« The annual pilgrimage to the spring of St. Winefrid of Wales in Holywell »
10-09-2026 
On Sunday, September 6, 2026, with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Orthodox believers from parishes in the Northern England deanery made a pilgrimage to Holywell to the holy spring of St. Winefrid of Gwytherine (Treffinon, Wales; † 630/c. 660).
The pilgrimage began with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Intercession in Manchester, celebrated by Priest Anatoly Vihrov, head of the Pilgrimage Department of the Diocese of Sourozh.
After a short meal at the church, the pilgrims headed to the spring of St. Winefrid in North Wales—in Holywell, Flintshire. At the holy spring, the pilgrims were met by Priest Lazarus Jones, a cleric from the Church of All Welsh Saints in Blaenau Flestyniog, and his parishioners.
Upon arrival, a moleben with the blessing of the waters was held, after which a priest from the local Catholic Church offered the pilgrims the opportunity to venerate a fragment of the relics of the Saint of the ancient undivided Church. The relic is kept in a reliquary in the nearby Catholic Church of the same name.
The pilgrims then immersed themselves in the waters of the holy spring, which fill a large pool that has survived to this day after its reconstruction in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
Then the pilgrims shared communal fraternal meal.
Holy Martyr Winifred (Winifred, Gwenfrewi) of Gwytherin, Treffynon, Wales (Feast Day: November 3/16).
A virgin of noble birth who lived in North Wales in the seventh century. A niece and spiritual daughter of Saint Beuno, she entered the monastery of Gwytherin, where she lived under the spiritual guidance of Saint Eleri. The son of a neighboring chieftain named Caradoc, overcome by carnal passion, pursued her and severed her head with a sword. The place where her head fell became known as Treffynon (Welsh) or Holywell (English), meaning "holy spring," due to the appearance of a healing spring, the water from which benefits all who draw it with faith. Holywell remains a major pilgrimage site in Wales to this day. According to legend, Winifred's uncle, Saint Beuno, resurrected her through prayer, after which she returned to the monastery in Guitharin, where she eventually became abbess.