11 Students at the School of Education at the University of Glasgow recently took time away from their exam preparation to heed Pope Francis’ call to undertake a pilgrimage to a Holy Door. Not content with one door, they visited all 8 Scottish cathedral Holy Doors in under 24 hours, on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th April. Accompanied by staff from the School of Education, they travelled only by train and foot, whilst raising money for Classrooms for Malawi. Their selfies at each cathedral were posted live on the School of Education Facebook page, and followed by hundreds of fellow students and family members.
Most visits were relaxed and prayerful, while unfortunately the pilgrims only had 21 minutes between trains in Dundee, precipitating a dash to St Andrew’s Cathedral! The dash proved successful, and group leader Fr Stephen Reilly, whose parents hail from Dundee, has promised to bring the students back for a more leisurely visit.
The pilgrims were delighted to discover that, by the time they had returned to Glasgow on the Saturday evening, they had raised over £1,400 for Classrooms for Malawi. The team hope to complete many more pilgrimages and challenges in the years ahead as they undertake their formation as Catholic teachers.
Fr Stephen Reilly, Co-ordinator of Spiritual and Pastoral Formation, said, “The students showed great enthusiasm in embracing the Pope’s call. As the first major event run by our newly-formed Student Pastoral Planning Team, I was delighted that it was so successful.”
Callum Timms, a second-year RE student, said, “We enjoyed the variety of cathedrals and Holy Doors, each of which was presented differently. The welcome from priests and locals at each cathedral was also special.”