The Coat of Hopes, a special patchwork coat carrying the hopes of hundreds of people which is passing through our diocese as part of a nationwide pilgrimage responding to the climate crisis. The coat is a patchwork pilgrim coat which is on a continuous walk across the country. It has been made, worn and walked by hundreds of people over a distance of 2,000 miles so far.
The coat is made up of pieces of blanket into which people have sewn a hope, a prayer or a lament about the climate crisis. And carries an invitation to share our love and responsibility in facing the climate crisis together.
On Thursday, the coat arrived at St Mary’s Church, Bruton. They accommodated between some of the pilgrims and hosted a talk in the church. It made the journey to St Mary’s from Hillfield Friary as it passes through the diocese on its way to Land’s End. On Friday it made its way to Frome.
Revd Liz Dudley, Vicar of Christ Church with St Mary’s, she says, “It is such a good visible representation of hope. It is really easy to feel hopeless in the face of the enormous things happening to us at the moment. But seeing the coat means we will also see the hopes that people have sewn onto it as it has gone around. “What I am looking forward to is sharing that hope with people of all faiths and no faiths – us all being united in hope.”
Liz explains that as the coat travels on its pilgrimage there is an invitation for people to stop and wear it. To be part of it. And each evening, at the coat’s resting place, communities are invited to take part. In Frome, they are holding an open event on the evening of its arrival, as Liz explains, “We hope people will enjoy seeing it and connect with it as it passes on its way, serving to remind us that caring for God’s earth is not an extra, it is integral to our faith.