York: A Pilgrimage Through Catholic England
York was a pleasant surprise; we were not expecting a rich Catholic experience there. Instead, my mind was on Yorkshire pudding and cask-conditioned ales next to the pub’s fireplace. As Americans, armed with the Rick Steve’s guide to England, we thought York would be more about Vikings, afternoon tea, and snickelways and this portion of our trip would be more for culture and history, than faith.
Within minutes of stepping off the train, we had lunch at the Red Lion pub, which ticked those cultural boxes. While I was enjoying a beef and onion pie and sipping on a real ale, we read through the pub’s history in the binder on the bar. Most old pubs in this area have ghost stories; this one was no exception. But it also featured a priest hole.
We asked the barmaid about the priest hole, and though it was tucked away in an inaccessible portion of the building, she lit up when we showed interest. “If you want to learn more about that history,” she said, gesturing vaguely to the north, “you should walk through The Shambles. There’s a shrine there.”
Her directions opened a door we hadn’t expected to find in York. A casual stopover between Edinburgh and London was becoming a pilgrimage. We were learning the hidden story of Catholics who had risked everything to keep the faith alive during the darkest days of the Elizabethan persecution.
The nearby video is AI-generated by Grok, showing a priest entering a secret hiding place.
Saint Margaret Clitherow: The Pearl of York
Later that evening, when we strolled through the historical district, called The Shambles, we stumbled upon York’s most beloved martyr, Saint Margaret Clitherow. The Shambles, an inspiration for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, is filled with Potter-themed shops with names like “The Shop Which Must Not Be Named” (to avoid trademark infringement). One building was not like the rest, it was the Shrine of Saint Margaret Clitherow
She was a butcher’s wife who converted to Catholicism in the 1570s. Her home on The Shambles, now marked with a small shrine, was transformed at night, where priests would celebrate Mass in secret.
The shrine is still active today, a priest from the nearby York Oratory celebrates Mass there each Saturday.
Arrested for harboring Catholic priests, Margaret refused to plead at her trial to protect her children from being forced to testify against her. Her sentence was cruel – pressed to death under a heavy door loaded with weights. On March 25, 1586, Good Friday, Margaret gave her life rather than compromise her faith.
Canonized in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, St. Margaret’s final words still resonate: “I die for the love of my Lord Jesus.”
Her hand is preserved as a relic at the Bar Convent, where I learned the history of how Catholics came to collecting and venerating relics. Margaret’s body was cruelly dumped in the garbage after her execution. A faithful Catholic in York secretly retrieved her body and interred it in a grave (its location is still held secret).
Retrieving the remains of the early martyrs, to give a proper burial, was seen as a solemn duty. These remains were treated with reverence, buried honorably, and sometimes placed in altars or shrines. Over time, this practice evolved into veneration, where relics were seen as tangible connections to the holy individuals who could intercede with God on behalf of the living.
Ever since those early days, Catholics have been venerating relics.
Bar Convent: England's Oldest Active Convent
“Trust in God and do what is right before His eyes.”
No visit to Catholic York is complete without exploring the Bar Convent, established in 1686 and the oldest active convent in England. Founded by Mother Mary Ward during a time when Catholic religious orders were forbidden, the sisters operated in secret, disguising their convent as a girls’ school.
Their hidden chapel, with its eight escape routes, speaks to the danger they faced daily. The chapel has a dome over the altar, constructed in a way to be hidden from the outside. The chapel was disguised as a ballroom when not in use, and included a priest hole as one of the safeguards.
The convent’s museum tells the fascinating story of these brave women who risked everything to preserve the Catholic faith in England. The exhibition includes original artifacts from the penal times, including priest holes and hidden sacred vessels that helped keep the faith alive during the darkest periods of persecution.
Today, the sisters continue their mission of education and hospitality, welcoming pilgrims with the same warm spirit that has sustained their community for over three centuries.
The English Martyrs: Witnesses of Faith
Saint Margaret Clitherow was our introduction to the Forty Martrys from England and Wales. We encountered the stories of more of these brave men and women throughout our visit to the British Isles, including Saints Thomas More, Oliver Plunkett, and Nicholas Owens.
The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of Catholic saints canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 25, 1970, representing the many Catholics executed for their faith during the English Reformation between 1535 and 1679. These martyrs — priests, religious, and laypeople — were killed under laws that made it treasonous to be a Catholic priest, harbor priests, or refuse to conform to the Church of England. Their deaths, often by gruesome and torturous means, happened in York and across England and Wales.
York Minster: A Cathedral with Catholic Roots
The magnificent York Minster dominates the city skyline. Though now an Anglican cathedral, its Catholic heritage is undeniable. Built between 1220 and 1472, this Gothic masterpiece stands on the site of the first Christian church in York, dating back to 627 AD.
Our guided tour revealed the cathedral’s pre-Reformation Catholic treasures that somehow survived the iconoclasm of the 16th century. The Great East Window, the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world, tells the biblical story from creation to apocalypse in 117 panels. The intricate stone carvings, once brightly painted, still speak of Catholic devotion.
In the undercroft (crypt), we discovered the remains of the Roman headquarters where Constantine the Great was proclaimed emperor in 306 AD – the same emperor who would later legalize Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.
The York Oratory: Catholic Revival
In the heart of York stands the Church of St. Wilfrid, home to the York Oratory since 2013. This Victorian Gothic church offers a living link to York’s Catholic past and a vibrant center of present-day Catholic worship.
Following in the tradition of St. Philip Neri, the Oratorian priests maintain beautiful liturgy with Gregorian chant, incense, and reverent celebration of the Mass. We arrived on our way to the York Minister just in time to attend Mass.
After Mass, we had a nice chat with the priest, the same one who celebrates each Saturday at the Shrine of Saint Margaret Clitherow.
Sunday Roast: A Yorkshire Tradition
England has a lovely tradition, the Sunday Roast. After Mass, we made our way across the street to the Mason Arms for this quintessential English meal. In York, the Sunday Roast comes with its namesake Yorkshire pudding, a light, crispy pastry that rises dramatically when baked (at least 4 inches to be considered a true Yorkie).
And so it seemed we had come full circle, from food to faith and back to food, with our appetites for each fully satisfied. St. Margaret Clitherow and all the heroic holy people of York, pray for us.
