Rediscovering the Brentwood Pilgrim Way

Church of Our Lady of Light and St Osythe Clacton-on-Sea

The Way of Our Lady of Light is a 68 mile long Pilgrim Way for the Diocese of Brentwood from the Cathedral of St Mary & St Helen in Brentwood to the Shrine of Our Lady of Light in Clacton-on-Sea. It can only be walked during the summer months because the route involves two seasonal ferries at Brightlingsea. There is also a short tidal causeway.

When the ferries are not operating (or at any time) pilgrims can walk the shorter St Peter's Way which is 38 miles long. This follows the same route as the Way of Our Lady of Light for the first nine miles to the village of Stock. It then follows the waymarked St Peter's Way to the Chapel of St Peter at Bradwell-on-Sea where St Cedd landed in 653AD on his mission to the East Saxons. Details can be found on the St Peter's Way page of this website.

The Way of Our Lady of Light passes the recusant house of Ingatestone Hall and Catholic churches at Ingatestone, Stock, Danbury, Maldon, West Mersea, Brightlingsea and Clacton-on-Sea. The Way is through quiet countryside, river and coastal paths and is generally flat.

Devotion to Our Lady of Light started with a Jesuit, Fr Giovanni Genovesi, who was born in Sicily in 1684. He wanted a representation of the Our Lady to take with him to display as he preached. He asked the help of a devout woman who reported a vision of the Virgin bathed in a glorious light, surrounded by a host of seraphim. In the vision she told the woman that she wished to be called Mary Most Holy Mother of Light. A painter was found and after 1722 the resulting picture was carried by Fr Genovesi. The devotion spread and in 1736, Pope Clement XII authorized the veneration of Mary under this title. The original picture was destroyed when the Church of Casa Professa in Palermo was bombarded in 1943.

LINKS

The Way of Our Lady of Light: www.pilgrimways.org.uk/brentwood-summer-only

St Peter's Way: www.pilgrimways.org.uk/brentwood-all-year-gpx-and-waymarks