Saints and Holy Places of Yorkshire: A Pilgrims' Guide to God's Own County
Ebook
A unique guidebook for visitors to the many pilgrimage sites in Yorkshire, and the holy people who have been associated with these places. The intention is to help readers develop their spiritual life through reflection on the lives of familiar and less familiar figures from the Christian story in Yorkshire. The importance of place is also a key feature of this approach, whether on the coast (e.g. Whitby), in the relative wilds for many of the abbeys (e.g. Rievaulx, Fountains), or in the bustle of a city (e.g. York, West Yorkshire towns).
The guide can be used over the course of a week, but equally it can be used to assist in visiting places one by one, or by following the journey in the imagination while being read at home. Each day has four elements: People, Place, Prayer, and Practicalities, plus brief information about other places which might be included in a visit.
It is accessible to anyone interested in learning from some significant Christian characters from Yorkshire, both recent and from long ago.
A guidebook … and much more
OH, that every county had a book like this! In Saints and Holy Places of Yorkshire: A Pilgrims’ Guide to God’s Own County (Sacristy Press, £9.99), Gavin Wakefield takes the reader in the spirit of pilgrimage on a journey; a journey of seven days to be precise. Primarily a guidebook, along the way we also explore how Christians and the Church have tried to make sense of their faith in the many different contexts that make up Yorkshire.
Each day, a chapter in itself follows a pattern: Introduction, People, Places, Prayer, Practicalities, Other places.
The people were sometimes completely new to me, others known, but my understanding enriched by the well-researched biographical detail, written in a style that is both engaging and authoritative. Further, the connection and importance bet - ween identity and place becomes increasingly evident – and the reader’s connected-ness and appreciation all the more complete because of it. Then there are the places. Again, insight, detail, but never so much that the prime purpose of the book becomes obscured.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Far more in fact than just a guidebook, this is a book by a good writer who loves his patch and knows his subject well and who delivers his findings in a way that captures and holds the reader’s interest. I thoroughly recommend it!
“For the novice, Gavin Wakefield’s book would be an ideal accompaniment to their visit, and would transform it from a tourist endeavour into a mini-pilgrimage, with space to absorb the diverse history and geography of the largest county in England, and reflect on matters pertinent to faith today.
“Wakefield’s personality comes across aplenty in the book. This is endearing as one gains an insight into a Christian believer for whom the ordinary is important, and who wants to share his faith for the benefit of others.
“It is not an historical work, yet it paints a picture of a diverse county which inspires love, devotion and pride, and could act as a gateway to further exploration.”
[Gavin Wakefield is] well informed about the history and heritage of the county and in this book he shares his affection and knowledge in an engaging and informative way. … I was particularly taken by the prayers which are well thought out and do real justice both to the places and the theological reflection which might result. They are accessible and might form the basis of a Yorkshire collection of prayers in their own right. … For those engaged upon [a pilgrimage] in the holy land of Yorkshire, this will be a fascinating and informative guide.
Charming and entertaining. … Using the book as an actual pilgrim guide would be both educational and spiritually refreshing.
Gavin Wakefield has given us a delightful, devotional travel guide to Yorkshire. Packed full of fascinating anecdotes and stories, it inspires and challenges in equal measure. Written in bite-sized chunks, it’s a great companion to one’s daily prayers and a lovely gift to be shared.
- Title: Saints and Holy Places of Yorkshire: A Pilgrims' Guide to God's Own County
- Author: Gavin Wakefield
- Publisher: Sacristy Press
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781789591057, 9781789591033, 1789591031, 9781789591040, 178959104X, 1789591058
- Resource ID: LLS:9781789591057
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-26T08:09:07Z
Gavin Wakefield is Director of Training for Missional Ministry in the Diocese of York, overseeing a team responsible for lay and clergy development. Previously he has served in the dioceses of Sheffield and Chelmsford, and for ten years was Director of Mission and Pastoral Studies at Cranmer Hall, Durham. Although brought up in the south of England, he has happily spent most of his adult life in the north, seeking to contribute to the mission of the Church in this context. Among his publications are Alexander Boddy: Pentecostal Anglican Pioneer (Authentic Media, 2007), a biography of an unusual and influential vicar in Sunderland, and Holy People, Holy Places (Lion Hudson, 2008), a book for pilgrimage set in the north east.