MORE than 400 people are expected to make their way to Christ Church Cathedral on Saturday for the inaugural St Frideswide Pilgrimage.

St Frideswide is the Patron Saint of the city and Oxford University and her shrine lies at the heart of the cathedral.

She is celebrated on Saturday, October 19, traditionally the date of her death.

The saint’s day has become a day for celebration across the county and is also known as Oxfordshire Day.

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The pilgrimage has been planned in partnership with the Diocese of Oxford, which covers the three counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

People will be arriving at the Cathedral by one of four routes, representing the four points of the compass. The routes use a mix of footpaths and the Thames Path, and vary in length from 17 miles from Dorchester Abbey (across two days) to 1.5 miles on Saturday afternoon from Iffley Lock.

Oxford Mail:

The intention is that pilgrims arrive from 2pm and visit the cathedral to reflect and pray

There will be a short service at 4pm, which will include an anthem by the St Frideswide Consort and the older members of the Cathedral’s girls’ choir.

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The Dean, the Very Rev Professor Martyn Percy, and the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev Dr Steven Croft, will help to lead the service.

The Succentor, the Rev Philippa White, who is one of the key organisers of the day, said: “I’m excited to welcome pilgrims from around the Diocese and beyond to their Cathedral.

“Like many others rediscovering pilgrimage around the world, they are quite literally following in the footsteps of over a thousand years of pilgrims finding in this place beauty, transcendence and the presence of God."