Churches Visitor & Tourism Association 2025 Conference & AGM

Welcome to the Churches Visitor & Tourism Association 2025 Conference & AGM!

Join us for two FREE days of networking, learning, and collaboration. The Theme this year is Pilgrimage

This year’s reunion, AGM and conference is being hosted by the Carmelite Shrine of Saint Jude in Faversham, (34 Tanners Street, ME13 7JW) www.stjudeshrine.org.uk - a proud member of the CVTA for over 10 years.

All are welcome to come to both days or one of the days - please just let us know.

Lunch provision

The event is FREE, but we do need to cover the cost of Saturday lunch and other small expenses so we suggest a donation of £12 per person to attend either (or both) of the two days which will go towards the cost of the event during the two days. Please bring cash which you can pay on arrival.

This is an event where you can connect with fellow church representatives, tourism professionals, and others to share insights and best practice. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of shaping the future of church tourism.

Everyone from any church or chapel, or an organisation working with them is very welcome.

IMPORTANT We will need to know the following from you: and the questions will come up after you have registered. So please wait a few seconds!

• which day/or both days that you will be attending;
• whether you would like to join us for the dinner on Friday evening (to be paid for on the night by those attending);
• any dietary requirements you have so we can cater for you for Saturday lunch.

Faversham

After the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket, Faversham became a place of pause in pilgrimages before the last stretch to Canterbury, and the town grew to be an important centre of faith. King Stephen of England lived here for a while and founded Faversham Abbey (mostly gone). Over the years, Faversham remained an important centre of pilgrimage until the Reformation. In recent times with the resurgence of pilgrimage, Faversham once more finds itself the centre of several routes. Seventy years ago, the Shrine of Saint Jude (Apostle of Hope) continued this tradition when the Carmelites returned to Kent. You can find out more, here: https://stjudeshrine.org.uk/faversham

In 2020, the Shrine was given five stars by the new guide 'Britain's Pilgrim Places' produced by the British Pilgrimage Trust. The authors particularly emphasised that.."the Shrine is a common meeting ground between Anglicans and Catholics since there was little historical and cultural interest in Jude during Christianity's most difficult years. He is certainly a more productive figure to contemplate than the Reformation martyrs of either side. For that reason alone, this Shrine deserves the highest recommendation".

Do you welcome walkers and ramblers, occasional worshippers who stop by to think and pray, or open your church for casual visitors? Have you ever wondered how to enhance your welcome, or ensure the tourists who arrive at your church or sacred space leave as pilgrims? Might pilgrimage be a way to reach out with the Gospel or deepen the discipleship of your congregation? And what defines a pilgrimage anyway?

The two days

Friday 10 October 2025

2pm Refreshments and Registration – Shrine of Saint Jude Welcome Centre

2.30pm: Welcome from Chair

2.45pm: Tour of Shrine of Saint Jude and Carmelite church, followed by walk to Almshouses and Parish church – tour by Matt Betts (Development Manager of the National Shrine of Saint Jude)

5pm: Check in to your hotels/rest

6.30pm: Evening Meal (Sun Inn, Faversham) https://www.sunfaversham.co.uk/

A small donation will be sent to each place after the weekend. A separate collection will be made on the day for this purpose.

Saturday 11 October 2025

Shrine of Saint Jude Welcome Centre

9.30am: Teas and Coffees
10.00am: Welcome from Richard Tulloch, CVTA Chair
10.05 - 10.20am: Mr Andrew Kelly: how to attract pilgrims to your church
10.25 - 10.45am: Mr Brendan and Joanna Roche: why going on pilgrimage to Lourdes is important and how the good values gained from the CA Pilgrimage can be brought home to our parishes/dioceses/homes/friendship groups, etc.
10.50am - 11.15am: Teas and Coffees / Discussion
11.15am - 12.25pm: Dr Matt Valler, PhD: Pilgrimage in unexpected places
12.30 - 1.00pm: Discussion in groups
1.00pm: Lunch
1.45pm: Ms Rosie Bradshaw: Carmelite spirituality
2.30pm: Bishop Paul Hendricks (Catholic auxiliary bishop in Southwark Archdiocese)
2.50pm: Mr Torin Brown (Canterbury Cathedral) - the contemporary motivation for pilgrimage
3.15pm: AGM
3.30pm: Concluding prayer from Chaplain of the Shrine of Saint Jude, Br. Paul de Groot, O.Carm
4pm: Close - tea/coffee

More details and biographies of the speakers, here: https://stjudeshrine.org.uk/events/churches-visitor-and-tourism-agm

Dr Matt Valler is the founder of Labyrinth, a project that 'hacks' places to uncover the stories that shape the way we live. He has worked with groups all over the world, including exploring Mark's Gospel in the City of London, at the National Mall in Washington D.C., and in Melbourne's CBD. Matt holds a PhD in Translation Studies from Queen's University Belfast, and works on The Unauthorized Version, a pirate project to re-translate the Bible into English.