Both St Catharine’s and St Mary’s are involved in the Pilgrimage for COP26. St Catharine’s are hosting the pilgrims on the night of Tuesday 26th October and St Mary’s are giving them lunch as they pass through Grangemouth on the 27th. Also, Christ Church, Falkirk are open for quiet prayer from 7-9pm on Wednesday 27th.
If you wish to join the walk for all or part of the time it passes through our area, please contact Willie on stmarysandstcatharines@virginmedia.com. For the full programme for the whole of the Pilgrimage see here: Programme
Tuesday 26th: South Queensferry to Bo’ness – meet at the Priory Church at 9.30am and walking, via Abercorn Church (approx. 11.15 – we’re able to visit this historic church and grounds due to kindness of the local minister and congregation) and Blackness (approx 1pm), to Bo’ness, arriving by 4.30pm at the Yellow Buoy on the Foreshore near the Union Street car park. We’ll be eating and staying at St Catharine’s.
Event in the evening at the Hippodrome at 7.30pm – ‘Anote’s Ark’ – a free showing of a film showing the plight of climate refugees and indeed the whole nation of Kiribati – a collection of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Tickets and further information available here: Anote’s Ark at Bo’ness Hippodrome or just turn up on the day.
Wednesday 27th: Bo’ness to Falkirk – meet at the Yellow Buoy near the Union Street car park at 9.30am. Walking all along the Foreshore to Kinneil Lagoons – one of the Friends of Kinneil will guide us as to the local history and a local bird expert as well as, hopefully, someone from the RSPB will meet us at the Lagoons. From there onto the main road and along the refinery road (A904, Bo’ness Road) where we will walk mindfully/prayerfully through the refinery. Lunch will be at St Mary’s, Ronaldshay Crescent at 12.45pm and we’ll then walk on to the canal, the Charlotte Dundas trail and the Kelpies.
At 3.30pm we’ll gather with others at the Peace Pole in Helix Park to share a short service open to all featuring contributions from the Freedom of Mind Choir (more info on them here), Stitches for Survival (more info on them here) and some local schoolchildren who have produced posters for COP26 at the instigation of Falkirk Rotary. The Peace Pole is on the opposite side of the loch from the cafe in Helix Park (on Google maps you can find it here). There’s a Facebook event for this here: Reflection for COP26 at the Peace Pole
We then continue to Falkirk Trinity Church where we’ll be offered tea and coffee at around 5pm. Food is being provided for pilgrims in the evening by the two mosques in Falkirk – cooked by a new Scot (a former Syrian refugee now providing food for other travellers) and we’ll be staying at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Christ Church, Falkirk will be open in the evening for anyone to reflect quietly on the issues around the climate crisis and to pray for the COP26 meeting from 7-9pm (more details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/276394027717808?ref=newsfeed)
Anote’s Ark Bo’ness Hippodrome Final version – poster for Anote’s Ark and the Peace Pole service