The Meekness of GK Chesterton Pilgrims

              Arriving at St George’s Anglican Church on Campden Hill, Kensington, can be a little daunting as one looks around to see if anyone else has turned up to join the annual Gilbert Keith Chesterton Pilgrimage from the very start: this church, the site of Chesterton’s baptism. This time I felt the fear especially as, unusually, I was to be the one leading the pilgrims on their route along rolling English roads all the way to Beaconsfield, Chesterton’s last earthly home. My promotion was not for merit or for service in the field especially, but because my father, who typically lands the job, had injured his back and would not be able to walk any of the 27-mile trek.

                Thus it was that I looked around to see if I would be marching alone this year and was relieved to find a little crowd of four or five people gathered outside the church. This did double or triple over the next few minutes as we waited for more people to arrive. After hearing a passage from Chesterton’s autobiography about his baptism, read by veteran pilgrim Malcolm, we headed off.

                After picking up a few more pilgrims in Ealing, we made our way to the Grand Union Canal, which we walked along for much of the morning. Here people spread out into groups, some praying, some talking, and a few loners enjoying the silence and beauty of the canalside. After a much-needed rest and drink at The Malt Shovel pub in Uxbridge, we continued to Mass at the Bridgettine Convent in Iver, at which Fr. Neil Brett preached an excellent sermon on the joyful spirit of Gilbert, and we concluded by singing Chesterton’s own rousing hymn “O God of Earth and Altar”, after which both walking pilgrims and pilgrims who had just come for Mass, had some tea, coffee, and lunch amongst the Bridgettine Sisters’ beautiful grounds.

          By this point, we were well into the last stretch of the walk. These last six miles become a pleasant stroll through the countryside and so many more pilgrims joined us for this part, including some families. At last we arrived in Beaconsfield and went to the Chesterton’s graveside, where we said the Prayer for the Beatification of GKC. We concluded the day by sitting down in The White Horse, a pub in the town, which even had a couple of pictures of Chesterton inside!

                Numbers were reasonable this year, not the most we have had, nor the least, but solid throughout, and the weather was ideal, especially considering the humidity and intense heat of the week before. Even the very little rain we had was a gentle shower, and was, if anything, cooling.

            It was a pleasure to lead the pilgrimage for the first time, but the credit for the overall management should most thoroughly go to my father Stuart, who did a fantastic job pulling everything together, even though he wasn’t able to walk the pilgrimage himself! Other mentions should go to my mother Clare, for running the tea and coffee and organizing the visit to the White Horse pub, as well as Fr Brett for saying the Mass, and the sisters for allowing us to have Mass at their convent.

        Congratulations to all those who walked any parts of the pilgrimage, especially those who walked all 27 miles, such as M’Aibh, who joins the ranks of the few under-18s to walk the whole day, Benjamin, who served the Mass as well as doing most of the pilgrimage, and Angeline, who continued to walk along the canal for some time even after hurting her foot!

                  I have no doubt that Mr Chesterton (and Mrs Chesterton, for that matter) approves very much, though I expect he chuckles to watch these modern poetic lunatics who think it worth walking 27 miles just to see his grave.
Report by Nathanael T. McCullough
From "GK's Meekly" VOL. IIII. No. 1. To recieve GK's Meekly free of change send any email to catholicgkcsociety@yahoo.co.uk