The murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the cathedral in 1170 transformed Canterbury into one of medieval Europe's greatest pilgrimage destinations. Becket's shrine attracted pilgrims from across Christendom and inspired Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Following the English Reformation in the 16^th century, Canterbury remained the principal cathedral of the newly established Church of England. As Anglicanism spread through the former British Empire and beyond, Canterbury became the symbolic “mother church” of Anglican churches worldwide.

From Canterbury, we will journey on to St. Alban’s Cathedral, arriving in time to take part in the festivities surrounding the annual Feast Day of Saint Alban the Martyr. The celebration will include including a parade, a retelling of Alban’s martyrdom with giant puppets, Holy Eucharist, and a local festival. We will delve deep into the story of Alban’s heroic sacrifice.

Our final stop will be at Coventry Cathedral. The original medieval cathedral was largely destroyed during German bombing in 1940. Rather than clearing the ruins, the Church of England preserved them as a memorial to the devastation of war. After the bombing, the cathedral adopted a ministry centered on forgiveness and reconciliation rather than revenge. The words “Father Forgive” were inscribed in the ruins, echoing Christ's prayer on the cross. A modern cathedral was built beside the ruins and consecrated in 1962. The juxtaposition of the ruined and new buildings symbolizes death and renewal, destruction and hope. Coventry is the center of the international Community of the Cross of Nails, a network of churches and organizations committed to peacebuilding and reconciliation.

My prayer is that our pilgrims return home with a deeper appreciation for our Anglican heritage, a stronger connection to Alban, our parish’s patron saint, and a renewed faith in Jesus Christ, not to mention closer relationships with one another. Whether you are crossing the pond or not, you will “go with” us, in the spirit of vade mecum.

Yours in Christ,

Carmen