“To be a pilgrim is to be on the journey of life, to be a seeker after God, and to walk faithfully and joyfully with companions on the way. For many people Lundy Island is a special place, a place of pilgrimage and a place where God seems very close. St Helen’s church, built for the glory of God, is a place of prayer, peace and sanctuary. Joining the St Helen’s fellowship is to set your heart on pilgrimage, to seek to live in relationship with God and one another. Whether you are physically able to make that pilgrimage, or it is a journey of the heart and soul, finding a place in our lives to draw close to God, to creation and in love for one another, is an essential part of spiritual life. I warmly commend the St Helen’s Fellowship to you.”
The Rt Rev’d Jackie Searle, Bishop of Crediton
The Reverend Hudson Heaven had a vision to build a church on the island of Lundy—a rough granite outcrop in the midst of the Bristol Channel. At the time of its building in 1896 the island was in his family’s ownership and since then it has stood proud in the face of all the Atlantic weather could throw at it. It is a testament to his faith and to the glory of God that it still stands today.
In 2013 Lundy became a parish in its own right within the Diocese of Exeter and in 2017 a major work of refurbishment was carried out. As well as making the interior once more weather proof, an accommodation unit was built into the vestry. Now St Helen’s offers a unique place for retreat, residing inside the church itself.
People come to Lundy for many and varied reasons; for some it is the beauty and remoteness of the place, for some its unique flora, others for the birds and other wildlife or marine features.
For some it is a place of quietness and solitude, a place where God’s creation can be admired, a place where God can be found. Lundy is a place where time stretches out, footsteps lengthen and every day routines are forgotten.
The Fellowship offers its members the opportunity to feel that they belong in this unique place, this Holy Island, a place of pilgrimage where God can be encountered around every corner.