Prayer is at the heart of my pilgrimages. Each day as I set out, I commit my walking to God and pray for a sense of his peace and presence, for his provision of health and strength and an awareness of his plans and wider purposes. I stop and pray at all the churches I come across, going inside if I can. My prayer as I visit is always for those who worship, serve and minister there and for the local community.
It is always a particular joy to come across a special place set aside for quiet prayer and I have been very much blessed and encouraged by all sorts of resources I have seen provided in churches to prompt visitors to engage with prayer.
I’m also aware that many Christians are keen to explore prayer walking in their local area, making a pilgrimage of prayer in their own locality. Anyone can do this, wherever they live. A busy main road, sheltered housing for the elderly, a school, a local notice board and an industrial estate are amongst many features in our communities that can be a prompt for prayer.
In a church in Lannion in Brittany, a selection of thought-provoking photographs is provided to encourage prayer Reflect on the Easter story in this church in central Liverpool Pray for local children as they celebrate First Communion, here at a church in south-east Ireland A prayer activity in a church on the Isle of Man