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PILGRIMAGE will be the theme of a month-long celebration at the Abbey Church of Dunfermline in October.From October 2 to 24, the historic Church’s congregation is hosting a special series of events including an exhibition by a local artist, the launch of a walking group for men, a pumpkin trail and a talk by an author focussing on pilgrimage and the place of the Fife Pilgrim Way in the city’s local community.
The minister of the Abbey Church of Dunfermline, the Rev Dr MaryAnn Rennie said: “While some people may be beginning to settle into the cooler weather and the darker evenings, the congregation of the Abbey Church of Dunfermline want to encourage people to make the best of the last few weeks of British Summertime, and October is being used to celebrate Pilgrimage and its many guises to stretch legs, knowledge and imagination and focus on the role of Pilgrimage in our local community.”
Local artist, Cara Shanley will provide a visual focus on Pilgrimage with a special exhibition within the Memorial Chapel of the Church. Cara is the artist behind Sketching Fife, which began as a year-long challenge in 2020 and resulted in an archive of 366 daily sketches and regards the project as “a personal interpretation of the theme of pilgrimage.”
Highlighting the importance of art in pilgrim refection, Cara explained: “While a traditional pilgrimage often involves a long journey full of introspection and self-realisation, stopping off at different sites along the way, the sketcher’s daily practice honoured an experiential journey through Fife. Through observation and contemplation, surroundings were committed to paint, pencil and ink with gentle appreciation.”
Cara’s personal pilgrimage was shaped by local buildings and landscapes, and continues to be shaped by memories, feelings, history and an understanding of local community.
The exhibition is open from October 4 to 26 and is one of a number events planned for the month of Pilgrimage, including short walks in neighbouring Pittencrieff Park, longer walks, a soup lunch, tours of the Abbey kirkyard, stained glass window tours, and a special pumpkin trail.
The Abbey Church will be launching a Men’s Walking Group as part of pilgrimage month, continuing its pattern of supporting those who have been bereaved. A monthly bereavement support group hosted by the Abbey Church recently marked its 10th anniversary of mutual support. The group has recognised that men in particular do not find to easy to join a group that sits and talks and might prefer to walk with others instead. The group will launch on Tuesday October 14 at Dunfermline Abbey and more details are available from [email protected].
A special event towards the end of the month focuses attention on longer European pilgrimages with an event on Thursday October 23 featuring author Richard Frazer, author of ‘Travels With A Stick: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Santiago de Compostela’. The talk will take place at 6.30pm at Dunfermline Abbey.
Details of all events can be found on the church website, Facebook and on https://linktr.ee/DAbbeyChurchEvents
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
St Margaret Street, KY12 7PE Dunfermline, United Kingdom, Garden for Heros, Dunfermline, KY12 7PE, United Kingdom
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