Fife Pilgrim Way: Minister appointed as first Pilgrim Pastor in Scotland

The Rev Duncan Weaver took up his new post last week, and his role will be to assist people on the Kingdom’s Pilgrim Way which opened in 2019, and start to link all the various churches along the route which runs from Culross to St Andrews.

The post is being jointly funded by the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Pilgrim pastors are quite common in Germany and Scandinavian countries, but this is a first for the Kingdom and Scotland.

Duncan brings a wide work experience of police service, army chaplaincy in the UK and Germany, school teaching and pastorship, and leading outdoor pilgrimages with a wide range of age groups. He was originally ordained in the Church of England, and recently moved to Cupar to be nearer his family.

Rev Canon Kenny Rathband, convenor of ecumenical Steering Group for the Fife Pilgrim Way Pastorate initiative, said: “We are delighted to have appointed Duncan from a strong field of applicants.

“He brings to this pioneering role a broad life and work experience which will be highly relevant to the pilgrim walkers and cyclists using the Fife Pilgrim Way and the local church congregations that we want to see enjoying and using this outdoor pilgrimage resource for spiritual renewal.”

A commissioning service for the launch of the Pastorate will take place at Ceres Parish Church on Wednesday, November 30. This also marks the first anniversary of the signing of the historic St Andrew Declaration between the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church, committing both denominations to new collaborative partnerships across Scotland - the Fife Pilgrim Way Pastorate is the first practical example of this in action.

At the service, a memorandum of agreement will be signed by the Pastorate stakeholders which include the Abbey Church of Dunfermline; SEC Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane; the Parish Churches of Ceres, Kemback & Springfield, Auchterderran Kinglassie, and St Columba’s Glenrothes; and the Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum SCIO.

A large grant has been provided by the Church of Scotland Presbytery of Fife Mission Fund.