SVP 1833 News & Events
SVP 1833 members take part in Student Cross
Student Cross is a pilgrimage organised by and for students, young adults, and pilgrims of all ages, which has been running since 1948. Pilgrims experience Holy Week and the joy of the Resurrection as a living reality. It’s a chance to celebrate Easter in a unique way.
Ten different groups, known as Legs, walk from different parts of the country across Norfolk to Walsingham. Kind-hearted parishes provide food and accommodation along the way. Each Leg carries a large wooden cross as a witness to the people they pass. The climax of the week is in Walsingham, a centre of pilgrimage for many centuries. This is where all the Legs meet up to celebrate the Easter liturgies together over the weekend, including a vibrant Paschal Party after the Easter vigil on Saturday evening.
Sarah Woodhead from Leeds Universities SVP 1833 describes her experience taking part in Student Cross April 2010:
“I decided to take part in Student Cross this year. Student Cross is a pilgrimage whereby many different 'legs' walk from all over the country and meet in Walsingham at the Slipper Chapel on Good Friday to walk the Holy Mile and celebrate Easter together. I walked Midland leg, which starts at Leicester. There were 30 of us walking together, carrying a life-sized cross along country roads, through towns and on muddy footpaths to Walsingham. Although a couple of my housemates have walked before, this was completely new to me. Nothing prepared me for 18 mile days, a lack of sleep, blisters and no time on my own for a week! Despite all of this, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and am already thinking to next year. I felt a real sense of community and made some great friends throughout the week. We were warmly welcomed by parishioners on the way, greeting us with tea and hot cross buns. The lack of sleep was mainly self induced, spending time chatting into the early hours, and the sense of achievement that we felt when we arrived into Walsingham made up for any blisters! I would fully recommend the experience to anyone wanting to try something different next Easter.”